Wednesday, June 30, 2010

MP Baey Yam Keng: The Cabinet


Don pray pray! Even an MP can produce a play. Can't say the title is exciting, though: The Cabinet.

In any case, this is not the first theatre works that Baey Yam Keng has produced.

It is three days before the opening night. Watch how a crew of six, each one woven in between this complex patchwork of real and make-believe, struggle to stitch together the story of one man De Bra who is possessed by a seemingly innocuous hobby that has the potential to unleash the sexuality of others. Watch them as they wrestle with faults and conflict within and without, thrashing against bonds both external and self-imposed. And as human creativity gasp for breath in this death match between what is necessary and what is merely arbitrary. Welcome to this great stage of fools. We cry we are one. The ETCeteras in collaboration with The Arts House, returns with a new original Mandarin white comedy about irreverent dressing and succession planning. And there is no better place to hang out with the dainty lingerie than The Arts House Chamber! Visit www.etceteras.org.sg for more information.

From Eventful, "The Cabinet at The Arts House".

A theatre company with a crew of five struggles to stitch together Mei Mei’s Bra, a monologue about a man, his prized possessions and a cabinet. The ETCeteras, in collaboration with The Arts House, presents its 20th production, a white comedy about obsessions and successions featuring Johnny Ng, Leanne Ong, Lim Wah Long, Leo Lai, Molizah Mohd Mohteris, written and directed by Lim Hai Yen. 这5人缺一不可。在内忧和外患的舞台上,谁有资格决定,人在什么时候应该一丝不茍,什么时候可以一丝不挂?林海燕编导。 In Mandarin and English with English surtitles. More information can be found on the website www.etceteras.org.sg

From inSing.com, "The Cabinet Play".
MP Baey Yam Keng will be producing a play, titled The Cabinet, in July.

Despite a hectic schedule which includes a day job as a Account Director in Hill & Knowlton and his duties as a Member of Parliament, Baey still finds time to cater to his passion, theatre.

He has produced well-received productions, such as Want United People (Singapore Arts Festival 1998), Madam What's Next (Singapore Chinese Cultural Festival 2000) and Game Play (Huayi Festival 2007) with Singapore theatre company, The ETCeteras.

Founded in 1996, The ETCeteras is the only Singapore theatre company that adheres to staging original works in the local arts scene.

The ETCeteras's 20th theatre production, The Cabinet, will run from July 21 to July 25 and July 28 to July 30, at The Chamber at The Arts House.

Produced by The ETCeteras in collaboration with The Arts House, The Cabinet is an original comedy about nagging obsessions and succession planning.

"This play may venture on grounds that people think are taboo areas in Singapore. The Cabinet does have an interesting premise. The audience can look forward to a cleverly witted script and a strong performance by some of the best actors in Singapore," said producer and founding president of The ETCeteras, Baey Yam Keng.

From Asiaone, "MP to produce play".

Winter Sonata Park Yong Ha suicide??


What drove Park Yong Ha to commit suicide? (Park Yong Ha, famous for his role in TV series, Winter Sonata was found lifeless hanging from a cell phone charging cable.)

What a way to kill oneself...just because his father is ill? Because he fails in business? Because he suffers insomnia (due to depression)?

Although several hour have passed since Park Yong Ha’s death, but questions still remained unsolved: what drove Park Yong Ha to commit suicide?

Many acquaintances of the actor have all claimed that they do not know the reason of Park Yong Ha’s death, as he’s been acting like normal for the past few days. But it isn’t what it seems beneath the surface.

After further investigations, it’s been revealed that Park Yong Ha has had difficult times because of his ill father. His father has been suffering stomach cancer for a long period of time, and was told recently that it was in a terminal stage. A friend of Park Yong Ha claims, “After learning that his father had cancer, Yong Ha brought his father home and cared for him. He always worried about his father. He also said that he will be focusing on caring for his father for a while.”

Park Yong Ha’s failure in business also seems to be another reason for his suicide. Right before appearing on On Air (drama), he became independent from his ex-agency, and established his own company, with his father as the company’s president. According to a family acquaintance, running the business was not an easy task for them. A manager in the company made a financial mistake after getting various loans, causing the agency a huge loss. To make matters worse, Park Yong Ha’s father was left with a huge debt after mistakenly co-signing someone else’s loan. To contribute to the financial difficulty of the family, Park Yong Ha had even recently consulted a used car dealer to sell his car.

Park Yong Ha was also revealed to have been suffering from insomnia for 14 years, because of depression. He confessed on his Twitter a while back that he had been relying on sleeping pills for a long time, making his fans worry about his health. The actor also shared on a program that his rising fame as a Hallyu star caused him to undergo depression from a sense of shame.

Spokepersons from the hospital and police station have confirmed that no suicide note was left behind. The police have registered it as being an unnatural death and that a variety of reasons (listed above) probably led Park Yong Ha to choose suicide. Upon his family request, no autopsy will be performed and a traditional Buddhist funeral will be held for Park Yong Ha on July 2nd at 8am.

From Allkpop, "What drove Park Yong Ha to commit suicide?".

An octopus (Paul the Oracle) says German will beat Argentina

Can you believe that prediction of this Octopus Paul? In any case, Singapore Pools favors Argentina to win (payment $2.10 for every dollar) compared to Germany (payment $3.10 for every dollar). Well, another good reason to bet on Germany for the coming 03/07 game, huh?

Do take note Octopus Paul has so far a 100% success rate in picking Germany to beat Australia, Ghana and England, as well as Serbia to beat Germany.

German football fans have another reason to hope as their team head for the World Cup quarter-final with Argentina - Paul the octopus has tipped Germany to win.

"Extremely tight - but luckily a win for Germany in the end," said those in charge of the octopus tank at Aquarium Sea Life in Oberhausen.

The handlers of the psychic octopus baited glass cubes with mussels marked with Germany and Argentina. The mussel Paul first chooses is viewed as its prediction for the upcoming game.

Paul headed straight for the Germany cube.

He has been right four out of four times so far, picking Germany to beat Australia, Ghana and England, as well as Serbia to beat Germany.

From Star, "Octopus tips German win".

Having correctly tipped Germany to spank England, the world-famous psychic octopus is back with a hot new tip: Germany to beat Argentina in the quarter-finals, either in extra time or on penalties.

Paul the Psychic Octopus, who has featured in Goaly Moly before, has a 100% record in predicting the winner in all four of Germany's games so far, and he's putting all his tentacles on ze Germans reaching the last four.

On Tuesday, Paul once again was given the choice of picking food from two different plastic containers in his tank, one with an Argentina flag on it and the other with a German flag.

The container Paul opens first is his tip.

This time Paul spent about 45 minutes before eating the food in the box with the Germany flag. All of which suggests that Paul thinks the match will be very tight - so extra time or pens it is.

Stick your mortgage on the Germans to win on penalties, as they often do. Paul is NEVER wrong, folks.

From Goaly Moly, "Paul the Psychic Octopus tips Germany to beat Argentina in World Cup quarter-finals".

Octopus oracle Paul on Tuesday hesitated but ultimately picked Germany to win -- again -- this time over Argentina in their quarterfinal matchup at the football World Cup.

Paul, who rose to global fame after correctly predicting all four of Germany's games in this year's tournament, indicated that Saturday's game will be a tough battle and that it may even end in a penalty shootout.

While English-born Paul made a snappy decision to pick Germany over his native country, this time it took the octopus about an hour to approach a water glass containing a mussel marked with a German flag, said Tanja Munzig, a spokeswoman for Sea Life Aquarium in the western city of Oberhausen.

Paul ignored a similar glass with Argentina's flag, but he also did not reach inside the German glass with his tentacles to grab the seafood goodie.

"Paul kept staring at the German glass and only when we wanted to take out both glasses, he finally jumped inside the German one and gulped down the mussel" Munzig said. "All of his behavior indicates that Saturday's game will be very tough and it may even go into extra time and penalty shootout -- but in the end Germany will win."

Two-year-old Paul has proven to be a reliable oracle in the past -- in addition to predicting Germany's win over England, he also foretold the victories over Australia and Ghana and the country's loss to Serbia. During the 2008 European Championship, he predicted 80 percent of all German games right, Munzig said.

Despite being a naturalized German, Munzig said, Paul is not a biased octopus and "he may even have some relatives in Argentina, who emigrated there many generations ago."

From Yahoo! News, "Octopus Paul predicts German win over Argentina".

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

POSB Everyday Card - please don't give us the new design!!

Well, I have nothing against the new design of the POSB Everyday Card--it shows the latest Singapore skyline. (The current look of the credit card is very dull.)

But what I do mind is that the new card offers an upgrade which I can do without: it will double-up as an Ez-link card.

Can you imagine having this new POSB Everyday Card in your wallet together with your existing Ez-link card? And ever think what will happen when you tap the wallet to the card reader? (C'mon everyone is doing that! No one really takes the card out from his / her wallet / purse for tapping it against the machine!) From which card the machine will deduct the fee?

On a second thought, it won't be a problem if you get rid of your Ez-link card altogether.

The POSB Everyday Card will get a new look that showcases the latest Singapore skyline that includes the Marina Bay Sands integrated resort.

And it's not just the look of the card that gets an upgrade.

The credit card will feature the ATM function and can double-up as an Ez-link card, eliminating the need to carry a separate card for public transport commuters.

Cardholders with cars can also enjoy a cash rebate when they renew their HDB Season Parking licence online.

DBS said it has set out to create a card that Singaporeans can take pride in owning.

Currently, there are over 400,000 holders of the credit card

Existing cardholders will receive the new POSB Everyday Card by December 2010.

From Channel NewsAsia, "DBS' POSB unit revamps credit card".

Monday, June 28, 2010

Pixar Intro Parody: beware of adorable, homicidal lamps...


It's said, "Beware of adorable, homicidal lamps". Heh. Cute. Check out the clip, "Pixar Intro Parody". More than 3.2 million views so far!

Joke of the day: Getting someone else in family to work is one of top 5 sources of resilience

Getting someone else in family to work is one of the 5 top sources of resilience.

No kidding.

Resilience defined by M-W.com as "an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change" should be a force one rely on oneself. Not on some other person(s).

And don't let me start complaining on why 'family and friends' as well as 'government' are also inclusive in the questionable questionnaires result.

Savings: 78%

Getting any job regardless of pay: 39%

Family and friends: 28%

Getting someone else in family to work: 8%

Government: 8%

Source: Survey on Resilience in the Economic Crisis, by the Institute of Policy Studies

From Today, "Top 5 sources of resilience".

Sumiko Tan: Marriage of the Year (or why I can't be bothered)

But, but...who is Sumiko Tan? And why the news of her getting married even makes it to the national newspaper, Straits Times?!

Well, so she is the editor for Sunday Times.

So she is once considered a life mystery when she lamented eloquently on why she 'never got married'. She was quoted in her article, "Feeling half a woman" published on Sunday Times 25/01/09:

"Is there something wrong with me? Is this all there is to life? Why aren't I married? Am I not good enough? Am I not lovable enough? Am I not capable of loving deeply and permanently? Have I been too fussy? Do I have bad karma?"


And so she is very much elusive that a google on her name (her photo, to be precise) lead to many artful illustration by Adam Lee (According to LinkedIn, he is an Editorial Artist at The Straits Times)

Say goodbye to Singles Corner, Sumiko!


But so what?! Sure we wish her all the happiness, and that. But please, move on. Just give us a real news. People do marry--even Singaporeans. That's not a newsworthy news, don't you agree???



AFTER years of looking for love, The Sunday Times Editor Sumiko Tan - Singapore's most famous single woman - is getting married. To her junior college sweetheart she met when she was just 16.

The 46-year-old, who is also supervising editor of Life!, Urban, Mind Your Body and Digital Life, has been baring her soul as a successful single career woman in a column in The Sunday Times since July 3, 1994.

The man sweeping her off her feet is 'Hurricane', a teenage crush from Anglo-Chinese Junior College. His real name is Quek Suan Shiau, 48, and he is an electrician and chess teacher based in Wales, Britain.

The ex-schoolmates reconnected in July last year - after 29 years - and he started making appearances in her columns as a friend.

Next month, he will be Sumiko's husband.

Read Sumiko's long-distance love and why she has decided to say goodbye to her life as she knows in The Straits Times Life! section today.

From Straits Times, "Sumiko is getting married".

Parents do thy duty: don't run away (when you witness outrageous PDA-s)


This 'extreme' act of PDA (public display of affection)happened at Ubi Avenue 1 at the park/garden in front of block 322. The vigilant--some may argue, 'voyeuristic'--Stomper contributed the story at "Young couple makes out in neighbourhood park with kids playing nearby".

Reading how the reaction of the people who watched--told you 'voyeouristic'!--which were mostly disbelief, disgust, act of shaking their heads--the parents', not the couple's, and fleeing away with the kids, makes me feel so disappointed.

If you voyeouristic self-righteous watchers really want to give the right message to your kids, you should have stopped the couple from making out. And not just running away. As if you're apologetic that you have somehow interrupted their PDA. Sigh.

PS. the above photo is from the same article. Cropped & touched up 'brightness & contrast'.

Quan Yifeng: the beauty...and the beast?

Quan Yifeng the beauty...and the beast?

Just take a look at her 'achievement' so far in the Dept of Violence:
1. Quan Yifeng was once fined S$1,000 for having an altercation with a bowling alley attendant in 1996. (Heh. 'Altercation'. A fancy way of saying 'a noisy heated angry dispute'.)

2. Sometime in early January 2008, she's rumoured to have slapped her husband in public (at least there were 6 articles published in omy.sg). In November that year, she announced that she divorced Hong Rong, the husband. (The divorce was finalised in January 2009.)

3. And yesterday, she was reported to had verbally abused a taxi driver and got into a physical altercation with him. According to the report, police have even classified the case as theft because she took off with the taxi driver's car keys.

Yes, let's just hope her outburst of anger is just limited to bowling alley attendants, husbands, and taxi drivers. And not bloggers. Hur hur.

MEDIACORP artiste Quan Yifeng has made headlines again - but for the wrong reasons.

Lianhe Wanbao reported that a 52-year-old taxi driver, identified only as Mr Tan, has accused her of hitting him, thrashing his taxi and taking his car keys.

Quan who spoke to Wanbao from Mauritius, where she is filming, has denied his allegations and hit back by saying that he was rude, drove recklessly, and slammed a car door on her.

In Wanbao's report, Mr Tan was quoted as saying that the star lost her temper after he did not help her load her luggage into his taxi and asked 'what sort of service attitude is this?'.

He claimed she also swore at him in Hokkien, kicked him in the groin and locked herself in the taxi for 15 minutes, after accusing him of braking hard on purpose and throwing her forward.

According to Wanbao, police have classified the case as theft because she took off with his car keys. Quan is reported to be seeking legal advice.

From Straits Times, "Quan accused of 'taxi rage'".

A taxi driver claimed Sunday that Singapore television host Quan Yi Feng had verbally abused and got into a physical altercation with him, reported omy.sg.

The taxi driver, known only as Mr Tan, claimed to have picked up a male passenger on Saturday, who instructed him to head to a condominium before going to the airport.

When he arrived at the condominium, Quan boarded the taxi with her 11-year-old daughter.

Tan said that the tussle started after he refused to help Quan move her luggage onto his vehicle when she boarded the cab as he had an elbow injury, although he did not tell her about it at the time.

Quan then became upset and verbally abused him.

On the way to the airport, Tan stopped the taxi sharply at a junction, throwing Quan forward. She allegedly became enraged and accused Tan of doing it on purpose even after the cabbie explained that she should have worn her seat belt.

He claimed that Quan then alighted, kicked a car door and kicked him in the groin. She went on to lock herself in the taxi and thrashed it.

Tan reportedly said that "she (Quan) was out of control and made a mess of the taxi. I was very frightened. The keys were in her hand and I was worried she might drive off so I stood in front of the vehicle to prevent her from doing so."

The 52-year-old cabbie added that Quan smiled at him before getting down and boarding another taxi while still holding the keys to his vehicle.

He claimed she even made a 'V' sign with her fingers as the other taxi pulled away and a crowd of onlookers gathered.

Tan said this was the first time he had encountered such a serious incident in his 12 years as a taxi driver.

The case has reportedly been referred to the police.

Quan, 36, has denied that she had behaved as Tan had described.

Her manager told Channelnewsasia.com that Quan, who is currently filming in Mauritius, has since engaged a lawyer and will only respond further on this issue after she consults with her lawyer.

Quan was once fined S$1,000 for having an altercation with a bowling alley attendant in 1996.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Quan Yi Feng accused of abusing cabbie".

MR TAN, a 52-year-old taxi driver, has accused MediaCorp artiste Quan Yifeng of wrecking his taxi and even kicking him in the groin.

But Quan Yifeng has come back with allegations of her own that he slammed his car door on her, and swore at her.

On Saturday, Lianhe Wanbao reported that a member of the public witnessed the taxi driver arguing with Quan Yifeng, who was accompanied by her daughter an unidentified man who looked to be in his 30s, around East Coast.

The taxi driver told Lianhe Wanbao that he picked up a male passenger on Saturday at 8.45am, who then asked him to go to Hua Xin Condominium to pick up more passengers, then head to Changi airport.

The two other passengers turned out to be Quan Yifeng and her 11-year-old daughter, who were heading to Mauritius where Yifeng was filming.

When he refused to help her with her luggage, the 36-year-old artiste lost her temper and continued to make things difficult for him as they drove towards the airport, including swearing at him in hokkien, shoving and hitting him.

After alighting, he said that she kicked his groin and a car door, then locked herself in the taxi for 15 minutes to thrash it.

The police has classified the case as theft because she left in another cab with his car keys, according to Lianhe Wanbao.

In a call from Mauritius, the MediaCorp artiste told Wanbao that she did not take his keys, nor thrash his taxi. She also said she was the one who called the police after their altercation, but had to leave to catch her flight.

She said she shoved him and kicked his car door because he blocked her as she was trying to get her luggage.

Quan Yifeng is now seeking legal advice, Wanbao reported.

From Asiaone, "Quan Yifeng and cab driver: Who is right?".

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Night Festival 2010

Played with brightness & contrast of the photo published in the same ST article below.


So take note of the 2 dates: 16 & 17 July. And let's hope the nights would be cool & breezy ones. I bet there will be a lot of worthy photo moments for the event. Night Festival. I wonder I didn't hear about it last year.

THIS year's Night Festival will transform the Bras Basah arts precinct into a gigantic amusement park. The free annual outdoor festival, which has been wildly successful in its past two editions, is inspired by the New World Amusement Park, a nightlife destination in Singapore in the 1960s.

The event will take place over two nights on July 16 and 17. Visitors can expect to see more than 40 performances ranging from street theatre, circus acts, burlesque shows and video projections and edgy art installations.

The festival is curated by TheatreWorks artistic director Ong Keng Sen, 46, who envisioned the New World theme. He says he is inspired by the vibrant nightlife of 1960s Singapore's amusement parks such as New World, Great World and Happy World.

He adds: 'I'm trying to create a retro theme park to revisit and reimagine what Singaporean entertainment means today.'

This year's festival is bigger than in previous years, sprawling over eight locations: the National Museum of Singapore, Singapore Management University (SMU) Campus Green, Singapore Art Museum (SAM), SAM at 8Q, the Peranakan Museum, the Substation, Dance Ensemble Singapore and Fort Canning Park - with the last two venues joining in for the first time.

Working with a $700,000 budget, Mr Ong has alluded to the international acts that used to perform in Singapore's various theme parks. The first edition of the Night Festival had an international focus and the second one featured mostly Singaporean performers.

From Straits Times, "Circus comes to Night Fest".

Ip Man The Legend is Born: 'Chinese Pigs' is taboo

Dennis To's Ip Man & Louis Fan's Tian Ci: Bromance in the fist?

I just like it when the young Ip Man in "The Legend is Born: Ip Man" seems more realistically human by being hot blooded in defending his country (Chinese pigs? You're saying 'Chinese pigs'?!).

Definitely a fresh change after too righteous version of Donnie Yen's Ip Man.

Check the trailer of "The Legend is Born: Ip Man" or "Ip Man The Legend is Born" here.

84-year-old Wing Chun master, Ip Chun: My health has benefitted the most from learning Wing Chun


Ip Chun, an 84-year-old master of Wing Chun has this to say about Wing Chun: My health has benefitted the most from learning Wing Chun. (Indeed. Just see how agile he moves in the latest movie, "Ip Man - The Legend is Born". Heck, he is even reported to be nominated for the Best Newcomer Award at the 7th Movie Channel Media Awards! Okay, not really that related. Heh.)

In this YouTube clip, "Ip Chun (葉準), 84yo wing chun legend", he also shared his thoughts on the future of the martial art in today's society.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Beauty (of angelababy) may be immortal, but not the outdated magazine ads!!


You know how bad advertisement business in Singapore is by looking at how the outdated Nu You magazine for May 2010 is still advertised in bus stops.

Sure it features angelababy. (More of her photos in her blog here). And her beauty--as some may argue--is immortal. Still it doesn't change the darn fact that the magazine is however not for the latest month. What, June edition of Nu You is not worth advertising?!

Friday, June 25, 2010

1 Funny Malaysia posed a 'security' threat


Wow. Yes. That's what the wonderful government of Malaysia believe. 1 Funny Malaysia posed a 'security' threat. Gosh. I can't stop laughing.

The other 2 books also said to be banned are Perak and Land Of Cartoons in Malay. Okay these 2 books may indeed pose a 'security' threat due to their dull titles.

MALAYSIA banned three works of political cartoons that criticise the government, but one of the artists said on Friday he was obligated to highlight issues other cartoonists would not.

The government said the cartoons in two books and a magazine posed a security threat.

Malaysia has banned dozens of publications in recent years, but usually because of sexual content or alleged misrepresentation of Islam, its official religion. But the latest ban is certain to spark complaints that the government is disallowing critical views.

'All three publications have been banned for their contents that can influence the people to revolt against the leaders and government policies,' said a statement by Home Ministry Secretary General Mahmood Adam on the official news agency Bernama. 'The contents are not suitable and detrimental to public order,' he said without elaborating. Printing, distributing or possessing prohibited material is punishable by up to three years in jail.

The works are mainly collections of comics by Zulkifli Anwar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, and other local cartoonists, questioning current events, such as police shootings and the sodomy trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

The books, entitled Perak, Land Of Cartoons in Malay and 1 Funny Malaysia, were published late last year. The magazine, Issues In Cartoons in Malay, with a circulation of 15,000 copies, was launched in February with three volumes coming out since then, Mr Zunar said.

From Straits Times, "M'sia bans political cartoons".

Also from the same URL above:
Malaysiakini to appeal

* Independent online news portal Malaysiakini, which publishes '1 Funny Malaysia,' said it would file a court case to challenge the ban of its book. Its chief executive officer, Premesh Chandran, said the book was a compilation of cartoons already published on Malaysiakini's website.

'It's peculiar that the book is banned ... as so far there is no evidence of public disturbance stemming from these cartoons,' he told The Associated Press.

* Cartoonist Zunar, who has published the other two works, told the AP he was still waiting for an official letter from the ministry but vowed not to stop drawing.

'In Malaysia the government is like this. They won't allow alternative views. You can do cartoons, you can do whatever art work you want, but it must be in line with the government (view),' said the 47-year-old, who has been a professional cartoonist for more than 20 years.

He said hundreds of copies of his publications had been seized by authorities for inspections from vendors throughout Malaysia.

* Another magazine he began publishing was also banned last year after the first volume. He estimated the latest ban may cost him up to 70,000 ringgit (S$30,066) as distributors were likely to return his publications.

* Printing, distributing or possessing prohibited material is punishable by up to three years in jail.

* Activists and opposition leaders have frequently accused the government of disallowing dissent. Last month, Malaysian authorities seized more than 6,000 copies of a pro-opposition newspaper, saying it did not have a printing permit. The publisher insisted otherwise.

* All Malaysian publications require government-approved licenses that must be renewed annually. -- AP

SMRT graffiti Oliver Fricker 5 months jail, 3 canes. No fricking kidding?!


Convicted vandal Oliver Fricker was reported to be appealing against his sentence. "5 months jail and 3 canes are not enough!" he sounded disgusted.

Right.

And no, it's not him who was dismayed. It's us. The innocent & clueless passengers. Only 5 months free stay in jail & 3 canes for the kind of shocking trauma that SMRT passengers have been exposed? (Yes, yes...even if most of us were plainly ignorant or clueless whether the graffiti was a possibly a kind of advertisement. Heh.)

Seriously, though, I agree with what Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharon Lim stated, "His behaviour is anti-social and, more importantly in this case, has had the added effect of causing widespread concern about the security of our public transport system".

Swiss national Oliver Fricker has been sentenced to five months jail and three strokes of the cane.

The 32-year-old IT consultant pleaded guilty to trespassing into the SMRT Changi Depot and spray-painting two train carriages.

A third vandalism charge for cutting the depot's fence was taken into consideration.

Fricker committed the offences between May 16 and 17 with an alleged accomplice, identified as Dane Alexander Lloyd, a Briton who has since left Singapore.

The court was told Lloyd allegedly masterminded the plan, and had corresponded with a spray paint supplier before his arrival in Singapore on May 15.

The next day, the pair looked for a dimly-lit area of fence surrounding the depot and cut a hole in it. They then painted the two carriages nearest to the fence.

Fricker had allegedly been "extremely nervous" when entering the depot, and needed to be coaxed by Lloyd.

They fled in a taxi and went to Boat Quay for drinks, before ending up at Fricker's apartment at Sail@Marina Bay.

Lloyd showed Fricker the photographs he'd taken, before they went to sleep.

On May 18, the pair left for Hong Kong for a holiday.

The court also heard that Fricker was an experienced graffiti artiste. He had painted graffiti - legally - at Singapore's Youth Park before.

The case saw hours of mitigation and repeated delays in court.

Fricker's lawyer Derek Kang said his client had made a one-off mistake, while under the influence of alcohol.

He added the graffiti had not incited hatred, and left no lasting damage.

But the prosecution said Fricker's sentence should act as a general deterrent for the public.

Fricker's lawyer said his client had shown genuine remorse by cooperating fully with police.

"My client has commenced serving his sentence. We are filing an appeal because we feel that it is on the high side. We hope that the papers can be expedited, and we will see how things go at the appeal," said Lawyer Kang.

In his judgement, District Judge See Kee Oon had called the act "calculated criminal conduct", and said Fricker must now face the consequences.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Fricker gets 5 mths' jail, caning over vandalism & trespassing charges".

CONVICTED vandal Oliver Fricker was sentenced to five months' jail and three strokes of the cane on Friday evening for entering a protected place and spraying paint on two carriages of an SMRT train.

The 32-year-old IT consultant is appealing against his sentence, according to his lawyer, Mr Derek Kang.

Fricker, who went to jail on Friday, had admitted to a vandalism charge and an offence under the Protected Areas and Protected Places Act. He did them with his friend, Briton Dane Alexander Lloyd, 29, at the SMRT Changi depot between May 16 and 17.

A third charge of cutting the perimeter fence of the depot was considered during his sentencing.

The graffiti on the train with the large words McKoy Banos was seen by many commuters and members of the public before it was reported by a SMRT staff two days later.

Seeking an appropriate jail term on each of the two charges, Deputy Public Prosecutor Sharon Lim argued that such serious breach of the law could not be taken lightly or viewed as a mere prank. The duo, she said, were experienced graffiti writers who had targeted the SMRT train which is the backbone of Singapore's public transport system.

Fricker could have been jailed for up to three years for the vandalism charge; and up to two years for entering a protected place.

From Straits Times, "Jailed 5 months and caning".

No, sorry it's not 'raining men'...it's just heavy rain leading to flash flood!!

Screw you, Weather Girls! God may bless Mother Nature, but not those areas in Singapore suffering of flash flood today.

And when you go to Stomp, you'll see most of the articles of Singapore Seen are the weather-related ones. (Should have changed the category from Singapore Seen to Singapore Soaked.)

Some of those articles--so far there are 7 of them:
- Ominous clouds hang over city before morning floods
- Heavy rain causes tree to fall and block walkway to mosque near Shenton Way
- West side of S'pore also hit by morning floods
- Fallen tree blocks road leading to restaurants on Dempsey Hill
- Bedok condo residents trapped as flood hits carpark and lift lobby
- Heavy rain turns drains into water fountains at OCBC Centre
- Morning storm wreaks flood havoc all over S'pore.

And also one from Asiaone:

Singapore residents woke up to another downpour early this morning.

Skies were dark and in the eastern part of Singapore, the downpour started after 7am.

Photographer Alvin Teo, 20, an intern with AsiaOne, said of the scene he saw while walking from Braddell MRT station to the junction leading to his workplace: "The junction was flooded. People looked like they were swimming!"

Click here to find out more!Click here to find out more!
A check half an hour later by AsiaOne revealed that the waters at the junction have since subsided.

Mr Teo also saw two women chasing after their slippers, which were swept away by the waters.

Another Singaporean caught in the flood was Bedok resident Catherine Tan. Miss Tan said she avoided Tanah Merah MRT station at New Upper Changi Road when she heard there was a flood there. She decided to take a taxi instead, but she was still caught in a jam and flood at Bedok South Road.

She told AsiaOne: "The cars in front were hardly moving, so I was stuck in the jam for more than 10 minutes. It was like wading through sea water. Some of the cars were stalled, which caused the jam. One driver tried to escape the flood by driving over the kerb dividing the two-way road, but his car got stuck. He and another passenger then tried to lift the car off the kerb. It sounds incredible but true."

Reports coming in indicate heavy flooding in several parts of Singapore.

Floods were seen in areas, including, parts of Upper Thomson Road and Jalan Boon Lay.

This morning, a taxi was stuck in a flood at the junction of Macpherson Road and Kampong Ampat SCDF rescuers guided the passenger and driver to safety.

A childcare centre at Telok Kurau was also flooded. The SCDF used a pump to extract water from the childcare centre and assisted in evacuating about 18 children and seven adults from the centre.

Branches, snapped off by strong gusts of wind, also caused traffic chaos. Fallen branches disrupted traffic flow near Orchard Central, as two lanes were blocked.

This morning, a tree fell onto vehicles on the CTE towards Yishun, between Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 and Ave 3. Two casualties, a man and a woman, were brought to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Another two casualties, also a man and a woman, were brought to Singapore General Hospital after a tree fell at Kampung Bahru Raod.

The Meteorological Services Division has issued a rain-with-thunder warning. It said to expect showers with thunder late morning and early afternoon for the next three days.

Last Wednesday, parts of Orchard Road and Bukit Timah were flooded, leading to damage to luxury shops and vehicles. In Orchard, Hermes and the three-day-old fast-food outlet Wendy's were among those whose premises and goods were reported damaged by the flood.

AsiaOne readers also said that parts of Bukit Timah were uncrossable for a period of time, except for buses and bigger vehicles.

From Asiaone, "Heavy flooding in parts of Singapore".

As well as one from Channel NewsAsia:
The heavy downpour on Friday morning caused chaos on the roads with another bout of flooding across the island.

At least four people were injured, and several others trapped by rising waters and fallen trees.

This comes just a week after flash floods wreaked havoc at Singapore's Orchard Road shopping belt.

A van crushed by a massive tree was just one casualty of the storm that lashed through the island early Friday morning. Gusty winds uprooted the entire tree from its roots.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said two people in the van were injured and were sent to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

Along the Central Expressway (CTE), another tree fell onto a car, causing a massive traffic jam which stretched several kilometres.

Traffic Police were on hand to divert traffic away from the CTE towards SLE in between the Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 and Ang Mo Kio Ave 3 exit due to the fallen tree.

For many motorists, visibility on the roads was down to just a few metres.

A similar scene was observed near Orchard Central. A fallen tree blocked three lanes of traffic.

Responding to queries from MediaCorp, the National Parks Board said it attended to 25 incidences of fallen trees at various locations islandwide.

Its assistant director for Streetscape (Projects), Ng Cheow Kheng, said: "Most obstructions involving fallen trees or branches this morning were cleared within the hour, or pushed to the road verges to be cleared later.

"The exception was the fallen tree at the Central Expressway (after Ang Mo Kio Ave 1), which took about two hours to remove due to traffic conditions."

Mr Ng added: "We look after about 1 million trees located within parks, nature reserves and road verges, and they are generally healthy. We also have a sound tree safety inspection and maintenance programme in place.

"Our regular checks showed that incidences of fallen trees or branches were mainly due to adverse weather conditions rather than poor health or tree rot. ... Apart from regular checks on trees and soil conditions, we also identify trees which are vulnerable during rainstorms and replace them with stronger ones."

At a childcare centre at Telok Kurau, in the eastern part of Singapore, 18 pre-school children and seven adults were evacuated as knee-deep waters gushed into the building.

The SCDF used pumps to extract water from the affected building.

MediaCorp viewers also sent in videos of vehicles trapped by rising waters.

Singapore's national water agency PUB said heavy and intense rain fell in many parts of Singapore. It added that 100 millimetres (mm) of rain fell within an hour, between 8am and 9.30am.

That is 60 per cent of the average rainfall recorded for the entire month of June. The same amount of rainfall was recorded on June 16 when storms led to the massive flooding in Orchard Road.

PUB said the heavy rain on Friday morning caused localised flash floods in a number of areas and the waters subsided within 30 minutes.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) told MediaCorp that "the total rainfall recorded for June 2010 to date at the Climate Station in Changi is 204.3mm".

This has surpassed the average monthly rainfall of 160mm for June. Two heavy downpours, including the one on Friday morning, in the last ten days contributed to most of the rainfall - about 200mm.

NEA added: "Although the Southwest Monsoon months of June to September are characterised by relatively dry weather, it is still possible for Singapore to experience such intense showers from time to time.

"For the rest of this month, short-duration showers with thunder are expected mostly in the late morning and afternoon. Widespread showers with thunder and occasional gusty winds in the morning can be expected on 1 or 2 days."

Since the flooding last week, PUB has installed gratings at canals at Holland Road and behind Tanglin Shopping Centre.

All in, PUB said it will spend S$25,000 to install five gratings in drains upstream from the Stamford Canal, which runs in the heart of Orchard Road. The gratings are designed to trap debris while allowing water to flow through.

Those affected by the floods are hoping such measures will mitigate any future problems.

At the Lucky Plaza shopping complex, a bookstore which was one of the many shops hit by the floods last week was luckier this time round.

Bernard Chung, owner of Discount Bookstore, said: "The flood in my memory was very clear because I was here at about 10.15am in the morning and the water came in so quickly it covered up the whole place and it turned into a swimming pool at the basement.

"This morning I was concerned, so I came a little bit early just to make sure, but thank god nothing happened."

Interestingly, shopkeepers are now offering post-flood discounts at Lucky Plaza, in a bid to lure back the crowds.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Flash floods wreak havoc across S'pore in morning rush hour".

And from Straits Times:
FOUR people were injured when falling trees or tree branches struck the cars they were in during Friday morning's intense and heavy downpour which caused flash floods in many areas across Singapore.

Gusty winds snapped and uprooted at least six trees, some of which fell across major roads, blocking lanes and bringing traffic to a halt. Along the Central Expressway towards Yishun, between Ang Mo Kio Avenues 1 and 3, a tree fell onto several vehicles, including a van at around 9am.

A man and woman in the van were injured. The Singapore Civil Defence Force rushed two ambulances to the scene. The couple were treated at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The woman had bruises and the man fractured his left hand.

Just half an hour later, along Kampung Bahru Road towards Keppel Distripark, near the Malayan Railway (KTM) station, two more persons were injured when a tree fell on a taxi. They were both sent to Singapore General Hospital by the SCDF. The man had a laceration on his right hand, while the woman injured her left hand.

SCDF officers also rescued a passenger and the driver from another taxi which was stuck in the floodwaters at the junction of Macpherson Road and Kampong Ampat at about 9 am.

They were also called to help evacuate 18 preschoolers at a childcare centre at Telok Kurau Lorong G, and pump out water from the school premises. The pupils and seven staff members were moved to a neighbour's house.

From Straits Times, "4 hurt by fallen trees".

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Hikakin - Super Mario Beatbox


A talented Japanese beatboxer, Hikakin presents Super Mario Beatbox!! Check out the entertaining clip here. Almost 1,5 million views so far!!

For the clueless, beatboxing is a form of vocal percussion which primarily involves the art of producing drum beats, rhythm, and musical sounds using one's mouth, lips, tongue and voice. (Thank you as always, Wikipedia!)

Iluma: Make Over A Movie Poster!


Make Over A Movie Poster! A design contest presented by Iluma.

Beng Love: Help Beng get his dream girl!


Beng meets Lian. Beng falls in love.

Lian doesn't.


Heh. Just kidding. Suggest future episodes to win prizes and see your story come to life right here on Klik.TV!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

How you can leave work at 5:30 pm

The video clip, "How you can leave work at 5:30 pm" is very alluring. Alluringly false. It stated: "Leaving the office early - with all your work for the day done - is no longer impossible, with new technology that allows employees to be more productive."

In a real world, when your work for the day is all done...what will happen next is that your boss will give you more work!!

'Envoys' to curb littering: Will the soft approach work?

Where enforcement and punishment do not work, what little chance will a little persuasion help?! Pardon me from being pessimistic. I just can't imagine a little persuasion may be feasible in this littering issue. It should be enforcement and punishment--the harsher, the better--and of course, more publicity to 'educate' the public about the consequence. Even better, publish a hall of shame of shameful offenders caught littering. With their photos & names!!

WHERE enforcement and punishment do not work, a little persuasion may help - that is the thinking of Queenstown constituency as it launched Singapore's first community patrol group of Litter-Free Ambassadors (LFAs) yesterday.

The ambassadors, mostly recruited via the grassroots, will conduct patrols at least once a month at known hot spots for litter.

And while they cannot arrest or fine litterbugs, they will persuade the culprits to pick up their litter. The LFAs will also look out for overflowing bins and areas badly affected by litter.

They will record their observations for the National Environment Agency (NEA) and grassroots community groups to take appropriate measures to improve the areas' cleanliness.

In an effort to create a new anti-littering social norm, and as part of the NEA's latest campaign, Queenstown's community patrols will start by targeting a litter hot spot in Stirling Road, where 778 litterbugs have been caught since 2007.

Ambassadors like retiree Alice Lee, 62, will patrol the neighbourhood and convince litterbugs to change their habits.

From Straits Times, "'Envoys' to curb littering".

Civic Life: Tiong Bahru (a short film)

Photo courtesy of "On The Move-CPG"


Check out the trailer in this YouTube clip, "Civic Life: Tiong Bahru". It has so far gathered million views!! Heh. Okay, I'm just kidding. There is no trailer yet, but I believe there will be a lot interested to check the film out(well, maybe not million views!).

ABDUL Hadi Indra Jasni, 16, has landed a role in an upcoming movie. He has not seen the script yet and does not even know what role he will be playing. But he is still rehearsing diligently.

'It's my first time in a movie, so I'm quite nervous. I practise speaking in front of the mirror sometimes, saying out loud to myself, 'Be cool, be cool, go with the flow',' says the Outram Secondary School student.

The movie he will be in is Civic Life: Tiong Bahru, a short film by London- based film-makers Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy.

It is the 10th in a series of Civic Life films, which focus on local communities, exploring the relationships between residents and the environment in which they live and work. The film is a collaboration between the British Council and the National Museum of Singapore with support from the Singapore International Foundation.

Speaking to Life! over the telephone from London, Molloy says: 'The script will be finalised only in the last minute, as it has to be spontaneous. 'So far, we only have a rough idea of the movie's structure. It's going to be a triptych, divided into three stories.'

While Lawlor and Molloy are both experienced film-makers, they say filming Civic Life: Tiong Bahru will present unique challenges. They will shoot the film from Friday to Sunday at the market as well as at a nearby multi-storey carpark and several streets in the neighbourhood.

From Straits Times, "Film stars of Tiong Bahru".

Monday, June 21, 2010

A*Star presenting them, robots: Olivia & Lucas


Do check out this website, "ASORO" (A*Star Social Robotics) for more info on Singapore's first social robots, Olivia & Lucas. Check out also this event, RoboCup 2010 Singapore from 19 - 26 June this year for more robots.

OLIVIA and LUCAS, Singapore's first social robots will be unveiled at Suntec City on June 20.

An autonomous robot that interacts with humans, OLIVIA is able to detect lip motion, read human face and eyes and accurately locate the source of human speech in a 3D space.

Currently, OLIVIA recognises keywords and gives programmed responses. The next stage of development is for OLIVIA to understand and respond to natural human speech.

Click here to find out more!Click here to find out more!
OLIVIA is also programmed to respond appropriately to moods such as sadness, happiness and excitement. Its robotic vision and audition technologies will be implemented in a patrolling guard robot.

LUCAS was designed to provide information to visitors, carry drinks or patrol. It can be potentially used for healthcare and education, and further developed as a butler, or tele-presence which will make it useful in areas hazardous to people, such as infectious wards.

Said Dr Li Haizhou, Programme Manager of A*STAR's Social Robotics Programme: "The OLIVIA and LUCAS robots are the outcomes of our social robotics research programme aimed at benefiting future generations of the modern world that will likely see robots as part of their environment."

The robots are results of the integration of research capabilities of the Institute for Infocomm Research (I2R), the Data Storage Institute (DSI) and the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech).

For more on A*STAR's Social Robotics Programme, visit www.asoro.a-star.edu.sg.

From Asiaone, "A*Star unveils Singapore's first social robots".

SingPost vs a man who stuffed rubbish, faeces into letterbox

Chim Wai Chong should not have pleaded guilty for the incident. After all, isn't he said to be suffering from schizophrenia? He should have pleaded, instead, "not guilty by reason of insanity".

Schizophrenia affected his judgment, yes? Therefore his guilty plea should not be accepted.

An unemployed man has pleaded guilty to stuffing rubbish and faeces into a Singapore Post (SingPost) letterbox in April this year.

The court heard that 45-year-old Chim Wai Chong did so as he thought that the letters he posted for several contests were not properly delivered.

He did not win any prizes for the contests and this led him to assume that the postal system had cheated him.

Deputy Public Prosecutor, Anamika Bagchi told District Judge Soh Tze Bian that Chim committed the act of public nuisance to vent his anger.

She said investigations revealed that rubbish and faeces were found inside a mail bag collected from the letterbox located near Block 2, Lorong Lew Lian in the Serangoon area on April 6.

A supervisor from the SingPost then instructed a staff member to monitor the letterbox shortly after discovering them.

Chim was soon spotted stuffing crumpled newspapers into it and was photographed by the SingPost employee.

The court heard that Chim is suffering from schizophrenia and is currently being treated at the Institute of Mental Health.

He faces three charges in all but two others were taken into consideration.

The judge has called for a pre-sentence probation report and the case will be mentioned again on August 2.

For his offence, Chim could be fined a maximum of S$1,000.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Man pleads guilty to stuffing rubbish, faeces into SingPost letterbox".

What Kinda Asian Are You?!


What Kinda Asian Are You?! Lol. Check out the clip which deserves many interesting comments such as "this video is reverse racist
it makes me want to be asian but i cant" and "are white people asian? cauc-asian". Heh.

Law Minister K Shanmugam: SMRT should take their job seriously!

Ouch. It must be somewhat discouraging to SMRT to hear such a direct remark by Law Minister Mr. K Shanmugam. But what intrigues me most is a comment by Azhar in that article. He wrote, "Law minister commenting on something the Transport ministers should be doing. Uniquely Singapore indeed."

So has there been any comment from Mr. Raymond Lim yet? I'm not sure, but I'm curious to learn what his opinion about the SMRT graffiti vandal case is.

The recent vandalism incident at SMRT's Changi depot has sparked debate over who should be responsible for security on premises like train depots.

Is it the Government's job, or should the responsibility fall on SMRT?

To Law Minister K Shanmugam, the answer was clear - the rail operator's security is its own responsibility and the cost of beefing up its defences should not be borne by ordinary Singaporeans.

Speaking to reporters at a community event yesterday, Mr Shanmugam, who is also Second Minister for Home Affairs, said it is impossible and unacceptable to require taxpayers to pay for the security of thousands of profit-making entitles in Singapore.

"Is it fair for the public, through the Government to pay for that security either in manpower terms or in terms of the costs?" he asked, noting that SMRT is a listed company and that its profits are shared among its shareholders.

Mr Shanmugam added that SMRT is not a Government entity and declares dividends that go to shareholders.

So, why should non-shareholders foot the bill to protect SMRT's facilities?

He said: "If we are not shareholders, we won't get the dividends. So you have to ask yourself - should the broader community of 3.2 million citizens and other taxpayers ... be paying for the security costs when the profits of the company go to a group of shareholders?

"The reality is (that) it is a company, it has got its own structure, it has got its own management, it has got its own security arrangements and they have got to take it seriously," he said.

Mr Shanmugam said that private sector organisations, like the SMRT depot, have been gazetted as a protected place but the security of the premises is the company's responsibility.

The Government would then provide a framework on how security should be provided for the rest of the buildings, he added.

For example, if a facility is categorised a protected place, the closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) and the monitoring of security has to be the responsibility of the company itself, he added.

And because SMRT was responsible for transporting millions of commuters, they should take their job seriously.

He said: "We mustn't start with the mindset that something can never happen again. I think what we need is a very robust, thorough system to minimise the risk of security lapses happening."

Mr Choy Kin Chong, SMRT deputy director of security and emergency planning, had said their employees had thought the graffiti on the train was an advertisement.

It was only when the MRT train was recalled to the workshop for scheduled maintenance that they had realised it was an act of vandalism.

SMRT has since raised the number of security personnel and patrols at its depots and will also more-than-double the number of CCTVs.

Swiss national Oliver Fricker has been charged with vandalism and trespass for the May incident.

He returns to court today, while his suspected accomplice - Briton Lloyd Dane Alexander - is at large and is wanted by the Singapore police.

Mr Shanmugam said the law here treats everyone - whether foreign or local - equally.

"But the message in Singapore is, there are certain things which are red lines and you don't cross them," he said.

If convicted, Fricker could be jailed up to three years or fined up to $2,000.

He also faces three to eight strokes of the cane.

From Today, "SMRT is responsible, says Shanmugam".

LAW and Second Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam reiterated yesterday that the security of places like MRT depots should be a partnership between the Government, private corporations and the public.

It is not the sole responsibility of the Government, for if it were so, taxpayers would end up paying the bill for the security of private sector companies.

'You ask yourself: Is it fair? When you say Government, ultimately the people pay for it,' he said.

'We have thousands of private organisations which are profit-oriented and make money for their shareholders. It is impossible, and unacceptable, to require the taxpayer to pay for the security of all these profit-making companies, both in terms of the manpower required and the sheer cost,' he added.

Speaking on the sidelines of a community event in Sembawang GRC, he was replying to reporters' questions about the role of the Government in preventing security breaches at MRT depots.

Some netizens have recently charged that the Government should take responsibility for the security lapse at the Changi depot and not shift the blame on to SMRT.

From Straits Times, "Taxpayers 'should not pay'".

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Foyce Le Xuan one of the two women who allegedly beat up Cantopop singer Jason Chung?!

Yes. She's the same Foyce Le Xuan who's involved in the Jack Neo's not so comical tragedy of infidelity.

There is not much revealed about the case. Why Foyce Le Xuan was involved in the case of Jason Chung a supposedly well-known Cantopop singer being beaten by 2 young women? Not even clear whether she was one of the two women...or she was just involved in a very general meaning.

I'm against violence, alright. But if the guy deserves the beatings, he deserve the beatings. But there must be a story behind it, no? What's the motive? Can we please get a more detailed follow-up on this case?!

TWO recent high-profile incidents of women allegedly beating up men have got people wondering: Is this a growing trend of garang (Malay for fierce) girls going wild?

Singapore's showbusiness circle is buzzing after well-known Cantopop singer Jason Chung, 38, was reportedly beaten up last month by two young women outside Dragonfly club in St James Power Station, where he performs.

One of the women involved in the fracas is aspiring singer Foyce Le Xuan, 30, who in March claimed she had spurned veteran film-maker Jack Neo's advances after he allegedly hit on her in 2004. Although the incident happened two weeks ago, news of it emerged only recently after Chinese newspapers reported the incident on June 8.

In another public spat last year, a woman was caught on video hitting a man repeatedly in the groin with a high-heeled shoe. The video was posted on Singapore Press Holdings' online site, Stomp.

Figures released by the Subordinate Courts indicate a growing trend of abusive women. Last year, 326 applications of personal protection orders (PPOs) and domestic exclusive orders (DEOs) were filed by husbands against their wives. This is a 16 per cent spike from 2008, which saw 280 such cases. The figures exclude other applications filed against ex-wives by their former spouses.

Counsellors and psychiatrists say the spike in such cases is due to the rise of women's economic power. Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, says: 'Compared to 20 years ago, women are more vocal and assertive now. They hold powerful positions of authority and leadership these days, and it's not only socially and culturally acceptable for women to speak out, it's also politically correct.'

From Straits Times, "S'pore girls are more 'garang'".



Update on 22/06/10: Okay, so it's confirmed that Foyce Le Xuan was really the star in "Herstory of Violence". She did slap the guy, Jason Chung. Well, this dude seems to be hardly innocent himself. Read the news, you decide.

Singapore's showbusiness circle is buzzing after well-known Cantopop singer Jason Chung, 38, was reportedly beaten up last month by two young women outside Dragonfly club in St James Power Station, where he performs.

One of the women involved in the fracas is aspiring singer Foyce Le Xuan, 30, who in March claimed she had spurned veteran film-maker Jack Neo's advances after he allegedly hit on her in 2004.

On May 25, partygoers and the club's employees watched while Le Xuan and a woman who calls herself X-Tin Lim in her blog confronted Chung, who was screamed at, slapped and kicked in the groin.

The women had to be pulled away by the club's female employees.

Chung, who is the frontman of Singapore's premier Cantopop band Typhoon, allegedly cheated on both of them.

Although the incident happened two weeks ago, news of it emerged only recently after Chinese newspapers reported the incident on June 8.

In another public spat last year, a woman was caught on video hitting a man repeatedly in the groin with a high-heeled shoe. The video was posted on Singapore Press Holdings' online site, Stomp.

Figures released by the Subordinate Courts indicate a growing trend of abusive women. Last year, 326 applications of personal protection orders (PPOs) and domestic exclusive orders (DEOs) were filed by husbands against their wives.

This is a 16 per cent spike from 2008, which saw 280 such cases. The figures exclude other applications filed against ex-wives by their former spouses.

A PPO forbids the abuser to inflict physical or mental abuse on the victim and orders the abuser to keep his distance and not to enter the home of the protected person.

A DEO grants the right of exclusive occupation of a shared residence to a protected person by excluding the abuser.

Counsellors and psychiatrists say the spike in such cases is due to the rise of women's economic power.

Dr Adrian Wang, a consultant psychiatrist at Gleneagles Medical Centre, says: 'Compared to 20 years ago, women are more vocal and assertive now. They hold powerful positions of authority and leadership these days, and it's not only socially and culturally acceptable for women to speak out, it's also politically correct.'

When women air dirty laundry, they hope to achieve two things: a show of power and shaming.

Mr Low Teck Keong, a senior counsellor at the National University of Singapore, says: 'Not everyone can remain civilised in the heat of anger. When they intend to hurt the person, respect is not a concern. The unkind and cruel words hurt and, in most cases, men are more deeply affected by emotional than physical abuse.'

As for the Chung incident, a clearly angry Lim wrote a hit-and-tell account on her blog, saying they had a relationship and labelling him a 'liar' because he neglected to tell her that he had been dating Le since February.

Lim, who got to know Chung in Dragonfly in March, wrote that she began the relationship with him on May 12. She could not be reached for comment.

Chung says that he wants to 'move on' and has not made a police report.

Dr Wang adds: 'A violent act is sometimes seen as self-defence. The women may feel that 'if you hurt my feelings, it's fair that you get hurt, too, because you must pay'.'

When contacted, Le says she regrets her actions. 'I did not go to the club with the intention of beating him up,' she says.

'But when I became angry, I slapped him and I am sorry for what I have done.'

According to her, she was in a relationship with Chung from Feb 20 to May 23 this year. On May 20, a friend told her that the singer was spotted with a long-haired woman in Chinatown at 4am.

Le says she confronted him on the same day but Chung denied it was him.

She adds: 'I felt something was amiss when I spotted pictures of him and X-Tin posted on his Facebook account. I contacted her through a mutual friend.'

Through their phone conversations, the women found out that they were dating the same man. They decided to confront him at the club on May 25.

Many men do not seek professional help because the idea that they could be victims of violence is unthinkable, and they may not even attempt to report the situation, says counsellor Mr Low.

Chung, who did not retaliate, says: 'If I had hit the women, it would've made the situation worse. It could result in a potential assault case.'

Mr Dennis Foo, 57, chief executive officer of St James Holdings, which runs Dragoonfly, is staying out of the drama.

He says: 'This is a private matter. We are in the business of running clubs, not monasteries. As long as employees stick to the house rule, we continue to work together.'

St James did not report the matter to the police, or bar the two women from the clubs. But other nightspots such as StereoLab, The Butter Factory and The Arena will ban troublemakers from their venues.

Mr Mike Lim, who runs The Arena in Clarke Quay, says: 'As employers, we will protect our staff. If culprits are let off, they may come back for another bashing. We won't take any chances whether they are men or women.'

From Diva, "Garang Girls".

The Jewel of Muscat arrival in Singapore


Check out also the latest news from the Jewel of Muscat here. As per today, it's reported: "Despite light winds Jewel is making steady progress towards Klang. In the last 24 hours she covered 75 miles at an average speed of 2.5 knots and still has around 90 miles to go to port. At 0330 GMT on Sunday Jewel’s position was 3° 45’ N 100° 36’ E."

What I'm curious most is how the crew will handle the potential piracy in the area? I mean just take a look at the vessel herself. I can't imagine her defense system. Self-destruct bomb somewhere in the hull? Yeah, right. She is such a masterpiece that I believe even lowly pirates would give some respect to her.

The Jewel of Muscat, the 9th century Arabian Dhow, set sail on Friday from Georgetown, Penang to start its fourth leg of its voyage to Port Klang, before its scheduled arrival in Singapore on July 3.

According to Oman Sail, the first report back from the boat said the vessel was making steady progress in fair winds.

The Jewel of Muscat will be sailing along the coast of Malaysia and is due to reach Port Klang near Malacca in about a week for supplies for the final leg of its journey.

Oman Sail added that the danger is certainly not over, as the Straits of Malacca is among the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

The crew would therefore need to anchor every night out of caution.

But the greatest trials on the open seas are mostly over for the crew.

The next two legs should be very short.

The Jewel of Muscat is a gift from the Sultanate of Oman to the government and people of Singapore.

From Channel NewsAsia, "Jewel of Muscat sets sail for Port Klang, to reach S'pore on July 3".



Update on 04/07: she's finally here in Singapore--the Jewel of Muscat, right on schedule (03/07)!!

THE Jewel of Muscat was welcomed to Singapore in fine style on Saturday, with everyone from the sailors to the VIPs determined not to let the bad weather ruin the occasion.

The planned festivities for the ship, a gift from the Sultanate of Oman to Singapore, carried on uninterrupted even as heavy rain fell for long periods during the day.

Foreign Minister George Yeo was the first to brave the bad weather as he headed out to sea early in the morning to greet the ship as it entered Singapore waters.

Despite the heavy downpour, Mr Yeo turned down an umbrella and chose to brave the rain with the sailors on the open deck of the ship.

Later, he would write on his Facebook page that the 'arrival of the Jewel in wind and rain gave a hint of voyage trials'.

From Straits Times, "Jewel Of Muscat arrives".



Update on 13/07: more is revealed about the exciting experience of the 18-men crew of the Jewel of Muscat. I'll give it a pass. Heh.

FOR five months, the 18-men crew of the Jewel of Muscat lived like medieval sailors as they made their way from Oman to Singapore.

This meant bathing in sea water, cooking on charcoal stoves and sleeping next to the live chickens they had taken along for food.

There is no air-conditioning, no running water and not even a single mattress on the vessel, a replica of a 9th-century Arab dhow.

In fact, life on the dhow was so demanding that one man was dropped from the crew before the vessel even set sail.

Mr. Saleh Al Jabri, the crew's captain, told The New Paper on Sunday: "That guy couldn't take the tough conditions and fell ill after just two days."

The vessel, a gift from the ruler of Oman, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, to Singapore, arrived at the Marina at Keppel Bay last Saturday.

Keeping to the ancient Omani art of dhow-building, the materials were sourced from India and Africa.

Not a single nail or screw was used. Everything was handmade- from the rigging to the sail.

Mr. Saleh, 42, said the week-long training that the Omani government gave him and his crew had prepared them mentally for the tough voyage.

Half of the crew, including himself, are Omanis who serve the Royal Navy of Oman; the rest were foreign volunteers including some from Singapore, Italy and Sri Lanka.

The idea of bathing with sea water did not appeal to Mr. Saleh but there was no choice.

Salty showers

He said: "We had three tonnes of fresh water and we had to (reserve) the water as much as possible for cooking.

"Even then, we mixed sea water with our fresh water."

On why he balked at the idea of salty showers, Mr. Saleh said:

"I (didn't want to) smell of salt. So I thought I'd just wait for it to rain so I could have a "shower"."

As it turned out, it did not rain in the first four days. So Mr. Saleh had no choice but to opt for his less preferred way of freshening up.

The way to answer nature's call came by way of a zoolie - a wooden box, with a hole in the bottom, suspended over the side of the ship.

One of the foreign crew members, Mr. Alessandro Ghidoni, an Italian, wrote on the Jewel of Muscat's website: "Going to the toilet was very tricky at the beginning. But over time, you get used to it."

Other modern amenities were also missing.

There were no air-conditioned cabins: The crew slept on hammocks, 18 of them crammed under the deck.

Was it not possible to sleep on deck, under the stars? No, said crew member, Mr. Hussein Ahmad. Otherwise, "if we felt sleepy after waking up, we could simply fall into the sea...because there're no railings".

Mr. Saleh added that crew wore life jackets.

"But these are no guarantee. It's better to be safe than sorry," he said.

The crew were also exposed to the elements as the ship had no cover.

Said Mr. Saleh: "We had no doctor on board so it was fortunate no one fell ill."

The lack of a refrigerator and gas stoves meant the crew had to take 20 live chickens and two sheep on board, slaughtering the animals for food, cooking them over charcoal stoves.

They also fished during the voyage - attempts to buy fish from fishing trawlers failed as the crew were mistaken for pirates.

Mr. Saleh said: "Two chickens jumped into the sea after we let them out during feeding. We couldn't rescue them.One died during the voyage.

Challenges

"When we beckoned to fishing trawlers to come closer to our ship, they shied away."

There were other challenges that came with steering an ancient vessel.

Mr. Saleh said: "We had only the wind to power the ship and it was intimidating to be among supertankers in the sea.

"The crew on the bigger ships were so surprised to see an ancient craft that they did 180-degree turns just to have a good look at us."

Fortunately, there were no collisions or pirate attacks.

The crew also missed their family and Mr. Saleh, a father of four, called his children at all the stopovers in Cochin, India; Galle, Sri Lanka and in Penang and Klang.

Given their tough experience, the crew was overjoyed when they sailed into Singapore waters.

The first thing that Mr. Saleh did was to pray, offering thanks for the safe voyage.

The Jewel of Muscat will be displayed at the Maritime Xperiential Museum, which will open at Resorts World Sentosa next year.

Looking back, Mr. Saleh said he appreciated the challenges.

He said: "We made history in sailing this ship. But going without material comforts made us appreciate the lives of ancient sailors."

Onshore, the crew stayed in Hotel Re!, a boutique hotel in Chin Swee Road, and flew to Muscat on Friday.

The hotel's deputy general manager, Ms. Jolene Chong, said it appointed a coordinator to take care of the crew's needs, such as taking them on city tours, seeing to their dietary needs and laundry.

Having not much choice for meals during their voyage, the men enjoyed the servings from Re!Fill, the hotel's restaurant.

Its executive chef, Mr. William Ang, said: "They prefer mild and non-spicy food like sweet and sour fish and chicken teriyaki. They also like roti prata."

From Asiaone, "Glimpse ancient sea travel".

Malaysia PM Najib Razak in the ridiculous quest of the Name for his kitty

a_x seeks name for this kitteh too!


Right. I can't believe this kind of news even make it to Singapore's very own Straits Times. So a certain prime minister bought a kitten. He looks for suggestions for a name for the cat. He can't decide on his own. That's scary. That's worrying. Okay, I stand corrected: it's a newsworthy after all!!!

Anyway, do check out the blog that started it. Titled, "The Little Things", as per 20/06/10 5:30 PM--screenshot below--there have been 225 comments on the post. The prime minister is an impressive blogger, I must (begrudgingly) admit.



PRIME Minister Najib Razak is seeking suggestions from Malaysians for a name for a new kitten he has bought.

'My family and I are in the process of picking out a name for it, but I welcome suggestions from you,' he said in his blog after a spur-of-the-moment purchase.

The orange and white Persian kitten is three months old.

The Prime Minister bought the kitten for RM650 (S$228) at the launch of the 'Buy Malaysia' campaign last Thursday, according to a posting on his blog, at www.1malaysia.com.my.

There is also a picture of him playing with the feline.

'While at the launch of the 'Buy Malaysia' campaign, I was able to make some personal purchases,' he said.

From Straits Times, "Najib seeks name for kitty".

Steadfast: The first made-in-Singapore independent action film

Steadfast...to Singapore!


Catch the secret ending after the credit where a scene is shown on more conspirators scheming to cripple Singapore's economy by blocking more canals--to be precise, culverts--which again shall in turn affect Orchard Road.

Just kidding.

Steadfast is touted as the first independent action movie produced locally. The short trailer looks promising (Check it out here or here). Well done & congratulations to the young directors, Linus Chen and David Liu!

A little 'what-this-movie-is-about':
The chairman of an international defense systems corporation attempts to reveal a major financial cover-up, but finds himself the target of an assassin. He also faces the pressure of his fellow directors to remain silent for the sake of their company.

Only a lone government agent is sent to neutralize the killer, but soon discovers a larger, more sinister scheme at work than a simple hit. In a violent world where the strongest survive, can the hope for peace remain steadfast?

Official website is at www.steadfastfilm.com.

Singaporeans can now look forward to the country's first independent action movie.

STEADFAST is the brainchild of two 24-year-old friends who share a vision on action.

Filmed entirely in Singapore with only a budget of $10,000, the 35-minute movie revolves around a chairman of an international defence systems corporation who finds himself the target of an assassin.

"Action as a genre, has a wider appeal, and it’s easier for audiences to (get into) the film through action. It helps (audience) identify with a character who's in an immediate crisis or in danger, and that's sort of like a hook for the audience - to want to know more about the character," said Linus Chen, director of STEADFAST.

The film is filled with never before done locally sequences like an office shooting scene and a car ambush.

And age proved to be a slight challenge for the two directors.

"Being young, I think, almost everybody will question our age because on the set that we're working on, the cast and the crew are probably older (and) more experienced than us. So they do sometimes question the way we do things because 'hey, I'm older than you, I've got more experience, who are you to direct me to do things'," said David Liu, director of STEADFAST.

"Getting them to believe in the vision and the script that I wrote and am going to direct is quite a challenge because most of the things that are in the script have never been done before in Singapore," he added.

STEADFAST took a year to produce, film and edit and will see its gala premiere on July 6.

From Channel NewsAsia, "First made-in-S'pore independent action film premieres July 6".