Friday, May 27, 2011

brought the elder son to catch "kungfu panda 2" yesterday and the show is .... AWESOME!
its really rare for sequel to top the first but i think kungfu panda 2 does. :)
apart from the entertaining action-packed sequences, i like the sub-plot on Po's family secret and the lessons learnt by him along the way for this show.
go catch it to find out what i meant. its totally worth my time and money!

and i realised when one has too much time on hand, apart from shopping, can eat alot too!
since i lost a kg from the hong kong trip, i kept thinking that i can jolly well afford to put on the 1kg back.
so the snacking and all the junk food has been coming back with a frevor!
coupled with NOT going to gym for the past mth, the results is FAST.
the last time i weighed myself (which is yesterday, by the way), im +1.5kg heavier!
sigh. i shall start to do something after my foodie trip to macau this weekend...

ok, ending the post with my 2 宝贝s!


Wednesday, May 25, 2011

time frittered away (same for money spent) will never come back!

and so, i have been jobless for 5 days and counting.
somemore, the husband is away at sunway lagoon these few days for his department team building.
i was momentarily lost initially when i suddenly had so much time to myself though i really relish such me-time.
but me being me, will of cos try to plan "constructive" activities rather than wasting my time away.
of cos, what's constructive to me may jolly well be bo-liao to you.

so, ive been waking up diligently everyday at 7-ish so as not to waste any precious time!
so these are some of the activities for the past 3 days:
1) i prepared (just simple) porridge meals for the boys once a day - something ive not done so during the weekdays for the longest time.
2) i had a long and slow mac brekkie alone while polishing off a HerWorld mag - shiok.
3) i went for a long overdue body combat class - and totally paid for it with an achy body after that.
4) i caught "pirates of the caribbean:on stranger tides" alone - and enjoyed it immensely. it is way better than pirates 2 & 3, IMO.
5) i did lunch with hubbi and my ex-colls and caught up with candice after her lessons - good to catch up though i only just saw them less than few hours to days ago nia. LOL.
6) i fetched the elder son an hour earlier from the childcare to spend more quality time with him at home.
7) finally, i watched "justin bieber: never say never" show! wahahaha. it was quite entertaining! though the ratings for this in imdb is like shockingly low. *gasp* did i wasted my time on this?!
8) and with SO MUCH time on hand, i went shopping of cos......

GSS has conveniently started on the week that im like totally free. @_@
in such a dilemma cos im going to macau/HK very soon! should i wait to shop then or now!!?
but me being me, still cant resist getting "steals". :(
maybe i should learn to hate crowds like some of my friends so i would be turn off rather than on by SALE.
so far i bought:
topshop: a bodysuit, 2 tops, a mid-length skirt, a romper. ok, i shall shop at topshop no more!
gg5: 2 tops, a pant. not alot given my love for gg5. good, stay this way.
isetan sale: a (super cute) top from ms retro, a top and dress from CK (of cos heavily discounted).
i shall buy NO MORE until my trip this weekend.
i have to anyway since the husband will be back tomorrow night! *wahahah*
..... shoot, i forget im meeting fi for lunch tomorrow at 313.
nothing can happen, right?

ok, time to go watch another movie since the elder son is asleep!
what will i do without movies?!

Sunday, May 22, 2011

dear daniel 30th birthday!

so, dear daniel does get old too! we celebrated his 30th birthday @ pan pac hotel yesterday! :)
apart from jx who cant make it due to stomach flu, the rest of the gang made it despite some of them MIA during dinner-time.

gb to attend a ROM function, tanny to attend a wedding dinner & zm went for a run (?!).
still, the rest of us continue merry-making all the way!!

so, grace, candice, gb and me met at 4+pm to check-in the hotel.


dear daniel's girlfriend patiently awaited for his arrival! wahaha.

when ser and the birthday boy reached, we went for a simple dinner @ marina square.
then to carrefour for mixers and tibits, yum yum!
by the time we were back at the hotel, dan's friends (brian & huimin) reached so the party started!



hello kitty patiently awaited for the birthday boy while he was peeing in the toilet! LOL.
look how happy he was when reunited with his girlfriend!




hello kitty birthday cake!
he insisted that she was to follow him everywhere...




half a kitty left...

then, its time to present the gift!


very constipated look but i think he does like the master-piece bag

then photo-taking time! again, not all photos can see daylight. here are some more decent ones:




me, grace & zm



clockwise from left: ser, grace, me, huimin & tanny


and for the rest of the night, we really just drink it away. *blech*
its been so long i drank so much that i almost puked! ok, i did.
umm....
anyway, we played the most boliao 5-10-15 and the one on your left/right drink.
and betweeen the 8 of us, we polished off 1 full bottle of tequila, 1 full bottle of vodka, 2 bottles of red wine and 1 bottle of moscato.
i felt the taste of liquor in my mouth as i typed now... eeks.

needless to say, i woke up with not my worse but nonetheless sucky hangover this morning.
and i administered my most effective remedy for hangover (for myself) quickly!
1 full cup of cold milk and then wolfed down a big plate of oily chicken rice to soak up all the alcohol in me!
sounds yucky but definitely works for me!

ok, now i need to go nap with the boys again.
im definitely still feeling shitty!

it was a total blast yesterday anyway! looking forward to tanny's birthday in july! *wee*

Saturday, May 21, 2011

last working day @ huntsman!

yesterday was my last working day @ huntsman!
good thing its a relaxing friday and i can take my time to do some last minute work/clearing up.
in the morning, i went to tanjong pagar area to buy the famous chocolat n spice muffins to treat my colls.
and of cos, we tooks some photos for my keepsake at the end of the working day! :)


preggy huishan, me & marianne


me, yufen & veron!


from left: marianne, ally, huishan, veron, yufen & so fun!




me & li san who missed the grp photo taking a call


it has been a good three years working with them in Huntsman!
i've really enjoyed the good working environment and culture there where the people are mostly good!
but oh well, moving on is part and parcel of life, not only in our career.
so i wish them all the best in their future endeavors!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

marching on to yet another new phase in my working life

and so, this friday marks the last working day with my current company!
i've worked here for 2 years 11 months, my longest job in my working life!
good job, ecookie. hehe.

i've started actively sending out resumes by end of march and hence, apr mth was a flurry of interview activities.
its a good thing that im actually very open to interviews (yes, i love yakking to strangers and naming my top 3 strengths/weaknesses! haha.).
im not too sure if my job hunting process is a short or long one by others' standards but its pretty much the same as compared to my 2 previous job hunting process 3 and 5 years back.
my criteria this time round are 1) good work-life balance 2) higher pay 3) progression in terms of job responsibilities/scope.
not necessarily in this order but all 3 must be satisfied!

i shall try to document my job hunting process this time round:
1) Financial service industry.
went through 3 rounds and got an offer!
pretty excited for the coy has a good brand name, good pay + benefits.
BUT, eventually i turned down the offer after much consideration.
work-life balance may be compromised and the role is not exactly an expansion/progression of my current one.

2) IT industry.
went through 3 rounds.
the coy has good brand name, possibility of work-life balance and good role.
but pay-wise, may not be able to meet expectations.
ANYWAY, after going through the last round, they came back saying that they are witholding the decision to hire just yet. i was going HUH?!
oh well, its an employer's market after all.
THEN, 1 mth later ,they came back to me saying another similar role is open now and they are keen to offer me.
too late, ive already accepted my next company's offer.
and i think they can't meet my salary expectations too.

3) IT industry.
went through 1 round and kena rejected. haha.
its a start up coy and so the role requires one to juggle multiple roles while setting in place new processes.
to be honest, its not going to be a easy job and i may not be the best person to do it.
so no good fit between job and candidate and seriously, im not keen on the role after knowing more about it from the hiring manager.
i guess, it shows on my face during the interview too. oops.

4) Education services industry.
went through 1 round.
good role, good staff benefits, good work-life balance and can meet my pay expectations!
the only drawback is the less than ideal location.
so, i was really interested in this opportunity.
but, was told later that the role was expanded by the hiring company and they are now looking for people with at least 10-15 years of experience (which is clearly not for me..).
now, im getting a little pissed.
not sure how true is the above but it kinda shows that employers nowadays are a little unsure who they want to hire!

5) Retail industry.
went through 1 round.
good role, good pay & benefits. but, work-life balance not ideal and much less than ideal location.
the time taken to commute to and fro (even by driving) will take me at least 2 hours each day!!!
so even if i go off on the dot at 6, with the traffic, it will still take me an hour plus to reach home. @_@
hence, i passed on the opportunity to progress to the 2nd round of interview.

6) Commodities industry.
went through 3 rounds and got an offer!
good role, good pay & benefits, possible work-life balance and coy has good brand name.
slight drawback is location wise doesn't allow me to drive anymore (such a minor drawback!).
the culture of the company seems fine and i hope my new boss will really be the good coach that my gut feeling told me.
so.... i signed the offer letter and im going to start work in this new company in early june! :)))

7) Financial Services industry.
went through 2 rounds and got a verbal offer.
good role and possible work-life balance.
i actually fancy the job role for this opportunity the most. so when i got a verbal offer from the CFO , i was quite glad.
BUT, after escalating the decision to hire all the way to HQ in europe, they came back saying they may not be able to meet my salary expectations! *scratch head*
im not sure how could this happen when i've made known clearly my expectations from the start. if they cant meet it, no point wasting any of our time.

ok, that sums up my mad job hunting process this time round.
now, im getting pretty excited over starting a new phase in my working life!
but before that, let me take a well-deserved break by spending more time with my family and going for a short trip with the husband and elder son. *wee*

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

fun morning @ palawan beach!

the ng family went to sentosa early this morning!
the idea was to let the kiddos have a go at the water playarea @ palawan beach.
can you believe that this is yr's first time donning on his swimsuit!?

we arrived early at 9am! we were the first to reach! so the boys have the whole water area almost to themselves for a good 20+mins before the first of the crowd started teeming in! :)





they had a total blast playing in the water! my boys have grown up!
i hardly get into the water but just supervised them with hubbi by the side. :)

we left by 10+am when the sun gets really really hot.
its a good thing that they managed to play in the shade for most of the time. dont want them to get dehydrated in this crazy hot weather!





waiting for the tram.. yr not very happy to leave the place..


a berry happy yz.




we let the boys took the tram one round before going back to the beach station.
then we had our late brunch at the new mac there.
though just a very short time in sentosa, we were really glad to see the boys having such a good time!
once we reached home, it was crazy frenzy time for everyone to bath and then all snoozing away for the afternoon in no time.... LOL.

we should do such activities more often for the boys!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

in the mood for retail therapy once more...

ecookie is decidedly in some sorta of a holiday mood recently.
and this is bad.
within a short span of time, i spent again!

on friday, it was the clutch bag from witchery.
on saturday, it was the stocking-up of toiletries from crabtree & evelyn.
then today, i tried out gel manicure for the 1st time! + normal pedicure to make the day sweeter. haha.
plus our upcoming short trip at end of may. *gulp*

PLUS PLUS 2 possible major purchases for dear dear and myself if no hiccups arise in mth of june.
@_@
it will be hard to save for these two months. tsk tsk.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

lunch @ oriole with dow girls!

just back home from a lunch @ oriole with my dow buddies!
the boys have zzzed together with the husband. so i have some time to down/upload photos!


gerry, nelly, franny and me!

all 3 of them have just gotten engaged this year! :)
what good news!
its always good to see others' relationships "开花结果"!
and im glad that there will be more chances to do lunch with both franny + nelly in the near future!

ok, maybe i should go get some shut-eye too.
thinking of going out later to shop for dining chairs/bench for the house.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

all-fu day is very good!

im on leave yesterday and as usual, i tried to run some errands and spent time with the husband.
time and energy are seldom on our side on normal days so we've to resort to taking leave just to spend time together. *tsk tsk*

super heavy downpour in the morning. good thing i didnt have to go to work.
we took our own sweet time to pack things, dress up the boys etc in the morning.
after dropping yz at his childcare, we had breakfast @ kiliney road before hubbi went for work.
good thing the rain has pattered out to a very light drizzle by then.
finally its yr's turn to do breakfast with us alone since gor gor has so many opportunities before him!
the little bun was looking around curiously and of cos getting all excited when the food arrived. heh.

after hubbi went to work, time to drop yr at my mum's place for his staycation at ubi. hohoho.
time to run errands!
1st stop is to sean lau studio to collect yr's prints and photo frame.
its been a good 3-4mth since the photoshoot.
im such a procastinator!
then losing my way (like as usual!) for awhile at kallang way area before finding my way to town.
time for a quick review with my skin doctor and a facial session. *Bliss*

before i knew it, its time to meet the husband who's on half-day leave for our mini date!lunch was at PS cafe @ palais.
i was peering into passion to see if i can get a glimpse of david gan but he was not in sight. LOL.


finally my craving for PS cafe truffle fries was satisfied!

but it was really ALOT Of fries for 2 of us!i ate till my tummy became a convex one. @_@

had a really great time just eating and chatting with ah long for almost an hour plus there.
till we were almost late for our movie session!
"Source code" this time round and sadly, it didnt live up to our expectations.
perhaps we expected it to be much better.
oh well, i got to see full lower lashes anyway. Jake Gyllenhaal!!!

by the time we fetched yz from cc for dinner, we were both so tired out (dont know by what!?) that we just spent a quiet evening at home with the son.
yawn. part and parcel of aging, i guess.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

just another weekend with my boys

somehow, weekends spent with the boys are more taxing on ah long and myself during a busy working week!
saturday was especially a long day for us.
lunch was at serangoon nex to have family lunch with ah long's family. after which, we made our way back to our voting station at redhill area to cast our votes.
didnt manage to have a good nap cos the boys did their really short naps in the car while we drove here and there. :(


can you help me put on my shoes so we can go gai gai?
no dearie, when i say go go, it was meant for your bath rather than going out.
okay, mummy's mistake in not being clear.

to escape the terrible weather, we ventured out to raffles city for our dinner.
we took mrt and yr was absolutely giddy with happiness boarding the train!


dinner @ canele

thanks to the long day, the kids were asleep by 9+pm.
ah long and me munched chips while wating for GE results together... really forced myself to stay awake while waiting for the results.
and mr yam's voice just doesnt help! i was struggling to keep my eyes open as the RO kept droning on in that voice of his. @_@

imagine despite zzzing at almost 3am, we had to wake up at 7+am to ferry the elder son to his phonics class.....
for the rest of sunday, we hibernated at home.
most of the time at a low-energy mode, hiding in air-conditioned room...

Monday, May 09, 2011

my 5 cents worth on GE 2011

this was my 2 cents worth on GE2006.
5 cents now cos of the higher cost of living. wahaha. ok, very lame joke.
apparantly, my political "awakening" started from the last GE even though i did not have the choice to vote the last time round.
i dont recall being too emotionally-charged the last round, perhaps i've just "woken up".
but, definitely not this time round. i am so pissed mad with one million and one things!!
there is a need to pen down all these crazy/angry thoughts so that 5 years later, i can come back and remember GE2011 for how it is!

most important point of all:
seriously, i feel how people rationalise their voting decision and their ultimate decision is really their own business!
who are you/am i to judge if its a good/bad decision!?
i hate it when people get all personal when your choice differs from theirs. totally mad crazy.
again, who are you to judge?! i ve been seeing all kinda sweeping statements online that im bursting at the seams with anger!
ah long kept asking why are you so affected?!
but the basis of democracy IS everyone has their own voice/perogative. WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE?
wah, im getting fucking angry again.

i kept seeing stupid comments online that i just want to puke!
like how people voting for PAP are just downgraded to senile old people who can only recognise the PAP logo or greedy myopic shallow people who are only interested in getting that fresh coat of paint.
and giving snide remarks like he is senile, he is just getting sympathy votes blah blah.
its just not right to give statements like this!
SO bloody angry.
yesterday, i was reading temasek review to get the latest updates and i kept reading comments that make me BOIL.
one guy was saying so sad that WP didnt win for a GRC. all those coward supporters dare to turn up at the rallies, but fail to do the act at the polling stations. i was like HUH?!?! how you know?! this is so freaking unfair to all those opposition supporters who attended the rallies, rationalised their decision and voted FOR WP.
another was saying shame on PP voters for turning their back on CST. i dont know if its laziness from specifying those voting AGAINST CST or he really mean ALL PP voters??
even if its for those against SPP, its their choice?! wats so hard to understand. so many thousands of votes stemming from different reasons and you deemed it as a personal vedetta against CST. SIAO!
一竹竿打翻整船人!

in a nutshell, all these irrational/senseless remarks are getting to me BIG TIME.
one of my friend was saying all these remarks are common and i should just ignore them but its really hard to.
for personally, im really for the notion that everyone is entitled to their own thinking!
so if you are just writing some stuff abt your feelings for the GE, im ok. BUT not when you ASSUME and generalise others based on their thinking/decisions.
dont slam people JUST because they think/act differently!
you know whats worse than prejudice? when it worsens to discrimination.
and sadly i see that happening ALOT during this GE2011.

i got so many things to vent! this is going to be a long post.

1) Potong pasir
in the last GE2006, chiam held on to PP despite the upgrading big fat carrot dangled by PAP. it was a great achievement and it shows that PP people is not lured by upgrading projects. so 5 years later when PAP won by that super-thin margin, does that mean PP people has become old and senile, young and ungrateful, shallow for upgrading plans etc (you know, you can permutate these variables to hundreds of combinations)? who are we to say?!
im sure most PP voters have their own internal struggle before casting their vote. and for every person who is glad with the results, another person is sad with it. life, and especially politics, is never fair.

i dont know chiam personally but from all the news articles and information gathered on the web, i think he's really a very capable man who managed to make his way as one of the very very few opposistion MP in parliament during a time when its so hard for opposition to do so. but for GE2011, some factors to consider:
i) CST is part of SDP previously up till 1996 when he was sorta ousted from the party due to difference with CSJ. after which he set up SPP. and then he set up SDA in 2001 which SPP falls under as part of the group. However, for GE2011, he decided to withdraw SPP from SDA and contest under SPP directly. it may be a possible consideration to some with regards to all this musical chair movement.
ii) having LL as PP candidate. CST's succession planning is his own wife. i would actually expect him to groom or already have groomed a good second in command for PP just like how LTK did with YSL at hougang. and SPP itself knows it may be a concern to the voters as they stressed during their rallies that by voting for LL, they are effectively voting the whole of SPP in for PP.
ive no doubts that LL would have made the many walkabouts/MTPS with CST all these years and PP pple would have known her personally. but to be a MP, is she really the person? is SPP trying to secure votes by appealing to PP's people loyalty to CST?
is this the right approach? WP has garnered such a strong support this time round because of its high calibre candidates line-ups. as well as its clear and defined manifesto for the nation.
emotional calling may or may not work for PP in today's time.
iii) STYP. alot have been heard about him since last time. that he was just someone to sacrifice from PAP viewpoint. that he has no heart for PP people but only focused on bringing down PP for PAP.
during the last GE2006, i only feel he has a slight resemblence to steve chia. LOL.
but his sincerity shown through his videos at least to me this time. just like how CST's speech made me teared and how GY's one moved me a great deal. you may say, ha you are so stupid to fall for his trick. but you being you, so ignorant and thinking you know all, will fail to see that there's a great deal of "stupid" people out there who really feel his sincerity and cast their votes for him.
you cant deny he spent a good ten years at PP too, working hard at the fields. to work against someone like CST takes ALOT of hard work. and STYP must have work hard during the last 10 years too. im sure people voted for him not just bcos of his upgrading plans but somehow he did managed to work his way into their hearts over the past 10 years. he did win my respect when he rejected PAP's offer for him to contest in a GRC (>90% chance of becoming a MP!) but instead chose to continue fighting for PP. again, you may say personal agenda against CST? seeing that CST's condition, he thinks he has a higher chance of winning (as compared to contesting in a PAP's GRC??!) a seat in parliament? you continue with your conspiracy theory, thank you!
i really do think he has the heart for PP people. but its sad how people's love for CST sometimes undermine his efforts and love for PP. even when he wanted to implement upgrading plans (lifts for every floor) BECAUSE (he said) for the old people, people still continue slamming him that PAP only know how to throw money at upgrading. this is v bo liao!! then to prove your point, no upgrading for PP people, and who suffer?! the old pple who had to climb 3-4 storeys of stairs or you who are not staying at PP!?
dont forget that 44% of the PP people voted for him in GE2006! the swing in votes is really not kua zhang at all. for the past 5 years, is it just SO IMPOSSIBLE FOR STYP to do anything to win more hearts in PP? crazy.

sometimes, people are so fast to discredit those that are not agreeable with what they want to root for.
the above factors that i listed are only POSSIBLE reasons affecting the PP voters. they may vote on totally rubbish grounds like face of candidates or tossing a coin.
the point is we wont know. and really no point criticising the PP people or passing rubbish judgements.

to me, both CST and STYP have contributed to PP and PP people have made a choice.
only time will tell if its a right choice. again, time and having an open mind, of cos.
i saw a clip where a PP voter (very obvious that he did not vote for PAP, ha) said that PP can only move on now and STYP had better fulfilled his promises that he made and PP will see for themselves along the way. despite his slight buay song tone, i can feel that he's really willing to give STYP a chance to prove himself.
this is very heartening.

2) Aljunied
i must give credit to WP!! when LTK introduced SL back in GE2006, i was suitably impressed. it has been such a long while that opposition came up with such high calibre candidates!
and SL went to put on a very good fight for aljunied back then. i was still saying in my 2006 post that if WP continues to prove its worth, it has a high chance of winning people's votes in GE2011.
and it did. apart from doing a good job for the past 5 years with keeping in close touch with the people and raising important issues as NCMP, they introduced more high calibre candidates this time round!
aljunied was such a tough decision, for me though. (though i cant vote for aljunied lah, haha.)
as i said in my GE2006 post and still believe so now, opposition will ALWAYS has its relevance as a check on incumbent government and providing an alternative voice for the people.
somemore, WP aljunied team is such a strong team to start with!

BUT, personally i like GY alot. i think he is one of the rare gems in PAP that really still believe in working for the people.
im sure if its some other ministers to replace him, lesser people will make such a big hoo-haa over the loss of a minister for aljunied.
but GY is foreign affair minister and he has done such a good job for this role. im sure many will agree with me on this count.
for even in the alternative medias where PAP is being slammed left right upside down every minute, we seldom see personal attacks on GY. in fact, some of those who are super pro-opposition will even share a positive link about him from time to time.
it is so heartening to see people give credit when its due.
i dont know how the role of a foreign affair minister fit into the big jigsaw of a future singapore that you wish to have, but its definitely quite a big piece for mine.
but if GY stays on, it may mean ZERO opposition MP in the parliament. that is really a scary thought.
hence, the talk of sacrificing a small GY for the better of the bigger picture.
but i still cant swallow this school of thought. i guess some is right in saying whatever vote you cast, cast it with your conscience.
but again, everyone's conscience differs. is allowing a parliament with only two, one or horrors zero opposition MP to exist very wrong to you?
or is allowing 3 ministers (ok, maybe only 2. im still v undecided on ms LHH) who have been very good in their roles to be "sacrificed" for a better good?
personally, im very against the word sacrifice. this word in itself seems wrong.
so its no big surprise for those who know me that i feel its such a big regret and pity that GY has to exit this way.

but, again who am i to judge what should be the "right" way/outcome?
aljunied has voted and we should respect its decision as GY and his team advocated.
im very sure WP will do a good job, if not better than GY's team for the next 5 years! they have to and they can, simple as that.

some questions burning in my mind:
1) who will replace GY as foreign affair minister?
2) will he run for presidency? i hope not.
3) which PAP team will contest against aljunied in GE2016? soooooo interesting.

3. WP
politics is never simple and never easy.
personally, i dont think WP will stop at just being a voice for the people in the parliament. they definitely want more.
to have a decisive say in passing of bills, definitely.
mark my words here (though we can only see 5 years later), WP will campaign on the basis to vote in oppositions to make up more than 1/3 of the parliament next GE.
if this is true, this is good. a good party should be one who will work in the best of the people interests. and what good is one that has no deciding power?
if WP has the calibre and the drive to make things happen, it would definitely be a good change.
seriously, if opposition is just contented at being just a voice in the parliament, such opposition team is really not a good one.
of cos, a gamble has to be taken whenever staus quo is being challenged.
im willing to take such a gamble if the right candidates come along!

4. PAP
winning percentage went down by ard 6 points comparing to the last GE. what have gone wrong?
i still stand by the conviction that the previous (cos the new one has TPL!!! and no GY!!!) government has done a really good job so far.
the general direction undertaken by PAP IS on the RIGHT track, just that the degree needs to be varied a little here and there.
most of the manifestos from opposition suggest changes to current policies but not radically changing or removing them totally.
i think the majority of the people still think PAP knows how to and is capable of running Singapore wisely BUT they defintely need some forms of check on them from time to time.
and not because they are senile, cowards or just lazy people voting out of convenience!
the worst accusation is those who define PAP according to their own definitions and deemed all those who voted for PAP to be of the same kind, ie: stupid, materialistic, selfish, arrogant, rich people etc.
totally baseless! excuse me while i go puke. BLECH.
pls dont abuse the privilege of free speech.

i do agree that PAP seems to have grown detached from the people over the years. and its style is defintely outdated for today's time.
how many MPs are actively learning how to use alternative platforms to reach to the masses apart from the traditional walkarounds, interviews, rallies etc?
how many MPs are fallible to the same crime of passing insensitive/sweeping statements?
thats why i said people are emotional creatures and voting is more of an emotional than logical one.
once you cannot stand someone, whateever he/she does also shit, i tell you!

back in GE2006, i dont recall much people having so much negative comments about PAP. sure, the usual backlash and stuff but not unprecedented level like this for GE2011.
some parties like to ask if your lives have improved over the past 5 years which i think its too short a period to judge. and everyone knows how bad the last 5 years have been to most countries.
but i suppose its too much to ask you to think back another 5 years right? im just trying to say its so easy to pinpoint whats wrong with current system.
the more difficult part is :
1) can anyone propose a better solution (yes, opposition may be able to do so being "nearer" to 民情 & having high calibre candidates as well)?
2) is it feasible in reality? i read a note by a young 21yo chap in fb and i was struck immensely by one of the phase he used inside.
"you can never cheat reality"
pls try to remember this and dont think policy-making is never that easy to formulate. every policy has repercussion effects that commoners like us may not know. and heck, even the almightly PAP also cannot take into account in their foolproof feasibility studies.

you can say that im kind to PAP or im blinded by ..... i dont know what you can accuse.. the material things PAP brought to me?
oh well, i cant stop you from judging me.

there are like a million issues out there but personally im still concerned with the same things im concerned with in GE2006!
1) how is our government helping singapore in retaining its competitive edge and staying relevant in today's fast-paced dynamic global environment?
2) how is our government going to take care of its aging, needy and poorer citizens?
3) how is our government going to ease the impact of rising costs (inflation is inevitable, that im aware of)?


i think for (1) , they are doing a very good job for the past 5 years. so much so it raised the question of foreign influx and putting too much emphasis on GDP growth.
with so much foreign influx, our unemployment rate is still at an impossibly low rate of 1.9%! i think the problem of foreigners is not that they are taking away our jobs but more of making us feel that this is no longer feel like our singapore. national identity is an important issue and PAP should take it seriously. if there is a need to curb foreign influx, they may have to do it anyway. but again, there may be repercussions. dont lie to yourself that foreign influx WONT create jobs for sporeans. THEY do for they encourage growth for certain sectors. but sporeans with lower education level or less technically inclined may be left behind when this trend continues. and the focus on wealth growth is not helping those who are left behind or not progressing in pace with GPD growth. thats why government has a 2-prong approach to this drive in economy growth - education and training to keep sporeans updated/relevance. but i agree that a lid need to be put on somewhere. we can and definitely need to progress but at a slower pace perhaps? it will really be a better scenario if singapore as a whole progress rather than leaving some behind.

(2) having said the above, to contradict myself here, i think there is no perfect system whereby all people can be taken care of. there will always be poor/unfortunate people falling through the cracks of current system and finding themselves helpless/sandwiched.
the best system will be one that take care of the highest % of majority and then through setting up special welfare groups to take care of those which fail to benefit from the system.
currently, PAP strategy is by helping you to keep in pace with economic growth, the % of needy/poor will fall to the minimum. it is indeed the case of so in singapore but as i said, there will always be poor/unfortunate people in need of help no matter how developed/rich a country is.
perhaps, more can really be done for those unfortunate in singapore.

(3) everyone keep harping how how how. until, i also have no answer.
both PAP and opposition have not really touch on this topic! for both GEs!

PAP really need to win the hearts of the people back. as i said, once you are in bad books of most people, 很难翻身!
it is really lucky that the majority is still willing to give it a second chance to prove itself.
statistics have shown that unhappiness with PAP can lead to votes even for the most incompetent opposition just to prove a point!

5) weakest link in PAP
TPL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i tried my best to be neutral towards her for the longest time. i dont want to be biased against any candidate just because of their looks or mannerisms.
but time and time again, this TPL shows that she is really of the lowest calibre!!
we dont vote management trainee into the parliament! and pls lor, even when the best bother to teach, i doubt it will be of any USE for her!
wah, im so so so frustrated with her.
after living for almost 20 years in marine parade GRC before moving over to radin mas 5 years back, i've the utmost respect for SM Goh!
and he was really really 被拖累 by this TPL!
that kind of winning percentage is a disgrace to SM Goh! i am so angry now my eyes blazing with fire! argh! *tearing up the tissue paper on my table*

im sure any other GRC other than Pasir-ris-Punggol, AMK, Jurong, will jolly well lose if she has been in those GRCs!!
she has that ability lor!
mad angry now.

conclusion:
despite some regret and disappointment over the results, im glad to witness a historical moment in singapore's political history to have the most no. of opposition MPs since independence day! :)
lets hope that the MPs will work together for the next 5 years for the best interest of people.
always remember, a good party is one that DOES not divide the people.
to do so, they must try their best to work with one another in parliament.
lets hope this is really the case!

5 years later, i should most probably be in aljunied GRC.
but too early to say much. maybe i wont move there afterall.
maybe GRC system will be abolished by then.
lets see!

ok, i feel so much better after venting out all my frustrations in my own blog.
goody good.

Monday, May 02, 2011

S&S bday lunch & walking the waves

the girls gathered together for shirley & stella bday lunch today!
a very belated one for shirley and an advanced one for stella. hehe.
it was at villa di parma near chomp chomp @ serangoon garden area.
the food was sadly, below expectations....

but the company, as usual, made up for it.


yay.

the ng family ventured out around late noon.
where to this time?
to henderson waves bridge! im actually quite against the idea but cant convince the husband otherwise.
@_@ so its a stop before our dinner at vivo!

the walk up to the bridge was already quite tiring for me!
i cant imagine people doing the forest hike to vivo side or walking to hort park! totally crazy!
ok, maybe when the weather is cool and with sport shoes on, it will make more sense.


the view up there is actually quite good!



ah long commented "你的三个最爱都在这张照片里."
i LOL till tears welled in my eyes. hahaha.
he is so right and knows his own staus so well. HAHAHA.


the boys K.Oed at 9pm after a long day!

good, now i can do some of my own stuff. need to sort/choose photos to be developed again!
ok, better get to it soon.
i need to zzz early too. closing is this week. *gulp*

Sunday, May 01, 2011

ser ser's 30th bday @ 10 at claymore!

the day was over for me in a flash!
it was raining heavily when we woke up this morning and so breakfast and lunch were done at home.
and due to staying up late yesterday watching GE news and whats not, ah long and me fell asleep with the boys for their naps after lunch and only woke up at nearly 4pm!
*madness*
but being efficient us, we were ready to go by 5pm!
hubbi and the 2 kids will be meeting the in-laws at marina sq for dinner while ive a date with the gang for ser's bday dinner!




photo-taking time while ah long is paying for petrol. hehe.




with the husband when he's back


i left marina sq after settling the kiddos' dinner. yz was very sad to see me go and insisted on following me.
h
ad to tell him a couple of white lies to get away. :(

reservations were made at 10 at claymore (at pan pac orchard hotel) at 7pm!
the spread was quite decent for the price.
and as usual, time flies when we shoot all kinda rubbish under the sun.
no surprise that we spent a considerable time debating on the hot, on-going GE. haha.
so glad that we are all essentially understand the meaning of "to each his own" so no hard feelings even when we support different parties! :P



ser ser & her 寿桃 cake! LOL.




the bday girl berry happy with her pandora bracelet!



with bursting bellies, we left the place ard 9-ish for balaclava at ion for drinks.
luckily, there were not much people and we were given a corner for us.
we were definitely making a racket there, especially so during the time when we were taking all sorta of silly photos!




me + zm



me+tanny

and of cos, the rest of photos cannot see daylight one.
so that's it.
gosh, soooo late. better hit the sack now!
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