Elsewhere in the world, one is a celebrity when one has a talent, i.e. acting, singing, cooking, running a country etc.
However, the concept of 'celebrities' in Singapore is rather warped.
It is defined by whether one appears on Channels 5 & 8. =_=

'Celebrities' are controlled by the local media.
And these 'celebrities' do not have to be talented at all.

The persistence of this phenomenon, I think, is a reflection of the immaturity of the local audience.
Because if the audience doesn't keep coming back for more, the local media cannot keep repeating the same formula.
...............................

Sometimes I think it's strange that there are no 'celebrity public servants'. I'm not talking about ministers here. Politicians are different from Public Servants.

I think grooming celebrities within the public service will (1) provide a 'face' to the Public Service, and (2) help to 'soften' its image, because as of now, I suspect people, in general, assume all public servants look one kind, and are one kind.

Lemme prove it to you...

Random Person (RP): Hello... My name is XXX.
BM: Hi... My name is BM. *sticks out hand*
Random Person (RP): So... BM... What do you do for a living?
BM: I'm in the Public Service.
Random Person (RP): Huh? You are a Public Servant?
BM: Yeah lah... Why? I dun look like one meh?
RP: Yeah... You look like the private sector type.
BM: =_= Why?
RP: Coz you are too outspoken. *Then points at me, my clothes and sometimes, the alcohol on the table. last time... probably the cig in my fingers*
BM: HAR?? Public Servants cannot be outspoken meh? And Public Servants must always wear the same few blue shirts and dark pants har? AHAHAHAHHAHAAH!!!
RP: You are more Private Sector lah...
BM: =_= Dun look like Public Servant, then must mean look like Private Sector.

Judging from such conversations, regardless of whether they take place in a pub, club, at dinner etc, one can tell that people think there is a typical 'Public Servant', who dresses, talks and probably thinks in a certain fixed (usually boring) way.
Then everything else = Private Sector.

When did this artificial line between the Public and Private Sectors form?

And BM certainly does not fit the Public Servant bill properly.
=_=

You know what?
Sometimes I think even people in the Service think I do not fit the bill well either.

So hor... There is only 1 conclusion to be made, the Public Servant image and the concept of 'Public Service' have become reified.

And I think this presents (Pun totally intended) a problem.
Because out of tens/hundred of thousands of public servants, I'm sure they cannot all be the same, right?!

Instead of doing the same exhibitions, task forces etc...
I'm very sure we find a handful of interesting Public Servant characters who can stir up the interest of the Public.

Read more here.

Remember this entry?

The pic was taken some time ago.

I was wondering... before emails + home access were invented, did the average worker work so much during after office hours?
Perhaps back then, the workaholic worker would go back to the office to finish up.

I think technology has (1) increased the amount of work each person handles, (2) increased the speed of which work can be disseminated and, (3) also allow the worker the flexibility of distributing it throughout the day.

However, because the increase work load and rate of dissemination, the worker has to learn to multi-task even more than before.

Fundamentally, I do not believe that in general there is a 'maximum' capacity of the human brain, i.e. up to Point X, the brain cannot any more work.
I believe the brain's capacity to multi-task is elastic, i.e. as long as one keeps training oneself to do more at the same time, one will be able to do more ultimately.

Having said that, people have different brain elasticities, i.e. someone can stretch themselves to multi-task more than others.
And this is a combination of (1) Will and (2) (Pardon me for the lack of a better word...) Intelligence.
I think 'Will' has to come first. Because it affects attitude.

In any case, in this entire process and era of 'more work', 'faster work' and 'work anytime', one has no choice but to try to keep up.
And sometimes, the mind is willing but the flesh is weak.

Hence the various forms of help have to be (1) easily obtained, and (2) minimum or no preparation required.
And most importantly, if these cures appear to have a few thousand years worth of credibility for the modern man to place his faith in, he will buy it!

I found him on the Cold Storage Rack leh...



MINDEF is really quite open-minded about this.

I wonder how many papers they had to put up to get this guy on the cover of Men's Health?!

In any case... A commendable effort!!

Next time, maybe the DHL man will be on the cover as well. To show they are very strong also mah!!

(This would be an entry written about 2 weeks ago. =_=)
.....................................

I went to the Tiffin Club for lunch because a colleague made me. =)))

He knows Michelle Saram, i.e. the co-owner of the Tiffin Club.

Located at this really weird corner of Jiak Chuan Street, you can miss it so easily. Why would anyone start a restaurant there?

Because my colleague was lousy at explaining, I found out online that the Tiffin Club provides lunch in a tingkat at SGD15 per head. I guess the business model doesn't depend on walk-ins that much.



And the food is rather ang moh, coz you have stuff like cous cous.
If I'm not wrong, the place is converted into a pub in the evenings.

I think it's a wonderful idea to have yuppie food sent to my home every evening. Then no need to think of where to go for dinner.
However, the thought of having to commit to pre-ordered dinners is a little... well... uncomfortable for commitment phobic modern characters like me!! =)))

I'll stick to McDees.

Btw, someone should start a directory of online goods & services in Singapore. It'll be very useful.

NO ONE CAN STOP ME FROM BLOGGING!!

RRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!

During this period of silence, some people have volunteered to (1) design a blog for me, and (2) provide free hosting and domain name.
Firstly, I must thank these people for their support! REALLY... =)
Secondly, I must say regardless of the fact that Blogger has unlocked me, I am thinking of moving my blog elsewhere.
Will follow up with these offers.
.................................

Ok, folks...
Time for a real entry....


Bet you must have heard about the ban on skinny models in Europe.

And after reading Walter's entry on Stephanie Sun and her Rice, I suspect this skinny ban will take ages to get to this part of the 1st world.

Coincidentally, I saw in the news that more and more school children have developed eating disorders. Someone who looked like a doctor from IMH said that depriving oneself of food will result in shrinking of brain.
Will become stupid one leh!!

That explains it!!
Back when I was modeling, I used to live on soup only.
And as crazy as it sounds, I felt a warped sense of achievement to be able to survive on the barest of consumption.
At times, I would not even drink water before shoots. And some shoots can last for more than 10 hours in a row.

KNN...

You just cannot be thin enough in photos!
You just cannot be thin enough on the catwalk!
Your face is just not chiseled enough.
Your waist is just not small enough.

You hate your tummy.
You hate your arms.
You hate your ass.

You pinch the fats and hope real hard that they will go away.
Sometimes you get so frustrated, you wish you are dead.

A famous quote from an anorexic:


Didn't help that it was during the WAIF era. =_=

Anyway, the breaking point came when I realised that I couldn't read the newspaper properly. Neither could I focus my attention on anything.
I was short-tempered (even more than usual =P) and crazy.

That was definitely my wake-up call.

But hor... I suspect many girls will rather become stupid, than 'not beautiful', i.e. not thin. Probably because somehow they derive meaning from the attention from both the males and jealous/envying females.

Why they need the attention is obviously something irrational and cannot be explained. I think the popular explanation of low self-esteem only explains this phenomenon halfway.

This desperation for attention is so real and unforgiving that some girls are even willing to make themselves 'UGLY' just to get attention.
If you know what I mean.
......................

Coming back to Thin = Beautiful

Sigh... Such is the curse of civilisation.

Back when food was limited, being 'bak bak' (fleshy) was a rarity and therefore beautiful.

And now, we have too much to eat, and so, being super skinny is a rarity and therefore beautiful.

Why like that?!!

Listen to my RSI interview podcasts while I go have dinner with 'Good Fren'. Must eat then got strength to blog mah!!!

Interview - Part 1
Interview - Part 2

Lots to blog about!!
RRRROOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!
YIPPEE!!! =))))

(This is NOT my pool. It's just a nice pic of a pool.)

You know how condominium marketing always either feature good-looking people or funky cartoon people splashing around in the pool?

The other day, I looked at the pool in my apartment and found a couple cavorting in it.

.............................

While we are at it, I was thinking about the impact of ads on people's values. Particularly about ads, because you probably see more ads than say movies, series etc.

Usually, when they cast people, the age of the models and the characters is totally screwed up.

Say it's an ad for a condominium.
The pitch is that the condominium is close to town, the units are large enough for a
full-sized' family (these days, they usually feature 2 kids, instead of 3), and the facilities are attractive and comprehensive.

SCENE 1
Successful female executive working hard in the office. Then hops into shiny car and gets home in a jiffy, i.e. the distance between Wheelock to Ngee Ann City.

Words flash across the screen: Stone's throw from CBD.

SCENE 2
She drives into the condo with lush green, running waters and her 2 happy children playing in the water (without supervision, of course). She opens her arms and her children run to her happily! Husband (usually Eurasian to appeal to Expats coz foreigners can buy condominiums) will appear out of nowhere in the background to demonstrate the complete family.

Words flash across the screen: Give your loved ones a home full of joy and laughter.

SCENE 3
She relaxes in a jacuzzi pool somewhere with a hibiscus flower tucked above her left ear (probably plucked from the hibiscus bush just beside the pool) and a slight smile on her face with closed eyes, and a glass of refreshing what-looks-like tea (probably alcoholic) just by the pool. Husband appears in the background again.

Alternatively, Husband could be giving the wife a comfy massage, but that may demonstrate a lack of facilities in the condo, or suggest that the condo comes with a handsome Eurasian husband with a tan and 6-packs. Oh well...

Words flash across the screen: The Monkeyville, where the modern woman rears her children and keeps her man. where Home is always relaxed.
Now open for booking.

And so, using today's norms and the fact that she has 2 kids, a car, a career and a condo, you'd reckon this 'mother' should at least be in her mid 30s. But in actual fact, they got a chick in her early 20s to play the role coz the pool scene requires the model to be wearing a bikini in an appealing manner.

The difference in age? At least 1 decade.

For the role of husband, the age difference is usually not so wide. I guess woman age faster or something.
............................

In any case, if the freaking condo is so big and the family has 2 children, WHERE'S THE MAID?!!

=)))

btw, remember the RSI interview?
PART 1 will be aired tomorrow night, 8.45pm on 93.8.

PART 2 will be aired same time, the next Friday.

=))

sometimes it just makes you wonder what exactly is the point of explaining. because (1) nobody is listening, and (2) nobody understands fully.

maybe it's the rain. maybe it's the wine i had last night.
i dunno.

sometimes things happen without you screwing it up.
it just happens.
like birds shitting on you while you are cross the road and minding your own business.
and like it or not, you have to clean it up.
...............................................

AHHHHH..... FUCK IT.

Just do it and move on.

If you remember, so many people gave me advice on where to go for facial.

And when this guy cannot shit, so many people gave him advice as well. And some of the advice given... erm... a little warped, can?

Nonetheless, I think we are cute lah!!
Makes me smile.
We are such kampong people.

My Happy Days with 'Good Fren' have ended because his friend, Jason, bought him 'Gears of War'.



.....................................
The 'Gears of War' episode is really hilarious.
Jason dropped me an email saying that he had wanted to buy 'Good Fren' a gift for being such a good friend for so many years. So he asked me whether 'Good Fren' had 'Gears of War'. I was like... erm... Ok... I need to check. Is it a PSP or Xbox game?! HAAHHAHAHAAH!!

Anyway, I tried to be smooth about it when asking 'Good Fren'.

BM: Erm... Baby ah?
GF: Yah?
BM: Have you heard of 'Gears of War'?
GF: Yes...
BM: I heard it's a good game... Is it good?
GF: I heard it's quite good.
BM: *getting to the crucial bit* You mean you don't have the game?
GF: No...
BM: Orh ok...

I thought I was smooth about it lah!!!
=_=

Then hor... I is stupid...
Coz GF accidentally saw his friend's email to me coz we share the same PC at home, and I LEFT THE EMAIL ON THE ACTIVE PAGE!!

Win oredi... =_=

Had to send an apology sms to Jason for botching his surprise.
.................

Here you can see Jason and 'Good Fren' having loads of excitement.



EH?!!!
What's Tiger doing in Jason's arms?!!

TRAITOR!!!

=_=

我又初恋了 ～ 五月天
作曲:怪兽 作词:阿信

每一次从爱里离开 就像是心被切一块
切一块 下次再也不敢放胆爱

谁知道主歌才一半 桥段都还没唱出来
就突然 你的出现爆破了悲哀

难道我又我又初恋了 不可能我又我又初恋了
可是真的真的初恋了 这一种feel 我又真的真的初恋了

我爱你你爱我 我们再也找不到藉口
就像是第一次 一起飞著爱情的自由

我爱你你爱我 我们再也不需要藉口
又一次初恋了 就算降讲有一点荒谬 谁在乎喔

我吃了铁牛运功散 因为我内伤好犀利
好犀利 你的魔力真的好犀利
。。。。。。。。。

好像是写给香港人的哦！

摩托车日记也不错。

为爱而生 sucks big time.

I bought my mother, 2 aunts, 1 uncle, 1 cousin and 1 cousin-in-law some dinner on Saturday evening at Metropole Herbal (Clarke Quay).

Haven't seen my mother for 2 months.
The food was served, and I was about to take a bite when my mother asked:


=_=

My mother thinks I take pictures of all my food.

=_=

And she reads my blog everyday.

One of my aunts reads my blog too.

Retirees have time to burn.
..............................

After dinner, the cousin couple went off, while the older folks squeezed into my tiny car to come over for tea.
That's when the nagging started.

UH OH OREDI...

The 3 sisters (with a total age of more than 160 years and 8 children) took turns to highlight the wonders of motherhood. My aunt even proclaimed that my mother would take care of the baby from Monday to Friday, and we could 'book out' the baby on weekends.

Erm... Okaaaaaaaay...

I tried to say something like I would like to go do a Masters abroad in the next couple of years. This time, my mother volunteered to take care of the kid. And to sweeten the deal, she threw in care of Blinky and Tiger.

Erm... Win oredi...

They make it seem so damn easy. Hassle-Free Parenthood.
I'm only in-charge of the 1st 9 months. (They totally ignored my suggestion of getting a surrogate.)
They'll take care of the rest.
Government will give baby bonus.
I hope it comes with 30-day money back guarantee, and life-time guarantee as well.

My uncle sat in a corner, watching the hustling.
Out of the blue, he said something like:


Words of Wisdom. I shall remember them well.

I'm currently obsessed with Moroccan Mint Tea.
Still a little hungover my lemongrass obsession (which I use for cooking and tea), but the flavour of the month is Moroccan Mint Tea!!!
I love the experience (specifically the smell and feel) of:

1. Putting the water to boil
2. Placing the teabag in the mug
3. Tearing up some mint leaves and throwing them in the mug
4. Adding hot water to the mug, and watching the hot water force the flavour out of the tea bag and mint leaves
5. And most importantly, sipping the cup of tea in front of the PC while blogging.
   

Ok, with the tea in place and blogging interface at action...
Time to tell the radio interview story.



Radio Singapore International (RSI) called up Blinkymummy to record an interview. So I went to Mediacorp on yesterday morning, albeit about 15 minutes late coz I had a hangover from the night before. =))))

Ok, I must be honest.
Before this, I thought there were only 2 Singaporean radio stations, i.e. 98.7 and 93.3. HAHAHAHA!!!
But like TV channels, magazines, books, tv series, blogs etc, i.e. any form of popular culture, there is always product differentiation according to tastes and... ahem... maturity of the audience.

So... RSI is not a Britney Spears type of station. They focus of regional/international political and social issues (hence the interview with bloggers coz blogging is the current wave of internet development).

RSI caters to a regional audience, instead of merely the Singaporean listener. I guess the fact that they are on the internet means that they can technically reach out to the world. That is, amidst a million other radio stations from all over the world. =)))
They are also available on shortwave.

HO HO HO...

Anyway, I was supposed to get to Mediacorp by 11am on Saturday, but at 10.50am, I was still at home, trying to sober up.

Managed to get to Mediacorp by 11.15am, got my pass changed and meet Joel for the 1st time in my life.
Joel is 23 years old and graduate from Temasek Polytechnic.
He brought me through the Mediacorp maze and down to the pits of the estate, where RSI operated from. Apparently, RSI is meant to serve as an emergency radio station as well. But if nobody has a shortwave receiver and no internet connection, I don't see how useful that is.


As you can see, the outfit is rather... erm... retro. =)))
Which is rather endearing...
Guess there is no need to spruce up the premises coz Mediacorp will be moving to Bukit Batok in about half a decade.

In general, this is what the studio looks like.
Oh... It's called a 'conty'.
Joel said it's another word for 'studio', but I could neither find it on Wikipedia, nor Dictionary. *shrugz*


There were some strange elements in the studio.
'Writings on the Wall'!!! =)))


And some cool stuff...


I LOVE THIS CLOCK!!!
And the apartment needs a clock too!!! *hint hint*

This is Joel, and the mike I was spitting into. =)))

And this is his work station...

I asked Joel a little about his job.
Like... So what do you do for a living? You get into the room and start talking to yourself for hours? Isn't that a little... erm... unhealthy?! =)))
I found out that it's actually rather outcome-driven, rather than process-driven, if you know what I mean.
Refreshing change... Perhaps I can be a Radio-DJ sometime... Do a late-night show on the weekends while keeping my day job.
I'll play all Mayday songs and talk about suicide and the depression in life. I think it will be rather popular. =)))

Back to the interview...
Joel asked me many many questions.
Why did I start blogging?
What don't I blog about?
How blogging has affected my life?
What is a good blog?
etc...

Because the interview got rather long (mainly because I talked a lot), they may break the interview into a 2-parter.
I still dunno when it will be aired. Joel will email me, and I will keep everyone else updated, ok?

=)))

Erm... Somehow... I have been/will be going to Clarke Quay a lot this week.

Went to Shiraz for dinner on Thu.
Went to Tapas Tree for dinner last night.
And will be going to Metropole Herbal for dinner tonight.

I must say... Clarke Quay has made an amazing recovery from its initial attempt. It just shows that the software (e.g. types and mix of activities (F&B, entertainment etc)) is just as important as the hardware (e.g. the form/critical mass of buildings).

Had dinner with Jeremy and his friend, Joanne, at Tapas Tree last night.
(Coincidentally, 'Good Fren' and I had beer with Mooiness at Tapas Tree in end-Dec 05.)
Jeremy said the last time I met up with him was at least 6 months ago.
REALLY MEH?!!

Here you see Jeremy trying to look skinnier for the camera. =_=


Tapas Tree is rather interesting because of the live music, but the service really sucks BIG TIME!!!
We order sangria, tapas and a paella to share.
The waiter warned us that the paella would take 40 minutes to prepare. We were like... FWAH... so authentic... ok lor... we'll wait... we have time.

Then... the paella never came.
Coz the waiter forgot to put in the order.
The second waiter told us if he was to put in our order for us, we would have to wait for another 40 minutes.


Blinkymummy was rather amazed by this guy about 2 tables away. Coz he's either blind/have ultra sensitive eyes to be wearing shades at 10pm, or very action.

After Tapas Trees, Jeremy's friend, Joanne, had to go meet a bunch of her friends at the Hedkandi Bar.


While Jeremy and I sneaked into the Moroccan bar for some Moroccan Mint Tea and relief from alcohol.
At least that was the plan, coz Jeremy ordered a beer anyway. =_=


People were sucking real hard on the hookahs and getting their nicotine fixes from the shisha. While I know it's a social activity, I find the communal-sharing element rather gross.

Has it been 6 months since we last met?
Much has happened.
The Martell still tastes the same, doesn't it?

Zouk Members has changed.
I guess I haven't been out for a long time.
I thought that corner of Members had a strange smell.
Like a stale smell.

For a moment I thought I could still smell the shisha.
Jeremy said it was the smoke machine in Zouk.
FWAH... A huge Hookah?!!

Met Jonathan aka my hairstylist at Members as well.
Ordered a tray of sour apple, but didn't wait for them to be finished before I left, coz I had to go home.
A combination of being physically and mentally tired, and 'Good Fren's activity had also ended around that time.

PLUS... There is no internet at Zouk. =)))

PLUS I had an interview with RSI this morning.
Of course, I was late for the interview coz it took me some effort to get out bed.

Will blog about the radio interview later.

I had a chat with 2 scholars yesterday afternoon.
We spoke of what's right and wrong with the system.
And inadvertently, we came to the question of "So, why are you still in the Service?"

It's rather clear for them.
They are 'bonded', and are neither pissed off enough, nor loaded enough to buy themselves out.

So hor...

WTF am I still in the Service?!!

I think hor...
The day I stop asking this question, is the day I shall leave the system.
..................................

Ok, I must take a break from asking such questions.

Had one of those "what are we having for dinner?" episodes this evening. And because the answer was "Anything", we ended up at Clarke Quay.
*shrugz*

Walked around a little and found Shiraz, a Persian joint.
(Of coz, I came home and wiki-ed 'Persia' lah!)


Anyway, the food is really quite tasty!!
If anything, the rice itself is fluffy and yummy on its own. =)))



Dun make me think anymore tonight!!
Just gimme another glass...

Thank you...

Ok... I've been reading a lot off Wikipedia.
I think I'm a Wikipedia addict.
And if the collective knowledge on Wikipedia will eventually lead to the end of the world, then I'm subscribing to the Doom. =)))

Last night, I was reading about the many many Greek Gods till about 2am.

Since Greek Mythology is rather violent, i.e. laced with murder, rape etc, the Greeks must have thought that such behaviour was acceptable.
If we were to write modern mythology to mirror the modern everyday life, the stories would not even get onto Wikipedia coz it would be about surfing the net, suing one another etc.

Back to my online adventures...
Lemme do a recap of my journey today...

1. This afternoon, I was directed to Penn and Teller on Youtube. My informant wanted us to watch Penn and Teller expose some magic tricks.
2. Then I saw another Penn and Teller vid on Circumcision, within which, I found the word 'Phimosis' in the comments, which I looked up on Wikipedia.
3. At the end of the 'Phimosis' entry, I found David Reimer, his tragic lifestory, and that ascribing gender may not be as straightforward as scientists and theorists like it to be.
   
4. Through David Reimer, I read about Winnipeg and Canada. I wonder if I will ever visit these places. They sound very faraway.
   
5. Then I read that Canada is the world's 2nd largest country in terms of area. And in the same table, I clicked on Korea.
6. From the Korea page, I read about South Korea, and finally got to the 'Chaebol' page when 'Good Fren' came back with some chicken rice after a game of billiards at about 11pm.

Sorry, I couldn't be bothered to link them.
You should try to take such online journeys as well.
You could learn something different.

Instead of watching shitty locally-produced programmes, like the one I tried to watch, with Zoe Tay, Lee Nan Xing, an ugly-fied Pan Ling Ling and some lousy young actors in it.
I think one can get dumb, if not dumber, by watching such bullshite.
And if I'm not wrong, this production is partially paid with public money.

I mean... when will Mediacorp get it?
Convincing acting doesn't mean crying a lot and shouting/screaming loudly on screen.

If you had unfortunately caught the Star Awards 2006, and saw the short clips which they would play before announcing the 'Best Actress', all the clips were of the female nominees in some crying moment.
Either quiet crying or worked-up crying.
With the exception of Ann Kok, of course.
Coz Ann Kok was worked up, crying and tore open her blouse in public, showing her nice breasts.
And WAH LAU EH... she didn't win Best Actress.
So much for the breast-flaunting.

I dun get it. Why didn't Ann Kok win Best Actress?!
At least it would have made some sense!

And now... Mediacorp wants your money, i.e. you can PAY for MOBTV, to download and watch Channel 5 and 8 programmes?!!
Which part of their market research suggests that this is, in fact, in demand?!
................................

Anyway, back to Wikipedia.
I love it.
I kept trying to imagine the people who are putting up stuff on Wikipedia. Like what they were thinking when they were putting up the stuff, arranging them, creating links, quoting from sources etc.
I love it!

Just like how I loved the Encyclopedia set I had as a kid.
I would read the volumes over and over again.

I was chatting with my friend on MSN when we realised that we both cooked for our partners on New Year's Eve.

We agreed that we liked to cook for our partners.
And for me...


You add water, stir it a little, wait a little, then you see the reaction. =)))

WOO HOO!!!
....................

Guess who was staring at the food?!!

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HEE HEE HEE...




Had one of 'Good Fren's friends over for dinner on New Year's Eve.

Currently working on the food preparation video.
Be patient... =)))