Empty Vessel - Latest Comments

Re: Onswipe transforms your WordPress blog for the iPad

SteveJones — Sat, 18 May 2013 19:52:49 -0000

OnsWipe just sucks. It looks stupid and works poorly on an iPad (especially an iPad 1). This is yet another example of why websites should not optimize for mobile. Just leave the content as is, don't try to get cute and "improve it".

Re: Think out of the money box

Guest — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:48:15 -0000

Good for you for being for the greater good at your own expense. it's the most intellectually honest way to go. But as someone who only spends time in Singapore, I fail to see how bad the traffic is. ASEAN is notorious for horrible traffic which I don't see in Singapore. I understand there is a mindset now to not allow a lot more foreigners in, but how will anyone with tons of money to invest be attracted to a place where they can't drive if they wish?

Re: Six Months With A Monster

Ian Tan — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:55:31 -0000

Hi Arifadriana, actually the 1100 isn't that much heavier or bulker than the 696...Both share the same tank size covers! I think the secret to the Monster's appeal is that once you get used to its rumble and grumpy nature, other bikes will feel so tame and lifeless (ie. characterless). I went for a morning ride on my Triumph Daytona and was left unsatisfied due the smoothness than others would rave about :)

Re: Six Months With A Monster

Arifadriana Arifadriana — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 20:47:30 -0000

I agree wif ur description abt ridin d monster. I own a 696 & already tot i had lost it when i needed to half clutch during turns....for an 1100....must be more difficult. All ur description abt d monster is accurate i must say. I hug it even more when it rains...hope it will be a very long affair for me. Oh yes, it's been six mths for me too...n luvin it!

Re: Six Months With A Monster

WMUNL — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:59:35 -0000

My 1998 DU CA TI .
if u can see it ?

Re: Six Months With A Monster

WMUNL — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 17:50:14 -0000

Got to chat up dis m400 chap?
My kid was in geylang Methodist school,he's done primary/secondary & the Ducati still there!the things about long term relationship(till death do us apart)must b d passion/ trust/love blah blah blah.i'm looking@myself,here(more than 10yrs duke ownership)no dwelling on fc,arching left hand,hot between d legs etc.
I wans to noe his secret?remember an old tv advert about radio?CHOOSE U WANS TO HEAR!!!!!!!!

Re: Guide To Dieting in Singapore

Ian Tan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:10:05 -0000

I still cannot get to like Teh Kosong's bland taste, so I stick to Kopi O Kosong

Re: Six Months With A Monster

Ian Tan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:07:07 -0000

I think you can see I did dwell on the positives :)

Re: Six Months With A Monster

Ian Tan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:06:45 -0000

Hi Calvin, thanks for reading and being a fellow Monster owner :) The best affairs are those done without getting caught heh.

Re: Six Months With A Monster

Ian Tan — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:06:04 -0000

Hi there, please don't be mistaken, I'm not comparing three different machines head on. That would be silly. A Triumph sportsbike is not a Ducati naked bike is not a 250cc Ninja. Different displacement, uses and experiences.

As bikers, we build our experiences based on the different bikes we've sat on before and I just mention them as they do provide another perspective on how different bikes have different strengths. I did my research on the Monster before I bought it, but I had already made up my mind that its ergonomics, size, styling and power were what I wanted. If I wanted a 696, I would have bought it.

Re: Six Months With A Monster

WMUNL — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:58:25 -0000

We should thank our lucky stars,dat we can still ride/own one of dis exotica?many of my mates 've left the scene thru peer family pressure/safety issue or what 've u?
Dey can only salivate afar our ride probably behind their tinted glasses in their tin can.
So do dwell on the positives, we 'll much happier person,for dat.
*ps,there's a massive monster gathering in penang,think about it.

Re: Six Months With A Monster

WMUNL — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:41:51 -0000

wondering why u wans to compare yr 1100 vs the 796/696?
Tot I read u comparing also the triumph vs the ninja vs the evo?
Why,why,why?
Once u 'be taken yr pick,enjoy the monster as is,there's bound to 've some imperfection, nothing is perfect in dis world,like our, the other half,no amount of courtship,'ll prepare u for the day! the trick is to do the research/homework ,read the report,go down to minerva,interview the owners?before sign off the cheque.
(To b cont)

Re: Six Months With A Monster

LowMC — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 09:21:16 -0000

I own a monster 1100 evo. I encounter the same situation that you mention in your article.

Re: Six Months With A Monster

Calvin Wolfgang — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 06:29:40 -0000

Great article Ian. I own a Monster 796 and i can only say that you are spot on. Comparing the fuel mileage, i get about 220km before the reserve tank light kicks in. With that said, i usually ride around 4000rmp and yes, anything above that and you know your having an affair which would probably end with a guy in white pulling you over to take your number.

Re: Guide To Dieting in Singapore

Daniel's Food Diary — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 05:22:30 -0000

I love my sugared drinks. But after I kosong everything, I do start losing an inch or two. Teh Kosong Peng is my regular now. :)

Re: The root issues of our education system

Inselaffen — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 10:24:17 -0000

speak and write

Re: The root issues of our education system

fwy — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:18:00 -0000

Thank you for this post. I had come across a lot of NTU Graduates who speaks & writes bad English. I really feel bad for many well-deserving locals who should be in the University instead of these half-baked people. I wonder why NTU let these people study there in the first place.

Re: The root issues of our education system

ToFreedom — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:24:34 -0000

I think there are two fundamental problems with our education system. Firstly, there is the problem of quantity versus quality in the school curriculum. Is too much knowledge and information being rammed down students' throats? Is it necessary? Does it match the actual cognitive development of a child? I get the sense that students are not given time to reflect and explore deeply the various topics covered in the subjects taught. Secondly, the problem of curriculum not matching the exam system. Take Literature for example. Can one truly come up with incisive essays in 3 hours? I would prefer a longer period of time stretching over a few days for thorough research than a hurried piece of work with regurgitated but irrelevant quotes thrown in.

Re: The root issues of our education system

Jentrified Citizen — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 01:02:12 -0000

Agree with you there is a huge problem with our education system. In their overzealous desire to breed talents, MOE has gone overboard with the KPIs it loads onto the schools. From what many of us are seeing, kids from primarty to polys are being very overloaded with lessons, schoolwork, projects with unbelievable deadlines and CCA on top of everything. Students at several schools are tried and stressed out and not getting enough rest and sleep. A faculty head even told me the schools know there is a flaw in the system but MOE is not listening. And now MOE is revamping pre-school system to level up and ensure kids are learning across all the schools. I worry for these kids. Hope the little ones will not be overly stretched at this young tender age by kiasuism and unnessary KPIs imposed by the system.

Re: SAF, fix your IPPT system for those above 35

Sean Padman McMenamin — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 23:37:38 -0000

It's the old different departments not collaborating properly problem, Very annoying.

Re: Think out of the money box

Phinehas Tan — Sat, 23 Feb 2013 09:15:10 -0000

My take would be: leave the system as it is, but when the "bumper crop" of COEs expire over the next few years, don't allow a boom or bust scenario to happen again. Take the scrapped COEs and release limited quantities back into the market, so that COE supply is evened out and prices are at an acceptable level.

Re: The COE system has broken down

Sin Chi Yip — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 21:11:58 -0000

Well, i actually wrote to chan chun sing few months back to suggest, amongst other things, that give singaporeans what they all want by pegging their wants to the country's needs. For example, those with 2 kids can a 20% rebate on coe, 3 kids get 40% rebate etc. more kids get higher queue priority in bto queue. Priority q in primary school admission.

There are so many creative ways to boost birth rate. And most of them will not cost the country a single cent. The whole reason why they are not going down this path is that fundamentally, bringing in new citizens will boost their performance at the polls. Period.

Anyway, chan chun sing gave me the standard "will look into it" answer andtold me he would get back to me. Of course he never did. That certainly pisses me off, because if you dont intend to get back, dont say it. That just shows how much they really care.

Re: Think out of the money box

Ian Tan — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 11:10:53 -0000

If you see your comment being deleted, it is because this blog deserves more than just sarcasm and mockery.

Re: Think out of the money box

Ian Tan — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:45:03 -0000

Yep, I won't qualify at all. Because I don't suggest ideas to suit my own personal needs, I'm more interested in "the greater good" at my own cost.

Allowing market forces to stabilize the situation will only work if there is sufficient resources and land. The very existence of a COE system means there must be some form of control and strict parameters to ensure the roads are unclogged. And the system is being manipulated by car dealers to drive sales of particular models with sufficient sales margin for profitability.

If we let people choose their own doom, we don't even need a car quota system to begin with, and the entire society goes into stagnation since even buses get stuck in the gridlock.

Re: Think out of the money box

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 02:30:52 -0000

Ok, random thoughts. Based on your four criteria, does it mean that even you don't qualify to own a car? I once read somewhere that a developed nation isn't one in which the poor/needy own a car; it's one in which the rich use public transport. I'm pretty sure we're a long, long way from that. But I believe it will happen when some sort of equilibrium is reached. How, I don't know. And in that ideal state, I think we can settle for 'no choice kena take public transport lor' over the more lofty 'I take public transport because I choose to' (even LKY admits we're not a gracious society). And I take your point about not confusing communism with the equitable distribution of resources. Which led me to re-read Milton Friedman's Free To Choose. Why, in capitalist Singapore, are we not able to allow market forces to dictate what's good/necessary? Let people choose their doom, almost. And maybe if we allow our roads to be gridlocked the way you describe, will we come to terms with the chaos, re-adjust, and perhaps achieve that equilibrium (rich people and public transport) that I mentioned. i.e. kena until jialat, then learn the hard way. Or is that too expensive a lesson?