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Ngiao Things I Do: The Tweets

Wow, thanks guys, for sharing all your tweets about ngiao things you do to save! I had a lot of fun reading and curating your tweets under the #NgiaoThingsIDo hashtag! I counted more than 670 tweets around the theme! Hahaha!

Here are some of the tweets I liked (ok, some were mine, buay paiseh one):

1. @mrbrown: Follow a tour group to eavesdrop on the tour guide's commentary. #NgiaoThingsIDo

2. @mrbrown: After washing my rice to cook, use the rice water to water the plants. #NgiaoThingsIDo

3. @mrbrown: Combine thin bars of used soap together to make one multicolored bar of soap.

4. @cavalock: When having yong tau foo, choose the biggest veggie available #ngiaothingsido

5. @zoelynl: Continue walking while flagging a cab to save that 20cents. #ngiaothingsido

6. @RobTheBean: Collect and keep the extra foolscap paper after every examination #NgiaoThingsIDo

7. @eenie_mainey: During flag day I will donate some coins & make sure I paste the sticker on my forehead & go like "see I donate alr hor" #ngiaothingsido

8. @tutorscentre: #NgiaoThingsIDo Growing my hair as long as possible so it's worth the haircut money.

9. @funkshin: #NgiaoThingsIDo Use SAF Credits to buy black work socks.

I had such a good laugh, I think I shall make a video out of some the tweets I really liked. Stay tuned!

This is my Monday face

Especially after an extra long weekend.

And especially after I just found out my primary-school-going kids have this Thursday and Friday off as well, because of PSLE Orals.

I miss being in Primary school.

Solid lah, bro: StarHub's Cross Carriage of BPL

I have been watching the Barclays Premier League (BPL) situation for a while now, with great interest. I have to say, I sappork the Gahmen's move to make BPL shared content.

This means football fans can now return to watching BPL on your StarHub cable box, where it all began.

So here is a public service announcement for my readers who are football fans.

Starhub is throwing in a really attractive rebate -- SIX HUNDRED BUCKS!

The BPL deal StarHub is offering:

1. Enjoy a $30 rebate every month for the next TWO whole BPL seasons (so you are effectively paying $29.90 a month instead of $59.90).
2. New and existing customers with or without contracts are eligible.
3. NO bundling required, NO contract on the rebate.
4. And NO lags or freezes (this made me chortle because I remember the many fracases))

Bro-fist to StarHub for this aggressive move!

Three simple steps to apply (or watch the instructional video):
1. Get your NRIC and StarHub TV Subscription ID from your StarHub bill (or call 1633 for it to be text-ed to you)
2. Bring to any SingTel Shop and sign up for BPL cross-carried on StarHub TV
3. You will receive $30 rebate in your StarHub monthly bill automatically.

Note: You will need to switch to the HD HubStation set-top box if you haven't got one yet, to enjoy the BPL matches, as they will be broadcast in full HD.

Do visit www.starhub.com/therealbros for more details.

Bro tip: Sign up before the 12th of August, Monday, to catch the first games on 17 August! StarHub needs five working days after your subscription request to activate your channels.

National Day Parade 2013: Handsome bodyguards and a Superbowl moment

[Photo via Asiaone]

Happy Birthday, Singapore! May we remain forever kaki, forever buddy, forever family! Here were some tweets from yesterday as my extended family, more than ten of us, gathered to watch the NDP over dinner.

1. Wah got Kopitiam aunties contingent at #NDP2013! (Seen during the parade)

2. My whole family are "Ah"-Ing to the 雾锁南洋 theme song.

3. Wah government-approved skateboarders!

4. Wah the Merlion got so seasick from swimming to the NDP that he merlioned!

5. How come got song about Jurong, Chinatown and Little India but not Hougang ah?

6. Go Laurentia Tan! (So happy to see her honoured at NDP!)

7. Wo-oh-oh-oh time!

8. Lekuasimiiii! Sing with me! #NDP2013 (as they played a medley with "What Do You See" in it)

9. I liked the national anthem arrangement at the end of #NDP2013 Very soulful! (It was our Superbowl moment.)

And the highlight of the evening:

10. "Lee Kuan Yew's bodyguard is very handsome young man hor!" -saith the women in my family. (See the yandao fellow in the photo above. Some said he is the doctor not the bodyguard though.)

Yahoo also did a write-up on this year's unofficial NDP songs:

"…mrbrown’s stripped-down acoustic rendition of “Forever Family” is particularly refreshing to the ears.

Together with his friend and poet Marc Nair, mrbrown encapsulates the typical experiences of Singaporeans -- national service, queueing and taking exams -- in just one song.

The chorus is particularly touching, with the lyrics “You and me, forever kaki (meaning close companions in Singlish), you and me, forever buddy. Even though we different daddy, different mummy, you and me, forever family.”"

Thank you for the love!

Forever Family: An unofficial NDP 2013 song

YouTube link: http://mrbrwn.co/16rlCH6

Thanks to all your contributions to the #singaporeanness hashtag via Twitter and Facebook, we have finally completed the song with your ideas and even made a music video!

Thanks to StarHub for collaborating with us on this unofficial NDP song project!

We hope you enjoy our little song: Forever Family.

Here is the audio track on Soundcloud too:

Happy 48th Birthday, Singapore!

Silence is not golden

Wife, one evening: "Why is it suddenly so quiet in the house? Are the kids up to something?"

I am told by friends it applies to their dogs too.

Singaporean of the Day

The Photography Educator from Singaporean of the Day on Vimeo.

This is just one of the many lovely videos from Singaporean of the Day, a project by volunteers to feature stories of everyday Singaporeans in short two minute videos.

Go and check out their Facebook page.

Meanwhile, over at the "award-winning" ST Online, there is a video series called 48 Singaporean Seconds, which looks suspiciously similar to Singaporean of the Day, except theirs is 48 seconds. Hmm.

Pau Roulette

Plastic bag of random dunno-what buns on kitchen table. Pick one to eat.

"Don't let it be Tao Sa Pau, don't let it be Tao Sa Pau"

Tao Sa Pau.

Defence Minister: Beware of DRUMS

Read this news report today: S’pore must be on guard against online threats.

In it, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen warned against… wait for it… DRUMS (Distortions, Rumours, Untruths, Misinformation and Smears).

Yes, they came up with an bloody ACRONYM for this.

Since gahmen came up with DRUMS, I wondered what other acronyms we could use to help them in their online fight against the demons of teh internets:

1. Fraudulent Activities, Rumours Threats and Sedition (FARTS)

2. Anyhowly Login Always Malign Accurate Knowledge (ALAMAK)

3. Threats Untruths Rumours Distortions and Smears (TURDS)

4. People Attacking People (PAP)

5. Fear-mongering, Antagonizing, Perpetuating Smears (FAPS)

6. Distortions Online Negating Good Situations (DONGS)

7. Disturbing Incriminations Crippling Knowledge Systems (DICKS)

I think if Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen used one of my suggestions, his quote from the news report would read:

"In a tense and volatile situation, Fraudulent Activities, Rumours Threats and Sedition (FARTS) can spread very far and wide and even cause confusion and chaos. Those who would do us harm will purposely start FARTS to weaken our resolve and cause disunity,” he said.

“We have to learn how to respond to FARTS, both as a Government and the people. The authorities must have a quick response plan. At the same time, the people themselves must be more discerning about the information that they read on the Internet. Singaporeans themselves can respond or counter and stop the spread of FARTS."

Singapore: Kuching kurap but solid

YouTube link: http://youtu.be/UuDpiIM_H6U

I am amused by this series of "unofficial" NDP messages from Starhub. Check out the whole series at http://www.singaporean-ness.com/.

Ngiao Things I Do

One day, as I was using the self-checkout machine for my groceries, the machine politely asked, "Do you have your own shopping bag?".

I pressed Yes, because it was just a stick of deodorant and I could to put it in my satchel (it is a Man Bag, ok? Not a handbag).

When I looked at my receipt, I found out that I received a ten cents rebate. Ten cents! I was so thrilled! Why? Because the supermarket started this rebate scheme to encourage people to use less plastic bags. Call me ngiao but ten cents saved is ten cents saved, ok?

When I got home and told my wife, she said, "Oi! Then our trash put where?" Oops.

Just then, my mother dropped off two 10kg bags of rice at my place. "Buy for you from JB one! Singapore money $8 only! Cheaper than here!" said Mom. It looked like she was feeding an army.

We used to buy our baby milk powder from across the Causeway too. And while we were at it, wash and vacuum car, buy chickens and veggies, and top up our petrol too. And if got time, get a foot massage. All in ringgit. When they announced that the ringgit has dropped to an all time 15-year-low of 2.5485 against the Singapore dollar, my first thought was to call Mom and say, "TIME TO GO JB LOH!"

It must be age. When you have a household to feed, and bills to pay, you become more conscious of your budget. I even started to count toilet paper at the supermarket to choose the one with the most value.

I started thinking about all the big and little ngiao things I do to save money. "Wait wait, I have the member card/discount coupon." has become one of my pet phrases.

Maybe I will ask my Twitter friends tomorrow to tell me the ngiao things THEY do too. That'd be fun.