My Meal Box for Wednesday 30 Aug 06

itunes: Chantal Kreviazuk, Colours Moving And Still (1996)

Today passed rather smooth but troubled. The shit mountain at work definitely spread far and wide. Last week, I have to go back and reworked 2004 numbers and this week? My assistant informed me that she discovered problems dated back to 1999! Looks like this mountain is colossial!! My heart sank and I told her that we shall keep this KIV until we have resolved other more pressing issues. Sigh....just my luck!!

This morning, I stepped into my boss' room and told him of my intention to change an extremely manual payment tracking process practised by our outsourced company to excel spreadsheet tracking . He seems pleased with my suggestion but the result was really unexpected. He declined due to the fact that he has been persuading them to computerise the process empteen times but unsuccessful. In my mind I was thinking, what is the use of paying the outsourced company a few hundred thousands of management fees when they are not willing to improve their work efficiency? And who is the boss here? It's us, not them and I feel that if my boss willing to exert his authority more, I'm sure he can make those fossilised people there modernised. What a weaking! Damn. Worst of all, my boss suggested perhaps we can keep the manual and at the same time set up the excel spreadsheet. Gosh, what kind of nonsense is that? I told my boss upfront that this is extra work for everybody. Subsequently, thanks to the brillant idea of my colleague, my boss finally agreed to the second purpose. Yeah, dun think this is over. Tomorrow I need to go over to the operation director (outsourced company) and discussed with him so that he can inform his staff.

My meal box for tomorrow.
I have replaced carrots with celery, high in fibre and good for maintaining a healthy blood pressure. In fact, after a week on Alfalfa, I'm having quite a mild diarrhoea which is a good thing, it helps detoxification process by flushing out the unwanted substances that stuck in my body. I feel good! The leaves of the alfalfa plant are rich in minerals and nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, potassium, and carotene (useful against both heart disease and cancer). Leaf tablets are also rich in protein, vitamins E and K. The leaves of this remarkable legume contain eight essential amino acids. Alfalfa is a good laxative and a natural diuretic. It is useful in the treatment of urinary tract infections, and kidney, bladder and prostrate disorders. Alkalizes and detoxifies the body, especially the liver. Promotes pituitary gland function and contains an anti-fungus agent. Most importantly, it goes very well with my 12-grain bread!

The main course for lunch will be sweet potato. Please dun regard sweet potato as starchy as potatoes. Nutritionally, sweet potatoes, which ranks highest in nutritional value, are an excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of potassium and vitamin C, B6, riboflavin, copper, pantothetic acid and folic acid. A complex carbohydrate food source, it provides beta carotene which may be a factor in reducing the risk of certain cancers. Good is not it?

My Meal Box for Tuesday 29 Aug 06

itunes: Kosheen, Kokopelli (2003)



This the meal box I have for tomorrow. More or less same as what I ate today. The apple and the chinese prune are the leftover today. As for the tofu, I will throw it into oven with a slice of ham to bake tomorrow morning. The main dish is my favourite cha soba and I have some tuna (from Ayam Brand, in mineral water) to go with it. Tuna is all laid under the noodle here. On top of the cha soba, I have sprinkled some spring onions to ganish and for nice fragrance.

This cha soba is called Uji Mocha Soba 宇治抹茶そば and of most of the soba I found in the supermarket. tried and tested. This is the best. A packet like this comes in 4 small rolls and each roll is good enough for a light lunch. Most importantly, the green tea fragrance is strong and you can still smell it after it was cooked and rinse under cold water. Even when I stored it in the fridge overnight, the next day when I ate it during lunch, the green tea fragrance still lingers. it's so much better than those served in local Japanese restaurants like Sushi Tei. The healthy essence of soba is buckwheat.

Buckwheat's beneficial effects are due in part to its rich supply of flavonoids, particularly rutin. Flavonoids are phytochemicals that protect against disease by extending the action of vitamin C and acting as antioxidants. These compounds help maintain blood flow, keep platelets from clotting excessively (platelets are compounds in blood that, when triggered, clump together, thus preventing excessive blood loss, and protect LDL from free radical oxidation into potentially harmful cholesterol oxides. All these actions help to protect against heart disease. Buckwheat also contains almost 86 milligrams of magnesium in a one cup serving. Magnesium relaxes blood vessels, improving blood flow and nutrient delivery while lowering blood pressure--the perfect combination for a healthy cardiovascular system.

My Meal Box for Monday 28 Aug 06

itunes: Kool & The Gang, Celebration: The Best Of (1994)

Today is Sunday and the time is 10:23pm. This week passed rather quickly and exciting due to the fact the mountain of shit at work goes deeper than I originally thought of. Yes, I'm going back as early as 2004 to rework the mess that has been left behind by my great predecessor. Looks like this will keep me busy until the end of the year, so u can visualise how massive this shit is. Sigh....well, so much for shit. Since I have nothing much to share other than that big lump of shit, so this week I should blog about my daily breakfast/lunch box. At the same time, to show off the healthy lifestyle I lead.....hehe for the sake of my weight, else I dun even bother at all.

I will have 2 slices of the 12-grain bread, a slice of leg ham, alfalfa, lettuce and a hardboiled egg white for breakfast. Lunch will be a steamed corn and tofu, kiwi fruit, Chinese prune, apple and a hardboiled egg white. Tomotoes, cucumbers and carrots will be shared over the 2 meals. Absolutely no sauce at all!! In this way, I can truly enjoy the natural fragrance and sweetness of these food. I also have a banana on standby in case I have snack attack between the meals. Of cos, it is important to drink 2 litres of plain water per day to facilitate our body functions and drinking water will make me feel full, so eat less....hehe dual benefits haha!!

This is my favourite loaf of bread from Bonjour. I have been eating it every day for many moons. The best thing is it contain 12 different types of grains and nuts: Flax seeds, Purple wheat flakes, Corn grifts, Rye flakes, Triticale flakes, Barley flakes, Millets, Sunflower seeds, Sesame seeds, Rolled oats, Whole spelt flakes and Quinoa. The bread has a pleasant nutty flavour, high in fibre and it's good to eat it plain as well. Particularly, Flax seeds are rich in Omega 3 polysatuated fatty acid. I just need to eat 2 slices of it and I get full easily, so less carbo means less fat stored in my body.

SGK5169Z driver SHAME ON YOU!

itunes: Christina Aguilera, Back To Basics (2006)

Below is what I saw at Kallang Tennis Court car park this morning.

What a inconsiderate driver! Does not mean when your ass is big u have the liberty to take up 2 seats. Your conscience must have been eaten up by dogs. Shame on you, asshole!

Just send these pictures to http://parkingidiots.blogspot.com/ to shame this driver openly. Hehe

With the PAP in charge, the more we needs opposition parties!

itunes: Gotan Project, La Revancha Del Tango (2001)

A friend of mine forwarded an email for me regarding an online story "With the PAP in charge, who needs opposition parties?" on the ST Forum at The Straits Times Interactive (http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/) yesterday. After reading it, it really makes me fume like a locomotive head. Read on the full article below, also see my comments in bold red……

I find it amazing that many people can be so pissed off with the Singapore Government. What for? Pretty obvious right? Needless to ask at all.

I am no politician but a working man. I do not have many facts but I know what I want and what I need. Correct, our government need more people like you, just be contented with a job and a house, and dun be bothered with politics. Heard of the movie Matrix? In it, we can find a good metaphor of what’s happening here. It’s time to wake up from this disillusion.

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. Unemployment is not a major problem, but wait till you reach 40 and beyond, your job can be gone overnight and never come back ever again.

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? I’m appreciative of the low crime rate here, but it’s really shows how much thinking you have in your stale brain, just merely accept what our government preached. Low crime rate does not really equate with investors, jobs, housing, getting food on the table. Does it mean that in countries with high crime rate, people will be out of job and starve in the open wild?

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? I correct you now. What is the fuck use of talking ‘truly democratic’ when our government adopts authoritarianism or illiberal democracy? Bear in mind, in a democratic society, it’s the people who decide what kind of government we want, what kind of social system we want. So what democracy are we referring to when we do not have the power to influence a new legislation, no chance to choose/no choice of the ruling party? Democracy is not only about freedom in all aspects, but also about choices and rights. Reporters Without Borders ranked Singapore 140th out of 167 countries in its 2005 Worldwide Press Freedom Index. What does this tell us here? Aren't we always fighting for No.1? Why are we not No.1 in this aspect? Why is this not published in our national medias? Why is a movie on a opposition leader banned? Why are we deprived of the different voices to be heard? Why the censorship before we are given a choice to decide what we can and want to hear and know? Why are we imposed upon and force to accept the government propaganda and decisions? So where is our basic rights of this aspect as an individual in this society? Absolutely none. Perhaps most people like you do not realise it at all because we were not taught of this since the first day we entered PAP kindergarten. The social system here follows a very simple logic: if one does not know or exposed to something, surely there will be no want to this thing. We are all fed with the PAP idealogy since young and was told even now that this is the best for us on this land. Is not this similar to China during the Mao era? Indeed, they can censor and ban all they want, but the good news is they cannot ban or eliminate Internet. Well, at least from there we can still get news and information that has been filtered in our national medias.

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? This is utterly a stupid statement. Having opposition into parliament does not mean PAP is doing something wrong. But in the first place, why are there few oppositions in the parliament? The old tricks that PAP has been using repeatedly in every election: censorship, gerrymandering by the Elections Department and the filing of civil suits against the opposition for libel or slander. It’s getting pretty obvious and open particularly in this year’s General Election. As a voter, I’m really sick and tired of these tricks. If PAP truly wants voters know how good they are or how bad our oppositions are, have a live TV debate in the next election! Now that's what I called a fair game. To have more oppositions into the parliament, not only to have a different tone of voices but serve as a counter-check on the performance of the ruling party. It really amuses me when one minister stepped out and claimed that they do not need counter-check because they can check themselves. Does it mean all public listed companies need no more annual audit from external auditors? What a foolish statement? Plain stupidity!

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? Your thinking is definitely well modeled by PAP. Despite you live in a developed country; you still harbour the 3rd world country kind of mentality. Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? Come on, Singaporeans are far beyond satisfying the basic needs and we are heading towards self-actualisation needs. Life has changed and we are living in the 21st century and not in the 60s or 70s. Your dull brain has not progressed at all. Simple analogy, how would you know that kiwi fruits provides more vitamins C when in your thick skull only believes the orange gives the most vitamin C? This is blind faith, mind you.

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. What’s already working does not mean it’s working well. PAP will not get things very wrong because they are concerned their revenue as much like us. Mind you, PAP is not all about security only. You have forgotten your choice and rights as an individual on this land.

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. Haha, stupid statement again. May I ask what things you want to change since the start of this article, all you think PAP is the greatest? I agree with you in another sense, we need good oppositions to change things in the parliament and make a difference to Singapore. But for every 3 steps we fight ahead, there will always 2 steps back in terms of democracy, especially when there are tons of blind faith mentality people like you around.

But for now, do we need that? From what I have read here, I would presume you are an old heck that act exactly like a stone in the shit hole; hard, stubborn and smelly. FUCK YOU!

Han Fook Kwang
Liverpool, United Kingdom If you really think Singapore is great, why are you in Liverpool? Come back and make a difference, asshole!

My Child, Mokete

itunes: Beth Gibbons, Out Of Season (2002)

It has been 2 weeks since I last blogged. I really couldnt be bothered to write anything here at all. Life goes on as usual....the same frustration and upset in which I do not want to talk about it anymore, but hey is not here my avenue of expressing my emotions? Well, not today definitely. I have a mail from Lesotho, a small country within South Africa today. Yes, within a bigger country, just like Vatican City. It's the annual progress report for FY05 of my child, Mokete. Yes, it's my sponsored child under the World Vision programme (http://www.worldvision.org.sg/), just a mere S$45 per month and I have been contributing since 2001. What makes this programme special is the contribution does not really go to the child's family but to his community instead. It will be used to help the community to improve their living conditions, most importantly, providing them education in terms of agriculture, heath and development of income generating activities. A child will be selected to be your sponsored child-in-name. Despite that, it's really heartwarming to learn with this sum of money, I can improve someone's life on the other side of the globe!! I mean all I have to do is to spend S$45 less on myself and look at how healthy Mokete has grown and how the life in his community has improved these years, do you think this is something meaningful and wonderful???!!!

Mokote in 2001, the profile I received after I signed up with the programme.

Motoke in 2006, a healthy youngster.

His report card for 2005. I'm impressed with his results! An improvement from previous year when most of his subjects results are below average. Well done, Mokete!! Strive for better results, I'm sure you'll make your own destiny burning bright!! Make me feel proud of you! :O)