mrbrown.com

Colbert and Eleanor Holmes Norton

Colbert interviews Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, U.S. Delegate for the non-voting District of Columbia.

(Youtube text link)

the mrbrown show: a harmless podcast

What did the PM really say at his NDP rally? Rally around mrbrownshow.com to get this podcast.

T-shirts lai liao!

Update: Please note that the T-shirts will only reach the stores at 3pm today, Tuesday, 22 August 2006. Sorry about that.

I am also sorry if the email alert service we mentioned last time was seen as a pre-order service. As we mentioned earlier, we meant for that to be used to inform you guys when the T-shirts are ready, not to take orders. Given our current resources, we are unable to do online fulfillment, and we thought it easiest for all parties to sell it at these two very centrally-located stores. Most of the T-shirt work is being done by kind volunteers as it is. We will see if we can do online sales in future, but for now, this is the best solution we can think of. Thanks for understanding, hor.

Woohoo!!! The T-shirts ARE HERE!!! Details at mrbrownshow.com. It is enough to make you smile.

the mrbrown show: mediacorp moves

No more Caldecott Hill! Move house liao, go to mrbrownshow.com to get this podcast.

Regarding PM's National Day Rally speech

I was listening to a moving speech by a certain Lee (Mr Miyagi lah, it was his wedding) when someone informed me via sms that I was mentioned in another speech by PM Lee.

Here is my response:

1. I stand by what I wrote in my Humour column. While it was written in a non-serious way, I was expressing what many Singaporeans feel about the rising cost of living here in Singapore.

2. I believe the Government has every right to respond to my Humour column. I may disagree with what they say but it is their right to respond.

3. I also believe in responding in turn to what the Government said in their letter, but my Humour column was suspended immediately after their letter was printed. Perhaps Mediacorp/TODAY did not stand by what they published?

4. I did not say too much about it during that time because emotions were running high and I did not want to aggravate matters. I felt I should wait till a more appropriate time to speak up, and I believe now is that time.

5. I understand that many people did respond on the matter by writing in to the mainstream press, but none of their letters were published by mainstream media. Not a single one. Some people who wrote to TODAY about the column's suspension received a templated response to write to MICA instead, even though TODAY were the ones who suspended the column. Strange.

6. I agree too with PM that www.talkingcock.com is very funny (by the way, check out their reaction to being mentioned in the National Day Rally)

7. I don't have a seventh point but I think seven is a lucky number.

I have included an excerpt from PM Lee's speech because the Channel NewsAsia servers seem to be overloaded at the moment. PM mentions me at around the 22nd minute of this clip. You can listen to the whole National Day Rally by downloading the rest of the audio at the CNA site.

Link to Digital Age part of PM Lee's podcast (MP3, Filesize: 8.7mb, Time: 00:25:05).

Guess who just got married

So hemsem hor? And the bride so lovely! Congratulations, Mr Miyagi and Naomi!

the mrbrown show: exploding laptops

These laptops are hot! Get the podcast at mrbrownshow.com.

When you hang out with artist friends who get bored after dinner.. .

... they play with their food while waiting for the rest of us to finish ours. Quite a nice drawing done with a fork and some leftover curry gravy, don't you think?

Then kunkka helps to make the head explode and adds the words "godlike!" in curry ink. We play way too much DOTA, methinks.

10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job

Update: A rebuttal can be found here: Ten Misconceptions About Having a Job (Why Entrepreneurship Isn't All It is Cracked Up To Be)

Steve Pavlina has an interesting article entitled 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job. Whether you agree or disagree with him, it is still an interesting read.

Excerpt:

Here are some reasons you should do everything in your power to avoid getting a job:

1. Income for dummies.

Getting a job and trading your time for money may seem like a good idea. There’s only one problem with it. It’s stupid! It’s the stupidest way you can possibly generate income! This is truly income for dummies.

Why is getting a job so dumb? Because you only get paid when you’re working. Don’t you see a problem with that, or have you been so thoroughly brainwashed into thinking it’s reasonable and intelligent to only earn income when you’re working? Have you never considered that it might be better to be paid even when you’re not working? Who taught you that you could only earn income while working? Some other brainwashed employee perhaps?

mrbrownshow: contactless cashcard

We are so looking forward to the new contactless cashcard, that we even made a podcast for it! Get deducted at mrbrownshow.com.

Gundams gone wrong

This is a very sad state that Gundam has descended to. The Swedish Gundam wears heels and has blonde hair, the Gundam from Neo Holland is a windmill, the Malaysian delegate has skinny legs and no shoes", and there is even a Singapore Gundam that wears funky shoes.

See the rest of this sad lot at Mobile Fighter G Gundam.

The best chicken pie in Singapore

Or so i'm told. It's from Boulevard Chicken pies at Joo Chiat Road. Comes in three sizes, small, medium and large. Also comes in black pepper flavour. We love the pies so much we cleaned out the mediums for the whole office.

mrbrownshow: mostly real news 3

Mostly real news is back! Get podcast from mrbrownshow.com.

David Marshall and the Hock Lee bus riots

The David Marshall interview published by Dharmendra Yadav led some forummers at SPUG to discuss Singapore's former Chief Minister and his role in the Hock Lee bus riots.

Leapin_Toufu:

He was a GREAT man and a PATRIOT - to the end...but has been described as 'strong on ideas but poor on details.'

And unfortunately he could not manage the tumultuous and delicate situation in Singapore when he was a Chief Minister...resulting in the Hock Lee bus riot during his govern, and subsequently closing two chinese schools, expelling the student leaders, resulting in a student-government confrontation.

But yet despite all, he was criticised by the British colonial master as not been effective to stop the incessant labour unrest and not doing enough to check the communist influence...which resulted in him failing to negotiate with the British to 'release' Singapore for self-rule.

jammed:

hi guys, chance upon this a bit late. but perhaps i can help shed light on the Hock Lee strike/riots.

When i consulted British Colonial Office Records and EL and CL newspapers between 1954 and 1955 for a thesis i was working on some years ago, i discovered that the projection of the Hock Lee incident and the Marshall Govt in our mainstream discourse does not do provide for the full picture.

When David Marshall and his Labour Front Govt won the elections in April 1955, the Hock Lee industrial dispute had already been ongoing for some months already, since Feb 1955 if I remember correctly. The cause was probably sparked off by the formation of a left-wing trade union, which was countered by the Hock Lee management with its own union. So the competition between the two heated up. It finally came to a head when HL mgmt fired a few of the leftist union leaders, leading to a strike decision by the leftist union. The context of this must be mentioned - Singapore was the scene of a rising leftist, some wld argue communist, movement and there were countless strikes almost every other day. Suffice to say that when the HL incident was getting really hot, in came other leftist trade unions and leaders like Lim Chin Siong and Fong Swee Suan. It needs also be mentioned that the two of them were founding members of PAP and Lim was even a PAP Legislative Assemblyman. In any case, their incitement led to the HL situation getting totally out of control. Police powers was then in the hands of the British and they believed strongly in the use of force. The newly elected Marshall, on the other hand, believed that the sentiments had a social-economic backgrd and attempted to negotiate. Unfortunately, he was very much trapped, between the hardline police which he had no control and the inflammatory leftist unions supported (to a certain extent) by the PAP opposition.

So, it is unfair to suggest that Marshall "could not manage the tumultuous and delicate situation ...resulting in the Hock Lee bus riot".

It also needs be said that the decision to close the two Chinese schools - Chinese High and Chung Cheng High - was made by the British colonial authority. Marshall, and to be fair LKY too, were among the pple trying to reopen the schools.

But I agree, it was British belief that Marshall wasnt able to control the 'communists' that caused the British to not let him secure self-govt.

If we read the UK docs between the lines, it would appear that the Brits had by then almost made up their minds to support LKY, who appeared to be able to sway the Chinese-educated masses and influence if not rein it completely the communist elements within PAP.

By the way, the Barisan Socialis was formed only in the early 1960s, 63 if i remember correctly. It was actually a split from the PAP, led by left-wing elements opposed to LKY's merger plan with Malaya.

Your very own USB rocket launcher

Check this piece of USB coolness out at Blog of Wishes.

I also dig the Usurfer U70 electric powered skateboard (only US$699! Cheaper than car! Buy it here!), the post on how to turn your Nokia 6230i into a bluetooth mouse, and the OhMiBod iPod vibrator (buy it here, er not for kids).

But purely for tech geek reasons only, for the last item.

mrbrownshow: wonders of singapore 2

Singapore's fave tour guide is Noodle Chia is back! Take his tour by listening to this podcast from mrbrownshow.com.

Mr T on Eighties fashion (Youtube)

If Mr T tells you about fashion, you'd better listen! If not, Ah pity da foo!

(Text link to youtube video)

mrbrownshow: liquefied natural gas for singapore

Singapore seeks own Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal! Apply here to get this naturally liquefied podcast from mrbrownshow.com.

Baby helmet

Some of you were asking where I got Joy's baby helmet. It's called Baby No Bumps. It's distributed in Singapore by Cuties Juniors and it's imported from Canada. Mine was a Christmas gift for Isaac from a kind reader who also got one for his daughter Rachel.

We had to sew the helmet smaller for Joy because it was meant for Isaac's head. It's a very neat thing to have, though you may have to deal with an annoyed infant yanking it off her head at first.

Shelley Leong performing 18th August 2006

Shelley Leong, the lovely singer-songwriter who graced our show earlier this year, is back in Singapore for a performance at another Music for Good event. Go and support the good work they do at Music for Good and the good music Shelly and her band churns out.

Gig details:

Title: Off-Beat!
Venue: Home club (at The Riverwalk)
Date: Friday August 18, 2006
Time: 9:30pm
Tickets: $20 before 12am and $15 after inclusive of first drink and free flow of beer and house pour from 11pm till 12am

Live performances by post-rock band Elise, Malaysian singer-songwriter Shelley Leong (and her band) and indie rockers The Great Spy Experiment followed by indie disco by DJs Joe Ng, Ginette Chittick and George Chua.