Free rides anyone?

Big Brother doesn’t give free rides everyday.
So when he announced free rides on DTL2, I also jumped into it to check.

Something have been done right. I like.

Train ride was very quiet (maybe due to new trains, systems and tracks).

HILLVIEW Station is very near to road surface. A very short escalator ride to reach boarding gates. Station is also very near to Diary Farm nature park.

Wide walkways outside all stations.

Direct gate entry into Steven station to board train. So, I won’t need to go in if it’s too crowded or jammed with people due to train breakdowns.

 

Something is not right.

Signboard states 21 mins to travel from Little India station to Bt.Panjang station. But it took me 28 mins.

Platform gap is very wide between train’s door edge and station platform. Train’s platform floor is higher than the station’s floor. This will pose a problem to those wheelchair users and pram movers.

I wonder why they named station as TAN KAH KEE and not DUNEARN which suit its location. This is strange.

Anything that's free, I don't complain.


 

Are You Santa ?

This drawing may be offensive to some. For the sake of art and humor, I've decided to publish it.  

I see that our world is changing.

In the past, I see Santa only in the month of December.

Now I see Santa almost every week.

In the old days, I had to think hard to justify needs to get my parents to buy things for me. These days, young children get what they want without blinking an eye because their parents are playing Santa Claus all the times.

Some kids just scream and squall in public : “I WANT IT!  I WANT IT NOW ! “ and make a big scene.

Most parents and care-givers would give in and buy what the kids wanted. Instead of working hard to earn something, kids these days are developing the “entitlement” mentality : if others have it, why can’t I have it ?

I even come across parents who asked for their kids’ permissions to use their gadgets they had bought for them. This is really ridiculous!

Our world is changing…for the worse.

Sigh!

 

I Choose to Volunteer

Life is also about making choices.

Every year, since 2011, I choose to take a few days off from work to volunteer in community works. This is my way of giving something back to society & the community here. There are many options on what to do, but I choose to help in events in sport, art & environmental conservation/protection. I choose them purely due to my interests.

This country is hosting the 8^th Asean Para Games for the first time. And I’m volunteering in this event. It’s really an eye-opener to see these sportsmen & women playing competitively despite their disabilities. They have some disabilities, but are not disabled. I kudo to them.

 

But I find it strange that chess is included as a sport in this event. My view is chess is not a sport. It’s just a mind game, nothing physical. I keep scratching my head & still could not figure this out !  

And if you see a volunteer keeps scratching his head, that’s me ! 

 

My Good Friend Charlie

This A4 Print is for Sale. Contact the Artist.

I live in a very small area surrounded by 2 powerful, non-chinese neighbours. Over the years, their heads have changed but their behaviours remain more or less the same.

I remember long time ago, one had threatened to turn-off the water supply to my tap. The other created terror & damaged our popular neighbourhood. Now, every year without fail, he keeps burning his vegetation in his yards and causes severe air-pollution to our environment. In some weeks, I’m forced to wear my face mask when I’m out-door. 

As an insurance, I decided to befriend big brother Charlie from oversea, hoping that he would render some help & come to my rescue in the event when my neighbours harass me & give me serious problems. But big brother Charlie also has his own family issues to deal with at home. I wonder whether he would come in such a scenario. I just hope for the best & keep my fingers crossed.

The other problem is Big brother Charlie would retire in ten years time, and another from his family would take over. They like to play musical chair every tenth-year. So I have no choice but to constantly spend time, money & effort to re-start / renew this friendship with whomever is put in-charge. Sigh ! 

(A page from Merlion’s Journal)

 

Haze You Win, Hate I Lose

                       

I’m not a trendy person & I have never buy any accessory for fashion other than my waist belt & shoes.

But now due to the severe haze, I’m forced to borrow money to buy many accessories like protective gears.

Everyday, I have to check the PSI level & decide what “extra gear” to wear before going out.

 

Those perpetrators causing the yearly haze should be stopped, punished & dealt with severely.

I think this would be very challenging & would take many years. So be prepared for this yearly air-pollution crisis.

The current haze problem is a complicated issue & I don’t think it could be resolved any time soon. The top guy says “stop the burning”, but his team members have very different agendas. They are a poor nation & had to use the cheapest & fastest method to clear lands. Even the top guy could not afford a N95 mask. What do you expect others to do ?

Unless & until they recognize this as a serious problem with devastating impact to people, wildlife and environment, there would never be a solution. 

I support actions to stop the burning & de-forestation and ban the imports from these un-responsible suppliers. 

As a consumer, I could consume less & buy only from sustainable source but at higher costs for goods.  

I believe we have to continue to live with this haze & pay higher costs for consumable goods. It’s a double whammy for me.  Sigh!

                                                

In my opinion, those land owners & companies found to be responsible for creating the current haze and smog should be made to bear the full costs of damages to the environment, people’s ill-health and the costs of fire-fighting resources  deployed to mitigate this crisis. 

They must be made to pay to be educated.

Enforcement must be mandated & implemented on the ground by the authorities.
I see no other way to prevent this type of crisis recurring in coming years unless there is an immediate zero demand or substitute to replace palm oil.         




                                                          

ECO Day at City Square Mall 26 Sep 2015

Two months ago, I was “drunk” & accepted a challenge to test my drawing skill in public.   

So, last saturday, 26 Sep 2015, I volunteered my free time (free=no pay) in an attempt to draw 50 live caricatures in 5 hours in a public event organized by the Singapore Environmental Council & Coca-Cola at City Square Mall.

The Organiser gave me a small booth next to the stage where visitors can ask me to draw their caricatures. 

 

I'm a amateur artist but I need to look professional. So before this event, I spent some time & money to prepare some printouts of my artworks for display at my booth. Here is how it looked on actual day.

Booth Set-up & my first "victim"

Before this event, the Organiser asked me to draw 3 VIPS who is attending this event. This is to save time. And I gave the drawing to tem when they visited my booth.

            

                                                    

They looked happy when they saw their drawings. But under the table, I prepared some other drawings in case they came with masks.                                       

 

 

 

The Organier's chairman stayed at my booth for a long time looking at this picture.

She seemed to know those men in the picture & looked very happy when I told her to keep this drawing since she liked it so much. Soon, she  disappeared with this drawing. 

 

 

 

 

I started drawing from 12:20pm till 6:30pm with just one break of 15 mins for me to rush to the nearest washroom for a quick relief & a cup of coffee.  

There was non-stop of people sitting on the chair in front of me to get their caricature drawn.

 

Before I draw, I asked each to tell me how they protect / preserve our environment. It's a great opportunity to educate & create awareness for the environment.   

 

 

 

For this event, I set a target to draw 50 Caricatures in 5 hours.

In fact, I managed to draw 49 live caricatures that took longer then 5 hours. I believe my speed was too slow. Sigh !  

All the booths have been dismantled by 6pm but I was still drawing at 6:30pm. Some persistent people still hanged around at my booth to get their caricature drawn. I had to stop & told them it's my last drawing for the day.

 

Here are the rest of the drawings I gave away for the day.
 

My first "victim".

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