Eternity on a Rock

Days like these

2013-05-18T20:47:00.001+08:00

On days like these, I swear I would have preferred to die yesterday.

FTS

Then

2013-05-14T10:11:00.001+08:00

Then

A song and a dance.

A peek and a glance.

A quick twirl and graceful bow,

The curtain calls for the show to end.

Be careful not to blink,

A lot goes by between the scenes.

Every moment a golden glisten,

All ready to glow and brighten.

Between the beginning and the end,

There are only the "and".

You may ask "What else?",

I can only reply "And then?".

Poetry without much thinking.

Making History

2013-03-19T03:02:00.001+08:00

Today is another day to make memories for tomorrow.

FarBird 20th March 2013

Family Portrait CNY 2013

2013-02-15T14:12:00.000+08:00

Left to Right
Nathaniel, Christine, Isabel and Franklin Neo
Circa CNY at Jalan Singa 2013

Dinner with ex-comrades of 7th Mono 3SIR Alpha coy

2013-01-28T17:27:00.000+08:00

Full album also can be seen here if you are unable to view the slide show above

Tomorrow

2013-01-24T01:03:00.001+08:00

I want to laugh,
I want to cry,
At the time lost,
As the years go by.

The cheers and the jeers,
The joys and the fears,
Of those around me,
That they have shared.

For those whom starved,
And those that thrived,
Though I may be deprived,
Through their prayers I survived.

Everyday a new battle lies ahead,
Each moment its own fate,
Winning or losing,
Another dawn will never fail to break.

Tomorrow...

If the world ends on 21 Dec 2012

2012-12-19T14:11:00.001+08:00

Apocalypse or not, it is not within my control if it comes 21 Dec 2012 or at any dates in the near future.

Within my control is my own actions and thoughts..

Before everything ends(if it does), I'd like to be thankful and say some grace..

I am thankful for the life that I have. [ up to the current point in my lifespan ]
Healthy and happy kids and a caring wife.
And many relatives that love us.

Both my parents are still living [ though not with each other anymore, but happy nonetheless ].

I am happy to be living in this era of change where I am able to indulge in technology and enjoy the luxury that modern electronics have endowed us.

I am glad that my brain is able to comprehend many complex subjects and I can use my knowledge eagerly in pursuit of my interests in technology.

I feel appreciated to be always in constant company of family and friends.
It's rather nice to be appreciated and I hope I made them feel the same way too when they are in my company.

If there is really an end to this world (on 21-Dec-2012), I hope to be in the company of my family and friends at that final moment.

Farbird,

9 Dec 2012

If the world doesn't end on 21 Dec 2012, well, those whom still owe me $$, please pay up before the next predicted apocalypse. heheheh

Tis the season of sex scandals in Singapore

2012-12-13T11:39:00.001+08:00

Tis the season for sex scandals in SG...
(Correction: Tis the frigging year of Sex Scandals in Singapore!)

2012 "IS" the year all dicks got out of their zippers!

Cat out of the bag.
If it sells, publish more of such news!

Sex with teachers and underaged students
Sex with underage hookers
Sex for business contracts
Sex between politicians and their staff

All the above happening in one tiny little red dot

Like if agree?

Pride Kills

2012-11-16T12:53:00.000+08:00

Another epiphany..

Pride kills...

Not many will realize that their ego and pride have swelled to gigantic proportions when he/she have risen through the ranks and have reached the plateau of his/her peak...

Maybe because there aren't many there on top to tell him/her about it....

My name is Franklin...
If you are a friend, be frank with me...

Don't always let me be the only one being "Frank".

(Pun almost definitely intended)

A Poem I wrote sometime ago

2012-09-19T12:38:00.001+08:00

A poem I wrote many years ago on a free web hosting site.

Contents can be found here.
[ Click on the ENTER Button with white font and black background to continue ]
Warning: Mushy contents inside

Seasonal Torrents

Great speeds they come,

Much often without warning.

Tides of unimaginable proportions,

Tidal Waves.

Some Perish , Some Hurt..

The next morning,

Healing begins.

Dedicated to those who had a brush with my anger
More on my poems here

Avian Magazine

2012-09-14T12:19:00.000+08:00

This was the 2nd time I saw this magazine...

Bird Talk Magazine

Saw it in KL and it reminded me of several things.

1st, a couple (Kris and Leshane) that keeps parakeets as pets.

2nd, a picture I edited and posted in my blog. See the chinese speech bubble I added!

3rd, another picture I took of this magazine from the past ( circa November 2006 issue )

PGAD: Who's your Daddy?

2012-09-06T19:03:00.001+08:00

The Endless Orgasm - Newsweek and The Daily Beast

It is not funny.

PGAD is the word of the day!

/me Face Palm!

2012-09-06T16:13:00.001+08:00

Just realized that I never actually listed down my job achievements for all the resume requests since day 2!

Proposal Event at Oasia Hotel 18 Aug 2012

2012-08-21T02:23:00.000+08:00

We were invited to a friend's planned proposal event on 18 August 2012.

Congrats to Kris and Leshane.....

Food was glorious

Proposer!

Proposee!

The surprise! And She said YES!

My missus was dressed to the nines!

I want a proposal like this too!

Rest of album can be seen here

Undoubtedly Batman in HongKong

2012-07-27T12:38:00.003+08:00

This is what "Batman" looks like in Hong Kong..

When pronounced in Cantonese... This is Batman!

Of Women, Hysteria and Vibrators

2012-07-24T09:30:00.001+08:00

Hysteria

A mental condition that creates excessive uncontrollable emotions that are thought to be only happening on women. Hysteria is derived from the greek word of Uterus (Hystera).

The Clinical Solution to Hysteria

The actual medical solution (discovered since the 19th century) that had helped many women suffering from Hysteria was actually the Vibrator! (WTF??)

The lack of sexual gratification caused the uterus to be light and dry due to lack of fluids and this was found to be one of the major causes of Hysteria. Before the solution was invented, womenfolk actually went to a physician to have their genitals massaged by male physicians! ( Female physicians were quite rare back then ). The vibrator was created eventually because the male physician hands were too tired! (WTF??).

That physician massaging skills must have been so good that women kept referring friends and by the time his reputation grew far and wide, I doubt, those whom came for his massage, if they are even diagnosed with Hysteria at all in the first place. ( If you know what I mean ).

For more reading, visit Wikipedia's entry on Hysteria and Vibrators.
Or if you prefer to watch a movie on the history of how the Vibrator came about and the physicians involved, you may wanna read up on this movie, Hysteria , a 2011 film.

Was the AA or AAA battery then invented to create portability for the Vibrators?

Dressing up for Racial Harmony Day 19 July 2012

2012-07-23T11:09:00.000+08:00

Both Isabel and Nathaniel dressed up for their schools' Racial Harmony Day and I had the chance to take some snaps a day before the actual Racial Harmony Day.

They are my pride and joy!

Good Beef!

2012-06-18T09:44:00.001+08:00

I was having a late night chat with fellow W124 enthusiasts when the topic turned to food.

As one of the owners was a cook, he suggested a good place to buy beef and talked us through how to cook a good piece of steak. From him, it was learnt that there is this place that retails beef and other meat at wholesale prices.

The name of the place is QB Foods and it seems that they import their meat and could possibly be the supplier to local supermarkets. They do have an online ordering system and items can be picked up at their warehouse in Chin Bee Crescent.

After calling QB Foods to enquire more about the meat, they suggested a retail shop ( Foodie Market Place ) which opens on weekends until 6pm. And their prices are the same as what QB Foods offered. Foodie Market Place is located at 225 Outram Road, Singapore 169038.

View Larger Map Driving Directions

It is recommended to enter via Tiong Poh Road on the left and turn into Eng Hoon Road to reach the shop if you are driving. To see what's on offer at Foodie Market Place, visit their Facebook page!

Their prices for exotic cheese are also better than supermarket!

Last but not least, thanks to Mr Tay Poh Huat for recommending the place! We had a good beef dinner on last Sunday night!

Nathaniel's 3rd Birthday Party at Toa Payoh 9th June 2012

2012-06-13T16:01:00.000+08:00

So fast since his birth and now he is celebrating his 3rd birthday!

Here are some pictures from that day.

Special thanks to Auntie Jaey for preparing the food....

Full Album here!

The Concept of Life and Heaven

2012-06-12T12:32:00.001+08:00

Read a post on Facebook from Victor Khoo's wall asking what is Heaven....

My personal belief is that Heaven is a concept created by the ancients with foresight..

Knowing that in their time, it was impossible to change people beyond their own selfish attitudes. So they left behind scriptures and called for followers whom were willing to keep these scriptures so that they can transcend generations to a time when Utopia can be achieved.

For Utopia to be achieved, people must be selfless and kind and do not need any policing in order for them to comply with the general rule of doing good and being kind. If there is a Heaven, it will be here on Earth if Utopia can be achieved.

On this same day, a discussion amongst colleagues raised the question about life and death and how one can prevent or delay death by living more healthily.

I offered my 2 cents on the subject and off the top of my head, I blabbered that Death is not random in the natural world. If the subject is unable to cope in the environment he or she is thrown in, they will have to evolve or be extinct.

Eg. A man live to his 40s living life healthily without indulging in any vices only to realise he has terminal lung cancer.

Eg. A woman lives to her 90s, heavily smoking her entire adult life, and is still alive today.

Some call it genes.. I prefer to call it merely Natural Selection.
The fittest survive....

The weaker of the species will have to die in order to prevent pollution to the gene pool.

Appeal for Singaporeans to help

2012-05-15T03:27:00.000+08:00

In the wee hours of Saturday morning (12th May 2012) in Singapore, a speeding Ferrari driver beat a red light only to crash into a taxi, causing the death of himself(Chinese national), the taxi driver(Singaporean) and the taxi passenger(Japanese tourist).

The news was all over the social media and everybody was ranting and cursing the Ferrari driver for causing the accident.

Even as both the official and unofficial news sources publish the appeal for donations for the local Singaporean taxi driver whom was survived by his spouse and 3 teenage children, the rants went on about foreigner causing the deaths and it almost seems to me that we, Singaporeans, are xenophobic!

Instead of the ranting that results in nothing but stirring the xenophobic emotions, we should focus on how to help the family of the deceased taxi driver.

I come from 2 generations of taxi-drivers in my family and I,myself had once worked as a junior executive in a local taxi company. With my gathered experience, I can say that almost all taxi drivers will not want to drive a taxi if given a choice. The rising costs of living versus the earnings of a taxi driver leaves very little for luxury. Even tougher if one were to maintain an upkeep for a family of 5 with the meagre takings.

And fate had decided to make things tougher for this particular family by claiming the life of the sole breadwinner. Due to the father's demise, his daughter intend to postpone her plans to enroll into a local university.

As Singaporeans, perhaps we have become too dependent on our government to do everything for us.
And when our lives are not smooth, we rant on and on. And though we know that our rants will have no effect, we keep waiting for something to happen that will flip our lives back on track.

Truth is, if we never do anything, nothing will happen!

As a fellow Singaporean appealing to all Singaporeans to help out a Singaporean family whom needs assistance, I hope fellow citizens can act upon our rants and show that we are compassionate and we do come together in times of need.

Instead of being xenophobic, let us show them that we are united.

There are currently several ways to donate to the family.
Details can be found here.

Every little sand maketh the beach

I made my rant worthy when I drove from Bedok to Sembawang at 1.00 am to make my donation.

Portrait of your distant twin!

2012-05-11T13:25:00.003+08:00

The blending of DNA of humans occur in such a complex permutation via each and every generation.
However, as with statistics, it is possible that a complete match of DNA can be found somewhere in the world that is exactly identical with each other and without any similarity in parentage.

Wikipedia's Entry on Population Genetics

Picture from Boing Boing

Do you see any resemblance when you look into the mirror every morning?

Now that you know it, like it, then you must share it!

Farbird's May Day Message

2012-05-02T09:48:00.000+08:00

May Day was just over and what did your Labour Minister tell you besides echoing his superior?

Increase productivity!

More productive = More salary!

Don't be lazy or complacent!

Besides telling you common sense that you'd already know about working, what else did he/she tell you?

For those whom are expecting the government to give advice on money and work, don't bank on it.

The salary of the minister is pegged to the average amongst the top earners in Singapore.

The bulk of income tax collected is collected from the middle class in Singapore.

A small part of the wealth in Singapore is allocated to help out the poorest in Singapore.

If you are smart enough to do the maths, you will know that it'd be in good favour to the ministers, if they:

1) Ensure constant salary cum bonuses for the top earners in the private sector

2) Ensure as many of the population stays in middle class

3) Help with as little as possible so the poorer quickly progress to middle class and start paying taxes

With regards to item 1, "maybe" many of them hold top management positions in companies owned or partially owned by Temasek Holdings, thus ensuring that the top earners salary can/may be somewhat benchmarked by themselves in their own holding group.

For item 2, "maybe" they must ensure a very standard Bell Curve deviation of the wealth classes segregation in the country to make it easier to control and manage the economy.

For item 3, in my opinion, it's probably the only good thing that they are doing.

Enough of the bureaucratic charismatic speeches that means nothing to the current middle class of citizens here.

Here is my simple May Day Message [ strictly from a middle class to another middle class ].

You hold a stable job.

Your career advancement is reaching a plateau [ Please do not dream of becoming CEO ]

The income generated from this stable job is no longer sustainable with the rising costs of living, transport, food, etc [ "maybe" due to prices which our govt doesn't help to normalize so as to ensure the middleclass stays middleclass ]

You better be having a secondary income from your spare time!

Why need to have a secondary income?

1) It helps offset some rising costs of living

2) It is tax free

3) If most of the foreign talents [ aka new residents ] are doing it, why should we be lazy and complacent?

My summarized May Day message for all middle class citizen.

Go and earn some spare cash

with whatever skills and time available,

instead of waiting for handouts.

My favourite drink

2012-04-26T17:57:00.002+08:00

After more than 30 years of sampling various available soft drinks, you are still the only one I keep stock at home.

Every time my wife is busy at home with kids, housework, cooking, cleaning, I will pour her a glass.

She prefers you with ice.
I prefer sipping you from the can.

You go well with cigar, bbq food, fried food, spicy food.

I drink Coke on only 2 occasions.
Either when I'm alone or when I'm with someone.

Mass Suicide of 877 Dolphins

2012-04-26T15:48:00.001+08:00

A mass of dolphin carcasses greeted Peru on her northern coast on 6th April 2012.
The body count was 877.
[Article and Image Source : Boing Boing ]

877 Beached Dolphins Carcasses in Peru

According to several major news media companies, it could be the seismic test for oil that may have caused their deaths. As their deaths coincide with recent oil exploration activities in the region and many of the beached dolphins were found with broken bones in their ears and damaged organs, wildlife experts seems to be putting the blame of the oil companies.
[ Article Source : CBS , MSNBC , Bloomberg Businessweek ]

In 2009, I have also written an article here about whales committing mass suicides in similar manner by beaching themselves along coasts. Coincidentally, the dates were on the same period of the year... March/April.

If we continuously make their sea habitat more and more unsuitable for the sea creatures to live in, evolution will occur within the next few generations such that these creatures will leave their sea habitat to live on land!

Read my previous article on beaching whales to realize what we are actually doing if we continue to pollute the sea.