National Service Singapore Style

My friend once told me that once a scar is implanted, it will wear off, but it will never go away. If that is the case, the scars earned by the people in National Service in Singapore will stay with them forever.

Scars of being made to run more than 2.4km to pass the stamina test, scars of being hit when you are punished for your wrong-doings, scars of being shot or to feel like you have been hit by your enemy. ANd it is those scars that made these people who they are. Furthermore, with reservice that ensures all ex-NS comes back for regular training on their skills and endurance, there is no way the male citizens cannot maintain their stamina and strength once they graduate from NS. It is so strict that if they fail any of the test, they will have to reservice every fortnight until they pass. If there is one thing Singaporeans can excel in, it is in maintenance. So, no excuse for that extra cheese and hamburger even after NS. Poor guys.

I pondered the conversation I had with an ex-NS goer saying that the one thing he will never forget from NS were the days when he got punished for raising the national flag at 3am in the morning with his slippers on. It is with this type of punishments that made them harder and sturdier. Beneath the meterosexual looks of the male species here, these people have gone through enough hardships & struggle to handle the terrains of the jungle as well as the city. And we, Malaysians complain we don't have enough shopping centers. Should we not complain we do not have enough forest reserves to keep fit and train our strength & endurance? Do you even know how long you can last if you are thrown into a deserted island with no essentials?

So, despite the time wasted to go through NS, it is indeed a fruitful experience for most. Makes one wonder if Malaysia should make it a compulsory to the guys. Let the gals stay home and be pretty :)

Business & Work Singapore Style

Life' a Bitch. And I do not mean it literally. It really is a bitch here and to survie, u gotta be a bitch. U gotta be strong, nimble and fast.

Many a times, I thought I did a good job, but people would still bitch. Cos why? It is their favorite past time here. Too nice and u get stepped all over. Too bitchy, and everyone else bitch about you.

Why does everyone talks business or work around here? Cos that is all there is in their mind, to the point of making friends. Every discussion leads to a business deal, every point made leads to making money, every meet up leads to opportunities. People are boring but interesting at the same time. There is no talk, only action.....breathless alr?

In Malaysia, you can still afford to walk leisurely and talk emptily to your friends, but in nah, not here in Singapore. At least not for me. Just to even catch up with their latest technology leaves me breathless and that is how this country became so advanced.

Well, I am still enjoying it so far as it gives me that extra challenge and kick. But I have to learn hard to be a bitch. ANd the best part is I gotta do it alone. People are nice here but when you need to compete among one another, being nice is only on the facade. So, I learnt independence. I learnt strength. And most important of all, I learnt power. One day, all this will culminate into something bigger and more meaningful, something loving and peaceful. And I am going to use it as the most powerful weapon of all.

While getting a deal for content management with a business owner who wants me to write for her to update her website and to tap into new branding strategies, I speak to her as a friend with smiles all around. As we went along the conversation, she started to say how bitchy she will turn into if I do not get my things done. She even stressed how she enjoys being a bitch. So, as her client, I agreed to follow her timeline as I for one pride on delivering results too. Her sweet demeanour belies her bitchy attitude, or is it just a facade she puts on to succeed in this rough, competitive country? I believe it is just a facade. She can't possibly be that bitchy. SHe must have had it tough to learn to not be stepped on by others. But I do not blame her, else she could not have gotten her award as the Spirit of Enterprise (a prestigious award to honour successful entrepreneurs and SME owners in Singapore).

So, here I am dealing with this bitchy world of the unknown. How exciting :)

Sex Singapore Style

News 1: A young student slept with her bf since the age of 15 and contracted AIDS. He would be the first and last man she sleeps with. But who is there to blame when she consented to sleep with him at such an early age in the first place?

News 2: Tammy's video of having sex with her bf in the dorm of her university was distributed all over the world. So, what is her reputation now as a student from an established university?

News 3: Zoe Tay just announced to the whole world on the front page of a newspaper that she swallows. What! Yes, according to her, the act of swallowing helps her complexion. As we read the inside pages of the newspaper, only then we realise she was talking abt swallowing some pills she was endorsing. But is this an acceptable joke in Singapore?

Just the other day, I went to an old railway track with my friend just to view the scenery from someplace different and guess what we saw. Fresh condoms with its packets lying openly on the tracks. While staring into the beautiful skies, another couple came up, the girl wearing tube top with a nice tatoo on her hips, the guy in a nice white shirt. When they saw us there, they looked ard to see if there was someplace else they can hide. After a few minutes, they went down, disappointed with the fact that they could not have sex in a place they thought would not have any inhabitants. Sorry guys to spoil your fun. You could have had it in front of us. Hehe!

No matter how awkward and degrading it may sound, this type of jokes are just the tip of the iceberg for more to come. The sexual appetite here is getting stronger by the day. Why else would the girls here dress so skimpily with only bones to hold on to their latest Escada dress and LV handbag. Why else would Sg bloggers blog just to show off their skinny bodies with perk tits and heavily mascaraed eyelashes. Why else would girls so easily get picked up in clubs like Velvet, and it is not the guys who are doing all the job. The girls just need to bat their long, fake eyelashes or flash their sparkling smile to start the ball rolling before the guys make the move and slap their polished buxoms. Why would there be more people interested in swinging their partners in hotels and clubs. People are getting more open, more Westernised. Just look at how openly couples are having sex with one another, exchanging partners with strangers and some even demanding Causasions. It is fun and liberating it seems. Covers of magazines present girls in the skimpiest outfit and voluptous boobs on the slimmest waistline. And I am not only talking about male & female magazine. Every magazine racks reeks of SEX!

So, I do not doubt that with more development, there comes more libreation, to break free from the traditional mould, and to break open the cages of manlihood. Singapore is indeed heading there.

Sign the Petition at ONE.org

How can you make a difference? Right now, my voice is soft but one day my voice will be louder. One seems like a very small and insignificant number but used collectively it can turn into a very powerful tool and weapon. Weapon of spreading love and peace, tool of reducing poverty and disease. And this is what I have done today by signing to be part of ONE.org.

Even though this is a U.S. based campaign, there is no harm that we as human continue to support endeavors for human rights like this. Wouldn’t you want your own campaigns to be supported just as effectively by people all over the world? I wish I could start a one.org Asia version. It would be my greatest contribution to fighting poverty from Asians, allowing Asians to have a stronger voice in contributing and to not let the Western countries take the limeline all the time.

Imagine the celebrities I can assign to endorse this: Amber Chia, top model from Malaysia, Fann Wong, squeeky clean actress/singer from Singapore, Zoe Tay, retired Singapore top model and VJ, Asha Gill, Malaysia’s top ChannelV VJ, Gurmit Singh, famous Singapore actor in Phua Chu Kang, Jeff Ooi, Jay Chou, top Taiwanese singer, Sammi Cheng, top Hong Kong singer/actress, and many many more. If the celebrities in US can gather to give one voice each, why can’t us Asians do the same?

So, go ahead and be a part of ONE. Sign the petition at http://one.viewpoint.com. ONE by ONE, we can make the difference.

Singapore National Day Parade 2006 at Project:Senso

From as early as 6pm, helicopters aligned the clear blue skies of Singapore, flying meters above the National Stadium. Being the last time the National Day parade is going to be held in the National Stadium, this year National Day promises to be a grand one with 3 sessions of fireworks over a period of 3 days. The national flag was proudly flown, billowing in the wind, its red and white streaks reminiscent of a war won and a country developed after various bloodbaths.

Guests started streaming in as early as 5.30pm, bringing various food like otak-otak, fried noodle, fried rice, curry puff, roast chicken, roast pork, satay and so many more. The projector was set up early to project the National Day parade event onto the big screen which was then blocked various times due to the packed crowd in the balcony of the Penthouse of Sim Lim Tower. As people came in with friends, more exchange of cards and personal experiences ensued. The Project:Senso team were fortunate to have Miss Valerie Lim, a fellow nominee of the Spirit of Enterprise(2005) coming in early to help set up the event. This is followed by other entrepreneurs and other SOE nominees like Mr Peter Tan, Sylvia Tan, Sandra Neo and Mr Keith Kee, the president of NVCA joining in the event to add a touch of glamour and professionalism to the event. Other friends of friends, students from NUS Entrepreneur Society (NES), representatives from SGEntrepreneur.com and StartUp@Singapore also joined to network and mingle with people from various industries and professions.

The fireworks left an indelible mark in everyone. Short it may be but the fireworks were beautiful enough to garner enough attention from the hungry crowd who stopped eating just to get a clearer view of the fireworks. The only disappointment was that all of us wished the fireworks could have lasted longer or spanned a few sessions.

The food was in abundance and even after 10pm, there were so much leftover. All in all, everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves, made lots of professional contacts, exchange lots of information including personal contact details ;), drank lots of wine and ate lots of food. Check out the photos here. The Project:Senso team are glad that the event prove fruitful to many and gave them the opportunity to mingle and have fun. More to come in the coming months. Stay tuned!