the passing of a great king Rama IX

Posted on October 14, 2016 by saintinc

King Bhumibhol Adulyadej has passed away peacefully at Siriraj Hospital at 3:52pm local time. 

the King is the highest head of state, the world’s longest reigning monarch (until his passing.) he’s officially known as Rama IX, grandson of the famous King Chulalongkorn, Rama X of the Chakri Dynasty. his uncle was King Prajadhipok, Rama VII, who turned absolute monarchy into a constitutional one. 

Thai history is not new to me. having spent two years as a history student reading briefing about Thai monarchy, the lives and works of the various kings (Rama V to Rama VII), naturally reading up on the current King is a given.

Bhumibol ascended the throne following the death by gunshot wound of his brother, King Ananda Mahidol, on 9 June 1946, who was believed to have been shot through is head by a Colt 45, a gift from the US, which he kept at his bedside. 

he was a science student who turned his major into law and political science before ascending to his throne because he wanted to prepare for his duties as the head of state. 

he lost the sight of his right eye in a motoring accident, but won the heart of his bride, Sirikit Kitiyakara.

he changed the name of Siam to Thailand, which meant ‘Land of the Free’

the passing of a great king. not only a monarch, he’s often seen as a leader, an icon that unites the nation. 

long live the king! you’ll always see and hear about him whenever you visit a Thai city, a shop, restaurant, even on a taxi cab. 

most of the Thais are born in the reign of Rama IX. portraits of King Bhumibhol Adulyadej is seen in almost every house of Thais.

he’s the collective spirit of Thailand. he unites the land of the people from all walks of life. if you’ve visited Thailand, you’ll easily see his influence around. 

the national anthem will be played twice daily, and before every movie starts. his life would be depicted, as the life of Thais would be proud of. 

I sat down for awhile upon reading the news last night. I said a little prayer for my friends in Thailand, hoping for a unified country. a country I love so much, and brings the most joy of my travel experiences. 

thank you Rama IX for your love for the nation and its people. may Thailand be always be great, it’s people be happy and peaceful. 

this entire post was typed and edited on the iPhone 6. 

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Singapore votes..

Posted on September 11, 2015 by saintinc

The day has come: Sept 11, 2015. Singapore goes to the polls. The ruling party garnered 60.1% in total votes but gained 81/87 seats in 2011. The lowest in election history since 1959. 

In a few hours where polling begins, we cast our precious vote, electing 89 members of parliament. The General Elections happens every 4-5 years and it’s an important event where the incumbent government measures the performance in the last term, citizens could use this vote to inform the incumbent of changes must be made. 

many issues were brought up in the last 8 days of rallies. many articles were written and I have widely yet discreetly discussed about them with the people I meet. 

an inclusive society seems priority. many find it difficult to integrate, with new members flowing into our lands in a short time. GDP grew significantly though it has slowed down since the last elections, the current government seemed to be hearing the pleads of the people. 

policies were written, new laws were made. how will Singaporeans respond to the new changes? our nation celebrated SG50 this year. the Pioneer Generation were recognized in the past 2 years. our founding father LKY left us in March. he built the foundation of this land, and we have so much more potential as a country. 

healthcare remains a growing problem. the over demand of proper healthcare, many were screaming of the long waiting hours even with the latest technology. measures were taken: high subsides for citizens and the elderly and children, more schemes were pushed out like Medishield Life to be launched in Nov 2015 are some actions taken by the government. 

the daily life as a public transport commuter has been largely spent trapped in subways, or bus stops for the complimentary buses when the railway broke down. we have a first class transport system, but more precautions need to be taken. many have suggested for a government owned transport system instead of private companies. 

the rise of an opposition party in a GRC in 2011 opened the eyes of many. not many knew about Town Councils and how they are run, many audits were done to ensure nothing goes wrong. 

Singapore has been a safe, secure and lovely country for many of us. how far we will go as a nation remains to be seen. I for one, would love to see SG100, tell the tales of how LKY left us in 2015, how he made these swamps into a clean, metropolitan city. 

the 2.4 million of us will be casting our votes in a few hours. this will be the first time all seats will be contested. it would be interesting to see how Singapore votes. not too sure about you, but I will be glued to my gadgets for the latest updates. 

as our pledge goes “regardless of race, language, or religion. to build a democratic society, based on justice and equality. so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation.” 

this post was typed entirely on the iPhone 6. changes to any typos and bad English is greatly appreciated. 

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My little tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew

Posted on March 29, 2015 by saintinc

I thought I would never blog again. However, Singapore lost her founding father Lee Kuan Yew on Monday morning. We lost our hero who built this country from scraps, we had nothing but only ourselves.

This entry was a last minute one, after six days of his death, endless of facebook posts, tweets, millions of tributes online and on print, his stories on television, I thought I better draft this out on my personal space for keeps (and in case we forget where our roots come from). Here goes, my little tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Thank you for your education policy, so every boy and girl in this nation can learn to read and write in English and their mother tongue (some of us even learn a third, fourth language so we could be more useful in future), to be able to start a living when we graduate.

Thank you for your law and order policy, so we can walk on the streets without having to worry about getting robbed, leaving our doors open without worrying about thefts.

Thank you for your water preservation policy, so we can be less dependent on Malaysia for our very basic need, being able to survive on ourselves as a nation.

Thank you for your green policy, for planting trees all over the land, so we can shelter ourselves from the sweltering heat, yet beautify our country.

Thank you for defense policy, so we can feel safe living in the world of giants. Being part of the armed forces allows me to have the chance to protect this land you’ve created, I feel proud.

Thank you for preserving our cultures despite our multi-racial society, ensuring we live in harmony, despite all our differences.

Thank you for taking up the leadership when no one else did, thank you for fighting for our freedom, fighting against all odds, all for this piece of land.

Thank you for the courage to step up against everybody who stood in the way, anybody who didn’t conform to a better Singapore.

Thank you for putting Singapore onto the world map, so everybody knows who we are, despite being a small dot on the map. I feel proud to carry our red passport wherever I go.

Thank you for your open policy, everyone is free to come work in our country, I had the opportunity to meet people from abroad without having to step out of Singapore.

Thank you for making Singapore a gem city. I’m truly blessed to be enjoy the fruits of your labour, together with the other five million of us, we will continue your vision.

Thank you for everything, our hero. I can never thank you enough, and due to the overwhelming crowds and my ailing physical body, I can’t be there to pay my last respects. The future of Singapore, no one knows, but the foundation you’ve laid will benefit the future generations. It is up to us now, to steer this country into a better one.

Ironically, my given name has the same initial as this great man. I hope to carry this little part of him to the younger generations, not wanting to change any part of this wonderful country that he has built.

You have worked hard after 50 years of nation building, I hope you find Mrs Lee on the other side, may you rest in peace.

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Hello 2014

Posted on March 18, 2014 by saintinc

by now, if you’re still reading this, give yourself a pat on your back! i totally forgot this space’s existence until someone reminded me that i used to blog a lot. to be honest, i cannot remember when i actually started, or how someone i dated got me started on reading (i love reading, just not that much during those sweet periods), and everybody loved reading what i wrote even though it was mainly on the boring random things which happened to me back then.

i spent most of my time on twitter and instagram now (if you haven’t already realized, which mountain did you hide in?), i find updating snippets of my life manageable over there. you see, pictures speak a thousand words, adding onto the fact that snapping a photo and uploading it saves a hell lot of time and effort. and tweets are usually rants, somehow.

anyways, this is the first post of the new year (technically, we’re still in Q1), so happy new year! i really hope i get content to talk about over here so i don’t lose anyone of you. been talking to a few people what i should be doing. someone actually asked me to revive this space! well if this space actually pays for the bills, why not?

that aside, i hope everyone is doing okay for the year. a new company for me. plenty of opportunities to interact with more random ideas. i really hope i get the body back in shape in terms of health, right now, the parts are loose and needs plenty of maintenance. this ‘draft’ is taking too long to type (usually i get it done in 15 minutes) so do connect with me if you have some ideas what i can do over here.

till next time.

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Another random update. December 2013

Posted on December 5, 2013 by saintinc

December has arrived. So has the year slowly, creeping past. Time is moving too quickly, especially 2013. Soon enough, 2013 will be gone, and then 2014, 2015.. 

Earlier I was trying to clear some old albums and I spent an hour looking at my past pictures. Mostly photos taken while traveling. I was looking back at my achievements, compared to what I was right now. Gosh I have fallen so hard. 

I kinda miss traveling, mostly Bangkok. I don’t know why. Somehow the land of smiles and the city of angels has brought much happiness into my life. Not the sleazy parts, but the culture, people, food. I even picked up some Thai along the way to integrate. I think I could do much better.

By the way, December 5th is the current Thai king’s birthday. Not like you will be keen to know, but protests in Thailand have stopped for a couple of days. Let’s continue to pray for peace while pushing for a better nation as a whole. 

As promised a quick update with no real content. i’m still trying to figure out what I can do here, and elsewhere. 

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A random update – Nov 2013

Posted on November 28, 2013 by saintinc

I know, I know – This space has been neglected again and again. Most of the time, I ran into a situation of what I should pen down (or type out, for this instance), then I go into blab out a draft which makes totally no sense, and then I delete the entire post altogether. 

Life has dipped to the far end, I wonder where it’ll go. The events around me don’t make perfect sense to me at the moment – it has come to this state of serenity, peace within the chaos. I don’t know how, I don’t really care how, but I think I’ve lost all control everything.

Maybe I will dedicate more time writing (whoever is reading, please be patient), maybe I’ll take note of what you guys want to me to write (erm, at the moment, bangkok travel posts seems most appropriate since I have been extensively researching), or do what I used to do; random posts – which obviously is boring, and not really appealing. But we’ll see, we’ll see how things unfold. 

By the way, for those who are celebrating, Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the bonding, and turkey, and feasting. 

This is my 30th post on this wordpress. It should have been wrapped up years ago. So congratulate me, in any way you can.

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New Post: About Time

Posted on October 16, 2013 by saintinc

currently listening to: about time ost 

About Time, probably the best movie I’ve seen this year (actually, I’ve seen a whole bunch of crappy movies in 2013), is directed by Richard Curtis. When his name appears, british romance comedy pops up in my head. Notting Hill, Love Actually, Bridget Jones’s Diary amongst the popular ones I particularly love.

Amongst the many common names you’d relate when we say British, About Time stars Rachel McAdams (I love how she makes me fall in love with her every time I watch her act), Domhnall Gleeson (I swear to you I didn’t know he was Bill Weasley but he looks awkwardly familiar through the movie), Bill Nighy (I don’t think Bill needs an introduction, he might want to bring you back in time to his popular films Love Actually, and Pirates of the Carribean) and a list of other outstanding actors and actresses you would fall in love with.

Wow, so Tim’s dad lets him on a secret at the age of 21, he can travel in time. All the men in the family can. Life changing, as his dad puts it, before telling him this bizarre ability. He goes on to unfix his previous mistakes, and uses his ability to woo the impossibly perfect Mary, after that going back to points of his life to tweak his life for the better.

about time

This film heavily emphasises the importance of making everyday count, appreciating the people around you, especially when time is limited. I love the Tim-Mary chemistry, although Tim and his dad’s love does pull at the heartstring the most, towards the end. I find the show a tad too dull, for the constant ‘going back in time’ scenes, and this ability to time travel a little farfetched in real life.

I believe British movie fans would love this movie just as much as I do. But for now, head to the theatres and get ready to get your life-changing 123 minutes.

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Handy tips when visiting Bangkok, Thailand

Posted on May 27, 2013 by saintinc

If you haven’t already heard, I was in the city of angels recently (last week actually) to celebrate my birthday. It’s become an annual ritual to visit Thailand because of the variety of things you could do, virtually like a king. 

I am never sponsored so no ‘sales pitch’ here – just some tips to share since many of my past experiences were scams, so you learn the smart way here. Also grab the right people when you visit this country. I have (or heard) a few encounters when it comes to different agendas. Also reading travel guide (before flying) helps.

1) When it comes to visiting Bangkok (or any country with a different culture as yours): Respect. I can’t emphasize enough. The worst thing is to be in a different country and acting like you’re in your own. You’ll get out of trouble if you just watch what the locals do. Or better, keep all your comments to yourself. 

2) Learn a few words which might help. Hello, Thank You etc really helps. i find it especially in Thais, because their language could be relatively different, and it lightens them, and your experience as a whole. Also smile. Especially helpful when it comes to shopping.

3) This is a known fact but in case you don’t already know, Bangkok is famous for the traffic jams. Anytime after 4pm, avoid taking a cab. Better still, don’t take a cab or tuk-tuk, unless you really want to experience the culture, you could try. I would suggest taking them early, say before noon. 

Bangkok has a great network of transportation system which you could capitalize. the BTS and subway, for example, is how I usually commute. If you’re adventurous, do what the locals do, take a bus (within short distances), or a boat. Thailand is known as the venice of the East because of the wide range of klongs which connects the country.

4) Eat. By now, you should realize going to Thailand means immersing in the Thai culture, and what more could you do than tasting the best cuisines (in my books) on the planet. One tip is to go where the locals go. I’d say read widely. Ask your friends, read blogs of what others have experienced, or simply ask someone there!

You see how important it is to learn a few words so you strike up a conversation and gain some experience money can’t buy? Also remember to hydrate yourself constantly. I once fell sick because I thought I was too tough for the 37C weather. The last thing you’d want to spoil your holiday is lying in bed while your precious vacation hours goes ticking.

5) Shopping. Ladies, chill. If you’re traveling with girls, take note that all they can think of is shopping and clothes and what other colours they need for the next function etc. You can’t follow them, unless you have a huge stamina and broad shoulders to (occasionally, maybe all the time) lug their bags while they go release the kraken on their wardrobe. 

6) Visit the temples, go for a Thai massage, listen to Thai rock music, go to a quaint little cafe for a quiet time are other things you could do if you have the time. Of course, depends on what you’ve planned for.

There you go, a short entry about surviving the city I love. I’ve not heard of anyone I know who doesn’t enjoy Thailand. Maybe they know how much I love it they wouldn’t tell me. Do check out my Instagram or Tweet me for more questions.

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New post: New Year’s Eve 2012

Posted on December 31, 2012 by saintinc

I don’t remember much how this year went, because everything was moving way too quickly. Call me old (I prefer wiser), but it seems like many of my daily activities are put on auto-pilot.

I had the opportunity to visit 3 countries this year. Bangkok, Hong Kong, Bali. Immersed in Asian culture, food and plenty of companionship. Traveling is amazing. Hopefully more cities to explore in 2013, definitely something I’d look forward to; making new marks on the map.

I met awesome people at #BusinessRocks. A monthly event held at BluJazz, features a simple presentation, you can chat about anything to anyone you meet there, over beer. Attracts over 40 people every month. You should come for the next one if you’re here in SG.

I got a Macbook! Yes I have been raving about it over twitter for months and i finally set my money on the 15″ Retina Display. Love it since. Haven’t really brought it out of the house, but this is a pretty light one, comparing to the older versions. Lack of the optical drive may be a downside, but who really uses one these days?

This year, The Mayans predicted the end of the world would occur. I’m glad they were so wrong! There has been little jokes after Dec 21 saying they ran out of paper for their calendar. I don’t really want to know the real reason! We have to look forward now. The future is ahead of us!

Overall, I couldn’t complain much how this year went. Well, I actually have a long list to do, haven’t checked many. I guess they can wait (procrastinating again). I’m running late for my final date, so enjoy the rest of the year (few hours left), party hard, keep in mind the mistakes in 2012, keeping faith and hopes for the new one. Happy 2013!

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This is probably going to be another boring post..

Sorry for not updating this space. The last one was sometime in August. Do check my tweets, I update almost every day, and you can probably chat with me there. A wonderful platform for business and pleasure.

Hey guys, the year is about to come to an end. We’re three weeks away from the end of the world (Mayan’s prediction) but it seems like nobody really cares.  Honestly, it does feel like the world might be coming to an end with the damage we are doing to Mother Earth, I hope everyone plays their part in keeping our home a better place for our next generations to come.

It saddens me greatly as I browse through news and pictures of sufferings happen everywhere on our tiny little planet. So much animosity, so much hate going on right now. (Let’s no dive into details here) But one thing that always heartens me is the humanity some of us have during a disaster, most recently Sandy. Of course, the same hurricane happened somewhere, caused more damage and hunger in other areas (less developed), but New York has all the love.

I am blessed to be able to visit countries this year even with a tight budget. Most recently in October, Bali. A country less developed, but Bali has so much to offer in terms of tourism. Many locals I’ve talked to earns less than US$200 a month, but they are generally happy. This coincides with the recent survey result about Singapore being an emotionless country. Thoughts?

I am proud to be a 4 day old Macbook owner. My first after such a long time since I was ranting about my old laptop. Now I am better equipped with a technology that could (probably) increase my productivity. Is this what the society has created? I am continuously chasing after technology, living in the geek world where everyone is plugged onto a laptop or a gadget in coffee shops, trains and even their homes.

Even said, I would probably want to get myself a tablet, probably next year. Been raving about it but I thought a laptop was more relevant for me at this moment.  Do let me know how we can live happier and better while I continue to read your wonderful feedback on this amazing Retina display. For now, Happy Holidays!

Posted on November 29, 2012 by saintinc | Leave a comment