Just sharing my humanity, 1 of 7 billion on Earth. Sometimes spontaneous, sometimes deeply thought, sometimes paranormal. Mostly for me to examine myself, and to remember that life has ups and downs.
I turned off my blog's public access for a period from Friday night July 18th, 2014 until late this morning Monday July 21st, 2014 (Vancouver time). Let's just say that during this period of no-public access, I noticed some anomalies on my blog.
Let me digress a little for now. Like ASingaporeanSon, I was inspired by Singapore Serf when I started my blog. Reading Singapore Serf's posts on his life as an Australian immigrant, even down to the simple day-to-day stuff, was an inspiration that I too perhaps could make a simple life as an immigrant somewhere else. Besides, I figured that a blog would be useful for me to remember of life's ups-and-downs to help keep things in perspective. Subsequently, I thought that sharing my life as an immigrant and/or re-entry into nursing in B.C. may be of use to other immigrants and/or Internationally Educated Nurses on the same path. There it is, the gist of the motivation behind my blog.
Sometimes reality is strange, even stranger than fiction. See the following news story extracted from the Associated Press.
See also commentary on the policy by LIFT (who emigrated to UK and is now a British citizen) and ASingaporeanSon (who emigrated to Australia). This Canada-based Singapore-citizen has nothing to say, except *face-palm*.
SINGAPORE (AP) — Singapore's government says a new policy will require online news websites to be licensed, a move that is being criticized as a form of censorship in a country where media outlets are already strictly controlled.
The policy will require websites that report regularly on Singapore news and have at least 50,000 visitors a month to obtain annual licenses, the city-state's Media Development Authority said in a statement Tuesday. They also will be required to remove content found to be in breach of MDA standards within 24 hours of notification.
"This is censorship, plain and simple," said Lee Kin Mun, a Singaporean social and political blogger who is more popularly known by his Internet persona, "Mr. Brown."
"Trying to regulate the Internet is like trying to grab jelly; the tighter your grip on it, the faster it leaks out of your hand," he said.
The MDA said the new policy, which takes effect Saturday, would place news websites "on a more consistent regulatory framework with traditional news platforms which are already individually licensed."
It said it would "impose financial penalties or suspend or revoke" the licenses of any websites that do not comply with any of the conditions.
The MDA singled out 10 websites, nine of which are state-owned, with the exception being Yahoo Singapore. It said the new policy also may be extended to netizen websites and foreign news sites covering Singapore news.
To receive a license, a website will have to post a performance bond of 50,000 Singapore dollars ($39,400). This is similar to current requirements for niche TV broadcasters in Singapore.
"Our mainstream media are subjected to rules. Why shouldn't the online media be part of that regulatory framework?" said Communications and Information Minister Yaacob Ibrahim. "I don't see this as a clamping down. If anything, it is regularizing what is already happening on the Internet and making sure that they are on par with our mainstream media."
But The Online Citizen, one of the bigger netizen alternative news websites in Singapore, said it may shut down if the new licensing rules are imposed on it.
"In the event that the new licensing rules are extended to TOC, we will have to reassess the viability of continuing the website in light of the significant financial and legal liability the new rules impose," it said in a statement.
Yahoo Singapore said it would wait to receive the license conditions before commenting on the new measures.
Media is strictly controlled and regulated in Singapore, with lobby group Reporters Without Borders ranking the Southeast Asian city-state 149th globally in terms of press freedom.
I can't believe the I am staying up to follow the B.C. provincial elections. Until today, I had the "I am not a citizen" and therefore it is not my issue attitude (albeit I am aware of some of the local political issues discussed). But then logging onto Facebook this evening and watching my Canadian friends' Facebook comments about the election results as they unfold was rather interesting.
Still waiting for the final riding: Vancouver-Point Grey. It is an important one, given that it is the incumbent Premier Christy Clark (Liberal) vs David Eby (NDP, note: not NDP's leader). Interestingly, NDP is leading at this moment, but it is a close fight, pending 2 more polls' reports.
[For the Singaporeans reading this: Imagine PAP securing enough seats to form a majority government (i.e. more than 50% of the parliamentary seats), but PM LHL loses his seat to an opposition challenger (who is not even the leader of his/her opposition party).]
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[Update on 15-May-2013 at 01:08AM based on Yahoo! News.]
NDP David Eby (10,162) won Liberal Christy Clark (9,377) by 785 votes at Vancouver-Point Grey. [Click here for the Metro news report.]
Hmm, is it time for a new Premier? Or will there be a by-election with Liberal represented by Christy Clark (e.g. via "resignation" of a lower-ranking Liberal MLA who won)?
I thought about not writing on this until a recent arrest in Singapore reminded me once again how different the socio-political climate between Singapore and Canada is.
[Note: The conversations below are as much as I could remember, they are not word-for-word exactly.]
------------------------------
I had brunch with some (ex-)Singaporeans recently. The elderly gentlemen congradulated me for getting my Canadian nursing registration. Thus, I told them about how we petitioned for it. [Click here and here.]
Then someone asked, "So will you do it* in Singapore?" [*That is, write petitions and advocate for change.]
The gentlemen smiled and nodded, they knew what I was talking about.
------------------------------
At some point later during the brunch, since one of the gentlemen revealed that he used to be heavily involved in the Singapore Sports Council, I asked him for his opinion of the "Foreign Sports Talents Scheme". As a gentleman would, he openly declared his vested interest -- i.e. he was responsible for creating that policy (which has since raised some controversy in Singapore). He took the time to explain the intent and some regulations behind original scheme, and mentioned that the scheme has changed beyond recognition since.
Someone at the table put in supportive words, "Otherwise Singapore wouldn't have won an Olympic medal."
[I guess she forgot about Tan Howe Liang's 1960 Olympic Silver. Or perhaps "Singapore" was not an independent country back then, so it did not count?]
To which I replied my honest 2 cents, "Why must we win Olympic medals? Why can't we just invest in our own people and be happy with whatever results they achieve? It's like a man with a small penis trying to overcompensate."
The men at the table were surprised, but nevertheless laughed heartily at my penile comment.
------------------------------
At a yet later point over that brunch, I realized that I was sitting next to none-other-than the bureaucrat behind the "Stop At Two" policy. I could not resist asking (to confirm rumours that I had sniffed from the internet), "So didn't the government know at some point that the policy will cause the fertility rate to drop below replacement rate?"
Dr "Stop At Two" replied, "Yes, I did some (projection) calculation and told them that the policy has to be changed at some point."
[So apparently the warning signs were there already and known to the decision makers. It was a matter of political will and/or foresight to steer the Titanic away before it hit the iceberg.]
Someone else then chimed in that that's why the Singapore government is importing so much "foreign talent" -- to cover the shortfall in birth rate.
[Which is why at times I admire how PY (from China), AP (from The Philippines) and IJ (who grew up Canadian) will not take any injustice lying down.]
------------------------------
Which brings to mind another event.
I had another Facebook exchange early this month over a photo where I commented about the abuse that healthcare workers in Singapore face and are expected to tolerate -- which reveals the reality of how little healthcare workers are truly valued in Singapore. A Singapore-citizen friend (residing in Singapore) tried to push the onus back to fellow Singaporeans for the lack of "social leadership". In responding to her suggestion that the government is not responsible for Singapore's social-political norms which contribute to such unhealthy work environments, the discussion on my Facebook photo veered off-topic.
She replied in defence of ISA (and, I supposed, her politician/minister friend),
"Btw, govt includes non-PAP and PAP includes non-govt.
Please do not confuse societal security with social leadership, and dafamation (sic) with criticism. There are non-govt groups who stand up for migrant workers. Attitudes towards nursing have not improved as much as other aspects of nursing. Some things still need to be fixed. Everyone need not wait for a few people to deal with all causes."
Of course, I challenged her concept of "societal security" and "defamation". [See also Nizam Ismail's 25-Apr-2013 blog post on "Politics of Funding Cuts: Is it Really About Partisanship?" (or Jentrified Citizen's extract here); and one will know that "Everyone need not wait for a few people..." is a red-herring.] And it went downhill from there. At one point, she wrote,
"All I shall say is that there are people who would gain when Singapore goes down. And they would find ways to extrapolate matters to influence opinions in the name of intellectual discussion."
Frankly, I pointed out to her that those who can gain as she suggested would be millionaires (a.k.a. private banking clients).
[Note: I declare that I am not within that category of people, unlike some folks who love to dress in white.]
As it went further, I also pointed out to her that it was the second time within 8+ months that she used "ad hominem" attacks as a defence mechanism instead of dealing with the issue being discussed.
[IMHO, it is pathetic, considering that she was supposedly from the crème de la crème (triple pure-sciences) class of the Rxx brand (a top-ranking secondary/middle school in Singapore) and received overseas (UK) tertiary education. Yet, she could not handle a simple Socratic discussion honourably.
That said, IMHO, she has improved considerably. The previous time she threw "ad hominem" attacks at me, she wielded them so poorly that it was laughably self-destructive, if not for the fact that she is a friend. E.g. When she could not debate further on the issue, she asked point-blank,
"Please disclose -- whether you are currently contributing to Singapore economically (e.g. paying taxes) or non-economically (e.g. promoting heritage) -- whether any party in the world (e.g., in your current country of residence) will benefit from what you bring up";
Yet she did not disclose her own vested-interest (if any); and she followed with a whole load of unrelated, unsubstantiated and shaky accusations/arguments (including Mr Straw-man and Ms Red-herring); just because I dared to critic the poor PR skills of a minister who is her friend.]
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Here is a reality to ponder on.
People who create the policies
that Singaporeans do not like
may or may not have to live with
the effects of those policies.
Does your MP have to compete with "foreign talent" MPs to be "cheaper, faster and better"?
Does your MP ride in the crowded buses, MRT, etc, daily together with you?
Does your minister have to be "Means Tested" for healthcare subsidy just like you? Or are they under a different "civil servant" scheme?
Does your minister have worries about retirement funding as you do? Or do they have a special "pension scheme for high-ranking civil servants"?
And yes, I met the above-mentioned former bureaucrats in Canada. They and their family members are residents/citizens of Canada. [So please, to question my allegiance is really a red-herring.]
Along the same vein, thanks to my friend's comments, I gave my allegiance some serious re-thinking, from ground zero. After much thought, I came to the conclusion which I wrote on LIFT's blog.
"On a personal level, the longer I leave Singapore, the less I care about LKY and his white party. I may still occasionally rant about the crap of a legacy (of systemic failures) created by the white party, but I am very conscious of the fact that whatever happens to Singapore post-LKY, I may not personally have to suffer its effect. That is, I suspect I am transitioning mentally out-of-Singapore, and into-Canada."
Someone was "invited" to "tea and 2 nights free accommodations" at Cantonment Complex.
------------------------------
[Extracted from Yahoo!Singapore news on Tuesday 23-Apr-2013. Note: Some words are enlarged, italicized and bolded etc by me for emphasis.]
S’pore cartoonist arrested for alleged sedition
By Andrew Loh | SingaporeScene – 5 hours ago
Singapore police arrested Mr Leslie Chew, 37, the person behind the cartoon strip, Demon-cratic Singapore, on Friday morning, for alleged sedition.
He was held in custody and questioned over the weekend, and was released at 8.45pm on Sunday after posting bail of S$10,000.
The police confiscated his handphone, computer and hard disk. He was also asked to surrender his passport to the police at the Cantonment Police complex.
The charges relate to two of the comic strips on his Demon-cratic Facebook page. Mr Chew has produced more than 600 cartoons thus far, including those on the page. The two in question are this one and this one.
The first cartoon, published on his Facebook page on 14 December last year, and titled “Demon-cratic Singapore Episode #438, Eliminating the thorn first...”, had also been the subject of a letter of demand from the Attorney General Chambers (AGC) last year.
The AGC, in a letter to Mr Chew on 17 December, said the cartoon “scandalises our Courts through allegations and imputations that are scurrilous and false."
However, it said it would not commence further legal proceedings against Chew if he posted an apology on the page, removed the cartoon and “all accompanying comments” related to the post, which has gathered over 600 likes, shares and comments since December.
Chew, however, decided not to comply because he said his work is fictional, and not related to any real events or persons, as stated on his Facebook page. On its page, which has 19,000 likes, Demon-cratic Singapore describes itself as a "100% fictional comic series about a country that does not exist".
In the second cartoon, Chew said the police questioned him about the population statistics in the cartoon, and its words – “Malay population… Deliberately suppressed by a racist government.”
Under Singapore's Sedition Act, among other things, it is an offence to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government; and to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.
Anyone found guilty of the offence can be fined up to S$5,000 or jailed up to three years, or both.
Chew, however, denies any such intentions, again pointing to the disclaimer in each of his cartoons which says that the portrayals in them “are purely fictional”.
“I also explicitly stated that Demon-cratic Singapore is an entirely imaginary country and is not the Republic of Singapore,”
Mr Chew says, referring to this page.
The latest arrest follows a spate of legal action by members of the Government against online commentators and sites.
In January, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong demanded writer and activist, Alex Au removed his blog posts about Action Information Management, the PAP-owned company embroiled in the controversy over the PAP-run town councils’ computer system.
And on 18 April, the AGC demanded an apology and the removal of posts from several websites which it alleged cast doubt on the judiciary's integrity.
Chew, who says that the police was “very professional” in the way they treated him, has been asked to report to the police on 30 April.
“Most fans know that Demon-cratic Singapore is fictional and are just for laughs,” said Chew.
“Even when there are new readers who thought otherwise, they are usually quickly reminded by other readers that everything on my Facebook page is fictional."
Andrew helms publichouse.sg as Editor-in-Chief. His writings have been reproduced in other publications, including the Australian Housing Journal in 2010. He was nominated by Yahoo! Singapore as one of Singapore's most influential media persons in 2011.
------------------------------
[From the horse's mouth on Facebook Tuesday 23-Apr-2013]
Demon-cratic Singapore: Hi everyone, the following comic more or less explained why there was no new comics on Demon-cratic Singapore for the past 4 days. It is a little larger than usual, so you might like to download it and zoom in to read.
I have been busy with other stuff and have not had time to update my blog recently. Imagine my surprise when I log-on today and found 2 spam comments, both posted on 10-Apr-2013.
[12-Apr-2013 Screen capture of the spam comments]
Thank goodness there were only 2, not 100's or 1000's. For my reply to each of these spammers trying to advertise their products/services for free, please click here and here.
Partly because I wanted to give myself a break to enjoy idling for a change -- I had many ideas of stuff to blog about but just decided that they can wait and/or I needed to mull over some issues for a bit more before I write.
Partly because (inevitably) I met a reader of my blog by chance recently, in my decision to offer support to fellow IENs (internationally educated nurses) in B.C., Canada. In fact, another reader* recently identified herself (via email) although we have met each other in person before. [*Note: If you're reading this, you'd probably know who you are. Thanks for your email advice, I have since reviewed and edited the contents under "Nursing in Canada". Hope it is ok now.]
I used a pseudonym for convenience of not being easily identified. Nevertheless, if one were to follow my posts over time, and if one has access to certain information, I am really easily identifiable in both Canada and Singapore. After all, I don't believe in lying about who I am and there aren't many people with my unique combination of circumstances.
Yet, the stuff I wrote on this blog are at times very personal in nature. I don't know if I want to wear my heart on a sleeve to the public. [Note: I have been getting above 4,000 hits a month for the recent months.] Then again, I started my blog back in March 2009, as an exercise to practise writing in English for IELTS (which I attempted in August 2009) and also to journal my ups-and-downs (given the then-impending major life changes of a career switch and migration) as a means reflect on life. Thus, it would defeat my purpose of reflecting on life if I were to avoid writing about the personal stuff.
A solution that would meet the demands of both privacy and reflection would be to revert to the journalling using good old pen-and-paper. Or to change this blog to a "private" members-only blog. But then, it would mean that I cannot share the information that I have gleaned along the way with random strangers on a similar journey. E.g. My current 3rd most popular post is "IEN preparing to apply to CRNBC". Why? I suspect it may be because there seems to be a dearth of information on the matter. Back when I was a newly landed immigrant, I remember some kind folks sharing with me hearsay from someone-they-know-of who-met-someone who happened to have gone through the process or know-of-someone who did.
I have recently learned from the above IEN (reader of my blog) that CRNBC and some of the immigrant settlement services agencies (e.g. S.U.C.C.E.S.S. or MOSIAC) conduct talks for IENs about getting their qualifications recognized. Please check directly with those agencies for such talks if you're interested.
After much pondering and having enjoyed an extended break, I decided to resume blogging. I was after all inspired by one brave Singapore Serf who sought to escape the lemming-like existence prescribed for the Singaporean heart-landers. [E.g. 75% Singaporeans stated that they are struggling according to a 2005-2009 Gallup World Poll. Or click here for Frugal Introvert's commentary blog post.] Since I was encouraged by Singapore Serf's down-to-earth journal of venturing overseas, I believe that there are others who are curious about an ordinary* migrant's experience. E.g. My current 4th most popular post is "Facebook exchange: What it means to leave Singapore".
*Note: Not everyone who leaves Singapore is a high-flyer. It is a myth that one has to be a high-flyer to emigrate.
So trusting the world (occasionally with my heart on my sleeve), onwards I blog.
Don't know why but today I suddenly thought of using Google and Facebook to search for an old friend. She was my a primary school friend. She and I were the 2 shortest persons in class, so we were "line-up" partners together for years. She was an awesome supportive friend -- kind of a BFF even before the term existed.
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I always remember how she helped me out with English one time. If I recall correctly, we were in Primary 2 then (aged 7 going-on 8). It was the last class of the day. I was supposed to leave school with the school bus. But before we were allowed to go, our English teacher made us all stand-up. Those who could form a sentence with "subject verb object" were allowed to go home. Those who couldn't were forced to remain standing until we could give a sentence. My friend knew that I was clueless about what the teacher wanted, since I did not come from an English-speaking family (so many a times I didn't understand the language structure that the teacher tried to teach) and for some reason I was daydreaming more than I was paying attention in school (especially for the language classes). She whispered such a sentence to me and persuaded me to give the teacher the sentence that she formed. But I wanted to try making my own sentences. Just before she left, she wrote a sentence on a small piece of paper and discreetly slipped it to me standing at the desk behind her. She told me to hold on to it, just in case I needed to use it. Guess, I kind of looked a little panicky by then. After a few round of tries, I was the last few students remaining. By then, I was definitely panicking. It was already past our school dismissal time. In my mind, all I could think about was if the school bus left without me, I would be stuck overnight in school because I didn't know if my mother would come to fetch me, and even if she did, I would surely get a big scolding from her for the troubling her to come to school to fetch me. [Note: This was back in the 1970's, people did not have mobile phones then.] Thus, I gave the teacher my friend's sentence and rushed off to catch the school bus.
When I arrived at the school's parking lot, the school bus was already gone. I decided that I would have to figure out how to walk home on my own, since I remembered that my mother scolded/warned me previously (during a kindergarten incident) that she would not come to fetch me home if I ever not stick according to the plans again. I walked down the staircase to the school field, turned left, and then proceeded down the staircase (hill) leading to the main road. Halfway down, fear took over me -- I really didn't know how to go home on my own. I sat down and cried. Nope, more like I wailed loudly alike a banshee. Suddenly, I saw a few students coming up the staircase. They were sent by the school bus driver. They told me that the school bus was waiting for me at the foot of the staircase (hill) as the bus driver decided to drive down the hill instead of waiting for me at the parking lot. In fact, the bus driver was also tired of waiting for me at the foot of the hill, and he was about to drive off without me when they heard me crying. Frankly, I was still crying and quite shaken when I boarded the school bus for home. On my way home, I felt really grateful that my friend left me an answer to give to the English teacher. I cannot imagine what would have happened if I was delayed just a moment later. I did not dare to tell my parents about what happened. I don't think my siblings did either.
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Through combining the internet searches, I found someone with the same name (and I guess around the same age) on Facebook, and sent a message. But I don't know if that person is my primary school friend. Anyway, no harm trying, just for the fun of it.
Homophobia is well and alive in Singapore. Just these few days, I had another Facebook sparring with my right-wing Christian friend, LKM (again). LKM is from Westside Anglican Church.
[Aside: Normally I would hold the individual to account for his/her actions, and not name his/her religious association. However, in this case, I understand that LKM's homophobic views are reinforced by his church's teachings, and thus I would argue that the church is vicariously liable. For more background about homophobia in Singapore Anglican churches, read this article on "Asian Anglicans starts a crusade against the West and gays" by Rainbow Harvest.]
Perhaps the Workers Party is playing it smart by holding its stance on the homophobic Section 377A of the Penal Code (Singapore) close to their hearts. 377A affects political votes as there is a significant vocal and growing segment of right-wing Christians in Singapore. IMHO, this group is brainwashed with homophobic rhetoric that they cannot hold up to when challenged, but instead often hide behind the excuse that "it is not socially nice" to criticize others' views (see below for example).
At the moment, for the Punggol East By-Election, these right-wing Christian folks are campaigning for PAP so as to retain 377A. Based on my friend's Facebook postings, the reason for supporting PAP is because of Christopher de Souza's speech against the repeal of 377A back in October 2007. I think it is naive of these right-wing Christians to believe that PAP's current stance to retain 377A will remain forever. After all, PAP being the "pragmatic" political party of "hard rules" of life, had previously sold out the Christian lobby on the casino issue when it suited its political leaders' wish to grow the GDP.
Normally, I ignore LKM's rants when he gets all worked up about his Christian objectives. However, I stepped in when I saw that his rants degraded into homophobic hate speech.
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[Our Facebook Exchange, edited to remove the real names of the individuals involved. The number of Facebook "Likes" are shown here when there is 1 or more likes.]
LKM: If homosexual intercourse is legally permissible, I fear for our Army !!!!
Like - 3
LKM: Snglish phrases like "kanna screw" takes on new meanings ...
AKCY: That would only be worrying if homosexual *rape* was permissible.
Like - 2
WD: Heterosexual intercourse is legally permissible and there are women in the Army, so are there lots of "ungodly" action taking place in the army?
Don't jump the gun lah.
LKM: Yah the SGT rape already then claim to be lover, how to bring to court since legalized ?
WD: *Rape* is rape. Man rape man case should be brought to court the same way as man rape woman case. Why the gender discrimination?
Like · 1
LKM: We're not even talking about godly or ungodly, a man poking another's backside is downright repulsive, we talking about endorsing SICKNESS by removing 377A ...
WD: Also, may I add, woman rape man case should be brought to court the same way as man rape woman case or man rape man case.
Like · 1
LKM: Imagine an army where soldier fight fellow soldier over a male lover .... *puke* Such an army really in for big trouble ...
WD: > "man poking another's backside is downright repulsive, we talking about endorsing SICKNESS"
Quoting you, LKM, above. Is that a FACT or just your own narrow-minded OPINION?
LKM: Google homosexual intercourse and advise me how else it's technically possible ...
LKM: ... maybe there are other possible permutations but they all fall under pornographic domains ...
LKM: ... now bring these into perspective of why anyone would want it legalized ...
KKP: "Disapproval of homosexuality cannot justify invading the houses, hearts and minds of citizens who choose to live their lives differently." -Harry A. Blackmun
"I'm a supporter of gay rights. And not a closet supporter either. From the time I was a kid, I have never been able to understand attacks upon the gay community. There are so many qualities that make up a human being... by the time I get through with all the things that I really admire about people, what they do with their private parts is probably so low on the list that it is irrelevant." -Paul Newman
Like - 4
WD: So you find "man poking another's backside is downright repulsive" because you're heterosexual. You can always decline if a homosexual guy asks you for sex.
My point about distinguishing between FACT and OPINION is your judgement that the act itself is "downright repulsive" -- that's your opinion, not a fact.
LKM: Agree about it being a fact that I find it repulsive. Just wondering who are those capable of accepting such a repulsive act *yucks*
LKM: As far as I learn from Biology, backside is meant for shitting, that's a fact !
Like · 1
AL: Hi LKM, it sounds like you are grossed out by the act of anal sex, and that's not your only objection. Would that be right?
LKM: And farting sometimes too ...
LKM: I can accept the emotional aspects of 2 person having deep feelings, but the sex part which is what 377A is about should be maintained to upkeep the proper order of nature, man and woman ...
Like · 2
LKM: ... and we're not talking about religion here yet ...
WD: > Agree about it being a fact that I find it repulsive. Just wondering who are those capable of accepting such a repulsive act *yucks*
Some of my friends are. As far as I am concerned, there are many more qualities (and admirable ones too) about my homosexual friends that what they do with their private parts in the privacy of their bedrooms is none of my concern.
E.g. Some of them have to deal daily with people like you (LKM) who judge them based on your own value system of "proper order of nature, man and woman" when your bible told you that judgement is only to be done by your god. Tsk, tsk, hope you're not trying to play god.
LKM: Nope, my opinion purely mine. Happy that Singapore still have a governance with soundness that will hold on to Penal Code 377A so that I don't have to worry over my daughters and sons ....
Like · 1
LKM: ... of course everyone is entitled to the freedom of their own private activities, but Penal Code 377A is about setting a baseline for a society, what constitutes acceptable norm, what constitutes not acceptable criminal activity ...
LKM: ... and to me, the fact is that legalizing homosexual sex goes against the sound establishment of our Asian society ...
WD: > baseline for a society, what constitutes acceptable norm, what constitutes not acceptable criminal activity
And that is why the baseline is being challenged (and I am happy to say that). You have a right to your OPINIONS and VALUE SYSTEM, just not the right to expect others to conform to your opinions or value system.
> sound establishment of our Asian society ...
You obviously are clueless on the sexual history of Asian societies. Even in karma sutra, there are extracts talking about homosexual acts.
Like · 1
KKP: How would you like it if someone started 'Shut Up LKM & Concentrate on your inane diet diary' Campaign? Maybe you would know how it feels to be ranted on...
LKM: You sure got me there with the karma sutra bullshit haha ... but I still Kee Chiu in support for keeping Penal Code 377A !!
KKP: B
LKM: It's seasonal lah ... I mean my rantings ... I change topic very readily ... but as far as this season is concern, I want to voice my UTMOST support for Penal Code 377A. Keep 377A for Singapore ...
Like · 1
WD: @ LKM: I suggest you find yourself a good translation of the actual historic "Karma Sutra", not those cheap "1001 sex positions" knock-off of Karma Sutra. Failing which, I recommend that you ask Professor Google about the "history of asian homosexuality".
Find the FACTS before you shoot your mouth off.
LKM: Okokok, but it's still keep 377A for me !!!
KKP: Oh SHUT UP ALREADY!
Like · 1
WD: On the other hand, I am glad that LKM shot his mouth off. Because only then, we have a chance to feed him with FACTS that would challenge his (IMHO mis-)perception about homosexuality, homosexual rape, and history of asian homosexuality.
Whether he changes his opinion is well within his right to decide. Freedom of belief, so long as he does not discriminate against any of his students on the basis of their sexual orientation.
LKM: I am capable of loving even homosexuals, it's the sexual act that I have problems with, which is EXACTLY what 377A is all about.
WD: Do you eat sharks' fin soup? Some people find it disgusting, "repulsive", and against "proper order of nature", and so they are petitioning for it to be banned.
If every activity that someone or anyone in this world finds disgusting, "repulsive", or against "proper order of nature" gets banned, I think we may well end up everything also cannot do. Learn to live and let live. Remember the adage: One man's meat is another man's poison.
Like · 1
WD: @ LKM: Thanks for the "Like" for my previous comment, but I suggest that you think about it before you "Like". Why do you insist on banning (i.e. by supporting 377A) private homosexual acts between 2 consenting adults in the privacy of their bedrooms if you truly agree to "live and let live"?
LKM: 377A affects the future of my children, I'm generally selfish about well being of my children and their children. Shark fin has less impact on my kids, hence my ability to better accommodate live and let live ...
WD: Quote LKM: > "377A affects the future of my children, I'm generally selfish about well being of my children and their children."
Care to explain how/why 377A affects the future of your children? I presume you mean removing 377A affects their "well being" negatively, so I would appreciate if you would elaborate on how this may be so.
Or is the above another of those "I will state my OPINION as a FACT, and then hope that I don't get outed for not distinguishing between FACTS and OPINIONS" statements from you?
JT: Allow me to defend LKM here. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion/beliefs/values n he's just simply stating tt on his FB wall. If do not agree, can always state own views on own wall. Y the need for all these aggressive comments? This is an issue that even if argue till cow comes home there also will be no end to it...
WD: @ JT: I am afraid you're the one who is confused between a FB wall and the wall of a person's home.
In particular, points 6 and 7 under Safety.
6. You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user.
7. You will not post content that: is hate speech, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.
Homophobic statements, like what LKM posted above, e.g. "If homosexual intercourse is legally permissible, I fear for our Army !!!!" is a form of hate speech.
And to use social media to share his homophobic views (which LKM admitted are not fact-based but "my [his] opinion purely mine [his]") can be a form of cyber-bullying.
WD: If you don't know what "hate speech" is, here's a definition from wikipedia:
Hate speech is, outside the law, communication that vilifies a person or a group on the basis of one or more characteristics. Examples include but are not limited to: color, disability, ethnicity, gender, nationality, race, religion, and sexual orientation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_speech
WD: Please note that I am not a thought police. I have no interest in censoring LKM's resounding support for 377A. [Note: I did not comment on his other FB post drumming support for 377A.] (sic)
However, when LKM posted homophobic declarations, passing his OPINIONS off as FACTS (until otherwise challenged), and posting MISINFORMATION that constitutes hate speech, then I'm afraid he has crossed the line (as per Facebook's Terms of Use).
Which kind of friend are you? Which kind of friend would you rather have?
(a) the ministers: who let the emperor exhibit his folly for the world to see; who cannot see the clothing themselves, but pretend that they can for fear of appearing unfit for their positions; or
(b) the child: who calls a spade a spade, and blurts out the fact that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all.
One's critic is not necessary one's foe, and conversely one's supporter is not necessary one's friend. LKM, as a parent, should be well aware of which kind of friend he would prefer for himself and/or his children.
WD: In the same way that LKM recognizes that it is only the homosexual sex acts "that I [he] find it repulsive", that he is "capable of loving even homosexuals"; it is only LKM's posting of bigotry statements on social media that I find repulsive, and I recognize that he has other positive attributes which he expresses, even on the same FB social media account.
When a person posts controversial statements on his/her FB wall, he/she should be well aware that it is not the same as painting those controversial statements on one's own home walls. The "social" nature of FB means that the person posting those statements jolly well be prepared to defend his/her stance and/or face complaints about his/her posting.
Now, as I have said earlier, I recognize there is positive value in some of LKM's other inspirational FB postings. As such, I do not believe nor wish for him to lose his entire FB account over his temporary lapse in judgement by posting hate speech on his FB wall. That said, his homophobic remarks can be a form of cyber-bullying. When good men/women remain silent in witnessing bullying, they are implicitly condoning the act of bullying and empowering the bully to continue his/her wayward behaviour.
I hope that I have made my stance clear.
LKM: Now I feel so guilty having to know that I have contravened the use of FB's design intent .... but I still wish to use the last post I am capable of making in support of Penal Code 377A DON'T REPEAL IT !!!!
WD: > "last post I am capable of making"
Aiyoh, no need to be so drama king lah. I am not a thought police nor a backstabber. I warned you so that you can cease and desist from making further hate speech. Of course, if you fail to do so, I reserve the right to lodge a complaint with Facebook.
So, go ahead and drum all the support you want to create for 377A. Just do it by sticking to the facts.
Do not post PREJUDICIAL OPINIONS that could be construed as HATE SPEECH, otherwise you'd have contravened Facebook's Terms of Usage. If you care for your friends who share your support of 377A, you may want to explain to them about the fine line between supporting 377A and sprouting hate speech. Just my 2 cents.
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[On another of LKM's (slightly earlier) Facebook posting, indicating his intent to promote his pro-377A stance.]
LKM: I make NO APOLOGIES to my friends. If you're offended by my PRO-Penal Code 377A stand, please simply remove me from your FaceBook friends list :)
Being a father of 5 children through natural birth, I cannot visualize same sex marriage as anything near legitimate relationship, and moreso, cannot understand any sane human would ever want to champion such a SICK course ?!!!
Like · 39
[Snipped off - 3 other comments supporting and adding to LKM's stance]
WD: It is not about offence but contravention of FB's Terms of Usage, which you violated through posting "hate speech" in your other FB post which I have challenged. For details, please see my comments on your other FB post.
[Edit: Note that url to LKM's other FB post "If homosexual intercourse is legally permissible, I fear for our Army !!!!" (see above) is removed from display on this blog for privacy reasons.]
As a friend, it is my duty to tell you when you've crossed the line, so that you will not lose your ENTIRE FB ACCOUNT on the basis of a momentary lapse of judgement in your postings.
As your friend, I make NO APOLOGIES for doing the right thing in pointing out when you've overstepped the line. Unless of course, you'd prefer that I report you to FB directly, behind your back?
LKM: ... and even at the risk of loosing my entire FB account, I wish to do so championing the keeping of Penal Code 377A for Singapore ...
Like · 2
WD: @ LKM: As I mentioned in your other post, I am not a thought police. You can champion for support to keep Penal Code 377A for Singapore. Just do it by sticking to the facts.
Do not post PREJUDICIAL OPINIONS that could be construed as HATE SPEECH, otherwise you'd have contravened Facebook's Terms of Usage. If you care for your friends who share your support of 377A, you may want to explain to them about the fine line between supporting 377A and sprouting hate speech. Just my 2 cents.
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Has my challenge/feedback to LKM worked? Well, it depends on what you mean by "worked". For now, LKM has stopped passing-off his homophobic opinions as facts. He is still drumming support for 377A, but he is now quoting online sources such as wikipedia's entry on Singapore's 377A.
Actually, LKM is rather similar to another 2 pro-PAP Singaporean guys that I know. [Click here and here for more.] All 3 are born-and-bred Singapore citizens. All 3 are born-again Christians. All 3 graduated from polytechnic around late-1980's or early-1990's. All 3 went on to professional/executive careers, thanking their god for their career success. All 3 are homophobic.
Now, I know that a lot of online bloggers and commenters (presumably male Singaporeans) like to put the blame of PAP's majority votes on those "ignorant Singaporean women who do not go through NS". Perhaps, just perhaps, these online bloggers/commenters would do well go knocking on some Christian doors. After all, for those conservative right-wing Christian households, their church would often teach that the wife and children must obey the husband (who represents Christ as the head of the household); and thus, if you manage to convince these homophobic Christian men to vote for alternative parties, you may actually win over 2 or more votes per man swayed.
p.s. Please do not ostracize our fellow Singaporean, right-wing Christian, PAP supporters. Some of them are really nice people when you know them personally (e.g. my friends LKM and X). IMHO, "engage and educate" is the best approach to win them over. After all, each individual is a complex multi-faceted combination of qualities, not just a cardboard cut-out of their religious and/or political affiliations.
"Suddenly, Last Winter"
Listen to what Luka said at 1:40 to 2:15 (replace "pope/bishop" with "pastor", replace "Italians" with "Singaporeans"... does it ring a bell?)
This is a shout-out to folks who live in Australia, NZ and Singapore. If the Mayan Friday 21-Dec-2012 end-of-the-world happens to you in 3 hours' time, please drop a comment to give us folks in Canada an early alert. [We are only in the wee hours of Thursday morning right now.] Hahah! :-D
Otherwise, have a happy year-end and an awesome 2013, everyone!
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[Addendum on 21-Dec-2012]
From Yahoo! News sourced from "The New York Times", a group of thieves stole $18 million worth of Canadian maple syrup from the "global strategic maple syrup reserve". Hmm, maybe the strategic reserve of maple syrup serves to sweeten relations with the Mayan gods to save the globe from imminent destruction.
Ok, something interesting happened. When I logon to Blogger today, my web statistics for my blog has been wiped out. Apparently I have only 2 hits since the beginning of my blog now -- both hits from today, Japan, from a user(s) running Internet Explorer on Windows. One of which was on my "Wind and clouds 风云" blog entry.
Anyone else had their blogger statistics wiped out before?
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[Addendum on Sunday 14-Oct-2012, 9:55pm Canadian Pacific Time]
Yesterday, someone called this a "blah blah blog" without ever having had a look at it or finding out what it's about. If it were any person, I would not bother. But that someone was supposedly interested in me and made that remark when I casually mentioned about my blog. In response, I replied that his remark reminded me of a similar remark made by an MCP (male chauvinist pig) back in Singapore and that I dropped the other fellow as a friend after his very rude response to my decision to leave Singapore.
Sometimes it makes me wonder why men assume that women have inferior grey matter between our ears just because we don't go around shouting about our qualities and achievements. Come on, why would we when we (smart women) know very well that men usually go for looks? But that doesn't make us bimbos. If I wanted to be cruel, I could ask him, "How many people voluntarily come to you for your thoughts/views each day?" I'll bet it would not exceed 20/day* for someone who is a software developer and an introvert with a limited social life. But I won't do that, no need to hurt a man's most treasured asset -- his ego.
[*Note: As the current blog stats go, I get about 100 hits/day... assuming 2hits/day/person, it would be 50 persons voluntarily reading my thoughts each day.]
I am done putting up with chauvinist twits (click here, here, here and here -- see the comments section for the last 2 links), so unless that someone apologizes for his uncalled for prejudicial remark, it shall be "end of story" with this guy. There are plenty of fishes out there. I have turned down "better catches" before and would rather be alone than with a sub-standard fish.
Just a moment ago, I entered this blog's url and I got a small shocked when "Blog is deleted" appeared. Apparently my blog was auto-deleted by Blogger "for unusual activity" and needed my Canadian phone number for verification. Hmm, I wonder why.
I managed to login to my Dashboard and revived my blog. Then I checked my "Stats" and "Comments". Nothing unusual found. Except that I've been getting some hits from a strange server.
http://www4(dot)savegco-antivir(dot)com
From the URL nomenclature norms, it looks like an in-house server (possibly related to Blogger), and from the "Stats - Audience" page I deduced that the server is based in Russia. [WARNING: Do NOT do what I did here!!!] If one types in the above URL, one will get the "404 Not Found" error message, i.e. the landing page (a.k.a. "homepage") for this server is not set-up but the server exists.
[WARNING: Do NOT do what I did here!!!] If one enters http://www(dot)savegco-antivir(dot)com (i.e. drop-off the secure communication pathway)
One would find that this domain name does not exist and/or there is no server for it.
Has anyone experienced this before?
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[Addendum 20-Apr-2012]
See comment from CK below. Quote from StramaXon to beware of this and several related sites:
"the site is an spam site and contains Malicious viruses"
I read with interest the tongue-in-cheek statement by blogger Limpeh Is Foreign Talent, "Perhaps the fact that I am somewhat nervous about saying anything bad about LKY here is a sign that you can take the boy out of Singapore, but you can't take Singapore out of the boy."
IMHO, it shows someone who thinks carefully about his public presence, even if it is only an online one using a pseudonym.
Unlike Lucky Tan and Molly Meek who stick mostly to the non-personal information/commentary, bloggers such as Limpeh reveal enough personal information online such that those with vested interests (and maybe a bit of authority or money or both) can easily track them down. Thus, online anonymity is an illusion, especially in Singapore. Even "anonymous" bloggers such as Lucky or Molly can be traced down if the right person with enough authority and/or money wants it done.
I am well aware of this illusion of anonymity. E.g. Anyone who was my nursing colleague, previously my nursing classmate/teacher, or anyone who processed the exit of my nursing bond, etc, can quite easily deduce who I am from some of my blog entries. And thus, I am careful about what I write online too. Thankfully, I am just a small fry with very few hits [around 200 a month as of November 2011] and therefore I'm unlikely to be under anyone's radar anytime soon.
The following is extracted from TODAYonline news. Click here to skip to my commentary.
Number of neighbour disputes hit high Neighbours lack communication and increasingly intolerant: CMC By Quek Sue Wen Carolyn, 04:45 AM Aug 08, 2011
...
Out of the 498 cases seen by the CMC [Edit: Community Mediation Centre] last year, 67 per cent were neighbour disputes, an increase from the 2007 where such disputes only made up 50 per cent of the centre's caseload.
...
Madam Marcellina Giam, 54, a CMC master mediator, told Today: "I feel (neighbours) are less tolerant these days and they are bringing very small neighbourhood disputes to the CMC like disputes over a few pots of flowers or washing the corridor, which never used to happen."
Fellow master mediator Thirunal Karasu Palaniappan, 49, added that unlike in the past, when the "kampung spirit" was strong and neighbours ventured into each other's homes freely, many neighbours now do not know each other.
...
Most of the cases the mediators have seen are between neighbours living in public housing, though they have handled some cases involving residents of private estates. About 80 cases the CMC saw in the past two years were also referred to it by the HDB. This is out of the 1,700 complaints on inconsiderate neighbour behaviour the HDB receives on average in a year.
Mediators are also seeing more disputes involving new immigrants. Both mediators felt that most of the cases they see could be easily solved by the neighbours themselves but the latter choose not to.
...
When neighbours disagree ...
Case 1: A family, who had just moved here from China, had resorted to mediation because they could not stand the smell of curry that their Singaporean Indian neighbours would often cook. The Indian family, who were mindful of their neighbour's aversion, had already taken to closing their doors and windows whenever they cooked the dish, but this was not enough.
"They said: 'Can you please do something? Can you don't cook curry? Can you don't eat curry?'," said Madam Marcellina Giam, a Community Mediation Centre mediator. But the Indian family stood firm. In the end, Mdm Giam got the Indian family to agree to cook curry only when the Chinese family was not home. In return, they wanted their Chinese neighbours to at least give their dish a try.
Case 2: A 40-year-old sales manager was shocked to find a note posted in one of the lifts of his Telok Blangah block. The anonymous writer had complained that his children were making "ear-piercing screams everyday and making the environment very unconducive for resting". The writer said the screams were "hurting the ears" of the residents and called on the children's parents to be "socially responsible".
The sales manager, who wanted only to be known as Mr Su, said he thought of responding and finding out who the letter writer was. He decided against it eventually. "I don't know why the writer had to do that, he could have approached me directly," Mr Su told Today.
He has also told his two sons aged three and five not to make too much noise when they play. Mr Su also said he will let the matter rest - provided it does not happen again.
Case 1 cited "a family, who had just moved here from China" asking an Indian family not to cook curry -- an Indian staple food. Perhaps the recently-arrived China Chinese family does not understand that their request is akin to asking the Eskimos not to eat fish?
Case 2 did not mention the nationality of the writer of a complaint note since he/she is anonymous. Nevertheless "ear-piercing" [“刺耳”] is a typical PRC Chinese Mandarin description of loud noises. Localized Singaporean Chinese tends to use the descriptions "noisy" [“吵”] or "sharp screams" [“尖叫”]. It is such minor linguistic differences that were parodied by yet another PRC Chinese in Singapore. IMHO, the reason for complaint may be valid, but the delivery could have been improved for better neighbourliness as remarked by Mr Su in the article.
Someone commented online that Singaporean (i.e. local born) Chinese are different from the recent flood of Chinese immigrants from PRC. I guess it boils down to the question: Where is the kampung spirit?
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Massive immigration in Singapore has caused much strain in the social fabric. According to Department of Statistics population estimate in mid-2010,
Singapore population is 5,076,700 (100%)
Singapore citizens 3,771,700 (74%) [Includes 90,000 (2%) newly minted citizens between 2006 and 2010.]
Singapore Permanent Residents 541,000 (11%)
Other foreigners (workers or temporary visas holders, excluding tourists) 754,524 (15%) [2000 data estimate].
According to the United Nations report World Population Policies 2005, 42.6% of Singapore's population are foreigners.
Occasionally, I read/hear of people in Metro Vancouver complaining of massive immigration too. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada data for Vacouver urban area during 2006-2010, there were
This makes a total of 83,344 (4%) foreigners out of a population (2006 data) of 2,116,581 for Metro Vancouver. Perhaps I am missing some numbers somewhere. According to the United Nations report World Population Policies 2005, 18.76% of Canada's population are foreigners.
On the other side of the same coin, I sometimes hear of fellow immigrants complaining of the increasing difficulty of immigrating to Canada, or the challenges faced when attempting to return to the equivalent of their previous professional levels in Canada. For sure, the challenges faced are not trivial. Nevertheless coming from Singapore where the impact of open-door immigration policy is felt, I do not share their wish for more open Canadian policies. I prefer a controlled immigration pace that pushes new immigrants to adapt to their adopted land and gives the locals time to embrace the trickle of diversity into their lives.
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[Addendum on 16th Aug 2011]
The news of case 1 above has inspired a Facebook movement "Cook and Share a Pot of Curry!". Details of the event below is copied from the FB page.
Time: Sunday, August 21 · 11:00am - 11:30pm
Location: Everywhere in Singapore and in the World!
Information: "COOK and SHARE a Pot of Curry" - to celebrate Curries as part of our way of life - and to share this celebration with those who are new to our shores!
DECLARATION AND DISCLAIMER: The following are my personal opinion. I am not a financial analyst or in any way qualified to give financial advice and thus any content from me shall be construed as a sharing of personal opinion, not financial advice. I do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information provided by me. Under no circumstances will I or anyone related to this content be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from any reliance on the information or other content posted or linked by me.
Recently, a friend who originated from China asked me how to learn about investment and personal financial management. Just 2 days ago, I chat with my landlady, who also originated from China, and she asked the same question.
I didn't think much about my early days of learning about financial management until at a discussion at the [free Canadian federal-sponsored] Financial Literacy Program for new migrants. The lecturer asked, "When was the first time you were taught about money?" As it turns out, I had an early exposure to money. I was collecting small payments, returning the change, and counting the daily revenue at my grandfather's shop even as a kindergarten kid.
In my teens and tweens, I eagerly read articles on personal financial management and stock market analysis. It is understandable, given that my parents often quarreled over money.
[Aside: I had thought then that if the money problems get fixed, the other problems will fall into place too. What I did not understand back then, though, was that the money quarrels were just a proxy to bigger problems in their marriage. But that's another story.]
As luck would have it, my previous career landed me into projects which taught me about diverse aspects of the financial market. My first job after graduation was with a company that sells financial news. My first project was to automate the faxing of Bunker reports to clients (i.e. a commodity trading information system) -- my preceptor gave me my first lessons on commodity trading. Thereafter, I handled projects on stock information systems -- colleagues taught me about the stock market. At a subsequent job, I was supporting forex traders -- and thus I learn about forex trading (i.e. currency trading), settlements and risk management. At another job, I created an information system for private bankers -- and my clients taught me about private banking, stock/equity and related derivatives, bonds/fixed-income trading, and portfolio management. At yet another job, I handled credit rating and other derivative information systems -- and ... (you get the drift). I am incredibly lucky to get a free education on financial markets along with my previous career.
Other teachers include my insurance agents -- about insurance rules-of-thumb -- and my lawyer and IRAS [Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore] -- about wills and Singapore estate duty. In the early-2000's, I attended a seminar from the Stock Exchange of Singapore about analyzing and investing in stocks and its derivatives. It was a rewarding experience, in more ways than one. Once again, I am incredibly lucky to meet people willing to share their expertise.
Nowadays, there are lots of online resources on investing and personal financial management. IMHO, one can get a solid education online with some effort.
Here are some of the online resources that I currently refer to. In addition I also read some blogs (e.g. Lucky Singaporean) that comment on such matters.
Category I - Canada specific resources
Canada Revenue Agency - Information about government taxes and financial related policies affecting individuals in Canada.
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/menu-eng.html
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada - Information on managing personal finances in Canada. Tools and advice to guide you from choosing bank accounts, mortgages to analyzing one's budget.
http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/default.asp
Category II - Financial terminology and learning about investing
Berkshire Hathaway - Glimpse into the mind of one of the world's best investor - Warren Buffet
http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html
Canadian Couch Potato - The Canadian lazy investors' guide
http://canadiancouchpotato.com/2010/03/29/bonds-v-bond-funds/
Canadian Money Forum - Read about how other Canadians manage their finances
http://www.canadianmoneyforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=1
Investopia - Very good dictionary for financial terminology with links to related terms.
http://www.investopedia.com/dictionary/
Money Sense (from Canadian Business) - General investment advice
http://www.moneysense.ca/2010/10/21/six-strategies-to-build-your-wealth/
Money Ville (from Canadian thestar.com) - Another general investment website newly launched in 2010
http://www.moneyville.ca/investing
RedFlagDeals.com Personal Finance - Read about how other North Americans manages their finances
http://forums.redflagdeals.com/personal-finance-f41/
Wall Street Journal Online - Personal finance articles
[Added on 4th March 2011 at 05:15am Singapore time. Sorry, missed out this earlier.]
http://online.wsj.com/public/page/news-personal-investing-finance.html
Category III - Learning about the market trends
[Addendum: 27-March-2011. How could I have missed out The Economist!?!]
The Economist - Covers "world news, politics, economics, business & finance"
http://www.economist.com/
Questrade - Market data from the online trading platform
http://www.questrade.com/learn/market_data.aspx
Reuters - Business and Financial News
http://www.reuters.com/finance/markets
The New York Times Business Day - Read about business trends worldwide from New York's perspective
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/index.html
XE.com - Currency exchange
http://www.xe.com/
Yahoo Finance - Catch the financial trends in North America
http://finance.yahoo.com/marketupdate?u
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Although I read the above online resources every now-and-then, I am inclined to agree with the following Chinese proverb when it comes to factors affecting personal wealth.
一命，二運，三風水，四齊德，五讀書
First fate, second luck, third Feng Shui (i.e. harmony with environment), fourth doing good deeds, fifth studies (or hard-work)
