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Sunday, Dec 23, 2012 - 18:43 SGT
Posted By: Gilbert

Four For The Night

"There is no creature on earth half so terrifying
as a truly just man"
- Varys, on Stannis Baratheon
(does such a creature exist?)


Myanmar / What's in / A name / Oh / Nothing / Burma Saved

A note prompted by a book review on a top secret blog - most Western publications are sticking with Burma (unless it's a special occasion), while The State's Times (alright, from ASEAN solidarity and willingness to do business with anybody with money and all that) uses Myanmar.

The kicker however is for all that's going on in Burma, we're still sadder than them. And Iraq. And Afghanistan, quite incredibly given the supposed quality of life here, without even going into the absence of random drone attacks. If it's any consolation, we would probably do well in poker.


Never Say Never Yet Again

Twinkies might be coming back. Couldn't help being reminded of those Death of Superman/Captain America/Spiderman story arcs that make even the mainstream news. You just know it's not final (and nowadays, the departure usually only occurs in one of several parallel universes anyway)

Disclaimer: I don't recall ever eating Twinkies.


Job Accomplished

The Lions picked up a record fourth AFF Suzuki Cup by containing Thailand to a 1-0 win in the away leg, thus making it 3-2 on aggregate. See, that's how unity of cause is built.

Also partly because football is simply pure fun (shades of the Blanco bounce, one of those moves that don't appear enough, here):


Then there are those that are less skilful, but arguably more tricksy


The match itself appears to have been a (not-unexpected) park-the-bus standoff by the Lions, and I in fact skipped it for a rare bowling session in which 170 was breached for the first time in years, partly thanks to some tape in the thumbhole by the cousin, and the advice to bend knees before the approach (helps ensure releasing closer to the ground supposedly)


GChat Correspondence

We are pleased to announce that Master Political Analyst Herr Ahm A. Hoffham has deigned to make time from his busy schedule to briefly comment on ongoing developments. The dialogue took place online:

Me: Herr Ahm, a full week after the official announcement of a vacancy in Parliament due to the most honourable man in Singapore choosing to pursue future endeavours, the Prime Minister has advanced to the stage of "considering seriously" the case of a by-election, surely cause for celebration! Thoughts?

Herr Ahm: Ah, the Dragon has bared his fangs.


I am the blood of the dragon!
(Source: thevirtualunderground.net)


Well, given that I gathered that this extremely taxing process would take a fortnight to a month, my prediction's still on track. Hired agencies quietly gathering data to model the outcome under various combinations of variables, including the choice of candidate, does take time, you know.

Frankly, I think all this is unnecessary, as the PM will probably recognize eventually, since they're almost certainly going to win it, all the more as there appears a high chance that there will again be hopeful calefare participants in the democratic process. Hadn't expected this degree of... uh... stubborness. *shrugs* Hey, it's a free country, and it's their money.

Me: It seems like that's what he's hoping for, from the "If I decide to hold, then it is within the right of any candidate from any of the opposition parties to come and it is up to the voters to decide whom they want to support" line - I think it is safe to say that the more Opposition participants there are, the better his side's already-very-high chances.

Herr Ahm: He certainly expresses himself clearly, and by expresses clearly I mean "states the obvious", if nothing else.

Honestly, I don't think Mr. Reform Party is that out of touch with reality - their walking the ground only after the seat became available already smacks very strongly of naked opportunism, and if they do go for it, who will they send? It would look extremely bad on their leader if he were only to poll in the single digits, which is far from unlikely, and sending a rank-and-file member to stand would only be heaping insult upon insult.

I can't say the same for the SDA leader, who seems to be cast from the same mould as one of your former Presidential candidates. Don't get me wrong, I'm touched by striving underdogs as much as the next guy, but put it this way - have you watched long-distance races, either between runners or cars, before? In cases where one is about to be lapped, common etiquette is to move aside and let the leaders pass. Oh, there's no rule per se; it's just one's own face on the line.

One of your other Presidential candidates has meanwhile hit the spot with his criticism of SMRT for responding to protests over breakdowns, fare hikes and barely-any-strings-attached money transfers by... venturing into retail.

Ok, as far as making money for your state investment company goes, this is as good a cash machine as any - and the heavens know, you need one - with it widely known that the (extractable) value of a public transport network lies not in the network itself, but the surrounding real estate, hence profits on retail and (usually) losses on the backbone. Problem is, most profit-taking firms love to concentrate on their profit centers, and neglect loss-making departments. Can't expect much morale and initiative in those places, then.

One could then ask whether it is reasonable for profits from the retail side to be spent on the transport side, since one came from the other, and the answer so far has been - no, fares should be self-sustaining, while rentals are fully deserved - i.e. losses are shared, while profits are captured. Let's just say that it is no wonder how your state investment company has been so successful on home turf!

Anything else for me?

Me: Only this: after the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council's getting a red rating for service & conservancy charge arrears got plastered on the front page of our secondary mouthpiece, it transpired that their audit troubles could partly be put down to having their financial system contract terminated - by a company run by three former incumbent MPs. Heck, they even named it Action Information Management (AIM), if it weren't obvious enough.

Not only that, it appears that town council (i.e. public) funds were used to develop the system, which was then sold to AIM - which has a paid-up capital of just S$2, mind - for an undisclosed sum, before being leased back, a setup which, I don't know, might to a reasonable and unbiased mind appear slightly irregular.


Don't be silly, he looks like a perfectly nice fellow.
And all the newspapers say so too!
(Original source: deviantart.com)


Herr Ahm: Blah blah blah, what's new? This, if you recall, is a party that forces an elected representative to sit in a ramshackle cubicle for decades for no good reason other than spite, shuts other elected representatives out from independent *chortles* People's Association events, and threatens to withhold upgrading from their own citizens if they don't vote their way. What in the world did you expect?

"Oh, we're all gentlemen here. Since you won the election fair and square, we will continue to take care of your backend system needs, at least until you can make a transition within a reasonable timespan for the public good, since service to the people must always come first."

If you expected that, you might be on the wrong planet.

Herr Ahm, out.



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