Almost everyone woke up feeling extremely tired. It was straight to the conference venue for all of us, so unless you would like to hear more about what is being covered during the convention, there’s nothing much to write about. Of course, we had our own mini adventure when we decided to go back to the hotel with the coordinator.

She had to go back to check out to return to Jakarta and we decided to check out the Airtel shop to get the local 3G SIM card. See, we had the guide to getting online for 20 rupees a day (which we later found out to be… ahem, outdated because they changed the President and the government [apparently]). However, today was a Sunday and the only place that was opened was the Airtel Headquarters at Splendid Towers along Begumpete Road. So, we hired our own taxi (this 3-wheeler, which we don’t know what it’s called) to the HQ which is about 3km away. The starting rate was Rs 12 and we ended up paying about Rs 25 because the driver didn’t have change for it. It showed Rs 23, but we sort of suspected that the only way they can get extra money is to deny the passenger of any change. Thank goodness we had small change else we will be paying Rs 100 for it (that will be about S$3.30).

So, we went into the HQ thinking that we will be connected to the rest of the world finally… but we were sooooooo WRONG!

Apparently, the government had changed (either that or their President had changed) recently and new rules were laid to ensure that no terrorists will lay their hands on these SIM cards and get away with bombing some buildings. Instead of the photocopies of NRIC (for address), visa, passport and lots of forms to fill up, now we have to have a photo provided, the above documents, even more forms to fill up, and a letter from the hotel that you are staying at with their utility bill. This is quite incredible and we are perhaps, appreciating the fuss-freeness of our Singapore government. *do I hear applause?*

Oh yes, we will be writing our new guide to getting online in India for 15 Rupees a day. =P

Anyway, we got the forms, went back to the hotel and asked if they could help us with it. We were told to ask them in the evening when we return to the hotel from the convention.

Come evening, we had to attend an… ahem, meeting where the coordinator got bashed for apparently messing up the trip. We thought that was quite uncalled for because everything turned out quite ok in the end. Moreover, we thought that she is quite a nice person and the scolding that she got was totally not necessary.

Digressing a little, the cappuccino at the convention centre (HICC) was quite nice. You should try it.

Anyway, we had several discussion on how everyone in the board room should be helping each other in the long run despite the huge amount of bureaucracy that accompanies any projects. Nonetheless, we made some good contacts which we will be working on in time to come. That probably means more travel, like cowboycaleb, just that… I am not sure what he’s doing in real life.

Dinner was a quite evening at the hotel’s restaurant, which we thought was really cheap! Rs 250 excluding tax per person for a buffet dinner! Yes, we know that that is quite expensive in local terms, but for us, it works out to be less than S$10. Yes, what our lab mates told us – that we can live like a king (or queen for that matter) in India. The only thing is whether we can get a job that pays the same in Singapore terms.

After dinner, it was nights out for many of us. Indeed, it was really a long day as everyone recalled the bashing that went on in the board room. Again. It was really uncalled for.

Breakfast was provided and through our conversations with the coordinator, we found out that there is Wifi in each rooms. The user ID is your room number and password is kdr<room_no>. I am not too worried about revealing it because the signals are unlikely to "escape" from the hotel.

Food was spicy but good. I particularly like the Medhu Vada with some spicy gravy. The prata was also great, although they probably call it by other names. The cornflakes with milk tasted familiar and so did the toast, which will be great for people who are not used to the local food. For a Singaporean who had been exposed to various cuisines of food, this is definitely familiar taste.

We waited for a while after breakfast before being "shipped" to the Centre for Cell and Molecular Biology for a presentation and a tour of the institute. This was followed by a visit to IICT (which I can’t really remember what it stands for now). While at the CCMB, we were shown a professionally done video which introduced their institute and the technology harnessed. What surprised me was the way they run the institute, where everyone is known by their first name and titles thrown out of the window. The center is also ran 24×7 with support staff (admin and tech staff) on 3 rotational shifts and transport provided. Scientists and students are free to come in any time they want and to leave when they feel like it. Ultimately, they will be gauged based on their work from which they will be graded.

We had a tour of the facility and if they really shared all their resources within the various groups within the institute, it would relly be great. Such things are almost unheard of in Singapore because so much bureaucracy exists within the school that it’s some times just not possible to get hold of any facilities even though there’s a need. Talk about counter productivity.

Lunch was provided after the presentation at IICT. It was local fare, but apparently made less spicy. Alice thought it was rather spicy although i thought it was quite alright. The dessert was quie sweet and tasted like a small round cake the shape of a golf ball soaked in condensed milk and served with lots and lots of maple syrup.

The trip to the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) was an F1 race in itself (videos to be posted later). Apparently, the right of way is directly proportionate to the size of the vehicle (excluding trucks? which seemed to get horned at everytime). The car we were in, a 7 seater which is briefly "escorted" by 2 government vehicles, zig-zagged in and out of traffic like how Lewis Hamilton would to overtake his competitor - at high speed. Potholes were everywhere and avoiding them requires lots of skill and knowledge of the road. Occasionally when the roads get jammed, the car goes onto the sandy areas of the road and moves forward. Actually, everyone does that so I guess it’s no big deal. We also saw that "horning" other drivers as you go along is also something that seems to be usual practice. At times, we saw funny looking signs at the back of vehicles that says "Please horn". Hmm… is there something that we are missing?

When we finally arrived at the HICC, we realised to our horror that we were not registered for the event! Apparently, the Indian coordinator, Mr Nitesh, didn’t register us and a long negotiation started with the organizer of the event to get us into the opening ceremony in time. After hours and hours of waiting, we finally got our invitation card to go in. It seems like the basic unit of measure of time in India is 5 minutes and it seemed to last for hours. The 5 minutes seemed like infinite time.

We also realised that we were charged for airport transport even though we didn’t get it. Apparently Mr Nitesh thought that the event organizer would arrange for it and the event organizer didn’t know about it. In short, it’s just a jungle out there. Attempts to get him to commit to refund us for the airport transport was also futile until we brought in our own coordinator to intervene. For the uninitiated, here’s how it works. First, he will be busy. Then, he can’t find the main person. Then, the office is closed/phone is engaged/phone has low battery/he is on the line (rotate and reuse where applicable). Lastly, either party will give up first (unlikely to be him) and the matter is solved. =) Simple, isn’t it?

Such people give the nation a bad name for hospitality.

The event lasted till night following which dinner was also provided. We had to queue for a plate with a coupon that was given with the registration pack. Well, the invitation card does not include the coupons for all the meals at the event and the manager at the event was kind enough to provide us with the plates after we explained to him the problem. Effectively, we cut the long queue. Oops! Sorry….

Dinner was quite rushed because we had to rush for the bus which leaves the convention centre at 8pm, after which, we would have to find our way back (which we tried on Day 2). It. Was. Not. Fun.

When we reached the hotel, everyone was quite dead beat and we had to wake up for the transport to the convention centre at 5am because breakfast only starts at 7am and we had to leave by 745am. At least drinking water was provided and there wasn’t the brown water that we hear so often coming out from the tap. The television… was a 42” LG TV. Then again, the hotel rate was quite expensive… =(

It was quite a rush as we scrambled to get our air tickets confirmed. Yes, apparently our flights had just been confirmed even though the names for the conference had been submitted at least a month ago, if not more. Nonetheless, we managed to get our tickets after calling up the ticketing agent a few times in Jarkarta, who will be handling Alice’s air ticket and at least 20 ticketing agents for my tickets. The organization ended up only sponsoring 1 ticket in the end while another organization agreed to sponsor the other ticket through a reimbursement process. I have a feeling I will have to wait till Christmas before I will be able to get any cent back.

Through all our planning and load reductions and planning, we still ended up with a 15kg load on my side and a 12 kg load for Alice. We don’t really know what went wrong, but that seemed to be an overkill for a 6 day trip in India.

We met up with Nicole to hand her the tickets for the Chevrolet F1 party event that she will be covering here, which also ended up as a send off session. That was when we realised that we forgot our Lonely Planet India book - which is almost like our bible when we head for overseas events. We made the mistake of assuming that the books sold within the checked in area would be cheaper, but we were WRONG. Not only did the books seemed to be of the same price, the book that we were looking for was sold out! Of course, we ended up scrambling everywhere for the book before finding a copy at the bookstore just in front of our boarding gate.

It was almost an uneventful event until we realised that we didn’t make arrangements to meet the coordinator at the Hyderabad Airport. A quick check on gmail, thankfully, revealed her full name from which we asked the boarding counter to check if she was on the same flight. Thankfully, she was checking in while we were at the counter and it was quite a huge relief.

The  flight to Hyderabad was quite alright. We were told horror stories about how the entire cabin would carry the scent of coconut oil and hair gel… well, that’s all WRONG too! The flight on SQ438 was very pleasant and we thought that the cabin crew were very attentive too! So much for the rumours that Singaporean passengers were treated second class, although I tend to believe that it’s a one off case (or perhaps a couple of one-offs).

The in-flight entertainment was nice, although I was a little disappointed that there was no screening of The Simpsons. I ended up watching the Police Story starring Jackie Chan and The Terminal starring Tom Hanks instead. I didn’t manage to finish the second movie, but I thought it was a little laggy.

When we arrived at Hyderabad, we realised that the queue that you are at at the immigration counter does not necessarily mean that you would be served by that counter. People were shuffled everywhere so that some queues can be cleared faster. I waited at my queue with no less than 3 people cutting into my queue through a controller standing at the head of the queue.

I didn’t face any problems at the immigration counter, but most of us were enticed into shopping at their Duty Free shops. The only thing that prevented me from getting anything was the consideration that my bag would really be overloaded. From here, we moved on to the baggage lanes where we waited… and waited… and waited till the cows came home - and they did! Without our bags.

Apparently, the airport understands the meaning of Fragile baggage and unloaded our baggage separately! That’s the first time that my fragile baggage had been unloaded in this manner and I thought it was really great service, unlike most airports that just throgh our bag onto the conveyor belt - fragile or otherwise. Alice definitely had a bad experience with Tiger Airways. It’s either the airlines or the airport (our prestigious Budget Terminal) and I hope the airport do realise that Budget Travelling does not equate to budgeted service. I am so ashamed of telling people about our Budget Terminal. The handling was just terrible.

Anyway, I digressed.

So, we met the coordinator at the airport and we happily hitched a ride with her to our hotel. We were suposed to be staying at Katriya De Royal but we ended up going to Katriya Towers and Resorts. We got another cab to the hotel finally but that was not the end of our horror. For some reason, our reservation was never keyed in event though the travel coordinator in India charged our credit card for it. Worst, he had been uncontactable for the entire week or 2 up to the event. It’s quite a pity that things are handled this badly.

Luckily, we managed to get hold of him in the end and got our rooms. Time of check-in? 1:30am after an hour ride from the airport and 45 minutes of contacting the India coordinator,

And it’s going to be a long day the next day.

This post is made on the Lenovo U110 - a great lightweight notebook to bring with you everywhere (you may however need a solid state hard disk for the bumpy roads in India). =)

Had the privilege to attend the Chevy Night Race Party @ Gotham Penthouse. Boy, was I excited, cause there was a live screening of the F1 Race.

This is how the tickets look like…

There were 2 tickets, and that means I could drag invite a partner along!

Guests at the event were given a complementary photo of themselves and their partners…

Apart from that, there is this lovely booklet featuring Chevy Cars

No prizes for guessing that the Chevy Camaro is Bumblebee in the movie Transformer.

The ticket holder was used to exchanged for the door gift, as well as the tickets were lucky draw coupons. There was a guess the F1 Winner contest, and I did tipped Massa to win (but unfortunately, it was a total screwed up race for him). Terence tipped Hamilton to win, but alas, he got onto the podium, finishing 2nd runner up. So neither of us made it through to the lucky dip.

DK and partner were present too and its been quite an evening for the 4 of us…

A mini “F1″ race was organized, where the remote controlled cars are driven, in a bid to clock the fastest time. Of course, 1 winner did eventually emerged from the competition. (Was very distracted as I was watching the live screening of the F1 race)

Last but not least, prize giving session! Too bad I didn’t win any…

One of the guests receiving the prize.

Overall, the event was a blast. I’ve watched the inaugural night race with my fellow friends, in the midst of food and drinks. What more can I ask for?

Thanks Clarence (Earth9) and Chevrolet for the invite to this event.

Two of your… ahem, favourite authors =P are away for a mission in India, and it’s quite regrettable that we are only able to post this up because Internet access here is less than ideal. =( We will be away till next Thursday and in the meantime, you will have your other favourite SJ author, Nicole, to cover the events in Singapore for you. She will be covering the F1 race party tonight organized by Chevrolet. Oh man, what a sacrifice… then again, we are in an F1 race of our own while we are away.

Alice and myself are currently away in Hyderabad, India to attend and cover the 13th Human Genome Meeting, a four day event held in the high-tech city of India. This is the first time that we are covering an event in India and we are prepared for some cultural shock. Meanwhile, we will be updating our trip as as soon as we get our Airtel SIM card.

And do stay tuned for Nicole’s covering of the F1 race party by Chevrolet!

I laid my hands finally on the delicately crafted Lenovo IdeaPad U110 that was couriered from Lenovo a few days back. I didn’t want to rampage through the bag on what’s inside because I wanted to do the customary unpacking photos. So, here you are. The. Unpacking. Photos. On. A. Crumpled. Bedsheet. =P

This is rather unglam, so I will change it at the earliest possible moment.

I am currently out with the IdeaPad and it seems that I would have to get some software installed before it is ready to hit the roads. Some of the things that I can’t go without will be:

• Microsoft Office – it seemed to be installed but it asked for my licence key… hmmm…
• Microsoft Visio – need it to make all my flow charts and presentations
• Adobe Creative Suite 3 – for all the photo editing stuffs
• Windows Live Writer – to blog on the road
• Windows Live Messenger – to chat on the road
• DivX + AC3 filter – to watch movies on the road
• Nokia PC Suite – to connect, backup and be hooked onto the 3G network

Yeah, I guess that’s about it since they already have Norton installed in it.

My first experience with the IdeaPad was electrifying. Literally. Apparently I was able to feel the “current running” on the touch pad, which was rather strange since everything should have been grounded properly. The colours on the flushed screen was radiant and the keys were such a darling to type on. I am also a big fan of touch pads and it’s a nice surprise to have them squeeze in one in the IdeaPad. 

I have not tried the speakers but I have read reviews that it could do better. I am not sure about the battery life yet but at 99%, it still continues to charge and I am not sure if it is bad for the battery in the long run. When all the software are installed, I guess that’s when the real test will come. =) Also, the battery seemed to have contributed a fair bit of weight to the notebook because the IdeaPad is almost feather light without the batter, although this probably doesn’t make any sense. There are some minor aesthetics which are excellent – such as the hidden panel above the keyboard, the LED lights below the screen as well as the intricate design of the laptop, however, there may still be some small parts that need getting used to – like the position of the Fn and Ctrl keys. Yeah, minor stuffs, but the other author at Simply Jean loves it (she’s an IBM fan).

So, while the software is being installed, we are appreciating the nice shiny face, the rubbery texture of the bottom and the smooth reflections on the keyboard.

Do stay tuned.

Singapore, perhaps well-known for having one of the most complicated taxi fare and perhaps going to be known as the land of surcharges, has imposed on a new taxi surcharge specially for the coming F1 race this Saturday. Yes, you hear me right! They are going to implement a $5 F1 surcharge… no, not for the passengers to get a taste of F1 racing by the taxi driver, but to attract taxi drivers into the areas.

Common logic would have said that were passengers are, taxi drivers should logically go there to pick up passengers. However, there’s the issue of traffic jams and taxi drivers may find this unappealing since the opportunity cost is very high should they be stuck in a jam. The surcharge is meant to attract the drivers to pick up passengers in the F1 area but some are thinking that the effort is not worth the extra $5.

In Singapore speak, it’s “you give me money I also don’t want because I will be stuck there for ages”. Again, it’s little surprise on how the taxi companies think that money will solve all problem. Speaking of which, “eh, diesel price is at S$1.665 liao hor, get rid of the stupid diesel surcharge leh!”.

More firms impose levy

But drivers, commuters and shops lukewarm to move for race weekend

By Tessa Wong

MORE taxi companies are imposing an extra surcharge in the Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix area during the coming weekend.

Comfort DelGro, which operates the largest fleet here with Comfort and CityCab taxis, said it will be charging $5 extra to pick up passengers in the area surrounding the Marina Bay street circuit this weekend.

Its spokesman declined to give further details, saying that it would release further information in the week.

Smart Taxis also said it would levy that charge, with the same timings and locations as SMRT.

On Saturday, SMRT announced that its taxis would be charging an extra $5 surcharge to pick up passengers from 14 locations in and around the F1 track.

It will apply only from 10.30pm to midnight on Friday (practice) and Saturday (qualifying), and from 9.30pm to midnight on Sunday, the night of the race.

An SMRT spokesman said it decided to impose the surcharge after discussions with its drivers. She said it expected an increase in demand during that period and the surcharge is meant to attract drivers to that area.

Premier Taxis said it is still considering whether to levy the surcharge while Trans-Cab was uncontactable at press time.

Only Prime Taxis said it would not join in. ‘This is our contribution to our customers,’ said its managing director, Neo Nam Heng.

The surcharge is likely to affect customer traffic a little, said retailers and food and beverage operators in the area. Many of them are already resigned to the fact that there may be lower customer traffic due to road closures.

‘I don’t think it will be very busy. It will be hard for people to go in and then they will still have to pay more to get out,’ said Linus Victor, an employee at Harry’s Bar at Suntec City.

Cab drivers interviewed said the surcharge is unlikely to entice them to seek customers in the area, as they anticipate traffic jams.

‘Yes, there will be people taking taxis, but is it worth it to go in there and just pick up one passenger for $5? I don’t think so. It’s so troublesome,’ said Joseph Chia, an SMRT cab driver.

Comfort cabby Tan Hung Song added: ‘It depends on the situation. I may not go in unless I receive a booking.’

Locals called the surcharge ‘inconvenient’ and said it might deter them from taking taxis or even entering the area.

‘It might be annoying and unfair for people who happen to be in the area and are not attending the F1.

‘If I were there, I would just take the MRT home, or take it to Orchard and take a taxi from there instead,’ said fashion communication lecturer Ginette Chittick, 31.

K. Chong, a communications executive in her 50s, said she would vote with her feet.

‘I will avoid the area if I have no business there. For shopping and entertainment, I can go to other places.’

twong@sph.com.sg

Additional reporting by Ang Yiying

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_281232.html

Article extracted on 22nd September 2008

There are risks in every investment, but to have everything zero’d out is an investor’s nightmare come through. DBS High Notes 5 investors, consisting of mostly clients of DBS’s priority and elite banking unit, DBS Treasures, have been informed that they may potentially lose every single cent there is in their investments. DBS has also confirmed that they have informed their High Notes 5 clients, who invested from the thousands to the millions, of their possible loss. It is believed that this is tied to the Lehman Brothers’ file for bankruptcy.

Investors in this product had been guaranteed a 5% return every year for 5 1/2 years, some of whom invested for their retirement. While it is not understood why an entire investment product can be brought to its knees from the downfall of the Lehman Brothers, DBS has reiterated that the product never came with a promised 5% return and that they will investigate accordingly. This was however, no comfort to the investors.

News of this is shocking as just barely 1 year ago, the financial industry was still hot and many were rushing in as brokers and investors. The brokers could have been over-confident of their product and bravely sold it with a promised return. This unexpected outcome, however, showed again that investments without sound research and advice may just be as risky as jumping blinding into the market.

Let’s just hope clients of DBS Treasures will still remain as clients of DBS Treasures after this event.

DBS High Notes investors at risk

Bank warns they may lose entire stake in Lehman-linked product

By Francis Chan

SOME local investors of a product linked to bankrupt investment giant Lehman Brothers have received late-night phone calls from DBS Bank warning them that their entire stake may be wiped out.

The investors have their cash in a product called DBS High Notes 5 that the bank offered wealthier clients last year. It came with a promised annual return of about 5 per cent.

But Lehman’s collapse on Monday means the product will be unwound and investors may only get a portion of their investment back - or none at all.

One 52-year-old customer told The Straits Times: ‘I received a call from my relationship manager late Tuesday night. He told me that…my investment may amount to zero.’

The man had invested $50,000 - savings he had earmarked for retirement.

A customer in her late 40s said: ‘My relationship manager called and told me to be prepared to receive a letter from the bank…[it] would say something to the effect that my investments in products like High Notes 5 may be totally gone.’

She invested $50,000 and US$30,000 (S$43,000) in two separate transactions.

Investors are mostly clients of DBS’s priority banking unit, DBS Treasures.

The product - DBS High Notes 5 - is a 5-1/2 year structured product linked to eight underlying shares, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Macquarie Bank and Lehman.

Customers who invested in Notes 5 said they were sold on the relatively high 5 per cent annual payout by DBS. But now they just want their money back.

‘What we do not understand is: How can the fall of one bank cause our funds to just vanish when there are seven other stocks within the product that are still trading?’ said a man whose elderly aunt invested $50,000 in DBS High Notes 5.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the largest single investment made on High Notes 5 was $2 million, although this could not be verified by DBS.

DBS confirmed that it took immediate action to notify customers once it learned of Lehman’s chapter 11 bankruptcy filing.

‘As soon as the news broke we immediately started communicating…to our retail investor customer base,’ the bank said in an e-mail reply to The Straits Times. ‘We are very concerned and understand the anxieties our customers face as they wonder what will become of their hard-earned money.’

DBS said the Lehman collapse has triggered a ‘credit event’ and the bank called for a redemption of the notes on Monday.

It said unwinding of the product has begun and it will be at least 30 business days before clients learn of the final payout. But DBS also confirmed that investors in High Notes 5 may - ‘in the worst-case scenario’ - not get back their entire principal amount invested.

The product’s prospectus also indicated that in a credit event such as bankruptcy, the notes ‘will be terminated and the investor will receive zero payout’.

The bank said the product does not contain a guarantee that the principal will be protected. It also told The Straits Times it would ‘fully investigate’ claims by some customers that High Notes 5 was in fact sold on such a promise.

Meanwhile, UOB and OCBC Bank said that though some customers have invested in Lehman-linked products, the volume was ‘modest’ and ‘negligible’.

‘Since news of Lehman filing for Chapter 11 broke, we have taken a proactive approach in updating clients on the latest developments,’ said UOB’s spokesman.

OCBC’s spokesman said in an e-mail that its securities unit has advised customers to wait for updates from Lehman.

franchan@sph.com.sg

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Prime%2BNews/Story/STIStory_279646.html

Article extracted on 19th September 2008

It’s been a long while since I last wrote something here, and for me to write something here today means that it’s going to be quite a scoop. I was on a particular bus heading to a particular school listening to a particular song that I particularly liked. Halfway through the journey, the bus stopped in the middle of the road - quite literally - and I thought I heard the bus driver ask "wo ying gai zhou zhi ma?" ("should I be going straight?").

Before I actually got to think about it, the bus started moving in the the right direction and I presumed that I could just be hearing things. However, my speculations were proven right. The bus driver missed a turn and continued to drive straight. That was when a commuter went up to the bus driver, presumably to let him know that he was on the wrong route.

I guess that didn’t help more than just making the bus driver panic because as he was driving, he was mumbling "oh no! oh no!". Seeing that no one on the bus bothered, I went up to him to guide him back to the correct route. I am not sure, but I think this would have gotten some strange stares from commuters waiting for their buses at the bus stops that the bus driver passed.

So, what does this episode say? Well, it does spell a lot of things. First, Singaporeans might not be much of a helpful bunch of people. Or rather, most didn’t seem bothered that they were on the wrong route. I am just speculating that they might just consider complaining if the bus driver did continue on the wrong journey.

Second, I think there is a serious lapse in the training of the bus driver. I learnt that it was his first day of work and that he wasn’t entirely familiar with the route. In fact, he seemed a little surprised when I told him that the route will lead him back to a particular bus interchange. In addition to this, he was a foreign talent and I can’t really blame him on his mistake. If there’s anyone that I can point a finger to, it’d be the bus company. Surely all the price hikes that they have implemented could go into better training of their bus captains, couldn’t it? I definitely didn’t remember that all other commuters have to sign up as co-pilots.

Taking with a pinch of salt, I kind of suspect why I had been getting 45 minutes interval between buses. You see, it would have added another 10 minutes if I were to guide the bus driver back to the point of the route where he made the wrong turn… so I took the liberty to guide him back to the route but missing 1 bus stop. Well, the bus stop that was missed is usually empty with almost no one alighting at it. Moreover, the bus stop was so near the junction where the driver forgot to make a turn that anyone wanting to alight at that bus stop would have pressed the bell.

What I could have done better was to alert the bus driver when he showed signs of stray. However, I would have to choose between the lesser of the 2 evils - getting him to make an illegal left turn (because he missed a slip road to the left) or did what I did…

So, if your kids/students/other half tells you that the bus driver lost his way, it might just probably be true. =)

Pouring acid. Check. Vandalise cars. Check. Glue mailboxes. Check. Glue doors to frames. Check. Pig heads, however, are getting a little too expensive, and red paint leaves behind an unpleasant smell for the neighbours. No, you are not hearing what loan sharks are doing to their debtors. This is what is being carried apparently to coerce residents of a potential en bloc application into signing the form.

In order for an en bloc to be successful, 80% of the residents are required to agree to the sale. In Laguna Park, only about 65% have reached this consensus. The rest are either against it or sitting on the fence.

Apparently, to coerce those who are vehemently against it, some lessons must be taught to them. The short list above is probably just the tip of the iceberg. We have not talked about smashed windows, dog droppings being left outside or even helping them to repaint their windows. Yes, paint on the window glass (so that you won’t need a curtain anymore).

When it comes to greed, the monster in us comes out in hordes. It’s unimaginable how each of us are already "loan shark-trained" without even working for one. It got so bad at Laguna Park that residents wonder when someone will just pour acid on their faces. Not enough? Then perhaps burning down the flat should do the trick; since it also helps increase the agreement rate by getting rid of 1 resident.

For those who are sitting on the fence, this is just a prelude of what could happen to them should they disagree to sell.

Eventually, even if the en bloc doesn’t pull through, everything will be different. The environment will become hostile because the sellers may start bearing grudges against the non-sellers, while the non-sellers will start living in fear. It may become so bad that everyone might just want to sell their place and move out. However, by then, the en bloc will no longer be applicable.

And the person behind it? Well, no one has been charged yet, but the chairman of the management committee at Laguna Park was arrested this week on suspicion of gluing shut 2 residents’ apartment doors, although no charges were brought against him, who has been released on police bail. The authorities are also looking into new moves against loan sharks. I wonder if any of the new measures will help in napping those behind these loan-shark-alike activities.

THE chairman of the management committee at Laguna Park, recently hit by a spate of vandalism, was arrested this week on suspicion of gluing shut two residents’ apartment doors.

No charges were brought against Mr Lee Kok Leong, 61, who has since been released on police bail.

He could not be contacted yesterday despite several attempts to do so.

A resident who declined to be named said he was surprised by the news of the arrest as Mr Lee was well respected in the 530-unit East Coast condominium, whose residents are now split over a collective sale.

The resident said of Mr Lee: ‘Although he supported the en-bloc sale, he had claimed he was a victim - he said his mailbox was glued shut.’

The rift over the collective sale has turned ugly in recent months after several instances of vandalism against those opposed to the sale.

In the latest incident on Monday, two residents found their apartment doors stuck to the frames by glue.

Both live in Block E, and are against the sale.

In recent months, cars belonging to residents not keen on the sale were splashed with a corrosive liquid or paint, or scratched; mailboxes have also been found with glue in their keyholes.

Some residents were hit more than once.

One resident who found glue on the door to her apartment this week said she was worried that the culprits have accomplices, and did not feel safe.

To address the fears of residents like her, an extraordinary general meeting will be called in October.

Contacted yesterday, a spokesman for the management committee told The Straits Times that the purpose of the meeting was to find out where the residents stood on having closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed.

‘The big question is whether they would be willing to pay. Everyone wants security, but who is going to pay for it in the end?

‘If they want a CCTV camera outside every unit, it would be very costly,’ he said.

The move was in response to the vandalism in the estate, he added.

The possibility of a collective sale of the units in this seaside estate arose last December.

Residents have until the end of this year to secure an 80 per cent vote to put it up for sale.

So far, 65 per cent have indicated their agreement to it.

Residents have been told by a property valuer that an average unit could be worth more than $2.1 million in a collective sale, and the penthouses, almost $4m.

cheekin@sph.com.sg

Source: Straits Times Interactive, http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_272671.html

Article extracted on 28th August 2008