Smoking is harmful

You are strongly advised to read this entire post especially if you are a non-smoker and don't forget to read the last sentence at the bottom

I applaud the move by the authorities to ban smoking at even more places in our country. Mr Khoo Seow Poh who is the director-general of public health with the National Environment Agency(NEA) said that it is part of the worldwide drive by the World Health Organisation(WHO). WHO encourages governments to have smokeless public and work places

The places which would be added into the banned list include hotel lobbies, non air-con offices and shopping centres, playgrounds and the one which I think is the best, carparks. So to everyone whom I know that smokes, you better start contemplating a couple of new places to puff unless you want to risk getting fined

Speaking about getting fined, what the NEA requires is not only more enforcement officers, but also strict and intrepid ones who are not fearful of the ah bengs, young punks or foreigners(at Golden Mile). Weak or rather no enforcement has been the government's forte and what they do best in is conduct meetings and arrange people to look into the matter. This seriously will not work, I really hope there will be a change this time and the recalcitrant smokers will be punished accordingly although I am aware that statutory boards work one-way, one-direction

Actually I do not know why smokers tend to get this special privilege that non-smokers are not entitled to. Because of their addiction, they can take 5-10 minute breaks during work to smoke at the entrance or somewhere else. This is a common "practice" among some of my colleagues when I was at work previously. One would sent a message on msn to the other to ask if he wants to take a smoking break and the answer is usually yes of course. Then, both of them would just calmly make their way out and go to basement 1 where the carpark is their distress corner. And if you guessed it, when two smokers walk out together, another one who noticed them will gladly lock his computer, get up from his seat and follow them too. At last, when they come back into the air-con office, a strong and unpleasant smell is carried by them and felt by others

We should stop all these nonsense and not let smokers continue their bloody selfish actions, most of them think that the people around them might not mind inhaling second-hand smoke but this just shows how inconsiderate they are

Also, I dislike seeing people placing their cigarette boxes on the table wherever they sit. Are they trying to show people, hey I smoke, you better not come and anger me or display that disgusting and super gross lung/brain/mouth cancer picture? Back to human nature, they are just displaying the raw side of humans, showing off and trying to look good(which is obviously the opposite in this case)

Come this new year, they will be less places which smokers can smoke, this is absolado bingo great. Really feel like going back to the office next year to see how my ex-colleagues strategize a new tactic for their addiction during work. If they are still not caught, then the HR department should do something too. Give demerit points! Let's say after one gets 5 points he get a pay cut? And when it reaches 7, sack him. Good riddance of poisonous smoke

Ok enough of those, pick your favourite design, these are the 3 more popular brands in the country and I am not encouraging you to smoke, it is just a fun thing. I wonder if anyone collects cigarette boxes as a hobby? It will sure look colourful and spectacular placing them all together

Marlboro, the most famous and all time favourite around the world

Marlboro Filter


Marlboro Lights


Marlboro Ultralights

Viceroy, another brand which many people know, maybe because of the quality


Viceroy Filter


Viceroy Lights


Viceroy Ultralights

Camel, popular among the younger generation as the name is easy to remember


Camel Filter


Camel Lights


Camel Superlights


Smoking is not only physically harmful, but also morally, psychologically, socially and financially

10 facts about the governance in our country

In today's RealBlurPolitics® column, I will share with you 10 facts about the governance in our country which you might or might not know but should know

1. They say 4 in 10 will benefit from the distance based scheme which allows commuters to pay less when they change buses. This means that the majority will pay more and those who only ride on direct buses have to give greater amounts. Contradicting

2. Suing plus making sure the opposition is jailed due to defamation becomes part and parcel of our leaders' careers

3. The Sports Ministry cares more about hosting important sports events in the country than it's people's welfare. Useless plants which look messy are grown instead of building a jogging track and children get TINY amounts of PE lessons in schools

4. Whatever is done is all for the sake of the people. ERP was implemented to manage congestion. GST is meant to help the poor and seats were removed in trains so that more people can be squeezed in during peak hours

5. What is one similarity and difference between your friend and town councils? Both confess that they invested in Lehman Brothers but your friend will admit roughly how much he/she lost while the other will just beat around the bush

6. Our betting Pools' stated aim is to provide a legal avenue for betting in the country to counter illegal betting syndicates. But did you know that TOTO was introduced in 1968 to collect funds from gamblers which was used to construct the "forever never close" National Stadium

7. We recruit foreign talents to make our sports teams stronger and more colourful which truly represents multi-racial, multi-religious and multi-cultural and multi-countries

8. It is proven that being greedy does not get you anywhere. Haw Par Villa's entrance fee costed $16 more than a decade ago and less people started going until in 1996 they had to gostun plus lose face and made it free for entry, then the crowd returned

9. MRT stations were built for fun. Woodleigh, which is yet to open since the NEL started 5 years ago is a good example. So is the Buangkok one which opened more than 2 years ago after being kept in the dark for 3 years

10. Our ministers are the highest paid ones in the world where they earn $100000 monthly but the citizens here are hardly the richest in the world

Guess the animal

Can you guess what animal is this?

Note: No prizes for winners as I have yet to find a sponsor

But you can still make a guess right? Just chin chai hantam any answer also can

TV Analysis: The Little Nyonya

Do you all watch the 9pm drama on channel 8 during weekdays?

If you do not, it's call The Little Nyonya(小娘惹)and the story dates back to the 1930's till the modern era. In case you thought I am going to recommend this show to you, then you are wrong. In fact, the plot is rather mundane and the performances of several artists are below par

Good dramas are those which make people stop doing other things and sit in front of the TV every night, not wanting to miss a single moment of the show. As for The Little Nyonya, I can afford to miss 2 consecutive episodes but still understand the storyline and know what is going on in the scenes. The development is very "stretched out" which delays the tempo in a whole. A good example among local dramas which one cannot afford to miss a single episode is Crime Busters x2. It just ended recently in late October and is a detective show with full of funny scenes

The main character in The Little Nyonya is portrayed by Jeanette Aw, but her acting is really CMI. With that everlasting expressionless face of her in front of the camera, one wonders why was she chosen for this big production of Mediacorp. Also, she mutters a squeaky voice when talking which can be annoying if you listen to it too long. I think that Lin Meijiao(林梅娇)and Ng Hui(黄慧)should be given praise for their performances in the show. Both of them genuinely portrayed the characters they were acting in

This Peranakan themed drama consists of 34 episodes and is aired on Channel 8 during weekdays at 9pm. Don't forget to watch it, actually you can forget since it is alright to miss a couple of episodes anyway

AFF Suzuki Cup Preview: Indonesia vs Singapore

In today's AFF Suzuki Cup Group A matches, Indonesia will be facing Singapore as both sides fight for the top position while Myanmar take on Cambodia

Both Indonesia and Singapore are assured of a place in the semi-finals but neither of them would want to lose the match and lose face. The main advantage the Merah Putih has is playing at home, and they would certainly want to take revenge as Singapore defeated them 3:1 during the 1st leg of the 2004 final. Ironically, the venue will be at the same place after more than 4 years which is the Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta

A quick check on the Singapore Pools website show that Indonesia are favourites to win at $2.30 on the 1X2 but do not rule out Singapore. In fact, I am expecting them to win this game by a goal. So I think Singapore will win on the 1x2 which is at $2.90, not bad

From my perspective, I reckon that Bambang Pamungkas is the most dangerous player in the Indonesian side. The striker is the country's top scorer with 34 goals and his presence will prove to be a stern test for the Lions' defenders. Actually, the genuine danger are the fans. The home crowd would be jeering at Singapore throughout the match and random items may be thrown at players on the field anytime

By the way, there is something strange with Channel 5. They broadcasted the live matches of Singapore playing Cambodia and Myanmar but for tonight they will only screen the delayed telecast at 10pm(the match kicks off at 7.30pm). Really do not understand why they are doing this

1st day of school holidays

I have recovered from my sore throat but I still have cough and runny nose. Went to see doctor and he said that it was an infection. After that, went home, took medicine and slept for 2 hours. Then slept for another 3 hours in the afternoon after lunch as the medicine caused drowsiness. I still feel weak now but I think I have slept more than enough already. I managed to finish my lunch even though sick people have poor appetite which I think is a good sign of recovery

It has been raining for many hours since dawn at my side here. This resulted in cold weather and plus my sick condition now, it was really freezing. Also, when I was showering, the water is still considered cold despite turning the water heater to the highest level

When one is sick, he/she cannot eat many things which includes ice-cream. I managed to find the King's ice-cream the other day but in my current condition now, I doubt I will get to savour it anytime soon

Today is the first day of my 3 week school holidays and it will pass very quickly according to my experience as a student for more than 10 years

AFF Suzuki Cup: Singapore 3:1 Myanmar

About and hour ago, I was watching Singapore play Myanmar in the AFF Suzuki Cup. The Lions defeated their opponents 3-1.

If you had been watching it on TV too, you would certainly not forget how Singapore scored the 3rd goal. Noh Alam Shah quickly(very very quick)took the free kick which was awarded to Singapore after Shi Jia Yi was fouled. In an onside position, John Wilkinson ran into the penalty box with the ball and his shot was blocked by the Myanmar goalie but he managed to keep possession from the deflection and sent a low cross to Agu Casmir and the latter shot into an empty net

As Myanmar concede their 3rd goal of the game, the keeper ran to the referee and shoved him as a protest but was given a early Christmas gift, a red card. Then the Myanmar players all started to protest and surrounded the referee while their Singapore counterparts celebrated the goal. The controversy here is that the free kick was taken very quickly and Myanmar was not ready at all. But in football rules, so long as permission is given by the referee, one can take it how quickly he likes. There is no reason why Myanmar wanted to protest and even sat out of the match for quite a while

This reminds me of the final at the National Stadium in the previous tournament where a penalty was awarded to Singapore after Alam Shah(again him) was brought down in the box. The Thais also refused to continue playing for 15 minutes

Then again, this shows us that Singapore is still the most "class" and "civilised" nation in Southeast Asia. We have sportsmanship and do not use violence without thinking twice. Too bad to Myanmar, you people are not good enough to play Singapore

Singapore will be champions!!! i bet

Saw Throat

Here's the latest update of my life

I'm having a saw throat...ok it should be sore, but the feeling is like sawing

See lah Raymond? Why must you be so stubborn and eat so many spicy and fried food? Some more drink the entire bowl of curry maggi mee soup yesterday, it is all MSG only and makes you heaty

Now you happy lah? Can't eat the tasty ice-cream for the time being. Serves you right

Looking on the positive side, this occured only after my exams, and it's immediately after the exams, so accurate...

Solution to poly students' high transport fare

Today's RealBlurPolitics® column shall showcase a fictional chat between ministers over the poly students' transport fare issue and what solution is in store

Note: transport minister is called T, finance minister is F, community development, youth and sports minister is CDYS and PM is ermmm.....PM?! Yes, i know you understand it

PM: so how's life guys?
F: sian lor, politicians lives are all the same
T: wah, i tell u all, the poly transport fare saga getting bigger and bigger already
PM: neh, those r juz youngsters petitioning, don bother them
F: ya, very fast the thing will subside one, we better concentrate on those older citizens, they are the ones that will give us headache everytime
T: i'm already stuck with that ERP thingy and must settle this too, be transport minister in this country so suay one
PM: hehe, cos you are newcomer, and newbies must do all this sai kang, few more years and you will understand
T: eh, Vivi also consider newcomer mah? why he like more relax?
CDYS: sometimes must use your brain, I got Teo to chup everything for me, that's why I look bochup
F: his name behind got 1 "luck" mah, you heng lor, youth olympics preparation you just act act only
T: okok, so can anyone suggest something?
PM: what for? it's been so many years, and nobody in parliament really did something about it
CDYS: but i thought recently few weeks ago got one female MP started something to help?
T: she give out some vouchers I think, so the pressure is on me now
F: calm down, women are nothing compared to us men, they don't think practically
T: Vivi, you are youth development minister, say something leh
CDYS: actually I think like a bit not fair to them leh
PM: nonsense, in this kind of financial situation that we are in, how can we care about this little thing?
F: yeah, our casino is still building and that Sands company don't know will mati or not also
PM: and the town councils have invested in Lehman Brothers too, we can't be cutting prices at this time
T: so I should just keep quiet? And let my lower people do all the shit?
CDYS: but there should at least be a reason...
PM: what are we for? to listen to all the citizens' requests and do what they want?
F: if that's the case, we would be changing ministers, like we change underwear?!
T: guess there's no other way
F: you go settle your ERP problem first lah, that one more crucial, even Jack Neo uses it to poke fun in his movie
PM: oh yes, speaking of which, I am planning to have an ERP gantry every 1km in the new Marina Coastal Expressway
T: what? don't give me so many problems leh
CDYS: ermm, that's means there will be 5 of them in the tunnel lah?
F: people will be paying like mad man
PM: what to do? only this way then maybe we can decrease the poly student's transport fare mah?
T: makes sense...
CDYS and F: our PM is the best, long live our PM
PM: ok bootlickers, anything new to say instead?
F: aiyah, we are government, government body and statutory board where got change one? everything also straight straight mah

Exam Fever

Strangely, during this period when exams are just round the corner, a few of my classmates updated their blogs during this week, after leaving them dusty for about one, two weeks. I was predicting no updates from them but I got the opposite, luckily I did not place a bet on it. Anyway, rain and thunderstorm have been hitting our shores lately and the former made me unable to shine the clothes today while the latter constantly scared me out of a sudden for the past few days. See? I am timid!

In less than 20 hours, will be the arrival of my Maths paper and it is the last one before the holidays come.

Velvety Ice-Cream

Had my Data Comm exam in the morning at 8.30, after that went to the NTUC supermarket near my house to buy the extremely delicious ice-cream which I had for the past 2 days but could not find it. Never mind, I will try again some other time, but I wonder will there still be the buy 1 get 1 free offer(kiasu X1) then? So in the end just bought the China veggie that costs $1.30(kiasu X2)and some other stuffs

Met my ex-colleague, Vincent, for lunch at Clementi during noon as the company bus went there today. Vincent wanted to have KFC but I thought it will be quite costly as there are no discount coupons to use(kiasu X3). I told him I wanted to try the curry chicken or chicken curry at the hawker centre which he was always mentioning about in the office last time and we both settled for it in the end. Ok, so how was the taste? Not bad I think, at least it deserves a 8/10 score but the amount of curry powder was a bit too much and I could not detect any coconut milk fragrance in it. And one last thing, it costs $3.40, a bit expensive also(kiasu X4)

Back to the topic on the supermarket. I was quite surprised that the malay cashier, who was not wearing the NTUC uniform, did not charge me an extra 10cents for the plastic bag as it is Wednesday, which means bring your own plastic bag day, lucky man!(kiasu X5)

The ice-cream which I was mentioning about is the King's Grand Petite Tub and the flavour is Triple Chocalate. There are abundant chocalate chips and nuts in the sinfully rich velvety chocalate cream, and you would be sccoping out another spoon immediately after you had one melted in your mouth, it is really addictive and I finished 2 tubs in 2 days.

If you are wondering how it looks like, this is the screenshot I got from their website, take note that the offer stated there is until 12 November only at NTUC so either one of them got it wrong!