Singapore Happenings: June 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

Quote from Game of Thrones

"Power resides only where men believe it resides." - Varys

Story

“In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. ‘Do it,’ says the king, ‘for I am your lawful ruler.’ ‘Do it,’ says the priest, ‘for I command you in the names of the gods.’ ‘Do it,’ says the rich man, ‘and all this gold shall be yours.’ So tell me — who lives and who dies?”

Herbal Jelly

I didn't realise that inflation in Singapore is that bad, $7 for a bowl of herbal jelly ...

Hello Kitty

I have the most original McDonald's Hello Kitty, the Ronald McDonald Hello Kitty

The Woman and The Sailor

This story was told to me when I was in junior college many years ago, by my GP teacher. The purpose was to provoke our thoughts, to understand that there is no absolute right or wrong, good or evil in this world. It was an enriching experience for me.
Reading this story again after so many years, I realised that my preference of characters have also changed over the years.

Story

A ship sank in a storm. Five survivors scrambled aboard two lifeboats: a sailor, a woman, and an old man in one boat; the woman's' fiancé and his best friend in the second.
That evening, the storm continued, and the two boats separated. The one with the sailor, the woman and the old man washed ashore on an island and was wrecked. The woman looked all night in vain for the other boat or any sign of her fiancée.
The next day the weather cleared and still the woman could not locate her fiancé. In the distance she saw another island. Hoping to find her fiancé, she begged the sailor to repair the boat and row her to the other island. The sailor agreed, on the condition that she sleep with him that night.
Distraught, she went to the old man for advice. "I can't tell you what's right or wrong for you," he said. "Look into your heart and follow it." Confused but desperate, she agreed to the sailor's condition.
The next morning the sailor fixed the boat and rowed her to the other island. Jumping out of the boat, she ran up the beach, into the arms of her fiancé. She then decided to tell him about the previous night. In a rage, he pushed her aside and said, "Get away from me! I don't want to see you again!" Weeping, she started to walk slowly down the beach.
Her fiancé's best friend saw her and went to her, put his arm around her, and said, "I can tell that you two had a fight. I'll try to patch it up, but in the meantime, I'll take care of you."

Rank the characters, from the one you like most to the one you like least.

The Sailor
The Woman
The Old Man
The Women's Fiancé
The Fiancé's Best Friend

What is your answer?

Thursday, June 20, 2013

The coal hard truth about air pollution

PM2.5 particle is most harmful to the human body and it is measured separately from our PSI computation. Only China omits PM2.5 from their air quality index.

Countries like the US and even Malaysia have incorporated PM2.5 in their air quality index.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Hazardous Alert for Singapore's Air

Singapore's air is now "hazardous" as the Pollutant Standards Index reached 321 at 10pm, the worst reading in its history.

Air becomes "hazardous" when the index passes 300.

But tomorrow is still not a public holiday.