Singaporeans staying in Thailand, what's next?

Amid the protests happening in Thailand now, Singaporeans who are staying and working there are staying calm and keeping in touch with family and friends since the protest happened from the start.

40—year—old Gilbert Lim, who has been working in Bangkok for 16 years, told MediaCorp in a telephone interview that the situation was still very fluid.

"Even with this state of emergency declared, it hasn’t dawned on me that it’s something really urgent or very, very unsafe," he said.

"We still haven’t seen what the government is going to do further. So far, they’ve really taken a subdued stance on the protesters. We’ll see whether it’s going to get worse or not."

Mr Lim said Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Ministry alerted him of the state of emergency via e—mail at about 9pm local time.

The Singapore embassy in Bangkok is also closely monitoring the situation.

The Singapore embassy in Bangkok is also closely monitoring the situation.

However, Singaporeans in Bangkok have been calling home to assure family members of their safety.

However, Singaporeans in Bangkok have been calling home to assure family members of their safety.

She is also taking precautions.

"I guess we will be taking care of where we are going, and not to venture to other places other than going to work and coming back. Other than that, everything looks normal," she told MediaCorp in a telephone interview.

The emergency rule bans public gatherings of more than five people and gives broad powers to the police and military.

It was enforced after protesters stormed Parliament in a dramatic escalation of their bid to topple the government.

CNA

Corruption Suspects Hiding In Singapore?

Are suspects of Indonesian corruption hiding in Singapore? Just last week Singapore cracked down a young tax official who laundering millions of dollars. And now Indonesia police want to have a close watched with Singapore in bringing out corruptions.

Read the following report of the Indonesia corrupter being arrested and sent back to Jakarta!

JAKARTA (AFP) - – Indonesian police want to work more closely with Singapore to track down corruption suspects who have taken sanctuary in the city state, national police chief detective Ito Sumardi said Monday.

Singapore came under the spotlight last week when a young tax official suspected of laundering millions of dollars was apprehended there and returned to Jakarta.

The ease with which Indonesian police were allowed to enter Singapore, track down the official, Gayus Tambunan, 30, and convince him to return to Indonesia has focused attention on other alleged criminals hiding there.

Sumardi said 10 to 20 Indonesian suspects were living in Singapore, which has a reputation as the cleanest country in Asia.

"We need to bring them back to Indonesia... They're economic criminals. They consider Singapore a safe place to stay," he told AFP.

"First, our target is to bring back six suspects linked to the Bank Century case. They're all hiding in Singapore," he said, referring to a scandal over a 700-million-dollar bank bailout in 2008.

"After that, we'll try to find those involved in other cases. Based on police checks, we believe the number of suspects in Singapore is in the teens, including those involved in the Bank Century case."

In a recent update to lawmakers, Deputy Attorney General Darmono said most of 18 alleged graft suspects currently subject to extradition requests were hiding in Singapore.

Another 10 had fled abroad, mostly to Singapore, but were not subject to extradition requests, he added.

Sumardi said the police and attorney general's office might be tracking different suspects and he could not provide a definitive figure for the number of fugitives believed to be in Singapore.

Indonesian officials have complained for years about what they say is the freedom enjoyed by such fugitives in Singapore, where they have allegedly pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into banks and property.

"We'll be working with the Singapore authorities such as the police and immigration department, and we'll use specific approaches to convince the suspects to return to Indonesia," Sumardi said.

Indonesia and Singapore signed a long-delayed extradition treaty in 2007 but it has not come into force due to Singapore's insistence on linking it to defence ties, Indonesian officials said.

Attorney General Hendarman Supandji said last week that unlike other Indonesian suspects, Gayus did not have powerful connections and therefore could not hold out for long.

"Businessmen have a wide reach to anywhere, they have no boundaries. Civil servants have limited reach," he said.

Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told AFP last month he planned to raise Indonesia's concerns in "informal talks" with Singaporean leaders later this year.

7.7 quake rocks Sumatra, deadly tsunami reminded!

A powerful earthquake rock Sumatra early this morning, scared of another deadly tsunami woken up people to move to higher ground. What happen to our mother earth?

Read the following report.
JAKARTA, Indonesia – A 7.7 earthquake shook Indonesia's northwest island of Sumatra early Wednesday, prompting a brief tsunami warning and sending residents rushing for higher ground. There were no immediate reports of widespread damage.

The quake struck at 5:15 a.m. (2215 GMT) and was centered 125 miles (205 kilometers) northwest of Sibolga in Sumatra at a depth of 28.6 miles (46 kilometers), the U.S. Geological Survey said. It had earlier said the quake measured 7.8.

The Indonesia Meteorology and Geophysics Agency and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu issued tsunami warnings following the quake, but lifted them two hours later.
"So far no damage or casualties have been reported and the situation is under control," Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf said.

At least five strong aftershocks measuring up to 5.2 were recorded, the meteorology agency said.

The quake, which struck as people in the region were preparing for morning prayers, caused panic in North Sumatra's capital of Medan and other cities in the region. Electricity was cut in Medan and Banda Aceh, provincial capital of Aceh.

People in several cities along the southeastern coast of Sumatra as well as Sinabang on Simeulue island and Gunung Sitoli on nearby Nias island poured into the streets and rushed to higher ground after the quake.

"Rumors about a tsunami panicked villagers living near the beach," said Eddy Effendi, a resident in Nias district of North Sumatra province. "They ran away on motorbikes and cars or by climbing the hills. There was panic and chaos everywhere, but I don't see serious damage or injuries in my village."

Residents in Sibolga said the shaking lasted more than a minute and utility poles in the area were knocked down.

A 2004 tsunami triggered by a magnitude-9.2 earthquake in the same region killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries on the Indian Ocean basin.

An exchage student at NUS died!

4.4.2010 - Scott Monat (21) from America staying at Prince George's Park Residences, he was drinking with a friend at his residences room, at around 5 am in the morning he had trouble breathing. Panicked screams brought other students to his aid. He was rushed to hospital by paramedics but was pronounced dead about two hours later at the National University Hospital.

Monat is an exchange student from American studying at local university NUS, he arrived in Singapore only two months ago, he was a second year student at the University Miami Coral Gables, in US. Monat died of breathing difficulties.

A memorial was held for him on Wednesday evening at Hillel, the Jewish student centre on his US campus.

A tribute to Mr Monat was also posted on the website of The Miami Hurricane, a university newspaper, by senior writer and business manager Nick Maslow, who was a friend.

Its sad to let someone go when he had shared many laughter and loves with all his friends, I am sure he will be missed by all his friends both in Singapore and back in Miami.

Rest in peace Mr Scott Monat!

Female Teacher Gets 10 Months Jail For Teen Sex

SINGAPORE: A female teacher in Singapore who had sex with a 15—year—old student was jailed for 10 months Monday, a court spokesman said.

The woman’s identity had been withheld to protect the victim, said the spokesman, who confirmed that District Judge Sarjit Singh handed down the sentence, but gave no further details.

Now unemployed, the 32—year—old woman earlier pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor under the age of 16.

The friendship between the teacher and boy began when he was a 14—year—old Grade Six pupil and joined an overseas school trip which she led, a report said.

They later had sex, when he was 15, after the boy said he loved the woman who had declared him her godson, it said. By then, the boy had moved on to a secondary school.

They had sex five more times but when she tried to end the affair the boy threatened to kill her, leading her to contact police, the report continued.

The report added that Judge Singh said the case involved a serious breach of trust.

The woman could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

She wept as she was led away to serve her sentence, 938Live radio reported.
Source

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Connelly in He's Just Not That Into You - 2008

Jennifer Aniston and Jennifer Connelly in He's Just Not That Into You - 2008

Drew Barrymore and Scarlett Johansson in He's Just Not That Into You - 2008

Bradley Cooper and Ben Affleck star in He's Just Not That Into You - 2008

Jennifer Aniston in He's Just Not That Into You - 2008

Above photos are gathered from yahoo, production photos in He's Just Not That Into You 2008.

Movie plot He's Just Not That Into You (2009)
Based on a self-help book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo concerning the ever-widening gap between genders and the misunderstandings that often arise between couples. In the film, a woman who can't seem to get a firm grip on the men in her life pursues an advice columnist who never quite knew what he wanted in a relationship.

Starring:
Drew Barrymore, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Connolly

Bar Refaeli NEW 2008 THE HOTTEST SEXY WOMAN ON EARTH

Funny, Stupid, and Banned Commercials part 8

Who Will Win At Academy Awards?

Tom Brook's Prediction For The Academy Awards

I think Sean Penn (picture on the right) will win Best Actor for Milk. If not, it will be Mickey Rouke for the Wrestler.

Best supporting Actor will go to Heath Ledger, because he gave a good performance and there's a lot of emotional feeling towards him and his body of work because he died.

Best Actress will be Kate Winslet (left picture), Meryl Streep or Anne Hathaway; I think it's Kate's sixth nomination. As for Best supporting Actress, it won't be Amy Adams. I think it will be Penelope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelone.

Best Picture is a tough one; Benjamin Button has 13 nominations so it's the favourite, but there's also a groundswell of favourable opinion towards Slumdog. Best Director will go to Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire.

Source

Suami Idaman Buat Semua Wanita!

So much reading on the bad news already, I though this one might be able to cheer everyone. But only for those who can understand bahasa melayu haha.

Sekumpulan pria berada di ruang ganti di salah satu tempat gym terkemuka dan eksklusif di pusat kota. Tiba2 terdengar deringan hp di penjuru ruangan itu. Salah satu dari pria itu menjawab panggilan tersebut dan terjadilah obrolan berikut:

"Hallo?"

"Abang, ini ayang."

"Eemmmmm...."

"Abang masih di tempat gym ya?"

"iya.."

"Ayang sekarang lagi ada di shopping complex dekat tempat gym abang. Ayang liat Louis Vuitton punya koleksi tas baru. Harganya murah kok, Cuma Rp. 7.000.000 aja... Boleh beli nggak, Bang?"

"O.K, belilah kalau kamu sudah sangat menyukainya."

"Ahhhhh....thanks abang,dan tadi sebelon ayang datang kesini,ayang ada singgah ke pameran mobil dan ngeliat mobil Mercedes terbaru. Ayang suka banget dengan modelnya, dan ayang juga sudah ngobrol dengan penjualnya dan dia setuju mau kasi 'good price'. Lagian kan bagus juga kalo mobil BMW yg kita beli thn lalu itu ditukar dengan yg baru.

"Berapa harga yang dia kasih?"

"Lagi harga promo, jadi Cuma Rp. 550 juta aja, bang..."

"O.K pastikan harga itu sudah 'on the road'."

"Great, ada 1 lagi, bang."

"Apa?"

"Tadi pagi ayang iseng-iseng singgah ke agent real estate dan ternyata rumah yg kita liat kemarin2 itu ternyata dijual..!!! Abang ingat ga?? Rumah seluas 1000 meter di Kebayoran Baru yang ada kolam renang berbentuk love, trus ada taman orchidnya dibelakang rumah yang berhadapan lapangan tennis itu, dan yang garasinya muat 4 mobil itu....Cantik kan bang?"

"Berapa harga yang mereka minta?"

"Cuma Rp 10 milyar saja. ok kan harganya,dan ayang liat kalo tabungan abang cukup buat beli itu."

"Baguslah kalau begitu. Kalo kamu bisa tawar jadi Rp 8,5 milyar silakan aja..."

"OK abang sayang,terima kasih bang. kita jumpa nanti malam ya?? I luv u."

"bye...i luv u too."

Pria itu berhenti ngomong dan menutup flip hp nya. Sambil mengangkat tangan dan memegang hp itu,dia bertanya pada orang2 yang di ruangan tersebut dan dengan suara keras dia bilang gini :

" ADA YANG TAU NGGAK, INI HANDPHONE PUNYA SIAPA !!???"

Who Is The Most Talked About No Quake Hero In China?

Most news reports would focus and write about teachers being heroes in 512 earthquake. On the news a teacher named Mr Tan QianJiu, when found, his body was shielding four of his students, and all of them are alive.

But what happen to some school teachers whose self survival are more important than their students? Should they being kicked out from school?

Those teachers have their own argument about this matter! I read about what this secondary school teacher was telling how he abandoned his pupils during the 512 earthquake and leave them to their fate.

The following facts of information can be found on todayonline.com.

Mr Fan Meizhong set out on an online forum his guiding principle — in matters of life and death, it’s every man for himself.

When the quake struck, rather than overseeing an orderly evacuation, he said he just shouted “Stay calm, it’s an earthquake!” and ran for it without looking back to see if his pupils were following.

"I ran towards the stairs so fast that I stumbled and fell as I went. When I reached the centre of the football pitch, I found I was the first to escape. None of my pupils was with me,” wrote the man now known across China as “Runner Fan”.

When his pupils began to arrive, they asked: “Teacher, why didn’t you bring us out?”
His explanation was simple. “I have a very strong sense of self-preservation,” he said. “I have never been a brave man and I’m only really concerned about myself.”

But Mr Fan went further, attempting to justify his abandonment of his pupils, who all survived the quake.

“I didn’t cause the earthquake, so I have no reason to feel guilty,” he said in an interview. “When I got back to the classroom, the students were all fine.”

He also risked angering those close to him, saying he would not have tried to save his own mother if she had been present, though he might have made an exception to his general rule for his one-year-old daughter.

He pointed out that education law does not demand that a teacher save his pupils during an earthquake.

“If every teacher was like Mr Tan, then we’d have no more heroes,” he said. “I admire heroes like Mr. Tan, but I can’t do that myself. I love my life more.”

Now the head of the private school where Mr Fan worked is under pressure to fire the teacher and publicly questionedMr Fan’s wisdom in being so frank.

Running might be a normal reaction, he said, but talking about it afterwards was something else entirely.

What do you guys think about this teacher? He is no quake hero?

A touching donation - MUST SEE!‏

I received the following photos from a friend as well, it's a good deed from an abnormal person with kind hearted to help out the 512 earthquake people. A must see and learned attitude!

He 'walked' across, we thought he was passing by...

'I want to donate!' He draw out a few coins hidden from his palms, the officer lend a hand but insisted that he placed his money into the donation box.

All are speechless, he return his deeds to the society in his own way!

'I still have money!' Again, we are astonished.

He draw out a few ten dollar notes and donated...

Baby Rescued Unscratched - Isn't This Miracle?

This baby, after being buried over 24 hours, miraculously, was rescued unscratched. He is about 3-4 months old, and his mother kneeled down, pinned her head and hands on the ground to shielded him from the falling concrete, and milked him. His mother did not make it out. A rescue worker found his mom’s cell phone in his wrapper. It had a text message left by his mother: “Dear child, if you survive, please remember, Mom loves you forever…”

Lost Both Legs & Broken Hands - Be Brave!

This high school student was rescued from the collapsed building. She lost both legs, and her both hands are broken. The rescue workers were all in tears when they saw this. She smiled to them: “Be Brave!”

Teacher's Love & Sacrificed in Earthquake!

Yuan Wentin(袁文婷), 26, first grade teacher. When the earthquake struck, she rushed to carry her stunned students from classroom on the 3rd floor to the ground. She managed to pull out most of her students, but the building collapsed when she was trying to pull out the last few. At the last moment of her life, she was trying to use her body to shield the students from falling concrete.
Many teachers did the same thing. They are 谭千秋、张米亚、苟晓超、吴忠洪、杜正香......

Caring Brother Walked 12 Hours Straight!

Zhang Jiwang(张吉万), 11, carrying his sister Zhang Han(张韩), 3，walked 12
hours straight to flee the disaster center.

A Boy's Smile Made Everybody Cry

A 5 year old boy was rescued after being buried under rubbles for 24 hours. His left hand was broken, but he smiled and saluted to his rescuers. His smile made everybody cry.

Miracle Happend, 3 years Girl Buried 2 Days, Survived!

Song Xinying (宋馨懿), 3, pulled out from rubble after being buried for 2 days. She was in critical condition and lost a leg, but survived. Her parents hold each other’s hands and shoulders face to face to make an arch to shield her from the falling building. Her parents did not make it out.

Donation Of A Man Of Doesn't Have Money To Buy Food For Himself!

People are rushing to donate money. Many rich people donated in millions, but no one can match Xu Chao(徐超), 60, on the right. He is a homeless in Nanjing, 1000 miles from the disaster area. He saw the news and went to donate 5 Yuan in the morning. He said people in the disaster area were worse off than him because their lives were threatened. He came back in the afternoon, donated another 100 Yuan ($14). He explained that all he had were pennies and dimes, and he didn’t want to waste volunteer workers’ time to count them, so he went to the bank to change everything he had into one big bill. This is from a man who doesn’t have money to buy food for himself.

Soldiers & Rescue Workers Working Around Clock!

Soldiers and rescue workers working around clock to rescue people still buried. Unable to transport heavy machineries to the remote areas since roads are buried by landslides, they often have to use hands to move tons of concrete.