I Am Gonna Watch "Break Up" Today

More Technological Hiccups
Today, all the computers at the community library couldn't be logged on. This was acknowledged by the library and they even made an announcement over the public intercom service.

At the LAN shop, when I downloaded a list of schools from MOE's website, part of the list could not be seen on its left side. I switched to another computer and there was no problem here at all.

What's with people here
There are just too many things happening here but people are just not voicing up and communicating them. Like the misaligned cable at the triceps push-down machine, someone must have known about it but didn't highlight the problem.

Even if they wanted to, they may not be able to effectively communicate it. Or they just ignore the problem, hoping it will go away or they just keep silent so as not be seen as the "problematic" one, leaving the next person to do the "dirty job".

I have also begun to theorize that muscled dude must have their bodies so hulked and bulked they have lost all sensitivity to what is going on around them. Same goes for all the old fuddies duddies at work. So numbed, they can't feel or think anymore.

The consequence is that accidents are gonna happen sooner than later.

This is essentially what we are all about here in Singapore.

Propagandistic propanganda
Recently, in line with our national rallying call for more babies and foreign immigration, several large families subsisting on a $1400 and $1600 income were featured in the newspapers (as if everyone has the same ability to live on this income feeding families of six or more). There was even one on local tattooed gangs (as if all tattoos are a surefire sign of gangsterism). A Forbes' list of foreign entrepreneurs residing locally was also drawn up (as if all "foreign talent" eventually end up on this prestigious honor roll - what about the so-many others who don't?)

A nation of suspects
If you will believe this, you will believe anything. Feature news on how strangers steal your valuables on the pretext of striking up a conversation , thieves carting off home goodies from places they lease to stay and strangers accosting you on the streets to ask for directions or help only to rob you of your valuables later have all not helped in building a trusting social community.

Can you blame all the dirty stares and looks people give you if you should happen to be stranded on the streets and try seeking help? Or you try befriending a stranger at any public place?

Not that we are a very communicative lot to begin with. Or that we share as many ice-breaking conversational common ground apart from issues of economics - complaints of the high cost of living usually being a hot topic.

Let us also not assume that all the "white men and women" we see living amongst us are of only the British, American, Canadian or Australian stock (and therefore associated with a more nationally, educationally and economically superior breed - are they really?). They could be Ukrainian or even Turkish, some who make a far better living here because of the general "impoverished" state of affairs back home.

Skullduggery
Just chatting with the coupled real estate agents that day, we realised we had something in common. They had sent their kids to the same tuition centre I had worked in which is owned by Mr He-Ape.

He had always understated enrolment size over telephone enquiries but kids get a rude shock when they turn up , to find that class sizes are almost as huge as that in a public school.

Myopia being what it is in Singapore, M/s Black Widow (He-Ape's sis-in-law because of his wife) would insist moi to zoom down font sizes in all assignment papers so that four pages could be accomodated on two sides of an A4 paper.

The current street directory that comes with a bookmark magnifier (that doesn't really help very much, the scratch or abrasion marks on its flimsy plastic surface not helping things any better) is already straining on the human eyes.

I can't imagine how students, who suffer the highest incidence of myopia here, cope with significantly reduced fonts in the assignment papers and textbooks they read.

Stained red
My white Nike shorts which cost about 5o bucks is now stained red by my bath towel which ran its colors. I think the washing that day must have exacerbated it. Sitting wet in the tub for quite some time instead of the whole cycle of wash, rinse and dry (that would have washed it all away), must have got it stained worse.