Chuwa said:

a group of 60-84 is on a cycling trip around Singapore (140km). This is a great demonstration that cycling produce fit people.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "great to see more blogs about cycling this day. Good to see bicycle is gaining ground here. It good for the cyclist, obviously. It's also good for the drivers- if some people switch from car to bicycle, there will be more road space for the rest of drivers ;-)"

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Hear Ye! Hear Ye! said:

Reading what Law Minister K Shanmugam is proposing for our education system, the alarm bells went off in my head. He’s proposing to educate Singapore students about politics, and while he has added a disclaimer that he is not in favour of championing a political system over another, it seems to me that ultimately, the aim is to influence students to think that the liberal democracy practised in Europe and America is not applicable to a city-state such as Singapore.

Recommended by at82: "The Law Minister wants to peddle propaganda to kids just when I thought they can't get any lower.... "

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Yaevlejunce said:

Remember how LKY said he will send in the army if there ever is a "freak election" and the PAP is voted out of Parliament? In every other country, when the people vote out the ruling party, it is called a mandate. It is only in Singapore that such a vote is called a "freak election". Also, whose Army is it anyway? Is it the Army of the people of Singapore - who have just voted out the PAP? Or is it the Army of the PAP?

I list here ten out of the many other reasons why I am unable to vote for the PAP:

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Author lists 10 reasons why he cannot vote for the PAP. A worthy read."

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fireopal said:

iting his words "You not happy, fight lar!" and he posed in an extremely aggressive manner, almost wanting to hit me from that distance.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "This is the way our law enforcers are behaving!

What will happen next?
"

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Singapore Part Time Jobs documented how not being able to get a part time job led to creating a job portal especially for part-time, contract or temporary jobs in Singapore

Let’s face it, the economy has been bad and projects have been scarce. However, the challenge is not to get worried and overwhelmed. I caught myself whining away when I couldn’t get a part-time job but I really got tired of my rants and complaints. Then I had a Eureka moment and thought “Instead of looking for a part-time job, why don’t I use my skills to create an easy-to-use part time job site for Singaporeans” :)

The goal is to become Singapore’s top part time job site. A lofty one but I know its totally achievable.

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Angry AngMo said:

Obviously I am not Singaporean, which means I am not able to share heartwarming and patriotic moments with you, like singing the National anthem with 25.000 other people, or feeling overwhelming joy about the free “Funpacks”.

Instead I can show you how a foreigner sees and feels about these 2 hours filled with interesting but weird elements, that got me and my buddy asking more then once “Why the hell would you do that!?”

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Angry foreigner criticizes the NDP... at his peril."

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Loh and Behold said:

Are you proud to be Singaporean?

Why?

Shouldn’t you just be proud of actual accomplishments?

Is being Singaporean a skill?

I can never understand it when people say “I’m proud to be Singaporean.”

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Gets to the heart of the pros and cons of patriotism."

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Hri Kumar said:

We then come to the group which poses the real difficulty: children who are willing to support their parents, but say that they cannot afford to. There are of course such genuine cases. But there are unfortunately also some who say they cannot afford it, but what they really mean is that maintaining their parents is not high on their list of priorities. So, we have recently read in the newspapers of people who say they cannot pay the nursing home charges for their parents, but can nonetheless afford cars. Should Singaporeans be subsidising this group?

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "The age-old conflict about old age: can we legislate for filial piety? Should society care for those old folks whose old children cannot be bothered?"

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Bryan's Angels said:

Surprisingly, Kacy learned this specific behavior within a short time frame of 2 days. That’s a big contrast with the lengthy training sessions I had with Kiki. I ought to praise my little Kacy for the wonderful effort. Well done! Kacy.

Hope everyone had enjoyed watching the video! Stay tune on the blog for the next amazing parrot trick from Kacy!

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Real PARROTS okay! This Bryan guy has three parrots and he keeps a blog documenting how he trains them and stuff. Very interesting read!"

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fireopal said:

Sometime in the middle of the night the family noticed that she would sit alone in the kitchen or living room and seem to be talking to somebody. At time the rest of the family members heard a voice sounds like a man spoken from her mouth, but they were not certain with what they heard and suspected that she might have come in contact with some “dirty things”.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Real life exorcism video!!! It does not happen it the movies only! Wonder if the infamous Novena exorcism was the same"

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Hri Kumar said:

My suggestion in Parliament last week to allow the PM to appoint Ministers from outside the pool of MPs has attracted support, criticism and speculation.

Some people speculated I was putting forward the suggestion on someone else's instructions. That is not how things work. No one tells me what to say or vets my speeches. The first time the leaders knew of my speech was when they heard me in Parliament.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "PAP MP puts forward case for unelected cabinet ministers."

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Democracy Video Challenge said:

A video made by Singaporean is being selected as the finalist representing the East Asia Pacific Region in a competition being organized by the American Government. The job is simple, "Create a short video to complete the phrase "Democracy is..." Over 900 videos from 95 countries are submitted and after going through 2 rounds of judging, the video is now one of the Top 18 finalists.

Recommended by padderay: "Let's lend our support to our fellow singaporeans and vote for their video!"

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LAWRENCE LOH KIAH MUAN said:

In February 2001, my older son died in a naval accident whilst serving National Service. In that year, my younger son was due for enlistment. A friend, a very active grassroots member, suggested that I approach my MP, for help in exploring the possibility of getting an exemption for my younger son. I was reluctant but he went ahead to fix an appointment for me at the Meet-The-People Session (MPS). I subsequently relented and he accompanied me there. It was in March 2001. That was my first appearance at a MPS, and it was to be my last.

I waited until midnight before I could meet the MP. Prior to this, he was given the case paper which detailed the objective of the meeting and the circumstances of my case.

When I entered the room, his first remark was “Yes, what can I do for you?”. There was no attempt at offering a word of sympathy or condolence. I then related my situation and said that both my wife and I were very traumatised.

His next remark “What traumatic, after two months, you won’t be traumatic?”. With that, I decided to end the meeting. And with that, my respect for him hit ground zero. I was too stunned and grief-stricken to react. Someone who was less-controlled and less-measured than me could have flown into a rage and become violent.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Sigh. The state of elitism in Singapore."

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TOC said:

Mr Kenneth Jeyaretnam, the scion of the late politician J.B. Jeyaretnam, has joined and been co-opted into the CEC of the Reform Party. In an interview with The Online Citizen (TOC), the younger Mr Jeyaretnam, an economist by training, expressed his wish that the Reform Party would field him as a candidate in the next general elections.

Recommended by at82: "Who says there is no credible people joining the opposition?"

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Kuzzuk said:

Since, I live in Singapore MySpace was probably trying to personalize my experience but instead ended up frustrating me.

Repeat After Me “Singapore Is Not In China”

If the knuckleheads at MySpace had done a little bit of research (like reading the Wikipedia entry), they would have known that English is the main language used in Singapore.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Non-Chinese blogger rant about MySpace. Perils of too much personalization!"

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Reuters said:

Singapore's gross domestic product, or the value of all goods and services produced, is set to shrink 4.9 percent in 2009, according to the median forecast of the Reuters quarterly poll.

In contrast, Southeast Asia's biggest economy, Indonesia, is poised to expand by 4.0 percent this year, and 5.1 percent in 2010.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Remind me again, how much are we paying our PAP ministers?"

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Alvinology said:

I am not going to type too much text as I am very tired… really need to get more rest. Nonetheless, I am anxious to share with everyone the photos I took at the Singapore Entertainment Awards 2009 Celebration Party, so here goes.

I was stationed at the artistes’ holding tent just beside the stage - meaning I have excellent access to the red carpet, the stage and even backstage with the celebrities. However, as I have to work also, I can only sneak in a few pictures here and there.

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "Big event over the weekend at the Marina Bay Floating Platform, attended by over 10,000 people. Singapore seldom host such big Chinese entertainment events and this one was held at the floating platform which previously only hosted the NDP. A behind-the-scene look by someone who was working at the event."

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Balderdash said:

A friend sent me a copy of the contract MOE made him/her sign. While some of the (presumably non-exhaustive list of) examples are pretty standard, 2 in particular stand out:

"Examples of Misconduct or Offences

8. Speaking disparagingly of the Government
14. Immoral behaviour"

The problems with the latter are not hard to see (e.g. definition, enforcement etc), so I will dwell on the former, which is eminently unenforceable, as presumably even going: "Aiyoh, Public Transport Council approved a public transport fare hike again! They just want to earn the bus companies profits" could get you a written reprimand, verbal or written warning or worse.

More worryingly, it is pointedly partisan.

Recommended by at82: "Why is MOE politicizing in our schools?"

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UPI said:

By day, a third-year economics major who wants to be known only as Lynn attends classes at the National University of Singapore, usually clad in a simple getup of jeans and a tank top.

But at night, while most other undergraduates are asleep, Lynn trades her casual wear for a wardrobe of resplendent dresses and works as a social escort, a job scorned and labeled distasteful by most. From 8 p.m. to about 4 a.m. she entertains male clients by attending functions with them, indulging them in a drink and chat, or by providing what she called “discreet services.”

“It’s not exactly the most glamorous of jobs,” Lynn said. “I’m keeping it from my parents and most friends. But what to do? I have to eat my meals and pay my bills.”

Recommended by at82: "The signs of time..."

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International Herald Tribune said:

Few people in Singapore know that one village still survives, hidden in trees 180 meters, or 650 feet, from a highway. "Even if I want to show my children how I was brought up, I can't show them," said Ho Why Hong, 50, a taxi driver, as he searched for Kampong Buangkok. "Everything is torn down."

Recommended by Anonymous Coward: "First Seletar, next Buangkok?

Seems like the human soul and Mother Nature really mean nothing to Singapore in the context of money and "development"."

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