This software suck!

Flexerasoftware's Installshield

Reply from their offline activation

I am glad to assist you in activating your Flexera Software product. Our records show that you have already activated your product.

Once InstallShield is installed and activated, you must uninstall it to free the license. Once you have done so, you can install and activate InstallShield on another machine. We suggest that you follow the below-given procedures for uninstalling your product...

I am just using the bloody software at work and it prompted me to reactivate. I wonder whose problem is this! idiots!

USD$100 and not SGD$100

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1035794/1/.html

so it is USD$100 and not SGD$100.
current exchange rate makes it $140++ getting more and more expensive.

Some may claim that it is a typo error but after 2 days and nobody discovered? lolx.

Note : Confirmation after RWS opened on 1st day of CNY, it is SGD$100.

My vote counts: 10 reasons why I cannot vote for the PAP in the next election.

An insightful commentary actually.

Credits to the original write, I will not reproduce in full.
Do read the full article at the author's site.

http://yaevlejunce.wordpress.com/2009/12/12/my-vote-counts-10-reasons-why-i-cannot-vote-for-the-pap-in-the-next-election/

Article on Facebook

1. I will not render unto Caesar what is not Caesar’s
2. Incompetence
3. Double standards
4. Blatant lies
5. Operation Coldstore and the 1963 General Elections
6. Lim Chin Siong
7. Singaporean students need to learn a fair and accurate history in school
8. Traumatic MP-experiences and MPs who fear death by The Chair
9. Money. Of course it’s all about money.
10. What Singapore needs is change

Life Transformers 心晴大动员

Last Monday, it is the last epsiode of Life Transformers 心晴大动员.

Well, basically 10 familes are chosen by the production team to help them change their life by sprucing up their homes and assisting them in whatever they can. They will have only 1 day to clean up the house, make changes etc as it will affect their living and sleeping conditions for the day. Or simply, it cannot drag too long as the the volunteers too have their own lives to live and they have spent 2 days on helping.

It has certainly open up many people's eyes that there are people who live in extreme conditions despite being under a roof.

While we should carry on the good work started by them, perhaps we should at how the public services are helping them. As we have a lack of volunteers and social workers, I do not expect the government, town councils etc to be able to help all but just the 9 families shown are perhaps the extreme and why are they not picked up by the social services?

Do we need to have such a show to really open up the relevant eyes? Perhaps, after the show is being shown, buzzers are then being pressed to help those who fell in the extreme ends?

Nonetheless, I hope those families featured on the show will be able to keep up their spirits and hopefully with the improvement of their homes, their lives will only start to get better.

Some information on the show.

Life Transformers 心晴大动员

Quan Yi Fong 权怡凤 , Christopher Lee 李铭顺

Programme Objective

-To promote the need to show Care, Share and Love to those in need by offering all forms of help and assistance.

-To reveal the less-fortunate groups in the communities, especially those living in poverty and poor living conditions and the less educated. The programme creates chances / platforms to help the needy in various ways other than financial aids.

Proud Owner of a Samsung Omnia i900

Took the plunge and bought a Samsung Omnia.
Used to swear off Samsung phones but somehow unable to resist it.

This is also my first PDA phone~!

Below is a pic but my phone is white instead of black as it is out of stock.


Due to dear's special plan, we have to go down to Singtel Comcenter to sign up the plan and buy a phone. Long queue as lots of people are buying phones, mostly iphone though.

Service was bad as the CSO did not bother to ask whether I wanted white or black nor does not inform me that black is sold out. Next the system is actually quite poor as any mistakes means that the CSO has to refill everything, inclusive basic stuff.

I noted that the plan should have free voicemail which the CSO forgets to put in and he actually dares to rebutt that voicemail needs to be cancelled after 2 years since we need to pay for it.

Poor service.......

Sense of Home

This show comes shortly after the news that ever increasing Singaporeans are migrating out of Singapore to overseas.

The show, synopsis below, is simply propaganda from the government trying to psycho citizens not to emigrate. Those who had left probably will never come back. Those who wanted to leave will not be swayed. Those who are on the fence, there is still a chance to hold them back.

If the state of the country is desirable, citizens will not harbour the thoughts of leaving. Push and Pull factors, guess the push factors are becoming more and heavier in weight.

Home – and the definition of home – is a universal theme that everyone grapples with at some point or other of their lives. Is home where we come from? Is home where our family lives? Or is home really just a state of mind or an emotion?

The theme of Home is especially relevant to a Singapore audience – a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic country evolved from migrant communities that has, in recent years, seen an emigration (and immigration) of talent and manpower.

The debate rages on: have Singaporeans abroad abandoned their roots? Are Singapore residents from other parts of the world, who call Singapore home, the next generation of Singaporean talent?

Sense of Home is an anthology series about Singaporeans who are abroad – living, working, traveling…or simply lost. There are four stories which are connected by the central theme of Home, and what it means to each of the characters, although each story may convey this idea from a different perspective or aspect.

Sense of Home will be the first English drama series that will be entirely filmed abroad, and shot on HD. The four episodes will be filmed in Hungary, New Zealand, Cambodia and China.

Source: http://www.mediacorptv.sg/en/buzzdetail/EDC080430-0000007

Cast: Rui En, Fiona Xie, Edmund Chen, Andrea De Cruz, Hady Mirza

Has she becomes a Singaporean already or treat Singapore as a working place?

After like 13 years, Lee Jia Wei still can sprout this sort of nonsense.

So Singapore is not her homeground? not her home? After so many years, she still cannot speak English properly.


English translation : I am a Beijinger


English translation : and also a Chinese (not the race but as a citizen of China)


English translation : I hope that on my home soil


English translation : I can win a medal.

Beijing Olympics 2008 Opening Ceremony

Li Jiawei dragging the national flag on the floor.
Enough said. Disgrace to the nation!

Other nations have the pride to hoist it up, high and straight, she was simply more happy to wave and instead trying to keep it upright, keeping the flag off the ground etc.



SINGAPORE ARMS AND FLAG AND
NATIONAL ANTHEM ACT
(CHAPTER 296)

...........PART III
USE AND DISPLAY OF FLAG
Respect for Flag
4.—(1) No person shall treat the Flag with disrespect.
(2) No person in possession of the Flag shall allow or cause
the Flag to touch the floor or ground, even when lowering the
Flag from a staff or flagpole.........

‘‘(2) Any person who knowingly —
(a) does any act in relation to the Flag in
contravention of any of the provisions of rule 5,
6, 7, 9 (1), (2), (3) or (4) or 10 (1); or
(b) contravenes rule 8 or 9 (6) in relation to the Flag,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on
conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000.’’;

Responsibilty

*This is SO TRUE............. hahaha....... make sure to read the last
part..... very funny but good comparisons...... hats off to the person who
wrote this.*


*Mr Wong says so....

There are several simple reasons why many Singaporean employers are
reluctant to give their maids a day off.*

*You see, if the maid runs away, the government will fine the employer
$5,000. If the maid commits a crime such as shoplifting, the government will
fine the employer $5,000.*

*If the maid is caught having sex with someone, the government will fine the
employer $5,000. If the maid gets pregnant, the government will also fine
the employer $5,000.*

**

*If you didn't know any of the above, then either you do not employ a maid,
or you didn't read the small print of the Manpower Ministry's work permit
conditions.*

*Many employers are afraid that if their maid has a day off and gets into
trouble, the employer will not only have to solve the trouble, but also have
to fork out $5,000 as a free gift to the government.*

**

*Intuitively, this smacks of gross unfairness. The employer gets punished
not for something he did, but for something that somebody else (the maid)
did. Furthermore, once the maid leaves the employer's residence, the
employer has no way of monitoring where the maid goes and what she does
there.*

**

*We may draw a curious parallel with Mas Selamat's escape, and PM Lee's
determined defence of Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng in
Parliament. *

*Mas Selamat ran away. But PM Lee said that Wong Kan Seng was not at fault
and should not be punished in any way. *

**

*The reason being that Wong Kan Seng personally did not do anything which
allowed Mas Selamat to escape.*

*Strangely, if your maid runs away, it IS your fault and you SHOULD be
punished. Even if you did not personally do anything to let her run away
(apart from giving her a day off).*

**

*Similarly, if your maid becomes pregnant, it IS your fault and you SHOULD
be punished. Even if you did not personally do anything to make her
pregnant.*

**

*Oh well. What can I say? Maids are not terrorists. But then you are not
Wong Kan Seng. So the rules remain stacked against you. Wong Kan Seng gets
off lightly, but you won't. Even if his lapse has far greater, and graver,
implications than yours.*

**

*Your runaway maid wouldn't blow up Changi Airport , would she?*

Inflation and food prices going up

As expected, food prices and inflation will follow with it.

It has been a long issue with either a 50km ban or foreign cars pumping at unsubsidised rate at Malaysia, it has finally comes to this. Fuel subsidy to be withdrawn, affecting both Malaysians and foreigners.

The higher fuel price means it costs more to transport food, etc to Singapore. The higher transportation costs mean the goods, mainly food, will increase. News has reported that vegetables and poultry have already increase by a small amount.

With the Malaysia government set to remove all subsidies within a short period, the price will continue to escalate.

Well done.

Rising costs!

Just to show how much living costs have increase
From Business Times article.

Rising costs

Education

June

Some NUS course fees up by average of 14 per cent

Utilities

July

Electricity tariffs up by almost 9 per cent for Jul to Sep

September

Electricity tariffs up by average of 0.86 cents per kilowatt-hour for Oct to Dec

December

Electricity tariffs to go up by nearly 6 per cent per kilowatt-hour in January this year, the highest increase since 2001

Housing

July

Resale price index for HDB flats up 2.9 per cent from three months before HDB rents at 10-year high

September

As at end-September, HDB resale price index up by about 11 per cent since start of year

October

Private home prices up 8.3 per cent between Jul and Sep to highest level in 10 years

November

Annual values of HDB flats to be raised in Jan 2008, meaning property taxes (4 per cent of annual values of owner-occupied homes) will rise

Annual values to increase by average of 18 per cent for four-room and executive flats, 20 per cent for one-, two- and five-room flats, 25 per cent for three-room flats

Transport

July

Vehicle owners who park in CBD pay 20 per cent more than last year in monthly season parking charges

February

ERP rates at CTE, PIE & ECP up by 50 cents

April

Petrol and diesel prices up by 10 cents a litre

July
Pump prices up by 2 cents a litre days after a 2 per cent point GST hike sent petrol and diesel prices up by 0.23 to 0.33 cents a litre

August

ERP rates for cars passing Orchard Road, YMCA and Fort Canning Tunnel gantries up 50 cents

October

Adult EZ-Link bus fares up by 1 to 2 cents

Petrol and diesel price up 3 to 5 cents a litre

November

ERP rates up. New gantries built

Petrol and diesel price up to five cents, pushing all but one grade of petrol above $2 mark

December

Taxi fare hike

Health

January

NUH's A&E fees up from $70 to $80

February

Private fees for specialist outpatient clinics at SGH up by $5

KKH raises private fees for specialist outpatient clinics and ward treatment fees for all patients. Estimated impact on bill size is 0.2 per cent to 4.3 per cent

April

SGH's C-class patients pay $1 more. Those in B2 wards pay $3 more

May

Subsidised patients at four public hospitals pay $24 or $25 for visit to specialist clinic, up from about $21

NUH's ward charges for B2 & C-class wards up by $2

Polyclinic consultation fees for adults, which used to be standard $8, now $8 to $8.80. $4 to $4.50 for elderly and young children, up from $4

July

CGH's A&E fee up by $10, daily treatment fee for B2 and C-class wards up by $1, daily ward charge for B2 wards up by $1

Food

June

Prices of milk up, according to Case survey. Price of condensed milk up by 10 to 50 cents, 15 to 47 cents for evaporated milk, 10 to 55 cents for four brands of fresh milk

Two price hikes for Malaysian eggs in one week, bringing total increase to 1 cent per egg

October

Fresh chicken prices up by 30 to 90 cents per kg

Flour prices up 30 per cent

November

Over 100 bakeries to raise bread prices by up to 20 per cent after jump in flour prices

Noodle prices up 20 to 30 per cent

Others

July
GST hike from 5 per cent to 7 per cent

Hike of 1.5 to 1.8 per cent for Nets transactions

27 Workers will be injured today

Nice attention grabbing headlines I must say. It is almost like cursing people that they will be injured today. It should be an average 27 workers got injured daily. Straits Times is becoming an attention whore, like a tabloid. Perhaps it does deserve its ranking in press freedom. Ranked 141 on Reporters without borders. Ranked 154 on Freedom House.

YOG 2010. Boom or Bane?

Singapore has won the bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010. But is this a boom or bane?

Let's look back at various high profile events held recently and perhaps we can have a glimpse of what is going to happen.

Just about a year and a half back, the IMF annual meeting was held in Singapore, several controversies happened, such as lack of transports, conflicts with the World Banks over the entry of activists. A news link here. Suntec City and Marina Square were pretty empty with sales dropping despite promotions and sales. CNA report here.
While claiming to be an economical boost to tourism, retail business during this period etc, it proves to be otherwise. End of the day, it still have to depends on the locals. See here. Also road closures put pressure on nearby traffic and affects the MRT, in general the whole public transport system is affected.

Next up is the F1 Grand Prix Singapore leg. Ticketing system is unable to cope with the high demand and basically you cannot buy tickets or wait a long long time to get your tickets. News source here. An apology was issue but made to locals only. The huge demand should be predicted and handled better but it seems like either complacency or not enough planning leads to a very basic and fundamental error.

Security issue is another moot point here. Current hottest news is the escape of one very special detainee, Mas Selamat Kastari, the leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah. A manhunt is underway and more than 24 hours have gone by and no signs of him. He escaped during a family visit by requesting a toilet visit and, presto, he is gone.

Can Singapore really able to host the YOG 2010 effectively? Will traffic comes to a standstill again? Will there really be economic benefits as the participants are youths? Adults during IMF meeting do not really spend that much, how about the teenagers etc? Their guardians?
Cost of infrastructure, to be borne by taxpayers who do not have much to gain from it?
With just one event, the ticketing agent screws it up so with multiple events, are they able to handle it? Sistic? They can screw up for Jay Chou's concert so screwing up so many events are highly possible.
Security? With this high profile security risk, it is more attractive to unfavorable attentions elsewhere. As this is an inaugural event, it will certainly attract more unwanted attention.

To me, as an ordinary citizen, there is no benefits at all. Cost of infrastructure will probably be passed down to the man-on-the-street, it wun benefit my company so you can forget about the bonus. Traffic gridlock will probably spoils weekend plans and daily commuting will spend more time. Seems like a lot of the students are being brain-washed into thinking - YOG 2010 = increased tourism = better economy = every1 earns more money. Naive thinking.

Rising Costs..

Got this from a colleague. will try to add links etc if possible.

Seems like my colleague got it from the blog, theonlinecitizen.

It will be better to refer to this particular post as they constantly updates it and with sources.

Private Blog? As long it is on the internet, it is in the public view!

Some posts worth reading with regards to the latest controversy.

The first thread here

Another thread on it here

Follow up by dad here

Political apathy?

Elections may be over but several political blogs are still active which I feel is a good thing. During the Election period, political blogs are ‘banned’ to prevent people from influencing others to vote for certain political parties. The blogs I seen so far are pretty fair as they generally report on the political scene and with a balanced tone. Some may tend to be fairly leaning towards some side but I feel that this is a freedom of expression rather than any influencing.

I feel that discerning people will realized that the media tends to have a certain bias so through Internet, there is a wider exposure to what is not covered by the media and hence make a better discerning choice.

Without further ado, here are the blogs which I believed a lot of people recognized it already.

http://www.yawningbread.org/

http://singaporeelection.blogspot.com/

http://sgrally.blogspot.com/

Idiot Driver

I met my fair share of lousy drivers so far and yesterday I met one of the lamest and lousiest driver in Singapore.

Please note that following story comes with a 6 demerit points and $150 fine with it. Do remember that if you chalked up 4 similar offences within 2 years, it is sayonara to your driving lesson. The offence is failing to give way to pedestrian at pedestrian crossing.

I just alighted from the bus and was crossing the zebra crossing. A stupid SUV has just previously move and stopped just before the markings and so I started to cross the zebra crossing. The next thing I know is that the SUV drove pass in front of me when I am on the crossing. I was infuriated and bang my hand on the window. The driver stopped the car after the crossing and wind down his window. I shouted angrily to him that he has just drove pass a zebra crossing with pedestrians on it. His reason, the gap has become wider and he feel that it is large enough for him to cross. I replied angrily that he should give way and not crossed the crossing even if it is wide enough. He then shakes his head and waves his hand at me which I reacted by shouting back that I will call the Traffic Police and report him to it. Just that I am hungry and a bit lazy to report to Traffic Police and I did not note down his car license plate. Next time, the next driver will not be so lucky!

I hereby like all Singapore drivers to note that it is a TRAFFIC OFFENCE NOT TO GIVE WAY TO PEDESTRIANS ON A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING. The result is a 6 points demerit on your nice license and also your wallet will be lighter by 3 crispy $50 notes, a $150 fine. Save time? Save your money and your license instead.

Sidenote : to see more horrible drivers, look at these parking idiots!

Courtesy at MRT!

Had a bad time this morning at the MRT.

I was walking towards the ‘turnstile’ with my card in hand and a guy just in front of me. He managed to not tap his card on the reader or bother to check his card was detected successfully. I was too close enough to release it last minute and tap my card on the reader for him. For him, coz the gate does not open, reached back and tap his card successfully. However, the gate only opened once for him to pass.

Hence I went to the station control to resolve the solution. However, a middle aged lady who is on my right side was having difficulties taping her card successfully also went to the station control. I was there first but she threw her card at the counter and then placed her card on the reader. I was pissed off and said loudly to her, “Do you know how to queue or not?”. She apologized to me but I was still unhappy. It was so obvious that I was in front and she threw her card down like a dog to claim her territory.

This is so typical of Singaporeans!

The rude rich

This was reported in Singapore news and I did not managed to catch it since it is broadcasted on a weekend.

Was outraged by rude rich driver. Illegal parking on double yellow line is actually a common practise though it indicates no parking and waiting at all times. However, this dumb driver brings the art of illegal parking to a new high by parking at the bend.

1 hour has passed but the driver has yet to come out and claim his car. What was the most sad part was that instead of an immediate summon for traffic offence, the traffic police has no choice but to issue a summon after no signs of the driver coming out soon.

My personal opinion was that such an incident should warrant immediate towing of the offending car away, slapped with a heavy fine for parking on double yellow line and traffic obstruction. Throw in some demerit points also. However, alas, nothing was done to that effect.

The video clip is here. Only for those who understand Mandarin

Good and Bad Experience found in the same restaurant

Renn Thai Restaurant in Suntec City

A and I went to Renn Thai last night for dinner. We decide to give the restaurant a try as the food seems nice and prices are reasonable.

The food is indeed good as it tastes quite good and value for money. Environment is not bad and a bit cozy. This is the good experience encountered in a new restaurant.

The bad side? Be prepared to wait up to at least 40 minutes for your food. Yes. 40 minutes. You must be thinking that I probably waited for 10-30 minutes outside the restaurant queueing inclusive. Sorry, this is totally wrong! The restaurant was half full and most of the customers are already served. A and I only ordered 2 main dishes and 2 drinks but it still took an amazing 40 minutes for them to serve a main dish and 10 minutes later to serve the other dish. Halfway through my meal, I decide to order the mango salad first which I forgot to order earlier on. 20 minutes after it, both A and I finished our meals already and the wait for a mango salad took so long, we decide to cancel the order and leave.

You maybe thinking why I rant on for so much while I only listed the good side of it. Hey, the food is the only redeeming factor here. This is a restaurant which has its main branch in Ngee Ann City and is located at Suntec City. Such poor service is not exactly tolerated. We spent 1.5 hr in the restaurant, just to have a 10 minute meal. This is absurd.

Please do not patronise this restaurant unless it is near empty or you are not hungry yet. then again, why are you in a restaurant if you are not hungry?