"Newspapermen learn to call a murderer 'an alleged murderer' and the King of England 'the alleged King of England' to avoid libel suits." - Stephen Leacock

Unfortunately this won't work here, since there's the doctrine of innuendo.

I used this quote more than 2 years ago, but heck.

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Borders has both "women studies" (sic) and "gender studies" sections. How refreshing. Though I didn't see just what the difference was.

Now that I'm back in Singapore I might use my mother's minced garlic, especially since when I chop my own it turns out uneven (and doesn't brown evenly).

If a packet of fruit juice doesn't say that it has vitamins in, I wonder if it still contains them.

The most annoying thing about returning to Singapore must be the air. We all know it's hot, but the humidity makes it seem heavier and more oppressive.

Ever since Old Chang Kee turned Halal, I've seen a woman in a tudung at each outlet. I hope they didn't lay off any people because of this - I hope they redeployed them.

I was on Orchard Road on Flag Day, and NUS students were swarming the streets. On principle I refused to donate: normally it'd be because Flag Day is not about charity but vicious competition (eg KE VII's stunt a year ago). This year I was even more indignant - I highly suspect school was pushed back a week, and exams by maybe half a week, so that they could target schoolkids swarming Orchard road after National Day celebrations. They should just hold it on a weekend to target the crowds (including boyfriends who want to impress their girls). I also saw some schoolgirls trying to solicit money for the Straits Times Pocket Money Fund - how unfortunate that they'd chosen that day.


One of my brother-in-law's more recent faux pas: he showed me a picture of Notre Dame in Ho Chi Minh City and asked me if I thought it looked familiar. When I said no, he triumphantly pointed the caption to me, which read "Notre Dame". It seems he thought that "Notre Dame" referred to the famous one in Paris, and other "Notre Dames" were meant to be replicas. Despite someone's snobbishness ("aiyah! if the perso reading doesnt understand then they are also a tortilla"), I shall explain.

"Notre Dame" means "Our Lady" (The Virgin) in French (Onze Lieve Vrouw in Dutch). It is thus not a specific cathedral or church but a generic name indicating to whom the church is dedicated to.

Another faux pas: spelling "Coq Au Vin" as "co co van".