I need several T-shirt designs urgently for a project that I’m working on. If your T-shirt design is chosen, I will give you SGD50 plus a free piece of your T-shirt design printed on a T-shirt itself.

Requirements: Design should not exceed 8 colours so that it can be printed. Design should be approximately 800 pixels tall [...]]]> Hey Everyone,

I need several T-shirt designs urgently for a project that I’m working on. If your T-shirt design is chosen, I will give you SGD50 plus a free piece of your T-shirt design printed on a T-shirt itself.

Requirements:
Design should not exceed 8 colours so that it can be printed.
Design should be approximately 800 pixels tall and 640 pixels wide.
Please give a name of your design as well.

Please email me at alexneot@gmail.com for any other questions.

Thank you very much for your assistance!

Alex Neo
alexneot@gmail.com

FREEDOM [...]]]> ORD T-shirt - You only ORD once.

Cost of one shirt: $10 only!!

(2% of Cpl pay, 1.4% of 3SG pay and 0.9% of Officer pay)

Wear the shirt loud and proud, and let everyone know that FREEDOM is just around the corner!

*Celebrate your ORD today! After all, you only ORD once.

NSF Today ORD Tomorrow

FREEDOM BECKONS!

To order the shirts,

Visit the website : www.ordloh.com

It has more shirts, news,information and even FUNNY VIDEOS!

You can also contact us via our facebook group.

THE GREAT ORD MOVEMENT : http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=134302275837&ref=ts

Join the Great ORD Movement NOW!!!

Reading Neil Humphreys’ article today in The Straits Times[0] on how he will ‘address the thorny issue of my mortality’ by planting a sapling in Toa Payoh Town Park so that he might have the answer to how might his ‘daughter come to remember her nomadic parents’, I could not help but [...]]]> Source: http://singcitizen.com/portal/2009/03/an-angmoh-with-roots-in-toa-payoh/ Retrieved 29 Mar 2009

Reading Neil Humphreys’ article today in The Straits Times[0] on how he will ‘address the thorny issue of my mortality’ by planting a sapling in Toa Payoh Town Park so that he might have the answer to how might his ‘daughter come to remember her nomadic parents’, I could not help but be amused to find that this Angmoh, hailing from London, had, perhaps, become convinced that he now had ‘Toa Payoh roots’ since he had stayed in Toa Payoh while being stationed in Singapore earlier. This idea which he nuanced in his reference to a suggestion about planting a sapling in Toa Payoh Town Park and then thinking ’my family’s trees will literally grow roots in Toa Payoh’ does not sit well with me.

Of course, literally, when such a sapling is planted, and subsequently does grow into a tree, Neil can think that when he comes back to visit Toa Payoh, he is ‘going back to my Toa Payoh roots’ as the title of his article today suggests. 

But, as a Singaporean who grew up in Toa Payoh long before the Angmohs and other foreigners invaded the satellite town, I turn squeamish when thinking Neil actually had Toa Payoh roots. Here when I use ‘roots’ I was more thinking of ‘the place or culture that a person or their family comes from’[1]. When I first saw the heading, ‘Going back to my Toa Payoh roots’, of his article, that was indeed the first thought that flashed across my mind. Of course, on reading the article, I realised it had more to do with marking Earth Hour in Singapore today.

Nevertheless, Neil’s article has given me an excuse to put words to feelings which otherwise might have difficulty finding their way to print and might have remained thoughts weighing on my mind.  Today, in Singapore, one in four residents are foreigners. Whilst I welcome foreigners into the HDB heartland where I have been living since a young boy, and whilst I also do accept such foreigners becoming citizens in due course, I cannot help but be concerned that the safe Singapore I have been living in might turn into a place where it may no longer be safe to walk in the streets anytime of the day or night. Newspaper reports of the elderly being robbed in lifts and void decks, and of our greying men, particularly those past 55 years old, falling prey to China nationals who eye these newly rich men’s wallets, reinforce this perception. In Hougang, where I now live, day in and day out, when I walk around my neighbourhood, I see elderly Singaporean men sitting in void decks, whiling their time in coffeeshops or strolling along the streets — all in the company of younger female China nationals, some of whom look half the men’s age. 

As a disinterested passer-by, I have no doubt in my mind what these women are up to. But, I can’t help feeling sad for my fellow Singaporean men who have found their second spring, so to speak. I first wrote of these China ‘dolls’, as I call them, in July 2004[3]. Today, the situation remains the same or is perhaps worse. I still think that ‘as long as our Singaporean men are willing and eager to flirt with these China dolls, whether they be prostitutes or study-mums, the problem won’t go away. It’s simply supply meeting demand’[3]. And I still believe that  ’our post-middle-age Singaporean men want to feel attractive. They want women to ingratiate themselves with them — something that might not be forthcoming in their homes. Most of all, I think they all want to feel young again. And these China dolls do know how to make them feel young and attractive.’[3] Despite the passage of five years, the problem of educating our greying Singaporean men to make them ‘realise that they are courting trouble both at home and with the law’[3] remains unsolved.

As one who will shortly be wearing that ‘newly rich’ title by virtue of the fact that I will be eligible to draw on my CPF savings at age 55, I have occasionally wondered whether I would slide into the routine that these elderly Singaporean men have come to accept as their rejuvenation. Would I become a target of these friendly foreign women? Truly, I wondered about this a week ago when I received more-than-warm reception dished out by a non-Singaporean hairdresser while getting my hair cut at a neighbourhood salon. I guess I must be looking old now to have attracted this woman’s attention. For years, I have been trying to fight growing old. I pull out any white hairs I see in my hair on a daily basis. I try not to dress like an ‘uncle’ [4]. But, I end up being called ‘uncle’[4] by every young person I meet nowadays. It must be true. Much as I deny it, I am on the threshold of becoming a senior citizen.

So, what can I do to ward off these dangers lurking in the heartland? I am fortunate my wife is much younger than me. I have been lucky to have the PAP government minding me and my surrounds for the past half century. But I hope the government will take notice of the dangers that have surfaced since it relaxed immigration rules in 2003. I am grateful to be in good health. Mike Ellery once said that on turning old, ‘you begin to notice that girls stop turning to look at you over their shoulder with a wicked look in their eye. Then, you realise that even if they did, you’re too old to do anything about it.’[5] Thanks to Mike, I am reminded that these China dolls really are not interested in me but in my money. With all these going for me, I guess I will likely age safely and perhaps gracefully.

Coming back to Neil’s article, I venture to say that he might have been clearer if he had mentioned ‘putting down roots’ instead. Putting down roots suggests ‘making a place their home, for example, taking part in activities there or by making a lot of friends there’ [2]. Hey! I am comfortable with him and his family putting down roots here and eventually becoming Singaporeans. After all, my parents also had their roots elsewhere, in China that is, but chose to put down roots here in Singapore. For this, I am truly grateful to this day.

Notes:

[0] ‘Going back to my Toa Payoh roots’ by Neil Humphreys. The Straits Times Page E6 28 Mar 2009

[1] Collins Cobuild English Dictionary: You can refer to the place or culture that a person or their family comes from as their roots.

[2] Collins Cobuild English Dictionary: If someone puts down roots, they make a place their home, for example, taking part in activities there or by making a lot of friends there.

[3] Monday with the Editor Invasion of the China dolls, 5 Jul 2004

[4] uncle: an informal way of addressing a man who is past 40 years old

[5] Mike Ellery in ’The Gift Of Age’, a book written by already-old Singaporeans for Singaporeans who are growing old, as well as for the younger generation. The Gift Of Age ISBN 981 232 213 2 Published by RSVP Singapore in 2001

I say, why not start an annual Orang Utan Run — modelled after the famed Polar Bear Run of the University of Chicago — in our universities? Better this than let our undergraduates run foul of the law by streaking unauthorised along the corridors of the university hostels.

Horror of horrors, [...]]]> Source: http://singcitizen.com/portal/2009/03/why-not-start-an-annual-orang-utan-run-in-our-universities/ Retrieved 21 Mar 2009

I say, why not start an annual Orang Utan Run — modelled after the famed Polar Bear Run of the University of Chicago — in our universities? Better this than let our undergraduates run foul of the law by streaking unauthorised along the corridors of the university hostels.

Horror of horrors, some might say. This is Singapore not the USA!, others might scream. Let’s not make a monkey out of this whole thing, I say.

But, we can sanitise this a little by making this event open for viewing by students and staff of the universities only. Which means the public can still get to keep their higher-than-high noses wholesome by not being able to partake in the naked run or view it.

So the idea would be to let the undergraduates and faculty members of the universities run along a specified route within the grounds of a university. These participants would be free to choose how they want to be attired for the event — scantily clad or dressed in their birthday suits. And there would be a mascot, dressed in an orang utan suit.

To get an idea of how the run would play out, let’s view a video of the recent University of Chicago’s annual Polar Bear Run, complete with a polar bear mascot:
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/biking.naked.run.2.632879.html

Instead of the universities carrying out their own runs, why not make it a joint affair, with each university taking turns to organise the annual run. Are our universities ready for such forays? I don’t think so. Will they be ready in my lifetime? I don’t think so too. It’s wishful thinking on my part. Like most Singaporeans, I tend to think aloud but end at that. NATO! No Action Talk Only. Most of us Singaporeans have been brought up this way — to be totally reticent. Which means of course, the occasional naked runs along the corridors of our universities in the middle of the night may be one of the few ways for our undergraduates to let off some steam from their pressure-cooker environment.

Everyone’s been talking about how the world recession is affecting Singapore. It seems there’s no end to the bad news hitting us from abroad. Nobody knows when the avalanche of bad news will bottom out. Every few days, a new high-profile scam is exposed elsewhere in the USA. Such news impact us [...]]]> Source: http://singcitizen.com/portal/2009/02/ponderings-of-the-mind-amidst-the-recession/ Retrieved 15 Mar 2009

Everyone’s been talking about how the world recession is affecting Singapore. It seems there’s no end to the bad news hitting us from abroad. Nobody knows when the avalanche of bad news will bottom out. Every few days, a new high-profile scam is exposed elsewhere in the USA. Such news impact us badly because the sooner the financial systems of the world get back to their feet, the earlier the business world, including the banks, can pluck up the courage to take risks again. And the rest of us small-timers can get back into the band-wagon to ride on any up-trends in the stock markets. This will surely kindle interest in stocks on a wide scale and lift up the markets which have been in the doldrums for many months.

We depend on a rising stock market for it spells good news to everyone — from the businesses to the retailers, from the professionals to the construction workers. A rising stock market means more money moving around. That encourages sales which in turn increases employment. This means more money to bring home to the family. With more income, there will be more retail purchases, people will find it easier to eat out with their families, and donations to charity may get a boost. Once the spin starts, we will be able to gettison out of the recession.

So is the rising stock market going to happen soon? I doubt it. The retail price of gold has hit S$57 per gram for 24K purity. The USD is hovering around S$1.53. What do these things mean? Likely that people and funds are finding refuge in safe-haven things such as gold and the US dollar. But, the US economy is in bad shape so why is the dollar not moving down? Perhaps, that is because people in unstable countries have taken to hoarding the US dollar instead of their local currency. For one thing, the US dollar is considered safer than most currencies in the world, and for another, it is acceptable almost everywhere in the world. Also, China’s massive reserves are parked in bonds in the USA.

One thing is for certain — squeezing credit anywhere and adopting protectionist policies are not going to help the world get back onto its feet again. We should learn from the mistakes made by governments in the Great Depression.

So, what of Singapore? The Government is pumping money into the economy to try to lift it. It is also giving some to help us citizens through the bad times. But, I can think of two areas in which it needs our help:

1. Not hoarding money: We should carry on with what we had been doing — go shopping, eat out, and take the kids out for a fun time. Spend money within our means and not hoard it.

2. Putting slack time to good use: If we are unemployed, we should make use of the free time to take up a course, and learn new things. Stop being reticent and get on with filling our free time constructively. We may even feel better when we are busy and so do not have time for depressive thoughts.

Of course, some of the money pumped into the system goes out to other countries, through the remittances of foreign workers and maids. But that can’t be helped, for ours is an open economy, with heavy dependance on foreign labour. I am sure the Government must have figured out which areas of our economy have got leaks and taken steps to ensure minimal outflows.

So, do I see a clearing of the stormy weather sometime soon? No lah. I think the stormy weather is in for the long haul, and we may not see clear skies till 2012, perhaps. But, you never can tell. With so much money being pumped in around the world, and with governments committed to rescuing their countries’ economies, there just might be a miracle in the making.