How Transient Life Is

My cousin just passed away 2 days ago, 270805. He was 30. Apparently he'd been suffering from heart failure since Dec 04 but his family didn't want us to know.

My cousin was a private person and I didn't know him well. He was overweight but his illness was unexpected and sudden. In fact, as in most cases of unexpected death, it still hasn't sunk in for all of us. I will be going for the funeral at Mandai Crematorium this afternoon. This all just brings into focus how transient life is.

You never know when your time will be up, so make sure you live a happy life. I think I'm going to spend some money now...

Marriage Sucks

It is true that marriage is an almost no-win situation for men in Singapore. The Women's Charter is too strong here. At best, the man gets lucky and marries a good woman. At worst...

I have always felt that marriage is bad. It changes things. Couples become complacent after marriage and things go to hell. Worse, marriage leads to children. They distract the woman, put stress on both and generally contribute to marital breakdown. Bottomline is, a man has nothing to gain from getting married. Unless he wants to have children, which (in any case) is not such a good idea in Singapore these days.

When the time comes to exit, the man faces the hurdles of 'division of matrimonial assets', 'custody' and 'maintenance'. That's enough to make some of them think twice. You can be quite sure that those who do proceed, really want out.

As to the matter of infidelity, marriage is just 'a piece of paper'. It's not going to make any difference if the relationship is broken, or if the man is not upright. What's important is the love (corny, I know) between the couple, and the strength of the man's character. Of course, women stray too, and for the same reasons.

So, there is much to recommend cohabitation. It keeps both parties on their toes, never taking things for granted. There's no hassle if things fall apart. Having said that, it only works when the man is honourable (which is rather rare). Ultimately, you can't blame women for playing the marriage game. Only the stupid men who play along.

Rockson An Agent?

I'm back. Been on reservist doing my Advanced Trauma Life Support (passed) and Psychological Trauma Management Course (also passed). Prepared like heck for it but didn't do so well on the practical test. Usual mental block nonsense.

Been reading Rockson's blog again, and I'm more and more certain that he's actually a gahmen plant. How likely is it that he was there when Chee and friends were 'protesting'? And as somebody pointed out, the first link on his blog is to Young PAP. Any alarm bells ringing yet? He's a good writer, no doubt, but it's getting a bit too convenient. Watch your comments on his blog, people.

Pimp My Ride

This is a pic of how my car looks in Forza Motorsport... sweet! I wouldn't dare to paint it like that in real life, though. :)

Musings on the Presidential Elections

That's me.

Looks like Kuan's presidential boat is dead in the water... or is it? Personally, I wasn't impressed when I first heard about him. I didn't think he'd prevail over the incumbent. It could be that the gahmen wants to give the proletariat a taste of democracy, so they will give him his COE. But they want to make sure that the right man wins. Thus the media broadside on Kuan. If the people want a contest, we'll give them one. Too bad Harbans isn't around anymore. He would have made an ideal candidate.

I was thinking about the possible scenarios if there were a few applicants (myself included), none of whom were technically qualified.
1. The gahmen follows the rule-book and declares a walk-over.
2. The gahmen decides to give the people an election (not much of a holiday for most of the slackers out there):
a. They choose the best candidate and give him a COE. That would be moi. Fat chance of that since I'd pose a real threat. Having said that, I would officially promise to give 90% of my salary (after taxes and official presidential expenses) to the Community Chest (not NKF, duh).
b. They choose the guy with the least credibility, someone like Chee. No contest.
c. They let everyone run. Again, no contest.
I think 2b would be the most likely scenario. 2b or not 2b...

On the topic of Chee, that man is so lacking in credibility, I wonder why the gahmen even bothers to respond with so much force to his antics. Such an over-reaction does not speak well of the authorities and reinforces the people's impression that they are heavy-handed (to put it mildly).

I don't think I've slandered anyone so far, not even Chee. And even though no one will read this, I post it with some trepidation...

Race and Crime in USA

Just read an interesting article about crime statistics in USA. It just confirms what everyone knows but what most Americans are too politically correct to admit - that Blacks commit far more crime than whites. They've removed the page. Thank God I don't live is USA, and God bless America (they sure need it). :)

Ivan For Prez

I just read in Business Times yesterday that the President of Singapore was paid $2.37 Million last year. Holy cow. I'd love a job like that. Just shaking hands and kissing babies.

When I told my Mom that I should be allowed to run for election, she said "Are you mad?" I replied, "No, I'm furious!" :)

Aside from the fact that I don't meet the technical requirements (sigh), I think I'm eminently qualified.

1. I'm sociable and friendly (good to have in a President)
2. I'm not the proud look-down-my-nose-at-everyone-else type, I treat everyone equally politely.
3. I don't look like Quasimodo (no blowing of horns here)
4. I'm a good and responsible person (I know that sounds lame, but it's an important point)

I could probably think of a few more plus-points, but it would just be an academic exercise in futility. If I could ever qualify to run, I'd be running against a thousand other hopefuls. That would hugely dilute the votes of opposition. No, to stand a chance, there must only be one challenger. I just wish someone really worthy would step forward, someone like Rockson. :)

Digital Camera and My Car

Finally decided to buy a digital camera. The Olympus Camedia C370 Zoom. Just about the cheapest branded camera with optical zoom around. Mind you, I think a 2 megapixel camera is sufficient (the C370 is 3MP) but those bastard camera manufacturers just want to keep their prices high. Now I don't have to wait for 2MP handphones to drop in price. In fact, I don't need to get another handphone for some time.

Anyhow, here are pics of my car. :) Nothing fancy, just a decent large saloon.

LTA Car Cost

I just remembered something that all car owners and especially prospective car buyers should know. The LTA compiles monthly figures showing how much cars REALLY cost. It shows you the actual cost of the car including COE. It also shows you the dealer's price. Dealer's profit is a simple subtraction. It's really eye opening and a must read if you're planning to buy a car. If you happen read this post, please help to spread the word. Here's the link: LTA Car Cost.

Night ERP

I have long felt that it was only a matter of time before 'they' implemented night ERP. Ever since 'they' announced their goal of enabling car ownership and moving towards a tax on usage.

With more COEs comes falling car prices, and congestion. This is good for aspiring car owners, but bad for existing owners and the rich. These days, certain places are no-go areas, especially on weekends. Of course, if things get really bad, you can expect to see ERP spread to nights and weekends in the city.

Afterall, what's a few dollars to a person whose time is worth $200 an hour? Fortunately for me, I hardly drive into town, and never on a weekend.

One of my favourite pastimes (which I hardly have the time for) is to sit by a heavily jammed road and admire the nice cars and their fuming drivers inch past.