Election: The Singapore World Cup

Photo from Yawning Bread.

Short summary of the rally: policemen, WP flags, ice cream men, lots and lots of people and summon officers (!)

The Singapore Election is the Singapore equivalent of the World Cup. I went to Workers' Party rally yesterday at the Hougang open field. It was an eye opener. I have never thought that Singaporeans would actually be willing to stand in the middle of a field, hot and sticky, and not complaining. This is the Singapore World Cup. It happens once every 5 years. There is no other event that will make us Singaporeans to do "siao" things like these but football and elections.

There were at least 20,000 people there. While I was leaving the place at 9pm (I promised my sister I will be back by nine), I saw even more people walking in groups to the field. Such is the draw of the rally.

I have no clue where the stage was due to the crowd. I could hear the voice of the speaker booming but I could see no hide nor skin of him. So I climbed 13 stories. On every floor, apart from the first level, people were crowding to see a clearer view of the rally. The lift was completely packed and stairs were filled with people like me climbing up. There was a kind man who allowed me to take his position to take some photos (although my camera decided not to cooperate >_<). He must have been thinking, even xiao mei mei also interested in elections now! I also find it highly amusing that the ice cream men and other enterprising singaporeans set up their temporary (illegal?) stores at the field. Who says Singaporeans have are not enterprising now? They were making quite a trade. In any case, I can feel the atmosphere. People were cheering for the Workers' Party. I read in other blogs that the people even booed the police when they tried to take their flags away at the end of the rally. I see people waving their WP flags and reading the manifesto. It's like one huge support for WP. But Hougang may not necessary be in WP's hands. Half of the people at the rally probably wasn't even from Hougang. I know of people from Holland Village, Tampines coming to see the rally. So despite the turnout, there isn't anything that the PAP need to care about. Turnout at rally does not equal to votes. Afterall, we have seen this happening over and over again when the results are shown. This is also the major problem all oppositions faced. People listen to the rally, they cheer at the rally but they do not vote for them.

It could be a case of curiosity. People want to know what the oppositions are doing. If they want to know about PAP, all they need to do is to switch on their TV. There is no need for them to sweat. But for the oppositions, the news hardly report anything on their rallies even on the rare occasions they do, it is misleading or very briefly. To know what they are doing, they can only go to the rally. Just go and hear loh, that will be the mindset of these people. They could also be there as oppositions' rallies are more interesting than the PAP's.

I see a case of PAP winning almost all the seats. They may not win Hougang but they will definitely win others, unless, the mindsets of people change. Highly unlikely. It is not difficult to see why. Look at how the oppositions work. Apart from Workers' Party which is one of the better ones (and messed up in the James Gomez issue), none of them can be compared with PAP. This is the sad reality of Singapore.

"Bet you didn't know this" facts:

• An old couple sitting at a bench away from the rally said, in teochew: "PAP rally confirm no people go."
• The road along Kovan was jammed with people trying to go to the rally.
• It cost five dollars to buy the flags, manifesto etc...
• as compared to SDP's (I think) 2 dollars.
• There was a Getai nearby. Hmmm.
  
• There was a SUMMON OFFICER!

The Cars of WP

The supporters of Worker Party have flood all the car parks near my house.

It is slightly drizzling now. There is a small traffic jam in front of my block and many of the people crossing over are using or carrying an umbrella as I glanced out of the window. Further up the road I see people walking and crossing the road. Most of these people do not live at my block or those around it. They are here to attend the Worker Party rally.

This evening, the Worker Party have organised a rally from 7pm to 10pm. That is not unusual. What is unusual is the outstanding number of cars which have magically appeared to flood all the car parks near my area. The two car parks (see above) behind my block are completely filled up right to the roof. That is something that only happens when there are Getais and even then, it is not so happening. Across the road that separates Aljunied and Hougang, many more cars are pouring into the carpark and causing an unfortunate mini traffic jam.

I'm not too sure whether PAP is trying to make a point but I heard the famous PAP lorries driving around the area here twice since 6.40pm.

8.20pm: I have written a lot more than this but my computer went totally nuts and I lost what I wanted to post twice. I am going to the rally now and maybe post more later. Do pardon my grammar. I am rather annoyed now.

The new Trailer

Over 15,000,000 copies sold, it is now a movie!

Deathnote

http://pdl.warnerbros.com/wbol/jp/deathnote/swf/trailer2.swf

I must have watched the trailer around six times.

It is fabulous. The new trailer is sooooooo much better than the old one. I thought that Red Hot Chili Pepper's Dani California will totally spoil the movie (Rap? What are they thinking?!) but it turns out that I'm wrong. Fits the movie pretty well. And L (Kenichi Matsui) looks so good. Light (Tatsuya Fujiwara), on the other hand, appears awful. Also his acting from the trailer is not good. He should be acting MAD. Light is insane afterall. I hope in the movie he will perform the iamcrazypsychoticmonster Light to his best ability. I like how he smirks though. :3

CGed Ryuk appears for the first time. He looks fantastic AND creepy. They have done a very good job on him. It makes me want to keep some apples for him. *grin*

I am anticpitating the movie. It's a pity that they didn't show the tennis scene in the trailer. That was one of the scenes that would have been great in action. In any case, it is highly possible that the movie will be distributed to other countries. It will depend on how well it will do in Japan first though.

While promotion of the movie is getting all exciting, deathnote is coming to an end. Page 107 is shocking. The series is finally at its climax. Somewhere out there, L must be laughing. I hate Nate River. Anyway, people are predicting that it will end it is ending at Page 108. Which is totally fine with me. I think Death Note should have ended at Page 59. The first part of Death Note completely screwed up my mind. It is that good. The second arc is not even half as good as it. Only the recent chapters (90+) redempted it. Hopefully the movie will do the manga justice.

The movie will be shown on the 17th of June 2006, in theaters, Japan.

Election is HERE

You know election is here when...

A. You see an opposition poster even though which GRC has been contested has only been revealed today.
B. You see PAP poster above the same poster an hour later.
C. A lorry with election poster stopped at the road outside your block and blasted "Vote for PAP..."
D. Your mother disappeared to listen to the PAP rally. o_O
E. Everyone cracks election jokes:

"Why these few days always got lightning?"
"Because of PAP." (PAP has a lightning as a logo. Get it?)

Play: Death and the Maiden

"Death and the Maiden is a moral and psychological thriller about a woman, Paulina, who believes that a stranger who comes to her home is the doctor who, under a military dictatorship, tortured and raped her many years before. Recognising her aggressor by the sound of his voice she begins a sequence of events that she hopes will enable her to both take her revenge and put to an end the voices that have haunted her since her incarceration. However, things are not all they seem and her husband, a political go-getter, starts to doubt his wife's sanity and the stranger's supposed guilt."

6.5/10

Stars Karen Tan, Lim Yu Beng and Daniel Jenkins.

Death and the Maiden would have scored higher if it wasn't so boring in the beginning. It was only when the doctor went over to stay over night at their house that the speed began to pick up. The suspense that the play created is great.

I was wondering whether the doctor is indeed gulity and I loved how the play ends. Perfect. The acting was alright but it could have been better. Overall, a great performance.

Just wondering. Was I the only one who hate the husband? He is quite a jerk hmm?

Play: Furthest North Deepest South

7 out of 10.

A rather good play. I'm too lazy to write further. Maybe next time. :X

Really random

There are sixteen copies of the Kite's runner in Cheng San community library the last time I check. Like I say, it's really random. -_-|||