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2009 Boomz and Shingz.
Bitched on: Thursday, December 31, 2009
Time: 12/31/2009 11:59:00 PM
I intentionally had this entry published on this day. I won't be in Singapore on the 31st (by the time you read this) so this entry would be pre-written and scheduled to be published then (or today...hmmm...)Time: 12/31/2009 11:59:00 PM
31st December marks the anniversary of this humble blog of mine. It has been 4 long and wonderful years. Not only that, this entry marks the 400th entry. So that is a hundred entries per year (kinda... I didn't really blog much this year). So to make up for my absence for a whole chunk of this year, I will try to squeeze in 2009 into one entry.
This is my annual 'People & Events of the Year'!
I thought I would expand my list this year to the Top 25 (instead of just 10 like the past 3 years). So here goes, MY very own list:
I thought I would expand my list this year to the Top 25 (instead of just 10 like the past 3 years). So here goes, MY very own list:
25. Let's start with our very own pride and joy, Taufik Batisah. Taufik's boo boo singing the National Anthem wrongly at the F1 event just proves to show that regardless of race, language or religion, you CAN sing the national anthem wrong. 
24. Still in Singapore, number 24 goes to the S Factor 'Babes'. I have to use the word 'babes' loosely this time round... unless your idea of a 'babe' is someone who can shoot electricity out of her eyes or give 'seductive' eye contact. *cue for crickets* Even the finalists were rather un-babe-lious. Like 'siriously', what did the 'S' stand for? Stupid? Sucky? Slutty?
23. Next up is Miley Cyrus... Rich, famous and young. Can't blame her for having a little bit of racist fun, right? The Asian dude is so not game... 
22. After 398 days since he hobbled out of Whitley Road Detention Centre, Singapore's number one fugitive, Mas Selamat, has been caught on the 1st of April in Johor. The only 'April' fool that emerged out from this whole mess is the Singaporean government when the Malaysian authorities not only refused to hand him over (indefinitely), but had not informed their counterparts for almost 6 weeks that they had him in detention. "Singapore government knew that Mas Selamat had been arrested", yeah, yeah right... 
21. From the number one fugitive we move on to the number one man who was on my list last year, Barack Hussein Obama II. Undoubtedly the busiest man of 2009, he signed a $787 billion simulus package to curb the financial crisis, extended an outreach to the Muslim world, overhauled the entire US health care system and last but not least, won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize (that despite deploying additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan)... You would think he wouldn't have the time to hit the beach.
22. After 398 days since he hobbled out of Whitley Road Detention Centre, Singapore's number one fugitive, Mas Selamat, has been caught on the 1st of April in Johor. The only 'April' fool that emerged out from this whole mess is the Singaporean government when the Malaysian authorities not only refused to hand him over (indefinitely), but had not informed their counterparts for almost 6 weeks that they had him in detention. "Singapore government knew that Mas Selamat had been arrested", yeah, yeah right... 21. From the number one fugitive we move on to the number one man who was on my list last year, Barack Hussein Obama II. Undoubtedly the busiest man of 2009, he signed a $787 billion simulus package to curb the financial crisis, extended an outreach to the Muslim world, overhauled the entire US health care system and last but not least, won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize (that despite deploying additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan)... You would think he wouldn't have the time to hit the beach.20. Blame E.T. (Entertainment Tonight) for drilling into my head the choice for number 20; Jon and Kate from 'Jon & Kate Plus 8'. I don't care that they are divorced, or which one of them had been unfaithful first, or who is the one stashing away money or whatever...
I just feel sorry for the 8 kids for having parents who are such media whores (same goes for the dad of the 'balloon boy'). And you think it would have been the eight kids who would be the attention seeking ones...
19. Number 19 is the foulmouthed Christian Bale. He 'delivered' an expletive-radden rant at a crew member during the filming of the new Terminator movie when the crew member 'trashed' his scene by walking into his 'line of sight'... Sheesh.... D.I.V.A.
19. Number 19 is the foulmouthed Christian Bale. He 'delivered' an expletive-radden rant at a crew member during the filming of the new Terminator movie when the crew member 'trashed' his scene by walking into his 'line of sight'... Sheesh.... D.I.V.A.18. Technically, 'Nobody' was so last year... But it only got super uber popular beginning of this year. From its very catchy dance steps in the MV to the even more catchy lyrics, the Wonder Girls' 'Nobody' caught the world by storm - from Thai prisoners to a bored Korean air-traffic controller. An English version to the song was released in June this year but it came out too late and the song's popularity had already died down, not to mention it was sooooo CRINGE-worthy.
17. From the Wonder Girls to the 'Wonder Women'. Who can forget the drama that centred around AWARE? From the calculative takeover, to the all-Christian and all-Chinese 'new' exco, and to the $90,000 spent within weeks of the new exco, a lot of people in Singapore were outraged... And in a show of solidarity or you can call it new-age 'mob behaviour', the new exco (headed by Josie Lau) was ousted after a vote of no confidence during the 6-hours long EGM.
16. He was almost crowned American Idol 2009 but lost out to the less controversial and BORING Kris Allen (plus his rendition of 'No Boundaries' totally kicks Kris's ass), he is Adam Lambert. His performance at American Music Awards is precisely the reason why he didn't win - because we are not ready for him... 
Yes, we know you are as gay as Bruno's crotch in Eminem's face...
15. Now back to Singapore, number 15 is Reverend Ming Yi. He is the founder and former CEO of Ren Ci Hospital. What's with all the controversy? Well, firstly he loaned his assistant $50,000 (from Ren Ci's fund) when Ren Ci Hospital is supposedly thriving on donations and stuff... To make it even more controversial, the monk owns race horses... Like seriously, what the hell? I wanna be a monk like that...
14. Sezairi Sezali, our third Singapore Idol. He had all the odds stacked up against him. Another Malay male Singapore Idol? Even I had wanted to vote for Sylvia initially but after hearing how biased the judges were (Ken especially) and feeling that Sezairi nailed all 3 songs that night, we switched camps and voted for him. Sezairi Sezali was eventually crowned Singapore's third Singapore Idol on 27th December to the dismay of Ken Lim... Sorry Sylvia, Ken made me do it.
13. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is at unlucky number 13. The Nigerian Muslim had wanted to detonate plastic bombs hidden in his underwear on Christmas en route to Detroit. He instead burned his pants off and was subdued by passengers and crew members. Not only did he put the spotlight on aviation security system, he singlehandedly made us Muslims look bad... again...
12. Closer to home, Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen, made headlines by proclaiming that chicken rice, nasi lemak and chili crab (to name a few of the dishes) were Malaysian dishes and that other countries (we wonder who...) were hijacking them... If Singapore and Malaysia were ever to go to war, it will be all about food. And lady, you took the first step.
11. At number 11 is Queen Beyonce Knowles. Her song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, for four non-consecutive weeks, giving Beyonce her fifth number one single in the United States. Its MV won the 2009 BET Awards Video of the Year. In addition, it was nominated for a total of nine awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, and ultimately won the award for Video of the Year. And that is just for that one song and its 'simple' MV.
In October, Beyonce was honored with Billboard magazine's "Woman of the Year" award. Beyonce also leads the 52nd Grammy Awards, receiving 10 nominations. 
10. Just making it to top 10 is Taylor Swift. The poor girl had Kanye West raining on her parade at the MTV Music Awards when he ran onto the stage and embarrassed her by saying Beyonce should have won instead. Stupid Kanye West and his drunken tirade; this is not his first time being a sore loser too. But our sweet Taylor Swift had the last laugh when she snagged Jacob, yes THE Jacob from Twilight. 
9. Next on the list is pilot C.B. 'Sully' Sullenberger.
9. Next on the list is pilot C.B. 'Sully' Sullenberger. Who? He is the hero who saved hundreds of lives when he landed his malfunctioning plane on the Hudson River (Manhattan) saving the 155 passengers on board. Its inspiring and heroic stories like this amidst the gloom and destruction that is really worth highlighting. 
8. At number 8 is Rihanna. Poor girl had her battered face all over the front pages of newspaper worldwide. The abuser, then-boyfriend Chris Brown, was thrown in jail for assault charges. She recalls what happened in an interview with Diane Sawyer:
"I was bleeding. I was swollen in my face. So there was no way of me getting home, except for, my next option was to get out of the car and walk ... start walking in a gown, in a bloody face? So I really don't know what my plan was."
8. At number 8 is Rihanna. Poor girl had her battered face all over the front pages of newspaper worldwide. The abuser, then-boyfriend Chris Brown, was thrown in jail for assault charges. She recalls what happened in an interview with Diane Sawyer:"I was bleeding. I was swollen in my face. So there was no way of me getting home, except for, my next option was to get out of the car and walk ... start walking in a gown, in a bloody face? So I really don't know what my plan was."
By the time the police came, she was already "battered" and when asked what caused the fight initially, she would only say that her boyfriend lied to her. So shouldn't she be doing the battering?
7. At number 7 is David Hartanto Widjaja, the final-year Engineering NTU student who leapt to his death after allegedly stabbing his professor with the latter's knife. Just why he did all that is still a mystery. And his professor is keeping mum. Mystery unsolved. Sheesh...
6. Speaking of unsolved mysteries... Number 6 goes to the 'unknown' driver of the hit-and-run case at Bukit Panjang on December 15th (yeah right... we sure as hell know who he is...). 3 victims - one died (3 weeks after his wedding for God's sake, his life support unplugged on Christmas some more!), one seriously injured and one discharged. Can the driver be caught already??? Oh wait, he flew back to his country like a coward shit. And that was after creating a whole string of lies. We have two witnesses. Isn't that enough? Jail his ASS NOW.
Us Singaporeans are not stupid and most of all, I believe the authorities are not corrupt.
Before I go into the Top 5, here's a look at 20 notable events in 2009:
20. Miss Gibraltar was crowned Miss World 2009 on 12th December. All together now, Miss Whaaa-t?
19. The cricket team from Sri Lanka was attacked on the 3rd of March by 12 gunmen while in Pakistan. 6 of the players were injured and 6 policemen and 2 civilians were killed.
18. In July, a series of violent clashes erupted between Uyghurs, Chinese state police, and Han residents in the city of Ürümqi resulting in at least 197 deaths and scores injured.
17. Mas Selamat was recaptured on 1st of April. Collective sigh of relief...
16. Dubai finally 'succumbs' to the global financial crisis. On 14th December, neighbour Abu Dhabi gave Dubai US$10 billion to clear Dubai World debt...
15. Singapore's very own Merlion had a bald patch after being struck by lightning on 28th February. So suay... 
14. Sri Lankan civil war officially ends on the 17th of May after more than 2 decades of war with the defeat of LTTE.
13. Starting from the 13th of June, protests followed the 2009 Iranian presidential election against alleged electoral fraud and in support of opposition candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi.
12. The longest solar eclipse ever recorded occurred on the 22nd July this year.
11. Air France Flight 447 was a scheduled commercial flight from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to Paris, France, that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on 1 June 2009, killing all 216 passengers and 12 crew members.
10. NASA found water on the moon on 24th of September after crashing a rocket. Talk about lucky...
9. North Korea launches 7 missile launches into the Sea of Japan on the 4th of July (talk about defiance) and conducted underground nuclear tests in May.
8. 8.3 magintude near Samoan islands triggered tsunamis on September 29th; with 189 people killed, it was the largest earthquake of the year.
7. Gaza strip ground invasion ended on 18th January. Between 1,166 and 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis were killed during the Gaza War.
6. Typhoon Morakot hits Taiwan on the 7th of August, leaving 461 people dead and 192 others missing, most of whom are feared dead and roughly NT$110 billion in damages.
5. The rojak food poisoning in Singapore in March-April killed 2 women in Singapore and over 140 cases were reported. 
4. 7.6 magnitude Sumatran earthquake occurred on September 30th, with confirmed 1,115 dead, 1,214 severely injured and 1,688 slightly injured. 
3. Typhoon Ketsana hits Philippines on 25th September; with at least 464 deaths officially reported of which at least 86 people were reported dead in landslides and floods.
2. The 2009 United Nations Climate Change in Copenhagen was held between 7th - 18th December. There was so much hype about it, even nicknaming it Hopenhagen. But all we got was more bad news. We are doomed. We are going to die. Brace yourselves. 2012 is probably going to happen. 
1. Swine Flu also known as H1N1 tops the list. First detected in April, it has since gone on to claim 12,220 lives worldwide. If pandemics don't kill us, global warming will.
Now back to the People of 2009:
4. 7.6 magnitude Sumatran earthquake occurred on September 30th, with confirmed 1,115 dead, 1,214 severely injured and 1,688 slightly injured. 3. Typhoon Ketsana hits Philippines on 25th September; with at least 464 deaths officially reported of which at least 86 people were reported dead in landslides and floods.2. The 2009 United Nations Climate Change in Copenhagen was held between 7th - 18th December. There was so much hype about it, even nicknaming it Hopenhagen. But all we got was more bad news. We are doomed. We are going to die. Brace yourselves. 2012 is probably going to happen. 1. Swine Flu also known as H1N1 tops the list. First detected in April, it has since gone on to claim 12,220 lives worldwide. If pandemics don't kill us, global warming will.Now back to the People of 2009:
5. Top 5 now and at number 5 is media darling, Susan Boyle. Her video in YouTube drew 83 million viewers! That is like more than 16 times the population of Singapore! Why her popularity? Blame it on our prejudice that someone that looks like her can't sing something like that... Fugly talented underdogs worldwide rejoice!
4. My favourite singer of 2009... Lady Gaga is at number 4. Some hate her, some 'don't get' her but I totally worship her. Gimme some of your Bad Romance.... Rah-rah-ah-ah-ah! Mum-mah-mum-mum-mah! GaGa-oo-la-la. 
3. In top 3, I know, some of you would disagree but its our very own Ris Low!!! The dethroned Miss Universe Singapore first embarrassed herself (and us Singaporeans) when she was interviewed by RazorTV! Who are we kidding? Some Singaporeans do sound like that. 
3. In top 3, I know, some of you would disagree but its our very own Ris Low!!! The dethroned Miss Universe Singapore first embarrassed herself (and us Singaporeans) when she was interviewed by RazorTV! Who are we kidding? Some Singaporeans do sound like that. But I have to admit, as much as I hate her initially, I now love her to bits. She is shameless and her pronounciations kinda endearing. Plus, who can hate someone who is a klepto, is bi-polar and have an unsound mind? She was even named one of CNN's 25 Influential People in Asia! We just love our criminals, don't we? 
2. Coming in second is a tiger in bed, as much as he is on the golf courses; he is of course, Tiger Woods. 14 lovers and counting. He once had that squeaky clean and faithful husband image but that is all bull. He's 'lion' to his wife and he is a 'cheetah'. Yeah, I'm sick of that joke as well.
2. Coming in second is a tiger in bed, as much as he is on the golf courses; he is of course, Tiger Woods. 14 lovers and counting. He once had that squeaky clean and faithful husband image but that is all bull. He's 'lion' to his wife and he is a 'cheetah'. Yeah, I'm sick of that joke as well. WDF Tiger? 
You cheated on that hot wife of yours? Please keep your little 'tiger' in your pants... Plus Rihanna should learn a thing or two from your wife about dealing with infidelity, smash your (soon-to-be) ex's prize possession (in this case, his car) with another one of his prize possession (in this case his clubs). But not before you whopped his ass, of course.
You cheated on that hot wife of yours? Please keep your little 'tiger' in your pants... Plus Rihanna should learn a thing or two from your wife about dealing with infidelity, smash your (soon-to-be) ex's prize possession (in this case, his car) with another one of his prize possession (in this case his clubs). But not before you whopped his ass, of course.1. 2009 was a year with so many stars who died so suddenly and tragicly. Stephen Gately, Brittany Murphy, David Carradine, Farah Fawcett and Patrick Swazye died way too soon. 
But of course, the number one person on my 2009 list has to be the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. June 25th, the whole world stood silent and in shock as they watch the video footages of the King being wheeled into a hospital. 
And later, the world cried buckets when his death was confirmed. The King of Pop was gone.
But of course, the number one person on my 2009 list has to be the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. June 25th, the whole world stood silent and in shock as they watch the video footages of the King being wheeled into a hospital. And later, the world cried buckets when his death was confirmed. The King of Pop was gone.To some he was a great entertainer, an idol and even a 'god'. He was the true inspiration to all of us.
R.I.P. Michael.
This is it! 2009 had been a great year! Or should I say a boomz year.
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My Hope for Copenhagen.
Bitched on: Thursday, December 17, 2009
Time: 12/17/2009 03:37:00 AM
I hope that we will live in a world with less convenience.Time: 12/17/2009 03:37:00 AM
A world where a can of Coca Cola costs not just a dollar but a thousand dollars.
Why a thousand dollars?
Simply because that would be the actual cost of a can of Coca Cola.
Not convinced?
Firstly, about half of the cost would go to the extraction of that volume of aluminium you find in an aluminium can from some African country or Indonesia.
That could possibly pay for trees which were felled per square metres to extract that volume of ore; for the loss of habitat of some species and/or the land of the natives per square metre; and for the endangering or extinction of some plant or animal species (costs depending on the size or 'usefulness' of the species).
Another 50 dollars could also possibly cover the medical fees of the worker who had to extract the ore from sulphur gas-filled volcanic environment. Surely, that money would also have to cover the worker's pay sufficiently so that he won't be 'exploited', right?
Oh, don't forget, we also have to pay for the ingredients for the Coca Cola itself. We have to plant cocoa plants and sugar cane (for the sugar.. duh...). So we need to clear more land and harm more habitats. We also have to extract Kola nuts from the fragile South American rainforests. Add a few hundred dollars to pay for all that.
We need to be paying for the transportation of the ore/ingredients (we need to clear more forests for roads) to the factories (more land cleared, more workers who shouldn't be exploited).
About another couple of hundred dollars should be spent on the actual energy and pollution costs from the burning of fuel during extraction to transportation and finally to the whole process of production that can of Coca Cola (that is very energy intensive, FYI).
Spare a few fifties to pay for water wasted and/or polluted during the whole production. Don't forget the energy consumed when that can of Coke leaves the factory and into your hands.
Did I miss anything? Maybe I did, but I hope you can get the picture.
If this is really going to happen, I hope that there would be recycling bins that would pay you back about a thousand dollars for recycling. Only then would we understand the value of recycling, no?
Fortunately that hasn't happened yet. A can of Coke doesn't and will never cost a thousand dollars.
But all the other things I mentioned earlier have happened and are happening now to bring that can of Coca Cola into your very hands.
So take the value of money out of the equation and look at everything else that matters: life.
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HOPEnhagen!
Bitched on: Friday, December 11, 2009
Time: 12/11/2009 06:08:00 PM
Sign the petition. News from Hopenhagen:Time: 12/11/2009 06:08:00 PM
The UN Climate Change Conference is underway in Copenhagen. At the opening sessions on December 7th, the Danish Prime Minister announced that "for the next two weeks, Copenhagen will be Hopenhagen." This message of optimism and hope has been reported by media around the world as global citizens look to the talks to yield a positive outcome for our planet.
As we now enter critical days in the conference, here are some good ways to stay up to date on what is happening on the ground.
With editorial partner TakePart, the Hopenhagen Blog is covering news and events at the conference from various points of view. Our guest blog entries just this week have included Al Gore and Bill McKibben.
Starting today, we are launching a series within our blog from David Kroodsma, our Hopenhagen Ambassador. David was chosen for this job by the Hopenhagen community, and we could not be more proud to be sending him to Copenhagen to represent us and report back.
The Hopenhagen Facebook group and Twitter feeds are very active with posts from our team on the ground and discussions amongst fans.
And if you're in Copenhagen this week, visit HopenhagenLIVE for a list of events, including Earth Hour Hopenhagen on December 16th. Come to the Messages of Hope Pavilion in City Hall Square to share your video message of hope.
Check back often to the Hopenhagen Blog for the latest updates, and if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Let's turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen!
As we now enter critical days in the conference, here are some good ways to stay up to date on what is happening on the ground.
With editorial partner TakePart, the Hopenhagen Blog is covering news and events at the conference from various points of view. Our guest blog entries just this week have included Al Gore and Bill McKibben.
Starting today, we are launching a series within our blog from David Kroodsma, our Hopenhagen Ambassador. David was chosen for this job by the Hopenhagen community, and we could not be more proud to be sending him to Copenhagen to represent us and report back.
The Hopenhagen Facebook group and Twitter feeds are very active with posts from our team on the ground and discussions amongst fans.
And if you're in Copenhagen this week, visit HopenhagenLIVE for a list of events, including Earth Hour Hopenhagen on December 16th. Come to the Messages of Hope Pavilion in City Hall Square to share your video message of hope.
Check back often to the Hopenhagen Blog for the latest updates, and if you haven't already, join us on Facebook and Twitter.
Let's turn Copenhagen into Hopenhagen!
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Mission accomplished (well, for now)
Bitched on: Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Time: 12/01/2009 12:58:00 AM
I have a confession to make. I am a travel addict.Time: 12/01/2009 12:58:00 AM
I caught the travel bug only a few years ago, so I admit I was a late bloomer. I used to be contented with staying in Singapore but now, I can't help myself but to leave Singapore as often as I can once my school semesters end.
Don't ask me why. But its that indescribable feeling of being in unfamiliar places meeting strange but wonderful people along the way that thrills me. Its the feeling of independence and freedom to travel around that is both so liberating and exhilarating. And yes, that awe you get when you see something new or something that you have seen in books or TV that makes me hook to travelling even more than anything else.
My beautiful niece has this colouring / sticker book. It has pictures ranging from fruits to animals. There are even drawings of buildings and monuments around the world. And they are my inspirations - drawings of the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House, the Pyramids of Giza and finally the Eiffel Tower. Amateurishly drawn and printed in black ink, waiting to be coloured (or defaced by my niece, lol).
These six monuments have always been on my own personal list of the greatest things to see and places to be at. Ever since I was little, I had thought that these six things were really really cool. That is how I got into studying Architecture in the first place. And now I finally have the chance to see beautiful masterpieces of architecture - past and present, and experience the space, culture and history of the place.
I am 2/3 done, thanks to the last couple of years, Alhamdullillah.
I can't help but to feel extremely grateful and fortunate.
Because I think for me, I don't have the luxury of some people to indulge in travelling on a whim with fat wads of cash.
Thank you God for giving me all the opportunities to see what I grew up wanting to see.
And I am even more thankful to you God, for revealing before my own eyes some of your awe-inspiring and sometimes surprising wonders of nature that are scattered across the world (just not so much in Singapore, lol).
Lastly a big thank you to all those who have made all these possible.
I have been humbled and glad to see that my dreams are slowly but surely being realised.
But God willing, I want to complete my list.
Insyallah.
2009, you have been great.
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