First post in about 6 months and spent over 5 minutes trying to remember my log in credentials. This post is specially for you. Happy Birthday Mabel!

"Jim bought some chocolates and gave half of it to Ken. Ken bought some sweets and gave half of it to Jim. Jim ate 12 sweets and Ken ate 18 chocolates. The ratio of Jim’s sweets to chocolates became 1:7 and the ratio of Ken’s sweets to chocolates became 1:4. How many sweets did Ken buy?"

This blog hasn't reinvent itself into a tuition blog. Anyway with an url like this, and with more than half the hits coming from people googling the word "wanking", I doubt any parents would allow their kids to visit this site.

So what is a mathematics question doing here? This question, which even stumped some adults (I initially thought it was a riddle), appeared in the recent PSLE mathematics examination. Needless to say, it riled up the parents and even got some kids suicidal, judging from the opening paragraph of this article.

While I understand the need for MOE to maintain the high standard of mathematics proficiency that our country is renowned for, they ought to cut these kids some slack lest they grow up to be depressed and follow the path of our favourite (at least mine) ex beauty queen who had "forgotten" to remove her study notes from her pencil case during one of her term paper.

For the record, I solved the question in about 15 minutes using simultaneous equations, which I believe is a concept still abstract to the average P6 kids.
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Shes yellow. With a blue beehive hairdo. And shes posing for Playboy...Mmmm..cartoon porn, must buy.

Marge gracing Playboy mag cover

Simpsons matriarch Marge Simpson is gracing the cover of Playboy magazine, becoming the first cartoon character in the publication's history.

Clicky for full article.

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Man...I kicking myself for canceling StarWorld for now David Letterman is a nightly fixture on the cable channel.

Now if you can get good old Optimus Prime to be your mouthpiece, what do you want him to say? My heart trumps for Kan Ni Na Bei Chao Chee Bye but my brain votes for this. BOOMZ.

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Still on the topic of Miss Singapore scandal, while everyone is occupied with whether Ris Low should represent the nation at the upcoming Miss Universe (or is it Miss World?) competition, does it even occur to anyone that the quality of the contestants are, to put it politely, lackadaisical in the aesthetic department?

When I first saw this song on MTV when I was still in secondary school I had nothing but scorn for it. Tear jerker of a video, no guitar riffs, no boobs shot, in short - a waste of TV air time.

Maybe because it is a 李宗盛 composition, which many say one is able to fully grasp the meaning only after going through the ups and downs of life.

Now with age catching up and having thinner hair on the pate, I begin to understand why this song resonated with many broken hearts when it was first released. And yes, my eyes are brimming with tears whenever I hear the chorus.





我以为我会哭
但是我没有
我只是怔怔望着你的脚步
给你我最后的祝福
这何尝不是一种领悟
让我把自己看清楚
虽然那共爱的痛苦
将日日夜夜
在我灵魂最深处
我以为我会报复
但是我没有
当我看到我深爱过的男人
竟然像孩子一样无助
这何尝不是一种领悟
让你把自己看清楚
被爱是奢侈的幸福
可惜你从来不在乎
啊!一段感情就此结束
啊!一颗心眼看要荒芜
我们的爱若是错误
愿你我没有白白受苦
若曾真心真意付出
就应该满足
啊!多么痛的领悟
你曾是我的全部
只是我回首来时路的每一步
都走的好孤独
啊!多么痛的领悟
你曾是我的全部
只愿你挣脱情的枷锁
爱的束缚任意追逐
别再为爱受苦
我以为我会报复
但是我没有
当我看到我深爱过的男人
竟然像孩子一样无助
这何尝不是一种领悟
让你把自己看清楚
被爱是奢侈的幸福
可惜你从来不在乎
啊!一段感情就此结束
啊!一颗心眼看要荒芜
我们的爱若是错误
愿你我没有白白受苦
若曾真心真意付出
就应该满足
啊!多么痛的领悟
你曾是我的全部
只是我回首来时路的每一步
都走的好孤独
啊!多么痛的领悟
你曾是我的全部
只愿你挣脱情的枷锁
爱的束缚任意追逐
啊!多么痛的领悟
你曾是我的全部
只是我回首来时路的每一步
都走的好孤独
啊!多么痛的领悟
你曾是我的全部
只愿你挣脱情的枷锁
爱的束缚任意追逐
别再为爱受苦

8:21:56

At a Hawker Centre in Bedok

Hawker: 先生，你要吃什么 (Sir, what do you want to eat) ?

Ah Meng: Herm..

8:21:57

At an ongoing mahjong game somewhere in the Woodland

Ah Beng is just one 九筒 (Nine Circle) away from completing the seemingly impossible 十三么 (Thirteen Tile) hand.

Ah Beng: Kin ah, faster discard your tile la..

8:21:58

Over in Geylang

Ah Seng is onto his third durian. Those 3 for 10 dollars kind.

Ah Seng: *suckle suckle*

8:21:59

Back in Bedok

Ah Meng: Mee pok tak, 辣椒多，不要豆... (Mee pok dry, more chilli, no bean spr...)

While somewhere in Woodland

One of Ah Beng's mahjong kaki is just about to discard a mahjong tile.

MJ Kaki: Jiu To..(Nine Cir...)

And Ah Seng is still suckling on his durian seed in Geylang

Ah Seng: *suckle suckle*

8:22:00

*chimes chimes*

At this moment the entire nation grinds to a halt. Its citizen rising to their feet, right fist clenched and placed over their left chest..

8:22:01

We, the citizens of Singapore
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society,
based on justice and equality,
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.

8:23:01

Over in Bedok

Hawker: 先生先生，你没事吧？是不是鬼上身了啊? (Sir, are you alright? Are you possessed?)

Ah Meng: Huh, 你不知道吗？今天National Day, 8:22pm 要讲pledge. (Huh, you didn't know? Today is National Day, we need to recite the pledge at 8:22pm)

Hawker: 我不知道，我从中国来的。(I don't know, I'm from China.)

Back to the Mahjong game at Woodland

Ah Beng: Eh, just now who threw 九筒 (Nine Circle) ah? Who ah?

Mahjong Kakis: Got meh? Forgot liao la. We forgot whose turn is it liao also. Restart!

While over in Geylang

Durian stall customer: Help help! Someone call 995! Someone choked on a durian seed while reciting the pledge just now!

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Wishing a Happy National Day to all Singaporeans. If you wish to take part in the pledge moment at 8:22pm, remember to do it under a safe and conducive environment. Majulah Singapura!

Random Majula Singapura mutlimedia of the Day


Pride in our world class transport system.
Picture from our first local voyuer citizen journalism website, Stomp.


Hokkien version of this year National Day song.