mrbrown: L'infantile terrible of Singapore

My son, Superhero

We took out one of the toys from the "ration department" (gifts that the kids receive but are only given to them over time. Isaac totally got into his Superman outfit (thanks Uncle Ed!).

It's a little big for him, but he'll grow into it, I'm sure. I helped him put it on, stressing along the way that the cape does not make him fly.

"What will happen if you jump off somewhere high and try to fly, Isaac?"

"I will fall down."

"And then?"

"I will die," he replied.

Hmmm, I was thinking "I will hurt myself" but that's a good answer too.

"So no flying, ok? This is just a pretend cape," I said, attaching the final velcro muscles.

"Yes, Papa."

It was a hoot making him pose and taking his photos. I showed him my weak arm muscle, and he showed me his plastic-enhanced one.

It was soon time for bed, and he carefully folded the outfit back into the box so that he could put it next to himself as he slept.

I hope he has nice Superman dreams.

See What Show contest: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

See What Show and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Singapore are pleased to bring you a special joint screening of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian on Monday, 19th May 2008 (Vesak Day). We have 100 pairs of tickets to give away!

Listen to the podcast at See What Show to find out how to get your tickets! Hurry, deadline is midnight, Friday the 16th of May 2008!

First Words and Promises

It's been a while since I've written about the kids. With the hectic work schedule from things like the new tv series, I have been putting off writing about the little things that have been happening in our home. So here we go.

Army Boy

Let's work backwards. Monday morning, as I donned my Smart 4 for a briefing and inoculation session at my reservist unit, Isaac looked on with fascination. "Where is your cap, Papa?" he asked. To him, the uniform is not complete without the cap. He even asked me to take down his "army box" from the high shelf, a full set of army clothes and gear my brother bought for him from Shanghai.

He showed me his mini-water bottle, walkie talkie with built-in static sound, and even a topo map with its own waterproof plastic cover.

I am not sure if I should be happy he is so keen to don army greens but I suppose boys love playing soldier. It made me wonder what it would be like when it was his turn to serve.

Styrofoam Toys

Sunday night, I lugged home a tower fan for the study. The old one was making a racket and annoying Mommy, so I used some of the government GST offset money to get us a Mistral tower fan.

The box contained a ton of environmentally unfriendly styrofoam, which Isaac and Joy promptly started playing with. They started with stacking them up like a block of flats, and then destroyed the building with a kick. Their wanton destruction made them laugh like hyenas, and they spent a good part of the evening building their tower of destruction, and then tearing it down. I had to intervene in the end, because I was concerned that too much laughing this close to bed time would give them bad dreams.

This is the reason we don't buy that many toys for them. They seem to have a knack for finding fun in the simplest of things.

Children Remember Promises

On the way to church on Sunday morning, Isaac asked me in the car, "Papa! You know, that day, you say, that that day, you have a Spider Man, the Spider Man CD, you know, you said. Where, where is it?"

Doh! I forgot all about that.

I had mentioned last week to Isaac I had a new Spider Man movie. He has never seen a Spider Man movie before, and I thought it would be nice to show him one. It was actually a Blu-Ray edition of Spider Man 3 which I bought for some testing of the PS3 for the tv show.

In the course of the week, I had changed my mind about showing that Blu-ray DVD to him because I didn't want the maids to tinker with the PS3 and spoiling the loaner set. I had plans to buy, instead, a VCD or DVD version of any of the other Spidey movies for him to be played on our regular DVD player.

His comment was the push I needed to get the movie pronto. "Yes," I said, "Papa will let you watch a Spider Man movie later when you go to your 婆婆's (maternal grandma)."

I quickly popped into the DVD store during lunch and picked up Spider Man 2.1 on VCD (it has 8 extra minutes not seen at the movies, big wow). My mom-in-law only has a VCD player in the room where the kids watch an endless stream of Barney, Wiggles and old Spider Man cartoons, every time they visit. While it pained me to pick such a low definition medium, it was the practical thing to do. When Isaac saw the VCD box on the table, he insisted on carrying it everywhere until we reached 婆婆's house.

Never make a promise to a kid if you can't make it happen. They have incredibly good memories for promises.

In case I never mentioned this before, Isaac is a huge Spider Man fan. He has the t-shirts, underwear and the shoes, and even a creepy Spidey soft toy that is taller than he is. It used to frighten him, that soft toy. Now he holds it by the neck and makes it talk, and even takes photos of it with his hand-me-down 2 megapixel Fuji digital camera.

He can even hum the tune from old Spider Man cartoon series, the "ngeow ngeow ngeow, ngeow ngeow ngeow ngeow, ngeow ngeow ngeow" tune from the 90s Spidey series. His maternal grandma bought the series from in dodgy VCD format from a Pasar Malam (night market). Isaac laps it up, and doesn't get bored watching the same episodes in badly encoded 352x288 VCD resolution, week after week at her place.

A Visit to Terminal 3

On the 1st of May, the Labour Day holiday, we decided to take the kids to the airport, to visit the new Terminal 3. It was already their third time (they went with my parents twice) but a first time for the wife and me.

It was a pleasant day out. The kids enjoyed running around the large new terminal although Joy was a little frightened by the giant flower thing at first.

Even Faith was well-behaved and not freaked out by the new environment.

I had a rude shock at the Kopitiam food court though. $4 for a bowl of noodles and $4.50 for some chai tow kuay? Wah lau eh.

I made a mistake of taking Isaac into a toy store too. I just wanted to see the new Iron Man figures, but ended up having to explain to a crying Isaac why we are not buying any toys here.

"Just looking at toys" is an alien concept to most kids. Good thing my mom insists my kids don't develop a sense of entitlement in toy stores. "Cannot make it a habit, go to toy store means must buy something," she says. I agree.

Faith's First Word

Faith is still not able to talk, her autism getting in the way of her speech development. But she has one consistent word in her vocab: Elmo.

Yes, her first word was not Papa, not Mommy, not Milk. It was Elmo.

She loves Elmo. I don't really know why. We have at least four Elmo toys in the house, all of them gifts. 3 soft toys and one that moves when you pose it. Then there is the little Elmo boombox player she likes (which broke and which reader Jonathan Poon and his friend Yew Yeen promptly replaced with TWO from the States, so kind souls, you two are).

We had a pleasant surprise when she started going around saying "Eh-mo" one day. And this was not one of her one-off words, words that you hear her say once and then never hear again. This was a keeper.

She is going through a phase now where she grabs my finger to point at stuff, expecting me to say what it is. For example, she would pull my finger to a painting and I would say "Picture". It is her way of learning new words, and more importantly, her attempt at conversation, I suspect.

She usually chooses things she already knows. Her favourite objects are the floor, the door, the window, and yes, Elmo.

When you are waiting for speech from your 7-year-old autistic daughter, "Eh-mo" is as good a first word as any.

This is the song
La la la la
Faithie's song.
La la la la,
La la la la,
Faithie's song.

La la la
La la la la, la
La la la
La la la la, la

I love to sing,
La la la la,
Faithie's song.
La la la la,
La la la la,
Faithie's song.

I love the music.
I love the words.
That's Faithie's song.

the mrbrown show: sometimes lighter touch

Feel the lighter touch of the gahmen at mrbrownshow.com!

mrbrown.muxtape.com update 12 May 2008

Some belated Mothers' Day music! Check out mrbrown.muxtape.com for the week!

Songs for Moms - 1906

Liz Phair - Rock Me

MC Hotdog - 我爱台妹 (Feat. 張震嶽)

Kay Kay And His Weathered Underground - Hey Momma

The Beatles - Mama, You Been On My Mind

Slot Machine - รอ [Acoustic Version]

Mayday - Yi Ya Ya

Tuck & Patti - Close To You

The Cure - Lullaby [Acoustic]

The Postal Service - Grow Old With Me

Alabama - If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again

Mr. T - Treat Your Mother Right

New holiday spotted

I suppose even moths need their own day.

mrbrown.muxtape.com update 5 May 2008

Some interesting covers and mashups today at mrbrown.muxtape.com!

Crazy, As She Goes (vs. Gnarls Barkley) - The Raconteurs versus Gnarls Barkley

It's Not Over Yet (Klaxons Cover) - Goldfrapp

Outlaw - Real Ones

Everywhere - Bran Van 3000

Kaboom! - Ursula 1000

Its Fun To Smoke Dust - Queen vs Satan - dj lobsterdust

I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (Black Kids) - Kate Nash

Friend - 玉置浩二

普通朋友 Regular Friends - 陶喆 (David Tao)

Brown City - Brown Eyed Soul

Why Can't We Be Friends - Smash Mouth

Nel Cimitero Di Tucson - Gianfranco Reverberi

the mrbrown show: the replacement

Everyone is subject to the forces of globalisation! Let's drink to that at mrbrownshow.com!

the mrbrown show: blame it on somebody (The Anyhowly Remix)

Quite a few of you asked for a version of the song without our jappin' so we remixed another version for you. Don't blame us if you don't like hor!

Boogie on down to mrbrownshow.com!

mrbrown.muxtape.com update 28 April 2008

Fancy some happy Emma Bunton music to keep the Monday blues away? Or maybe some acoustic songs done at a radio station, recorded live? Check out mrbrown.muxtape.com for the week!

Lily Allen - Mr. Blue Sky (ELO Cover)

Chromeo - Needy Girl (Data In Beverly Hills Remix)

Weezer - Pork and Beans

Cypress Hill - Tres Equis

Emma Bunton - Maybe (Radio edition)

The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes (Acoustic Version)

Hot Chip - Nothing Compares 2 U (Sinead O’Connor)/In The Privacy Of Our Love

Paper Bird - Pennies

Anita Kerr Singers - The Windmills Of Your Mind

The Rolling Stones - You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Soulwax remix)

Round Table ft. Nino - Chobits OST - Let me be with you

Emma Bunton - Downtown (Element Remix)

the mrbrown show: blame it on somebody

It's the window's fault, I tell ya! Don't blame it on the wrong somebody! Boogie on down to mrbrownshow.com!

Mas Selamat escape COI report: Foreign and local views

AFP: Singapore's most-wanted still at large two months after escape

Excerpt:

The report prompted much derision on the Internet, where popular Singapore blogger Mr. Brown posted pictures of toilets perched on a tricycle and motorised carts, saying he had thought Kastari might have escaped on something similar.

"But I was wrong. It was nothing THAT sophisticated," he wrote.

-------
Reuters: Singapore says militant escaped without trousers (It was filed under Oddly Enough news)

Excerpt:

Singapore said on Monday that a suspected Islamic militant managed to escape from a detention centre two months ago mainly because of an unlocked window in the toilet -- and fled without his trousers.

-------
Catherine Lim (catherinelim.sg): The Mas Selamat Scandal: Its Impact on the Government-People Relationship

Excerpt:

In each case, public debate has followed a predictable pattern: first, the people are allowed to speak their minds freely through the permitted channels including the forum pages of newspapers, TV debates, the feedback units, and dialogues with government representatives; next, at an appropriate point, the Prime Minister himself and his ministers enter the fray with patient, sustained explanations and persuasive arguments, and finally the matter comes to a close, usually with a gentle but firm message from the Prime Minister himself that in effect says, ‘Trust us; let’s move on.’

-------
Catherine Lim: More Comments on the Mas Selamat Scandal

Excerpt:

I have been more perturbed by the Mas Selamat case than by any of the past issues that we Singaporeans have expressed unhappiness about, including even the very contentious issue of the ministerial salaries. My unease has to do with the increasing disconnect between the government and the people which I had mentioned in my previous article and which I’ll try to explain more clearly and fully here.

-------
Seah Chiang Nee (littlespeck.com): Holding the line

Excerpt:

When Singapore’s terrorist leader escaped from high-security detention two months ago, he could not possibly have foreseen the political repercussion that he was leaving behind.

It has given Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong his worst political headache since he took office nearly four years ago.

-------
Alex Au (yawningbread.org): The great hunt: more management failures than guards' lapses

Excerpt:

In order to be fair to Wong Kan Seng in my comment here, I spent a couple of hours watching all the videoclips available on Channel NewsAsia before penning this. What I saw was a minister trying to be humble in giving Parliament a report on Mas Selamat's escape from the Whitley Road Detention Centre. Where he was armed with the findings from the Commission of Inquiry, he was forthright, but where he was not, he fumbled.

-------
Chua Lee Hoong (Straits Times, newspaper scan at Singapore Mind): That escape: Crucial issues aplenty, so let's move on

Excerpt:

Reading internet postings often make my blood boil.

-------
SM Goh Chok Tong (Straits Times): Time to move on to more pressing tasks

五月天 is such a fine, fine rock band

Totally rocking music and performance, man. You could feel the rapport they had with the fans and it seemed like the crowd knew the words to every song. Gorgeous lighting and set too.

Loved every moment of the concert but 石头's simple song to his kid was the most moving to me.

Hokkien rock ftw!

How Paris is Beating Traffic Without ERP

An interesting read on how the mayor of Paris reduced car use in Paris without having the luxury of enforcing congestion pricing (or ERP as we call it here):

Excerpt:

The mayor of a global metropolis, elected to his first term in 2001, set out to reduce driving and promote greener modes of transportation in his city. Congestion pricing turned out to be unfeasible, because influential political forces in the suburbs believed, rightly or wrongly, that charging people to drive into the urban core was regressive. Undaunted, the mayor found other means to achieve his transportation agenda.

The mayor is Bertrand Delanoë, and the city is Paris, where private auto use has dropped 20 percent in a few short years.

As Mayor Bloomberg and the team at DOT chart a way forward without London-style congestion charging, it's worth noting that for all the differences between New York and Paris, Delanoë also confronted a vocal car culture while winning huge victories for pedestrians, bikes, and transit. To get a better sense of how New York can apply the lessons of Paris, Streetsblog spoke to Luc Nadal and Aimée Gauthier of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy about the hurdles faced by Delanoë and his deputy mayor for transportation, Denis Baupin.

Read the rest at Streetsblog

TODAY: PAP kindergarten fees hike

Update: TODAY has apologised for the mistake. It was $76 jumping to $96. That said, a fee hike of between 26% to 100% is still not "quite okay" to me.

This quote jumped right out at me:

"Parent Aileen Lee, 31, who would pay $96 from July instead of $20 now, said she was "quite okay" with the hike."

How anyone can be "quite okay" with that kind of kindergarten fee hike is beyond me. Maybe we've all gotten so numb by the inflation and price hikes that the only reaction we've left is "quite okay".

From Today:

Sharp hike in kindergarten fees
Friday • April 25, 2008
Alicia Wong

Some 1,500 students attending the seven PAP Community Foundation (PCF) kindergartens in Woodlands will see their fees shoot up by 30 to 100 per cent from July.

Then, about 50-odd PCF branches will raise their fees when a freeze in effect since last July comes to an end.

The PCF, which has 84 branches, each with up to eight centres, told Today "65 per cent of the branches will be adjusting their fees because operating costs have increased".

Continue reading "TODAY: PAP kindergarten fees hike"

Golden rice bowl

I'd love to have a golden rice bowl like this.

You pay top dollar for it but it is infallible. Very reliable.

mrbrown.muxtape.com: The Mas Selamat No-Blame Mix

I don't usually update my muxtape so soon, but I thought it might be good to have some appropriate music to listen to this week, as we read about the Mas Selamat escape and who is to blame. Especially since PM himself has just announced:

"PM Lee says ministers shouldn't be automatically removed for lapses down the line" (CNA)

and

"Don't over-react, go overboard over one bad incident: PM Lee" (ST)

Enjoy The Mas Selamat No-Blame Mix from mrbrown.muxtape.com (click on link to listen):

Blame It On The Boogie - The Jacksons

Blame It On The Rain - Milli Vanilli

Blame It On The Sun - Lauryn Hill

No One Is to Blame - Howard Jones

I Don't Blame You - Cat Power

I Shot The Sheriff - Bob Marley & The Wailers

It Wasn't Me - Shaggy

Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson

Winner at a Losing Game - Rascal Flatts

Should I Stay or Should I Go - The Clash

A Change Would Do You Good - Sheryl Crow

Blame It On The Boogie - Big Fun

Suggestion for interim measure while upgrading Whitley Road Detention Centre CCTV system

The ministerial statement mentioned that there were two non-working CCTV cameras, where Mas Selamat climbed out of the Family Visitation Block, because of the security surveillance system upgrades happening at the time.

This is unfortunate. So I tried to think of what we can do the next time upgrading is happening so that this kind of thing will not happen again. I also wanted to choose a cost effective solution. I found these:

SVAT ISC200 Outdoor Imitation Security Camera with Blinking LED

I highly recommend this model because it has a blinking LED and an actual wire, so that detainees will think they are working CCTVs and not try anything funny.

Another highly recommended add-on is this Video Surveillance warning sign. Pair the imitation security camera (with blinking LED) and this fierce-looking sign, and you'll have a solid detainee deterrence program in place, while the real cameras are being upgraded (and not working).

I only ask that if the Ministry of Home Affairs likes my idea and buys these in bulk, they use my Amazon Associates ID, mrbrown-20, so I can get some extra commission on the Associates program.

From the imitation security camera blurb:

"Want to deter intruders or vandals without spending a lot of money on a security system? Then SVAT's imitation security cameras are the solution for you. The ISC200 is an imitation camera that looks like a real security camera. With the same external components as a functioning security camera, the ICS 200 is a realistic crime prevention investment.

The activation LED light flashes also making the camera look like it is in operation. The actual wire adds reality. Neighbors and visitors will think that you have a complete video surveillance system. This unit can be easily mounted and aimed with its adjustable bracket. Help prevent or deter suspicious activity by placing the security camera in a noticeable place.

The ISC200 can also heighten the effectiveness of an existing security system at a low cost. This camera decoy will make people think twice about stealing or doing damage to your property. Have fun watching how customers and employees react when they think they are being video taped.

This camera looks and functions like the real thing giving you no need to spend money on expensive cameras. This is a great visual deterrent for shoplifting, theft and vandalism. Perfect for any domestic or commercial use such as an office, retail space, business or home. Imitation cameras have demonstrated success in many types of home and businesses such as motels, retail stores, museums, apartments restaurants, automobile lots and many others. ISC200 can also act as a housing for a real camera."

Mas Selamat COI report is out

After more than a month (don't so impatient, I know they promised in a month. Maybe had to choose a font leh?), we can now know what we are allowed to know about how Mas Selamat escaped from Whitley Road Detention Centre (WRDC). This from the Executive Summary by the COI, or Committee of Inquiry:

-The Gurkha Contingent guard escorting Mas Selamat did not stop Mas Selamat from closing the urinal cubicle door in the Family Visitation Block toilet;

-The ventilation window in the urinal cubicle had not been secured by grilles (seen here in the photo); and

-The weakness in the perimeter fencing where the outer and inner perimeter fences converged with an enclosed staircase and walkway leading to the Family Visitation Block was not detected.

My first question was: Why such a lapse from the Gurkhas? Just come back from holiday then got holiday mood ah?

And another interesting bit:

"A packet of 7 rolls of toilet paper was found on the ground adjacent to the external wall, which he could have used to break his fall when he descended."

See lah, sabo leh. Next time all the toilet rolls will be accounted for, and all toilet users will be given a fixed amount of toilet paper, like those 20-cents per entry toilets with the cranky auntie outside.

Other bits of interest:

-The two GC guards and the SDO escorting Mas Selamat failed to respond immediately and decisively when they noticed Mas Selamat was taking too long in the urinal cubicle;

-The Special Duty Operative (a junior ISD officer) escorting Mas Selamat failed to check if Mas Selamat had changed out of his WRDC-issued attire into his civilian clothes. The COI believes that Mas Selamat must have been wearing at least two layers of clothing when he emerged from the Locker Room; and

-No one was actively monitoring the two CCTV cameras covering the outer and inner perimeter fences at the rear of the Family Visitation Block.

That is most unlike Singapore to have faulty CCTVs or unmanned ones. The Election Department's CCTVs are a shining example of working ones.

Note: The above NOT a photo of the CCTV at WRDC. Just an example of poor CCTV placement.

Apparently, the Superintendent of the WRDC thought that sawing off the handle of the toilet window was enough, no need to grill it up, because he thought the guards would always have line of sight of the detainees.

The guards thought that even without line of sight, it would be ok, because they thought the toilet was secure enough.

As our Sergeants used to scream at us in National Service: "You think, I thought, who confirm?"

All the while I thought maybe he got away in something like the following:

But I was wrong. It was nothing THAT sophisticated. It was just an ungrilled window, a closed door, and 7 rolls of toilet paper.

References:

-Text version available at Simply Jean's blog

-The pdf version of the Executive Summary

-The Ministerial statement pdf)

See What Show: Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, The Darjeeling Limited, and Penelope

Reviews of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, The Darjeeling Limited, and Penelope. at seewhatshow.com!