Daily Lunchtime Adventures from Si Pai Por

It has been more than a month since I moved on to my new workplace at Si Pai Por. The location is really convenient; the MRT is literally at my doorstep with the nearest exit a stone's throw away. My commuting time is also shortened and for the first time there is no need for any bus-transfer. While the remuneration and perks are not fantastic, the opportunity, where location is concerned, is a godsend.

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Our Cabinet Ministers Then and Now - The Old and New Guards of Singapore

The swearing-in of the cabinet last night formally marked the end of this watershed election, a most memorable fortnight for the folks following political affairs in Singapore. Members of Parliament were elected in and declared by the Returning Officer after Polling Day; Non-Constituency Member of Parliament seats were offered to the best losers and taken; the sudden resignation of the Minister Mentor and Senior Minister caused a mini-tsunami in the cabinet, as a result ministers were reshuffled or dropped, the latter joining before them those slated to resign and those who lost the elections in their constituency.

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Chiam See Tong's Legendary Makeshift Cubicle at the Void Deck

As a minority in the nation celebrated the euphoria of opposition victory in Aljunied and Hougang, a pall of gloom descended on the SPP supporters in Potong Pasir. Their ex-MP has lost his gamble: by moving out of his fort to contest in a GRC, he and his team failed to secure Bishan-Toa Payoh and his wife failed to retain Potong Pasir. As I woke up late on the morning of May 8, having followed the election results into the wee hours of the morning, I knew Chiam See Tong's legacy in Potong Pasir would soon disappear. The seeds of destruction were sown by the MP-elect even before polling day.

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Causeway People - Final Year Journalism Project

In February this year I received an email from a journalism student Ng Wai Mun studying in NTU's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. She was working on a group project, a multimedia feature "The Causeway People" which traces the border links between Singapore and Malaysia and asked for my inputs on places/things that remind us of our shared geographical/political past with Malaysia. Much honoured to recieve her email, I happily obliged.

Their project is now completed and thanks to Wai Mun for the heads up, we can now view their project online. The work is pretty impressive; what I initially thought was a small project like a photo gallery turned out to be much bigger in scope. The actual photo gallery titled "Vestiges of a United Past" is just one small part of the project.

Enough talk, you have to see it to do it justice.

From Nomination to Polling Day: A Short Election Campaign

Emotions and temperature ran high at Serangoon Stadium on the last day of the election campaign, no wonder a cooling off day was mandated.

Today is cooling off day, a time for us to simmer down, a time for us to use our head to decide the party we will vote for. It will not be an easy decision for many; consider this: voters in GRCs have to evaluate between 8 to 12 candidates from both parties in a short period of 10 days, to assess their track records, to dissect their arguments, to buy their promises and be charmed. Our vote is sacred, it is a secret weapon; the burden is therefore on us not to misfire.

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2nd Shot: Bedok Stadium Then and Now (Opposition vs. PAP)

Our government has had a good track record for the last 5 years. If numbers are any indication, we have the highest-paid head-of-state and cabinet in the world working assiduously for our welfare workfare and also high GDP growth. The influx of talents from overseas have also transformed Singapore into the most overpopulated country in the world. Kudos to the PAP who gave us a first-rate government.

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