28 April, 2008

Singlish

We were at the ice cream stall in Little Mermaid Park of Copenhagen.
After taking the orders, a lady queued up to buy ice creams for us. When she got to the front of the queue, the ice cream man asked "are you guys from Singapore ?". Surprised ! we asked "how do you know ?"
He replied "I heard you guys speaking in Singlish".
Wow, Singlish has gone international. So why bother to try to speak like an English ?
Continue to speak Singlish. The world has accepted it.

18 April, 2008

谋杀70岁老妇 印尼女佣逃过死刑

联合早报 四月十八日:
谋杀70岁老妇 印尼女佣逃过死刑枕头成杀人武器,原本被控在中峇鲁谋杀70岁老妇的印尼女佣,罪名减轻为误杀,逃过死刑判决。

又一启印尼女佣杀人案。同样的逃过死刑。记忆中就从来没有一启印尼女佣杀人案被判死刑。
为什么?新加坡是否在告诉他们,

你们继续杀吧!反正又不会被判死刑?

16 April, 2008

Macau, Dongguan, ShenZhen April 2008 澳门,东莞,深圳


Budget airline terminal in Hong Kong airport where we took a bus to board a ferry to Macau.


Ferry to Macau



Macau 澳门


Fisherman's Wharf


The Statue of Guan Yin 观音


Bridge joining Macau and Taipa


Venetian Hotel Lobby


Fisherman's Wharf


Empty street in Fisherman's Wharf


Centro


St. Dominic Church Macau




Ruins of St Paul's


Civil Administration Office of Macau


Grand Lisboa Casino and Hotel


Grand Lisboa


Old Lisboa Casino


Party at Fisherman's Wharf


My room in Venetian



Venetian Hotel shopping mall


Man Utd shop at Venetian Hotel shopping mall



ShenZhen 深圳

A very good spa centre. Recommended for ladies and guys.


Restaurant where we took traditional Chinese double boiled soups. A very good restaurant just opposite Queen Spa.


Crowded Walking Street at Dong Men 东门



Crowded overhead bridge we decided not to use


Taxi waiting at Hong Kong airport

02 April, 2008

Kerby and Rebecca's Wedding 22 March 2008

Went up to Kuala Lumpur from 20 March 2008 to 25 March 2008
Attended Kerby and Rebecca's wedding on 22 March 2008


The wedding couple


Met up with all the long lost friends in KL.

13 March, 2008

Bicycle

Presently, cyclists are using the roads but we don’t seem to have any control over the use of bicycle on roads. Cyclists do not need to know traffic signs and rules, no minimum age requirement and maximum age limit, no ‘when you drink, don’t cycle’ rule and etc. I think this is not right. I think we should formulate some rules and control over the use of bicycle.

In Tokyo people cycle often. People cycle to train station to take a train to work. People in Tokyo cycle on footpath and pedestrian walks. It was annoying at first but later I got used to it. As compare to Singapore, the cyclists in Tokyo are better protected from road accidents.

I think there is a case for Singapore to consider. We need to see what we can do to help protecting the cyclists from road accidents. As I understand, we are unable to build bicycle lanes as we have limited land in Singapore and maybe the cost too is a factor. In this case, can we allow cyclist to use the footpaths and pedestrian walks? It might be inconvenient for the pedestrians, but won't it be better then lives being killed ?

Can't Singapore do something about it ?

08 March, 2008

MM blames complacency for JI leader's escape

In today's Straits Times first page headline, it says :

MM blames complacency for JI leader's escape

It is similar to what I have posted on my blog on 28/2/2008.

07 March, 2008

富裕的老人坐公车吗?

增加年长者乘车优惠? 林双吉:援助不是根据年龄
联合早报今天的报导:
交通部长林双吉说,提供援助的原则应是针对有需要的对象,而不是根据年龄。他解释,这是因为年长者当中,有富裕的、有贫困的,同时也有贫困的年轻人。而政府的目标明确,即帮助真正需要援助的人。

我说:
为什么给年长者乘车优惠?那不只是因为大多数年长者都没有工作做,也是对他们为国家所做的贡献给以小小的回馈。这个世界上除了逻辑之外我们还需要多一些情多一些爱。关怀老人多一点也是应该的。再说,富裕的老人需要坐公车吗?

29 February, 2008

www.com.sg

What Went Wrong . Complacent. Singapore?

First, F1 ticket chaos

Then, Traffic and crowd problem of Singapore air show 2008

And now, Escape of JI leader

27 February, 2008

West Side Story

The Straits Times report today "Hotel rates up, as visitor arrivals hit record".

The take up rate for HDB flats in the west is low. People do not like to stay at the west because there are many factories, people believe that the air quality there is not too good.

Since Singaporeans do not want to stay at the west, can we not create a hotel zone there and move the middle class hotels, budget hotels to the west and let the tourists of package tours stay there ? These tourists are taken by tourist buses for sightseeing and only come back to hotel to sleep at night. They do not need to stay in expensive city area.

By doing so it may help to slow down the increase of hotel room rate and may also ease the congestion in the city and China Town areas.

24 February, 2008

仁慈医院财务问题有感

“身是菩提树,心如明镜台,时时勤拂拭,勿使惹尘埃“。
身非菩提, 心无明镜, 不勤拂拭, 终惹尘埃 ?

23 February, 2008

Lucky Plaza, Singapore

Went to a shop in Lucky Plaza to buy a LCD screen protective film for my camera. Last time I bought it in a shop here was $13. I went back to the same shop but they had run out of stock. So I went to a neighbouring shop to buy. This guy took out the same thing that I bought before. The price tag showed $39. I shook my head and wanted to leave. He asked me why. I told him it was too expensive. He then said "ok I sell you $30". I told him that I bought it from neighbouring shop at $13. And he said "ok, loh!".
Guys, do not go to Lucky Plaza if you do not know the price.

22 February, 2008

Youth Olympic Games 2010

Congratulations Singapore, for winning the bid to host the First Summer Youth Olympic Games 2010. We are proud of Singapore, proud of being a member of Singapore.
Many young participants of the games may not know Singapore well and many may have misconception of Singapore. This is an opportunity for us to show it to them and show it to the world of the true Singapore.
We should not just do well in organising the games; we should also take this opportunity to take Singapore to higher levels in all aspects like what Beijing is doing.
One area that I like to see improvement is our social behaviors. We don’t stand on the left when using escalator, we rush in before people could get out of MRT train, we sit at staircase, we walk in one horizontal line and therefore causing obstruction, we do not have the habit of saying ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.


Wrote to PM Lee one Saturday afternoon. He replied within 20 minutes and said :

"I agree completely with you that we should use this opportunity to take Singapore to higher levels, especially in our social behaviours. We intend to learn from what Beijing is doing, and get the Small Kindness Movement to participate in this effort"

20 February, 2008

Japan 日本

Stayed in Tokyo for a year from 2004 to 2005.

English

I do not know why most Japanese do not speak English well. They studied English in school and there is at least one English language school nearby most train stations.

I have a funny thought. Maybe the government does not want to encourage people to know English too well ?? Easier to control the people when they read only Japanese newspapers, Japanese books, watch only NHK TV, surf only on Japanese websites ??? But why so many English language schools ? For show, so that you can't blame the government for not encouraging people to learn English ???

Met many Asian friends, from Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam and etc. They too, do not speak English well. I found Singaporean having advantages over our Asian friends in many areas because we know English. I also met young Singaporeans traveled on their own in different parts of the world. They can do it because they speak English (and of course they can afford too). Japanese need to go in group.

I went to Chinese schools. I was quite upset with the government when I saw Chinese schools being replaced by English schools in the old days. But now, I think it was the right decision.

Household Appliances and Cars

In Singapore we import a lot of Japanese products, we watch 40 inches TV, use big refrigerator, drive big Japanese car. But in Tokyo, the Japanese watch small TV, use small fridge, drive small car because their houses are small, car parks are small, roads are narrow.

Women

Japanese women prepare breakfast for husband to eat and lunch for husband to bring to work. After work, they do housework and look after children. They have no foreign maid. When go dating, Japanese girls will take their own train ride there, pay their share of bill.

As compare to them, Singapore women, girls are so lucky.

Bicycles

Other than crowded city centre, people cycle in Tokyo. Women with high heel shoes cycle with a child in the front basket and another one in the rear basket. The working class cycle from their apartment to train station to take a train to work.

People cycle at footpath. It was annoying at first but later I got used to it.


As compare to Singapore, the cyclists in Japan are better protected from road accidents. How many cyclists were killed on Singapore roads ? Shall we not change our policy to protect them ?


Food

Used to love Japanese food before my stay in Tokyo because Japanese food here in Singapore is very expensive and going to Japanese restaurant is such a high class enjoyment. But after eating Japanese food everyday in Tokyo, I started to have a funny thought. I doubted the Japanese really know how to cook. That is why they eat raw food most of the time.

Jordan Israel Feb 2008 约旦,以色列

Went for a trip to Jordan & Israel from 6 Feb 2008 to 14 Feb 2008.
Preta was great, a must go.
Israel too was very interesting and educational. Lots of feeling on why different religions killing one another.
孟子曰:‘春秋无义战。’

Jordan

Petra


Petra


Jordan Israel border


Israel
Getting into Israel from Jordan border took us a couple of hours. I do not know why they need to take so long.
到过了以色列,对基督教有了另一种看法。


Sea of Galilee. It is just a lake and nothing much.


Capemaum, the centre of Jusus's Ministry


Church of Tabgha where Jesus performed the miracle of the Loves and Fishes


A church next to Capemaum


Port of Acre


Old Jafa Port


Tel Aviv


Spot where Jesus was born in Bethlehem.


Bahai Gardens, Haifa of Israel.
I was impressed and wrote to relavant authoritirs in Singapore asking if we could do up our Mount Faber like this too ?


Jerusalem

From the days of Roman Emperor Constantine until the Arab conquest in 638, Jews were banned from Jerusalem but were allowed back into the city by Muslim rulers.
In 1099, Jerusalem was besieged by the first Crusaders, who killed most of its Muslim and Jewish inhabitants - Wikipedia.


由于耶路撒冷是三大宗教圣地,为了争夺圣地,自古以来,在这里不知发生过多少次残酷的征战。耶路撒冷先后18次被夷为平地,但每次之后都得到复兴 - 新华网.


View from Mount of Olives at Jerusalem


Western Wall (Wailing Wall)
Solomon's Temple was built atop the Temple Mount in the 10th century BCE and destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE. The Second Temple was built in 516 BCE. In around 19 BCE Herod the Great began a massive expansion project on the Temple Mount. He artificially expanded the area which resulted in an enlarged platform. Today's Western Wall formed part of the retaining perimeter wall of this platform.
Herod's Temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire, along with the rest of Jerusalem in 70 CE during the First Jewish*Roman war. However, the Western Wall was spared.
Jews around the world turn their eyes to the Western Wall, also know as the Wailing Wall, which is the closest location to the place where the temple used to stand where Jews can pray. The wall we know today was a part of the temple's western wall, hence its name. Believers leave notes in the cracks between the wall's stones.
Today, the Wailing Wall is a part of the wall surrounding the Muslim Mosques on Temple Mount.

哭墙
公元前1千年犹太大卫王的儿子所罗门兴建了一座华丽的圣殿,这就是著名的耶路撒冷第一圣殿。公元前586年,巴比伦军队攻占耶路撒冷,第一圣殿被毁,后来犹太人两度重修圣殿,但又在罗马占领时期两次被毁坏殆尽。当年圣殿留下的一堵西墙,犹太人认为是唯一最神圣的祈祷地方。许多世纪以来,犹太教徒都到这里来面壁祈祷,每当追忆历史上圣殿被毁情景,便不禁嚎啕大哭一场,“哭墙”因此而得名。
圣殿的原址现是一座清真寺。


Hall for The Last Supper


Museum of the Holocaust Yad Vashem
Bought a book at the museum, it says " The Hatred (of Jews) nutured by ancient Christian concepts regardded the Jews as the people of Israel and the people of Messiah, but also as the people who had rejected its redeemer Jusus, and thus ....."


Masada


Masada


Dead sea

Tunisia Dec 2007 突尼西亞

Tunisia is in North Africa. It was ruled by the Roman, Span, Turk & French before. Other than Arabic, the people speak french too. The tour attrcted me because I wanted to have a feel of Sahara desert. This tour has a bit of everything. Roman colosseum, Fortress, salt lake, train ride, canyon, cavehouses, beaches, and etc.


We arrived in Tunisia at around 12.30pm. This photo is taken when leaving the airport at 3.45pm. They took a long time to issue visa to us.


La Kasbah is our hotel at Kairouan. It was conveted from a fortress.


Street hawker


Coffee shop where there is no women


Beautiful Tunisian door


Tunisian Carpets


Tozeur


Tunis train

This is not the Great Canyon but Mides canyon in Sahara Desert of Tunisia

Mides, Algerian border

Chebika

Chebika

Nefta - Star Wars site


Nice roadside toilets


Salt Lake of Chott El Jerid


Douz

Camel ride


Our hotel at Matmata


Market in Djerba

El Jem Colosseum

Butcher in Sousse

Poultry seller in Sousse

Cat woman


El kantaoui

The aqueduct bringing water to the Roman town


Sidi Bou Said, an interesting town with only blue and white buildings.