Woman on Top

Sarah Louise Palin
Governor of the State of Alaska
United States of America

• Born Sarah Louise Heath on 11 February 1964 in Sandpoint, Idaho; moved to Alaska soon after.
• Studied high school in Wasilla, Alaska, where she earned the nickname "Sarah Barracuda" for her basketball prowess.
• Was crowned Miss Wasilla in 1984 and won second place in the Miss Alaska pageant the same year.
• Majored in Journalism and minored in Politics at the University of Idaho.
• Married Todd Palin, a commercial fisherman, in 1988; they have five children.
• Served on the Wasilla City Council from 1992 to 1996.
• Appointed Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission in 2002.
• Elected governor of Alaska in 2006; the first woman and, at 42, the youngest person elected to the post.
• Selected by John McCain to be the Republican vice-presidential candidate for the 2008 US presidential elections, making her the second woman to be nominated to the position.
• Is a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association.

Give them bloody hell

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Singapore Places and People

View the pics here.

Notes from Singapore

1. I have two words to describe Singapore: homogenised and sterilised. The Singapore we know is all about enviously efficient urban planning and housing development buildings (HDBs); unfortunately, it is also about cold social engineering and control. Even the urban artwork has the feel of being State-sanctioned, like a committee decides on what is acceptable at any given moment, down to the something@thisplace label for everything. I finally understand what dr.sbdink has been saying all along, that Singapore has a "Disneyfied" artificial feel to it. I never really got what he was driving at until I saw it myself. It's like using pasteurised milk to make cheese-- it can give you a good variety of taste and texture, but it has that unnatural and flat feel to it.

2. Which brings us to Geylang, the seedy underbelly of Singapore (or at least as seedy as Singapore can get). It is grimy and rowdy, the city-state's designated redlight district. It is the only place in Singapore where I frequently saw flies and cockroaches. It still felt relatively safe walking around Geylang past midnight though, the eminent threat being an overly aggressive "working girl". But of all the places in Singapore I visited, Geylang was the one where it did not feel homogenised and sterilised, the part of the city-state that seems to have been overlooked by the social planners. It has a genuine feel to it, like how Singapore was before HDBs, social engineering, and State-sanctioned cultural events. You feel it in the colourful (almost chaotic) architecture, the non-uniform businesses, and the relaxed pace of the people. Walk past the brothels and bars and you'll see mom-and-pop stores, mosques, and real communities. It's a good contrast to the Disneyfied city centre, where even daily life can feel touristy.

3. As a food heaven, Singapore definitely does not disappoint. I'll have a separate entry for food because it deserves special attention. What did disappoint me is my stomach-- seems it can only take too much chili and spice. My tastebuds are willing but my stomach is weak.

4. The Singapore transit system is the most efficient, convenient, and comfortable I have ever experienced. It was actually a pleasure to use public transportation and was very safe even late at night. It also helps that Singapore is a very walkable city and the streets are clean and dust-free. Goes to show that some things are really meant to be centrally planned.

5. Using my very scientific travel host-based rating scale, I'd say Singapore is mostly touristy along the lines of Sandra Brown and Janet Hsieh. If you're more like the Ian Wright or Anthony Bourdain traveller, then Geylang is definitely worth a visit. Food-wise, Singapore is a veritable destination for Maeve O'Meara and Andrew Zimmern and everyone in between.

Singapore, T minus 2 hours

I'm posting this at one of those free internet access places in Terminal 1 of Changi Airport. It says I only have 8+ mins remaining.

Had a great time in Singapore the past few days, even though it seems my stomach has had enough of chili and spice. Many many thanks to my official host and tour guide, dr.sbdink. Yes, Mabel, I've left Singapore. I had a real sulit time-- lots of wonderful sights, delicious dishes, great food. Always a delight seeing my old friends Mico ("I hated it; you'll love it!"), Ana (formerly known as Carmen), and Ina (who avoided any marriage-related questions). And by old I mean we've known each other for some time, not that other meaning.

Til next time.

Singapore, Day 4

Been in Singapore a few days now. My daily activities have mostly been: eat, walk around, eat, take the MRT, eat, walk around, eat, walk around, eat, take the bus, eat, walk around, eat.... I think I walk around 10 kilometres in a day, which is good to keep my net calorie intake to an acceptable level.

Singapore must be the safest city in the world; definitely the safest city I've visited. It also has a very efficient mass transit system, not to mention spotlessly clean. Singapore's MRT puts to shame London's Tube and San Francisco's BART.

I'm gonna be in Singapore for a couple more days. Now back to more eating and walking around.

Don't bring your laptops to the US

Or any electronic storage device, for that matter. Read the whole story here (c/o the Daily Mail). Chek out the lead of the story:

Travellers to the U.S. could have their laptops and other electronic devices seized at the airport under new anti-terror measures.

Federal agents have been granted powers to take such devices and hold them as long as they like.

They do not even need grounds to suspect wrongdoing.

Now, I understand the need to secure the borders and ensure the safety of the public, but this is just crazy. It's one thing to check your bags for explosives or contraband, but to rummage through your email and personal files? Without even having to show probable cause? By comparing a laptop to a suitcase, they are practically saying that certain thoughts, ideas, and knowledge are considered contraband and, thus, actionable.

Guantanamo. Waterboarding. Extraordinary rendition. Warrantless electronic surveillance. Now this. After one terrorist attack these Americans are so ready to give up their rights and forget everything their founding fathers stood for. Not even Israel at the height of the Palestinian intifada, or Britain at the height of the IRA threat, or Spain at the height of the Basque separatist movement, resorted to such draconian measures.

I was in America when 9/11 happened, and I do understand where they are coming from. But this is just wrong. Very wrong.

As Benjamin Franklin so famously wrote, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety."