My luggage in Newark and other sad things.

TITLE: My luggage in Newark and other sad things.
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DATE: 07/31/2005 10:48:47 PM
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Came back to Singapore yesterday early-early morning. Was around 6am when I finally cleared the custom after going to toilet, walking that blasted long corridor from the gate and shop a bit at the DFS.

Home was just on the other side of the glass panel...I wanna go home n sleep...quick-quick...where's my luggage, where's my luggage? I waited and waited...wah lao, why so long....Maybe plane big, passenager too many....it was overbooked, the flight...I waited for like 40 minutes (or is it 50?)....then i looked up at the display screen...alamak, my flight # disappear liao...what? Luggage lost arh?! Someone took by mistake?

Bo bian loh, went to the L&F counter to report loss...the gal at the counter actually told me that, yah, it takes about 40 mins to completely unload a plane. huh?! Flight # disappear liao, u still wan me to wait? So i went into the office to fill up a report. In the mean time, they got the ground crew to search for me. Yah, all luggage unload liao. No, din see that bag.

Bag really lost arh...die lah, chocolate all melt liao....what if they find it for me a month later...think of all the maggots...

What to do? Go home n sleep lah. What else to do? Already waste 1 hour waiting like an idiot liao. So went home & sleep until noon. Woke up and called the L & F office. Yeap, they found my bag. It's still held by Delta Airline in Newark. Why? Donno, but SIA has requested for its return. When will that happen? Probably tomorrow. Yah, probably.

I have 2 watches in that bag...one that goes tick-tick-tick; another beeps every hour...do they think it has a bomb in there? Possible you know. USA very very paranoid nowadays. When I boarded at Changi, my sewing scissors was confiscated because it is sharp n pointy. Okay, fair enough. I might use tat 6cm sewing scissors to threaten the pilot into driving the plane into the White House...afterall, we will pass very close to Washington DC. Can't take any chances...

Then in Newark, my nail file ( which i have used as a screwdriver, a can-lid opener...anything but a nail file. It's a nifty tool) gets confiscated also. Because it's sharp and pointy. Yes, I can see that a pilot can get terrorised by a 4cm metal nail file. What about my nails? Do you think it is sharp and pointy enough to be used as a tool of terrorism? I can use them to gouge out the pilots eye's, you know...no, wait. Bad move. A blind pilot is useless...I better try gouging out a air stewardess' eyes instead.

I left a trail of sharp pointy things on my way to USA. And my bag managed to get itself retained in Newark on my way back. They seem to have a knack of making themselves leave my person. Have I not treated them well enough? My bag doesn't want to come home...

So, in depression, I switched on the TV to watch a rerun of Jue Dui Superstar results. And I get to see the guy I was rooting for get eliminated from the competition. Xie Weicong...he's the perfect superstar. Got the looks, can sing okay. What happened?! Isn't today depressing enough already? Channel U is his jinx or what? Why did he failed in both "The Next Big Thing" and Superstar? He is the only one who got into the semi-finals for both, you know. Maybe his jinx is Quan Yifeng?

Among the 5 contestants, Weicong is the one who stands out. Other than him, who else? Derrick can be a star, but a superstar? Hmm...he's short, and he's kiddy...okay lah, 5566's Tony is short also. F4's Vic is kiddy also...but short AND kiddy...he's going to be The Little Brother forever, how to be superstar? But since Weicong is out, I'm rooting for Derrick this time. The way he imitated Lamb Chop and Barney was sooo cute.

After a depressing Jue Dui Superstar, I have to go back to office. Yes, it's a Sunday, and yes, I'm still concussed from jetlag. But what do you expect? I'm a workaholic, right?

My Sister the Oracle II

TITLE: My Sister the Oracle II
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DATE: 07/24/2005 01:57:08 AM
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You know, I really think my sis got psychic power. That day we were watching the results for Jue Dui Superstar, she actually predicted who's going to get eliminated and she even predicted the order of elimination. I mean, wow, okay lah, it's easy to guess who get eliminated, but to know exactly who goes out first?!

NKF Toilet and that online petition

TITLE: NKF Toilet and that online petition
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DATE: 07/15/2005 10:26:18 PM
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I wanted very much to talk about that Golden Tap and Imported Toilet Bowl. But without the backing of SPH, I didn't think it will be wise of me to open my mouth.

Then there is this famous online petition (http://www.petitiononline.com/nkfs/petition.html) which garnered 42557 signatures in 4 short days.

"Did I put my name on that online petition?", you wonder. No, I did not. Because I believe Durai should not be ousted from NKF. Anyone of you knew of NKF 15 years ago? It was just one of the many charity organisations in Singapore. At that time, the one with the highest profile was Community Chest, with Sharity Elephant as its mascot...remember?

It was Durai who put NKF into the hearts of people in Singapore. In fact, he was so successful that I stopped contributing to it after seeing its beautiful building as I travelled on PIE.

Having an NKF building is not an extravagance, it is just the opposite; it is much cheaper in the long run to own the building then to rent an office space. It is the same principle as the fact that paying the full amount for a HDB flat is much cheaper than taking a housing loan from a bank. But do you know of anyone who pay for their HDB flat without taking a loan? Everyone is stupid or what? Why take a loan and let the bank earn your interest? You get my point?

Ironically, NKF's downfall is its success...his success. You cannot be successful if you want to get sympathy. The essense of charity is to get people feel guilty that they are leading a good life when there are people suffering.

And for some of us, we give to charity to alleviate our feelings of guilt...sort of. Then we discovered that the CEO of the charity is earning 20-30 times more than us, thus making him 20-30 time more guilty than us; so we are not that guilty afterall...so we are not guilty afterall...so we don't have to feel guilty...so we don't have to give...

When NKF expressed support for Durai at the beginning, I applauded their integrity and cursed their stupidity. If NKF wants to continue being successful, they have to drop Durai. But wthout Durai, NKF will not be where it is today. I will think less of NKF if it denounced its CEO so easily after all he has done for it.

Durai's only fault is that he has become so successful nobody dared gainsay him. He had lost his way in his empire...yes, i would say he has built an empire out of NKF. There was no one to give him advices and keep him in touch with the rest of the world. He was a man who flew too fast, too high...a little like Icarus in Greek mythology.

The only thing I cannot understand is why he took on an SPH reporter? Because of his wins in his defamatory cases against 2 individuals in the 90's? SPH has to protect its employee...if not because it is a great and supportive employer, then at least because it will be a major "lose face" situation if Durai wins. There is a Chinese saying: Before you hit the dog, see who's its owner.

Us Charitable Singaporeans

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DATE: 07/11/2005 06:20:15 PM
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The news headlines these days shows how charitable we are...

This is old news, but well...the court is hearing the case now, so it's back on people's mind.

Huang Na, the cute little China girl, received a little over 100k in donations at her funeral...well, okay, her parents get the money, not her.

I guess we are just not articulate enough to express our sorrows and regrets with words. The money is our way of saying sorry...Sorry that Singapore was not safe enough for her...Sorry that she was murdered and left to rot in the "almost" wilderness (Don't think we can find any real wilderness in ultra urban Spore).

The fact that all 3 of her parents (there's a step-father lah) were jailbirds was besides the point. I mean, she is so young and innocent; what her parents do has nothing to do with her. The fact that the money will inevitably end up in the hands of those less than honest parents, is also besides the point. I mean, what you expect us to do? Burn the money as offerings to her meh? Don't be stupid lah, that's against the law leh.

We are such a charitable and emotional and, dare I say gullible and naive, people.

I wonder...if her parents had put her up for sale in the human trafficking market (black market, of cos), will she fetch 100k?

My Sister the Oracle

TITLE: My Sister the Oracle
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DATE: 07/07/2005 10:13:37 PM
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Actually I wanted to title this as "My Sister the Prophetess", but thought I shouldn't provoke the Al-Qaeda pple with the use of the word "Prophet". They have just blasted London, so better tip-toe around them.

We were watching the IOC announcement of the host for 2012 Olympics just the day before (06Jul). There was a clip of Tony Blair promising that London will deliver on facilities and security for the Olympics.

And my sister commented, "Security? Bomb and let you see arh..." Within 20 hours from the IOC announcment, 7 blasts rocked London.

But I must assure you, my sister is in no way connected to the AL-Qaeda...and Oracle is the name of a big IT company.

Dilemma

TITLE: Dilemma
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DATE: 07/06/2005 03:12:49 AM
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A colleague requested to friendster with me...

That means she will see or has already seen my blog...

Oh dear, oh dear, what i do, what i do?

Want to add her anot?

She's a good friend, but...that means now i cannot complain too much about my company and other colleagues in my blog lah... Else accidentally leak from her how?

Maybe i should start writing in web language, then maybe she wouldn't understand. (No, my dear, I'm not hinting that you are old.)

Actually already has a colleague in my list. But that guy's friendster is like bai sui wan. One mth donno got login once anot.

Ah, weblogs... places where angels fear to tread...