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Dilbert's Boss joins Temasek?

@_@

Singapore Memories: V. Sundramoorthy and his bicycle kick

1. @mrbrown: I remember V. Sundramoorthy and his bicycle kick. I watched that match when he did it. http://bit.ly/sundram-kick #sgMemory

2. @jermlai Ya man. My jaw dropped too. Then cheered like man. #sgMemory

3. @nestordave: I remember this one… that was when EPIC wasn't a popular word yet #sgMemory #sundram (Last tum we say SOR-LID! -mb)

4. @miyagi: The bicycle kick that could http://miy.ag/Hi2alT #sgMemory #Sundram

5. @mrbrown: I remember shouting at S-League matches, don't pass the ball to Lim Tong Hai! Football fans were cruel then. Forgive me. #sgMemory

6. @khangwei: last time i would buy a hotdog from esso (during m cup their hotdog damn solid) and i would choke on it when he does that. hai #sgMemory (I liked Nasi Lemak. -mb)

7. @jermlai: Everyone loved Steven Tan… when he comes on, we win the game. #sgMemory (Go Super Sub, Go!!! -mb)

8. @miyagi: No, srsly, why is it called a bicycle kick? #sgMemory

9. @maenadery: @miyagi It's because you need to be wearing bicycle shorts when doing it. That, or leggo two balls. #sgMemory #sundram

10. @miyagi: I think it should be called the "synchronized swimming kick". #sgMemory #sundram (Then MGS girls sure win. -mb)

11. @mrbrown: @miyagi See? Sundram's bicycle kick, got bicycle what #sgMemory

12. @Dustygirl: @mrbrown @miyagi wtf even with shadow!

13. @mrbrown: @Dustygirl @miyagi Got shadow because it is REAL! sgMemory

14. @WayneTeo: I was able to recite the names of the entire team of sg lions and their positions back in 93/94 #sgMemory

15. @restlessly: Me too! And their jersey numbers! Last time I was damn free. #sgMemory

16. @sashizoso: I remember practicing the "Sundram kick" move with my friends the next day at the football field #sgMemory (Must've hurt head. -mb)

17. @eugeneyap: I tried it. Fell and hurt my right wrist. #sgMemory

18. @jermlai: lol I could sing the song "I'm Jang Jung!" is the phrase stuck with me till now #sgMemory

19. @mrbrown: Sundramoorthy's less known but equally powerful Motorcycle Kick #sgMemory #sundram

20. @Gingerbreadpapa: who can forget… "Abbas Saad, he sibeh saad!" #sgMemory

21. @Gingerbreadpapa: I remember we always suan short guys who wanted to join our football team. Eh you think you Malik Awab ah? #sgMemory

22. @voxeros: DRINKS!!! KARLI POK!! KWAY CHEE!!! @ National Stadium. #sgMemory

23. @sandylht: Drooling at the players instead of watching the game during Malaysia Cup haha #sgMemory

24. @voxeros: Michael Banana… er… I mean Michael Vana. #sgMemory

25. @jackandrai: I was actually quite a D. Devaraj fan for a bit... But all time fave has to be T Pathmanathan #sgMemory

26. @miyagi: Lim Tong Hai was such a good defender, the only person who could score against him was himself. #sgMemory

27. @Fake_PMLee: Fandi and Sundram - #sgMemory Non-Chinese SGreans that racist elderlies can agree on.

28. @shearnation: Singapore Dream Team Song 1993! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99VKGIpIOiE #sgMemory

29. @Ace3Kay: Walking from National Stadium to Satay Club at Esplanade for supper after Malaysia Cup games. #sgMemory

30. @moby74: Kallang wave conductor. #sgMemory

(I thought it was a good idea so…)

31. @mrbrown: #KallangWave RT to join in! #sgMemory

32. @mrbrown: The awkward moment when you stood up too early for #KallangWave and had to sit down to stand again. #sgMemory

33. @miyagi: National Stadium used to be so crowded, when you stood up to do #KallangWave, someone else took your seat. #sgMemory

34. @jeffcheong: The awkward moment when you are eating Nasi Lemak and witnessing #KallangWave coming your way. #sgMemory

35. @WayneTeo: What's even more awkward is when other people already sitting down, you are still standing up #KallangWave #sgMemory

36. @subaudible: And everytime it rained during matches, it rained newspapers! #sgMemory

37. @Leadrick: @mrbrown were u at there when we beat Tengganau in M cup in 94 by a C. Foster penalty.was so happy that i hugged a stranger beside me. #sgMemory

38. @miyagi Referee Kayu, Captain Kelong, Coach Kuku, Stadium #KallangWave. #sgMemory

39. @Fake_PMLee: When every referee that ruled against the Lions was a Kayu one. #sgMemory

40. @skinnylatte: When Fandi played for FC Groningen and we had no idea what that was but we stood behind him anyway #sgMemory

That was fun. If you have any Singapore memories, go to www.singaporememory.sg/ and register to share some there.

Hang around their Facebook page if you want to find out more about the activities: www.facebook.com/irememberSG

Dear NTUC Income…

Dear NTUC Income: Most of us don't knock off work at 6.30pm. It's not genius. It's common sense.

Everyday Life 28 (USS John C. Stennis, CVN-74)

The John C. Stennis Strike Group (JCSSG) visited Singapore in late January, 2012. I was invited by the US Embassy to the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, CVN-74, for a lovely meal and a tour of the massive vessel. Here are some of my images of that visit.

Made with my iPhone and shared on Instagram.

Philips Home Lightover: mrbrown's Living Room, the work begins

The work has begun on my living room. My home is a hive of activity. Couriers delivering packages of lighting product, the interior designer, the electricians and the painters, flow in and out of my home.

The kids are very excited about it all, thinking it all a fun game. But the wife and I are a little stressed out with the dust and messiness that comes with renovation. We do a lot of sweeping, dusting and mopping every day because dust is everywhere. Still, we tell ourselves that it will soon be over and the it will be worth the trouble.

I didn't know Philips made so many different kinds of light fixtures too. It was pretty impressive to see their various products on our living room floor, waiting to be installed. I heard it was going to be a full LED makeover. I've never had LED lights in my home before (only on my bicycles) so I was very curious to see how they looked in my living room.

One of the challenges involves ensuring the kids don't knock over or pull the new lights down. We told the team that our oldest, Faith, who has autism, had a tendency to yank at dangling fixtures and they took it into account when hanging some of the lights.

Also challenging was shifting my television spot to the other wall to accommodate the new study area for the kids. I didn't realise shifting a television area meant shifting a whole lot of stuff. The cable point, power sockets, and even a Cat 6 network point, had to be created anew at the other wall. I have media players that function as network drives and that was the reason a new network point had to be installed. Even surround speakers had to be rearranged.

It is easy to forget that rearranging the living room impacts so many infrastructure areas because you set them up when you first move in, and you never think of it again.

But the team was patient and understanding with my requirements. And I did my best to help them move stuff out of the way so they could work, like furniture and my curious children (they ended up at my mom's).

Looking forward to the finished living room very much. Fingers crossed.

By the way, In support of Earth Hour, Philips will lightover up to 3 children's homes if they receive 1,500 pledges. Log on to facebook.com/philipslightingsingapore to make a pledge and share with your friends to help make that happen.

Seen in the neighbourhood…

Dear PAP kindergarten, I think you meant to say "We make a positive difference TO the mind of a child."

Everyday Life 27

What's that in the sky?

The old fishmonger at our wet market.

The River Wild.

Rain, rain, go away.

Life is a game of Checkers.

View from above at nex.

Some day my bus will come.

Made with my iPhone and shared on Instagram.

Orchard Towers Fight

(Alternate sources found and updated.)

Alternate source: http://mrbrwn.co/GRbpIC

It started as a zebra crossing argument. The younger man got angry and called the older guy's car a "L*n J*ao Fellari". Then the sports-car-owning Uncle Fellari got more than he bargained for when he challenged him with a "Lai! Lai!" and landed the first blow.

What was supposed to be between one goblock and another goblock quickly escalated into a gang bang.

Looks like Arrogant Uncle Fellari wanted to be Ip Man, until he took an arrow to the knee. Make that several arrows.

The lot who ganged up on him aren't any better. Ganging up on him was just as wrong as him swinging the first punch.

Watch the sneakiest one, the fella in white carrying a sling bag. You will notice he doesn't really fight, just dances around like he does, and finally when the Uncle Fellari is on the floor after everyone has had a go at him, Sneaky Goblock goes over and steps on him.

And the video has also led to the latest catchphrase, "Delete your f**king phone!", a phrase that will puzzle those who don't speak yob. How do you delete a physical phone?

Lesson of the day: Don't be an arrogant prick, don't pick fights, swallow your pride and walk away, because it can go from 1v1 to 10v1 very quickly.

And oh, don't get caught on video, because the cops are going to find every one of you and haul you in. I bet, really soon.

Storm Warning

The winds howl at the windows of my home. I do not let them in.

"You shall not pass!" I declare.

The winds howl louder in protest.

"My home doesn't need your help to look like strong winds wrecked it!" I say.

"For that, I have kids to do the job."

Breaking news: Female spotted protesting on Crawford Bridge in Singapore

(Photo by Juon Tan aka @juon)

Literally ON the bridge, man. I am told she was holding a HK flag. I wonder what she was protesting about. It was around 4.50–5pm when this photo was taken. The cops are already on scene.

I hope she's okay and not in any danger.

(Photo by Dinesh Bhatia aka @consoleme)

The Great DBS/POSB ATM card fiasco

Update: I got a call from POSB to apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and also to get my feedback. Thanks for calling, guys.

When the DBS/POSB ATM overseas skimming fraud happened, people got worried about losing their money.

Then DBS/POSB sent us new unsolicited ATM cards, their GO! Card, as a security measure, saying that we had to activate this new ATM cum Debit card at an ATM. 

Frankly I just need an ATM card. Why foist a debit card on me too? I don't want thieves to be able to access my account with just a signature, whereas in the past, they needed to know my PIN.

Though to DBS/POSB's credit, the debit card withdrawal limit is set to $1 until you change it. Still, it is disconcerting to know that my friends didn't even know their GO! Cards are debit cards and they have their white strip left blank instead of signing on it.

The new card issued to me has the overseas withdrawal function disabled by default, in the light of the skimming of some of their customers' cards. You have to enable that overseas feature yourself now. Fine, I can understand that.

So I go and try activating my new POSB GO! Card at an ATM one night, only to discover there was an "office hours" timing to activate cards at ATMs.

Fine. My fault for not reading your fine print about activation hours. Wasted my 18 cents parking. Never mind.

Tried activating again during the day. Unsuccessful. I am getting very annoyed.

Wife's card was activated at the ATM successfully though.

So I call the DBS/POSB hotline and was told to either send some form by mail or come down to any branch to get a new card issued.

To run salt on my wound, I get an SMS from DBS/POSB that same day, saying:

"Fr DBS: Yr new card and PIN should have arrived. Pls activate it immediately as yr old card ending XXXX  will be closed on XX MAR 2012. For enquiries, pls call +65 62201111."

That deadline is just a few days away. Thanks DBS/POSB. Thanks hor.

I made my way to a POSB branch and oh my goodness, a long long long queue of people all with ATM activation problems.

After queuing at the POSB "May I Help You" counter for 26 mins (guy in front of me had a complex transaction that took up a lot of the teller's time), it was finally my turn and I am told to join the even LONGER queue to sort out my ATM card.

May I Help You, your head lah.

To quote my friend Callan, "Thanks a lot for the trouble it takes to activate a new ATM card that I didn't ask for, DBS/POSB."

Eh, DBS/POSB. My ancient ATM card was working fine lah. Why did you send me your new GO! Card and force me to activate it? The skimming fraud was your security problem but you made it mine.

And I even had one friend who apparently had her old ATM card deactivated before she got the new GO! Card in the mail.

I am still in the queue for my turn at the counter. I am surrounded by the young and old. Some of the older folks probably never had to deal with this kind of complicated nonsense their whole lives beyond the first time they opened their account. You can see the confusion on their faces as they queue in frustration. 

Ok. It's my turn already. You know what saves the day, DBS/POSB? Your counter staff is polite and apologetic. And I in turn, praise her for her good service and tell her I feel sorry that she has to work overtime during this trying period.

They look like very happy junket operators. Oh wait…

Unfortunate placement of photo next to headline.

Everyday Life 26

Marina Bay Sands Shoppes view.

The sun never sets at the busiest port in the world.

Riding past God's House.

Through the looking glass.

Mid-afternoon skies at Central Fire Station.

Sunset over Tampines Primary School.

The canopy above my home.

Made with my iPhone and shared on Instagram.

Celebrate marriage at Punggol Waterway!

I have been meaning to take the wife to Punggol Waterway and this Saturday, I have a good excuse.

Marriage Central is organizing the launch of Real Love Works there and registration is free at: http://sg.sg/realloveworks.

Event details:
Date: 24 Mar (Sat)
Time:5.30pm – 7.30pm
Place: Punggol Waterway

There will be prizes, goodie bags and you get to catch the sunset with your loved one at the event.

I think the wife will like that very much.

Friday is the last day for registration! And it is free! Hurry!

COE March Madness

COE prices have breached $82k for the cars above 1600cc in the March exercise. That is just insane. Maybe we should start offering 30-year loans for car purchases.

Soon you may need to sell a kidney to afford just the downpayment.

Everyday Life 25

Reflections on the past, Kallang Airport.

Still one of the nicest old buildings in Singapore.

Having a ball at the VW GTi 35th birthday party.

Into the eye of the tunnel, Northeast Line.

Sci-fi walkway.

The excess luggage fees may be on the high side.

Made with my iPhone and shared on Instagram.

7-Eleven, you think we fail maths one ah?

Special Offer Fail.

(photo by Ernest Khoo on Facebook)

Tampines in the old days used spelled the way it was pronounced

And all this while, I was always kidding when I spelled it that way. Turns out this was for real.

via @bernardchen

Everyday Life 24 (Shanghai)

By the waters of 朱家角 (Zhujiajiao)

Old School city of 朱家角 (Zhujiajiao)

Mutton noodles or 红烧羊肉阳春面 in a little Shanghai restaurant.

This is an officially approved church.

Come buy my veggies.

On the streets of Shanghai, strangers seen from the window of my car.

Made with my iPhone and shared on Instagram.

#reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats

I saw this status update on my friend's Facebook:

"Circle Line sighting: a middle-aged auntie spent almost a minute wiping a just-vacated seat with a tissue before sitting down… #commute"

That made me wonder: "Do aunties still whack bus or MRT seats? Or are the new seats too hard to perform this ritual?"

Hey, it's Monday and everyone needs a distraction from work. So I decided to ask my Twitter followers what they thought were the reasons aunties beat bus seats with the hashtag #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats:

1. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To make the bus seat cooler.
2. @humswhilepeeing: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Because they've been naughty, oh so naughty.
3. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Don't want to be intimate with previous passenger's body heat.
4. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To whack the germs away.
5. @ShunfuMart: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Trying to locate the 20 cent coin that dropped out from her ear.
6. @JustStephy: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Because it makes the aunties feel shiok.
7. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Angry at have to give maid weekly day off or pay extra.
8. @kennethkongk: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To make sure got no staple bullets.
9. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Don't want to accidentally become pregnant with a stranger's baby.
10. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Standing operating procedure (SOP) for improvised explosive device (IED) defeat operations.
11. @sleetm: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To make sure the cable ties are strong enough.
12. @JuliaBensily: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Don't wanna contract Piles.
13. @ShunfuMart: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats They dont know either. Its just a natural instinct that kicks in at the menopause.
14. @briancwq: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Territorial Marking. It scares the other seat hunters away
15. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Foreplay.
16. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Secret Auntie Gang Handshake.
17. @luqmanhakim: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To give a spiritual high-five to other aunties that have done the same to that seat.
18. @hiidvr: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To make up for their lack of talent with more complicated instruments.
19. @tingzii: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To inform the ghost occupiers that they're gonna sit on their legs.
20. @Fake_PMLee: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Closest they get to feel someone's bum in a long time.
21. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats Because she's got that super bass / Boom, badoom, boom / Boom, badoom, boom bass / Yeah that's that super bass.
22. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats They want to be the next Jeremy Lin. #Linsanity
23. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To commemorate the day Fernando Torres finally scored after a 26-match drought.
24. @FerryBreezy: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats to attract the attention of other aunties to sit beside them. And talk about the meaning of life. And stuff.
25. @chingchingching: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats So moles won't grow on their butt (that's what my mum told me).
26. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats To express frustration at the Euro Debt crisis and the dilemma between austerity and stimulus.
27. @mrbrown: #reasonsauntiesbeatbusseats That's a Foursquare Check-in, Auntie style.