How Many Times Can You "Revisit" The Old National Library?

I received the following email and comment from a reader:

Hello Victor !

I am Soo Yong, an architecture student currently writing a dissertation on conservation psychology, questioning the relationship between memory and object in the context of Singapore. In Singapore, when physical erasure is inevitable, I am to study the negotiation, struggles and resistance of individuals against state control urban transformation. I am interested in exploring the alternatives between complete conservation and total erasure of built object. Hence, I have a question in mind that I believe you are the most apt person I can refer to.

On the case of the old national library, I am a foreigner who didn't get to see or use the building before it was demolished. The left over brick post didn't strike any strong feeling in me. I am interested in knowing what helps you in recollecting the memories of the old national library so vividly (in your post dated 30 Jan 2010). Are they tangibles elements like photographs, the standing brick post or intangibles like a smell, a sound or an action? Which are they that trigger the recollection of the long gone time in the old national library? Or they are remembered purposely from time to time so that you won't forget?

Hope that my questions won't bother you too much. Just let me know which you feel comfortable with.

Thank you very much !

Hi Soo Yong, yes I did receive your email but I am still scratching my head on how to answer you. You see, I am afraid that your question is too chim (deep) for me. I can only answer such questions as a layman, not as an expert.

I am not sure exactly how one's mind stores and retrieves its memories, whether most people's minds work similarly or even how mine works (or don't). However, I do know that for everyone, there are good memories and bad ones. Neutral experiences do not make much of an impression and are seldom stored as memories. Hence there are mostly good and bad memories.

Most people will remember good memories with little effort. As for bad memories, most people try hard to forget but fail. So more often than not, both good and bad memories stay.

Some memories are both good and bad. A good example would be a boyfriend or girlfriend who didn't end up becoming your spouse, especially if the break-up was acrimonious.

Time will usually dilute most memories. If not, an aging mind stricken with senility will certainly do the job. That is why some old people have very clear memories of the distant past whereas they cannot remember events that happened recently. I think it is true that old people like to talk about olden times. Perhaps what makes them fond of doing so is that it brings back pleasant memories of their lost youth and vitality. You must have heard an elderly person who keeps repeating his old stories to you. 

For memories that you want to keep alive, talking about it helps. Hence this blog helps to keep my nostalgic memories alive. To be able to write an interesting post about an old topic, you have to do research too, i.e. read other people's blogs and archived articles, collect old photos and maps, make site visits, etc. Doing so helps one recall forgotten details. (One example is when I found out from an old street directory that the Van Kleef Aquarium was located to the right of the National Theatre when looking from the traffic junction. I had all along thought that the aquarium was on the left.) In addition, when readers comment on the blog, they provide further information to refresh the forgotten memories.

When you have visited a place such as the old National Library hundreds of times in your youth some 30 years ago, it is easy to form an emotional attachment to the place. You will remember every nook and corner of the building. Even your experiences during that time which are unrelated to the building may come flooding back when you think about the library.

But still, there are only so many perspectives I can give. What I know and have wanted to say would have been said. After all, how many times can you "revisit" the old National Library, especially when it is no longer there? I don't want to be the elderly person who keeps repeating his old stories to you.

Related Posts:

1. Vanishing Scenes of Singapore - Part 2

2. Old National Library Revisited

3. Changing Landscape Of Singapore (3)

4. Old National Library Revisited (2)

An Appeal For Your Help

Do you remember this post which I wrote on 16 Feb 2009? It was about Muhd Noor Azri Abdul Rahman, an ex-Victorian, who was badly injured in a skiing accident. Read about his story here.

Azri requires costly continued treatment and therapy for his disabilities which are likely to be life-long. Azri's father, Mr Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Hamid, has set up a new blog to appeal for your kind donations. Please help the family if you can.

An Unusual Blog And An Appeal

I took this photo on 8 October last year near the famous Sungei Road Laksa stall at Blk 27 Townshend Road. Yes, I was there to defy the PM's order eat the very good $2 laksa with lots of harm (cockles).

Of course, I was not only there just to satisfy my hunger pangs. As usual, I was on a constant lookout for interesting sights for this blog. I spotted this blogsite address displayed on the rear windscreen of a Comfort taxi: "http://victorian-azri.blogspot.com/"

I thought it was interesting for 2 reasons:

1. It was probably a blog by or about an old Victorian. (I am an old Victorian myself and my son is also currently studying in Victoria.)

2. It was the first time that I saw a blogsite being advertised on a taxi this way. Could it be a taxi driver who blogs?

Afraid that I might not be able to remember the blog address, I took a photo of it. I have forgotten all about this photo until I chanced upon it just now while searching for another photo. I visited the blogsite and was surprised to find that the blog belonged to Muhd Noor Azri Abdul Rahman, a 17-year-old who suffered a cable-ski accident in March 2007 and had a stroke. Azri was then a Sec 4 student of Victoria School and was participating in cable skiing at East Coast Park as part of his PE lesson. He now has a severe dent on his head as part of his skull had to be removed to alleviate swelling in his brain.

I remember reading the article in the New Paper some time last year but didn't pay much attention to it then. The Comfort taxi which I took a photo of that day must have belonged to his dad, Abdul Rahman Abdul Hamid, 45, who is a taxi driver.

Azri's blog is titled "Help For Victorian Azri". However, there are no details on how we could help. I have left a comment there to ask in what way I could help. I could certainly contribute a little money and hope you could too.

On another note, I personally feel that the school should stop having cable skiing as part of the PE curriculum, especially after this accident. I for one would be very reluctant to allow my son to participate in such a dangerous activity.

My Second Book

This post is about a month late but still, it's better late than never. The book I co-wrote with Wee Kiat (main author) and Noel has finally rolled off the press.

I blogged about the book before here and if you are interested, you can read the e-copy of the whole book starting from this page.


The cover of the book is in purple. I think it's more refreshing than the maroon colour of the previous book, don't you think?

Oh yes, you can also read the e-copy of the previous book starting from this page.

An End That Leads To A New Beginning

Some of you may know that I am the co-author of a stamp-based book. You can read more about it here, there and everywhere.

Well, I have good news for you - my second book is out, if only in cyberspace. (The hardcopy is not off the press yet but who cares about the hardcopy nowadays in this Internet age?)

My introduction to this book (reproduced wholesale from Wee Kiat's blog) is as follows:

We have eventually come to the end of the transport book. But wait… the journey has not ended. As they say, "every road leads somewhere" and "when a door closes, another opens". Or rather, in our case it should be "when a book closes, another opens". ;)

Tomorrow, we will start page-by-page blogging of our brand new book, Singapore Stamps: Remembering VIPs. This book is another joint effort by the same 3 co-authors who brought you the transport book, i.e. Dr Tan Wee Kiat, Noel Hidalgo Tan and yours truly.

Undoubtedly, most of the hard work involved in writing this book was done by Dr Tan and Noel; I only played a minor supporting role, i.e. proofreading and on-line publishing aka blogging.

This book is special in that it is the first time that we are putting it on-line even before it goes to the printers. Yes, that might affect profits somewhat should the book ever go on sale later. However, as Dr Tan would say, the purpose of our books has always been to share knowledge. And when knowledge is shared, everyone profits.

We hope that you will find this book an interesting read.

My First Book (2)

Wee Kiat had earlier given me a copy of each the following children's books which he co-authored:

Hence I had a fairly good idea of the writing style required for our book. However this book would be slightly different from the earlier books because it would be the first to have photos as illustrations besides stamps. I browsed through the photos which I took during my family's trip to Shanghai, Jiangnan, Wuxi and Suzhou in Nov 2004. A few of the photos were suitable for our book. I also knew what stamps were available for our story. With that knowledge, I proceeded to write the first draft of the book.

I wrote down whatever ideas that came into my mind and tried to weave them into a story. I even made a joke of some prominent person's name. (For obvious reason, I am not repeating the joke here.) Working at a leisurely pace, I put in a few hours a day for several days. At last, the first draft was finished. The first page of the draft is shown below.

As you can see, the original intended title of the book, "Of Men, Horses And A Lot Of Bull - A Moving Philatelic Ramble" is no less a tongue-twister than the current title is very different from the title which we finally adopted. Actually the whole book looks very different from the first draft. You cannot find any trace of the above page in the book, except the photo. (I have Wee Kiat to thank for making the book so different so vastly improved over my first draft.)

While writing the book, we realised that we needed some more photos. Armed with my camera and looking very much like an excited tourist, I visited a popular food centre to take a photo of the rickshaw noodles stall there.

I also took some photos of the sculptures near the Singapore River.


I snapped at interesting bicycles, tricycles and trishaws which came within the range of my camera lens.

However, the most interesting photo trips were made together with Wee Kiat. In January this year, we visited Little India during the Pongal Festival to capture images of a cow all decked out for the celebration.

On another occasion, we visited Kreta Ayer and the Jinriksha Station.

The three co-authors had several meetings, mostly on Saturday afternoons at Wee Kiat's condo in the east. At the meetings, we did alot of eating, drinking, chatting and serious discussion. Several emails were also exchanged. Each new draft looked better than the previous one. Some 9 drafts and 6 months later, our book was finally ready for printing and it was time to look for a sponsor and a printer. Noel and I practically left this task entirely to Wee Kiat as it involved quite a lot of running around and he needed the exercise. As we expected, Wee Kiat eventually managed find a sponsor and a printer for our book. And as they say, the rest is history.

And yes as I discovered, writing the book is a lot of work, but it is also a lot of fun.

More about the book:

The book uses stamps and photos to describe the early modes of transport in Singapore. It narrates how goods were transported in the olden days and tells the story of the rickshaw, the bullock cart, the horse-drawn carriage, the bicycle and the trishaw. Although the book is intended for young readers, adults can read it too. (However, adults can probably finish reading the book at "one toilet sitting".) The co-authors are not expecting the same level of public euphoria for the launch of our book as that experienced for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows which was launched today. After all, only 2,000 copies of our book were printed. If you would like to grab a copy, the book is available at the Singapore Philatelic Museum (SPM) at Coleman Street. As we have left the pricing of the book to the SPM, we apologise that as of now, we do not know how much the book cost.

Update on 23 Jul 2007:

Shilpa has demanded requested that I show her the rickshaw noodle instead of just the stall that sells it (see 3rd comment to this post). The challenge is taken. Here is a photo of the rickshaw noodle from that stall:


And the ingredients that go into the dish? Those that I know of are bo cai (波菜) or spinach, dried shrimps, shallots, corn flour and of course, yellow noodles. Now I am throwing her a counter-challenge - create the dish and let me taste its authenticity. :)

My First Book

My first book was an ABC book of English with phrases like "A is for Apple"; "B is for Boy"; and "C is for Cat".

But here I am not talking about the first book I read. Some of you may know that I have been writing a children's book. Its title is quite a mouthful - "Horse-powered & Man-powered Transport: a philatelic excursion." (More about the contents of the book in a later post.) It is my maiden book and it has just been published. I am now officially an author. Yeah!



Actually, I really should not be claiming all the credit because the book has 2 other very distinguished co-authors - Dr Tan Wee Kiat and Noel. Dr Tan (not to be mistaken with his namesake who is the CEO of National Parks Board) is a stamp enthusiast, a veteran author and a retired NIE lecturer, all rolled into one. Of course, he is a very good husband, father, grandfather and babysitter to his grandchildren as well. He has written several children's books based on stamps. As for Noel, I think I better let him introduce himself since I do not know enough of him to do him justice.

I have never imagined in my life that I would write a book, least of all when I am over 50 years' old. So how did it all start and what motivated me to do it?

It started on 25 Nov 2006, the day when Chun See gave a talk on blogging for seniors. When the talk ended, Wee Kiat, who also attended the talk, approached me and broached the subject of co-authoring a children's book with him. Frankly, I felt both honoured as well as apprehensive at the same time.

I asked Wee Kiat, "I feel very honoured but I have never written a book before. Do you think that I am up to the mark?"

The grandfatherly Wee Kiat was very reassuring, "I've read your blog before and you write quite well. Moreover, I heard you mentioning that you wanted to blog about the trolley bus of yesteryear. So why not write a book instead? I can search for all the relevant stamps to be used as illustrations. I would like my books to have a new perspective. A blogger's perspective would be nice. Then the books will not always have my same old style and angle which can become kind of stale after a while. Besides stamps, we can include photos as illustrations as well."

Wee Kiat further explained that when writing a children's book, we should keep our language simple. We should also include lots of colourful illustrations to keep the book interesting. Children have short attention spans and if the first few pages of the book cannot hold their attention, they would not read on.

Writing a children's book is just like writing a blog post. Some of Wee Kiat's previous books have only about 20 odd pages with each page containing only 2 or 3 sentences. A few of my longer blog posts could possibly have more words than some of his books.

Yet, I was still not very sure so I asked, "Is it a lot of work?"

Wee Kiat replied, "Sure it is a lot of work. But then, it is also a lot of fun."

Wee Kiat's motive in writing children's books is to share knowledge and not to make money. In fact, he told me that he had to "come out money from his own pocket" for most of his previous books. Not because there were no sponsors for his books, but it was mainly because he gave a lot of complimentary copies to his friends, relatives, ex-colleagues, libraries and other organisations. Shucks, and I thought I could become rich and famous. Now, I can only hope to be famous.

Wee Kiat taught education psychology when he was in NIE. No wonder he is so good at convincing people. He finally talked me into living up to the title of my blog, i.e. Taking Up The Challenge. So it was not so much "what" motivated me to write the book but rather, "who" - Wee Kiat, of course. I cautioned him that I have a lot to learn and he would need to be very patient with me.

(As the famous Cantonese storyteller, the late Lei Dai Soh would say, "So what happened then? Tune in at the same time, on the same day, on the same station blogsite." Heh.)

A Penny For My Thoughts

Firehorse visited a gory blog post yesterday and posted the following comment in my last post:

"Victor, I saw something so horrible yesterday in one of the blogs, was sick to my stomach, would like to hear your thoughts on it but not sure if you have a strong stomach or not. If you think you do, go here:

[blog address deleted]

I can't get this visual out of my head. But go only if you think you can handle it."

Below are my personal thoughts on this issue.

I visited the blog post because:

1. I will take up most challenges (see title of this blog);

2. I don't like to admit that I have no guts, especially publicly;

3. Perhaps being born in the Year of the Monkey, I have a natural curiosity.

Regarding the last point, actually I think it is natural for most people to be curious too, not just a monkey like me. So the warnings which the blog owner and you provided are not really effective in deterring people with weak stomachs from viewing the post to see for themselves. On the contrary, I think many people will be attracted to view the site instead, children included. In my opinion, it is rather naive to think that they will seek their parents' consent first before viewing.

Some people want to find out what is their own tolerance level for gore and violence while some want to test it. Others may view the post because they may not even know what their own limits are. After viewing the photos, they may find that their limits have been exceeded.

Of course, I feel disgusted after viewing photos. (I think any normal person would.) However, I got over it as soon as I moved away from the post. In that sense, I don't think that my limit has been exceeded. However, that is not the same as saying that I enjoy viewing such gory pictures. (If I do, I know where to look - the Internet has plenty of such websites which I will not name for obvious reasons.)

I honestly think they are sick - the perpetrators more than photos, that is. I say perpetrators (in plural) because I think the one taking the photos is just as guilty. My personal view is that we should not help them propagate such gore by blogging about it or forwarding their links. (However, if my blog's theme is about gore and violence, then it would be a very different matter.)

I don't know what was your reason for viewing the post. It is probably one (or more) of the reasons I have listed above. Whatever your reason, I think you are feeling sick and traumatised now because your limit has been exceeded.

So to prevent more people from becoming similar victims, I have removed your comment and reproduced it above (but without the link). I hope you don't mind me doing that. I do not mean any offense; neither am I offended by your comment. But I must say that it is a very unusual way of tagging me with a meme.

Now any of my readers can take up this meme:

What is your opinion on portrayal of violence on the Internet?

What? A Shooting Incident In Singapore?

Today I heard 3 successive loud bangs coming from a nearby HDB block. At first, I thought that someone was playing with fire crackers (which were banned in Singapore long before chewing gum met with the same fate).

I looked out the window and was horrified to see a man carrying a rifle. Thinking it was a robbery or another one-eyed dragon vs guni ter incident, I quickly grabbed my cordless phone to call the police. Luckily, I made one last check outside the window before I did. This time, I saw the gunman carrying something small and black in his hand.





What a relief when I realised that it was only a crow culling session by the National Environment Agency (NEA). My faith in Singapore's reputation as a safe city was restored. Safe not just from crazy gunmen but I believe also from bird flu as well. However, it looks like there is very little we can do about the current blog flu epidemic.

Is Cavalry Dead?

The cavalryman came to be 2 years ago
Horsing around was his motto
And horse around he did
Sometimes I was badly hit

I didn't take it lying down
When I was made the clown
Hit back for sure I did
At times extremely wicked

However it was all for the fun
Thought shine forever will the sun
But no it was not to be
Suddenly no more was the glee

First removed post abruptly
Then closed down blog completely
What's he up to?
I've got no idea too

He who introduced me to blogging
Now says he's quitting
What's going through his mind?
That is very unkind

He who taught me poems need not rhyme
A non-rhyming one is no crime
It only needs to have flow
But how to do I still don't know

So how could I accept your early demise
When I am still far from being wise?
Please will you teach me again?
This time I promise to be a saint

This for you is my blog obituary
In case you really are going to the mortuary
If new friend Kopi Soh can write one for you
It shames a good friend not to do same too

Yes what I write may be crap
But all ways and resources I'll tap
To bring you back to life
However keep the photo of your wife

Now I've tried
And I've cried
Just don't tell me that cavalry is dead
Don't wish that statement was ever said

The Thinking Blogs

I feel so honoured to have been awarded a feel-good Thinking Blog Award by Firehorse aka Fatty Poh or Overseas Mom-wife. (Gee, if not for programmable html links, this unthinking blogger will never figure out a way to get to her blog. Hehe, can't help making that dig - it's my sarcasm at work.)

In my opinion, every blogger is a thinking blogger. How can anyone write anything that is comprehensible if he does not think before he writes? Even my 10-year-old son needs to think (and very hard too) before he writes a composition. So I guess I should be writing about blogs that make me think instead.

This award was started here. You have to award five others whose blog you think deserve this award. Should you choose to participate, please make sure you pass this list of rules to the blogs you are tagging.

The participation rules are simple:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.
   
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.
   
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote

Please, remember to tag blogs with real merits, i.e. relative content, and above all — blogs that really get you thinking!

Now for the my own list of deserving Thinking Blog Award winners, in no particular order of merit:

1. Mr Wang Says So

Mr Wang is a very popular blogger who writes about Singapore's social, political and economic issues. His posts are often based on newspaper articles on some controversial issues, a recent one being about our ministers' pay. Mr Wang, who is a lawyer by training, would also add his own insightful views on the issues. Each of his posts typically generates more than a hundred comments from readers who offer a variety of opinions.

2. Sleepless In Singapore

This is another blogger who is similar to Mr Wang in terms of what he writes. In his own words, his blog is "one middle-aged Singaporean's commentaries on some of the unpleasant things we read in the news and Singapore society in general". As to why he chooses to focus on writing about the unpleasant things, I have no idea. Perhaps he is a pessimist by nature. His nick gives me the impression that he's sleepless either because he's worried about the "bad news on the doorstep" or he writes his posts when he can't sleep. He does not write very often (his last post is dated 7 Apr 2007) which could be a good sign because it may mean that he is getting more sleep nowadays.

3. Don To Earth

The owner of this blog is the very senior Donald Crowdis. His blog's tagline is "A Nonagenarian (90+) Ponders Life, the Universe, and Aging". He has done work related to museums, libraries, heritage, and radio and television broadcasting. Some investigative browsing through his blog will reveal that he was born on 24 Dec 1913. (Gosh, he has the same birthday as my elder son but their years of birth are 78 years apart!) That makes Don 93-going-on-94 this year - definitely old enough to be a museum exhibit himself, kekeke. He is obviously one of the oldest bloggers around, possibly the 3rd oldest in the world. Don writes extremely well. He is proof that not every elderly person suffers from diminished mental faculty. His posts are short, sweet, thought-provoking and to the point. He even has a great sense of humour to boot - his last post on 8 Mar 2007 with title "I'm Not Dead" assures readers that he is still alive, kicking and writing. In his own words:

"Family concerns are currently preventing me from posting to 'Don To Earth', and from responding to the numerous e-mails that I have received and continue to receive."

It has been almost 2 months since that post. I do hope that he will resume writing soon.


4. Good Morning Yesterday

In his blog, Mr Lam Chun See reminisces about life in Singapore during olden times. Reading his articles never fails to make me think... about my own personal experiences as a child. I can relate to his stories because he is only 4 years older than me, biologically that is. Intellectually, there is no comparison; it is obvious that he is much, much older.


5. Life As I See It

Many of Chris' articles are thought-provoking and insightful. Like mine, there are some mindless ones of course but these are few and far between. He likes to horse around with me and whenever he does, I have to think very hard of how to "monkey around" back at him. It saddens me that I might not have this chance ever again.


I am not tagging anyone for this meme because firstly, thinkers are not known to be doers and secondly, at the rate that blogs are being shut down nowadays, soon there will be no bloggers left to tag. Sad but true. So one day, if you visit my blog and find that I have not written for some time, it could be one or more of the following reasons:

a. I am too busy to blog and have taken a hiatus;

b. I have moved my blog to a new private one or a good old-fashioned diary;

c. I am dead (possibly from deep vein thrombosis because of successive 8-hour blogging sessions);

d. I have quietly shut down my blog as well because it no longer provides the challenge to me.


Yes Elaine, it is proven that the blog flu can be as infectious as the bird one.

A Personal Letter to Elaine Made Public

Dear 干女儿 (GNE), I visited your blog just now. Seems like I can't leave a comment there so I have no choice but to do it here in my own blog. I hope you don't mind.

While feeling rather sad that you are not blogging (temporarily or permanently), I can fully understand and agree with what you have said. I personally also find that blogging didn't seem so fun as 2 years ago when I first started doing it. What brought about this abrupt change to both of us at about the same time, I have no wish to speculate.

Suffice to say, this is what I have observed lately:

1. What started out as "horsing around" (jokes) can easily be turned into personal attacks in a public domain. There is a very fine line between the two;

2. What is meant as "horsing around" can be just as easily interpreted as a personal attack and evoke a vicious counter-attack which you least expect. It depends very much on the comfort level between the two of you. Even for close friends, you may not know exactly where this level is. Don't try to test it;

3. Old jokes are told repeatedly, ad nauseum. So much so that they don't seem funny anymore. Even irritating at times;

4. Some people dictate what you should or should not write. (Do they expect me to send my draft to them for approval first before I publish it? If so, I might as well write for a newspaper.); and

5. Some people use their blogs for innocuous social purpose while others also use them for commercial or even political purposes.

And this is what I have learnt:

1. If you don't want to be flamed, don't flaunt your assets (be they dimples, more erogenous zones, looks, age, sports cars and other properties);

2. Never react adversely and emotionally via the comment box which the whole wide world can read;

3. If you don't like what is written and have the author's personal contact details, send him a private email or sms him/her to say so, politely.

4. Never ever use vulgar words, in whatever language, however abbreviated. People can understand them and they will just reply "I wish you the same".

5. If they ignore your feedback, you can decide not to visit their blog anymore. (There are so many other blogs you can visit.) However, if they respond favorably to your feedback, it's up to you if you want to continue the blogo-relationship.

Disclaimer: Quite different from my other blog posts, this is a serious article and it is not directed at anyone in particular. The above pointers are just my personal observations and suggested solutions. They may be right or wrong and I am not passing judgement here. Please feel free to add your comments and opinions in my comment box but I will appreciate that no personal attacks on anyone or old wisecracks be made, at least for this post.

Inappropriate Behaviour On The Web? (2)

"These days, I can't blog freely anymore. The blogosphere is getting scary. People attack each other with words (both explicitly & implicitly), the world is getting uglier." - quoted from Etel's blog, without her permission, of course.

What prompted her to say that could be the spate of news lately about bloggers' behaviour on the Web, especially on blogs and forums. (This post is a sequel to an earlier one.)


In an attempt to control online dissent, China had ordered its bloggers to register with the government almost 2 years ago. It was recently reported that China had an estimated 20.8 million bloggers at the end of 2006, of whom 3.15 million were active writers. With such colossal numbers, it is understandable if the state controls have met with little success so far. It is probably because of this reason that Malaysia has recently decided not to take a similar measure:


Recently too, a story about an attractive 18-year old Singaporean blogger made the news. She was 'flamed' for posting revealing personal photos of herself as well as blogging about what was viewed by the 'flamers' as her somewhat overly luxurious lifestyle. The 'flamings' spreaded to other Internet forums and there were several threads on her, each with hundreds of postings. Some comments were polite but there were also others which were nasty and insulting. The situation got so bad that Michelle made a police report on 28 Mar 2007 and posted the report on her blog. Needless to say, she was 'flamed' even more and accused of over-reacting to the incident.

One forum user, Helen Leong (28) even said, "If she can't take the flamings on the forum, then why did she post her pictures online? It's common sense: If you post anything online, you have to be prepared for flamings."

Of course, there were also others who were supportive of Michelle's action. Daniel Sun wrote a letter to the New Paper dated 10 Apr 2007 in which he applauded Michelle's action.

Besides yours truly, many bloggers have also blogged about this incident. (See another example here.)

For those of you who are interested, Michelle's blog is here but do note that she may have removed some of the postings which caused the furore. Her blog is titled "There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved". Indeed, it is quite obvious from the photos on her blog that she is deeply in love and with whom. Not only that, it seems that young and pretty girls like her are not afraid to let everyone know their age. Of course, if she's a middle-aged woman who's wrinkled and past her prime, then things could well be very different. In fact, she also stated her birth date very clearly on her blog as 10 Apr 1989. (Happy belated 18th birthday, Michelle.) She also revealed her real name (I believe) because it was also published in the New Paper.

Hey, I just checked technorati's ranking. Her blog is ranked 190,600th while mine is 161,660th. So this 51-year-old is still ahead of her by almost 30,000 counts. Hmm... I wonder how is that possible? No wonder they say that statistics can lie - her statistics (in all senses of the word) should be much better than mine - no mistake about that, hehe.

As usual, I leave you to ponder over whose action you think was more right - Michelle's or the forumers who were critical of her. On this note, I end this post with a quote from Mr Tim O'Reilly (who is credited with coining the term Web 2.0) which appeared in a recent article (first photo above):

"That is one of the mistakes a lot of people make - believing that uncensored speech is the most free, when in fact, managed civil dialogue is actually the freer speech. Free speech is enhanced by civility."

Fill this dreary old world with more love and less hatred and it will be a better place for all of us to live in.

New Paper Articles On Not-so-young Bloggers

Early this week, I received an sms from Chun See. He said that Mr Ho Lian-Yi, a reporter from the New Paper had interviewed him earlier and he would like to interview me as well. Chun See asked if he could give my hp number to Mr Ho. I replied the sms half an hour later saying, "May I have his hp number instead?" Chun See responded almost immediately, "Since no reply, I gave him your hp no. already." Oh my, that was the first time someone considered my half-hour sms response time as "no reply".

So thanks to Chun See, an article about my blog appeared in the New Paper today. Mr Ho is of small build and looked like he's in his 20s. He came to my office's cafeteria with photographer Mr Mohd Ishak who brandished a very professional-looking Canon EOS-1 Mark 2 digital SLR which cost several thousand dollars. He took a few dozen photos of me posing 'facelessly'. The two powerful flashes alerted one of the security staff who came and investigate what was happening.

Reproduced below (portion in blue) is the article here for all who care to read but especially for my good friend and colleague Chris who'd rather save 80 cents on the price of the tabloid. He just refused to buy the paper even though I told him that our mutual friend Chun See was also featured. I don't know why Chris is still my good friend. Maybe next time I'll just call him "my colleague".

'Old dogs' can do good blogs

Mr Victor Koo, 51, owner of victorkoo.blogspot.com, in which he writes about everything under the sun

He wanted to show that "every old dog could do a good blog".

So when IT consultant Victor Koo's younger colleague threw down the gauntlet two years ago, he promptly picked it up and started up his blog Taking Up The Challenge (victorkoo.blogspot.com).

Light-hearted and jokey, Mr Koo writes about everything under the sun.

One funny post about "Chingrish" (his word for Singlish) involved having his readers guessing an object based on a poorly-written label - and he even created funny awards for the contestants, including a "Booby Award".

"There's a joy in blogging - you have to be in it to realise it," he said.

"I'm my own writer, my own publisher, I don't need permission from anybody. There is no need to censor myself - within reasonable limits," he added.

Almost too much joy sometimes. His wife, a civil servant, is not in favour of his hobby because he spends too much time on the PC.

She prefers him to coach their two sons in schoolwork instead.

"So I have to show some self-restraint sometimes, kek-kek (pretend) go and do some coaching," he joked.

However, Mr Koo also values his privacy. So he refuses to put any clear images of himself on his blog, relying instead on the relative anonymity of his name. Which is also why he declined to show his face for this report.

"You have less inhibitions to say what you want," he said. Once you identify yourself, you have restrictions. Your relatives will know. Your friends will know. You become more guarded."

His is in contrast to former chief executive officer of insurance giant NTUC Income Mr Tan Kin Lian's blog, tankinlian.blogspot.com.

The 59-year-old has been blogging since 2005 and has gained a sizeable following for his blog as he dispenses his views on financial matters and insurance, and the occasional tidbits about his personal life.

"Many people write to me for advice. I also wanted to give my views on social issues, so that more people can learn to live a better life in Singapore," he said.

Gee, thanks for comparing me to a former CEO who is still a household name, Mr Ho. Why is it that suddenly, I feel not only faceless (in every sense of the word) but also so small?

For the benefit my colleague Chris, here is the part where Chun See mentioned his (Chris') blog:

But hanging with the younger folk online isn't always easy. One of the blogs he frequently reads simshaddy.blogspot.com, often ends each post with the letters LOL.

For a long time, that confused him.

"I didn't know what was LOL. I thought LOL meant 'lots of love'," he said.

Now wouldn't you LOL or even ROTFLOL (roll on the floor laughing out loud) at that?

ROTFLOL

How Anonymous and Faceless Can You Be In Blogosphere?

I have been mulling about this issue for some time. This topic was thrust into prominence by the recent Mr Philip Yeo - Chen Jiahao spat. Mr Yeo was reported to have said on Mr Chen's blogsite that "he dislikes blogger anonymity". He said some comments were from "a rude young generation who hides behind blog anonymity spewing vitriolic words without real knowledge or depth of thinking. Sad for the future of the next generation".

Having blogged faceless for almost two years now, I encountered no problems doing so whatsoever. After all, I believe people visit my blog to read what I have to say. Why on earth should they be interested in how I look like? Does looking good give credibility to what one has to say? I really doubt so. How about looking wise (and old, not that I consider myself that)? Mind you, looks can be deceiving. You'd probably think that I am 10 years younger than my age, haha. Having said that, I think it's true that many male readers are attracted to blogs written by SYTs (sweet young things) especially if photos (not necessarily scantily-clad ones) of the SYTs are posted on their blog.

If operating faceless is blogospherically acceptable, then how about blogging with a nick (nickname)/moniker, otherwise known as a pseudonym in the older days of the print media? Of course, you can use a Christian name like Chris or Victor. There are probably more than 10,000 Chrises and 100,000 Victors in the tiny red dot here. So using names like those is as good as being anonymous. However if our real surnames are included in the nick, the numbers become smaller - there could be just 1,000 Chris Sims and maybe less than 100 Victor Koos - because my surname is much rarer than Chris'. Well okay, there are probably no more than a few dozen Chun See's here but you should get the drift.

Victor is in fact not my real name. By that, I mean that the name is not in my birth certificate nor my identity card. (In that sense, I think Chris is not Chris' real name either.) The name Victor was given to me by a Pre-U classmate (Mr Han C J) in the early 70s. I have been using it for informal situations ever since. I do not use it often, that is until I started blogging.

I guess the short answer to my poser is - to each his own - or as Chris puts it more eloquently (as he always does), different strokes for different folks. A blog is a personal space in a public domain. It's your canvas. You write what you want. If readers like your articles they will read them and they will be back for more. They should not be dictating what you say on your blog, as long as you observe some basic blog etiquette.

You operate your blog in whichever way you feel comfortable with - the topics your write, how frequently, the tone and language, the photos you upload, how much to reveal of yourself, etc. Some people just love the anonymity which blogging seems to offer. They probably can write with less inhibitions and express their views more freely without fear. That explains why some people prefer to comment anonymously on a blog post. On the other hand, some people just can't wait to show their faces on their blog. Not just recent photos get uploaded but everything from their baby photos to their recent ones.

For blog owners and readers who love anonymity, do not be so naive to think that you are truly anonymous even if you do not upload your photos or use your true name. If need be, you can always be tracked by your IP address. There are software that track IP addresses. Such information is also available at the ISPs who are obliged to give the data to law enforcement agencies if an alleged computer crime has taken place. How else do you think that people who sent bomb hoax emails or made racial remarks got caught recently?

I would have gladly continued to operate faceless (though not nameless) if Chris didn't recently up the ante by posting his photo on his blog. All of a sudden, there could be only one Chris in this whole wide world of blogging. Chris even went as far as to upload his Slim Lady's photo too, probably without her blessing. Wise men like Chun See seemed to think that it was not too good an idea and I can understand why. The Slim Lady may not read Chris' blog but don't forget that she may have dozens of colleagues and friends who do and could easily recognise her in the photo if they happen to visit Chris' blog by chance. I just can't wait to see the puncture marks in Chris' knees caused by kneeling on durian shells. ROTFLVVL.

Chris has even started to apply not-so-subtle pressure on me to upload my photo into my blog. Why, he even just emailed me a very nice shot of me standing besides a huge golf ball. The photo was proudly taken by Chris with his new toy (a camera phone). Of course, a photogenic subject helps in making that shot a nice one besides Chris' photo-taking skills, hehe.)

Okay, okay. To get Chris off my back, here's the photo. I hope Zen doesn't mistake me for a golf flag and can tell the "prince from the greens". Oh by the way, that ball did not drop out from my pants, okay? I think it is a marker of sorts. Will some kind golfer please enlighten?

Finally, can anyone convince me why I should give in fully to that pesky Chris by uploading my clear mugshot as my avatar?

5 Bloggers I'd Rather Be Stranded With

I was tagged by Jayne to do this post. Her tag was "If you had to live on a deserted island for a year, which 5 bloggers would you bring with you and why?"

Here are the 5 bloggers whom I'd rather be stranded with:

1. Chris

It is obvious why Chris is first on the list. He is my good friend and colleague. Besides being good at cooking and housekeeping, Chris can also compose very nice poems. I presume that he will not have the luxury of his newly bought laptop with him on the island so blogging the poems would be a real problem for him. In any case, the laptop battery would last at most 3 hours on the island and I don't think the deserted island will have hotspots. Yes, hot spots there would be plenty on a tropical island, but not hotspots. Still it should be okay because Chris can write his poems in the sand on the beach. And if he uses a stick to do this, he may not even need to bend down very much, even though the stick may not be very long.

2. Elaine

Elaine is my blogo-god-daughter. What kind of godfather am I if I do not bring her along to live with me on the deserted island? I know it is cruel to do this to her and her sweetheart (another Victor) because it means that they would be separated from each other for one whole year. But hey, they say that absence makes the heart grows fonder. Besides, there is another stand-in Victor to take his place, hehe. Think about it - if a relationship can't last one year's separation, how can it last more than 5 decades in marriage together? Elaine can bake for us during her free time (which means all daylight hours on the deserted island). Talking about that, I better go hunt for a solar-powered oven for Elaine because the island is not expected to have electricity supply.

3. Chun See

You must be surprised why I choose Chun See. Most of the time, he is dead serious. But actually, he can joke if he wants to, although he rarely does it. Best of all, when he does, you won't even know whether he's joking or not. I guess that's why his children say his jokes are lame. Chun See is best loved for his grandfather yesterday's stories. He can tell his stories all day. The best part is that we would have all day to listen to him. In fact, he is so good at telling old-time stories that it feels as if you are experiencing it for yourself. You could almost smell the stench from the Sei Gai Hor (Dead Chicken Canal), as he so vividly describes it. Lastly, Chun See is badly wanted because he has to go catch that wild rabbit to be cooked as lunch in Elaine's solar-powered oven. Because it's his turn to buy lunch... oops. The next meal after the rabbit will be fruits. With Chun See's Jungle Survival Training as an SAF Officer, he can tell us which fruits are poisonous and which are safe to eat.

4. Walter

Walter is an "experienced marketer and publicist", or so he says in his blog. Good, his skills will come in handy on the deserted island. He can hypothesize all he wants on how to bring more visitors to the deserted island so that we won't be so lonely. He can suggest ways to skin and cook the rabbit, making it more appealing and appetizing. And if we have trouble sleeping during cold and windy nights, we can read his many theses on marketing.

5. Jayne

How can I not bring Jayne along to suffer along with us? Being the woman that she is, she can roar all she wants on the deserted island. We just need to plug our ears with some dried leaves or mud because like her, we also like to hear pleasant things. If we are bored, she can entertain us with a circus act using fruits. If we need more, she can teach us how to turn the fruits into toys which would please us to no end. In fact, we might even feel that one year is too short.

As for me, I will just lie under a coconut tree all day long, wondering why the fruits are so small.

Muahahaha.

Disclaimer: All of the above are tongue-in-cheek and not knife-in-back comments. Take them with a pinch of salt or not at all. If you feel sore, go apply some ointment. Or go to a deserted island to destress.

To Each His Own

If you were to stay up till 2 a.m. and you can only choose one of the following 2 options, which would you rather do?

1. Blogging; or

Photo from www.acclaimimages.com

2. Visit Johor Bahru (JB), after the floods subside, of course.

I need not tell regular bloggers about the joys of blogging. Chris loves it because he finds it therapeutic (as he has several chronic ailments to cure). Chun See seems addicted to it because he loves to write (and the younger generation just won't listen to him when he relates his Ah Gong stories orally). As for Eastcoastlife, I don't really know but I guess it must be because she enjoys being in the limelight for she's always boasting about how popular her blog is becoming (especially when compared to mine). As for me, at first I blog to take up Chris' challenge. After the first few posts, I discovered that blogging is fun, especially when I can recount a story in a fun and humorous way.

Similarly, I don't have to tell regular Singaporean visitors to Malaysia about the advantages of visiting the country but I will do it anyway. Petrol is at half price there. Although you could only fill up one-quarter tank of it, motorists still find it worthwhile to make the trip there just for this purpose. Desperate ones even tilt one corner of the car by driving it up a wooden block so that they could fill in an extra litre or two of petrol! The food and groceries are cheap too. Even car services like polishing and oil servicing are at bargain prices. If you play golf, you will find their green fees are irresistible. And I haven't even mentioned about the prices of their other services that will surely keep the women around our Geylang district off the streets.

You probably would have guessed by now which of the above 2 options I would choose. If it isn't obvious to you, let me say that I have not visited Malaysia for nearly a decade now.

Today I received an email from a colleague whom I shall call MJM. The email, which was also addressed to Chris, contained a Malaysian news article about two socio-political bloggers being sued by New Straits Times Press (NSTP) over postings in their blogs that were deemed defamatory.

Now MJM is known to be a frequent visitor to JB. As for what cheap goods and services he goes to JB for, I really don't know. But I know that he always fills up his petrol tank to the brim, his stomach till it is bursting and his car boot till not even a 5-cent coin could be squeezed in before heading back home.

MJM is aware that Chris and I are avid bloggers. So I read MJM's purpose of sending the email as an indirect way of telling Chris and I to be careful about what we blog and not to end up like the 2 Malaysian bloggers. While MJM's intention is good, I feel that he has greater things to worry about.

I sent MJM the following reply, with cc to Chris:

"Dear MJM,

Thank you for writing to the desks of Chris and yours truly, and for taking an unwanted interest in our private lives.

Incidentally, it might interest your goodself that yesterday, there were separate headline articles in both Today and The New Paper. It was as if both newspapers decided to rebut you on our behalf. I don't know whether it was mere coincidence but both articles were about high crime rates in JB:

a. Today - With 777 cases per 100,000 residents, Johor has the 4th-highest crime rate in Malaysia. Recent examples:

i. Jan 6, 3am: IT consultant Fareed Hassan leaves a restaurant in Danga Bay, 10 minutes from the Causeway. He is attacked by men wielding a parang and a steering lock. When the robbers find just RM10 ($4.40) on him, they ask: "What kind of Singaporean are you?" They take his car, laptop and handphone.

ii. Jan 9, 4.10am: Ms Wati, 27, a mother of two, is hurled from her friend's motorbike and set upon by a group of 12 armed men on motorcycles. She is robbed of her money and belongings worth $1,600.

iii. Jan 10, time unknown: Singaporean hawker Mohamad Bolah is robbed, stabbed and left for dead in a mangrove swamp, just five minutes from where he lived in JB.

2. The New Paper - S'porean refuses to give JB man RM$1 (S$0.45). Man whips out syringe and threatens to jab him with HIV-tainted needle. This is not the first time that such an incident happened. In Feb 2005 and Apr 2005, similar robberies happened to two other Singaporeans in JB.

I wonder who will be the next victim. Just in case that this is the last time you are reading my mail before you go shopping forever in JB, I would like to express my sincere appreciation once again for the stale news article you forwarded to us and also for your unwarranted implicit concern. I am sure that they will be sorely missed when you leave us to go shopping forever in JB.

We remain yours truly,
Chris and Victor."