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Just how are you going to enjoy 31 days of off just by taking 8 days of leave? This article from in today’s The Sunday Times got my attention immediately. Since most of us are having a 5 day work week, I decide to share this article with you guys and gals today.

Just take eight days of annual leave, tag them to a few public holidays and you get a series of long weekends that add up to 37 days off work. Even without taking any leave, there are already four long weekends. Singapore Idle, indeed.

It is all thanks to the fluky way public holidays fall next year. Apart from Hari Raya Aidilfitri – a Wednesday – all the days off are close to weekends, so taking an extra day adds up to a four-day break.

The first long weekend is already under way if you have taken tomorrow off, but the next one is not far off.

Chinese New Year falls on Thursday and Friday in February, so by taking an additional three days of leave, you can enjoy a nine-day break.

Click on the image to enlarge (image from The Sunday Times)

With so many long weekends ahead, it is a good time to plan your travel plans early as well. No wonder travel agency are having lots of travel promotions for next year! I practically work only 11 months next year if all my leave are approved. Isn’t that great?

Did the SMRT driver actually saw a phantom ghost jumping onto the tracks of Kranji station on Christmas day or a vision of some sort as he was pulling into the station? Was there really a phantom ghost replaying their own death? This piece of news was never reported in detail on the Straits Times. Just a small write out on their online portal.

TWO MRT stations in the north on Tuesday were disrupted following separate reports of a man’s fall onto the tracks.

At 9.43am, the southbound train service between Yew Tee and Woodlands was disrupted when the train driver spotted someone falling onto the tracks at Kranji station, a Singapore Mass Rapid Transit spokesman said.

The authorities could not find anyone after an extensive search of the area.

Normal train services resumed at 10.53am, but within minutes, it was disrupted again when witnesses saw a man fall onto the tracks at the Marsiling MRT station, one stop away from Kranji MRT station.

The man, believed to be in his 40s, lost part of his leg after being hit by the train and was rushed to National University Hospital.

Source from Dec 26, The Straits Times online portal.

Are they hiding something from US? This piece of news had caught the attention of blogger, Simon Tay of Singapore Paranormal Investigator (SPI). He speculated some possible reasons why the body of first victim was never found.

1. Ghost appeared that indirectly gave “warnings”
2. Ghost appeared that re-play their own death
3. Ghost appeared to take more victims
4. Another guy that happened to fall into the MRT tracks but might have enough time to move himself to avoid the train and climb back up without anyone knowing.
5. Mass hallucination of all those at the platform and video cameras might catch nothing in the tapes.
6. The MRT official got too tired and see wrongly.

What other possible reasons can you think of?

Christmas, it is a guys worst nightmare coming true. Well at least for me. The two of you have been dating for quite awhile now. Choosing that special gift gets more challenging with each passing year. What should you get her this Christmas? You already got her that Gucci handbag, that expensive diamond ring which comes with matching earrings and braclets.

Fear not! Thanks to Youtube. I now have the perfect gift for that special someone!

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Want to know what it was like to be the first to react to an accident in the Grand  Prix? Want to experience the adrenaline rush of the Grand Prix? Always wanted to attend the Grand Prix but could not afford the tickets? Meet the Race Queens up front and personal? Now you can!

Why should you be seated in the audience seat when you could experience the Grand Prix first hand? Singapore Sports Council and Singapore Motor Sports Association (SMSA) are looking for 800 marshals to be trained for the Grand Prix in Singapore happening from Sept 26 – 28.

Among the 800 chosen ones, 40 key marshals would be send to the Australian Grand Prix to familiarise themselves with the marshalling duties. So who are eligible to apply?

1. Applicants must be at least 18 years old and above on Jan 1, 2008.
2. Have access to the Internet and a valid email address.
3. Be physically able and medically fit in order to perform his/her duties.
4. Be fluent in spoken English.
5. Fulfil ALL training/briefing hours.
6. Be able to commit time for the 4 days of the Event (Sept 25-28 2008).
7. Successfully complete and pass the e-module assessment (if shortlisted) In the case of senior officials, it is required that they complete and pass all other necessary assessments.

So if you think you have what it takes visit www.singaporegp.sg for more details. Closing date for registration as senior officials is Jan 6 and officials is Jan 31 2008. Did I mention that you would not be paid during the 4 days of the event?

After my first entry on Hady Mirza, many comments were left by both supporters and non-supporters of Hady. Some of the comments and remarks almost spark off a blog war with the name callings. (I was even being labelled as a racist!) There were tons of comments on why Hady should not win the Asian Idol title. But all that negative comments would not change the final result.

To leave the issue behind, here’s not 1 but 10 reasons compiled by The Straits Times, Life to convince non-supporters why Hady Mirza beat Jaclyn Victor (Malaysia), Abhijeet Sawant (India) Mau Marcelo (Philippine), Phuong Vy (Vetinam) and Mike Mohede (Indonesia) to be crown Asian Idol 2007.

1. He amassed “the other vote”

The contest rules were such that each person had to vote for two candidates, fans would give their “other votes” to a “neural” competitor rather than a strong one and that person is Hady.

2. He’s got the looks.

With his boyish, surfer-dude looks, well-built frame and nice hair, Hady was eye candy. Even the judges acknowledged his physical appeal even if they didn’t like his singing.

3. He’s got the charm.

Hady’s showmanship was excellent. In the entertainment industry, it was not enough to be able to sing well. You had to possess the charm and personality of a star as well.

4. His Malay appeal.

Race matters. Hady happens to be a Malay Singaporean, it meant that a sizeable number of Malays from Malaysia and Indonesians feel a certain kinship with him.

5. His universal appeal.

While Hady attracted the Malay archipelago votes, he also had an unthreatening Asianess about him that people from Vietnam to India could also relate to.

6. He kept it real.

Even though he was an idol to many, Hady still has the essence of the every man that many can relate to.

7. The whole package.

Record label head all agreed that Hady had what they called “the package” A nice balance of everything, looks, talent and the X-factor.

8. Ken’s strategy: Relak bro

Ken’s advise for Hady,” Don’t even think you are in a competition. Just relax and be yourself.”

9. Good song choice.

All contestants had to sing a song in English and another one reflecting their ethnicity. The Malay song, Berserah was a simple song which reaches out instantly. That had a wide appeal among the Malaysians and Indonesians. His second song Beautiful Day by U2, was the same one that Norwegian Kurt Nilsen sang to become World Idol.

10. Divine intervention.

“It was redemption. Even though he won Singapore Idol, he didn’t really got the treatment of a national champion. His win in Asian Idol was a sort of payback.” said Singaporean R&B crooner Imran Ajmain.

Still pondering if he deserved to win?

P/S: The above 10 reasons were taken from the 2 page article on The Straits Times, Tuesday December 18 2007 under Life Section.

Congratulations to Hady Mirza. Wondering who is Hady Mirza? He is the first Asian Idol Winner. He had done Singapore proud by beating 5 other contestants from India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Philippine. Many people had express their views that he did not deserved to be the Asian Idol. I could not comment on that since I miss the whole event totally. It sucks that I can only find bits and pieces of last nights Asian Idol Results show online.

So judge for yourself. Do you think he deserve to be crown the Asian Idol 2007?

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Instead of slogging in front of my laptop working hard under a boss who does not appreciate my long hours maybe I should just switch job and be a taxi driver. After the taxi price hike, being a taxi driver just became so attractive. I will give you 9 reasons why you should quit your current job and become a taxi driver.

1. You get to choose who to pick up.

2. You determine how long is your lunch break/coffee break/toilet break.

3. You can charge “extra surcharge” to foreigners who just arrived in Singapore.

4. You get to drive like a madman on the road.

5. You can disappear and magically reappear after the surcharges kick in.

6. You can put the on call sign and wait for passengers to dial a taxi right in front of the taxi stand.

7. The Taxi Operators’ Associations will fight for my right to increase the fares.

8. You get to rebate on Electronic Road Pricing for entering the city if you can’t land a passenger within 15 minutes of entering an ERP zone.

9. You get to have subsidise diesel from the Taxi Operator.

With all this incentives, it sure makes driving a taxi much more attractive than staying in the office to face that unappreciative boss. Don’t you think?