I think it’s really very bad or inconsiderate for me to do something like this, but I think I’d probably have to start somewhere anyway. You see, I was the passenger on SHA 7820 D from Ang Mo Kio to OUB Center and after I alighted from the cab near where I wanted to go to, he decided to go on break.

4:51pm How do I know? Well, I think the meter says so - amidst other things that indicates on-call pickup, ERP and, yes, break. At first, I found it rather strange that the driver did not go to the drop off point, where I was supposed to alight from. Moreover, it was still drizzling and… which taxi driver is that inconsiderate to let their passengers get off in the rain? I thought all taxi drivers are supposed to be helpful and considerate - as painted by the taxi companies?

4:53pm After walking briskly to the shelter where the drop off point is, I noticed that was a long queue at the drop off point - all visibly waiting for a cab. Then I realised. The cab driver was waiting till 5:00pm, when he can earn an additional $3.00 surcharge for picking up passengers during peak hour. In addition, he would also have earned an additional 35% off the $3.00, which works out to be about $1.00 - a grand total of $4.00! Just for waiting for 7 minutes more! You know how much that means? If you run it just on 35% off metered fare, that means the driver would have to travel till the amount of around $12.00. Now, for no rhyme or reason, he gets an additional $4.00! Which taxi driver won’t want that?

4:59pm There were visibly at least 2 taxis with the ON-CALL sign turned on (the first one with a card sign - the manual one, while the second one has the electronic version) and another with HIRED turned on with no one insider - both ON-CALL just opposite of a taxi stand with a long queue and the HIRED one just in front of the queue (I have got totally no idea why he was HIRED and waiting there with no one insider; maybe he just alighted someone who rushed back to office to grab something? I won’t know for sure). Hmm… Disappear Taxi before CBD Surcharge Kicks In Syndrome (DiTaBCeSKiS - the "Ce" represents the Central Business District in CBD)? Hmm… it’s a case of can-see-cannot-board (thanks, Alice).

5:00pm The first ON-CALL taxi moved forward to a drop off point and spoke briefly to one of the people who are waiting there. I am not sure what the conversation was about, but the taxi driver moved off without picking him up. The second one then drove up to the same place and spoke to the same person before picking him up. Needless to say, ON-CALL subsequently became HIRED and he drove off. I am not sure if that passenger (male) paid additional for the supposed ON-CALL, but I highly doubt so - I mean, if that passenger wanted to make a call, why did he bother standing there and waiting for a cab? Moreover, I don’t think that the 2nd cab meant to be the passenger’s on-call cab because the taxi driver had been waiting there for the longest time. I mean, if you were the driver, and you have a passenger who called for a cab, will you wait for  your passenger to run in the rain to your cab? In addition, the passenger who called would have specified that he or she is waiting at the drop off/pick-up point and not in the rain.

So, what’s the morale of this observation? I think we need a staggered CBD and peak hour surcharge. Perhaps the taxi companies can consider this following fare plan:

• 4:30pm - 4:44pm: $0.50 CBD and 10% of metered fare
• 4:45pm - 4:59pm: $1.00 CBD and 20% of metered fare
• 5:00pm - 5:59pm: $2.00 CBD and 30% of metered fare
• 6:00pm - 7:59pm: $3.00 CBD and 35% of metered fare
• 8:00pm - 11:59pm: $3.00 CBD (and perhaps 40% of metered fare to cope with disappearing taxies in heartlands - courtesy of Alice again)

See? There you have it. A new fare plan to help cope with disappearing taxies before 5:00pm. I am sure a lot of people will welcome this idea - just like how we implemented the staggered surcharge for disappearing taxis before midnight.

Comments, anyone? =)

Ed: Oh ya, I have some photos to go along with this post - to be uploaded later. Thanks to Alice for bearing in the rain while I ran to the dentist for my surgery. See? I is Citizen blogger.

… for taxi fares to go up at the strike of 12 midnight. No longer will you get the staggered midnight surcharge - and you will resume paying 50% surcharge; and from tomorrow onwards, you would be paying 35% surcharge for your morning peak hour ride; amidst many other things.

Are you aptly prepared for it yet? Do you have enough cash in your wallet to pay for the hike tomorrow? Are you armed with your ammunition to shoot the taxi driver down tomorrow morning? Do you have what it takes to overcome the threats of the taxi driver to call in the cops should you refuse to pay?

Well, I hope you do - because after all, taxi fares are much cheaper in Singapore - and it is a fair apple-to-apple comparison because after all, we are supposed to be on par with other countries for the cost of ownership of cars, flats and private property, amongst others.

Oh wait, you mean it’s not ah?

I wasn’t so confident about trying it at all. After all, I had been procrastinating it for the longest time that I remembered. Someone once told me that it’s the in thing and that everyone’s doing it anyway. Suddenly, it felt like I was in secondary school again, when peer pressure is abound and sometimes, we just feel like giving in.

Well, for once, I finally decided to give in - in a certain sense. Actually, I initiated the whole thing by suggesting it. Of course, the other party seemed rather conservative but I decided to give it a shot anyway. For once, I am quite glad I did - because I am actually quite enjoying it. No doubt there was a lot of fumbling and it even kept me up the whole night, but the satisfaction and climax that I get from it - I tell you, it’s unbelievable.

Just like how one of my friends put it… The first attempt is always messy. As a matter of fact, it *was* messy! I had to try and try again before I finally got it right - and you know what? I didn’t feel like stopping at all. It’s like… reaching the point of no return.

Yeah… and that got me up all night.

Thankfully I manage to wake up on time for an appointment today; without feeling a little sore all over and with a slight headache and something that felt almost like a hangover. As much as it felt good, I think doing it late into the night (and into the morning) is not really a good idea because it just simply leaves you all drained and tired.

And according to my friend - it is almost like sex… and that it’ll get better each time I try it.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you paid way much more for your new Sony PSP Slim, then you’d be in for a surprise. This is because you are actually paying way much more for less with not much improvement in functionality. Everything else is pretty much the same, except that they have removed more parts from the original PSP that makes the PSP Slim… slimmer.

However, along with this weight loss also meant a certain amount of innovation that makes it less power hungry - allowing the PSP Slim to run with the same number of hours using a lesser capacity battery, resulting in the use of a 1200mAh battery instead of the original 1800mAh. It is not stated if the older battery can still be used for a longer play.

One of the items that went with the weight loss is a set of metal plates that where embedded at the back panel of the PSP. This was supposed to aid in withstanding any twisting forces that may result from game play. In place of these metal pieces, Sony has put in ribs, which is supposed to withstand the same amount of force applied onto it.

So, there really isn’t much cutting-edge technology in the new PSP Slim - just a whole lot slimmer and lighter, and less power consuming.

"They aren’t really using any cutting-edge technology. It’s more like they’ve just eliminated the parts that were unnecessary to assure quality." That was what our engineer said after disassembling the PSP-2000, the latest model in the line of PlayStation Portable (PSP) game consoles from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (SCE) of Japan, released in September 2007.

The PSP-2000 uses the same liquid crystal display (LCD) size, input interface and other specs as its predecessor, the PSP-1000, but weighs less by about a third as much, at only 189g. The case is also 4.4mm thinner, at only 18.6mm. "The PSP-1000 was the first portable game system that SCE manufactured, and came with a large 4.3-inch display. That resulted in a pretty difficult requirement specification as far as strength goes. In designing the PSP-2000, though, it looks like the firm applied what it learned to remove unneeded parts," added our engineer.

Eliminating Components
SCE adopted a fairly standard approach to making the PSP-2000 lighter: it reduced the number of components and replaced metal parts with plastic ones. The biggest contribution to weight reduction came from elements like the case, LCD panel and universal media disc (UMD) optical drive. On the PSP-1000 the plastic case bottom was reinforced with a metal chassis, but the bottom of the PSP-2000 is made entirely of plastic, cutting weight by 20g. The metal chassis was removed from the UMD as well for another 16g reduction. The front-panel metal reinforcement for the LCD panel has also been removed, and the glass substrate thinned down, reducing weight by 23g.

It would normally be impossible to ensure sufficient strength by merely eliminating metal parts, and it appears that SCE engineers tweaked the design to provide the needed strength. According to the engineer,

"The PSP-1000 enhanced rigidity by combining various components like the LCD panel, case and UMD; but in the PSP-2000 rigidity is instead provided by reinforcing the bottom of the case." The bottom of the PSP-2000 is covered with reinforcing ribs, which are sufficiently strong to withstand twisting stress.

The batteries in the PSP-2000 are also 8g lighter than those in the old model, although capacity has also dropped from 1800mAh to only 1200mAh. According the SCE, however, battery drive time is the same, leading us to believe that they have found a way to reduce power consumption.

The engineer noted that the PSP central processing unit (CPU) and the 64-Mbyte memory have been implemented in a single package in the PSP-2000, explaining that the switch would reduce power consumption during memory access by the CPU.

Article obtained from http://techon.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/HONSHI/20071127/143110/ on 16th December 2007

After reading the article below, I not only lost my appetite, but felt I throwing out. Can you imagine finding nose dirt, fingernails, hair, cockroaches, feelers, rodents and all in your food? And apparently, what looks good doesn’t mean that it’s good. Perhaps, sometimes it is better not to think too much before sinking your teeth into delicious looking food - it might not be that good to think too much.

For the next few days, if the kitchens of the Japanese-styled or American-styled restaurant that I am visiting is not in an open concept, I’d be avoiding them. Read on only if you have a strong stomach. I am already feeling sick.

WHEN Ms Carol Yap ordered a kaya toast and coffee combo at a cafe recently, she wasn’t counting on biting into anything more than hot kaya spread and a slab of butter on crispy bread.

There was something chewy and stringy in her mouth - it was a piece of dental floss and it wasn’t hers.

This wasn’t the first time the 36-year-old has made an unsavoury discovery in her food. A few years earlier, she thought her noodles at a Chinese restaurant might have been overdone until she spat out a 1.5cm piece of wire.

‘Luckily I didn’t cut myself or break a tooth,’ said the shocked secretary.

Most people could probably cite at least one encounter with foreign matter in their food - maybe a strand of hair or a small dead bug.

The recent PrimaDeli food poisoning case, when more than 100 people became ill after eating the bakery’s cakes, has put food hygiene in the spotlight.

In fact, more eateries and hawker stalls have landed themselves in the soup this year than the past three years, mostly for filthy premises, rodent infestation and contaminated food.

Offending food outlets fined by the National Environment Agency (NEA) so far this year numbered 2,148. This is up from 1,307 last year, 1,524 in 2005 and 1,857 in 2004.

NEA puts the high number down to stepped-up checks and more tip-offs from the public.

But just what goes on behind kitchen doors? Heard those stories about underpaid, overworked chefs spitting into your food? That’s not an urban myth.

Although kitchen staff say it hardly happens now, waitresses at one Japanese food chain were known to have done that to picky customers.

But the most common transgression, it seems, is not washing hands after a visit to the loo.

Lack of hygiene

FOOD handlers say that in their rush to get orders out, they sometimes forget to soap up. And even though gloves are a must when it comes to handling cooked food, not all use them.

A chef who has been in the business for more than 20 years says he has seen it all: from the spitting to the scratching to the sneezing.

‘When I catch them scratching their oily scalps and go back to preparing the food, I’ll scold them and ask them: will you eat this food yourself?’ he said.

Chef Ang Song Kang of Canton Wok by Chef Kang said: ‘It’s about personal hygiene. If you can’t even be clean with yourself, how can you expect to serve others?’

Cooks in Chinese kitchens, especially, think nothing of handling raw and cooked food with the same set of bare hands.

One 50-year-old waitress, who has done the rounds in Chinese restaurants, readily admits she and her colleagues sometimes use their bare hands to arrange food on a plate, such as the cold dish served at wedding dinners.

At a top-end popular Chinese restaurant here, tea leaves are left exposed and vulnerable to cockroaches.

Another waitress said: ‘When we’re busy, we just use our hands to grab the tea leaves. Or if a plate is stained, we just wipe it with our fingers.’

A part-time kitchen helper at an American-style cafe said her manager even told her not to wear gloves when dishing out food, as it was easier and faster to work with bare hands.

‘All the food got embedded in my nails. It was disgusting,’ said the 18-year-old polytechnic student.

Food suppliers are just as culpable when it comes to lack of cleanliness. They are known to drop their uncovered fresh produce deliveries such as meat and vegetables on the greasy kitchen floor.

But sometimes, the problem has less to do with sloppy humans than pesky insects.

One 20-year-old, who used to work in the kitchen of an American chain of restaurants, said he would go to work in the morning to find cockroaches inside the giant mixer that the restaurant used to mix batter for its muffins.

Hardly surprising, then, that at least three customers have returned with half-eaten food with feelers hanging out.

The culinary misadventures of Singapore’s kitchen keepers also extend to the all-important E word: ethics - or the lack of.

Don’t expect cooks to throw out food articles past their expiry date. The rule, it seems, is: it’s still good for another six months.

‘As long as they don’t smell bad, the expiry date can always be prolonged,’ said one kitchen helper about sauces, seasoning and canned food which routinely get a new lease of life.

And just because your fruit tartlet doesn’t look mouldy doesn’t mean it wasn’t before.

A caterer says it’s not uncommon for food handlers to slice off mouldy bits on these tarts and continue to serve them as if they were fresh out of the oven.

Unwashed vegetables, food that is salvaged from the kitchen floor, thawed meat that gets absent-mindedly stuck back into the freezer: when the going gets tough, so do frazzled kitchen staff.

Pinning the responsibility

COOKS’ greatest defence for most things unwashed and unclean: the heat from the stove will kill the germs anyway.

Serving and kitchen staff put the responsibility on their management. ‘If they don’t care, we don’t care. If something goes wrong, it’s their responsibility, not ours,’ says one seasoned waitress.

At some kitchens, that responsibility is not taken lightly.

In the central kitchen of Bakerzin at Harper Road in MacPherson, a CCTV camera watches over food handlers. The company has three quality assurance officers who do daily rounds in the kitchen, said chief executive officer Daniel Tay.

It also routinely does hand, table and equipment swabs to test for cleanliness. Those who fail the hand swab test have their names pinned on a notice board.

‘We want to build a culture of good, personal hygiene and that’s not easy,’ said Mr Tay, who hopes to model his kitchen after those in Japan where ‘it’s almost like a clean room’.

The same goes for Crystal Jade, which has 29 restaurants and 10 bakeries and one confectionery factory servicing the bakery outlets.

Workers caught flouting its hygiene policies are given a verbal, then a written, warning. Three strikes and you’re out!

All unsold buns at its outlets are thrown out at the end of each day, while the shelf life of cakes is 24 hours.

The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), which regulates all food manufacturers, conducts surprise checks on these factories as often as twice a month.

It has imposed 42 fines - of between $300 and $1,000 - so far this year on manufacturers who used unapproved additives, sold mouldy food and had dirty premises.

But for all the unappetising culinary secrets this well-known food paradise keeps, you are still much less likely to need an iron stomach now, thanks to strict government regulations that require all food handlers to go for typhoid jabs, wear protective gear and attend a food hygiene course.

In fact, the number of food outlets that have earned an A cleanliness rating from the NEA has risen from 18 per cent five years ago to 33 per cent this year.

Even the nasty episodes that Ms Yap had to endure haven’t put her off eating out, which she does at least five times a week.

‘I’m too busy to cook so I have no choice,’ she said.

‘Just don’t let me see it.’

dawntan@sph.com.sg

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 16th December 2007

Apparently there’s a pill that is able to reduce the effects of alcohol after a long night of drinking and wasting away. Known as the Pepp pill, it is marketed as a health supplement but is claimed to contain enzymes that’s able to reduce the effects of alcohol by breaking down the content by 50% over 40 minutes.

This could potentially prevent drink drivers from being stopped and checked.

However, what it actually does is to reduce the apparently effects without really reducing the alcoholic content in the body. This means that a person may still be heavily intoxicated without knowing so - which potentially results in the drinker going over his or her normal limit.

It is also not known if there are other side effects. Moreover, since it is marketed as a health supplement and not a drug, there are no requirements for it to be tested by the Health Science Authority (HSA) (the FDA equivalent in U.S.).

Since the rate of intake by different people are different, this is by no means a magic pill and effects may differ. Nonetheless, if you are drinking, I think you should be responsible enough to take a cab home (despite the recent fare hike) and not risk knocking anyone down.

Hmm… I wonder if the civil servant in the article continued driving after popping the pills…

WHEN civil servant W.S. Wee asked for the bill after drinks at a bar last week, the waitress remarked that he looked flushed and told him that the bar sold pills that could reduce the effects of alcohol.

The 25-year-old regular drinker, who had downed two glasses of wine, agreed to buy two tablets for $7.

He said: ‘It sounded like a dream come true because I have a problem of turning red easily when I drink.’

He added that he felt better 10 to 15 minutes after popping the pills at Angel’s Share in Dempsey Hill, and drove home.

The Pepp pill, a health supplement pill made in Thailand and sold here since June, has been making the rounds among party-goers and people in the food and beverage industry here.

On the website www.pepp-up .com, there are claims that the pill contains enzymes that can break down alcohol content in the body by 50 per cent over 40 minutes.

Drinkers who have tried it said they were told that the pill reduces the alcohol level in their bodies so that they would feel more alert.

Sales director Daniel Chew, 36, who took the pills for the first time last Thursday evening after eight glasses of wine and champagne, said he felt like he was ‘back to normal, like I never drank at all’.

But doctors are concerned that the pills could lull drinkers into thinking that they are sober when they are not. Given that this is the festive season when people tend to drink more, there are also concerns that drinkers could take the pills so that they could drink and drive.

General practitioner S. Manimaran said: ‘I would not encourage people to take this pill. I would especially not encourage them to take it and drive or behave irresponsibly as the efficacy of the pill is uncertain. The rate of absorption varies from person to person, so one can never be sure that one’s alcohol level is reduced.’

Ms Fatimah Moideen Kutty, chief pharmacist at Alexandra Hospital, also cautioned people against taking things to increase their threshold for alcohol.

‘A lot of people overestimate their ability to tolerate alcohol. With this drug, people may not feel the effects of alcohol as much and may go on drinking above their bodies’ limits,’ she said.

Samples of Pepp have been handed out at wine launches and private parties. The pills are also sold at NTUC Unity and Guardian pharmacies. A pack of 10 goes for $16. Sales of the pill have doubled last month compared to October, said a spokesman for Unity. She declined to give any figures.

At two Guardian pharmacies, where two packs of the pills are sold for the price of one as part of a ‘festive offer’, sales staff said the pills are popular among working adults. Although the pills are also known as digestive aids, most buyers buy the pills for the ‘anti-alcohol’ effect, said sales staff.

Angel’s Share CEO Chua Peng Yam, 44, said his bar sells the Pepp pills to promote responsible drinking, not drink driving. Bigger clubs such as Zouk and St James Power Station said that they do not sell the pills.

A spokesman for the distributor, biomedical company Rockeby, said that the company does not market the pill as an ‘anti-alcohol’ pill.

Despite what the website claims, she said the pill is marketed as a digestive aid in Singapore. ‘Rockeby is a socially responsible company and does not wish to have Pepp associated with irresponsible drinking.’

The Health Sciences Authority said that the product is classified as a health supplement so it does not need to be licensed by the authority.

But a spokesman added: ‘Claims that the product can reduce alcohol levels or alleviate symptoms of hangover have not been scientifically proven.’

Sommelier J.S. Siah, 29, said that Pepp did not work for him. He still felt tipsy after taking two pills with five glasses of wine.

He said: ‘I wouldn’t recommend it to friends. If they were to take it and it doesn’t work and they were to drive, I’ll feel guilty if something were to happen.’

Additional reporting by Shuli Sudderuddin and Liaw Wy-Cin

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 16th December 2007

Senior Minister Goh has commented about the ministerial pay hike and affirmed that there can never be a better time to raise the pay of ministers and senior civil servants, his inclusive.

The reason he cited was in line with the party whip, that is is necessary so as to attract and retain good people into the service - that by pegging their pay to that of the private sector, good and capable people may consider giving the civil service a shot.

Hmm…

SENIOR Minister Goh Chok Tong said there is never a good time to implement salary increases for ministers and senior public servants, but he felt this had to be done.

Speaking at the end of a week-long visit to Vietnam, he acknowledged the concerns over the timing of the second phase of salary increases announced on Thursday, especially when inflation has risen.

‘It’s never going to be popular and you’re not going to win votes with it. But when the PM asked for my view, I said ‘proceed’.’

The latest salary hikes are the second part of the pay adjustments announced in March and debated in Parliament in April. The first part of the increase was made in April.

The changes are part of the Government’s continuing efforts to retain talent by benchmarking their pay to top earners in the private sector.

Reiterating this, Mr Goh said the increases will ensure that the salaries of public servants are competitive with those in the private sector - not just for this generation, but for Singapore’s future leaders and administrators.

‘If we do not adjust our salaries, these people will say: If I go outside, my pay will be much more than this immediately.’

He cited the example of former minister of state Cedric Foo, who has returned to the private sector on better terms.

Roger Mitton

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 16th December 2007

Oh yeah… you stare back at him straight in the eye! Then again, what’s the point? The dirty old man will just get more excited at this stare sparring. He might get really turned on and then accuse you of making him excited! Ya… it’s like… "what the… " right?

Well, Alice got this experience just an hour ago while taking the bus. She was on this face-to-face seat at the front of the bus when an old man boarded the bus. Seated opposite Alice, he signaled for Alice to sit next to him.

"Come, come, don’t be shy", the old man seemed to say.

"You must be crazy", thought Alice.

"Come, come, accompany uncle. Uncle give you sweets", the old man seemed to continue.

"Siao!", thought Alice again.

"Lai, lai, wo yao he ni zuo ai", screamed the old man silently. (translated: "来，来，我要和你做爱", or in English, "come, come I want to make love with you")

Then, without hint of anything, he helped himself to the seat next to Alice.

You know what? You shouldn’t really try anything funny with a blogger. More here. =)

Ed: You may have to load a few times… Alice seems to be editing her post

Apparently the recent announcement about school bus hikes which I wrote about here, is just a guideline for all bus operators - which means that they can keep their rates unchanged, or raise less than what’s recommended. Of course, who would do that? In fact, one operator did just that - raising his fares beyond what’s recommended.

So, really, whatever’s published is usually just a guideline - just like my entry on a fatter bonus for all. It’s just a guideline - you mean you were expecting 4 months of bonuses? =P

THE recent fee increase announced by the Singapore School Transport Association was just a guideline for both bus operators and parents and not meant to be applied across the board.

School bus operators can decide how much to charge but if parents find that the fare increase is way above the recommended rate of $5 to $10, they can file a complaint with the association, said its chairman Wong Ann Lin, 60.

One parent had complained to the association - which represents 90 per cent of the 900 bus operators here - about one operator who wanted to increase his fares by $30 to a new fare of $70 a month.

Mr Wong said: ‘I met with him and told him the problem laid with him - why did he charge $40 in the first place? As a parent, if the fares are suddenly increased by so much, of course I won’t be happy.’

Eventually, he said, the bus operator settled on a $10 to $15 increase.

Mr Wong also explained why school bus fares should go up next year. ‘With diesel prices rising, bus operators were asking us if they could raise fares and by how much, to cover their operating costs.’

Article obtained from straitstimes.con on 15th December 2007

Some weeks ago, someone wrote to the Straits Times forum about people not washing their hands after finishing their business at the toilets. I wasn’t sure if this was before or after the Prima Deli incident, but apparently, this got Straits Times going around to toilets to check out the behaviour of people after they are done with their business.

Somehow, I don’t know how they manage to stalk people in the toilets without having toilet users scream "gay!!!". Haha… the thought of it is hilarious =P

STUDENT Judia Ngo, 21, walks out of the toilet cubicle, looks into the mirror and fixes her hair.

She then leaves the loo - without doing what mothers have always reminded their children to do: Wash your hands!

Her reasoning: Her hands did not come into contact with faecal matter and are clean.

Miss Ngo is not the only one who thinks this way.

The Sunday Times staked out 18 public toilets - in shopping centres, foodcourts and hawker centres - to flush out the truth about hand-washing.

A dirty secret was uncovered: One in 10 toilet-goers did not wash his hands.

Some just wiped their hands on handkerchiefs while others said they washed only after ‘big business’ and ‘never thought of washing after urinating’.

In all, 75 out of 792 people were spotted not washing up.

But dirty hands carrying just a few germs could still cause big problems.

Since Nov 23, at least 153 people have come down with food poisoning after eating PrimaDeli bakery’s chocolate cakes.

At least eight of them have since tested positive for salmonella enteritidis which causes fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Salmonella can be spread by food handlers with dirty hands. Eight of PrimaDeli’s workers have tested positive for the strain.

This episode prompted letters to The Straits Times Forum about the shocking number of tertiary students who merely ‘wetted their hands under the tap and did not use soap’.

With additional reporting on Sunday Times

STUDENT Judia Ngo, 21, walks out of the toilet cubicle, looks into the mirror and fixes her hair.

She then leaves the loo - without doing what mothers have always reminded their children to do: Wash your hands!

Her reasoning: Her hands did not come into contact with faecal matter and are clean.

Miss Ngo is not the only one who thinks this way.

The Sunday Times staked out 18 public toilets - in shopping centres, foodcourts and hawker centres - to flush out the truth about hand-washing.

A dirty secret was uncovered: One in 10 toilet-goers did not wash his hands.

Some just wiped their hands on handkerchiefs while others said they washed only after ‘big business’ and ‘never thought of washing after urinating’.

In all, 75 out of 792 people were spotted not washing up.

But dirty hands carrying just a few germs could still cause big problems.

Since Nov 23, at least 153 people have come down with food poisoning after eating PrimaDeli bakery’s chocolate cakes.

At least eight of them have since tested positive for salmonella enteritidis which causes fever, diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Salmonella can be spread by food handlers with dirty hands. Eight of PrimaDeli’s workers have tested positive for the strain.

This episode prompted letters to The Straits Times Forum about the shocking number of tertiary students who merely ‘wetted their hands under the tap and did not use soap’.

Freelance writer Chua Siew Gek, observed that more than 40 per cent of tertiary students she escorted to the restroom during an exam did not wash their hands.

Those caught dry-handed by The Sunday Times ranged from housewives to undergraduates, and from food preparation staff to professionals, from both genders.

Common reasons given for not washing their hands include: ‘We are in a hurry’, ‘It is unnecessary’ or ‘We’re carrying too many things’.

An 83-year-old retired cook wetted only one hand because she claimed her clean hand had been clutching her bag the whole time.

A 71-year-old retiree, who wanted to be known only as Mr Quek, not only failed to wash his hands in a hawker centre toilet, but also blew his nose and sat down to a hearty meal of rojak immediately afterwards.

Even those who washed their hands did not do so thoroughly: Out of the 717 who were observed washing their hands, only 134 used soap and 66 washed only one hand.

Student Cherie Goh, 20, said: ‘It’s a waste of time to use soap and sometimes I don’t like the smell that common restroom soap leaves on my hands.’

Food handlers were no better. Out of the 29 observed, 21 washed their hands, but 14 of them did not bother to use soap. Eight did not wash their hands at all.

Said chicken wings seller Bao Juan, 39: ‘If I take a dump, I use soap. But if it’s a ’small one’, I don’t. I’m not afraid of getting sick because I have never fallen sick.’

A food and beverage worker, who wanted to be known only as Vivian, did not bother with the taps. She said: ‘I use tissue to touch the flush in the toilet and I wipe my hands with my own wet tissues inside the cubicle.’

A fast-food restaurant employee, who wanted to be known only as Madam Ko, shook the fingers of one hand under the tap for a mere two seconds because she had used the ‘hand sanitiser in the restaurant already’.

But those who are not careful can find themselves in hot water - fast.

High-temperature cooking or refrigeration can kill germs or slow their growth rate, but any germs ingested can reproduce in the gut and cause serious illness.

Associate Professor Goh Lee Gan from the National University of Singapore’s community, occupational and family medicine department, said hand-washing reduces the occurrence of diarrhoea by 50 per cent.

Soap helps to emulsify grease that water cannot effectively remove, he added.

‘If left unchecked, germs on the hands can contaminate food and multiply in whichever food medium it is deposited on,’ he said.

‘Not washing because one thinks there is no contact with dirt is unsafe… How do you know your hand did not accidentally get contaminated, or that faecal matter did not soak through the tissue?’

To help change such dirty habits, the Restroom Association of Singapore will be rolling out a public education programme next year, which includes roadshows and talks in the heartland.

It has distributed 2,000 posters to schools and public toilets on the correct way to wash hands.

And sales assistant Shamyn Toh, is heeding such advice.

The 16-year-old, who washes her hands with soap each time she uses the toilet, said: ‘I cannot stand the thought of dirt all over me. I think it’s hygienic and only right to wash my hands.’

limjess@sph.com.sg

shulis@sph.com.sg

zhenyang@sph.com.sg

Article obtained from straitstimes.com on 15th December 2007