Singapore Wakes For The Singapore Wake

• JayWalk Online (23 Mar 2015) - Lee Kuan Yew. 1925 - 2015

Founding father of our country, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, has left us earlier in the week.

Singaporeans from all walks of life gather together to say a final farewell.

Even when resting in peace, the late Mr Lee is still able to get all Singaporeans to come together as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion.

They used to say that national service is a common denominator where all new recruits regardless of creed or colour are the same blur sotong.

I say the same for the late Mr Lee that all Singaporeans, again I reiterate, regardless of race, language or religion, and if I may add one more, political affiliation, are the same Singaporeans.

I feel sorry for Mr Teo Ser Luck whose LKY91 workout dedication didn't go down well with the masses. People feel as if, or rather I feel like there's a kid on sugar high running and screaming all over the place in at a funeral, with the paper aeroplane on fire after catching one of the joss candles.

Still, taking a step back, I realised that's just his way of mourning. Mr Teo should have just stuck to his guns and not take down the Facebook entry, just as the late Mr Lee would have dug dig and steadfastly stood behind his convictions. He should have just ignored those people for scorning his "jock mentality" and just remember the late elder statesmen any way he wants. After all, it is the intention behind it that counts.

But what's done is done and I say let's cut the Mr Teo Ser Luckless some slack and focus on what's more important. Saying a proper goodbye to Ah Kong.

Breadtalk, on the other hand, is unforgivable. Don't for a moment think by hiding behind "all proceeds will be donated to the Community Chest", you can get away with a cheap shot to score publicity and public relations. I am glad fellow Singaporeans were smart enough to see through the plot and took it apart.

Breadtalk, you should be ashamed of yourself. Hope you learn a lesson from this episode.

Oh and hire a proper PR agency, if you have not already engaged one.

Finally, we come to Alvin, the Malaysian blogger, who advised us not to "blindly worship" the late MM Lee. This coming from a person whose passport got revoked by his own country and is stuck in California.

Whatever shit coming from him did not go down with the 3.7 million of us. For a Malaysian (if assuming your country still want to be associated with you), I do not expect you to understand and so I really do not appreciate mouthing off like that.


Then again, this was spotted on TheRealS********.com and so I am just going to ignore it as garbage.

 I also wish that ICA would put this idiot on the list of persona non grata.


Image Credit: Facebook - Adrian Lee, Sgag.sg - Eric Lee

- Voxeros

Lee Kuan Yew. 1923 - 2015.

He is gone.

Singapore's founding father, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, has passed.

Ever since he was admitted into hospital since early February, my gut feel told me that this great man's time is up.

There have been several fake news circulating via mobile messages of his departure earlier. The latest being a dumbass kid spoofing the Prime Minister's Office website. I hope the police get the other rumormongers too.

The Chinese has Dr Sun Yat Sun as their founding father, I am proud we have Mr Lee as our 国父.

Some may argue that our founding father should be Sir Stamford Raffles instead. However, like a golf tournament, with all due credit to Raffles, while a good tee off helps a lot, it is the final putt that decides the championship.

And one more thing, Mr Lee is here to stay and be with Singapore forever.

Mr Lee is a great statesman who transformed this little island of virtually zero natural resources to a beacon of the region.

Granted he has several policies that I disagree with, he must be respected for sticking to his guns, standing behind his decisions.

Taking a step back at looking at the overall scorecard, the number of "agrees" far outstrips the "disagrees" in my books. I would have voted for him if I were his constituent.

Just yesterday, my daughter and I were caught in a mega storm as we were heading home from Little India. We didn't need a umbrella as we were able to reach home dry. I thought to myself, is there  another place on Earth, that we can have such awesome infrastructure?

That, ladies and gentlemen, we have Mr Lee's initiatives to thank for. It is all these things, big and small, that made me proud as we set ourselves apart from the rest.

Mr Lee has toiled a lifetime giving us a better life and now is time for him to take a break.

Have a good rest, Mr Lee Kuan Yew. May you rest in peace.

#RememberingLeeKuanYew #thankyouLKY

Media Credit: https://www.facebook.com/chia.shilu.3; https://www.facebook.com/keenlen; Youtube - David Wah

- Voxeros

当年 奎因街 （小坡三马路） 的 公教中学

下午搭着公交要去 百胜楼 （Bras Basah Complex) 买一次性隐形眼镜， 结果由于路不熟下错车站了。 心想反正剩下的路不远， 干脆用走的好了。

这么一走又拐错了弯， 小迷路地走着走着就莫名其妙的来到了 奎因街 （小坡三马路 Queen Street)。

站在 奎因街 让我觉得好像通过时间隧道， 来到了小时候的我。

早上才刚刚看了大堂哥在脸书 （Facebook) 上PO文当年跟 巫启贤 同窗的回忆录， 看来轮到我也来个回忆回忆一下了。

这条街已改到面目全非但几栋老楼房仍然还在。虽然有装修翻新过， 但还是认得出来。

这栋是 华德楼 （Waterloo Centre）。 前面的广场应该是当年 联络所 （Community Centre) 的篮球场。 记得只要用学校的图书馆借书卡抵押就可以把篮球借出来玩。 还记得篮球场旁边有个架在七八尺高的电视机供于当地居民晚上观赏。 当年电视机还没普及， 可算是奢侈品所以不是每户人家里都有电视机。 因此一般居民晚上吃饱饭后都会下来乘个凉， 看看电视也顺便跟邻居们联络感情。 “联络所” 这名称也大概是这样来的吧。

这里是 华德楼 的另外一边。 记得放学后， 大伙儿都会跑来这里踢球。 要不就三楼停车场顶楼， 要不就楼下一楼， 整班人马追着一个一块钱塑料足球到处乱跑乱踢。

奎因街 往西南方向走着就来到了我堂哥们和我小时候念书的地方。 当年的 公教中学 就在这里。 堂哥们念中学而当年的我念小学 （公教中学附小）。 上面这张照是中学部。 我小四那一年在中学部呆过一年。

公教中学 是天主教会所办的华校。照片里正在翻新的是学校所属的 圣皮特及圣保罗天主教堂。记得有一年堂哥们踢球打破了教堂玻璃窗， 我爸妈被叫去学校了。

上面这里就是小学部。 如今已变成艺术博物馆了。 记得一楼最右边就是主任办公室， 也就是我常被请客吃藤条的地方。 主任办公室楼上就是小学部的图书馆。 小五那年小林和我身为图书管理员的小组长 （Head Librarians) 在改考卷期间 （年终考试后和放假前之间那两三个礼拜）， 就用着 ”年终大整理“ 的名义， 带着我们 的"伙计“们到图书馆里去踢球。 小学部图书馆内是铺地毯的， 所以进去要先脱鞋子。 一票人脚穿着袜子踢一颗小小的乒乓球。  记得短短的那一周， 大家都把自己上学的袜子全部踢破洞了。 搞到妈妈们一个雾水到底怎么个回事儿。

一楼的左边就是当年学校的食堂。。。

 

说到食堂， 食堂内角落有个后门， 我们就常常从这后门偷跑出去。 然后再钻入 维多利亚酒店 （Victoria Hotel） 的后门， 通过 海南鸡饭馆子 来到了 维多利亚街 （小坡二马路 Victoria Street）。

要是我没记错， 维多利亚酒店 的前方分三段。 左边为酒店大堂出入 （现在还是）。 相片中间的牛排馆应该就是当年的 海南鸡饭馆子。  最后就是最右手边的 7-11便利店。 那个应该是当年 上海书局 的一楼。 我的第一支 ”英雄牌“ （"Hero"） 墨水钢笔就是在那买的。

上面这张是今日的 Grand Pacific Hotel。 这是当年就处于上海书局的隔壁的 大班酒店 （Taipan Hotel）的所在地。  记得小五还是小六那年酒店就被拆了重建。 建好后就变成 Allson Hotel。 眼前这栋 Grand Pacific Hotel 应该是 Allson Hotel 后续再次拆掉重建的吧。

过了 维多利亚街 终于到了 百胜楼。这栋楼是售卖书籍的 “书城”。 书 书 输 输， 迷信又爱赌的华人就把这 “输城” 来个反败为胜命名为 “百胜楼” 讨个吉利。

记得这里是我买第一张首日封 和 第一个乒乓拍 （Butterfly Super Sriver 5)  的地方。

- Voxeros

Dumbass Of The Week XX

• Today Online (21 Mar 2015) - Student Identified As Suspect Behind Fake PMO Webpage

I don't get it.

What is with this obsession of being the first to report the death of a fellow human being.

Got prize ah?

Even if I dislike a person, I will never stoop so low as to wish for his/her demise.

LKY is a great man who has built what modern Singapore is today. Granted there are certain policies that I don't agree with (GRC remains a super sore point for me), I think overall, he has done a great job and kudos for dedicating his entire life doing so.

I tip my hat to that.

Anyway, I find it very distasteful to spoof a fake PMO website announcing LKY's imminent departure.

Bad taste! Bad! Bad!

I am glad that the police caught up with the dumbass who pulled the NOT FUNNY prank.

So, it is an offense where maximum penalty is a fine of up to SGD 50,000, jail sentence of up to 10 years or both, under the Computer Misuse and Cybersecurity Act.

As it turned out, the perp is allegedly just a gao ginah. This si ginah is not even 16 and so it's off to the juvenile court with him and not charged up the adult court? So quick question, does the above charges still apply to this si nongkia?

I'd bet this is going to scare him until he shat his pants.

Still, a fine, a prison sentence or both doesn't really fit the crime.

First off, if there is a fine imposed, who do you think will be footing the bill? The parents of course, since this sway zai bao is still in school. So to penalise the parents for the action of a dumbass kid seems hardly fair. Besides, it is punishment enough to have an idiot son.
 
Prison sentence? I supposed it'd be the Boys' Home for him given his age.

Wait.

Let's take a step back and look at this again. It was just bad taste with no real damage done. The country wasn't plunged into panic, the stock market didn't crash nor our neigbouring country(ies) declare war on us.

It appears that the clever and skeptically general public, sans a few #cough# Bruce #coughcough# weren't taken in.

So really.

No harm. No foul.

Besides, a criminal record would ruin the poor boy's future forever. Will we be too heavy handed then?

On the flip side, taking no action would be letting the boy off easy. What message would we sent to the rest, if so?

Surely, there must be a price to pay for his folly?

What then, would be the perfect punishment to fit the crime?

Perhaps to go into overkill mode to serve as a deterrent sentence, telling the rest of the people to think really really hard before they act?

I wait with baited breath to see what the court will come up with.

Whatever it will be, let make sure we make this stupid 熊孩子 brown his pants before anything else.


Image Credit: http://media.zenfs.com/en_MY/News/themalaysianinsider.com

- Voxeros

Singtel's Gushcloud Of Shit To The Brain

• Today Online (19 Mar 2015) - Singtel Ends Relationship With Gushcloud, Apologises To StarHub, M1

I believe Singtel CEO Ms Chua when she dissociated herself personally from the Gushcloud fiasco. The listed company is huge and she is just too far away from what's going on the social media marketing ground.

This. I am fine with.

"as the client's agency, we should have known better".

This. I am not fine with.

As the agency's boss. YOU should have known better.

"I am leading the change and guiding my staff on the values and principles on which we will rebuild trust and confidence." 

This is my main beef. That sentence appear to suggest that this was isolated to just an errant staff or two.

Oh please. How big is this agency that there is a possibility that there are actually people untainted by this?

Oh wait perhaps there is. That auntie that comes by once a week to clean the pantry?

Maybe.

"...guiding my staff...".

Really? As the old Chinese proverb goes, 上梁不正下梁歪.

Gushcloud can close shop already. It is a poisoned agency that nobody will ever want to deal with them again lest, they be tainted as well.

Either that or I have been misled by Today Online's article perhaps sooooo badly written that led me to misinterpret?

Maybe.

Anyway, enough about them, they take up too much of my blog page already.

Coming back to Singtel. I am not interested in all the apologies to the aggrieved parties.

I am interested to see the legal consequences.

What would be the penalty that will be slapped on Gushcloud and more interestingly Singtel?

Both M1 Singapore and Starhub should sue the bejeezus (and the granite kitchen sink) out of both Gushcloud and Singtel.

Then there is the Inforcomm Development Authority Of Singapore (IDA). Let's see the number of teeth they have in their bite. Let's see how many volts they have in their Zeus' thunderbolt. Let's see how badass they are when they release the Kraken.

Ok. Ok. You get the picture.


Or are they as just as useless as Consumer Association Of Singapore (CASE)?

Let's wait and see.


p.s. JayWalk Online is proud to be a non-commercial blog, sans shameless pro-bono plugs and the occasional curry pok bribe.

Image Credit: http://news.asiaone.com

- Voxeros