THINGS SO SINGAPOREAN..should be an NDP song!

There is a song that is out on Youtube many months ago titled " Things So Singaporean" that

has caught the public's attention and the support for it to be included as an official NDP 2009

song has received tremendous support form all quarters.

The song is written by Judith dSilva and sung by Ann Hussein.

For a more detailed report please see my comments at my Wise Owl site here.

Why we must always maintain our Racial and Religious harmony

This footage is from CCTV, available on Youtube.

WARNING: Some scenes may be disturbing to normal viewers.

The recent religious and racial riots in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang province China is a timely reminder to us that often a very thin line separates order and raw insanity in a society brimming with the undercurrents of racial and religious animosity.

In Singapore, we too had our racial riots with many seriously maimed and killed back in 1963-1964 period of our history.

We must NEVER again allow this to happen or the consequences will be worse than SARS, H1N1 or other potential threats that have visited our shores.

Community Carnival 2009..this weekend.

This is an OPEN invitation to one and all for the

coming Carnival on Saturday May 23 2009.

It will be held at the open field next to Blk 147 Serangoon North Ave 1.

Time: 2 - 7 pm

Tickets available at only $3 per head.

Lots of fun-filled activities for everyone.

So all GROs and GRLs please inform and encourage

your friends and residents to come on down and join

in the afternoon of FUN!

Serangoon Green Family Carvinal

Serangoon Green Family Carvinal cum Precinct Visit and Flea Market was held on Sunday, 17th May, 2009.

GRLs gave their thumbs up !!!!!!!!!

A visit to the precinct accompanied by GRLs and Representatives from Agencies.

The Minister (PMO) had a chat with one of the stall holders. Business was good, I sold quite alot of books, she said.

The Minister (PMO) addressed the residents and thanked them for participating in the upgrading programs.

We had a good durian party with the Minister (PMO) and residents, said the GRLs. Durians were good

EMB & CDC/CCC ITE Scholarship and Bursary Awards Presentation Ceremony

Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua, Minister (PMO) and Second Minister for Finance & Transport presented ITE scholarships and bursary awards to some 40 plus students at The Serangoon Theatrette on 11th May, 2009.

What would you have done?

Littering is an offence not only in Singapore but in many other countries as well. Do not litter or no littering signs have been put up in public places, void decks and elsewhere. If we want to improve the situation not only must we set a good example ourselves but take citizen's action
when we witness blatant, outright acts of defiant littering as oppose to so-called "accidental" dropping of say a piece of tissue paper by someone.
Just last month, on an SBS bus, a secondary schoolboy in full uniform from a school in the east, deliberately left his litter ( a paper cup he was drinking from ) on the aisle of the bus. When
the bus driver told him gently to pick it up, he ignored him. As the bus door opened at the bus stop, this recalcitrant chap with his friend rushed off, scolding and cursing the driver. The driver intent on righting a deliberate wrong in public, came down and approached the duo. In the ensuing argument, this 14 year old 'samseng' punched the driver on his face and ran off. He even turned around and taunted the poor driver to come after him while using foul expletives directed at him. The driver did the correct thing...not to give chase as he had a busload of passengers still witnessing this unbelievable act of hooliganism.
When this report first came out, I asked myself, " what would I have done if I were there either as a passenger or a passerby? ". The answer is simple for me as I know myself well. I know what I would have donel as you will soon see in the next real incident below. What will you have done?
Fortunately, someone on the bus had captured the incident on a handphone and it was shown publicly on Stompers. Many people wanted the strongest action to be taken against the "samseng kia"preferably by the law. The school, as usual talked about counselling etc...for the two students. For goodness sake...an assault of a bus driver had taken place! It is a crime whether done by an adult or a 14 year old who must be taught a lesson he won't ever forget again! Possibly as a result of soft or no punishment for such un-civilised behaviour...there has been a recent spate of students in different schools doing similar or worse things to their teachers, counsellors, vice-principals by throwing chairs at them, throwing files, using expletives and yes punching them too.
The outcome of all these cases are still unknown. The most recent case involved a 17 year old youth who could have injured or killed someone when he grabbed a metal chair and whacked it very hard against the glass door at Blk 125, Serangoon North Ave 1. That incident happened during the MPS when caretaker MP Cynthia Phua was in attendance as Mrs Lim H Hua was away. The incident was fully covered in the main media and press.
So back to the littering incident and the questions I've posed.
Two nights ago, I happened to be at the Serangoon [ CC] around 8 pm. I was chatting with Mr Chua K Soon, Wilson and Daisie just outside the CC entrance door....when a middleage Indian man walked past. Mr Chua noticed he had thrown down a piece of " receipt size" paper right where we were standing around. I did not see it as I was facing Mr Chua as we chatted. Mr Chua then asked the man politely to pick up the litter he had deliberately thrown. That chap just uttered something under his breath and with his hand gestures dismissed Mr Chua's request!
He proceeded to walk away from us as if nothing has ever happened or as if to make an unsaid
statement " who the hell are you to tell me to pick up litter even if I had thrown it myself?".
As I've asked earlier, " What would you have done in such circumstances?"
Here's what I did exactly...that produced the desired effect and outcome I would like to see, you too would love to see.

Me: " Hello there! ( in a loud authoritative voice and command ) Come back here!
He: He stopped in his tracks turned around slowly to see who has called out to him. Before he
could say anything else... I spoke directly to him as he bravely walked back towards me.
Me: " Hello my friend! You know it's an offence to litter, yet you throw that piece of paper here
in front of us. And when Mr Chua here ask you to pick it up, you just walk away. Are you
trying to be funny or what?"
He: How you know I throw? That paper got no my name ?"
Me: " Mr Chua saw you and that is good enough for me! Do you want to pick it up or not?
Otherwise I would like to check if you are a Singaporean or foreigner or illegal immigrant!"
He: Submissively, he bent down to pick it up without saying a word more.
[ Lesson learnt! He was afraid of what I may do next. Note that I did not get into any
argument with him at all. Avoid arguments. I gave him a choice whether he wanted to play
hard ball or soft ball...it's up to him. I am glad for him he chose wisely.]

Unk Dicko

An Invitation to Tea with Ministers (Apr 18)

Thank you for coming, Minister George Yeo

Some of the Committee Members of Chartworth NC with the Ministers.

The Chartworth NC organized "An Invitation to Tea with Ministers" at one of its committee member's house in Penshurst Place on Saturday afternoon (Apr 18). After the dialogue session, GRLs, together with the hosts, had a group photo with the two Ministers.

INFOCOMM 123 Portal

An update from Unk Dicko

I am beginning to see this blogsite of ours grow in strength month to month since its founding
last November 2008. When I started it off it was just like a little new born baby. And new born babies need plenty of care, nourishment and attention ever constantly.
That notion was always uppermost on my mind. So, however busy I was I had to ensure that the "baby" must survive no matter what and come what may.
We are now into the 6th month of our Blog life and I think "baby" has become stable and stronger. It has acquired some interesting features which clearly has made visiting" baby" an
enjoyable and worthwhile experience.
The links to our site continues to grow and do welcome more links. If you have a blog or a website just tell me in the comment box and I will add you on.

Right now, I've just added INFOCOMM 123 portal at the top.
This is a most useful site for everyone of us. Whether you want to connect with a government agency online, or you want to make an enquiry online, or simply want some answers to some niggling questions about IT or technical stuff ...all you need is just ASK. Someone will answer you! Beat that!

You could also learn how to set up a blog, step by step in the "learn how to blog" section.
Hopefully, you will be inspired by 3 well-known senior bloggers who share their blogging experiences in a series of blogposts and over an interview ( It's also in Youtube ).
The 3 senior bloggers were officially appointed by INFOCOMM 123 as their SILVER AMBASSADOR to spread and promote the world of blogging to the community at large.
They are Lao Zhabor of Lao Zhabor Blogspot, Lam Chun See of GoodMorningYesterday Blog and
yours truly, the Wise Old Owl of uncledicko Blog.

There are fun games for you to try out too. Don't be afraid of IT.
The young kids today are all comfortable with IT and technology because they are never
afraid to TRY out things on the computer. You may make mistakes. So what? No one ever will die from it. Just try again and again.
And once you pick up some skills and apply them regularly, they stay with you. Much like learning to ride a bicycle...once mastered, you can ride till you are old!

Congratulations and celebrations........

A toast by Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua, accompanied by Mr. Andy Lim, patrons and members of CCC to GRLs celebrating her promotion to Minister (PMO) and Second Minister (Finance) & (Transport) at The Serangoon Multi-purpose Hall on 11th April 2009.

Like all celebrations of significance, the Minister cuts the cake to celebrate the occasion.

The Minister addressing the guests and acknowledging the many well wishes from the GRLs.

A memento (with special "significance") presented by Mrs. Daisie Yip, Chairperson of CCC to the Minister (PMO)

Presentation of flowers by Md. Ho Mei Leng to congratulate the Minister (PMO)

A section of the guests at the Dinner on April 11, to celebrate the promotion of our Minister (PMO) and Second Minister (Finance) & (Transport) Mrs Lim Hwee Hua

Precinct Visit cum High Tea with Our MP

A happy Team after the precinct visit on April 5, 2009

Our Minister (PMO) addresses the residents after the precinct visit

Ms. Claire Ng (Chairperson Hwi Yoh Court RC)

congratulates the Minister (PMO) & addresses

residents.

The leaders of Hwi Yoh Court RC with

the Minister (PMO).....a shot for the Album.

Our very own Kampong RADIO !

My latest discovery on the internet!
Last night, while doing some research on old songs by Nat King Cole, I chanced upon a site purely by accident. I am extremely glad that I went into the site to read up more. If I had skipped over it, I wouldn't have discovered what I now know.
That site is JANGO Music Com.
How it works is simply fantastic.
You can create your very own radio station by choosing the artists you like. Whether one or add as many as you like.
Then click" Create station" and you automatically get the songs of your favourite crooner played on your computer!
You can even create more than one station or special stations for selected singers of your choice!
Moments ago, I discovered more things.
See the top left corner of our homepage. I have installed a new jukebox and named it "Our Kampong Radio !"
Turn on your computer speakers and the beautiful songs of the selected 15 singers/groups will PLAY automatically while you browse through our blogposts.
Amazing!
Truly making reading the blog an enjoyable, pleasant experience.
You the reader or visitor can even advance the singer or the song by clicking on the >> arrow within the jukebox itself. Or just click on the photo of the singer as it rolls past to listen to that singer! Fabulously easy and so convenient!
You can also control the volume.
There are too many songs to name.
But here are my initial selections for "Our Kampong Radio!"
Songs from these singing greats are for your listening pleasure. Sit back comfortably and relax while you read the blogposts. Enjoy!
1. Perry Como
2. The Platters
3. Roy Orbison
4. Ray Charles
5. Tony Bennet
6. Elvis Presley
7. Dean Martin
8. The Everly Brothers
9. Harry Belafonte
10. Frank Sinatra
11. Andy Williams
12. The Drifters
13. Fats Domino
14. Louis Armstrong
15. Nat King Cole

[ unk Dicko ]

SINGAPORE ...70 years ago, on Video !

For those of you who have lived through and seen the Singapore of old, this superb 11 minute video will revive a host of golden memories. This short film captured Singapore as she was back in 1938 just before the 2nd World War started in Europe 1939. The Japanese attacked S'pore in December 1941.

The narration is typically British. Bear in mind that this was shot in 1938 when Singapore was still a British colony, part of the so-called mighty "British Empire", and local people living here were referred to as "British subjects and servants of the empire". And I'm certain that reference included many among you and me too.

For those of you who are much younger, you will be able to get a better understanding of what our Singapore was like 70 years ago. Rickshaws, bullock-carts, old cars [mostly British made], coolies, amahs, barbers, policemen, bum-boats....all the daily activities of a bustling port city.

See the way Raffles Hotel, Padang, Esplanade, Fullerton Building, Cavenagh Bridge, Singapore River, etc...etc...used to be, 70 years ago!

Footage of early Singapore is very rare and we are indeed fortunate to be able to see clips such as this. Unk Dicko enjoyed viewing it very much. I had it posted in my main "Owl" blogsite last December with a more detailed post. You can read it by clicking here.

Our Pride our Joy

GRLs, members of Merchants' Association and well wishers gathered together after the MPS on Mar 30 to congratulate and convey well wishes to our Minister in the PMO & Second Minister for Finance & Transport, MP for Aljunied GRC.

The new Minister asked: Were you surprised by the announcement ?. Someone replied: We were waiting for this to happen. Glad it did.

The PETS COMMUNITY @ Serangoon

Yesterday, I received a request from Mr William Tan Secretary of the Pets Community @Serangoon to put a link of their website here.

You can see the link at the left column of our homepage, together with other links.

Their website address is:

http://www.pets-community.com/

I have visited their website to check up on upcoming "pet" events at the SERANGOON. Many events are in the pipeline! Shows and seminars that will please a wide cross-section of our pet loving residents of Kampong Serangoon. You name it...dogs, birds, fish and even reptiles are among those planned for.

So do check up and visit their website for the latest news as well as what's coming up.

unk Dicko

CONGRATULATIONS MRS LIM !

I am sure all Grassroot Leaders of SERANGOON will join me in offering our HEARTIEST CONGRATULATIONS to our Adviser, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua on her promotion to Minister(PMO).

Home > Breaking News > Singapore > Story
March 26, 2009
PM renews Cabinet

Mr Teo Chee Hean (far left) will be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. Mrs Lim Hwee Hua will be appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and concurrently appointed as Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Transport. ST PHOTOS: BRYAN VAN DER BEEK, WONG KWAI CHOW


PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has reshuffled his Cabinet, making several changes and appointments as part of continuing leadership renewal.
The changes are also to test out younger office holders for broader responsibilities, said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday.

CABINET AND OTHER OFFICE HOLDERS
The changes will take effect from April 1.
Changes in ministerial appointments Mr Teo Chee Hean will be appointed as Deputy Prime Minister. He will be the Acting Prime Minister in the absence of the Prime Minister. He will continue as Minister for Defence.
Professor S Jayakumar will relinquish his appointment as Deputy Prime Minister. He will be appointed as Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and will continue as Co-ordinating Minister for National Security. He will also continue to oversee foreign policy matters which cut across different ministries and take charge of foreign policy issues which involve legal negotiation or international adjudication. He continues to chair the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change.

Mr Gan Kim Yong will be appointed as Minister for Manpower.
Mrs Lim Hwee Hua will be appointed as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

She will be concurrently appointed as Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Transport.
Mr Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Minister of State, will relinquish his appointment in Education and will be appointed as Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.
Dr Lee Boon Yang will relinquish his appointment as Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts and retire from the Government.

Since being appointed a Parliamentary Secretary in 1985, Dr Lee has served in many portfolios including Environment, Trade and Industry, Finance, Home Affairs, National Development, Defence, and Manpower, before becoming Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts in 2003. The Prime Minister thanks Dr Lee for his many years of service and contributions to the Government and the nation.

Changes in appointment of Ministers of State

Mr S Iswaran will be appointed as Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, concurrent with his present appointment of Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Mr Lee Yi Shyan will be appointed as Minister of State in the Ministry of Manpower, concurrent with his present appointment of Minister of State in the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
New appointment of Parliamentary Secretary Mr Sam Tan will be appointed as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Trade and Industry and concurrently in the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.

His appointment takes effect on 1 July 2009.

Other appointments

Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed will relinquish his appointment of Mayor, North East Community Development Council when his current 3-year term ends on 30 May 2009. He will continue as Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Teo Ser Luck will be appointed as Mayor, North East Community Development Council with effect from 31 May 2009. This will be concurrent with his appointment as Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and in the Ministry of Transport.

Source: Straits Times Online, Breaking News

The Championship CAT Show...part 4

Photo: Mr Chua Kah Soon of Goodwill Birds is one of the key organisers of this event. He was kind enough to show me around and introduce me to the owners of the participating cats.

This is such a lovely and healthy cat.



This lady must be the President of the Show...Roszanah Packer Mohamed.
She was proudly introducing her exotic cat to me.
And I could not resist carrying such a cute and lovable cat. It has beautiful fur and nice almond eyes.

Mr Chua specially brought me to have a good look at this "must see" cat.

WHOA!

BLIMEY! ( as the British used to inject)

WAH PIANG! ( Ah Beng's expression )

I would not have believed if I hadn't seen this cat with my own eyes.

It has this so, so out of this world look about it.
From head to tail, practically hairless, its unique features must be seen to be believed!

The face of this cat is what I will remember most.

Such a rarity!

They put a vest on the cat as it was air-conditioned in the Hall.

The owners are mighty proud of this beauty.

For more reports and pictures you can go to "The Wise Old Owl" link here.

The Championship CAT Show...part 3.

While the Championship Cat Show got underway in the morning, Mrs Lim Hwee Hua and many busloads of of Serangoon residents congregated at the Changi Boardwalk starting point for an organised early morning walk. They were joined by many GRLs from the various RCs and NCs and other GROs. She made it back to the Cat Show as Guest of Honour for the event.

Photo:

The 2 invited Foreign judges...

Cheryl Uren ( Australia ) and Kayoko

Koizumi (Japan) with our Guest of Honour.

Photo:

Mrs Lim presenting a prize to this budding artist.

There were many prizes for various categories of judging.

Childrens' Cat colouring and drawing, Best Dress Cats, Best Dress cages...etc...

Photo:

Taking a closer look at these pretty little things. By the way, some of the cats are not little at all. They may be bigger than your little puppies and small dog breeds.

And they come in different shapes and sizes, with unique eyes or fur peculiar to their own breed.

The Serangoon was certainly well-decorated with colourful banners, posters, displays...all on and about CATS.

I did not see a single dog there. They obviously know when to keep away!


Do check out all 300 photos of this spectacular event on the Serangoon Multiply Link ...at left hand column.

unk Dicko

The Championship CAT Show...part 2

You are looking at the cat that was crowned Champion Overall. Yes, the one with the Best of everything in the eye of the judges.

There were 2 highly qualified international cat judges invited from A

Australia and Japan.

Photo:

Unk Dicko with the judge from Japan Ms Kayoko Koizumi and the owner of that thing of beauty.

The Championship CAT Show

On Sunday 22 March 2009, The Serangoon was host to a huge event...the Eagle Pack Championship CAT Show. It was a full day event that stretched from 10 am to over 5 pm.

The event drew a very large crowd of obviously cat lovers and others who wanted to learn more about these lovely feline animals.

Unk Dicko was there in the later part of the afternoon with his digital camera, the Canon Ixus 70 to hopefully capture some pretty shots.

It was more than I bargained for! In honest truth, it turned out to be a revealation for me as this was the 1st time I had seen such a show close-up.

Yes, even touching these lovely cats and chatting with their equally lovely owners about their devoted pets.

I must confess I have never seen such a collection of cats from various parts of the world.

The only cats I know are our "Singapura" local ones and some like the Persian variety.

But those that were there for the competition took my breath away for sheer beauty and uniqueness.

Super-duper is all I can say!

Check my upcoming posts for the details and the pictures.

And also the link to all the other photos taken by William's Passion photographers.

In A Far Away Land...JOHN DENVER sings in Chinese!

I AM A SONG

I LIVE TO BE SUNG

I SING WITH ALL MY HEART

......John Denver......

Read the full and interesting article, with much more info about the song, about John Denver etc... which I posted at my Wise Owl blogsite.

Pertandingan Kompang

The Serangoon was the venue for Pertandingan Kompang (Kompang Competition) held on Mar 14, 2009. Twelve Teams from all over in Singapore, participated in the Competition. Photos taken by Passion Photographers had been uploaded in the website: http://www.theserangoon.multiply.com/

Darma Muneeswaran Temple Bursary Awards 2009, cum Launching of Darma Youth Wing

The Guest-of-Honour, Mrs. Lim Hwee Hua, lightes up the lamp to signal the start of Darma Muneeswaran Temple Bursary Awards and Launch of Darma Youth Wing.

I was impressed with the way the Event was organized.

Photos taken by Passion Photographers had been uploaded in the website (http://www.theserangoon.multiply.com/). Visit the website to view the complete coverage of this special Event.

Aljunied GRC & Hougang SMC Dialogue Session

MPs from the Aljunied GRC together with Mr. Eric Low were at the Aljunied GRC & Hougang SMC Dialogue Session for GRLs held on March 5, 2009. The Presentations together with speeches/comments from MPs and GRLs were enriching. Now we have a better understanding on why the Government did not reduce the GST. Those who did not attend
the Dialogue Session last night had missed something for sure !!!

Photos taken by Passion Photographers at the above event had been uploaded in our website:http://theserangoon.multiply.com/photos/album/17/Aljunied_GRC_Hougang_SMC_Dialogue_Session_Mar_5_09

Presentation on the Resilience Package valued at S$20.5 Billion.

Want to know more ?

Presentation on what the commuters will benefit from the new fare structure.

The savings from transfers from bus-train-bus-train.

An overview of the GRLs at the Dialogue Session held in the Multi-Purpose Hall in The Serangoon

MPs from Aljunied GRC together with Mr Eric Low were at the Dialogue Session held at The Serangoon on Mar. 5, 2009, for GRLs in the Aljunied GRC. We were treated to 2 presentations on the "Resilience Package" and "All Communters will Benefit...." plus speeches/comments actively participated by MPs and GRLs. Indeed, it was an enriching Dialogue Session. Now we have a better understanding why the GST should not be cut! If you were not present, you had missed something !

Click on the link below to view photos taken by Passion Photographers at the Dialogue Session :http://theserangoon.multiply.com/photos/album/17/Aljunied_GRC_Hougang_SMC_Dialogue_Session_Mar_5_09