The Ten Dollar Peach Garden Carrot Cake

• AsiaOne (19 Jan 2012) - Don't Underpay Our Ministers: Lee Kuan Yew

I agree that we must not underpay our ministers lest we risk them seeking "alternative sources" of income like those in corrupt countries around the world.

However, what LKY did not do was to follow up with a subsequent statement i.e.

We cannot OVERpay our ministers and argue that their sole reward, if not main, should be money above their contribution to the public good.

Coming back to Chan Chun Seng's $10 Peach Garden carrot cake.

I know what he is driving at. He is advocating 一分钱一分货. The fact that a BMW 740 will definitely be more expensive than a Kia Picanto because one is a German luxurious marvel of automobile technology, the other a Korean tin can on wheels.

The problem is that, and this is where we realise the horror of how we have made the mistake of voting in a simpleton into the cabinet, the price that we paid for the BMW 740 is in fact more than enough to buy a Ferrari 458 Italia.

Yes, BMW 740 is still an excellent car but I much prefer to pay the price of a BMW 740 and get the BMW 740.

I don't have any qualms paying my Prime Minister 3 millions dollars a year and my ministers more than 1 million dollars a year. Each.

Question is that have they performed up to the mark where the people feel that these millions spent were justified.

In short, were they underpaid as LKY hinted?

Judging from the sliding vote numbers with each election and the government scrambling to assemble a ministerial pay review committee to appease the people.

The answer is obviously NO.

Uncle, you want me to pay $10 for a plate of your carrot cake? 
Your carrot cake got enough standard or not? 
Come back when you as good as Peach Garden, then we talk about your $10. Wokay?

Image Credit: http://facebook.com/thecartoonpress

- Voxeros

Support That Really Counts

Chen Show Mao via kwout

mrbrown highlighted to us, back in December 2011, Chen Show Mao's facebook test status while being an entry of zero content, it still garnered 45 "Likes" and 19 Comments (See below).

I just did another screen capture (dated 18 Jan 2012), the numbers have climbed to 144 "Likes" and 29 Comments.

All for a blank entry.

Popularity is one thing but it isn't worth anything. Chen Show Mao is lucky that at today's current level of technology, people are not yet able to fling their panties at Chen Show Mao via their monitor screens.

Lucky him.

This reminded me of the US elections back in 2000 where despite Al Gore winning the popular vote (48.49% to Bush 47.97%), he lost the presidential race to George W. Bush simply because electoral vote was what decided the presidency.

Same goes for our recently concluded General Election 2011. The opposition won 39.9% of the votes but yet out of the 87 parliamentary seats available, the opposition won only 6. By simple percentage arithmetic, it should have been 34 but that was not how the rules were set.

Support is important but it has value only when it is converted into electoral presence.

Electoral Presence is important but it has value only when it is converted into valid votes.

The disunity amongst the opposition parties was what threw the Men In White a lifeline during the last election.

Will the opposition learn their lesson in the next General Election in 2016?

We shall wait and see.

Opposition MP Chen Show Mao posts a test message on his Faceb... on Twitpic via kwout

- Voxeros

Wrong System Of Pay Will Get You The Wrong Team

PM Lee: Wrong system of pay will get you the wrong team « Editorial « TR EMERITUS via kwout

• TR Emeritus (18 Jan 2012) - PM Lee: Wrong System Of Pay Will Get You The Wrong Team

There has been much talks over Ministerial Salary after the review committee has revealed their recommendations.

While I appreciate the fact that the exorbitant salaries has been brought down significantly (pending passing of the legislation), I feel that the number is still a bit off from what I felt would be a fair number.

MP Chen Show Mao's speech on Ministerial Salary Review via kwout

Chen Show Mao reveal that his Worker's Party proposed a monthly SGD 11,000 for an MP, SGD 55,000 onward,  to SGD 99,000 for the PM.

This, I felt is the correct level of pay that is enough to provide a very good living for the office bearers and yet at the same time not 劳民伤财.

I disagree that to have the pay cut to WP's proposed level is such a big sacrifice that it creates hardship for the office bearers. Mind you, SGD 11,000 per month will provide a very comfortable living and do not forget that we have to multiply this for 60 months, totaling SGD 660,000 before the next election. Do a good job and this 60-month tenure may be multiplied by a second term or more.

At the very least, it is ONE GOH CHOK TONG PEANUT to bring home even for a lousy job.

I concede that having money is a good thing but it will come to a point where the next dollar will not bring you the utility of the previous. There is only so much rice one person can eat after all.

All Your XMMs Are Belong To JayWalk - Voxeros [JayWalk] on Plurk via kwout

The way I see it, please spare me the bullshit of lower pay not being able to attract good enough candidates to run the country.

Chan Chun Seng's $10 carrot cake analogy is seriously flawed where if the carrot cake quality is good, $10 is a fair price to pay and that if the quality is bad, even $1.50 is a bad price to pay. On the surface, it may sound logical but do look at it again and deeper this time, who says a $1.50 plate of carrot cake is guaranteed to be bad?

So a word to all the "aggrieved" MPs and Ministers. If this reduced pay is causing such pain to you, I suggest you refuse the job and resign. I am sure there are just as many candidates out there who are just as capable, if not more, willing to take over and accept a more decent level of salary.

Public Service is a calling. Get that drilled into your brains.

"Wrong System Of Pay Will Get You The Wrong Team".

Yes, PM Lee, for once, I absolutely agree with you.

We definitely got the wrong team because I felt our current system of pay is wrong.

Image Credit: http://www.tremeritus.com; http://www.asiaone.com

- Voxeros

A Flu Worth Four Thousand Likes

• New Nation (14 Jan 2012) - Chen Show Mao Is The God Of Social Media

I saw the above cartoon above and it was just too funny for words.

Then when the joke has subsided, I began to worry.

Yes, Chen Show Mao is a very popular figure, especially on the internet but it seems that this "worshipping" has gone out of control.

It reminds me of the old days where there was a Bandung Vader blogger whose zombied fans just idolise the author regardless of what rubbish she puts up on her blog.

Having a lot of support is a good thing but when the credibility of this support is compromised, it may just amount to nothing at the end of the day.

Perhaps this is why the White Pants Party people aren't too concerned about the huge gap difference between their online popularity and CSM's.

Image Credit: http://newnation.sg

- Voxeros

Do You See Where The Problem Really Is?

Twitter / @ctrlaltreboot: I swore myself that I'll t ... via kwout

Twitter / @JYSQstars: Singtel 3G sucks max . ... via kwout

Twitter / @vOn_vOn_: StarHub 3G network sucks!! ... via kwout

These days complains about our mobile network are a dime a dozen. You hear one every other day.

We have only 3 Mobile Telcos to our name and yet not a single one was spared from someone's wrath at any one time. So the question is, if this one no good, that one bad and the third one is pathetic? Where do we go from there?

Are our telcos so bad or is there another underlying reason explaining all these?

Let's pause for a moment here while I jump to another topic before tying everything up together. Then you will see where I am heading with this.

This is a picture familiar to all those in Singapore. Everyone must have seen this particular picture at one point in time or another as it was widely circulated in cyberspace when the Circle Line of the SMRT was just launched.

This was a scene at one of the MRT station when the train broke down. It wasn't a one-off incident but it seems to be happening every other day now.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to see the link between the two MRT pictures above.

So. To tie up everything as mentioned earlier.

I do not think that any of our mobile telcos themselves are that bad except for spotty coverage and the odd system crash in certain parts of the island.

I do not think that our SMRT train system itself is that bad except for hints of cutting corners at the expense of proper maintenance.

I see the real problem is capacity inadequacy. Our SMRT train system and mobile telcos simply aren't geared to undertake our present load of usage.

You may blast them for their failure to plan ahead but seriously let me ask you this. 

How many of you actually expected our population to explode at such a ridiculous rate 10 years ago? 20 years ago?

Kee chiu!

Perhaps it was info privy only to a certain white pants club but to the rest of us, I don't think anyone foresee it.

Yes, we need population replenishment from the outside given that our total fertility rate was a pathetic 1.15. But the open the flood gates like a cheap aging prostitute is just plain stupid.

Just because you missed your breakfast and lunch, doesn't mean you have to eat 3 portions at dinner. Yes, you would probably eat more than you would compared to a normal dinner but certainly not 3 times the regular portion.

The problem would not have been so bad if we have vast spaces of land to further develop and expand but may I remind you that we are on a tiny island that starting from Changi Airport, a Formula 1 racing car would only need less than 10 minutes to overshoot itself into the sea off Tuas. Less than 5 minutes if you start from Causeway towards Sentosa.*

* Simple straight line calculation.

Do you see where the problem really is? 

Hint: It is not the mobile telcos or SMRT for their respective failures to plan ahead (except for a few misgivings here and there).

Image Credits: http://staticc02.insing.com; http://l.yimg.com

- Voxeros

Kids Getting Too Soft

• Edvantage (09 Jan 2012) -  Mum Upset Over School Haircut For Son

I read with despair about a mum who called the police to lodge a complain against her son's school for cutting his hair.

Seriously? Call the police? What do you expect the police to do? Charge the school principal for aggravated assault?

Kids these days are getting too soft for their own good. The kid is so traumatised that his asthma acted up?

Just because of a haircut??

First of all, hair length policy in the school should have already been established since day 1. It is not exactly that the boy was caught by surprise.

We knew our 2-by-4  guideline during my secondary school days. No one disputed that and when the errant boy was spotted with long hair, it is a trip down to the school barber. No question asked.

So how is it that having proper short hair for boys is now such a big travesty?

The mother also one kind. How is the boy going to grow into a man with all this mollycoddling?

I fear when he serves National Service. He is going to be prime candidate for a blanket party, unless the boy is slated to give up his Singaporean citizenship and skip National Service altogether.

Then again, given the all these kids are so soft these days, perhaps the WHOLE FRIGGING PLATOON / COMPANY / BATTALION / BRIGADE / DIVISION / ARMED FORCES will be filled with all these softies.

I shake my head.

Then there is the MOE who is too coward to stand up to the parent. If there is a breach of discipline, hair length in this particular case, the ministry should have back the school up to uphold it.

Seriously, if hair length is such a big issue for the kid, then perhaps the mum should consider transferring the son to a private school or international school. I heard these schools do not have a hair length regulation.

Image Credit: http://static.edvantage.com.sg

- Voxeros

Build A Hotel In 360 Hours

• Gizmodo (07 Jan 2012) - Amazing Timelapse of 30-Story Building Constructed In Only 360 Hours

Caught this youtube off Gizmodo and I am in awe with the marvel of Ch1nese engineering and architecture.

Sheer genius.

Hopefully, there is no corruption somewhere along the pipeline which may turn this brilliance into tofu.

- Voxeros

Beatbox Flute

Found this youtube of a lady who can play the flute and beatbox at the same time. I was totally amazed how the beatboxing did not interfere with the actual flute playing. The timing must have been impeccable!

Afternote: As it turned out when I searched on the internet, she is not the only one capable of this feat but I must say, I liked hers rendition best.

Afternote2: The background looked like she was recording this from some residential home. Yet I cannot hear any ambient noise at all. The sound reduction is impressive too.

- Voxeros

Happy New Year 2012

It was the new year and we got a day off after Sunday.

The weather was perfect with a nice cool temperature around 20 degrees Celsius and so we ventured out to get a game of tennis.

We got into a cab and was halfway to the tennis court when the cabbie started snorting.

Knowing what was going to happen next, we checked the window.

It was up. Thank goodnness.

HARK! HARK! PTUI! as the cabbie leaned over to his window let it ripped.

SPLAT! as the slipstream brought the phlegm back to us which we were safely protected by the window.

Happy New Year 2012. Spitland style.

- Voxeros

Mini Eggs

Perhaps it is most unfortunate to have this entry position right above my earlier entry which is about turtles.

So before I begin, I would like to go on HTC Wildfire phone to give you a perspective of the eggs' size but somehow the picture just didn't tell a convincing story, even with a can of Coke next to it. *shrugs*

* Took another shot and hopefully shows the size better. (See right).

The eggs were bought out of curiosity due to their tiny size.

I have to use 6 of them to make a decent half-boiled egg breakfast. I was told that some of these eggs have two yolks in the already super cramped interior but I personally have not had to chance to see one myself.

In all, my verdict of my 6-egg breakfast is

Sibeh Waste Time.

Apparently, 6 eggs don't really enough "egg" in it to fulfill a decent egg's content.

I will try 8 eggs next time.

- Voxeros