not helping the cause

Just a few days ago, the Sunday Times had a review of a new book about queers in Singapore. Being observant as ever (and nosey), Oh noticed that the name of one of the contributors of the book looked suspiciously like someone from his college. The article even quoted him:

"The media has made gay life out to be full of debauchery - you sleep around, you go out, you drink," he said. But he and his partner "are not like that... We're a very sedate couple."

I totally agree that there is a very strong misconception that gays are very loose people who go around picking up one another for sex and all. And it does not help that our trashy tabloids like to associate them with drugs and crime just for the sake of sensationalism.

On further digging, I found this person's blog. He is indeed the guy from college! Kudos to him for coming out and being open about it. It takes plenty of courage indeed in a "conservative Asian" (whatever that means) nation like ours.

Then I read a post on his blog mentioning how he went walking around town looking to get "cruised". Not entirely sure what that means, I decided to check it up.

cruise (verb)
Slang.

1. To look in (a public area) for a sexual partner.
2. To seek out and make a sexual overture to.

And all his credibility gets thrown out of the window.

creepy!

Oh and his sidekick went fishing again yesterday. For only the second time, they caught something. But it wasn't exactly something they expected.

It looked like some creepy and slimy eel you see in Fear Factor! As the line was reeled in, the eel was struggling so violently it managed to tie itself up in knots. After a long struggle of over ten minutes, it finally went dead (even though a Malay guy insisted it was still alive).

Oh and his sidekick were so freaked out they didn't know what to do with it. Oh didn't even want to touch it with a ten-foot pole! Upon advice from some passers-by, they finally cut away the line and throw the thing onto the beach beneath. They were so traumatised by the incident they decided to pack up and go for dinner.

the big convergence

Just last week, Google launched its free citywide wireless network for its hometown of Mountain Town, CA. Earlier this year, it also won a bid to offer the same service for the whole of San Francisco.

Now, consider the following:

• Google offering free citywide wireless networks
• The Slingbox and P2P TV such as PPLive
  
• A Skype WiFi Phone
• Internet radio

What is the common significance?

All these little bits are falling in place with Oh’s big vision of the future. And what is this big vision? It’s the vision of a big convergence of technology. Since the arrival of the Internet, our lives have changed, and it has enabled us to do more and communicate better. But this is just the beginning.

Consider what we have right now. We surf the worldwide web on the Internet, call our friends on the phone networks, and get entertained watching television that runs on the cable network or listening to radio through the radio network. Slowly but surely, however, we are discovering that all these things can be accomplished solely via the ubiquitous and powerful Internet.

At the same time, broadband speeds are increasing steadily while prices to stay connected are going the other direction. It is only a matter of time before Internet service providers realize that charging for Internet connectivity is no longer a viable business avenue. Ambitious governments and companies in small countries and cities such as Singapore are already looking at providing free wireless coverage for entire regions, much like what Google is doing now. If I tell you that one day the whole world would become one big wireless zone, would you bet against it?

For the time being, that is the main thing that’s keeping us on these phone and radio networks. We want such services on the go, but currently the Internet is limited to certain places only. Think about it, by the time the world becomes one big wireless zone, would you still pay a monthly subscription fee to call your friends on the phone network? No way! The other area of concern would be quality of service – whether the Internet is capable of delivering at guaranteed levels of speed and clarity that we expect for such services. This shouldn’t be much of a problem given that the quality of internet telephony and video and audio streaming are very much at or reaching acceptable levels even as of today.

That is why the industries of service providers for phone (mobile and fixed line), Internet (cable or dial-up), cable tv and radio networks are dying a slow death. It may happen in the next ten years or it may take 50 years, but we can be sure it’s happening. Sooner or later, all will converge onto the Internet, and all will be more or less free. The moolah to be earned then will be on providing content, rather than infrastructure services.

So how will the relevant parties be affected? Those providing cable and telecommunication services will find that their main line of business will be severely affected. Television and radio stations, on the other hand, will continue to provide their content. Only the means of doing so would have changed.

As consumers, we will all benefit greatly if this comes true. Technology is supposed to be a wonderful thing, non? The main stumbling block is that all these affected companies will be clamouring for legislation in order to maim this free market and protect their businesses.

Why? Because they are all EVIL.

a harmless joke

Sometimes when you try to be funny, you end up with the joke being on you.

And it's not just all fun and games. I give you an example. You put out a funny podcast, you talk about bak chor mee [laughter]. I will say mee siam mai harm. Then we compete. Then what will I do? I will hire Jack Neo to be my National Day Rally adviser [laughter].
-- PM Lee

I don't know which hawker centre our PM has been visiting, but I've never seen mee siam with harm (cockles)! Nor did everyone else who's been chastening and mocking our poor PM for saying that. Some even accused him of being disconnected with the people.

For the record, his press secretary has since clarified that he meant to say laksa mai harm. Aiyo, our poor PM. He can't even tell the difference between mee siam and laksa, ha!

power puffs

Oh's favourite Tip Top curry puffs were actually mentioned by the PM in his National Day Rally speech. For years Oh has wondered why the very popular stall in AMK Central doesn't create a franchise to sell more curry puffs all over Singapore, like what Old Chang Kee did.

Turns out that the boss' son has instead decided to venture into Shenyang and is fast expanding there!

You read about the big companies in the newspapers but tonight, let me tell you about one small company. Tharman came across it and mentioned it to me. He was in Shenyang recently and he came across a Singaporean who was selling curry-puffs in Shenyang. So he talked to the young man. Turns out that the father is in Ang Mo Kio central -- used to be my constituency -- Tip Top curry-puffs. Father is successful here; the son went to China to venture. So he's looked around Shenyang, he concluded that the food is not so interesting and varied as if you go to Shanghai or if you go to Guangzhou so there is an opportunity to sell something they've never met: Singapore curry-puffs. Very successful -- I think he's got five shops in Shenyang -- and now he is going to go further north [to] Harbin, also [to] sell curry-puffs. So the next time you go to the Harbin Ice Festival, cold sculptures but hot curry-puffs.

-- PM Lee

mysterious letter

There was a mysterious letter in the ST Forum yesterday. Let me replicate it here in full:

Aug 17, 2006
With the PAP in charge, who needs opposition parties?

I find it amazing that many people can be so pissed off with the Singapore Government. What for?

I am no politician but a working man. I do not have many facts but I know what I want and what I need.

We have many jobs in Singapore and unemployment is not a major problem. We have good housing. Our economy may not be super but it's good enough in that our Sing dollar is stronger than some other currencies.

We have a low crime rate. At least I know that I don't fear walking down the street with the thought of being killed or stabbed. So there's no problem with jobs, housing, getting food on the table.

It's a pretty safe place to live in; no problem in getting big foreign investors to invest and create jobs in our country. So what is the problem?

Many people say that Singapore is not democratic enough. But which country in the world is truly democratic? I don't think there is one because it's impossible.

The USA? UK? Many Americans and British opposed the idea of going to war in Iraq. Not all opposed it, but almost half the population did. Opinions were split, at least in the UK.

Yet what did Tony Blair and George Bush do? They did not wait for another round of UN inspections and talks, etc. They invaded Iraq the moment they could.

Correct me if I'm wrong. Isn't democracy supposed to be when the majority or everyone is for the idea, and action is taken? That's the whole reason for consulting the public in the first place. Otherwise what's the use of it?

So if it's not the case of making Singapore a super, truly democratic country, what's the problem? Getting more opposition into parliament? But why? Is the PAP doing something wrong?

I cannot honestly see what's wrong. All I can see is that the need for jobs, food, housing and security are all met.

So what is the PAP doing wrong? Do we want to get more opposition into the parliament for the sake of it? So that the PAP will not be the dominant party? But why?

Will the opposition really do anything different that I want? I cannot imagine having any more needs other than jobs, food, housing and security. And I find the PAP is doing a good job at them. So why would I want anything different?

Why spoil something that's already working? If one day the PAP starts to get things wrong and there are no more jobs, housing becomes amazingly expensive or there is none at all, or if I cannot walk down the street without peace of mind, I would then say that the PAP is finished.

We should change things. That is when I would want a good opposition that can change things to be in the parliament and make a difference to Singapore.

But for now, do we need that?

Han Fook Kwang
Liverpool, United Kingdom

If you just read this without thinking much about it, you'll think it's just some guy working in the UK sucking up to the government.

Well, it so happens that the editor of the ST itself is also a person named Han Fook Kwang. If this is indeed him, it'll be strange for him to write to his own forum without stating his position. It would also be unusual for him to state that he is "no politician but a working man" given the fact that he came from the Singapore administrative service and is currently the editor of a paper linked closely to the government. Also, why is he in the UK?

Conspiracy theories abound. Some believe there must be someone else with the same name, while some postulated that it was could be a prank writer using the editor's name, and the name was overlooked and it got published. Mysterious!