Clint Eastwood's "Kills" Obama

Strangely, I have always had a keen interest to follow the American Elections and just finished watching the live broadcast of the closing session of the Republican Congress speeches. The "surprise" guest speaker, none other than one of my all time movie heroes and film director, Mr Clint Eastwood.

At 82, he delivered a compelling and yet very humorous speech supposedly having an interview with Mr Barack Obama. The killer moment when he said "Politicians work for us, and when they do not do the job they have to go" with the appropriate "finger throat slashing" gesture. In closing a fan requested his famous punchline to which he responded, I start and you finish. Not bad for a movie star, but then he has been a major before.

Amazing the speed of the Internet as the You tube video was available moment after the speech.

Here it is.

I obviously do not take sides but Mr Romney's speech also impressed and I can not wait to see the responses and the retaliatory speech by Mr Obama next week at the Democratic Convention.

Politicians always amuse me about their promises and the reality after they get elected. Let the games begin.

Who do you think will win the election?

Singapore "Baby" Time Bomb

Singapore like the rest of Asia has a declining population problem which will impact the country dramatically if not addressed in the right way. Actually, the problem is a worldwide phenomenon and at least Singapore is not in the top 25 countries currently trying to deal with this time bomb. Amazing to think that in the 1970's the Singapore Government actively promoted a "Stop at Two" policy regarding family planning and now has to deal with the negative effects thereof.

Personally, I do not believe the past policies has anything to do with the problem. There has been a paradigm shift in the "New Generations" priorities and I do not believe any form of cash incentives will have a drastic impact on the problem.

I have experienced and seen the changes in my lifetime. When we, in the 80's left school you knew what was expected and that's was just the way it was. Men had to get a good job, get a house and marry a wife that would stay home and look after the children. If you were not married with children by the age of 25 there obviously was something wrong with you. There was no such thing as a small family and most people I knew had two or more children.

So what has changed so drastically? It's simple. Women became independent and gained access to education and the corporate world. The world has become much more competitive and the cost of living has escalated putting huge pressure on individuals to perform and chase the "dream".

Back in the day people were branded "Keeping up with the Joneses" and now I fear we have all become exactly that. The world is about material and economic success and the concept of families and certainly having children has become far less important and even a hindrance in achieving success. Woman are independent and certainly do not need a man to provide for them and having children or more than one will negatively impact on their careers.


It's all "work and no play" and people are to tired to actually have sex and make some babies, let alone have the energy to look after the little rascals once they are born and take away our precious independence. Heaven forbid having more than one baby and having to work even harder to make sure we can properly provide financially for the family.

In my humble opinion providing more paternity leave, first choice for couples regarding housing and any other cash incentives will only result in small changes. The value of the family has flown out the window and will remain so unless we change the perception of how we are "measured" in terms of being successful.  If you Google the word "Successful" you will find images of everything but "Family".

Amasing Jurong Bird Park

Finally, after more than a year of delays we got to go and visit the Jurong Bird Park the past weekend. This world famous Bird Zoo is a landscaped park built on the Western slope of Jurong Hill and has an area of 50 acres, housing some 5000 birds of 380 species including 29 threatened species.

We got there early and kicked off with a scrumptious breakfast at the park owned Bongo Burger restaurant. The area leading to the entrance is truly beautiful and lure you into this amazing world. From the moment you enter the sights and sounds give you a genuine feeling of being in an actual jungle. This is a full day trip and certainly a great excursion with family and friends.

I am not going to try and describe how magnificent this place is but rather share some of the weird and wonderful things we saw during our visit. One thing  I was seriously looking forward to and to my disappointment found out had been phased out in April 2012 (Damn) was a ride on the 1.7 kilometre Panorail. There is a four station Tram ride in it's place but certainly not the same as the up in the trees original ride.

First stop for us was a visit to the awesome African Waterfall Aviary, the biggest in the world with the worlds tallest man made waterfall at 30 meters. You honestly do not feel like you are in an aviary and there are some 1500 free flying birds with walkways, bridges and some wonderful lookout points to sit and admire the birds. A little bit of "Home" heaven seeing all the South African Birds and even some I had never seen back home.

We mange to watch one of the shows, Birds N Buddies in the amphitheatre which was great entertainment. One of my highlights certainly was the visit to the Lory Loft, a nine storey high enclosure with 360 degree views and a change to feed and interact with some awesome and naughty birds. One big red parrot kept taking the little feeding bowls from unsuspecting children. Funny.

At my age there are not many things that still amaze but during this visit I was blown away. Strolling down one of the path ways I saw what I thought was a statue of a strange bird. This statue looked very real with the feather's gently blowing in the wind and then to my astonishment it moved. They are in an open enclosure and I was about one meter away when this happened. Without a doubt the most amazing bird thing I have ever seen and my wife had to drag me away. I could watch them forever. The Shoebill from West Africa, that can stand motionless for up to twenty minutes waiting for its pray.

A very strange looking, over sized "Angry Bird" with a weird walk. Awesome. Check out my video of this funny creature.

 

The park offer many other exciting things to do and see like Kings of the Skies, Birdz of Play for the kids, Bird Discovery Center, World of Darkness and many more. Definitely a great place to visit and revisit.

Here are some of my other favourite pics from the day.

A Top 5 attraction visit in Singapore.

"Lemon Law"

No more "lemons" for Singaporeans from 01 September 2012 when the new changes to the Consumer protection (Fair Trading) Act and the Hire Purchase Act come into effect. "Lemon Laws" refer to consumer protection laws against latent defects in new products and in America State Law offers protection against the purchase of cars that repeatedly fail to comply with quality and standards in the industry.

In Singapore the new laws will protect consumers against all new goods purchases if there is a defect found within the first six months of the purchase date. In such cases it is assumed that it is a latent defect that had been there at the time of delivery. Retailers will have the option to repair or replace the product withing a "reasonable" time and in not doing so consumers can bring the matter to the Small Claims Tribunal.

The amendments are designed to make commercial transactions more transparent. Certainly good news for all consumers and hopefully root out the suspect retailers.

Meeting Harry Potter

No, I did not actually meet the dude but visited the much anticipated Harry Potter Exhibition last Saturday and it is very impressive to say the least. Here's the thing. I have never been a Harry Potter fan and until a few weeks ago had never seen one of the movies or read any of the books for that matter. It's just not my thing I guess but there are millions of die hard fans and one family we met actually came all the way from Indonesia to come and see the exhibition.

In order to get an understanding of the Wizard world, I watched Harry Potter 1 and 2 before going to the exhibition else nothing would really make sense. One thing that amazed me is the degree of imagination the Lady  had to actually write the stories and the amount of details it contained. The exhibition only confirmed this as you get the chance to see the costumes and decor up close and believe me the level of detail is insane.

For obvious reasons photography is not allowed inside the exhibition but the visit turned out to be above my expectations. If you are a serious Harry Potter fan this is not to be missed and you can spend hours looking at the thousands of exhibits and get swept away in the magical world of the wizards.

There are some interactive displays where you can try your hand at Quidditch and Toss a Quaffle to earn some points for your house or pull a Mandrake from its pot and experience that screeching noises the plants make when they are disturbed. And yes, we did do them both although we had to wait our turn for the kids to finish playing. Do they have to do it so many times. Just kidding, we also did a few rounds.

There is an insane curio shop at the end which sell all kinds of memorabilia that will make any fan very happy. My personal favourite, the Harry Potter chess set but a $900 a bit pricey and it is rather large. The wife bought some Harry Potter "Berry Tots". Some of the flavours include rotten egg, dirt, soap, earthworm, vomit, earwax, black pepper and booger. Believe me, they taste authentic and after one or two bytes ended up spitting it out. Why would you want to eat anything that tastes like soap or vomit?

Highly recommended even if you are not a fan. A first in Singapore and Asia and a once in a lifetime chance to get up close with the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

No, I will not be watching anymore Harry Potter movies. Fell asleep while the wife watched Harry Potter 3.

Saving Face

You are in a shop you shouldn't be in, in the first place and then you do the one thing you definitely must not do. Ask the price of some item you really like and the dreaded answer that not only takes your breath away but actually makes you want to faint. And so it was for the second time in a few months that I faced this challenging scenario this past Saturday.

After visiting the Harry Potter Exhibition we were strolling down the Marina Bay Sands pier and the wife said she would like to go and look at the inside of the Louis Vuitton sop and check out their purses as she needs a new one. Sounds innocent enough, right.

We were dressed like your average shopper and as long as we did not do something stupid the visit would be without incident. Browsed downstairs and then curiosity got the better of me and we wandered up the staircase to the upper floor. Awesome stuff all around and I walked over to this fancy glass case in the middle of the floor and lone behold. An exquisite Mahjong set on display.  I have a secret passion for Mahjong, and NO, not the electronic kind you play on a computer.

I am talking the real thing where you can touch the blocks, sit around a table, sipping whiskey and slowly indulge in a game of Mahjong. I once owned a beautiful set which I bought in China Town, San Francisco, but it got lost in the "Circus". That's another story on it's own. I digress.

After admiring this thing of beauty I forgot the rules and called the shop lady (who was dressed to a T) across and asked the one question I should not. How much is it. She smiled, explained each piece is handcrafted and there is only one of these in Singapore. The price, $35,0000. Yep. Who in his right mind would even think of touching one of the pieces much less play an actual game.

So here is my advise and I do have some experience in this department. Stay calm, and there are three things that are important to overcome the situation and "Save Face".  The most important is your facial expression upon hearing the price. Do not go into OMG mode, that is a dead give away.

Secondly, look intelligent and interested with a small smile on your face like you expected it to cost a lot less and pause before you respond. You need that Richard Branson look.

And now for the exit strategy. Look one more time and then say you need to look around some more and will call her when you are ready. Move slowly and without suspicion, casually looking at other items to the nearest exit and get the hell out of there.

Unless you actually have that kind of money off course, then go ahead and buy the beauty and for heavens sake don't play with it. Lock it up in a secure glass case for others to drool on.

COE & "Sin Tax"

The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) in Singapore has been under debate since arriving here. and certainly a new concept for me that you have to buy a COE and then pay for the vehicle which does make ownership pretty expensive.

The COE rationale makes sense in a small country where the amount of vehicles on the road needs to be controlled or limited but the scheme itself does not. Currently COE prices is the highest it has been for the past 10 years and actually has an impact far greater than just control with the result that cars have become unaffordable for the average citizen.

So here is my argument. It's like sin taxes. The people who end up being effected are not what I call the haves but rather the have not's or ordinary citizens. The haves can afford the higher prices and it actually works in their favour. The less ordinary people can afford it the more they have at their disposal. Not a good model in a open bidding system where prices are driven by supply and demand.

I am not suggesting you get rid of the COE system but change it to a fixed price model where prices are kept the same for quarters or even half year periods and then reviewed based on statistics. What really needs to be implemented far more aggressively is the existing cost of ERP and parking to have an impact on vehicle utilisation.

As an example, ERP and parking fees in the city and during the week should be far higher which will change the mindset and ensure more people use the excellent public transport. This will ensure that COE's remain "affordable" allowing the ordinary citizen to at least own a vehicle and use it for the family on weekends when traffic is not such an issue.

I know, the haves will sill be able to pay the increased ERP and parking fees but at least the rest of us will have a car and they might end up not having a car for each of their spoilt "brats".

Does sound a little bit bitchy but that's the truth of the matter.

10 Things I do Miss

As promised and after much deliberation to make sure I pick them correctly, here are the top Ten things I do miss from back home in South Africa.

10 Thing I do Miss

1. Mark (my Boss), Paracon (the company I worked for), my colleagues and our team lunches

2. Friends and family and get together's

3. My "dream" car and my Harley Davidson

4. Our house and owning it. You have to be very rich to own anything in Singapore.

5. Cheap and free parking. There is no such thing in Singapore, except for Dempsey Hill

6. Summertime and being able to spend more time outdoors. You only braai in the evening here.

7. Sport and DSTV (decent sport channels) and TV with no subtitles.

8. Mother in Law Sunday lunch, Tammy's rice salad and Lemon Meringue tart. Can not get it here folks.

9. Early weekend shopping with the rest of the day for sport, kuier and braai. Shops only open here round 11h00.

10. Living like a "King". Wine, Red Meat and everything more affordable. 

Singapore National Day

Tomorrow is my 2nd National Day in Singapore and I really enjoy this time of the year. Everybody has flags on their houses, flats and cars, shopping centers are made up and the whole country is proud and celebrate their independence. And then there is the National Day Parade which is on hell of a celebration. It's both a nice day but in my case also sad when I think of my own home country, South Africa. The favourite saying is, "Singapore is"Home" and this is where my sense of sadness originate from.


Where is my home? In order to understand the question one must first look at the definition of "Home" It can be a place of origin, even a physical place but more important to me a place where you feel you belong. Home is therefor not a physical location but a mental or emotional state of refuge or comfort. When you are surrounded by things that provide psychological comfort. A place where you feel safe and have a sense of belonging and certainly not discriminated against.

One of the questions featured on AMLive TV this week is, "What makes you proud about Singapore" with some amazing answers from the public. Then Zelma asked me this morning what my answer would be if I was asked the question about South Africa. We agreed that it would be difficult and something to think about before answering. So here is my answer. How beautiful the country is and that in itself is sad.

So where is my home. Right now the answer is Singapore. I am in my "comfort zone" here and I have not felt this way for many years back home. Obviously we miss our friends and family but to be honest I have not felt "Homesick" since leaving.

And yes, that's my Singapore flag on my gate because I want to share in the proud sentiments around me in my neighbourhood. It's a very nice time of the year in Singapore. Maria, a South African Expat came to watch the rugby with us on Saturday and thought she was at the wrong house when she saw the flag on the gate.

Oh, hang on, I remember very clearly when I last felt like this in South Africa. The year of the World Cup Rugby 1995, when I still respected and honoured my President, Nelson Mandela and the whole nation was one. Hell, we did flags, car mirror sock, car flags, national songs and therein lies my sadness.The "Era of Hope"

And then came you all know who. Really, Really sad.

10 Things I Do Not Miss

Having been in Singapore for just over a year now certainly gave me some experience and insight into living in a foreign country. It's not all rosy and their are some distinct differences from your home country and the new. I have had time to go through the initial adjustments, settling into my new home and reflect on the good and the not so good. So here they are, the top 10 things I do not miss about South Africa. In my next posting I will present the 10 things I actually do miss.

10 Things I do not Miss (definitely)

 

1. BEE, discrimination and having to discriminate against fellow South Africans

2. Living in a "Jail", lack of safety, murder, burglaries, Hi Jacking, mugging and other safety threats.

3. Labour Strikes and "Taxi Wars"

4. Winter and freezing your "Ass Off"

5. Dustbin "Pirates" who ravage your dustbin for food and invade your "privacy"

6. Chaotic traffic, Mini Bus Taxis and their "Kamikaze' driving

7. Corruption on an epic scale

8. Exorbitant taxes and getting nothing in return

9. Power failures, pot holes, broken robots and general infrastructure breakdown.

10. Inefficient and non existent service delivery. (and crappy bandwidth)




"Silver" for Singapore

No, not in the Olympics but in the Superbru, Super Rugby competition. Not bragging but certainly a major personal achievement, the Eviltwin managed to come second in the Superbru Asia competition playing under the Singapore colours out of 1882 players, losing out to "Webb Ellis" from the United Arab Emirates who took "Gold" by .50 points.

My active sporting days might be over but a remain an avid and competitive supporter and so it has been in the Super Rugby competition since its inception. 4 years ago, my friend Anton introduced me to the world of Superbru where you can pit your skills against other supporters from all over the globe in numerous sport competitions.

Superbru has grown tremendously over the years with 464,000 players worldwide and my Warlords Super Rugby pool, now in its fourth year numbering 53 members in the 2012. Being the pool Captain however comes with some pride and considering I have never won my own pool a very important goal.

Saturday was the Super Rugby final between my Sharks team and the Chiefs in New Zealand. Sadly the Sharks could not maintain the form they had over the last 3 weeks and lost. Still, I had set out to win the Warlords pool and finally done so and in the process clinched 1st place in Singapore and 138 th globally out of 155,320 players.

Join my Warlords pool in the Superbru Currie Cup for some excellent rivalry and fun.

Sport "sucks" in Singapore

Considering I have been in The Little Red Dot for a year now I feel I have the right to express may dismay regarding the sport scene in Singapore. It's top ten country this and top ten destination that and countless other accolades but when it comes to sport, Singapore really does not cut the grade. It's all the focus on the "intellectual" and no focus on the 'healthy" sport side of things.

I have been watching the Olympics the past week with the hope that I could at least cheer on some local sport heroes but to my horror and apart from the one little ray of sunshine, Feng Tianwei , who managed to win the Bronze medal for ladies individual Table Tennis, there are no other "stars"

Congratulations and well done Feng Tianwei.

"Singapore's first individual medal in 52 years". That tells the story as the rest of the Asian countries actually do very well at the Olympics. Come on Singaporeans. Sport is as important as the rest and teaches you endurance, camaraderie, builds team spirit and keeps you healthy.

There is nothing to rave about the local sport scene with the biggest local event the National Football (soccer in SA terms) team which everybody gets excited about when 2000 or so spectators turn up for a game. Back home this would be like a Saturday morning school rugby gathering.

It's the one big thing I miss. There is no Tennis, Cricket, Rugby, Comrades or anything that resembles a "decent" gathering of sport stars and their loyal supporters. Apart from my beloved Setanta , Starhub rugby channel (thank heavens for that),  there is no F1, MotoGP or Superbike broadcasts to watch. Off course there are many soccer channels and some Golf but that is not my cup of tea.

I have been listening to all the talk about Singapore's future and how to build a good future for Singaporeans so I leave you with the words of  Nelson Mandela.

"Sport has the power to change the world,  to inspire and unite the People"

Being part of the Rugby World Cup 1995 in South Africa I can say without a doubt that it is true.

Click here for the The Full Nelson article . 



One Team , One Nation

One Year in The Little Red Dot

How time flies?

We arrived here one year ago with anticipation and loads of uncertainty not knowing how this will turn out. A new country and culture, very different from our beloved South Africa. Living in the serviced apartment the first month felt like we were on holiday with the reality of the situation setting in when we moved to our new home in Bishan.

I got lost and was found. The first few months was an emotional roller coaster ride and steep learning curve. Looking back we only settled in just before our friends came for a visit in December with a new year looming with a sense of normality.

Sadly my job search has not been successful so far which did come with a very unexpected positive. I started my Blog and Facebook and over time lead to new opportunities like writing stories, meeting new people and even make some new friends. I even managed to get recognition when my Blog was voted Blog of the Month.

We love Singapore and enjoy living here with the safety aspect the biggest plus. It's a weird sensation when you realise you do not have to be afraid anymore. The fact that everything works and is super efficient still amaze me on a daily basis. There is not much you can want for apart from Sport maybe which I will feature in a separate posting.

I have written many postings over the past 12 months on all the weird and wonder full experiences, including my culinary journey and the exploration of the country which certainly has been endless fun.

Is it a happy day?

If I had been successful in my job quest it certainly would be and so another year start with hope and new challenges.

A big thank you to all my readers who inspire me to learn, explore and always give my best.