The Field Marshal

Fieldmarshal takes on the Great Singapore Sale Lelong! Lelong! The Great Singapore Sale is on!!! Everything going cheep cheep ah! Well, at least that's what retailers are saying. Can't remember when GSS started. But I can remember the times when Sweetlullaby, Perfect 10 (Sweetlullaby should know who I am talking about) and I, yes your very own Fieldmarshal, would hit the hallowed streets of Orchard to hunt for bargains. Actually, it's the 2 ladies who were on the prowl. I was more like an apprentice learning the art of shopping from the masters. Guess the shopaholic curse still course through my blood today. I can't help but feel excited when I see advertisements quoting mind boggling discounts of 50% or more, which most of the time are untrue, since the usual price has been marked up, those dirty merchants. Anway, I still like to shop during this period since I can get some necessities are rather low prices. So to Orchard Road I went this evening. The trip was actually meant for Mydaemon since she's looking for a nice pair of working shoes. But the shopaholic in me stole the show today. Instead of getting her shoes, I ended up with a book - It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be, errr...., briefs, and groceries. Not much of a shopping trip eh. But I think this is the beginning of a rather nice month. G2000 is most likely to earn some cash off me since I am hunting for some groovier officewear. Yah, Fieldmarshal is going chic. Here's a photo of my raid at Takashimaya and Kinokuniya. And no, the briefs ain't as sexy as the box. By the way, if you are looking for a good management book with some and sharp insights. I highly recommend the book by Paul Arden. Good buy!!!

Bukit Merah... the town lost in time Yesterday, Mydaemon and I made a trip to Bukit Merah central as we wanted to made a trip to the Bukit Merah Community Library as well as shop at the NTUC there. It must have been 10 or more years since I last set foot in Bukit Merah, the last time being a transit bus trip there to the nearby CMPB. For the clueless, CMPB stands for Central Manpower Base of the SAF's. Anyway, being the first trip there for both of us, we were expecting a nice interesting town centre since we are likely to shop there once awhile to stock up on groceries etc. That's all wishful thinking now I guess. Setting foot in the Bukit Merah bus interchange, the first thing I noticed was the number of buses. There are so few that I can literally count with my fingers, on one hand you. Thankfully, we are not dependent on the bus system here. As we moved from the bus interchange to the overhead bridge connecting to the central proper, the only word I can use to describe the place is decrepit. The bridge is dirty, sorely in need of a fresh coat of paint and exuded a gloomy feel for both Mydaemon and I. We actually concluded that if a robbery is going to take place, this is the perfect place, going by the feel it gives to pedestrains. Really a weird place. Past that, we were hoping, idealists that we are, for some interesting shops in the central. Down the steps of the bridge we went. Setting our eyes on Bukit Merah central, I only have one word, technically two, for it... Ghost-town. The place feels drained and flat. Lacking a buzz or life which most town centres have, Bukit Merah feels like Bilbo Baggins, "like butter too thinly spread," if you remember the line in LOTR. The only life was some loud music blaring from speakers as some aunties lince danced while old ah peks gawked. Even that odd-mix failed to liven up the place. Having eaten in many hawker centres in my life, I have to say that Bukit Merah's hawker centre is one of the most lifeless place one can find on a Sunday evening. The place was, like the rest of Bukit Merah central, dark, tired, lifeless... Eeek.... As we let all this sink in, we plodded along in the hope of finding some salvation at the library. That can't be that bad. I am sure NLB would conform to the design common to all the other libraries. Afterall, we read that Bukit Merah's library was renovated and reopened only last year. There's yet hope. What a relief it was when we set our eyes on the library. Like the rest of the town, the library's entrace was funny in some sense. But the inside was 'normal'. Sanity prevailed in the ivory tower. I was just glad to once again enter a realm where things felt real and normal. The library is a two-storied building. The good stuff is all on the second floor. I got myself 3 books. Two on cooking. One asian and the other mediterannean. The third is a guide on Italy. Got it was I am doing research on the country to visit for my honeymoon. Italy sure looks like a wonderful place for a holiday. Not to mention that fact that I would like to visit the Vatican city while there. Books aside, we had one last adventure before heading home. The adventure is none other than having dinner at the KFC there. To most, eating in a KFC is just a normal meal. But have you eaten at a KFC where there's a sign that says "restaurant" above the entrace? Yeah, don't think I have seen one like that since KFC served with plates, knives and forks. The trip to Bukit Merah was really a blast from the past. Ain't exactly looking forward to another trip there since there's nothing much to see anyway. By the way, the NTUC there is 'normal' though.

Hmmm... I am the 'real' Mr Brown... Your true color is Brown! Brown You're brown, a credible, stable color that's reminiscent of fine wood, rich leather, and wistful melancholy. Most likely, you're a logical, practical person ruled more by your head than your heart. With your inquisitive mind and insatiable curiosity, you're probably a great problem solver. And you always gather all of the facts before coming to a timely, informed decision. Easily intrigued, you're constantly finding new ways to challenge your mind, whether it's by reading the newspaper, playing a trivia game, or composing a piece of music. Brown is an impartial, neutral color, which means you tend to see the difference between fact and opinion easily and are open to many points of view. Trustworthy and steady, you really are a brown at heart. Fieldmarshal's comments: Hmmmm.... I feel like a dried piece of leather wrinkle like a piece of bark. That 'feels' brown. I have to admit that the description is pretty accurate. I have an inquisitive mind, one that has been invariably labelled as being a kaypoh. Impartiality is something which I value a lot. But the state of the world it is in today has let me down on this count way too many times. Impartiality is only paid lip service, be it politicians etc. What's Your True Color? Brought to you by Tickle

Does Singapore really value its talents? Vaguely remember that I read about this young violin prodigy who applied for deferment from serving national service sometime back. Didn't really put much thought into it since it is really an ikan bilis piece of news to me. I am more interested in reading about the current cross straits situation or the new boo-boos by George Bush. Thought this episode was over the last time. Got curious this time when ST published an update on this today - Mindef turns down violin prodigy's appeal to defer NS. First, I found out that this kid's name is Ike See. Ike? What kind of name is that? Guess all promising musicians or artistes gotta get themselves a designer name. Nothing beats the symbol of a name used by a person known as Prince previously. Let's not let the bloke's name detract me from today's issue, which is my take on this brouhaha. Actually, I beleive that MINDEF has wizened up after the previous debacle where a supposedly famous musician left Singapore so as to 'escape' NS to learn music in London, or someplace in UK? Anyway, the similarities between the 2 cases are all too familiar. Talented kids with the world under their feet only to have the mammoth MINDEF bureaucracy cast a shadow over their bright futures. Personally, I don't see why Ike can't defer his NS till he has graduated from his music course in US. Based on what I read, the Curtis Institute of Music is a great place to be for budding musicians. I am sure MINDEF can wait 2-3 years for this young bloke to learn his craft before trading his in he beloved violin for a M16 rifle 'wife'. As he's 17 years old now, he'd be no older than 21 when he comes back. Even if he decides to stay longer, he should be back around 22-23 years old, still young enough to go through the rigours of NS, which is really nothing nowadays. Well, nothing compared to NS of my time circa early 1990s MINDEF quoted equity as being the main reason for rejecting Ike's appeal. For me, equitability is still maintained as long as Ike comes home to serve his duties. I can understand MINDEF's argument since boys going to local universities can't defer NS till after they graduate. I happen to be one of them. But the difference here is that NUS and NTU are willing to wait for us, Curtis can only wait a year. There's no guarantee that Ike can make it back into Curtis after 2 years of NS, never knowing what's going to happen to his precious fingers during the standard obstacle course etc. If Ike's fail to get into Curtis after NS, Singapore is going to lose a potentially great musician. Is the loss of talent not worth a few years wait? Anyway, the word equity is not something I would use in the military setting. I remember certain platoons having extra long canteen breaks or nights off while the rest of the camp continues with normal 'time-wasting' training. That's 'equity' at its best. Anyway, here's wishing Ike all the best. Hope he doesn't follow the example of the other musician.

Going Bananas over Da Vinci Code No, I am not the one going bananas over it. But many Singaporeans, especially from the Christian community, are. First, I would like to state upfront that I am a Catholic. That naturally puts me in the same broadstroke as one of those fanatics, be it Catholics or protestants, calling for a boycott and whatever actions to discourage the general public from watching a movie packed with lies. Perhaps being one of those so-called 'Christmas Catholics', Catholics who only attends Mass on Christmas, I don't feel strongly about this issue at all. I recall an article by ST's Andy Ho, who happens to be a christian, who talked about this brouhaha in the christian community. I agreed with him then, and I still do. Fact is, Christians, which I mean protestants, tend to look at issues, and I mean ALL issues, from a very religious centric perspective. This is not wrong per se since the faith requires them to place God above all else. I need to draw the line between 'them' and the Roman Catholic church since our doctrines are inherently different and that they are not keen on the ecumenical movement in Singapore (read Andy Ho's article if you can find it). You seldom see a Catholic going around telling people to believe in Christ, because if you don't, you burn in hell. I, for one, have been abused by such overzealous christians in their evangelical outreach. I can't presume what God would think about Dan Brown and his Da Vinci Code novel, or the film adaptation of his story. For me, the story is simply a story. That's why it is categorised in the fiction section of libraries and bookstores, not on the non-fiction shelves since it cannot stand on any academic finding. Simply put, Dan Brown just has a very creative way in pieceing together some facts with a whole load of imagination into a coherent story. Fact is, there are hundred of books with hypothesis on Jesus being an alien etc. Puzzling why I don't see any opposition to those. At least Jesus is depicted as a man in Dan Brown's story. Alien? Can't find any words to descrieb what I think about that. So what's my take on all this? Well, I am going to watch the movie. I would like to see how the church etc is portrayed. I am most likely going to be well entertained if the pacing is done well. Wait a minute! What about your Catholic faith?, you might ask. Well, to me, believing in something does not mean that I take offence everytime someone, or something depicts my faith wrongly. If I did that, I would have died of pent up anger. Instead of that, I believe that my role should be that of educating people to the inaccuracies in the movie, and that the movie is not a factual representation of my faith. Simple as that. Lastly, I find a somewhat double-standard attitude of christians when approaching this issue. Labelling the movie as lies and loads of falsehood, which essentially is quite true. What I cannot understand is the fact that these very christians go around telling people of other faiths that these are lies and falsehood. Guess things have a very weird way of coming a full circle, a vicious one that is in this case. And please be civil if you want to leave any comments here on this subject. I am not here to say who's write or wrong. I am here just to share my views. Being the highly evolved and intelligent species that we are, I am sure all of us can agree to disagree right?

Have not been able to catch any of the latest Hollywood flicks on the big screen. So, had to count on dvds and Star Movies for my diet of movies. Having been hugely impressed by Peter Jackson's LOTR trilogy, I had pretty high expectations of King Kong. Being the ever avid dvd collector, I got myself a 2-disc code 1 dvd version of the movie. Both Mydaemon and I were expecting a roaring good time when I popped in the disc. Perhaps it's me. But as the movie progressed, I felt that it was one of the most uninspired movies I have ever watched. The CGI depiction of Kong and his T-Rex nemesis were great. Colours were vibrant. Sound effects were so-so. But the word 'overkill' was written all over the movie. I can still remember vividly the scenes where Adrien Brody was attacked by giant insects, again and again and again, and then there was the scene where Naomi Watts, bless her good looks, juggled and danced so that Kong would growl in approval. Think there were more, but my mind was too numb to remember all of them. I give this movie a rating a rating of only 6/10. Nothing fantastic. Good CGI, but not groundbreaking when compared to Spielberg's Jurassic Park in 1991(?). Oh yeah, another overkill scene was the stampede of the dinos. It felt like it lasted forever. Seabiscuit

Got the chance to catch this movie on Saturday. Although I am not a fan of Toby Maguire, I am a fan of stories depicting the triumph of the underdogs. The storyline for this movie is simple. What do you get when you put together a down and out racehorse, a passionate trainer and a kid who's blind in one eye? One hell of a good movie which showcases the strength of spirit, in both man and animal. This story is all about putting 'broken' people together and having each of them helping each other in fixing themselves. Always had a soft spot for such movies, especially when they are based on true life accounts. Despite the lack of mind-boggling CGI or action scenes, the storyline got my vote. Seabiscuit gets a rating of 8/10. I thoroughly enjoyed it. By the way, the photo above is a real photo of Seabiscuit and Red Pollack (acted by Toby in the movie). Hostage It has been a long time since I watched an action-flick. The last one should be Chronicles of Riddick, which I caught on HBO while at my parents place. Bruce Willis is my all time favourite botak action hero. Instead of hearing lines like "I see dead people.", the movie is a nicely paced action thriller taking place in a sleepy small town.

Willis is a police negotiator who has chosen to take up the post of a small-town sheriff after failing to save the hostages in a case he was negotiating. Hasn't he learnt that life's troubles don't disappear when one chooses the escape route? Trouble will follow you everywhere till you have solved the problem. Anyway, Bruce's negotiating skills were once again put to the test when 3 rednecks held a family hostage after a botched robbery.

The twist in the story came when Willis' family was also taken hostage by a highly clandestine group, who seems to work for the rich and powerful. These fellas wanted a dvd from the home of the family, which happens to be held hostage. So, Bruce had to save his family while also ensuring that the lives of his hostages are not compromised. The story is more complicated than this, but you gotta watch it yourself as I don'tintend to go into specifics.

The simple storyline was both engaging and well paced. Both Mydaemon and I had our eyes glued, mine more so, to the tv as the story unfolded. Bruce was once again the hero that saved the day. For it well paced plot, I give it a rating of 7/10. An entertaining movie.

Much Ado Nothing. Singaporeans of the inane'st' sort Singaporeans are known by various names. Kiasu(ians) - a term coined by moi - being the term that we are more or less known for around the world. After reading the Forum section in today's Straits Times, I think another new term should be coined to define another subsection of the Kiasuians. For want of a better term, I can only drum up the term By-lawians. Read Ms Theresa Yen York Lan letter to the ST forum to understand the mindset of this select group of special Singaporeans. May 19, 2006Hello, why put on the hazard lights? I AM confused by the widespread use of hazard lights by drivers to indicate that they are stopping, slowing down or when they do parallel parking. Taxis drivers seem particularly fond of doing this. Isn't it the left or right signal that's used for parallel parking, and brake lights for slowing down or stopping? I thought that hazard lights are used only in an emergency, such as car breakdown, poor visibility or when the driver is unable to proceed. Perhaps the Highway Code has changed since I took my test in the 1980s and Singapore now doesn't follow the international standard. Can the Traffic Police clarify? Fieldmarshal's reply to Ms Yen My dear Ms Yen, or if you prefer, Theresa. While rules and examples given in the highway code book, the bible for all learners, are good and proper, we should understand that the book is just an aid to help to new motorists understand the rules of the roads. Rules, something which Kiasuians love a lot, are good. But motorists should be flexible, which may not be a strength of Ms Yen's, when they are on the road. If Ms Yen is so concerned with the abuse of hazard lights, why doesn't she write in to complain about the blatant abuse of the speed limits by almost all the motorists on our roads, especially our expressways? I have yet to see the abuse of the hazard lights leading to chain accidents on the road. I can't say the same for the excessive speeds which some of my fellow Singaporeans decide to drive their cars, driving as if the devil is chasing them. To me, the scenarios of abuse which Theresa, if I may call her that, painted, are actually norms, which may or may not be unique, to Singapore. On the road, if I see a car signalling either right or left, my first reaction is to think that the car is making a turn somewhere ahead. The next thought would then be that it is slowing down. However, if I see the hazard lights lighting up, I would know immediately that the car is going to slow down pretty fast and that it's best for me to slow down in order not to buang the car in front. Apart from the above, the driver in me also tells me to be prepared to fight for a parking lot. Following the rules right down to the 'T', I am sure Theresa's a dream trainee driver for all driving instructors. Her fixation with hazard lights could perhaps be explained by some traumatic experience while she was learning to drive in the 1980s. For all I know, Theresa's trainer may have a fixation with not using the hazard light unless the car is about to explode. As such, poor Theresa has yet to hit the hazard light button on her car since she passed her test then. The fact that drivers, particularly taxi-drivers, love them or hate them, used the small red button with a triangular symbol on it so frequently must be driving Theresa nuts while she's on the road. For her sake, I hope she's watching the road more often then trying to spot drivers abusing the little red button. Her fixation will one day led to a situation when she actually needs to press the little red butoon. Guess the By-lawian thing didn't really catch on here. But I guess you get the drift with what I am writing about. Darn, I am a By-lawian myself. Phuaaa...

Post Elections Blues True to form, the garmen is back to its very best following its less than convincing win during the May 6 elections. Today the dreaded news is back. The tripartite - Garmen, employers and unions, what unions, are in agreement that our CPF system ain't nimble enough to cut business costs during times of economic downturn. In simple english, the evil capitalist companies think that our wages, a la the CPF portion, are too high. So to be nimble and survive the cut-throat global economic system, employers are encouraged to reduce workers' CPF while increasing that the variable portion of our pays. This simply means that our it is easier to cut our pay. As if one bad news is not enough. Read one or two days back that the transport council, or something like that, is saying that transport fares will not rise above a certain percentage, along the lines of 1.5(?), this year. I remember a time when bus fares for feeder services were pegged at 15 cents for donkey years before they were increased. Now the only time when we don't hear of an increase is the 6 or so months before the elections. I can't wait to hear the good news for our income tax next year. Care to hazard which way it is heading?

Liverpool - The 'Comeback' Kings! Liverpool has been conferred the title of Comeback Kings since the fateful night in Istanbul last year. While such classic comebacks are great in showcasing the game of football to non-fans, it can be a real roller-coaster ride for Liverpool fans like myself. Yesterday was another comeback classic by Rafael Beniztez and his Men in Red. Liverpool started the 125th FA Cup Final looking listless and lost. Guess fatigue levels were high after playing around 60 matches in a season while most teams played only 40 plus games. However, that's still no excuse for a club of Liverpool's stature. From the way they played, I was pretty sure a trashing, a la AC Milan style in the Champions League final, was in order. Proving me right was the quick succession of 2 goals by West Ham. Two-nil down at the 28th minute was like sounding the death knell to the match. Even the commentators said the cup is more of less in West Ham's hands now. Then came Cisse, the lazy Frenchman, with a fantastic volley near the end of the 1st half. Two-One! Game on!!! You know it is Liverpool's night when Gerrard struck a beauty of a volley in the 54th minute to tie the game at 2-2. At this time, my morale was at an all time high since it plummeted at the 2-0 scoreline. Liverpool looked the better side after tying the score. However, Lady Luck decided to smile on West Ham when Konchesky floated in a cross which just happened to fly past Reina's outstretched hands. Darn! 3-2!!! Liverpool is behind again. As the seconds ticked by, it looked like a lost cause as West Ham held on to the ball and started running the clock down. My heart sank as we approached the 90th minute with the score at 3-2. In my mind, I was thinking that another comeback is just too much to ask of the men in red. They looked as if they are ready to drop dead from exhaustion any second. As I was about to give up all hope, Captain Fantastic aka Steven Gerrard, fired a blinder from 30m out. The ball streaked as if chased by the devil himself. My heart was in my throat as the ball smashed into the right corner of West Ham's goal! Both Mydaemon and I was shouting GOAALLLLLL!!!!! I being the loudest of the two lolz. People with weak heart should not attempt to watch any final football matches involving Liverpool. The chances of getting a heart attack is ridiculously high. As the game went into extra time, Liverpool players started dropping like flies as tired legs started to cramp. My heart was in my throat again. Having lost Xabi Alonso and Harry Kewell to injuries, the decimated reds looked a spent force as it tried to keep parity and proceed with the penalty kicks. Penalty kicks looked imminent up till West Ham decided that the 26 year wait for the FA Cup was too long and took a beautiful shot on goal at the very last minute of extra time. That beautiful shot produced one of the most magnificent saves by Pepe, wonder what is means, Reina, who have made 2 blunders leading to the first 2 goals by the Hammers. With that save, I am sure it's Liverpool's night again. Up came the penalty kicks. Don't think I need to elaborate as Reina saved 3 out of 4 penalties by the Hammers. Anton Ferdinand being the main culprit for the Hammers. There you have it, the comeback kings of Europe are not the comeback kings of knockout competition.

Loved the vivid colours of this sculpture just outside the main entrance of the library.

Anyway, let me tell you that the new National Library is damn huge! Tell the truth, Mydaemon and I spent around 3-4 hours just looking for books in the loan section at basement one. There's at least another 5-6 levels of stuff waiting to be explored at the higher levels. Guess that's another adventure for another time.

My First Vote Imagine, 30-plus years and queueing up to cast my first vote. Yes, that's the political reality in Singapore. For good or for ill, I am given the power to vote for a candidate of my choice for my constituency for the very first time in my adulthood. Alas, my choice is clear since the calibre of the members of the party whom I voted for clearly outshone their competitors. Although I can't deny that I harboured the thought of voting for the 'other side'. By now, I am sure Singaporean readers would have guessed which party I voted for. Anyway, I have to describe how I felt as a first time voter. Being born into a democracy, and studying it during my first year in university, I always wanted to exercise my right to vote the person who will represent me in parliament. Blame it on the political realities in Singapore, or the lack of talent to challenge the incumbent, but the constituency I stayed in were always one of those under the 'walkover' category. Thus, I was pleasantly surprised when my ward was one of those challenged by the opposition. My dream of casting a vote has finally come through. As I stepped into the polling station this afternoon, I got this sense of destiny. The feeling was that my single vote has the power to shape the bigger picture. Singapore's destiny is in my hands. As I collected the voting slip, my mind made a quick mental decision, which is pretty rare, on which party I should vote for. Once I was in the polling booth, the decision was made. With 2 strokes of the pen, the cheap kind used by civil service, a 'X' marked the area on the slip which I was supposed to mark. Weird as it may sound, I had second thoughts once I crossed the slip, guess that was the indecisive me at work. With a firm push, I slide my voting slip into the ballot box. That's pretty much the end of my voting experience. That voting experience was to continue from last night 10pm till this morning 2am. Both Mydaemon and I were glued to the TV as we watched the electoral results unfold. We were particularly worried for Chiam See Tong as we have a soft spot for this guy. With $80million backing for the PAP challenger in Potong Pasir, I feared that Chiam's political career will come to an untimely end. Thus, with each result, the adrenaline in my arteries increased. However, we sensed that something was amiss when PAP failed to get a thumping victory in the initial results. Being an ex-political science student, I sensed something was amiss. When Hougang's result was read, I was whooping for joy. But there was fear that this joy would be short lived as the result for Potong Pasir took ages to be announced. Moreover, Mydaemon and I made a pact to consume a lemon cheesecake, which we bought earlier from Carrefour, to celebrate Chiam's victory at Potong Pasir. The thought of consuming the cake became a distant one as the result took the longest of time to be announced. When it was finally announced, I whooped for joy. Chiam has been re-elected with a bigger margin. Good job Chiam. Guess the upgrading carrot did not work on Potong Pasir's residents this time. Here's a salute to the brave Singaporeans who stood up against rewards for their beliefs. Once this result was out. I was looking forward to hearing the result for my GRC. Afterall, I can't help but feel excited on how my single vote would affect the result in my GRC. On hindsight, I think it did. Although it was a single vote, I think it helped in the overall numbers since all votes played an important role in my ward tonight. I am sure one of my MPs was totally disappointed with the result. But I guess he should be thankful for winning the ward. Just imagine if all those who thought like me voted for the 'other side.' That would have made things interesting. In the end, I guess it is a wake-up call for the incumbent. I am now looking forward to 2012, at least that's the latest date by which the next election will be held. That should be an even more interesting elections. Till then, I hope the PAP government will continue to deliver what it promised us during the elections.