SG Fairy

There's this new international study out about how two lit cigarettes, in an enclosed room the size of a HDB bedroom, will generate 622 microgrammes of pollutants.

622 microgrammes of pollutants means that it's almost two and half times more polluted than when the PSI is at the hazardous level of 300 (which is like SG haze at its worst).

So that's why you get the smoky effect blasting into your face when you enter through the door of a pub/club.... the whole 'smoke gets in your eyes' thingy.

Now according to Dr Koong Heng Nung, Principal Investigator of Global Air Monitoring Study and Senior Surgical Oncologist at the National Cancer Centre Singapore, "It's very startling because that's the exposure that all of us second-hand smokers will get exposed to when we visit locations that allow indoor-smoking."

Yes, I can imagine it could be quite startling for you.

He continued, "That's the extent of the air pollution you're exposing yourself to if you go into an environment that allows smoking. The amount of contamination is up to 100 times the air quality that you may experience in non-smoking environment.

"So it's really up to the individual to decide, whether they want to have this 100 percent increase in the air pollution if you visit such areas."

Precisely!!!! You're my man, doc! I'm so glad you've said it coz if it was someone insignificant like me, the gahman will not take it seriously.

See, people, Dr Koong just said, it's a matter of choice. Non-smokers know the risk of second-hand smoke.. fuck we've all known it since primary/secondary school during health education and science lessons. So non-smokers can choose, whether they wanna go into a smoking pub/club or not.

Hence, there is no need to have a complete ban on smoking in pubs, clubs and karaoke lounges next year, as proposed.

Let the owners decide for themselves what they want. Some might wanna go smokeless, while there could be other pubs/clubs/ktv lounges who wanna continue letting smokers in. For the latter, they can put up warning signs at the entrance, informing non-smokers that they would be entering at their own risk.

How about that?

Ha... and when you read the beginning of the post, you thought I was going to talk about the vice of smoking right? :P

Parents are away for the weekend... And I'm so exhausted... After just one entire day of them not being around... Did so much work around the house...

I'm sure being a housewife has its perks, but I dun think it's something I wanna be doing forever in the future.. I guess it's just something I'm not cut out for... Not my calling.

Especially when you've a brother you've got to constantly mind... He's just draining all the energy out of me.. Getting me all pissed and upset... Siblings!

Made me feel so helpless today... Helpless in a really terrible way... Which in turn got me so upset over everything, frustrated with myself...

Very frustrated.

" We both apologise to the people whom we have offended, and especially Mr Derek Wee,' the MP said.

"I should not have said what I did about people's inability to take the brutal truth and strong language.""

BLAH! Damage done already... He's not just shown how his family thinks, but makes one wonder just how caring and compassionate the PAP is.

By the way, I found the daughter's own apology on one of the blogs that was discussing her:
"apologise if i have distressed you with my tendency to rant. while i will not dispute some of the points you make in response to what i have written, i would like to bring to your attention the fact that the post in question was never meant to be a cogent response to the specific points raised in derek wee’s article. it is, quite obviously, a rant in the heat of the moment. in addition, i don’t believe that my blog has the wide readership of derek wee’s, or even your own, and my intention was more to vent my own frustrations than public denouncement.

i’d also like to clarify my use of the word “elite”. while i understand how misinterpretation may have arose, i intended to use it in irony, as a label that people assume i enjoy, and not one that i take particular pleasure in.

finally, i admit that i was harsher than i should have been, although the the crux of my belief in self-improvement and self-determination has not changed. once again, i apologise if my words have unintentionally offended you - i was under the rather naive impression that nobody reads my blog "

Double BLAH!

How frightening it is to know that a PAP MP could think in the same manner as Wee Shu Min.

I was totally disgusted by Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Wee Siew Kim's remarks, when he apologised on behalf of his daughter, about how "I think if you cut through the insensitivity of the language, her basic point is reasonable, that is, that a well-educated university graduate who works for a multinational company should not be bemoaning about the Government and get on with the challenges in life.... Some people cannot take the brutal truth and that sort of language, so she ought to learn from it."

I'm jumping ahead of myself. Here's the whole text of his apology:

"What she said did come across as insensitive. The language was stronger than what most people could take.

But she wrote in a private blog and I feel that her privacy has been violated. After all, they were the rantings of an 18-year-old among friends.

I think if you cut through the insensitivity of the language, her basic point is reasonable, that is, that a well-educated university graduate who works for a multinational company should not be bemoaning about the Government and get on with the challenges in life.

Nonetheless, I have counselled her to learn from it. Some people cannot take the brutal truth and that sort of language, so she ought to learn from it.

In our current desire to encourage more debate, especially through the Internet, our comments must be tempered with sensitivity.

I will not gag her, since she's 18 and should be able to stand by what she says.

The new media of the Internet is such that if you don't like what she has said, you have the right of rebuttal.

Hopefully, after the discussion, everyone will be the richer for it. As a parent, I may not have inculcated the appropriate level of sensitivity, but she has learnt a lesson, and it's good that she has learnt it at such an early stage in life.'

- ANG MO KIO GRC MP WEE SIEW KIM on his daughter's comments (Source: The Straits Times, 24 Oct 2006)"

Err... did he just try to throw in disdain for Derek even as he apologised for his daughter's response to the blogger? I mean, he was really, basically saying that people should just shut up, work and try to make it somehow... and that the point Derek raised was not really a challenge/problem that needs to be addressed so the government couldn't care less, right?

So erm... does that count as an apology or what?

Does MP Wee Siew Kim not understand his electoral????? Bear in mind the whole "PAP members speak as one voice". Do I then assume that MP Wee's words are representative of the entire PAP's thinking?
Here you have a citizen highlighting a problem many people are facing, providing feedback to the government and you simply call him a chickenheart to his face.
Does that mean that really, the government doesn't care about what the people think?

I remember Shu Min's parting shot to Derek:
"Please get out of my elite, uncaring face".

Isn't that just totally gross?

According to this blog, the issue of support for PMETs was raised in parliament:
http://xialanxue.blogspot.com/2006/10/netizens-confused-over-ang-mo-kio-grc.html
Scroll to about halfway down the post and you'll find it.

What's up with the disparity between other PAP MPs' words and that of MP Wee Siew Kim?
Who do I listen to?

On the 12th of October, a blogger by the name of Derek Wee posted about Singapore's 'survival of the fittest' mentality, talked about how it was difficult for older workers to gain employment, and the issue of making babies.

On the 19th of October, a little girl called Wee Shu Min commented on Derek's post, labelling him "one of many wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our country".

Both Derek's and Shu Min's post can be read here:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/n/mb/display.asp?webtag=sammyboymod&msg=121090.1

I do agree with Derek's post... it's not getting easier to live in Singapore. Yes, the government has done a good job in ensuring that we have clean and safe streets, and making sure our economy is able to reinvent itself to suit the world's needs and trends etc. But in terms of quality of life, I do not think that Singaporeans are a really happy lot. Material benefits can only fulfil a person til a certain extent.
And the older employees are having it tougher. And seriously, the joys of having children aside, the cost of raising a kid is not cheap. Every parent would want to give his kid the best, and that means working long hours for the money. What's the point of having a kid if you do not have the time to spend with him?

All valid points raised by Derek, who didn't come across as a whiny bitter struggling individual stretching out his hand to the government and crying, "help me while I sit back and relax! I expect you to feed me!"

Shu Min... while she was right in cautioning against people who are unmotivated and expect the government to provide for their every need ie. welfare state, I think she misjudged Derek's intentions. Derek was simply bringing up a valid point in the hope of raising awareness and highlighting to the government that hey, we do have a problem in these areas. And of course Shu Min's language was totally coarse and rude. No wonder people labelled her an elitist born with a silver spoon in the mouth.

It was really disgusting. She simply exposed herself as a naive little girl with no idea of how the real world functions. It's sugar and spice and all things nice to say that oh, the world is like that, you have to work hard to succeed and if you don't, you're just a lazy bum... tough luck. But while there is some truth in her words about how "if you're not good enough, life will kick you in the balls. that's just how things go", there was no need for her to be harsh.

I come from a family which was sorta upper middle-class, all thanks to my parents' hard work. They tried their hand at different businesses, always looking for some way to make money when a venture failed. When the economic crisis happened, things just kinda went downhill. With lots of debt, and difficulty in making money coz my parents are above 40, it was a struggle. It's like being stuck in the middle of nowhere, no place to run. We struggled and with the grace of God, have been able to manage.

So I do understand Derek. I do know what it's like to work super hard and yet somehow, not be able to move up. It's not like my parents were lazy. No, they worked extremely hard. But in Singapore, sometimes working smart and hard is simply not enough. Meritocracy just doesn't cut it.

How silly of Shu Min to think that the life in Singapore is so straight-forward.

U.S. President George W Bush has signed a controversial bill, called the Military Commissions Act of 2006, which effectively allows for the use of torture.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061017-1.html

"It is a rare occasion when a President can sign a bill he knows will save American lives."

*raises eyebrow*

"This bill will allow the Central Intelligence Agency to continue its program for questioning key terrorist leaders and operatives like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man believed to be the mastermind of the September the 11th, 2001 attacks on our country. This program has been one of the most successful intelligence efforts in American history. It has helped prevent attacks on our country. And the bill I sign today will ensure that we can continue using this vital tool to protect the American people for years to come. The Military Commissions Act will also allow us to prosecute captured terrorists for war crimes through a full and fair trial. "

The man BELIEVED to be the mastermind? You mean you're not sure???

And oh, could you please clarify, give us the specifics, the lowdown on the program? How do you intend to torture your prisoners? Cut off their balls?

*snorts at the 'full and fair trial' bit*

"This bill provides legal protections that ensure our military and intelligence personnel will not have to fear lawsuits filed by terrorists simply for doing their jobs. This bill spells out specific, recognizable offenses that would be considered crimes in the handling of detainees so that our men and women who question captured terrorists can perform their duties to the fullest extent of the law. And this bill complies with both the spirit and the letter of our international obligations. As I've said before, the United States does not torture. It's against our laws and it's against our values. "

Ah, I see... does sound good... let's see if the bill is really what he said it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Commissions_Act_of_2006

Now, in essence it allows for the following:
1) Eliminates some of the rights defendants are usually guaranteed under U.S. law
Highlights:
(a) Certain sections of the Uniform Code of Military Justice are deemed inapplicable - including some relating to a speedy trial and pre-trial investigation.
(b) A civilian defense attorney may not be used unless the attorney has been determined to be eligible for access to classified information that is classified at the level Secret or higher.
(c) Based on his findings, the judge may introduce hearsay evidence, evidence obtained without a search warrant, evidence obtained when the degree of coercion is disputed, or classified evidence not made available to the defense.
(d) No person may invoke the Geneva Conventions or any protocols thereto in any habeas corpus or other civil action or proceeding to which the United States, or a current or former officer, employee, member of the Armed Forces, or other agent of the United States is a party as a source of rights in any court of the United States or its States or territories.

2) Allows the CIA to use unspecificed, tough methods to questions terrorist suspects
3) Lets the president decide the meaning and application of international standards for prisoner treatment, which really, lets him authorize aggressive interrogation methods which would most probably be considered illegal and inhumane by international courts.

And the White House would not reveal the interrogation techniques, claiming that if they were to do so, it would give the enemy information to resist those techniques


And so in the war on terror, the war Americans are told, will help ensure they can keep their freedom, they will lose their very values they are trying to uphold. What an irony!

And so the conservative president marches on...

One of my favourite activities while in tokyo was sake drinking after a day's work.

I know... Not much of a surprise there for me.. Lol

We had discovered a bar near our hotel again... And we had a really interesting time. You have the main roads, and then many side streets with shops etc... And dotted all over along these streets are these little shops. On the exterior, they look rather traditional japanese... Wooden sliding doors with rice paper panels running along the top half of it, the half-curtains hanging in front of the entrance... That sort of thing.

Such places are generally rather small, sorta like the length of half a mrt carriage, and just a little bit wider. In this particular bar, on one side of the place, you have tables and chairs... While on the other side, it's more traditional... you have the raised platform and short long tables for you to sit, kneeling or cross-legged. The staff were really friendly, nevermind the language barrier... 'sake' is easily understood.

Because the place was really nice and all that, and very near our hotel, we ended up having a drink (or two or five!) there almost every night before heading back to our hotel... Nevermind that we might have already had a couple of drinks somewhere else. Since it's on the way back to the hotel, might as well drop in for a final drink for the night, right?

On a particular Wednesday night, some guys came in not long after we had arrived. They ordered a variety of drinks and of course curious little me kept sneaking peeks at their tables, trying to guess what they were drinking. One of them started sending us liquors to try which was cool since we didn't really know of other poisons apart from sake and beer so it was a good opportunity for us to try their different alcohols. The guy soon came over and started talking to us... While his english wasn't fantastic, we could still have a decent conversation and actually got to know what we were drinking. He was also kind enough to order for us other dishes like japanese kimchi and some arkshell thingy to try. Lol, we felt bad and decided that we should really start ordering our own food so we got more yakatori plus some hot soupy stuff with white radish etc. in the end, that guy paid for all the weird liquors plus the 1-2 rounds of sake he had ordered for us, and the food he had got for us too... So nice right?

What made it so interesting and fun was the ease by which we could strike up conversations with the locals... And they were more than happy to talk to us too and were just totally hospitable. I enjoyed the warm company a lot, and yes, I did also wish that more of that could happen back home too. It was just so new to me, to see strangers actually being able to easily talk to each other. And though we were strangers in their land, we were made to feel so welcome... With open arms, they accepted us.. So we did drink there a lot because we just felt so comfortable there we didn't feel the need to explore the area and find other drinking spots.

Perhaps it had to do with the bar itself... A small local cosy place patronized by regulars (I think!)... Where people are able to relax and let their guard down and just talk over drinks, food and smokes. Now that's a good way to relax after work... So while the japanese do work very hard, I guess they also know how to relax.

When I think back on my trip, that bar does pop up a lot in my mind... A very good way to remember my japan trip... Not so much coz of all the sake we consumed there, but for the people of the bar... And the japanese are a lovely bunch of people.

Been feeling really tired all week... haven't really recovered from that trip yet, lol...

I miss Tokyo a lot... well ok so part of it comes from missing the days I got with Him, traveling with Him... but i also miss the people a lot too... their friendliness etc...

sigh...

I wonder when I'll get to go back again... if ever...

Been having this craving for super hot, spicy chilli... sambal style...

So I graciously offered to buy back food from the Hari Raya bazaar, so my mum wouldn't have to cook.

Very considerate right?

Ya, I know.

Food not hot enough though.... mum suggested cheese prata for lunch on sunday, then dapao fong seng for dinner... hurray!

I know I should be writing about Tokyo and all that... but I'm still rather tired... all those late hours during my school days are catching up on me now..

Soon... I promise.

And frigging tired.... some pics soon when I've time...

For now, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

... still got some packing to do.

So I'm off for a week to Tokyo... the weather forecast guarantees aircon-like temperatures... that's enough cause for envy for those in sunny humid sg.

See you all soon!