2 Indonesians jailed and fined for kidney sale: Implications?

Singapore July 3rd, 2008

2 Indonesians who were involved in the recently publicised kidney-for-sale racket had been officially charged, jailed and fined. While the news seemed a little hazy, but this has implications on sale of organs. Mr Wang Says So (yes, my fellow competitor in the OMY.SG blog awards) provided a rather in-depth personal perspective (despite him being really humble about it) on this issue a few days ago - on whether organ sale should be legalised.

Personally, I feel that organ sale is already taking place when Singaporeans travel to other countries to get their organs transplanted - although I understand that there’s a fair bit of hassle which may be easily circumvented. The repercussions of this is of course on the “quality” of the transplant, and if there is any high risk of the receiver getting secondary infections from the operation. The other issue is of course care of the donor after the operation has taken place - which the receiver will usually take care of as part of a “package”.

As the surgery takes place overseas, Singapore may totally displace itself from the equation by stating that it is happening out of its jurisdiction. The next question that comes to mind is whether organ sale only for the rich? Outright, it does seem to be the case; and if such sale were to be legit, then does this affect the number of willing donors now that the latter know that they can possibly fetch a handsome sum?

It’s a Pandora’s Box.  I feel that Singapore is currently not ready to move into organ sale because of the various implications that will surface. Remember that there’s a Singapore Human Organs Transplant Act (HOTA) where Singaporeans have to opt out if they are unwilling to have their organs harvested upon death? If organ sale is legit, then will we end up having more people opting out of HOTA - resulting in a possible reduction in donors upon death and possibly an auction-style sale of their organs in times of monetary need?

While I agree with Mr Wang Says So to a certain extent that regulation may be a good solution (just like prostitution and gambling), what we should be looking into should be the overall effects that legalised organ sale will bring about, rather than just regulating the sale and possibly restricting organ receipt to only the rich and influential. Thus, I may support organ sale, but only if the welfare of the poor (on the organ receipt waiting list) can be looked into at the same time. Only through such means will opportunities be present for both the rich and poor.

Of course, this is just a broad perspective of things. Like Mr Wang Says So, there are many fine points that have to be looked into for a holistic solution.

Kidney-for-sale racket : Indon duo jailed and fined

By Elena Chong, Courts Correspondent

TWO Indonesian men who are the first to be prosecuted for a kidney-for-sale case were jailed and fined on Thursday.

Sulaiman Damanik, 26, who had earlier admitted to entering into an arrangement with Wang Chin Sing to sell his kidney to CK Tang’s executive chairman Tang Wee Sung for about 150 million rupiah (S$23,700) last month, was jailed for two weeks and fined $1,000.

He also admitted to falsely declaring that no money was paid and that Mr Tang’s niece’s brother-in-law married his aunt.

The operation did not go through as the authorities stepped in after the transplant ethics committee had approved the application for a live kidney transplant based on the false information given.

The other Indonesian, Toni, 27, who acted as a liaison man between Sulaiman and Mr Tang, was jailed three months and two weeks, and also fined $2,000.

His kidney was successfully transplanted into Ms Juliana Soh who paid him 186 million rupiah (S$29,390) in March.

He was to have been paid 20 million rupiah (about S$3,200) for being a ‘runner’ if Sulaiman’s operation was successful.

The other two offences he pleaded guilty to were for selling his kidney to Ms Soh and making a false statutory declaration that no money was paid and that Ms Soh was his adopted mother.

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Courts%2Band%2BCrime/STIStory_254226.html

Article extracted on 3rd July 2008

Ok… let’s end the speculation on Mrs Lee Kuan Yew

Perspectives July 3rd, 2008

There’s much much speculation that Mrs Lee Kuan Yew has rested in peace and the topic was brought up over the coffee table again. In fact, the news "leaked" out as early as 26th June 2008 in some popular forums. As the last news of her being admitted was announced 3 days after it happened (admitted to hospital on 12th May 2008, announced in papers on 15th May 2008), netizens have been using the 72 hours lag as a guidelines as to when news of her demise will come.

72 hours is long, gone, over and there had been no news. Although we spotted some ang chias along North Bridge Road yesterday, we don’t think it’s got anything to do with Mrs Lee. So… shall we all move on? News will be news when it’s newsworthy. =)

But seriously, we are really so looking forwarded to it? Shadowfox highlighted some forums where this is apparently going on. Some hate her simply because she’s the wife of Mr Lee Kuan Yew, while others have grudges against her for setting up the Women’s Charter in Singapore. The apparent grudges for the latter was simply because the charter empowered "even into the most undeserving women who cheats in marriage and fully capable of fending for themselves".

This, of course is not necessarily true for all cases, bearing in mind that the initial purpose of the charter, extracted from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women’s_Charter_(Singapore), was to:

… improve and protect the rights of females in Singapore and to guarantee greater legal equality for women in legally-sanctioned relationships (but not those of Muslims). Definitions of the rights of husbands and wives in marriage, as well as outlining legal potentialities with regard to divorce and separation, and the banning of polygamy are some of the major elements of the Act.

An amendment was passed to the Women’s Charter in 1996, which focused around rights regarding domestic abuse and matrimonial assets.

While some may argue that this is outdated as women are gaining more (very equal?) education and working opportunities that it should be abolished altogether. However, we have to remember that there is now another group of women coming into Singapore: foreign brides. This may of course open up another Pandora’s Box, where some think that foreign brides are here for another purpose; but I shall not visit that issue yet.

Essentially, the charter may be amended again, just like how car owners get their money back after scraping their cars. If we, according to the discussion forums in Straits Times Interactive, have such belief in the feedback system, I think the system will change gradually. Perhaps nothing drastic, but I think Singapore needs some time to adjust properly to a global change.

PS: For digging out whatever’s on the net (hey, it’s still quite a dig), have you cast your votes today? =)

Someone: Ya, cast already… but you didn’t say cast for who. kekeke… =P

Editor: Yikes! Please cast for Simply Jean. =P

Does US$100 million sound good to you? Why not?

Advertorial July 3rd, 2008

How many times have we came across a "Eureka!" idea but realised that we didn’t have the resource to do it? How many times have we thought of some silly ideas but waved it off just to discover that someone else did it later on? How often have we "talked cock sing song" with friends over the coffee table only to discover that all the sing-song could have spun off into a product?

If any of these have hit you at least once, then you will want to consider penning it down and sending it ACE (Action Community for Entrepreneurship) for a chance to see their ideas come to life. ACE (http://www.ace.sg) is currently encouraging every man on the street to blast their ideas to them. If you think that your idea is silly, have you considered how many uses can be made out of a paper clip? If you are going to say that it can be used as a fish hook, or a book mark… then you are not letting your creative juices run! How about using it as a cutter to open your packet of Twisties, or as a pimple squeezer?

Silly? Hey, you might just be hitting on a pot of gold! Imagine if you were the patent holder to the invention of the simple paper clip, you’d be sitting back and enjoying royalties paid to you every year. Still, nothing beats the satisfaction of seeing your own name appearing on the US Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO).

While the ACE website may quote more "high tech" innovations such as the Online Business Licensing Service (OBLS) (for which I was personally involved too!), the concept of Duck Tours and the F1 night racing, simpler ideas that can improve the daily lives of many others are never too small to be suggested. After all, it didn’t take too much of a genius to figure that since "Drive-Thrus" worked for McDonald’s, it may just work for banking! (Guess where in Singapore you can get drive-through banking, although the one I knew is already defunct now).

ZoCard_3 (front)

So why not hurry up and get your creative juices running! After all, typing is free and submission is just a click away at http://www.ace.sg/acewhynot/webpages/whynotform.aspx. More importantly, you should do so by the 17th July 2008 and that’s when you can stand to win prizes of up to S$1000. If ideas are free, why not cash in on yours today? =)

  1. Creative Technology Limited collected US$100 million from Apple for a grant to use a Creative patent on hierarchical user interface on the latter’s products that was originally used in Creative Zen’s players. Source: CNet, http://news.cnet.com/Apple-settles-with-Creative-for-100-million/2100-1047_3-6108901.html
  2. This post is made possible by Blog2U @ http://blog2u.sg, who, amongst others, figured that if advertising works for papers, magazines and bus stops - then why not blogs?

Is this… ?

Humour July 2nd, 2008

Even a (sometimes) insightful blog needs to inject some humour to keep things going, no? It’s the mid-week and I thought it’d be nice to get some people laughing off their chairs - and I hope you are not rocking on it; you might just fall back… and you know? *morbid*

Here’s a good laugh for the mid-week… and oh, have you cast your votes yet?

Daughter: Hello?

Daddy: Hi honey. This is Daddy. Is Mommy near the phone?

Daughter: No Daddy. She’s upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul.

After a brief pause,

Daddy: But honey, you haven’t got an Uncle Paul.

Daughter: Oh yes I do, and he’s upstairs in the room with Mommy, right now.

Brief Pause.

Daddy: Uh, okay then, this is what I want you to do. Put the phone down on the table, run upstairs and knock on the bedroom door and shout to Mommy that Daddy’s car just pulled into the driveway.

Daughter: Okay Daddy, just a minute.

A few minutes later the little girl comes back to the phone.

Daughter: I did it Daddy. 

Daddy: And what happened honey?

Daughter: Well, Mommy got all scared, jumped out of bed with no clothes on and ran around screaming. Then she tripped over the rug, hit her head on the dresser and now she isn’t moving at all!

Daddy: Oh my God!!! What about your Uncle Paul?

Daughter: He jumped out of the bed with no clothes on, too. He was all scared and he jumped out of the back window and into the swimming pool… But I guess he didn’t know that you took out the water last week to clean it. He hit the bottom of the pool and I think he’s dead.

 

***Long Pause***

 

***Longer Pause***

 

***Even Longer Pause***

 

Daddy: Swimming pool?

Daddy: Is this 486-5731?

Daughter: No, this is 486-5713…..

Daddy: Sorry, wrong number

Some times, things aren’t really as bad as we think it is. Chill out, ya? =)

Flash fire at Singapore Power Building

Singapore July 2nd, 2008

A flash fire occurred at the Singapore Power Building this morning at approximately 10:10am, triggering some power outage in the vicinity as well as emergency evacuation of workers and shoppers in the building and surrounding offices and shopping centers. 4 workers were injured while 1 suffered burns. No further information was available.

I guess this brings back the reason on why we keep having those time-consuming, work-interrupting and sun-roasting fire drills in our schools and work places.

4 workers injured in flash fire at S’pore Power building

By Jessica Jaganathan and Sujin Thomas

FOUR workers were injured in a flash fire which broke out at the Singapore Power building on Somerset Road at 10.10am on Wednesday.

One worker suffered burns while the others came down with smoke inhalation.

The fire triggered a 15-minute power outage in the vicinity, and prompted mass evacuation of office staff in several buildings in the area.

It is understood that a switch gear in a room on the third floor of the SingPower sparked off the electrical fire.

Office workers in the area heard a loud explosion, followed by black smoke rising from the building.

Some buildings in the area reported power failures, and immediately evacuated staff as a safety measure.

Some 500 workers in the SingPower building were asked to leave their premises and move outdoor.

The building management of The Heeren, which is about 300 metres away, also evacuated some 30 people from the shopping centre.

Mr Jae Liew, 41, a relations manager at The Heeren said he heard a ‘loud bang’, which immediately triggered a blackout in the building.

He added that the traffic lights in the area also went out of order.

A spokesman for SingPower said power was restored within 15 minutes.

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_253809.html

Article extracted on 2nd July 2008

Car owners to get cash when they scrap their cars

Singapore July 1st, 2008

Car owners will be able to get upfront cash on their PARF and COE when they scrap their cars - with this new ruling kicking into effect from 1st September 2008. The LTA commented that this is the latest move in encouraging more car owners to switch to public transport when they sell their cars. Previously, car owners are not given the option to get cash upfront, but could use the balance to offset their taxes when they get new cars. Alternatively, these "rebates" could be sold to car retailers who would usually get it at a discount.

With the recent drive to get people to take public transport, let’s just hope that the system is able to cope with the increase. The last thing that we’d want to hear is another fare hike citing increased fuel, or increased manpower or anything to the likes. However, judging from historical events, fare hikes are very likely because the LTA/government would "want to increase fares gradually instead of having huge jumps at one go".

Are our pay increasing? Sadly, that’s not the case. The public sector probably have it a little better because they are given cash bonuses of between $100 to $300 to help offset the effects of inflation; not to mention a 1/2 month bonus in the month of July. Is the public sector beginning to look more rosy? Well, only if they start looking into their pay packages, which I think they are now.

We can only hope that better days will come.

Scrap car and get PARF, COE rebates in cash from Sept 1

Move is to make it easier for car owners to give up their cars and switch to public transport.

By Christopher Tan

REVERSING a rule that dates back more than three decades, the Government will allow motorists to get their scrap and COE rebates in cash when they deregister their cars from Sept 1.

The move, announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Tuesday, is to make it easier for car owners to give up their cars and switch to public transport.

Currently, motorists who scrap or export their cars before they turn 10 years old get a paper rebate, which they can use to offset taxes on a new vehicle. If they do not want to buy a new car, they would have had to sell the paper rebate to dealers, who will take it off them at a discount.

In March, Transport Minister Raymond Lim announced that the Government was reviewing if it was possible to hand out the rebates in cash - as part of a holistic approach to encourage more drivers to give up their cars for public transport.

LTA, in a statement on Tuesday, said car owners can apply to get their rebates in cash if they wish to.

Those who are happy with the current situation - largely by leaving the arrangement in the hands of dealers or motor traders - can continue to do so.

To apply for a cash refund, motorists can do so online via the one.motoring portal, or download a form (Form FR02) from the site, fill it up and mail it to the LTA.

To enable more car owners to benefit from this rule change, the LTA will extend the deadline for scrap and COE rebates which are expiring between July 1 and Sept 29 to to Sept 30.

The news is welcome by motor traders and motorists, many of whom have been asking why the Government cannot simply give cash rebates.

Mr Raymond Tang, managing director of used car trader Yong Lee Seng, said: ‘It’s good for the public as well as dealers who trade in these rebates.

‘In the past, they can only sell the paper to car companies, who use them when they register new vehicles. Now, they can go directly to the LTA and get cash.”

Since 2003, about 80,000 passenger cars are scrapped each year before turning 10 years old. It is estimated that about $2 billion worth of rebates are dispersed a year.

From Sept 1, if every motorist wants cash instead of a paper rebate, the Government would have to set aside the same amount in cash.

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_253500.html

Article extracted on 1st July 2008

Redefining fetish: Youth charged with molesting

Singapore July 1st, 2008

Is getting turned on at a refuse chute your cup of tea. then you might just have joined another league. A youth was charged with molesting a girl at a refuse dump near a block of flats. If he’s convicted, he will be spending up to 10 years in jail plus caning. I hope there’s enough refuse in jail to turn him on and I hope he’s not bi.

Youth charged with molesting girl

A 19-YEAR-OLD was charged on Tuesday with causing wrongful restraint to a girl while molesting her.

Tan Wee Ming allegedly touched the 16-year-old’s private parts while grabbing her hands and pressing her down at a rubbish dump near a block of flats in Toa Payoh on June 23.

He was remanded for investigation for a week.

If convicted he faces a jail term of between two and 10 years plus caning.

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Courts%2Band%2BCrime/STIStory_253484.html

Article extracted on 1st July 2008

Are we lamenting on taxi fares? And news of taxi fuel surcharge

Singapore July 1st, 2008

I got a reply to one of my earlier posts here. The comment basically highlighted the fares in other countries - particularly Hong Kong. I have to admit that fares in some other countries are indeed more expensive than Singapore’s (have you tried taking a New York taxi?), but after much consideration, I think - yes, I think that we (or at least, I) are not lamenting on how expensive our taxi fares are, or not. It’s more on how the taxi companies raise their taxi fares as and when they fancy.

I probably have no qualms about paying a premium for a taxi when I really need one - but it seems like they are adding fares every now and then - and it just make anyone feel like a sucker - not to mention of news that some passenger actually got charged a city surcharge of $3.00 when he boarded the taxi at Kembangan - which is obviously far away from the city. This incident, was conveniently called a "muddle".

Oh yes, if Kembangan is part of the city, then wouldn’t Aljunied, Eunos, Paya Labar and the rest down the MRT line be considered as "city area" - and, to add salt to the wound, isn’t Singapore… a Lion City?!

I really have no solution for this taxi fare issue. However, going by the arguments that the taxi companies are giving, it does seem that everyone (all employees) deserve a pay increment every time there’s announcement of a fuel hike because inevitably, everything else gets affected and everyone is effectively having less money. Perhaps the taxi companies should look into looking after the welfare of their own taxi drivers instead of pushing everything to the consumers and making everyone hate taxi drivers (no, of course I don’t hate them - I just hate the amount of surcharge that appears on the screen).

And of course, educate their taxi drivers on where the city is.

The big taxi surcharge muddle

NEXT time you board a taxi in town, be extra-vigilant of the surcharges you have to pay.

A confusion over what constitutes the ‘City’ area means that some people could end up paying $3 more than they should.

Technically, it sounds simple enough: If a passenger boards a taxi in the City area between 5pm and midnight from Mondays to Saturdays, then he is subject to a $3 surcharge.

But what exactly are the demarcations of ‘City’? Therein lies the confusion for some passengers and taxi drivers.

The inconsistent implementation of the surcharge has riled passengers who say they are being ripped off by errant cabbies.

Mr Fattah Salim, 19, a polytechnic student, was almost made to pay the surcharge for a cab ride last Saturday at 9pm.

Despite the fact that he had boarded at Kembangan - in the eastern part of Singapore and well outside the the Central Business District (CBD) - the driver implemented the surcharge.

When he queried the driver, the latter insisted Kembangan was part of the city area where the surcharge was applicable.

The driver reluctantly waived the surcharge only after Mr Fattah protested.

The three taxi companies- namely, ComfortDelGro, SMRT and Premier Taxis - said the City area surcharge was applicable if the point of hire is within demarcated CBD zones.

ComfortDelGro added that the surcharge also applies if the point of hire for its cabs is in the Orchard Road stretch.

All three companies also said their drivers are briefed on the areas covered by the surcharge.

Despite this, some taxi drivers mypaper spoke to said they only have a sketchy grasp of it.

my paper spoke to several passengers who suggested that a proper map displayed in the taxis for everyone to see so as to eliminate confusion. According to them, some cabbies have been arbitrarily imposing the surcharges even if the point of hire is outside the city area.

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) website (www.lta.gov.sg), the demarcated areas considered as the CBD include Tanjong Pagar, Republic Boulevard and Havelock Road.

Unlike ComfortDelGro, Premier Taxis and SMRT do not include the Orchard Road stretch as part of the City area.

Both passengers and taxi drivers agree that having one uniform map for display will go some distance to solve the problem.

When contacted, an LTA spokesperson said that the surcharge is independently imposed by the taxi companies themselves. — my paper

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/Singapore/STIStory_252210.html

News of the fuel surcharge:

Taxi firms mulling over fuel surcharge

Flat tariff of 30 to 40 cents may be imposed to help cabbies offset soaring cost of diesel

By Christopher Tan, Senior Correspondent

Just months after taxi fares rose sharply, cab commuters may have to brace themselves for another cost hike: fuel surcharges.

The Sunday Times has learnt that taxi companies here are proposing what airlines have been applying since 2004 - a surcharge on top of stated fares to defray rising fuel prices. In the case of airlines, the surcharges are sometimes higher than the fares.

Industry sources say the fuel surcharge being considered for cabs could be a flat tariff of 30 to 40 cents a ride. If a cabby makes about 20 trips per shift, a 40-cent tariff would lift daily takings by $8, helping to offset the rise in fuel expenses.

Since the last cab fare increase in December, prices of diesel at the pumps have climbed by 40 cents a litre to a record $1.933 (before discount). A cabby on a single shift covering about 250km would have seen his fuel bill rising by close to $10 a day over the period.

Although operators have not made a firm decision, observers reckon the surcharge could be implemented in the next few weeks.

Mr Lim Chong Boo, managing director of Premier Taxis, said: ‘We’ll have to wait for ComfortDelGro to take the lead.’

Ms Tammy Tan, spokesman for ComfortDelGro, the biggest cab group, said: ‘This is something that is being looked at, given the unabated rise in fuel prices. But no decision has been taken yet.’

Mr Neo Nam Heng, managing director of Prime Taxis, whose fleet runs entirely on compressed natural gas, said even if other players went ahead with a fuel surcharge, he might not. ‘We cannot follow blindly. After all, we are not using the same fuel as they are. We will gather feedback from our drivers before making the next move.’

There are six taxi companies here with a total fleet of about 24,000 cabs. As the industry is deregulated, they do not need to seek approval from the authorities to make changes to fares, unlike the bus and train operators.

Taxi drivers have mixed reactions to news of the proposal.

Cabby Azman Mohamed, 45, said: ‘We’ve seen a drop in passenger numbers since the fare increase. This is not going to help us. This will only help the bus and MRT companies because fewer people will take cabs. What we want is more passengers, not driving around empty burning more fuel.’

Fellow driver S.H. Ngiam, 53, said: ‘We have too many surcharges. This will put off more people.’

But cabby Tony Pang, 59, felt it was ‘a good move as it will relieve the hardship of rising diesel prices’.

Other cabbies said the time is not right for such a move, with inflation rate at a 26-year high. ‘We’ll be digging our own graves,’ one said.

Commuters are obviously displeased with the prospect.

Merchandiser Ivy Ong, 42, spoke for many when she said: ‘Oh no. I will not take taxis unless it is absolutely necessary.’

Ms Dawn Chia, 28, who is in public relations, said it would be ’slightly insensitive of cab companies’ given that the last fare hike was ‘imposed very recently’.

Consumers Association of Singapore executive director Seah Seng Choon noted that when fares were raised recently, fuel cost was cited as one of the reasons.

‘Therefore, cab companies owe the public a good explanation to show cause for such a proposal to be justifiable,’ he said.

Taxi companies raised fares on Dec 17 last year. The flag-down fare rose by 30 cents to $2.80 and meters jumped at shorter intervals.

The city surcharge trebled to $3 from 5pm to midnight, and the peak-period surcharge was changed to 35 per cent of the metered fare from a flat $2.

Although cabbies said the number of fares has fallen since, takings have improved.

National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der-Horng said: ‘Fuel cost should be properly reflected in fares, but imposing a surcharge now may worsen the public’s impression of the taxi industry, especially when inflation is on everyone’s mind.’

Mr Seng Han Thong, adviser to the Taxi Operators’ Associations, said: ‘Diesel prices have gone up by about 50 per cent from a year ago. Many taxi companies have also been giving fuel rebates to drivers. But this would not be sustainable in the long run.

‘We welcome and support any proposal from companies to help drivers reduce their burden. A fuel surcharge could be one way.’

christan@sph.com.sg

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/News/Home/Story/STIStory_252841.html

Article extracted on 1st July 2008

Would you vote Simply Jean for the Most Insightful Blog award?

Blogosphere July 1st, 2008

Update: Oh, everyone can vote once daily until 4 weeks later. Please help to vote daily. =) The shortcut link is http://sgblogawards.omy.sg/finalists/?blogCat=insightful. Thank you!!! =)

I seriously doubt I have readers that will do this for Simply Jean, but Simply Jean had been nominated and is one of the Top 10 Finalist running for the most insightful blog award. We are quite bad at pulling for votes, but we do hope that you’d cast a vote for us. Moreover, we are quite paiseh at massaging everyone of our friends on MSN to ask them to vote for us. Soon, we might just get blocked on their MSN list. =(

Anyway, here’s the good news for you! As a voter, you’d have a chance to win travel packages to Bangkok, Vietnam and a luxurious resort accommodation package in Phuket.

1st prize: 3D/2N Bangkok travel package for two: with night stay in a Superior Double Room with breakfast for 2 persons at the Park Plaza Sukhumvit Bangkok.

2nd prize: 3D/2N Ho Chi Minh travel package for two: with night stay at the Metropole hotel with breakfast for two persons.

3rd prize: 3D/2N night stay in Deluxe Room with breakfast for 2 persons at the Aquamarine Resort & Villa Phuket.

Of course, all prizes are courtesy of Wotif.com and Jetstar Asia. =) Simply Jean is too poor to afford to pay for all these. =( If you’d like more information, more can be found here.

Anyway, voting is very simple. Do you see that "Most Insighful Blog Finalist" badge on the right? Well, it’s this one actually:

sgblogawards-mostinsightfulblog

Well, if you click on it, a new window will pop up and you’d just have to click on the Simply Jean logo. Here, here’s the screenshot:

image

Yes, that’s the erm… logo. If you move your mouse over it, you will see this:

image

Ta-dah! If you would like to vote for Simply Jean, just click on the "Vote" button and you’d be brought to this page:

image

If you have registered at omy.sg previously, you may use your previous email and password. If you have not, you can just type in your email and a password that you’d like to use, and you’d see the following form popping out:

image

So, you just have to fill in your email, a password that you’d remember, your name, NRIC or Passport number, Birthdate and Contact. This is for you to win a prize in their lucky draw for voters! =)

After you have filled in your particulars, remember to click on the Simply Jean logo (arrow labeled "1"):

image

And you will see that your vote for the most insightful blog is Simply Jean - right at the bottom of the screen. But that’s not all yet, there’s still one final step. You have to click on the "Vote Now" button at the arrow labeled "2".

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Ta-dah! You are done. You may also continue to vote for other blogs in other categories. I’d recommend Sheylara’s Blog in the Most Entertaining Blog category. If you have not read it, go pop by her blog. It’s really funny and guaranteed to put stitches in you. =P

Finally, thank you for voting for Simply Jean. I’m not sure what I can give you guys, but I’d do more insightful stuffs =P and uncovering more Pedra Branca bluffs. =)