2 Exhbitions

Was at the Singapore Motorshow yesterday. This year's show is a big disappointment. Down from the usual 2 floors to 1 floor. Only Honda, Nissan and Subaru are there. And no exotic cars. Only a few souped up cars. And the so called pretty ladies who were supposed to grace the cars. I think Abigail looks better! Lucky don't have to pay for the tickets otherwise be cursing and swearing.

On the way home, saw this goldfish exhibition at Eastpoint Mall. Goldfish not really my type of fish but still took the opportunity to take some photos.

Exhibition

Hong Lim Park

Look like the scene at the protest corner at Hong Lim is getting hot. 

First off the mark was an protest on the hike in public transport fare, followed by an aborted attempt to politize Tamil wordings in signages and now a plan 'Gay' protest.

Somebody up there in the gahmen must be wondering what did they do wrong. They opened a whole pandora box. I foresee very soon they will shut down the venue if the topic for the protest get more and more controversial. 

Money Not Enough 2

Finally managed to catch the show Money Not Enough 2. It was billed as a comedy but apart from the lame joke about the ERP it was more a weepie. 

One thing about Jack Neo, he really has a knack for producing movie that are relevant. This movie to me is not so much about not having enough money but more about the difficulties a family face when coping with someone who is old and sick in the family and the dilemna they faced as they sought to balance what is best for the mother and for the whole family.

And this is really what most of us will face when our loved ones grow old and has a host of medical problems. The problem will become more and more acute with smaller household and higher medical cost. 

With a mother who is getting on in age, it pains me to think that one day I will have to go through what the 3 leads in the movie has to go through. When the time come, how will we siblings handle this? Who to take care? Home care, old folks home, hospital bills - these are all practical issues that need to be thought through now and be prepared for. But is it possible to ever be prepared for such things?

Clear our own food tray?

The gahmen is trying to encourage people to return their dirty dishes after eating to the tray collection point. Not too sure why they are wasting time on such trivial issues when there are more pressing things to solve but anyway here's my take on it. Strangely I actually support the move but I think it's going to be an exercise in futility.

It's not going to work!

Why not?

1. The type of food we eat is different from those in the West. Our local food normally come with shell (prawns), bones (fish, chicken, pork ribs), skin, (chicken, pork). After eating all these, what can a person do with the unwanted stuff? Spit it back into the bowl of prawn noodle, lump it together with the chicken rice? Surely not - how to eat with all that yucky stuff in the plate - throw it onto the table lah! And so after the meal, the table is a mess - how to clear them? Push them into the tray?

2. Tray? What tray? In many hawker centre, the hawker bring the food to the table and take back the tray. So there is no tray. In food court, it is self serivce and there are trays available. But somehow most tables at these places are too small. Try putting 5 trays on a round table of 5 and you will know there is not enough space for the trays. Some food court have such small table that you can't even fit 2 trays facing each other. So what to do? Remove the tray and hey presto, a cleaner will appear and remove the tray before you can even stand up. So no tray. What to do with the food waste? Dump on the table lah!

3. Finally, has anybody notice the type of tray collecting point in hawker centre and food court? At the hawker centre, if there is one - it is usually a multi-tier rack that can only fit the tray but not the plates and bowls. And most of them are so filthy that a person will probably puke out the food just eaten just by looking at it. Don't believe me - go take a look at Marine Parade Cooked Food Centre - probably the filthiest hawker centre in the East!

What about the collection point in food court? Seen the design? It is just a flat counter with a waste bin underneath like those at the fast food centre. But somebody forget to tell them that in food courts, there are plates and bowls and not all items are disposal items that can be dumped into the trash bin underneath. And has anybody try balancing the tray with crockery in one hand and trying to lift up the flab to the waste bin and then trying to pour the food waste into it? You need to be an octopus to be able to do it!

So my conclusion - don't waste the effort and energy trying to reinvent the tyre. Let it be and give the old ladies and guys doing the clearing now a chance to earn a little bit of money.