Most CPF investors lost money

According to the Straits Times news report “Many CPF investors get their fingers burnt” (Jun 15) – “In the financial year ended Sept 30 last year, 902,300 investors sold their CPFIS investments.

Only 15% made more than 2.5%

Only 15 per cent of them made a profit larger than the guaranteed annual 2.5 per cent interest rate for Ordinary Account savings. Another 45 per cent made profits of up to 2.5 per cent. The remaining 40 per cent made a loss.

47% had realised losses last decade

On the one hand, fewer CPFIS investors are making losses now compared with the past decade. From 2004 to 2013, 47 per cent of them incurred realised losses, more than the 40 per cent who made a loss last year.

On the other hand, more investors used to earn profits above the 2.5 per cent Ordinary Account interest rate.

Only 18% beat 2.5% last decade

From 2004 to 2013, 18 per cent of investors did better, compared with 15 per cent in the last financial year. More than 25 per cent did from 1993 to 2004.”

What percentage of CPF investors had realised returns that were not more then 2.5 per cent, since the inception of the scheme in 1993?

What about unrealised returns?

What about the statistics for the unrealised returns?

If we combine the realised and unrealised returns – what percentage of investors had returns that were not more then 2.5 per cent, since the inception of the scheme in 1993?

In this connection, do soverign wealth funds report just their realised returns, without their unrealised returns?

Statistics disappeared after 11 years?

As I understand that for the first 11 years of the scheme – annual statistics were published as to the percentage that did not beat 2.5 per cent – why is it that apparently now – the statistics are being published again after an absence of about a decade?

Funds’ performance?

As to “the CPFIS-included funds themselves have performed well.

They posted an average return of 5.17 per cent in the first three months of this year, according to a report by research firm Lipper last month” – what is the historical annualised return on the funds since the inception of the scheme?

Piecemeal selective statistics?

Arguably, why do we seem to be getting piecemeal statistics, without the most important ones in order for us to make more meaningful comparisons, analysis and decisions?

As an analogy – if we invest periodically, sell some of our investments periodically – and you only tell us the returns of those that we have sold but not those that we are still keeping – how do we know whether overall we are making money or not?

And then you tell us the returns of “funds” for this year only, without the returns in history – how do we make a meaningful comparison with our investments?

Win battles lose war

So I went to the 'We Are Against Pink Dot' page just to see what those folks are up to--especially after Pink Dot, when they'll be going into overdrive. WAAPD has always clarified to me what the 'white' in 'wear white' stands for--the colour of rabid foam.

And I found that they'd been taking screenshots of my previous few status updates and my photos to upload. And here are some of the responses:

1) Nixam Loki: If we die we are shrouded in white…this softie is going to be shrouded in pink? LGBT ARE THE CAUSE OF NATURAL DISASTERS

2) Hanz Hann : These people are no different from mental patients or walking corpses.

3) Abdul Rahman: ‪#‎GayCancer‬ ‪#‎boycottAlfianSaat‬
(Can't tag the above but his profile: https://www.facebook.com/aman.storyteller)

4) Nora Sa'at : Just the same as annabelle chong from rgs. Became a porn star in the USA.

5) Zeta Seshagiri : Ramadan is around the corner and he respects the Syaaban month like this…give him a punch he’ll never forget.

6) Mohd Shahrudin : Feel like beating him up when I look at this guy’s face

7) Nuraihan Mohamed : Just bring him to WWE. Unleash everything there. Haha remember. Stone cold stunner 1, choke slam 3 times. Then he’ll see the light.

8) Datok Serunding : Just douse him with acid.

9) Solihin Bin Manap : Isn’t it easier to use kerosene. Just burn him.

10) Dato Serunding: Or we just douse him in sugar water, and then we set fire ants on him.

And there was also a comment that I was 'pro-Burma' (I was in Yangon a few weeks ago), which I took a while to figure out. And then I realised if I was supposed to be pro-Burma then it meant I was anti-Rohingya and anti-Muslim. (This person must hang out with Calvin Cheng because the logic quite similar.) And yes, there are people who believe that Muslims are always persecuted and victimised--Palestinians, Uyghurs, Rohingyas--but groups like ISIS, Boko Haram and the Taliban exist only in a fictional alternate universe called CNN.

I could throw a snarky comment at each remark that I've listed above, but I thought it'd be easier to copy and paste this from Singapore Statutes Online:

"Protection from Harassment Act (CHAPTER 256A)
Intentionally causing harassment, alarm or distress
3.—(1) No person shall, with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress to another person, by any means —
(a) use any threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour; or
(b) make any threatening, abusive or insulting communication,
thereby causing that other person or any other person (each referred to for the purposes of this section as the victim) harassment, alarm or distress.

(2) Any person who contravenes subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and, subject to section 8, shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both."

It is not in my temperament to take legal action or make police reports, simply because I'd rather spend the time reading and writing. But this goes out to the admins and members of WAAPD (in case they don't understand whatever I pasted above): you want to circulate unscientific garbage from conspiracy sites, fine. But keep your discussions to issues. I know it's much easier to dangle some individual figure on your page and set off a spitting frenzy, but you'll just have to rise above such base levels of 'discussion'.

When you start making 'threatening, abusive or insulting' statements--not just directed at me but also at people like Olivia and Irene Chiong, or Munah and Hirzi--what you are doing is HARASSMENT. You can go to JAIL for such an OFFENCE. See what you made me do? Type in caps, just like you. Anyway, here's telling you that your little corner where you're frottaging each other to orgasmic spirals of hate is being monitored and screenshot. Don't say that you weren't given notice.

PS: I'm tagging those concerned so they know the consequences of their speech. Please do not kacau them, dear readers--you know you're better than that.

Canadian tourist, Emil Kaminski, has become a notorious figure in Malaysia after he posted sarcastic and insensitive comments calling a Malaysian minister "stupid" while defending the actions of a group of Caucasian tourists who behaved inappropriately on the peak of Mount Kinabalu.

Locals believed that the tourists, who stripped down, urinated and took naked photographs of themselves on the mountain trail despite their guide's warnings, had angered the mountain god, which they believe led to the Sabah earthquakes that killed 18 people, including several Singaporean school children.

Kaminski, who posted photos of the naked tourists and tagged the Facebook profiles of the tourists involved in the incident, has now released a defiant video where he declared that he was no where near Malaysia at the time when the naked photo incident took place.

In a twist of fate, his act of tagging the other tourists online indirectly led to the arrests of the same tourists whose actions he was trying to defend, as well as his own arrest.

In his YouTube video - "Mt. Kinablu - The Naked Truth", Kaminski made light about the earthquake, which he refers to as an "assquake" because he says Malaysians accused the tourists of causing the earthquake by appearing in photos on the mountain with their "butt cheeks" in full view.

He explained that he was no where near Malaysia during the time of the naked photo incident and the earthquake, but had merely reposted the naked photos of the tourists on Mount Kinabalu and tagged those responsible for the pictures. He says he was surprised by the reactions of the Malaysian public, who assumed that he was a part of the gang who took the naked photos, and so he decided to "troll" Malaysians by posting a lie on his Facebook claiming that he was in Tawau, Malaysia to throw authorities and netizens off his trail.

Kaminski also saw it fit to mock Malaysians for their responses to the earlier MH370 tragedy, ridiculing the Malaysian public for trying to use a bomoh (native Malay shaman) to try and locate the missing air flight MH370 using a pair of coconuts.

His video is available in full on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8EIfHckvU

Of the 10 tourists, four of the accused have been jailed for 3 days from the date of arrest and fined RM5,000 each.

The hospital said so, Hsien Loong also said so. This is a true sign of being prepared for it. The hospitals are all well prepared and equipped with all the protocols in place. MOH has also started to screen passengers from South Korea.

With the rapid spread of MERS there, we know that they have fouled up badly. We cannot do less than them. We have our experience with SARS and know exactly what to do.The govt is well prepared, are the people and commercial organizations well prepared as well?

This MERS thing is not just the job of the govt. One thing for sure, the SMRT is the most well prepared for MERS, to spread like wild fire if a MERS infected passenger happens to be in a jam packed train. The tightly confined cabin with the recycling of little air in them makes it a perfect contraption for the spread of MERS in the shortest possible time. Our shopping centres and all airconditioned environment are ideal breeding grounds for MERS to spread.

What about the people? Are the people equipped to defend themselves against the spread of MERS? The haze season is still a few months ahead and there is no need to issue protective masks to the people yet. With a more deadly and contagious disease like MERS that will come, only a matter of days, could be the next hour, why are the masks not issued to the people? Are the people told to start buying masks and start to wear masks or to wait until an incident strikes?

When should the people be prepared for this attack since it is a matter of time before it arrives? The preparedness of the govt and hospital is only a small part of the equation.

A 20 year old NSF Gan Wey Lan was placed on 15 months' probation for taking an upskirt video of a woman and for having more than 1,100 obscene films stored in his cellphone and laptop. He committed the insulting modesty offence in Tampines and the Films Act offence on 10 Oct 2014.

In court, Gan's lawyer Chia Boon Teck described him client as a "straight A" student who was diagnosed with control impulse disorder.

Gan had just booked out and was loitering at Tampines One shopping mall when he committed the offence. He was on the escalator when he saw the victim and decided to take upskirt video of her. He was caught by the victim's friend and the police was called.

Police arrested him and seized his mobile phone. They also raided his home at Mount Sinai Rise and seized his laptop for investigation. Forensic investigations were done on the seized phone and laptop which were found to have more than 1,127 obscene films.

Gan's parents executed a $5,000 bond to ensure his good behaviour.

Malaysian Culture and Tourism Minister Nazri Aziz is in hot water for threatening to "whack" the crown prince of Johor after the latter criticized Prime Minister Najib Razak for not showing up at a scheduled questions and answer session between an NGO and the Prime Minister. He will be investigated for inciting public mischief under the Penal Code, which protects members of royalty.

On 5th June, Najib decided to skip his appearance at the event because police allegedly said that there were security concerns with his appearance. However, many Malaysians and the Crown Prince of Johor, Prince Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, were sceptical.

""How can you have a dialogue called Nothing2Hide featuring a person who has everything to hide? Obviously he won't show up," he wrote online.

Mr Najib was expected to answer hard questions at the forum about his role in the investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which is billions of dollars in debt now.

In response to the crown prince, Nazri Aziz told the media: "He should keep out of politics because otherwise, he will be subject to the same rule and we will whack him ... Rulers and royal families are above the law.

“If you want to be a politician then say so, so we can hit you back for what you say. But if you hold an important post, as a royalty in a state and start saying things, if we hit you back, don't get angry."

In his latest post on the Facebook page Johor Southern Tigers, the crown prince retorted: "You are a minister, not a God from the heavens who lords above everybody. If I got such a reply, then what chances do the rest of the rakyat have?"

40 year-old Jason Blair Unger was fined $2,500 on Monday by the Singapore courts today after pleading guilty to committing an act of mischief by throwing his bicycle on the bonnet of a car in a road rage incident. Unger's actions caused damages to parts of the car's bonnet near the headlights and registration plate. Fortunately for his victim, the video was uploaded online and shared widely across the internet.

On 17th October 2014, Unger and 48 year-old Woo Wing Onn were travelling along Selegie Road when the collision happened. Woo had driven his car to the extreme left lane to turn left, but switched lanes to avoid a taxi which had stopped. He drove behind Unger, who suddenly jammed on the brakes, causing a minor collision between the car and the bicycle that Unger rode.

Visibly enraged, Unger alighted from his bicycle and flung it on the bonnet of the car. He demanded aggressively to know why Mr Woo had hit him and yelled that he was "someone with a kid". Although Mr Woo apologized, his wife decided to confront the Canadian about the damage and called the police.

In his defence, Unger's lawyers said that the Canadian had made full payment for the damages he caused, paying $2219 for the damages to the car. He added that Unger was a first time offender and had been living in Singapore since August 2010. He is married to a Singaporean and has a 18 month-old child.

The defence also argued that Unger had dropped the bicycle on the bonnet as he "feared for his safety" and lost his temper in the heat of the moment. However, Unger also accepted that his actions were "inexcusable."

According to defence lawyers, Unger's employment prospects were "tarnished" as a result of the video's circulation, and even children in his school have asked him why he had behaved that way. Testimonials from his employers, past and present stated that his actions were "out of character".

The Canadian could have been jailed for up to two years, fined or both for causing mischief and damage amounting $500 and above.

Total employment shrinks for 1st time in 5 years

According to the Straits Times news report “Total employment shrinks for first time in 5 years: quarterly MOM report” (Jun 15) – “The number of people employed in Singapore tumbled by 6,100 in the first quarter of the year, the first time in five years that employment has contracted.

Total employment, at 3,617,800 in March, was still 2.7 per cent higher than a year ago, according to official quarterly figures released by the Manpower Ministry (MOM) on Monday.”

No breakdown into S’poreans, PRs& foreigners

Why is there no breakdown of the decrease in total employment into Singaporeans, permanent residents (PRs) and foreigners?

Are Singaporeans more affected by the shrinkage?

As to “despite this, unemployment continued to fall, with the seasonally-adjusted rate down to 1.8 per cent overall, from 1.9 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year. The rate for citizens also creeped down to 2.6 per cent, or around 47,800 people, from 2.7 per cent in the previous quarter” – the unemployment rates have always been published as that for Singaporeans, residents (Singaporeans and PRs) and the overall workforce (including foreign workers).

Should disclose unemployment rates of citizens, PRs& foreign workers

From the available data in the Labour Market first quarter 2015 report released on 15 June – on the number of unemployed residents and Singaporeans, and the total workforce – I have been able to derive estimates of the unemployment rate as of March 2015, for PRs and foreign workers.

Singaporeans have a much higher unemployment rate

They are 2.0 and 0.7 per cent respectively.

Contrast this to the published unemployment rates of 2.6, 2.5 and 1.8 per cent for Singaporeans, PRs and the overall (workforce) respectively.

What is perhaps interesting to note is that the decrease in the unemployment rate was the worse for Singaporeans, from 2.7 to 2.6 per cent, compared to 2.7 to 2.5 per cent for residents.

So, are Singaporeans more affected by the shrinkage in total employment, relative to PRs and foreigners?

Long-term unemployed – degree workers worse off

For the 11,200 long-term unemployed for more than 25 weeks – degree holders were the only education category which saw an increase from 0.5 to 0.7 per cent, from December 2014 to March 2015.

Re-entry into employment – degree holders worse off

Degree holders also had the lowest rate of re-entry into employment, declining from 48.6 to 46.2 per cent.

Perhaps this may have something to do with the rhetoric that a degree is not so important!

Redundancy – PMETs worse off

For those made redundant – PMETs were the highest at 72 per cent.

Win battles lose war

Total employment in Singapore fell for the first time in 5 years. 6,100 lesser people were employed this quarter, as compared to the first quarter of this year.

The sectors that had reduced employment are manufacturing, construction and parts of the services industry. Services has been the main propeller of growth for the past few years, but slowed down dramatically.

Figures in March 2015 show that total employment stands at 3,617,800, which is 2.7% more than last year's figures.

The number of employees in retail trade, as well as accommodation and food and beverage industries fell by 4,800 and 1,800 respectively. This was because of a fall in tourism numbers in the 1st quarter of this year. Real estate services also saw a dip of 1,900 in employment, while the construction sector saw employment fall by 3,600.

Manufacturing employment continued to fall - it was already in the red in the previous quarter of this year - falling by 6,900 in the face of weak output growth in marine and offshore engineering industries.

The Ministry of Manpower blames these figures on "seasonal declines and sharper moderation in employment growth in sectors with less favorurable business conditions".

However, growth was seen in the community, social and personal services sector, where 6,500 more people were employed, as well as the administrative and support services sector, where 2,000 more people found jobs.

Economists have warned that the slower growth trajectory looks set to continue until there is a significant pick up in the global growth and markets. They too blamed lower tourist arrivals and a more subdued property market for the slowdown in Singapore's economy.

DBS economist Irvin Seah pointed to the impact of government policies. “The tightening measures introduced by the Government have restricted a company’s ability to hire more workers,” he said, adding that negative employment figures usually signal that the economy is entering a recession.

Malaysian minister in charge of Islamic affairs Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom says the federal government will conduct an in-depth study on Islamic compliance for clothing used for sports and other fields, citing criticism over the attire worn by 21 year-old Malaysian gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi at the SEA Games in Singapore.

Farah had won the gold for Malaysia in the floor exercise routine in artistic gymnastics. However, her win was marred by a flood of complaints from Muslims in Malaysia about her gymnast attire, which they say showed off her aurat and revealed the shape of her vagina.

The minister says that it is the responsibility of all Muslims regardless of gender to cover their aurat - referring to parts of the body that should not be exposed.

"We take note of this so it becomes a guide, in whatever field including sports for us to take a more in-depth look at clothing on issues that can taint Islam, including Muslim women,” he said in response to a question at the 11th Malaysia Plan debate.

PAS MP Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff had earlier asked if the federal government would enforce Shariah compliance in all issues involving Muslims, and cited Farah Ann's controversy as an example. She declared that clothing used by female Muslim athletes that expose their aurat went against sharak, or Islamic principles, and is "very shameful" for the community.

However, Farah Ann has since received an outpouring of support from Malaysians who pointed out that the athlete should be celebrated for her performance at the games, which not only saw her take home gold, but three bronze medals and a silver in other individual events.

A man riding a motorised bicycle was killed after an accident with a lorry along 4 Changi South Lane on 15 June 2015. According to eye witnesses, the man was riding a bicycle back to his workplace from lunch when he met with the fatal accident

A spokesperson for the Police said:

Police received a call on 15 June 2015 at around 1.29pm, informing us of an accident along Changi South Lane.

Upon police arrival, it was established that an accident involving a lorry and a bicycle had occurred at the the said location.

The 49-year-old male cyclist was pronounced dead by paramedics at the scene.

The 60-year-old male lorry driver was arrested for causing death by negligent act.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Hours after it said it would launch an inquiry into how a lizard got into an airline passenger's meal, Air India issued a statement to the media dismissing the accusations as "false and baseless".

"We are denying any such incident. One because we do not know the authenticity of the photograph and two... no passenger has lodged any such complaint," an airline spokesperson told the media.

The incident took place on a Delhi to London flight on Thursday, when a picture started circulating online showing a black lizard's head peeking out from underneath a bun wrapped in cling wrap. The image provoked shock and angry reactions from netizens, who condemned the airline and its poor hygiene standards.

The embarrassing incident is one of a series of problems the state-run carrier has encountered in recent years. Not only has the carrier failed to draw an annual profit since 2007, it has also been hit by a series of technical glitches and other public gaffes, such as when the airlline made news headlines after a fight erupted between a pair of pilots on one of its flights just before takeoff.

Dear All Singapore Stuff,

This family living on the 10th floor of Jurong West Blk 551 have been hanging their unsecured bamboo poles out on the window ledge for many years. Recently, they even placed potted plant on the window ledge. These dangerous practice has been going on for years.

Despite my many emails to the Jurong town council and HDB to do something about these dangerous act, no action has been taken and the bamboo poles are still hung outside the window ledge.

I just sent this latest photo of the potted plant on the window ledge to the town council and HDB again, I hope they will do something about this. It is worrying to know what may happen if the strong winds blow and blow these bamboo poles and potted plant down from so high up. It may kill some innocent passerby downstairs.

Thank you for spreading awareness of this case.

Low
A.S.S. Contributor

Islam allegedly forbids Muslims from playing musical instruments like guitar, piano or trumpets as they go against the hadiths, a religious scholar said today.

In his paper on Islam and entertainment presented at a national forum here, Abdul Raof Nurin said the Shafie stream of Islam only allows Muslims to listen to music that touches on love for the religion, and urged those who want to play musical instruments to preferably stick to the gong or kompang.

He added that the Shafie school, however, will make an exception for the "gabus", a stringed instrument similar to the guitar, only if they are played according to Islamic laws.

"To listen to music that has nothing to do with religion that includes instruments that is prohibited in Islam, coupled with concerts that allow mixed socialisation, this distracts you from praying.

"Majority of ulama forbid the use of musical instruments except for those drummed like the kompang, percussions even those with bells," he said.

The forum was organised by the Malaysian Muslim Consumer Group (PPIM) and the Human Development and Investigation Bureau.

Click on the link below to read the rest of the article

When Wang Yinchu left Singapore in October 2008 to pursue his military studies, he did so with a heavy heart. He was left with 1 month before his Operationally Ready Date (ORD), but his school term at a prestigious medical school in the University of Cambridge would begin before that.

He tried asking the university for permission to matriculate later. However, the university advised him to reapply for entry the following year with no guarantee of admission.

He also tried numerous times to get MINDEF to allow him to disrupt his remaining month of service, but this request was denied. Wang made appeals within the SAF and through his MP, but all these were inexplicably denied.

"(Wang) was driven by the lifelong ambition to become a doctor and was desperate to retain the rare and coveted opportunity to study medicine at Cambridge," his defence lawyer said. MINDEF's refusal drove him to "a desperate decision that few would endorse but many would understand" and left Singapore, he added.

Wang came to Singapore from China in 1996 and started at Primary 2 when he was 10. After that, he went to The Chinese High School where he displayed "outstanding academic ability and demonstrated sportsmanship, integrity... and good sense".

At Hwa Chong Institution, Wang was an outstanding student who excelled in the Biology Olympiad and wushu.

He became a citizen in 2005 when he was 19 and later entered NS.

The defence lawyer also said that Wang was an outstanding soldier "that his superiors and colleagues vouch for even in the present circumstances". Mr Anand said references from people such as his former seniors in his unit "all attest to his attitude, character, dedication, diligence and professionalism".

After he left Singapore for Cambridge, Wang obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from St Edmund’s College, University of Cambridge. He also obtained a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery degree from Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary, University of London before returning to Singapore.

Since completing his earlier sentence in October last year, Wang volunteered at agencies such as the Alzheimer’s Disease Association and the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association.

The presiding judge at the military tribunal said the panel agreed that Wang has an exemplary record. But they also took into consideration the period of AWOL and the period of service left before sentencing him.

Responding to queries from the media, Mindef said that AWOL is a serious offence: "We will continue to take stern disciplinary action against servicemen who commit AWOL offences."

Those convicted of AWOL can be imprisoned for up to two years.

A reader has contributed a Facebook about an angry commuter who made a fuss on the MRT over another woman who was breastfeeding her hungry baby.

She was unhappy that the mother was breastfeeding the baby in public and wanted her to stop. The poor mother wanted to respond, but didn't do so because she was afraid of disturbing her visibly frightened baby.

Unhappy that the mother would not stop, the woman lodged a complaint with station staff and forced the mother off the train at the next station.

Who do you think is in the wrong?

The family of 12-year-old Rachel Ho, one of the faces of the Sabah quake tragedy, will be channelling all donations from her wake to Malaysian mountain guides who helped the staff and students after the disaster.

Her father Mr James Ho told The Straits Times that the family had received a "significant amount" from friends and family who had attended the wake.

"Coming from a blessed background, we felt we had no reason to keep or use the money," the banker said.

"The money would go a long way for the Malaysian guides who now have no income and still have families to feed. It is our way of thanking them for risking their lives to help the students and teachers of Tanjong Katong Primary School after the disaster," he added.

Mr Ho declined to reveal the full amount to be donated.

He said the family has approached the principal of Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) to link them up with the mountain guides who had helped the school.

They are also working with TKPS to contact the families of mountain guide Muhammad Daanish Amran and TKPS teacher Mohammed Ghazi Mohamed

Said Mr Ho: "This is really just about humans helping humans in a time of need."

Hello, I am a 16 year old Chinese boy in Singapore. What I'm going to say in this post can be viewed in many perspectives and if it happens to come off as unnecessary or not suited to the theme then kindly delete it. I am just wanting to share something to whomever may be interested.

I was once a very passionate Christian, I pray, I try to preach, I read the Bible and stuff like that daily. Growing up, I had quite a bad family background. I have an attraction for the same sex as young as I could remember. I knew it was wrong, I even researched about it and thought that I could grow out of this as soon as I reach puberty. But turns out I didn't, I saw articles saying that being on of a LGBT is generic and isn't a choice. I really didn't want to be 'different' or considered not a norm in this modern day society's view.

I had completely no idea how hated I am or how I am, up till today. I couldn't be more upset because I did not choose to be this way. And I'd wish to state that, if I could be straight and love so-called "correctly", I'd want to as well. I'm not trying to change anyone's mindset here. I am just trying to explain that I too wanted to have a proper family and home in the future. I want to have kids that bore my genes as well. Maybe after reading this post, many individuals that have strong beliefs in their religions will advise me to pray. Just like what some of my church leaders already did.

I don't know why I decided to type this out too, but I hope that the world will one day come to realize that it's nothing of a sin, not of a choice nor a temptation. It's just like how some of you, you're being restricted when it comes to wanting to believing in different religions, majority because of traditional family beliefs. You'd at one point of your life hoped for freedom to do something you wish to do. The same goes for the LGBT community, they'd want their own freedom to love. I don't expect any of you to totally understand the lives of someone from the LGBT community, but it's all about empathizing others in this world.

We've all felt outcast-ed, left out, alone and struggling in some point of our life. That's how humans are, and for me, I don't want others to experience the negativity that I've felt. I think we should give everyone freedom to live their lives the way they want to.

I hope I didn't offend anyone because that's not my purpose tonight. If you're a Christian or of any other religion, I'm sure you know that many sermons or as the Bible has mentioned a lot of times, the word 'love'. Especially the verse "Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.".

I'm aware of verses in the Bible against homosexuality. But how much of the content in the Bible no longer 'fits in' the modern world today?

Some examples are of round haircuts, fortune telling, tattoos, wearing gold, divorce or even shaving off your beard like this one : Leviticus 19:27 reads "You shall not round off the side-growth of your heads nor harm the edges of your beard."

Nicholas Oh

An unfortunate customer got a shock when he ordered fried chicken from KFC in the United States but instead got a fried rat!

Facebook user Devorise Dixon shared numerous pictures of his disgusting find on the internet and has caused a firestorm online. From the images he shared, you can see the "chicken" meal that resembles a deep fried and battered rat with a long narrow tail.

This was his recount of the horrifying incident:

“As I bit into it I noticed that it was very hard and rubbery which made me look at it. As I looked down at it I noticed that it was was in a shape of a rat with a tail. It sent deep chills throughout my whole body! I’ve been feeling weird ever since. I bought this in Compton, CA on Wilmington and 120th. I’ve never seen chicken like this before its sick.”

The contributor later updated his post stating that after testing, it was found that the rat-shaped chicken piece was, in fact, allegedly a rat. 

However, according to Citybuzz news, the KFC franchise from South Africa responded to customer feedback and debunked the rumours that the chicken was a rat. 

"KFC SA has responded on behalf of the KFC franchise, to the claims of serving its Compton customer with a fried rat. KFC SA tweeted at @Varushka_ P to assure the her that an investigation of the oddly shaped piece of chicken was conducted. It was found that the chicken piece is not a rat." 

Editor's Note: This blog post was submitted by a reader. The original post was written by a Caucasian expat working in Singapore.

I'm very disappointed with food in Singapore. What looks like a promising slurp-worthy meal often fails to deliver, making it seem like there's always something of a gulf between the two.

Recently, I went to a hawker center and had curry with so much MSG in it, i was bed-ridden for a few days. Kidneys had to detox and I was just unwell all over.

Then a relative's maid put together some food for us in tiffin cans. When we served it up for dinner, completely salt-OD, almost spontaneously puked. It all had to be thrown out (shame as the beef was very tender). Had a can of chicken soup for dinner instead.

We had dinner at a food court, and I ordered Japanese curry with ebi (fried prawns). It came with a huge bowl of rice, curry, gravy over one third of all the rice (all absorbed), three breaded things with prawn tails lying on top. I eat the prawns, and wonder if that is what they are. The 'curry' is so lost in all the rice, it would seem to require me to be starving to want to be bothered to hack it up and eat it.

And the list goes on. What next, Carls Junior? At least their pickles add some zing to an otherwise uneventful burger.

'Mixed fried rice' (say rice + three ingredients = $3) can be nice, but is terribly oily. Chicken rice has rice that is soaking with oil.

The swill that passes as food, served at the likes of Swenson's, Thai Express, and so on. And yet the locals queue at these places like Michelin star restaurants!

The bland nothingness of Famous Amos cookies, or Bengawan Solo, neither of which have probably seen a fresh natural ingredient in the past generation.

I'm starting to wonder if there is any quality food in Singapore. Is mass-market food so poor, because the locals are unwilling or unable to pay for better? It's not like they're time poor (as in the US), as most of them have maids. It just strikes me as ridiculous sometimes that Singapore claims to be a food haven when you can't find a single thing worth eating in this country.