This will be all over the blogosphere within a couple of hours, but everytime I think about it I want to scratch out my eyes and burn all the entire judicial system. I'm figuring it'll be some kind of giant wicker man that I can pretty easily set fire to and then *poof* no more law.
A UK woman has escaped jail for having sex with a 14 year old boy. Besides the stupidity of such a decision, can we just imagine for a second that it was a 40 year old man that had sex with a 14 year old girl. Hoooooooooooooow many years do you think he'd get? I imagine he'd be getting comfy for at least 5-7 years. Not to mention the public outcry and the familiar new millennium refrain that men are evil. Let's face it people, men do horrible things, women do horrible things and anyone that takes a child to bed should be in jail.
I wonder whether the "I'm a sad and lonely man" defence will sort me out should I encounter any future problems with the law.
Didn't pay your parking fines for a couple of years? I'm sad and lonely!
Stole that sparkly lipgloss that tastes like strawberries? I'm sad and lonely!
Murdered your wife in a fit of rage? I'm sad and lonely-er!
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label news. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Back to my little corner of the Interweb
I did a wonderful thing the other day. After a month of deliberation, I finally deleted my Facebook account. Gone from my bookmarks. No more hotlink icon. No more checking it 5 times a day. Yes, I was one of them. A CrackBook addict. So in a fit of "why/how do all these people track me down", I've finally taken the step and killed it. I'll miss all those lonely nights that CrackBook kept me warm and safe. The way it allowed me to look up ex-girlfriends just to see if they had an account. All those "great" videos I got sent, though 99 Words for Boobs will always have a special place in my heart. And even, even the random people that you knew 10 years ago who are suddenly tracking you down. It's this last group that make CrackBook so addictive and also so repellent. Ultimately, I guess I do feel a bit sorry for the FluffPet I'm leaving to die an InterWeb death.
So I'm back here more permanently. Watch this space.
So I'm back here more permanently. Watch this space.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Fitter Happier More Productive
Have pushed it to the brink of exhaustion over the past month. Sick twice, submitted two assignments and two resubmits and have worked on through the entire way. Yes, all hail me. I think I look good in martyr's clothing. It fits nicely.
Read an interesting article by Sumiko Tan in one of the Sg rags on the weekend. She wrote about how unmarried people are actually severely disadvantaged in the work place. This is an issue that never really meant much until I moved here and saw how many co-workers take time off. How many of them blame it on their children. How any slight emergency becomes a red flag for unlimited days off. How they generally get better schedules (less nights, less weekends) than unmarried types. And yet, the unmarrieds are the ones who very very rarely take time away from work for any reason. They cost the company less as the company doesn't need to provide medical insurance or flights for any dependents. The most insulting thing is the 2 days off extra a year (this is going to seem petty...) that people with children get off to attend to "family matters", which is theoretically reserved for things like parent/teacher interviews etc. Sorry, but I don't give a toss about other people's parent/teacher nights. I don't get 2 "recovery" days off per year for all the boozing and random sex that we unmarried types supposedly do and have. If the decision to over-populate or accidentally copulate is worthy of 2 extra days off a year then surely my own decision to engage in extreme hedonism is an equally valid lifestyle choice (and less damaging on the environment too!). Where are my 2 days off?
I really couldn't care less about the course I'm doing. It's bullshit hoop-jumping that has no basis in the real workplace. It's essentially 1950's style education masquerading as 21st century edu-trainment. Relevance? Zip. None. Nothing. Of course it means $1500 extra a month to me upon completion, but I really wonder whether it's worth it. If anything, and make no mistake because I love my job, it's made me that little bit more determined to leave it behind and try something else entirely. I can always come back to this later. After 8 years of doing this, I'm starting to feel the burn. More importantly, I want to challenge myself. Of course I can always be better at my current job, if I didn't think that then I wouldn't be very good at it, but I also think I have achieved a certain level of expertise where I wonder how much further I can realistically go. So once this course wraps up it will be on to the real pondering about what to do next. The biggest problem about a total career change when you have little experience outside one industry is that I want to stay in Singapore (for now anyway). Guess I'll answer these questions more thoroughly when I have more time to think about them.
What Teachers Really Mean on Report Cards :
XXXX struggles to maintain concentration in class and often engages in conversations in other languages instead.
XXXX doesn't care for this class, he has no interest in any activities we do (and I've been through the entire book trying to see what will work for him) and is generally unpleasant to be around. I'd rather he weren't in this class.
XXXX needs to listen carefully to teacher instructions and ask questions when she doesn't understand.
XXXX has no idea what's going on, and with 19 other students in the room, it's tough to make this the one on one tuition that your child so desperately needs.
XXXX gets distracted easily.
XXXX is a complete tool and would benefit from a healthy parental spanking.
XXXX always tries hard in class.
XXXX still doesn't get it, but at least he's not a complete tool.
Read an interesting article by Sumiko Tan in one of the Sg rags on the weekend. She wrote about how unmarried people are actually severely disadvantaged in the work place. This is an issue that never really meant much until I moved here and saw how many co-workers take time off. How many of them blame it on their children. How any slight emergency becomes a red flag for unlimited days off. How they generally get better schedules (less nights, less weekends) than unmarried types. And yet, the unmarrieds are the ones who very very rarely take time away from work for any reason. They cost the company less as the company doesn't need to provide medical insurance or flights for any dependents. The most insulting thing is the 2 days off extra a year (this is going to seem petty...) that people with children get off to attend to "family matters", which is theoretically reserved for things like parent/teacher interviews etc. Sorry, but I don't give a toss about other people's parent/teacher nights. I don't get 2 "recovery" days off per year for all the boozing and random sex that we unmarried types supposedly do and have. If the decision to over-populate or accidentally copulate is worthy of 2 extra days off a year then surely my own decision to engage in extreme hedonism is an equally valid lifestyle choice (and less damaging on the environment too!). Where are my 2 days off?
I really couldn't care less about the course I'm doing. It's bullshit hoop-jumping that has no basis in the real workplace. It's essentially 1950's style education masquerading as 21st century edu-trainment. Relevance? Zip. None. Nothing. Of course it means $1500 extra a month to me upon completion, but I really wonder whether it's worth it. If anything, and make no mistake because I love my job, it's made me that little bit more determined to leave it behind and try something else entirely. I can always come back to this later. After 8 years of doing this, I'm starting to feel the burn. More importantly, I want to challenge myself. Of course I can always be better at my current job, if I didn't think that then I wouldn't be very good at it, but I also think I have achieved a certain level of expertise where I wonder how much further I can realistically go. So once this course wraps up it will be on to the real pondering about what to do next. The biggest problem about a total career change when you have little experience outside one industry is that I want to stay in Singapore (for now anyway). Guess I'll answer these questions more thoroughly when I have more time to think about them.
What Teachers Really Mean on Report Cards :
XXXX struggles to maintain concentration in class and often engages in conversations in other languages instead.
XXXX doesn't care for this class, he has no interest in any activities we do (and I've been through the entire book trying to see what will work for him) and is generally unpleasant to be around. I'd rather he weren't in this class.
XXXX needs to listen carefully to teacher instructions and ask questions when she doesn't understand.
XXXX has no idea what's going on, and with 19 other students in the room, it's tough to make this the one on one tuition that your child so desperately needs.
XXXX gets distracted easily.
XXXX is a complete tool and would benefit from a healthy parental spanking.
XXXX always tries hard in class.
XXXX still doesn't get it, but at least he's not a complete tool.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
The Future is Now
Is it just me that finds the fact that the Brit's new communication system is called Skynet a tad frightening?
Monday, April 21, 2008
It's a Small World Afterall
When I first arrived here I was told that Singapore is a very small place. Coming from a city with a similar population, I understood it but didn't read too much into it. Over a few drinks in Holland Village yesterday my friends and I bumped into a girl from our work. She was with a group of her friends at another bar. As they were leaving our co-worker came over and said hi. I introduced myself to her friends and one of them turns around and remarks that she knew me. I looked her up and down, racking my brain, thinking "oh God, please let this not be an embarrassing thing". But no. She said I was sitting next to her in a restaurant a few days prior and I said to the person I was with how good her food smelled. And indeed, I had said exactly that at a Taiwanese restaurant a few days earlier. Granted I didn't recognise her in the slightest but it was a strange coincidence nonetheless.
Will boycotting Carrefour and KFC send any kind of proper message to anyone other than CEOs and shareholders of the above corporations? Having spoken about this very issue yesterday, this article provoked a bit further thought on my part. Nationalism is a powerful force particularly when a country feels that they have been slighted by another country/countries. In this century alone we've seen the Americans react strongly on a national level to (unequivocally) a tragedy. Now we're seeing it again with China. Though this is not quite on the same scale as the first example, the end result is much the same - people are incredibly upset, people are making wild assertions based on zero evidence and diplomacy between the countries involved is icy.
It's a complex issue because as Westerners we believe our media is a far more reliable source than one directly controlled by the government in a country where everything from blogs to YouTube is censored. So we have a situation where one party feels that they know the truth (and I happen to be a member of that camp) and another party who have total faith in their government and have been raised on an edited historical record since birth. Therefore, to them, that history stands as truth. As Westerners we question our media, often obsessively and this is where blogs have actually become an integral and powerful part of the media dialogue in our countries. Obviously, that's a dangerous thing when you are trying to control the media outright. Just makes you wonder how widespread this all is. It was only recently that a Singaporean politician warned of the possible advent of rampant anti-Western sentiment in China because of these torch protests.
Having lived in Shanghai for a period, is it just me who thinks it's odd that a country which has very little in the way of wheelchair access and facilities for the disabled is currently hailing a disabled athlete as a national hero?
And yes, obviously I think it's a disgrace that protesters would attack someone that is disabled.
Will boycotting Carrefour and KFC send any kind of proper message to anyone other than CEOs and shareholders of the above corporations? Having spoken about this very issue yesterday, this article provoked a bit further thought on my part. Nationalism is a powerful force particularly when a country feels that they have been slighted by another country/countries. In this century alone we've seen the Americans react strongly on a national level to (unequivocally) a tragedy. Now we're seeing it again with China. Though this is not quite on the same scale as the first example, the end result is much the same - people are incredibly upset, people are making wild assertions based on zero evidence and diplomacy between the countries involved is icy.
It's a complex issue because as Westerners we believe our media is a far more reliable source than one directly controlled by the government in a country where everything from blogs to YouTube is censored. So we have a situation where one party feels that they know the truth (and I happen to be a member of that camp) and another party who have total faith in their government and have been raised on an edited historical record since birth. Therefore, to them, that history stands as truth. As Westerners we question our media, often obsessively and this is where blogs have actually become an integral and powerful part of the media dialogue in our countries. Obviously, that's a dangerous thing when you are trying to control the media outright. Just makes you wonder how widespread this all is. It was only recently that a Singaporean politician warned of the possible advent of rampant anti-Western sentiment in China because of these torch protests.
Having lived in Shanghai for a period, is it just me who thinks it's odd that a country which has very little in the way of wheelchair access and facilities for the disabled is currently hailing a disabled athlete as a national hero?
And yes, obviously I think it's a disgrace that protesters would attack someone that is disabled.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Advance Australia Fair
As someone who waited many years for Little John to leave office it's stunning to see that he still can't keep his white-bred conservative right mouth shut. As a Prime Minister who sent his country to war against the will of the people it's just vomit-inducing to watch him still banging the same old drum which promotes hate and division in a country that is built (for my generation) on the foundations of multiculturalism and tolerance. I shouldn't even blog about him but I thought he would fade into utter obscurity and here we are less than 6 months later and he's still spewing his particular brand of generation 1880 wickedness.
The issue of generation is not worth total dismissal. Howard maintained power for 12 years for two reason : 1) He appealed to the older generation who generally vote in far higher numbers than their younger counterparts and 2) He kept the economy at an all-time high. While credit for the economic state of Australia cannot be placed elsewhere, one only needs to look at economic history to see that the country, and the world for that matter, were about due an economic recession. Given that he threw his lot behind a country headed for the economic grave it's no surprise that the new government has had to employ tactics such as raised interest rates to keep things in balance. Had his own regime maintained power the result would have been the same, so taking potshots at the new governments handling of the economy is an easy target aimed at people who have no knowledge or education regarding economics.
Grrrr... yes, he makes me damn angry.
The issue of generation is not worth total dismissal. Howard maintained power for 12 years for two reason : 1) He appealed to the older generation who generally vote in far higher numbers than their younger counterparts and 2) He kept the economy at an all-time high. While credit for the economic state of Australia cannot be placed elsewhere, one only needs to look at economic history to see that the country, and the world for that matter, were about due an economic recession. Given that he threw his lot behind a country headed for the economic grave it's no surprise that the new government has had to employ tactics such as raised interest rates to keep things in balance. Had his own regime maintained power the result would have been the same, so taking potshots at the new governments handling of the economy is an easy target aimed at people who have no knowledge or education regarding economics.
Grrrr... yes, he makes me damn angry.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Way to blow the games
One can only imagine how furious the Chinese government are about this particular hostage situation just a few months shy of the Olympic games, where presumably many of the visitors to the games would be planning to see the Terracotta Warriors as part of their trip.
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