**Toadjuice... off the blender...**

Tuesday, October 31, 2006
KFC switches to healthier cooking oil as New York mulls ban

KFC in the US is switching to trans fat free... when will it be our turn? What took them so long? People have been screaming about getting poisoned by trans fats for years! Oh, I think I get it, the US Government's threat of a ban on trans fat. Ah, yes, better to switch first than to have businesses disrupted due to the use of illegal oils. Here's my call to the bureaucrats in our health ministry. Precedence have been set. No need to worry about the lack of precedence. Work on getting trans fats banned here. It will cost the F&B industry quite a bit of moolah and I can understand why the government is sticking its head in the ground on this issue, arguing that it is providing enough information for people to make a choice throught the Health Promotion Board. Well, I don't think there's much awareness yet. Yes, banning trans fats is bad for the economy, it is going to increase cost to F&B businesses. But think of all the cost savings this will have on health care? Less heart attack, less people suddenly dropping dead in the prime of their life. We always talk of swallowing bitter pills, during economic crunches. It is like, our government's favourite tag line. I think this is a bitter pill worth swallowing. In the meantime, our Health Promo Board has come up with something useful, though hidden in some obscure part of the Internet. A one page information about trans fat, and another page that lists out some of the common food and the amount of trans fats they contain. What are these information doing as web pages? Shouldn't they be printed as posters on major food outlets and supermarkets? These are the places where you get consumers' attention! Sheesh!

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/31/2006 01:31:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
A nuahing off day...

Tuesdays are just so not meant to be a public holiday. It leaves the rest of the week feeling like a neverending Saturday. Monday felt like a Saturday. Wednesday is feeling like a Saturday and I'm sure the rest of the days will feel like Saturday too! It creates this 'ground hog day' effect. The day itself simply feels like a handicapped weekend. Too short to plan for anything, and the weather did not help either. It started off pretty well... sleeping in late, then headed to the pool for a swim. Swimming in a quite pool is just one of those things in life that I really like. Having a PSI that is below 50 was a bonus. Then, just as I was starting to get into the mood of lazing by the pool, it started to pour. Argh! Well, at least I got my swim.

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/25/2006 01:29:00 pm 2 Comment(s)

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"Please get out of my elite uncaring face."

Heh heh... I really like that. Get out of my elite uncaring face... I've gotta find an opportunity to use it one day. (I gotta become elite first... shit.) Oh, anyway, Wah! I didn't know the Internet got this thing until I read yesterday's crap... I mean, papers while taking a crap this morning. Of course, papers neh say much lah, so must search lor... and yup, I found the articles. In the process, I found some views about this whole issue and i think this guy from half the globe away pretty much sums up what I feel about the whole thing. Why did she bring the blog down? Why apologise? She did nothing wrong, really. She did qualify that she was insensitive and elitist. Oh, to Mr Wee, the father, there is no such thing as a private blog if you do not have to hack into a server or something to read it. If you post in a public domain, it is not private. === Part 1: Derek Wee Oct 12, 2006

When I read the Straits Times article (dated 24 Sep) on PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference to Singapore, I have so much thought about the issue.

I am 35 years old, graduated from University and gainfully employed in a multinational company. But I cannot help but feel insecure over the future of Singapore. Lets face it, it's not uncommon to hear, "when you are above 40, you are over the hill".

The government has been stressing on re-training, skills upgrading and re-adapt. The fact is, no matter how well qualified or adaptable one is, once you hit the magical 40, employers will say, "you are simply too old".

We have been focusing our resources and problem solving on low unskilled labour. But in reality, our managerial positions and skilled labour force are actually fast losing its competitiveness.

I travel around the region frequently for the past 10 years. It didn't take me long to realise how far our neighbours have come over the past decade.

They have quality skilled workers, and are less expensive. When I work with them, their analytical skills are equally good, if not better than us.

It's not new anymore. Taxi drivers are fast becoming "too early to retire, too old to work" segment of the society. I like to talk to taxi drivers whenever I am heading for the airport.

There was this driver. Eloquent and well read. He was an export manager for 12 years with an MNC. Retrenched at 40 years old. He had been searching for a job since his retrenchment.

Although he was willing to lower his pay expectations, employers were not willing to lower their prejudice. He was deemed too old. I wouldn't be surprised if we have another No. 1; having the most highly educated taxi drivers in the world.

On PM Lee calling the young to be committed and make a difference. Look around us. How dedicated can we be to Singapore when we can visualise what's in store for us after we turned 40? Then again, how committed are employers to us? But we can't blame them. They have bottom lines & shareholders' gain to answer to.

Onus is really on the government to revamp the society. A society that is not a pressure cooker. A society that does not mirror so perfectly, what survival of the fittest is.

But a society, where it's people can be committed, do their best and not having to fear whether they will still wake up employed tomorrow. Sadly, Singapore does not offer such luxuries and security anymore.

On the issue of babies. The government encourages us to pro-create. The next generation is essential in sustaining our competitive edge. Then again, the current market condition is such that our future has become uncertain. There is no more joy in having babies anymore; they have become more of a liability. It's really a chicken and egg issue.

Many of my peers, bright and well educated have packed up and left. It's what MM Goh called "quitters". It's sad but true, Singapore no longer is a place where one can hope to work hard their lives and retire graciously. It's really the push factor.

A future is something we sweat it out, build and call our own. Unfortunately, people like me, mid 30's going on 40's, staying put by choice or otherwise, we can't help but feel what lies ahead is really a gamble.

To PM Lee and the Ministers, we are on a different platform. Until you truly understand our insecurity, the future of Singapore to me remains a question mark.

Part 2: Wee Shu Min's comment to the post on her blog,

Thursday, October 19, 2006

mom's friend sent her some blog post by some bleeding stupid 40-year old singaporean called derek wee (WHY do all the idiots have my surname why?!) whining about how singapore is such an insecure place, how old ppl (ie, 40 and above) fear for their jobs, how the pool of foreign "talent" (dismissively chucked between inverted commas) is really a tsunami that will consume us all (no actually he didn't say that, he probably said Fouren Talern Bery Bad.), how the reason why no one wants kids is that they're a liability in this world of fragile ricebowls, how the government really needs to save us from inevitable doom but they aren't because they are stick-shoved-up-ass elites who have no idea how the world works, yadayadayadayada.

i am inclined - too much, perhaps - to dismiss such people as crackpots. stupid crackpots. the sadder class. too often singaporeans - both the neighborhood poor and the red-taloned socialites - kid themselves into believing that our society, like most others, is compartmentalized by breeding. ridiculous. we are a tyranny of the capable and the clever, and the only other class is the complement.

sad derek attracted more than 50 comments praising him for his poignant views, joining him in a chorus of complaints that climax at the accusation of lack of press freedom because his all-too-true views had been rejected by the straits times forum. while i tend to gripe about how we only have one functioning newspaper too, i think the main reason for its lack of publication was that his incensed diatribe was written in pathetic little scraps that passed off as sentences, with poor spelling and no grammar.

derek, derek, derek darling, how can you expect to have an iron ricebowl or a solid future if you cannot spell?

if you're not good enough, life will kick you in the balls. that's just how things go. there's no point in lambasting the government for making our society one that is, i quote, "far too survival of fittest". it's the same everywhere. yes discrimination exists, and it is sad, but most of the time if people would prefer hiring other people over you, it's because they're better. it's so sad when people like old derek lament the kind of world that singapore will be if we make it so uncertain. go be friggin communist, if uncertainty of success offends you so much - you will certainly be poor and miserable. unless you are an arm-twisting commie bully, which, given your whiny middle-class undereducated penchant, i doubt.

then again, it's easy for me to say. my future isn't certain but i guess right now it's a lot brighter than most people's. derek will read this and brand me as an 18-year old elite, one of the sinners who will inherit the country and run his stock to the gutter. go ahead. the world is about winners and losers. it's only sad when people who could be winners are marginalised and oppressed. is dear derek starving? has dear derek been denied an education? has dear derek been forced into child prostitution? has dear derek had his clan massacred by the government?

i should think not. dear derek is one of many wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our country, and in this world. one of those who would prefer to be unemployed and wax lyrical about how his myriad talents are being abandoned for the foreigner's, instead of earning a decent, stable living as a sales assistant. it's not even about being a road sweeper. these shitbags don't want anything without "manager" and a name card.

please, get out of my elite uncaring face.

Part 3. Mr Wee , MP AMK GRC. reply on his daught blog reply.

Oct 24, 2006 A lesson learnt, says MP and dad Wee Siew Kim Teen blogger counselled for her 'elitist' remarks 'WHAT she said did come across as insensitive. The language was stronger than what most people could take. But she wrote in a private blog and I feel that her privacy has been violated. After all, they were the rantings of an 18-year-old among friends. I think if you cut through the insensitivity of the language, her basic point is reasonable, that is, that a well-educated university graduate who works for a multinational company should not be bemoaning about the Government and get on with the challenges in life. Nonetheless, I have counselled her to learn from it. Some people cannot take the brutal truth and that sort of language, so she ought to learn from it. In our current desire to encourage more debate, especially through the Internet, our comments must be tempered with sensitivity. I will not gag her, since she's 18 and should be able to stand by what she says. The new media of the Internet is such that if you don't like what she has said, you have the right of rebuttal. Hopefully, after the discussion, everyone will be the richer for it. As a parent, I may not have inculcated the appropriate level of sensitivity, but she has learnt a lesson, and it's good that she has learnt it at such an early stage in life.' ANG MO KIO GRC MP WEE SIEW KIM on his daughter's comments

Wat is this? U should know the answer. If someone else did this, sure 2 be warm by gahman, Just like our brown man.

But she is white horse. So...... u know.... Ya, like tt loh, life is like tt la.

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/25/2006 09:41:00 am 1 Comment(s)

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Monday, October 23, 2006
Free bread and butter...

22102006254-bread&butter Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

Went to Cafe Cartel for lunch on Sunday. Took the combo that included shit loads of deep fried stuff. Now I know why they give free bread. It is to line your stomach so that you can absorb all the oily shit that you ingest. Felt sick the entire afternoon sia! Okay, no more deep fried stuff for awhile.

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/23/2006 01:14:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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Saturday evenings, desserts and stuff...

21102006248-cheesecake Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

It was another regular Saturday evening. Dinner at Uncle John's place. Pretty much pot-luck style dinner. This evening, we had spring rolls (po piah). Since I had to wrap the stuff myself, I can't possibly take any pictures... but the cheesecake, I can. It has been awhile since I had one of these. The highlight however, was the pogo stick. I was hopping around and having fun freaking Beemer out. It was only Sunday morning that I realised, I have hurt my left arch. Ouch!!! (I will try to upload a picture of the perpertrating pogo stick soon.)

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/23/2006 01:13:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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Moblog with pictures.

Moblog with pictures. Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

This is a picture of the gang that went up for Ooh Choon's wedding. Sent via my mobile. This picture didn't get uploaded either! Argh! So much for technology!

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/23/2006 01:10:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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About mobile blogging with Flickr.com

About mobile blogging with Flickr.com Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

Two megabytes and a couple of dollars later, I still cannot figure out why this thing does not get uploaded to my blog consistently. Perhaps the technology is still in its infancy? Or perhaps I am not destined to blog with pictures via my mobile phone... sigh... Someone give me a beer! This post didn't get through... I had to post it via flickr.com website.

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/23/2006 01:09:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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Friday, October 20, 2006
Picture blog via mobile.

Picture blog via mobile. Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

This is driving me crazy! My 6mb quota is gonna be used up pretty soon! And I still can't get a decent blog up! Argh!

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/20/2006 08:37:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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My 1st attempt to moblog.

Will wonders never cease? I'm blogging with my mobile!

Readers beware!

Now there's no place that I cannot engage in my random bouts of textual diarrhoea!

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/20/2006 07:21:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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And Browser War II begins...

Microsoft just released IE7. Firefox Version 2 will be released within weeks. Looks like a new browser war is about to begin. I've just downloaded IE7. Here's what I can say... no big deal. Everything that it has, Firefox already has it. What's worse, it is sluggish. Damn bloody slow! To top if off, Firefox has more extensions that makes the whole browsing experience a whole lot more complete. Among my favourite are, Yahoo! mail notifier and Gmail notifier. Then there's the FireFTP, Calculator which are stuff that really rox! Work harder, Mr Softy... you still have a chance to convert this user. In the meantime, I can't wait for Firefox Version 2. Heh heh...

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/20/2006 02:03:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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Thursday, October 19, 2006
The first thing I see when I awake.

19102006246-bed
Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

I got up this morning, and see the same thing I see every morning!

The side of my bed.

I think this is the reason why I hate waking up in the morning. Everytime see the same thing, damn sian man!

I need to do something to my room soon!

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/19/2006 10:24:00 am 1 Comment(s)

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Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Wasted Shark Food...

650,000 are estimated to have died in Iraq since the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. 13 people have been estimated to be killed by sharks during the same period. That is about 650,000 pieces of wasted shark food eh? I'm just wondering... with so many sharks in the oceans, only an average of 5 people are killed by sharks each year, the sharks must be starving! With the invasion of Iraq, the US government have so far killed 650,000 people! Why isn't anybody doing anything about it? I see a lucrative business here... take these bodies, and organise shark feeding tours in South Africa! Just think of all the happy sharks!

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/18/2006 01:23:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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Thursday, October 12, 2006
Naxos - Another watering hole in the city...

11102006234-Naxos Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

Went down to Naxos at China Square last evening. The purpose was to salsa (the dance, not the sauce)... but dinner became part of the plan. The food's pretty alright, things on the menu include anti-pasta, pasta, pizza, etc... I think you get the drift. The servings are pretty large and the price is a bit on the high side. Not unexpected considering it is in the city area. The dancing was good. Only on Wedensdays though... 9.30pm till late, says the poster on the door. Small crowd with a relatively small but danceable floor. Music is highly dependent on the DJ of the evening. The pleasant surprise came on a chalk board (pictured). Reasonable prices... although if you're looking for dirt cheap alcohol, my bet is still on Mama Lucia at Robertson Walk! I've only got one thing to say, "Another watering hole in town."

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/12/2006 01:13:00 pm 0 Comment(s)

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Friday, October 06, 2006
Feet orgy... driver from Hell... in the same picture

02102006190-OrgyAd
Originally uploaded by toadjuice.

I was along Serangoon Road when I noticed this bus ad. 3 pairs of feet in close proximity. Kinda makes you wonder what the owner of these feet are doing on top of the bus eh?

Just as I was about to take a shot of the feet in orgy, this driver from Hell just cuts in... and oh... that was when he decided to be 'nice' and indicated.

Here's a tip to this driver, "You indicate your intentions before making a move! That is why, the orange light on the side of your car is called an indicator light!"

# Crapped by Toadjuice on 10/06/2006 09:19:00 am 0 Comment(s)

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