Monthly Archives: April 2009

Appalling Customer Service in Singapore

Singapore’s customer service rating slid to its lowest point in a world ranking in 2006. The World Economic Forum’s annual competitiveness survey placed Singapore at No. 26. We were behind six others in Asia: Japan (1), Hong Kong (4), South … Continue reading

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Bill Gates as a Kid

As a kid, Bill Gates was a royal pain in the ass; he was argumentative and stubborn and resisted his mother’s efforts to control him, often sparking a battle of wills. All those things that she had expected of him … Continue reading

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Goodbye, Tong Hai

I haven’t reached the age when I have to organize my social life around obituary ads but in the last couple of years quite a few of my friends and acquaintances have passed on. Last year it was Dr Seow … Continue reading

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Conned at Ngee Ann City

I was fucked by a fake fakir recently. I was browsing in Gramophone, Ngee Ann City yesterday morning when an Indian guy turned to me and introduced himself as “Lal, an astrology writer from London.” He claimed that he writes … Continue reading

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The 90/10 Rule

In the latest issue of TIME, actor Michael J Fox, who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease, was asked “How do you keep your optimism in the face of difficult circumstances?” His replied “I have no choice about whether or not … Continue reading

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Women Speaking Out

Dr Thio Siew Mien is a spunky 71-year-old lawyer. The first woman dean of the Law Faculty at the then-University of Singapore, from 1969 to 1971, she is also the mother of Nominated Member of Parliament Professor Thio Li-ann and … Continue reading

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A Global Day of Silence?

It’s such as in thing to talk about Earth Hour (started in Sydney in 2007) or Earth Day but those entire trend followers out there should look to the Balinese people and their celebration of Nyepi. Nyepi is a Balinese … Continue reading

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What an Asshole!

Last July a row erupted among residents of Laguna Park over whether the condominium should be sold en bloc. Lee Kok Leong, 62, former chairman of its management committee, who was a proponent of the sale, was caught on closed-circuit … Continue reading

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The Songkran Death Toll Index

Songkran is a happy time in Thailand but each year the Thai New Year celebration period is marred by TV’s “death toll index” showing the number of deaths on the road on a daily basis. This is often accompanied by … Continue reading

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Speedy Gonzales

What is a criminal’s rate of con? How fast can a con artist cheat someone? Prosecutors say Bernard Madoff was Ponzifying since the early 1980s, even the 1970s. By various estimates, he netted US$10 billion to US$20 billion (the US$65 … Continue reading

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