if the sky falls on my head while i am chasing butterflies, so be it: February 2009

This latest slip-of-tongue has just confirmed my opinion that our million-dollar ministers have lost touch with the people. In fact, they are so out of touch, it is frightening.

Straits Times, Feb 10, 2009
Live in nursing homes in JB?
SINGAPOREANS could consider living in nursing homes in neighbouring Johor Baru, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan suggested yesterday.
It would be cheaper, yet be near enough to Singapore for family members to visit and for residents to return for medical care if necessary, he said.
He told Parliament yesterday that he recently visited a site in Johor Baru where a Singaporean investor was planning to build a 200-bed nursing home.
He asked the investor about the costs involved, and was stunned at how low they were.
He said: 'It is mind-boggling. The cost of land and construction cost is so low that my cost of putting up just a polyclinic (in Singapore) is probably more than his cost of putting up a 200-bed nursing home (in Johor Baru).
'The monthly cost of keeping a resident in a private nursing home in Singapore, you can stretch it easily to pay at least 2-1/2 months of nursing home care in Johor Baru.'
If any medical problems cropped up, the elderly could be taken back to Singapore by ambulance, he said.
For most Singaporeans, visiting a relative in a Johor Baru nursing home would not pose significant difficulties, he said.
The investor, who is a nursing home chief executive, told him that many people visited their relatives weekly, even in nursing homes in Singapore.
Mr Khaw added: 'Of course many visit daily, but quite a significant number visit only during the weekends, so what is the difference in putting them in Johor Baru?'
LEE HUI CHIEH

Bonjela, my lifesaver!

Not good for my confidence.

After 2 days where everything seemed to go wrong; quarrel, ulcer, parking fine, admin cock-ups, going late for staff meeting, things are looking up again, for one, Jaime's no longer angry and we are lovey dovey again. Now I just need to work doubly hard over the weekend, rectify stuff, somehow I need to find the time.

We watched Slumdog Millionaire yesterday. It was wonderful and uplifting. My pick for the Oscars. What should have been a good end to the day, I spoilt by saying something without thinking. Innocuous in intention, it came out so bad it made my girlfriend sad. I am so so so sorry.

My Vpost finally arrived!

The first two days of actual lessons went pretty well; the kids (with only one exception) seem to have warmed to me, and my lecture today was well-received, which has given me a lot of confidence for the days to come. A slight hiccup today, but well i had to put my foot down, to show that I mean business. The tears were unfortunate, but collateral.

The days have gotten longer but at least I am enjoying it, some of it at least. My work-life certainly is never dull, especially with the company I keep. Thanks girls, you know who you are. You three smart, brilliant, zany, sometimes lovesick girls.

Ignorance is bliss?

Red-pill/Blue Pill - The most popular videos are here

The famous red/blue pill scene from the matrix. I am planning to use it for my GP intro lesson tomorrow.
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Normal service resumed one day after Valentine's Day, one day after Malacca. The last week must have merely been a blip. The kills ratio? 40 to 20.

I wonder why?

I read this bit of news this morning: It was at the headline section of Yahoo! Singapore. I got home this evening and wanted to show it to my brother, but I could not find it anymore on yahoo search. Fortunately the link was still saved in the cache. Hmmm.....

The value of Singaporean sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings contracted last year as the economic downturn dented the value of its investments.

Temasek said its portfolio had shrunk 31% to 127 billion Singapore dollars (£57.2bn; $84.7bn) in November 2008, down from S$185bn at the end of March.

The value of Temasek's investments in banks such as Merrill Lynch has declined due to the credit crunch.

Temasek bought 9% of Merrill Lynch in 2007 before its shares were delisted.

The country's other sovereign wealth fund, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), has also seen the value of its stakes in banking concerns reduced.

"It's easy to say the acquisitions were done at the wrong price, but I believe Temasek and GIC took the risks based on their due diligence," said Amanah Asset Management chief executive, Scott Lim.

"The depth of the crisis is something we couldn't have anticipated."

Investment

Temasek had ploughed some US$5.9bn into Merrill Lynch and owned about 9% of the US company.

Merrill Lynch's shares plummeted 78% in value before it was eventually delisted and bought by Bank of America.

Temasek converted its Merrill stock and so now holds 189 million shares in Bank of America.

Despite the losses in foreign holdings, the government said it would not automatically increase investment in local firms, but would instead consider whether to establish another fund to prop up local companies.

The government also highlighted it had been quick to reduce its equity shares shortly after the credit crisis took hold, thereby limiting losses.

What strategy Temasek adopts in the future remains to be seen as chief executive Ho Ching - who is married to Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - last week announced she would step down after seven years with the fund.

In October she will be replaced by 51-year-old Chip Goodyear, a former BHP Billiton chief executive.

Amidst this dry spell(while Southern Australia burns), moving along its elliptical orbit, the moon passed within 300,000 km of earth, the closest it has come to us at any time since 1957. The proximity effects are clearly felt. In 4 straight games of DOTA, I have failed to beat Sm. It's ridiculous! Hopefully things will improve by the weekend.

These days, on all the news networks, BBC, CNN, CNA ; the prevalence of bad news is depressing(is this what it was like in 1933?) and I find myself resorting to escapism; switching channels to channel 18, American Idol, or channel 21, Wrestling.

The only (sort of) silver lining; Coldplay will be playing in Singapore in March, the 23rd to be exact. Where will we find the money?!?

Some good advice.

Friday evening , I had a waffle while she had a brownie and after that we hit the supermarket for cereals and mint slices. Yummy.

Here's a thought; If reincarnation means all memories of our past life are erased and everything begins on a clean slate, how then for us, is it different from dying and decomposing?

At home and sipping Yakult.

My first two days back in camp were relatively uneventful, and then Wednesday came, sweeping in like a whirlwind. First up in the morning, returning a call, I found out from Rachel; it wasn't on the front page, but at least within our friendship circle, it made the headlines, that our childhood friend Ignatius "Meh Meh" Yong Wai Hong has been charged in court for his involvement in the Sunshine Empire 'Ponzi' scheme. His passport was impounded and he is now out on 600K bail. For a long time, we were all aware of his involvement in dodgy MLM businesses, but it was always in a grey area, as far the law was concerned, so it was a big shock to see his picture in the Straits Times.

Next up, during heli-marshalling practice, a seemingly innocuous activity, my shoulder popped out again, to the disbelief of all and sundry, convincing me that I should get an operation to fix it once and for all. I was rushed to the medical centre in accordance with SAF SOP, even if I had protested to the medic to give me some time to remedy it myself. In the medical centre, the doctor decided he would have to dislocate my shoulder completely (apparently, it was only partially out of its socket) to put it back in because that is what they had been taught. Despite my protests, that was what happened and I was left in excruciating pain, my arm dangling out of its socket. The only consolation - my first narcotic experience. To ease my pain, I was given the opiate penthidine, which rendered me all lightheaded and numb . Even after my shoulder was reset, for about two hours, I was stoned. In the medical centre, on the ambulance to NUH, at the waiting area at the A&E, slumping in my seat was all i could manage. I was groggy but at the same time elated, over nothing at all; that must be what they call the "high". The world around me seemed to be moving in slow motion and when I was asked for my contact number by the medic , I needed 3 attempts to get it right.

At NUH, I was taken first for an X-ray and then after a long, drowsy wait I got to see the doctor who decided I needed 3 days rest at home, bringing my ICT to a premature end.