Month: August 2008
Money No Enough II Getai
The Money No Enough II Getai came to my neighborhood yesterday and I followed my parents to watch it. I can’t understand hokkien very well but I still went anyway just to immerse myself in the getai mood as it only comes once a year.
When we reached there, the getai, hosted by Wang Lei, was already teeming with people who were there early to chop a seat before the show even started.
Initially, I had quite a good vantage point, with a birds’ eye view of the whole stage.
However, my view was later obscured when three aunties decided to sit in front me. 
I assumed they were sisters because they had the same big hair. Same size same pattern some more.
I was annoyed with their hair (and I secretly wished they would kenna kutus) but it was still bearable because I could still catch glimpses of what’s going on on stage.
(Their big hair actually reminded me of Afro Ken…)
Unfortunately, it soon started to drizzle and the coco nathans at the front decided to open their umbrellas, obstructing our views totally…
Now even the three sisters’ views were blocked by the umbrellas so their head started bobbing up, down, left, right trying to find a ‘hole’ where they could peep through. At this point of time, I wish I could set fire to their hair…
I was muttering away under my breath, swearing at all these ‘un-automatic’ people.
Goddamnit!
It was people-mountain-people-sea and all the better spots have already been taken up by other people.
I was bored to tears because I can’t see anything and I couldn’t understand what they were talking about either! There were actually more talking than singing between Wang Lei and the singers. The people around me was getting restless because they started talking among themselves, almost drowning the sounds from the getai.
An Award for Dead Cockroach
It’s flattering to know that someone thinks so highly of my blog and appreciates the things I write. Afterall, I do put effort into every single post I write. I guess it’s a good boost to any blogger’s morale!
As promised, I have now placed this award on my blog and in keeping with the tradition of this award, I will now nominate seven blogs that I sincerely feel deserve it as well.
By the way, I read lots of great blogs out there and it was not easy to present this to only seven of them.
The next recipients of this award are:
Jolene
Jazzieea
DK
(Ok, I could only think of 4 names at the moment but I’ll fill up the list soon)
Now, for those who receive this award, there’s a little “reciprocal” rules that you must do. I didn’t make this rules, so it’s up to you to make a link back to me or not.
The award may be displayed on a winner’s blog. Add a link to the person who you received the award from.
Nominate up to seven other blogs. Then add their links to your blog.
Add a message to each person that you have passed the award on to in the comments section of their blog.
Congratulations!
The Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
It’s amazing how a few thousand years of ancient China history could be presented on a giant scroll where everything just unfolds from it naturally.
Photo via Gizmodo
Photo via Gizmodo
The next anticipated segment of the opening ceremony was the walking-in of the athletes. One gripe I had was why aren’t the athletes arranged to march into the stadium alphabetically according to their countries?
After a long wait, it was finally the Singapore Team‘s turn to march into the stadium.
What should have been a proud moment changed into an embarrassment instead when our national flag was being dragged across the ground like a dirty rag by the flag bearer, Li Jia Wei. It didn’t help that this scene was being broadcasted ‘live’ worldwide.
She has since come under fire from many patriotic netizens at the HWZ but who could blame them? This national disgrace just had to happen on the very eve of Singapore‘s 43rd Birthday!
Compare her smelly face above with Miss Nippon below…
Photo via HWZ
Ugly Singaporean ‘throw face’ in Tibet
这位新加坡人说： “ 我吃了三块牛肉，一块赔我一百人民币，三块赔三百。” 没办法，女服务员流着眼泪自己拿了三百块赔给他，在大家的注视下，他也心安理得的把钱放进袋里。然后还说，“ 幸好我没吃五块，不然你就要赔五百了。”
I happened to read this piece of embarrasing news from the Zaobao website.
A Singaporean tour group, where some of its’ members were Buddhists, were mistakenly served beef in a restaurant at Tibet. One of the tourists, an elderly man in his 60s, flew into a rage and overturned the dish on the table. He demanded the waitress to compensate him 100 RMB for each of the three pieces of meat that he has eaten.
According to this currency converter website, .
One of his fellow tour mates suggested donating the sum of money to charity but he refused, claiming that he rightfully ‘deserves’ the money. He even taunted the waitress by saying, “If I had eaten five pieces, you would have to pay me 500 RMB.”
I am utterly ashamed of him picking on the poor waitress. The restaurant may have been at fault for serving the wrong dish but surely it does not justify to extort the waitress of her wages?
How different is he from a ruffian? He is downright unreasonable!
As the saying goes, “ 酒肉穿肠过，佛祖心中坐 ”
Given the circumstances, I’m sure Buddha will forgive his sins if he has eaten the beef unknowingly but if he is really the devout Buddhist as he portrays himself to be, he should have been a total vegan instead. Why even eat meat at all?
I really cannot fathom how does being 300 RMB richer help cleanse his ‘tainted’ soul?
原本是餐馆的错，却因贪图那六十新元而搞得自己与国人臭名远播。难道他的名声就只值六十新元？ 值得吗？
那六十新元在新加坡人的眼中可能是微不足道的但对那女服务员来说可能是要养家糊口的啊！
The tour guide was so disgusted by the incident that he wrote about it in his blog (link). This uncle has thrown us Singaporeans into very bad light!
Corporal punishment may not neccesarily be bad
When I was in Primary Four, I was made to slap myself ten times in front of the whole class by my English teacher just because I couldn’t differentiate ‘GLASS’ from ‘GRASS’.
Needless to say, my self esteem was extremely hurt and I felt so miserable I almost cried out of shame.
I don’t blame my English teacher for it but the slapping incident actually drove me to strive better because I promised myself not to let the incident happen again.
I began reading more books and the newspapers to improve on my grammar and vocabulary until one day, my English teacher waved my exercise book excitedly in the air and announced to the whole class that I’ve gotten the highest marks for my composition!
(I still remembered one sentence in my compo which bowled over my English teacher was this: “it must be the doing of the sea serpent…” )
At that instance, I knew I have won back my pride and dignity. From then on, English became one of my better subjects in school which I continued to do well in even after I went on to secondary school.
Hence, I feel corporal punishment may not neccesarily be a bad thing. In fact, it helped me to overcome my poor command of the language.
Like the proverb says, “What does not kill you, makes you stronger!“
The Dead Cockroach 