On the fourth day of Christmas, I bring to you...

Maybe a post worth 4 pages long!

For our first topic today, I am going to touch on the Google Page Creator to Google Sites move. Apparently as stated on Google Page Creator's official site, it says:

If you are currently a Page Creator user, you can continue to use Page Creator and your pages will automatically be transitioned to Google Sites later this year. We are committed to making this transition as smooth and easy as possible, and we will post more details as we get closer to the transition time. You can also manually move your web pages from Page Creator to Google Sites or other service providers at any time.

Apparently, that wasn't true and on this post, we can see that others like me are panicking - why are they not moving yet? I was frustrated and found the answer today.

You are correct in that we haven't said anything about what is going
on with this transition. We made mention that once we figure out the
ins and outs of what is going on with it that we'll make an
announcement. We are still in the process of figuring this out and
honestly, this won't be happening until sometime early next year.
There are still too many variables to take into account that we have
to figure out and account for. So to answer your questions:

1) We don't have a timeline.
2) We don't know yet (if Javascript will be supported after the transition).

We don't mean to be keeping you in the dark about this, we just
haven't said anything because we don't have all of the answers yet. As
soon as we have information about this, we will certianly let everyone
know.

Mike
The Google Sites Guide

I wonder when is "sometime early this year". Well, just hope that it will be before June 2009. Also, now Page Creator can't be edited, so for my NeoCrase readers, I wanted to say please fill up the form as to help us decide the new site URL, as we will be moving to Google Sites and we will be called THE MELVUS HIDEOUT !!!! Woohoo! Thank you for the support these 2 years.

Next, I was invited to an award ceremony recently. There is always a Guest-of-Honour (GOH) as usual and as usual, they will make a speech. It was in the morning. Apparently, the GOH - I shall not mention his name because read the following - read a few blogs and came to the knowledge that some people do not like to wake up so early in the morning just for an award ceremony. And his name was in one of the blogs. The way he said the latter was ... maybe there was an edge to his voice, but he definitely wasn't as happy as his face showed. Anyway, he said that they (the GOH is a Member of Parliament) wanted to recognise those award recipients (he repeated what was said last year) and that he will acknowledge those that he had seen before. But throughout the ceremony and after that when we talked, he didn't give any sign he knew me. So sad. Some of the luckier ones even can have the handshake for a long time, like a celebrity (do not wash your hands).

Anyway, I had a negative feeling towards our government and I managed to rebut every sentence of what he said in his speech. A nice game. I shall point a few out.

1. He said," I also had to come early and rush here..." The underlined word suggests he woke up late and needed to "rush" here. And he was, for 15 minutes, or was it the organising committee that haven't finished everything.
2. "We will be there to give any assistance needed..." on talking about next year's economic downfall. He was trying to empathize with us, but he must be so rich, he wouldn't know anything at all. When was the last time the government gave help? GST offset package? Wasn't that given during the period when the elections were looming? Just to get you to vote for that same party again? Some people said "You vote lah, now they increase GST to 10% (in about 2012) you happy right?" And whenever you needed financial assistance, you needed so many forms to fill, wait so long, and in the end you may not get it. Like in the movie Money not Enough 2, "they suck money from you" but you need to beg them for it. Though they will argue that they only have limited funds, I would say why not they decrease their pay to $2000 a month? A lot of people are like that and they still survive.

Back to the topic, the organising committee this time seemed more efficient only a few lapses and they are off (like when they showed me to my seat wrongly, but I don't expect them to remember everything - and that's not easy to remember). The funny part was my usher said "Second Section, please" but there's no sign saying "Section 2".

Also, when they collected their awards, they seemed so rigid and heavy to move. It was so unnatural and quite amusing. The claps at the end was tremendous, maybe because everyone wanted to leave right away, I also joined in. Everything ended nicely that day.

Doodling Day

3rd Day of Christmas-3 topics. (This isn't going to go on forever, trust me)

Today, I spent some time doodling and I was surprised by what I came up with. My artwork was always the worst, and I hardly got anything more than a C in primary school.

So what I did was to draw a cube and by darkening one of the 4 lines in each of the cube's 6 faces randomly, doesn't it look like a chair? Take the shaded part for something you leaned on.

On Christmas, I had a gathering, so I took a bus. Upon alighting, a lady's comb (that lady was also alighting and was in front of me) dropped and landed on the chair. I saw it and tapped on her shoulder, returning the comb. She was grateful, and told this to her boyfriend (I believe) who was waiting at the bus-stop for her, wondering what the hold-up was. What a Happy Christmas.

Maybe 20 minutes later, there was man about 30 years old, who gave some money to an elderly man on the sidewalk (but not blocking the way), in exchange for some tissue packs. I was a few steps behind this man. He was definitely kind and generous and I feel something. Not exactly happy, though. This old man then said loudly in Chinese, that that person will have great luck and so on treating him as his benefactor. Can I say I pitied the old man? Why not he try looking for a job or something, even if it's a cleaner? Maybe I am affected by what my parents say. They feel that if you are able-bodied, you should find a job, instead of sitting there, begging people to buy tissue. We have seen before some handicapped people, so independent on their own by the streets singing or doing some sort of "work" instead of sitting there and expect empathy. Those are the people whom we should donate our money to as an encouragement.

I hope that you, the reader no matter how fortunate or unfortunate you are, are able to learn something out of this entry today.

I thank you for reading and if you want to be kept updated of this blog, Firefox users can subscribe to this feed by clicking the orange button in the address bar. (I just went online and found the difference between Atom and RSS feed. Interstingly, Atom's Creator said RSS had some problems, hence this was created as a rival, from Wikipedia. But I don't find anything wrong. It's still your choice.)

Oh and Santa came by. Thank you! I appreciate it. (Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho-reminds me of Range-chan from Ouran High School Host Club, an anime.)

On the second day of Christmas, I bring to you...

... 2 updates!

Today, the second day of Christmas, is Boxing day, where everyone will box up all their decorations for next year. When I was young, I thought Boxing day was the day of some big international boxing fight. It was so literal-yes, you may laugh, but how will people think of "boxing" as in "box up decorations"? Anyway, I learnt its true meaning a this year during a Geography lesson.

Apparently, Santa didn't come yesterday. Out of the many items that I lack, I wanted an MP3. Why not a computer or cash, you may ask.

1. At night, my parents watch television. Me at the computer, playing while music blasted out of its speakers. So as not to disturb my parents while letting me hear my music, I could use the MP3 earphones.
2. I get motion sickness easily. When I listen, I get into a wonderland of my own. Hence, I block everything out. Experimented it on my way to Japan on a school trip, I vomited through the 1st or 2nd hour, but when I listened to music, nothing happened on the way back.
3. I can practice my singing.
4. I love hearing songs.

Since it benefits everyone, isn't it the best present?

Next thing, some of you may be aware I have a website hosted at Google Page Creator. But they are moving over to Google Sites. At the same time, I would like to change the name from NeoCrase where it sounds so cliche to The Melvus Hideout. The URL will be changed to http://sites.google.com/site/. Melvin and I decided that "themelvushideout" will be too long. In the end, we came up with a few suggestions. Why not help us decide telling us what you think?

Thank You and have a Merry Christmas!

Singapore OK... or Not? Episode 1

The post before is my Commonwealth essay.

Hi! I'm Angus from Singapore and I don't like to tell people about my personal things so i didn't create a blog until now. However, you will know my personal attributes through my posts. Have fun!

Welcome to the first episode of Singapore OK... or Not? This series explores some of the not-so-nice attitudes that Singaporeans have that make Singapore an unpleasant place to live in from time to time. Today, we are on the subject of cycling pavements in Singapore. A lot has been said about whether cycling paths should be built in light of the safety of cyclists. In fact, there is some trial going on at the East (not sure if it's Tampines or Simei) to see if such pavements can be allowed in Singapore. But why has no one did anything against the attitude of bad cyclists?

Today, I was cycling on the new pedestrian walkway, since there was a road expansion going on near my house and the pathway had to be shifted. Originally, the wide pathway can accommodate 2 cyclists at any one time and maybe even a pedestrian in between them. Now, it is so that one cyclist and a pedestrian is enough to "chop" the whole width. While I was cycling, another Cyclist A came from the opposite direction. I could see another Cyclist B behind Cyclist A. He was a forty plus man, big-sized, wearing a black T-shirt and just when me and Cyclist A were about to cross paths, that Cyclist B chose this moment to overtake Cyclist A! I had to brake to avoid a collision and tangled bodies in bicycles, and other damages.

My unhappiness though is caused by Cyclist B, I want to know the reason why the pavement had been made shorter in width. If we could poll, I rather the road (and pavement) not be changed! Perhaps the relevant authorities could shed some light on this.

And the Government mentioned to encourage cycling for healthy lifestyle and reduce carbon emissions related to Global Warming. But people will not go to East Coast Park just to cycle. They would rather cycle on their way to market and do about their dailies. According to TODAY newspaper dated the 11 December 2008, it says on page 10 that "Global warming fight: S'pore ranks 38th". I think if Singapore wants to go further up the list, it ought to at least take this small step.

And you have come to the end of the first episode of my first Reality Discussion Show: Singapore OK... or Not? You may send in your thoughts as comments in the box below or click on the link! Thank you for reading and stay tuned for the next episode, as it may pop up anytime...

Commonwealth Essay 2008: Blue

"The Blue Scar has been a great hit among the public. The touching plot had captivated the hearts of many. It had hit sales of more than 18, 000 copies." As he read the headlines of today's news, what he felt was not exhilaration but of deep unhappiness.

A fair, smooth face that would have been ravishing, was smeared by a blue scar. Mrs Lim used her hand to wipe her sweat off her forehead. She looked up and saw a long line of students queuing up at her stall in the canteen. With a heavy sigh, she continued serving drinks and tidbits to the hungry and thirsty students.

"Yes?" she asked as politely as she could. Even under the shade of the school, her sweat just would not listen as they kept dripping down from her brow. All she needed was a well-deserved break, but it never seemed to come.

"A bottle of ice lemon tea," the boy in front of her snapped, as if she was supposed to read his mind and give him his drink immediately.

Mrs Lim hurried to the back of the stall to get one out of the refrigerator and held it out for the boy in exchange of a dollar. The boy grabbed the drink from her, threw a dollar on the counter and stomped away haughtily. Sometimes, the people were more polite, other times, it was worse.

She was already very tired, and the least people can do for her is to be polite. Sometimes, she thought of quitting her job. But that would defeat her main purpose in working in her son's school as a canteen vendor. When her husband died nearly three years ago, she had vowed at his deathbed that she would take care of their one and only child. If anything untoward happened to her son, how could she answer to her husband and live her life as per normal? She would never forgive herself for that. Being in the vicinity of her son gave her the assurance that she could look after him.

Presently, she glanced at the clock. Four-thirty, it read aloud. It was already so late and why were there so many students still in the canteen? Suddenly, it hit her like a boulder. The Ordinary Levels examinations are starting tomorrow and those were secondary four students, who preferred to study in the school with their friends than in the comfort of their home. Between orders, she surveyed the canteen for the familiar features of her child. There he was, in the midst of his friends in a far corner, chatting and laughing together with his friends, his textbook thumbed at a particular page.

"Well, it's about time to go home," Mrs Lim thought. She pulled off her apron and washed her hands. She slung her small black but beautiful bag over her shoulder and waved goodbye to her colleagues. She made her way to her son and said, "Let's go."

Andrew quickly packed his bag and waved goodbye to his friends, who gave him a high-five. He caught up with his mother's lead.

"How many times must I tell you not to show yourself in front of my friends?" he burst out. "How many times must I tell you not to embarrass me?"

Mrs Lim only nodded and grabbed her bag for comfort. "As long as Andrew is happy, I don't mind doing anything. What's the use if he grows up, but is unhappy?" she thought.

"Tomorrow," Andrew continued, making sure to contain his anger in his voice. "You do not need to come to school to work, right?"

Without even a glance at his mother, much less waiting for a response, he continued.

"So, I don't expect you to be anywhere near the school!" he spat out, emphasizing the last few words.

Mrs Lim did not respond, but instead continued walking to their small three-room flat.

The next day, Andrew made his way to school to take his first examination paper. On the way to the examination hall, he noticed his friends were waiting for him and he propelled himself towards them, striking up a conversation immediately.

Five minutes before the examination started, they began to enter the examination hall. The teacher in front of the hall asked for their Identity Card. Andrew flipped open his wallet and stuck his hand in for his Identity Card. He took out ... nothing.

"Don't panic," he told himself. But that only made himself more anxious. He tried again on in another compartment but drew up a blank. He repeated the same process several times, with his wallet, and his pockets, bag but to no avail.

At last, he sighed. "Okay, panic," he thought. The examination hall was almost full with only four minutes left to the start of the paper! He eliminated his choices. No way was he going to run back home and collect his Identity Card-there was not enough time.

Three minutes left.

Andrew started to pace up and down the corridor.

"What's wrong?" One of his friends asked him.

"My Identity Card-I forgot to bring it!" Andrew shouted out breathlessly.

A chorus of "How could you do that" and "Oh my God" started.

Just then, he heard some footsteps. His mother appeared beside him.

"Wha...What are you doing here?" Andrew whispered uneasily.

His mother just held out his Identity Card. She saw Andrew's eyes widen in surprise, but he made no effort to thank her. He snatched it from her and joined her friends in the examination hall.

"Who is that?" One of Andrew's friends asked.

"Yeah, she's so ugly, don't tell me she's your mother?" Another friend egged on.

"She ... she's my m ... maid," Andrew managed to force the word out.

Unfortunately, Mrs Lim overheard the conversation. Her tears started streaming from her face as she flew down the stairs. Without looking where she was going, she ran across the road. A magenta Mercedes appeared out of the blue. The driver behind the windscreen pushed the center of the steering wheel. But Mrs Lim did not hear the warning sound.

Bang!

It was as if an explosion had occurred.

"Mother!" Andrew exclaimed, hoping against hope that his mother would not be involved in whatever that has happened. He joined a bunch of students at the railing and saw what he did not want to see.

"Call the ambulance! Someone call 9-9-5!" Andrew exclaimed, hysterical. He sprinted out of the examination hall and dashed to his mother.

"Wake up... Say something... Anything...,"Andrew allowed his emotions to overrule him.

As if on cue, the unmistakably sound of an ambulance rang out.

"Quick... Quick," Andrew pleaded. He saw his mother being put onto a stretcher, loaded into the ambulance and saw it drove away. He hailed an empty cab to follow the ambulance to the hospital, all the time praying that everything will be all right.

At the hospital, he flung open the double doors and allowed the smell of medicine wash over him as he headed for the emergency room just in time to see a doctor exit the room. He rushed forward and cried "How's my mother?"

"It's Code Blue, if you know what I mean," the doctor in white replied calmly. "She's in critical condition, we'll promise to do everything we can to save your mother."And with that, he walked away, leaving Andrew alone.

Never in his life had he ever experienced this. He understood the term "Code Blue"-he had learnt all the codes used in the medical field by heart last December when he was an internship in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. It is a medical emergency in which a team of medical personnel work to revive an individual in cardiac arrest, and that, Andrew thought, did not point to the positive side at all. But what could he do? He could only wait. All this time, doctors and nurses entered and exited the room. Praying hard, Andrew felt a rush of anxiety swept over him like a wave again and again.

After what seemed like an eternity, the red light above the room went off and a doctor came out.

"Are you a kin of Mrs Fiona Lim?" he asked.

"Yes, how's my mother?" Andrew said breathlessly.

The doctor bowed his head low. "You can see your mother now. We have done all we could."

Andrew burst inside the room to see several tubes poking into various parts of his mother. At that moment, a dull monotonous tone sounded through the room.

"No...,"Andrew cried. "W...Why must this happen to y... you..."

Presently, a tear welled up in Andrew's left eye. He blinked. It unwillingly left the comfort of the eye and rolled down his cheek, smudging the word "Scar".