Friday, April 20, 2012

Lately in Singapore

Folks,

This is the week when I get really really sick of exercising and eating healthy. I did good today. Went for my jog even though I did not want to. It felt really good when I found myself shuffling past a large young man. I know I run slow. But this young man was even slower. The look on his face as I "flew" past him was rather satisfying.


This is also the week when I stupidly give myself food rewards for being good. So I made myself a luncheon meat sandwich. I'm not one of those people who live to eat. I don't really like food and rarely find anything so heavenly I would travel a distance just to eat at a particular restaurant. I often hear people say the chicken rice at so-and-so coffee shop is really good. Really? It's that good? It's chicken rice you know? Tell you the truth. I don't really like chicken rice. It's oily rice with oily chicken. But Singaporeans seem to like it.

What I do enjoy is a luncheon meat sandwich made by me. I pan fry the luncheon meat without using any oil and I use wholemeal bread. And absolutely no lettuce. That would kill it. I noticed that the longer I withhold luncheon meat from my diet, the tastier it is. So you could say I had a pretty good lunch today.

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Do you remember I wrote about the major train shutdown in late December last year here? Well, the 6-week inquiry into the shutdown started this week. I had been following the inquiry reported in the papers with interest. In the end, I realised that it all came down to : Whose fault is it? Is it the train operator's fault which means the problem lies in the maintenance of the train system. Or is it the product itself which means the problem lies in the government agency which built it. I believe it will boil down to who has the better lawyer.

Funnily, while the inquiry was going on, the trains continue to have mini breakdowns. Nothing island-wide. Nonetheless it feels bad. Like the train system is in danger of collapsing.

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Anyone in Singapore thinking of buying a car instead of relying on the trains and buses will have a big headache. The COE (certificate of entitlement) for April 2012 for cars (1600 cc and above) crossed $90k. If you don't know this. In Singapore you need to bid for a COE (a piece of paper) which is essentially the right to buy a car and this COE is only worth a good 10 years. So if I pay $91,000 for April's COE, I still need to fork out more cash for the selling price of the car! A little more than a decade ago, hubs bought a car (under 1600 cc) which cost a little under $90,000 and that was including the COE. In today's market, the COE alone for April for a similar make is $64,201. We sold the car because it was too expensive to maintain. A really expensive purchase if you ask me. A lot of money went to the interest incurred on the car loan.

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Singapore has also been riveted by another court case. A grand total of 48 men were charged in court for using the services of a underage prostitute. (She was under 18)  Interestingly, this court case brought to light that prostitution is legal in Singapore. Really? I was brought up to believe it was illegal. I scrutinised the names of the men to see if I knew anyone. Nope. 

photo credit: new paper

2 of the men charged were a primary school principal, Lee Lip Hong (above) and a secondary school teacher. Ew right? Imagine these 2 men who lusted after young girls being authoritative figures in a school your kids are in. I can't imagine how the parents and the students of the schools feel.

Because the underage prostitute (now of age) is also a student, this case sparked quite a lively discussion in my home. My kids very surprisingly were sympathetic to the men who were charged. Hmm... what does that say about my parenting? I'm quite unsympathetic to the men. First of all, if you want to pick young prostitutes, by choosing an 18 year old, you have to know you are taking a risk by not demanding a check of her ID. I do have a vast understanding of the law based on years of watching Law and Order, Law and Order SVU, Law and Order Criminal Intent. ;) And my understanding of the law is this. You can't break the law and plead ignorance. You can't break the law and say, oh, she said she's 18. She didn't look under 18. Because she doesn't break any law when she does that. Just you.

Most of the men charged are claiming trial. I think the ones to benefit from this are the lawyers for the defenders.

☺☺☺☺

 Hope you're having a good week.


3 comments:

Suzee said...

Reading your blog is like reading the national news lol I even read it out loud to my hubs..hehe
But yes that is so gross about the men.
As I was reading your blog post about your healthy eating and jogging and giving yourself a treat, I was treating myself to TWO Crispy Creme donuts lol oops. I've had a bad week so that was my big treat! But I think you are doing great with your exercising!

Forest Flame Millinery said...

I am 'pervertly' pleased that the girl's identity, photo and even secondary school class photo are posted in forum, blogs...etc. I even heard of guys talking of her looks in the MRT train. But because of the court's gag order, I won't risk revealing her identity. I have no sympathy for them, it takes 2 hands to clap.

Chris H said...

I'm glad you felt good running.
do you put anything on your bread besides the meat... like say butter or margarine?
The chicken rice sounds a bit ikky.
I have been know to drive a long way for a really good meal.
I love my food obviously! lol
I hope the train situation never crashes, so many people rely on it in Singapore.
My brother used to say to own a car in Singapore meant you were mega rich, cos only the rich could afford them.
As for the men hiring an underage prostitute... they deserve what they get in relation to court. And the girl should be charged as well for being an underage prostitute! Even if the men did not know she was underage, SHE did.

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