Thursday

And it's Thursday. Damn, it's almost Christmas weekend, and I'm wondering where the week went.

The previous week in ICT passed so s-l-o-w-l-y that we were all wondering when it was going to end. But it was good, to get away from the office and to breathe the diesel fumes in Gedung, to meet up and catch up with the people you have almost forgotten and to be able to curse and swear freely cos no one around would give a damn.

Things change and things stay the same. Incompetent warrant officers, bo chup officers, overly hardworking NSFs; they are all still there. More IT systems to and more civilians track IPPT and medical status but things don't look any much more efficient then when we did such things manually during our active days.

But I'll give it to them that the electronic IPPT system is way much better for NSmen who can wonder about and clear all the stations within half an hour depending in 2.4 speed of course :)...I almost passed, twice.

X'mas lunch gift exchange at the office today. Sam brought me two ties, which is just what I need and I got Angerline a set of very nice photo frames.

anGRy

So I'm back from ICT. I wanted to write a more complete entry today but in the afternoon I went down to Ikea to buy a shelving unit an a new computer desk for my room. The shelving unit was fine but the computer desk had missing components and it took no less than four trips and several rude and unhelpful Ikea people to get it fixed.

I'm so angry right now cos it's almost 10.30pm, my room's still a mess and all I wanted to do today was write about ICT and watch a few DVDs.

And Blogger Beta is slow.

>:(

Baby Changing Station

Don't like your baby? Wish you had a better one? Go to Singapore Expo, choose one of the "Baby Changing Stations" open the door and get a new one...

Saw this when I went to Expo for SITEX. Bought the Logitech Internet Pro wireless keyboard so that I can chat from my bed. Maybe when I buy a 19' or a 21' LCD in future, I'll do everything from my bed...

New PC, self-assembled.

• MSI P-945GZME motherboard
• Intel Core Duo 945 3.4Ghz
• MSI 256MB GF 7300LE PCI-E card
• 1GB Kingston 533Mhz DDR2 RAM
• 2 Maxtor 160GB SATA2 HDDs
• 18x Samsung DVD-ROM
• 18X Samsung DVD Multi-format DL RW
• XP Home left over from old PC

A long way from my first 16MB RAM, 166Mhz Pentium MMX, 2.4GB HD computer.

MP Visit

We had a visit from an MP yesterday. Josephine Teo who's a P65 and the HR director for NTUC. Seems friendly and likable enough. Though of course that's part of her job description, even for someone who doesn't need to get voted into office.

When she asked if I had any problems, I really didn't know what to tell her. Should I mention the minor municipal problems? Should I talk about the dissatifactions that are systemic which nobody can change? Is this how political apathy among Singapore's youth look like? We have opinions but we don't say it to those who are in the system because we don't think anything will change?

Things I'll like to see changed:

• Abolish the Presidential Elections Committee. In my mind, their role should be played by the voters at large, not a group of three men whose decisions are final.
• Where does my MP live?? I donno. Make MPs live in their consitutency.
• Give the President the right to refuse assent to any bill, not just Money and Supply bills. Refusals should be accompanied by an open letter to Parliament outlining the President's conerns and reasons for refusing assent. Parliament can override with a overwhelming majority of course.
• Have a small Upper House. Maybe 12 to 20 members. As a sort of shadow cabinet, one person per ministry. They can also be like the House of Lords in the UK and be the court of final criminal appeal.
• Retain the GRCs but use Single Transferable Vote system instead. Keep the requirement for each bloc to have a candidate from the minority races and let the voters choose from between these two and then choose the rest of their MPs using the STV system.
• All these would require rewriting the Consitution. While at it, make the section about fundamental liberties clear and simple, without all the restrictions. See the Singapore Consitution.

Maybe I'll tackle each of these as seperate blog entries later.

Well, for the record, I would still like to see Singapore ran in an efficiently and incorrupt manner by the PAP. I'll like to see them have 51% of Parliament and I'll like to see them have to defend their actions more vigorously. I'll like a government that can laugh at itself and not see everything as a threat.

There are many things to like about Singapore and the Singapore Government as well as many things to dislike. The things that are dislikable are, I think, systemic and would require a change in the outlook of a larger part of the citizenry.

------

Joey talked to me on MSN today. She's still in Hobart and she's still being a tease. I still miss Hobart.

Non-Standard English

Proof that "handphone" is not Standard English. From the Boon Lay library:



But, I would map "Please turn off your mobile phone" to "Off your handphone leh" instead of "lah".

The comma before the "lah" seems quite curious too. In any case, "Off your handphone lah" in proper English would be more along the lines of "In that case, turn off your mobile phone".



Another typical Singlish pharse, which omits the subject. This can be done when the subject of the conversation is obvious, otherwise the response would very well be "What thing what time start?".

On Work

Time really goes faster when you're working long hours, eating late and waking early. I've worked for 2 weeks and 3 days and it feels quite fast. I know that within these two weeks I have done lots of things and learnt lots of things too but still it's gone fast.

I always said that I greatly preferred working to studying cos you ain't thinking about work all the time and during weekends unlike when you are studying and writing all-consuming assignments. I'm not so sure now. I brought work home for the past two weekends in addition to working at least 3 hours past official hours everyday.

Hopefully it's just because of the combination of the facts that I'm new, it's a busy period, I'm still searching for the best ways to do things, I'm still learning about the trade, and I had less than 6 hours understudying my predecessor. For all these I'm blaming William who was supposed to take over but couldn't take the stress and moved next door to the procurement office instead.

Well, I've give myself a few months and see if the situation improves. For the moment, I just want the money.

But I do really find myself changed by my Tasmanian experience. I fell less agitated, more concerned with doing the right thing instead of meeting the target at all costs.

And more socially aware. The operators are almost exclusively Chinese and Indian migrant workers. That is from the People's Republic of China and the Republic of India. With a fair sprinkling of Malaysian Chinese. Two years ago I might have ignored such observation but now I think of the social implications and cannot help but think that it's such a throwback to a hundred years ago.

Like then, many will earn a small fortune and go home, some will leave no richer then when they came and some will stay, in Singapore or in SEA. How would the Singapore society change? Integration problems. How would the second generation identify themselves and how would "native" Singaporeans view them? I'm too busy at work to think more.

Pet peeve for the moment: Why does the Straits Times insist on using the Americanism "cellphone"? What's so wrong with "handphone"? Maybe because handphone is not Standard English.

I Miss Hobart

After workin for 4 days, I'm tired. I hope I get used to work soon. For some reason, I'm missing Hobart today. I miss Hobart.

Happy Birthday to the Republic

Five Stars Arising
There's a new moon arising, out of the stormy sea
Youthful and bright and bearing hope, and tranquil as can be
Reach out for the moon above, savour freedom, truth and love
There's a new moon arising, out of the stormy sea

There are five stars arising, out of the stormy sea
Each is a lamp to guide our way; a lamp for all to see
Reach out for the stars above, savour freedom, truth and love
There are five stars arising, out of the stormy sea

There's a new flag arising, out of the stormy sea
Crimson as the blood of all mankind, yet white and pure and free
Reach out for the flag above, savour freedom, truth and love
There's a new flag arising, happy and proud are we

From: http://www.singsingapore.org.sg/

My favourite Singapore song when I was little. More than 10 years ago. More than 15 years ago. We're still on our way there.

NDP, and everything related to it, may be tacky and corny but I can't imagine 9 August without it.

Of Interviews

After a quiet week without any interviews or appointments for interviews, I had one yesterday and another one tomorrow. Why do these things come in waves?

One thing I noticed is that for all the companies I was interviewed for, all commented that they need new people because they are expanding or that business is improving. So I guess the Singapore economy really must be improving. Granted it's not a very scientific way of judging economic activity, I think such anecdotal indications are valid.

Well, I'm still bored. Will someone please hurry up and hire me?

Graduation ceremony in Hobart is on Friday the 5th. I wonder if they really are going to mention my name in absentia.