Commuting in the Pre-Dawn Hours

It is a blunder that I overlooked my schedule for my modules before bidding for them. So I ended up with a 8am lesson at NUS. It has been so long since I have to climb out of bed at 5am.

Despite the lack of sleep, I still manage to stay energetic on the way to school. But the people around me seemed to be very exhausted.

Comfy Position on the Bus

A pillar as a Bolster? Anyone?

I'm Attending the National Day Rally 2008

After missing last year's National Day Rally, I told myself I couldn't miss the next. And yes, I am excited when I received the invitation card today.

I am a huge fan of the National Day Rally. Every year when friends doze off watching our leader speak over the rostrum, I am stuck to the screen.

In this year's National Day Rally, I would certainly be looking out for any mention or hint of the future of the political landscape of Singapore. With the ongoing debates on political freedom, and endless lawsuits, it's important to hear what the Prime Minister's stand is. Besides this issue, I would also be interested in how the government is going to handle the ongoing inflation and economics.

Brand New Semester at NUS - Year 2 Begins

I had spent the recent weeks to readjust my body clock by resting early. Sleeping early not only refreshes the mind and maintain the health but also reduces energy waste. By sleeping early, lights are turned off earlier. Energy conserved, money saved.

2 days after National Day, tertiary students from National University of Singapore (NUS) either dragged or sprung themselves to school. I belong to the latter group. Reflecting back on the Summer break, I reckoned that I had achieved quite a bit. To name a few, I co-founded We Care Printing Services, spent meaningful time with my family, became the Vice President (Education) in my Toastmasters Club and finished reading some books (that I have purchased long ago and had since yellowed) and not forgetting meeting army buddies in my NS call-up.

In the morning, wrapped up my work for the day packed my lunch box and laptop into my big bag. My first time eating from a lunch box and it tasted marvellous. Nothing beats home food.

The first destination of the day was to SingTel Hello! Shop to return the Mio TV set. My family's experience with Mio TV had been utterly dampened by failed promises.

Disappointment Part 1) The Mio TV salesperson had congratulated my household to be one of the lucky few selected for free installation and free rental of the TV box. We only paid for one channel to try out the service. The salesperson told us the channel would have all the latest Hong Kong films but it turned out the complete opposite! All the shows were at least 20 years old!

Disappointment Part 2) After the 6-month contract was up, I called the the customer service hotline to request for termination of Mio TV plan. The customer service officer was polite and offered to extend the free period to another 6 months after hearing my complaint. When asked if there were any deadline for the set to be returned, she politely said no. And then here comes the bill for this month...

Since number portability is now possible, I guess I'll be leaving SingTel mobile plan pretty soon.

Rushed to NUS after that. This is going to be a very Political Science semester for me as I'll be taking PS2239: Foreign Policy and Diplomacy; PS2240: Introduction to Public Administration; PS2248: Chinese Politics; PS2253: Chinese Political Thought; GEK1542: Forensic Science.

Collected the free hard-cover NUSSU Welfare Diary at Central Forum. I thought the campus was filled with so many new faces that it was hard to identify the old ones. Haha.

Singapore's 43rd Birthday - A National Day worth Celebrating

Whenever Singapore celebrates its birthday, Singaporeans are reminded of how the state gained its independence in 1965. Then, it was considered a "political joke". Nobody thought such a small state, naked of resources, could survive and prosper in the international realm.

The People's Action Party (PAP) would always remind Singaporeans that it brought Singapore to where it now stands. Being the only government that we have seen, it has to be the case. However, the Opposition parties would argue that many other factors contributed to the nation's success as well, and the PAP had its blunders too.

As Malaysian politics gets increasingly dramatised, its neighbour island state is not getting spared too. Almost every day, there are articles and commentaries debating the authoritarian style of the PAP. Even in the morning of National Day, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) was distributing flyers and selling books for its Tak Boleh Tahan campaign in Toa Payoh.

Singaporeans have every reason to celebrate the 43rd year of Independence. Generally, we are sheltered, well-clothed, able to feed ourselves for each meal. We worry about different issues as compared to developing states. We live happily with our families, we travel around freely, knowing that this is a safe and secure environment for our children.

Yet, not many would appreciate how fortunate we are. I can sense a prevailing herd mentality towards supporting the Opposition for the sake of Opposition. The most common hyped up keywords are "Human Rights", "Democracy", "Freedom of Speech and Assembly". Some fans are supporting these like they are "Britney Spears".

I'm not saying that we should not have Opposition parties. They are essential to any governments in the world. Just as we don't want to have Opposition parties opposing for the sake of opposing, I frown upon people who join them for the sake of opposing to certain measures by the PAP government. There are plenty of feedback channels available. It's just a choice of whether one takes action through them.

It's hard not to celebrate Singapore's birthday. We never know whether we could do it 5, 10, or 20 years from now.

Happy 43rd National Day to ALL!

Questions shape our Life

Whatever we focus on, expands.

Have you ever wondered how questions can shape our life?

Everyday, we ask ourselves a whole lot of questions. It ranges on questions that are task-related such as "How should I process this document?", to questions that are relationship-oriented such as "Why is my superior such a dickhead?"

How we phrase a question will ultimately render how we are going to act. This is because when you ask questions, you cast your focus on the answers. And when you focus on something, it naturally expands. Just like when you focus the light with a magnifying lens on a spot, the light energy gets so concentrated that it releases heat.

There are empowering questions and crippling questions.

When facing a predicament or when feeling down, empowering questions provide a positive outcome. Instead of asking "Why does he treat me so bad?", which will indirectly lead you to visualise all the reasons and factors that lead to him treating you poorly, you should ask instead "How can I make him treat me better?"

Remind yourself to always ask empowering questions when you encounter any issues in your life. Even when you are in transit, empowering questions can generate innovative ideas for you.

Zhong Yuan Festival : 9007 Zhong Yuan Carnival

2 August 2008

It is Zhong Yuan Festival (中元节) again. Although some would call it the Hungry Ghost Festival, a more appropriate way to put it would be the former one. Zhong Yuan means middle season. During Zhong Yuan Festival, companies would organise Zhong Yuan Carnival, where auspicious goodies would be put up for auction while dinner is served.

As per previous years, Uncle Francis had a table reserved for the Fong family. The carnival is organised by the Tampines Blk 9007 Industrial Estate companies.

After watching 881 and listening to Hokkien songs being repeated uncountable times during the Eunos Harmony Trail, I listened to the Getai performers more attentively than previous years. My relatives and father, as usual, were dissatisfied with the quality of the Getai performers.

It is amazing how people can bid for items worth less than $500 until the price reached above $5000. I visualised the future me to be rich enough to participate in this high-end activity. After reading "How to talk to anyone : 92 little tricks for Big Success in Relationship", I used some of the techniques to judge the Big players and admired them.

Anyhow, the main point of my presence was the FOOD!

A featured auction item is the Barrel of Gold. This barrel would be circulated among all the dining tables, where all participants would place a token sum into it. It would then be bidded.

The main draw that day turned out to be an unexpected brawl a few tables away from us. A drunkard was provoked and threw someone to the floor. Apathetic Singaporeans seated around the table didn't move any part of their body except their necks to watch the fight.

The helpers (who were sprinkled around the vicinity to blow whistles and shout out the new bid prices) immediately rushed to separate them but to no avail, until Uncle Francis (dubbed the Hulk) turned up. He grabbed the assailant and dragged him all the way to an empty space. A couple of times, the drunkard threw punches to him but he (without much effort) brushed him in an Aikido-like fashion.

The drunkard seized attention away from the Getai and the auctioneer for about 30 minutes. Finally, he had the honour to be chauffeured away by the Police.

Burning Joss Sticks can cause Cancer

I was alarmed when I read the papers today. At one corner of the page of The Straits Times was this article stating Burning joss sticks can cause cancer. In disbelief, I searched online for more information and came across this page at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jul/30/health ...

... devotees across Asia could be taking their life into their hands every time they go to a temple to pray...

...as deadly as traffic fumes and cigarette smoke...

...risk of leukaemia, lung, blood and bladder cancers

One joss stick creates the same amount of cancer-causing chemicals at one cigarette.

"It's not necessary as part of the ritual for these traditional joss sticks to burn down," he (Dr Manoon) said. "By putting them out after a minute or so the air pollution would be cut by 30 to 40 times."

I can't believe I had been a smoker since I was born!

However, I do not believe every Buddhist, Taoist and Hindus would immediately abolish their own traditions of burning joss sticks during religious prayers. Therefore I have come up with some pragmatic solutions to the health hazard caused by incense.

Solution 1 : Open Windows to ensure proper air flow [Duh...]

Allow the smoke to escape out of the house when burning joss sticks indoor, so as to reduce the amount that you have to breathe in.

Solution 2 : Wear a N95 Mask or Chemical Protection Mask

Simple! Just don a mask to prevent the inhalation of toxic substances while carrying on the practice.

Solution 3 : Learn from SAF - SIMULATE

If we can simulate rifle shooting with "Bang! Bang! Bang", we could also use simulation on joss sticks. Instead of lighting them, we could just light it up "virtually/imaginarily". This way your joss sticks won't release any gas at all.

Solution 4 : Install the Urn outside your house

Just like in temples, most of the time the urn is situated outside.

Solution 5 : Buy premium grade Incense

I had come across some joss sticks that don't release toxins. They cost much higher but they are made of premium grade of wood.