My first vote!

Singapore just held it's General Election (GE2011) last Saturday, 7th May and like many Singaporeans, it's the first time I had a chance to vote in the Election. The last General Election was held in 2006 and I was kinda exempted because I was overseas on the polling day.

FYI, Voting is compulsory in Singapore as they deem it's part of the responsibilities of being an adult Singapore citizen. You must be a citizen of Singapore and at least 21 years old.

I have never been much into political stuff and it wasn't until we had a friend gathering a week before the polling day and the hot topic was obviously the upcoming GE2011. Well, just like there's our current government, People's Action Party (PAP) vs the opposition parties, between us friends, we have the pro-government and pro-opposition camps. Everyone was debating and I was like thinking "hey, am i missing something here?". That night, I searched and went through all the rallies videos on youtube and something in me just got ignited! Everyday, I would look through all those newly posted rallies videos. Some are refreshing, some are full of punch and some are depressing.

Suddenly, my one vote can make a difference. My friends knowing that I'm kinda neutral were trying to convince me to be on their camp. But a person needs to have their own personal point of view right. I need to make a choice and most importantly, a good reason why.

There's a couple of issues that Singaporeans are concerned about this GE2011. Mainly,

1. Cost of living - Inflation top 5 % in March, rising food and oil prices, rising of housing, health-care. As someone blatantly put it, the only thing that's not rising are our salaries.

2. Influx of foreigners- Singapore is a small country with an area of just 274.2 sq miles. Based on information from Wikipedia, the 2010 census shows a population of 5,076,70o. The list of countries and dependencies ranked by human population density put Singapore at 3rd position with 18,513/mi². Having said that, one in three (36%) people are foreigners. This led to higher property prices, more crowded public transport and competition for jobs.

3. Our current government, the People's Action Party (PAP) has becomes a party of Proud Arrogant People (PAP)? With ministers earning millions a year, living elite lives, do they empathize with the common people? Bulldozing policies through Parliament without any consultation and debate?

Check out the videos. I am both amazed and surprise to find out that my fellow Singaporeans are such creative and passionate lot!!! :))








The polling results:
After the nationwide voting, the PAP scored 60.1%, a vote swing of 6.5% against them as compared to the previous GE2006 where they scored 66.6%. Having said that, they still managed to secure 81seats out of the 87seats total in Parliament due to the way the system works. However it is the first time in Singapore history that the opposition parties managed to secure 6 seats in the Parliament (They had won 2 seats in GE2006).

The tide has finally shifted....

I know it's not my usual kind of post but thanks for reading :)))

Psst: This lady who gave me my polling card commented that she loved my T-shirt!! HAHAHA But I did get a couple of glances when I wore that to vote

Bangkok Grand Palace- 2010

This is kinda embarrassing but I realise that we didn't take much photos during our stay in Bangkok. So, moi decided to post photos of our Bangkok trip last year (We took tons of photos back then)

Let start with our trip to Grand Palace.

A little bit of infor from Wikipedia:

The Grand Palace (Thai: พระบรมมหาราชวัง, Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang) is a complex of buildings in Bangkok, Thailand. It served as the official residence of the Kings of Thailand from the 18th century onwards. Construction of the Palace began in 1782, during the reign of King Rama I, when he moved the capital across the river from Thonburi to Bangkok. The Palace has been constantly expanded and many additional structures were added over time. The present King of Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, however, resides at the Chitalada Palace.

All set for our day trip to Grand Palace!!

At the entrance of Grand Palace. It was such a hot and sunny day!!

Remember to head down early as they are open only from 8.30 AM to 3.30 PM. It's also a huge place and there's alot of stuff to cover

It's truly a grand place!

Im not sure if some of the structures are gold-plated. I believe there are. Think I read it somewhere before. Come to think of it, if this palace is for the Kings of Thailand, obviously it's gonna be extravagant and lavish. Okay, I conclude it's gold plated!!!

BTW, The Thais truly respect their King. The country has very strict “lese majeste” laws that forbid speaking ill of the King, the Queen, or the Heir-Apparent. Those unfortunate enough to be found guilty of such a crime can be sentenced to anywhere between three to fifteen years in prison. So no jokes about the King kaay!

Photos Photos Photos

A man re-touching the painting

Realise that we are getting to be such experts in taking photos of ourselves!! That is a good skill to master when there's just 2 of us. :))))

Yaay!! Managed to kidnap someone to help us take a photo!!

Found another victim to take a togetherness photo!! Muahaha :)))

We were there for almost 3hours and at the end of it, we were both hungry, hot, sticky and tired. Managed to grab a light meal before taking the river boat to the metro station.

Super spicy but tasty Tom yam soup!

Waiting for the river boat. It says Tra Chang stop. Think that's the nearest River stop for Grand Palace.

On the river boat. It was jammed packed with locals and tourists. There was an embarrassing moment when someone asked moi to step away from the railing near to the exit area. Turns out that the corner was meant only for monks. I looked behind and saw there's was really a monk standing behind me. Plus he looked super uncomfortable too (Hello! I'm not gonna eat u up). The man explains that Male monks are not allowed to touch females. It's against their religion or custom.

Found this on the webbie: Try not to put a monk in a position by which he might accidentally touch a female. If on a bus, don't sit next to a monk and if there is only one seat left next to you ( as a female ) then get up and let the monk sit down. There are usually designated areas for monks. If taking the river cruises or river boats, make sure you are not standing in a monk's area ( there will be signs ).

But seriously, I have to stand up to let the monk sit if there's only one seat left next to me?!?!?! OMG~

Moved to a safer location.

End of our wonderful Grand Palace trip. It's a highly recommended touristy place to visit. When I first stepped into the Grand Palace, it just took my breath away. The majestic of it, I was in awe!

But remember to slap on some sunblock and drink tons of water. I got a slight tan from being under all that sun! :)))