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Jamie Yeo's blog http://starblog.stomp.com.sg/post.php?blogid=740 I don't think anybody was surprised to read about the findings of the survey that revealed that 64 per cent of NUS students have sex at least once a week. Frankly I was surprised the figure wasn't any higher. And I was surprised that the media has been treating this piece of survey like it's sensational news. Because everyone knows that all this testosterone-driven hanky-panky has been going on for many years at the hostels. I mean, seriously! What do you think goes on when you put a whole bunch of strong, virile, young people together under the same roof? Prayer sessions? Studying?? Let's not kid ourselves. We all remember being 20, curious and bored, don't we? Who am I to come down hard on the students? So what if they sometimes resort to making out in the bathrooms? In fact, I have fond memories of making out in weird places when I was much younger, although I never did in toilets due to my slight OCD (as mentioned in my previous blog). Let's see, there's the basement stairwell at Pacific Plaza, a certain "hidden" bench at Kent Ridge Park, in a parked car at Mount Faber... Okay I must add that my "making out' here isn't actual sex. It's just making out. Which brings me to the point that yes, young people these days are certainly more daring, gung-ho and liberal. And they just keep getting more and more so. But it isn't their fault. Blame it on the media. They're just victims of all the glorified crap that the media throws at us. And of course I'm not going to pretend that these students are all angels. A few of them are just plain tarts, sleeping their way through the student and teacher population, and the rest of the population outside the school. I personally know of a few like that. In fact, I know of a certain famous person who once boasted that back when she was in NUS, she once slept with a lecturer just to get good grades! And this certain person was a student there more than a decade ago! (See? It's been going on for years!) And I know of a male friend of mine who's in his mid thirties who was invited a couple of years ago by a young nubile NUS hottie to her hostel room for a shag. He naturally did not turn the invite down. Oh, I've got more scandalous stories my dears but I don't really want to cause a heart attack in conservatives reading this blog. And for the sake of them conservatives, let's come up with ways to stop the incorrigible behaviour. Get NUS to ban sex in hostels. Infiltrate the campus with a huge cheesy abstinence campaign. Impose strict curfews. Hire chaperones to prowl the corridors at all times. Install CCTVs in all campus toilets. Erm...any other ideas? Because really, nothing can be done to stop two consenting adults from copulating. It's in our basic nature to be drawn to each other sexually. If a person has great discipline or a calling to be celibate that stems from a faith, good for him/her. But if they don't, you can't forbid them to have sex. It's their business and right in this free country of ours. However, what needs to be done is educating them on safe sex and instilling a social and academic responsibility into their conscience, as in there are dire consequences of sex if not undertaken responsibly. I can name a few: Unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, bad grades, broken hearts, etc. Finally, I'll end this blog with a quote taken from the bible: "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone". Enough said.

hi guys, was just interested to know which you would rather be subjected to, given that either one is inevitable, of course more ERP gantries are springing up as we speak. still, i think this might be interesting: 1) higher road tax: this means a percentage increase in the road tax u're already paying, ie large cc pros - everyone shares the load and nobody is left out (fair? u tell me) . - dun hv to waste time looking for detours to 'siam' the gantries cons - those who don't usually use ERP-ed routes will feel its unfair 2) more ERP gantries pros - haha, no rise in road tax . - those who can afford it encounter considerably less jams cons - monthly transport expenses rises as opposed to one-time increased road tax payment (which is better? u tell me) thats just mho between the 2 choices lah. now for u guys to let fly ur comments. enjoy

Catching some dealers by surprise, car buyers have been busy enough in the last two weeks to push the market higher AFTER THE SLUGGISH response to COE bidding a fortnight ago, the market came floating back up this week to end off 2008 on a higher note. The certificate for cars up to 1.6 litres and taxis (Category A) climbed $2,000 by the end of bidding on Wednesday to hit $14,001, while the COE for cars above 1.6 litres (Category B) ended the auction at $15,802, or $2,688 higher than before. Meanwhile, the Open Category certificate (which can be used for any type of vehicle) wound up at the $16,000 at the close of bidding, making it $499 more expensive than a fortnight ago. The results will have brought mixed feelings to the car trade, which generally has a love-hate relationship with rising COEs. On the one hand, when COEs are climbing, it

Thursday November 29, 2007 Higher toll on six highways but no change on four By LOH FOON FONG KUALA LUMPUR: The toll on six highways will be raised by between 7.69% and 50% on Jan 1 but rates on four major ones, including the closed-toll portion of the North-South Expressway (NSE), will be maintained. The highways where toll will be increased are the Seremban-Port Dickson Highway (SPDH), the North-South Central Link (Elite), the Butterworth-Kulim Expressway (BKE), the Second Link, the New North Klang Straits Bypass (NNKSB), the two ends of the NSE at the Johor Causeway and the Bukit Kayu Hitam toll plaza (see graphics below). The Causeway and Bukit Kayu Hitam are the only two open toll portions of the NSE. A closed-toll system is where road users pay according to the distance travelled while the open concept charges a fixed fee regardless of mileage. Elite is operated by Expressway Lingkaran Tengah Sdn Bhd, BKE by Malaysia Mining Corporation and NNKSB by Syarikat Konsesi. Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong. The NSE, SPDH and the Causeway are operated by PLUS Highway. Works Minister Datuk Seri Samy Vellu said that the rates were decided on during the Cabinet

Have we finally found a solution for our cab problem? http://news.asiaone.com/News/The%2BStraits...1121-37737.html THE taxi industry has received much flak in recent months, from the usual grouses about cab unavailability and long queues at certain times of the day to the phenomenon of fare cheating and touts at popular nightspots. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has responded by stepping up enforcement efforts to curb roadside touting. It has also banned roadside flagging of taxis within the Central Business District (CBD) in an attempt to channel taxis to the existing taxi stands in the area. Just this week, Member of Parliament Seng Han Thong, an adviser to the Taxi Operators' Association, proposed an additional location surcharge aimed at boosting taxi supply at various crowded places within the city. But while these measures are commendable, they do not address the big-picture issues affecting the taxi industry in Singapore. Instead of just asking where the problem areas are, it is better to ask why there are problems in the first place. Why are there so few cabs when you need one? Why do some drivers refuse to pick up passengers at certain times and places? Why do touts exist? And finally, why are there so many grouses and complaints? These seemingly simple and straightforward questions have far-reaching implications. Let us tackle them one by one. Supply and demand THERE is certainly no shortage of taxis. With more than 23,000 taxis on the road (and increasing), we have one of the highest taxi per capita ratios in the world. What we are experiencing is a demand-supply mismatch in which the demand for taxis during certain times of the day (especially during weekday mornings and evenings) far outstrips the available supply. This is made worse by the fact that most of this peak demand is uni-directional (either suburbs to city, or city to suburbs) and confined to certain areas (CBD, shopping belts etc). Taxi drivers will tell you they spend a large portion of their working day cruising without passengers. Simply increasing the number of taxis will do little to solve the problem. We must focus instead on more efficient allocation of resources. Convoluted fare system NEXT, we need to ask why cabbies have become the 'kings of the road' and are choosy about passengers. Ironically, this is largely a direct result of the complex fare system imposed to solve taxi shortage problems. Location and time-based surcharges may increase taxi supply at certain places at certain times of the day, but they have little effect on the overall problem and may instead aggravate it. Simple economic reasoning bears this out. Let us assume a situation of perfect competition on the roads. The market mechanism will channel supply to where the demand is and some form of equilibrium will be reached. However, when surcharges are introduced, they distort this equilibrium. Taxi drivers respond by choosing where and when to pick up passengers in order to maximise their earnings. With this in mind, let us re-focus on the real situation. It is easy to see that there is an adequate supply of taxis during the 'peak hour' periods because of the stipulated peak-hour fares - from 7am to 9.30am and from 5pm to 8pm on certain days of the week. There may still be long queues at certain places, but the taxis do trickle in. But once this 'golden period' is over, the taxi supply dries up. The situation is worse at night, from about 9pm to midnight. This also happens to be a period of high demand: people get off work, finish their dinners or shopping, and shops start closing. At midnight, of course, taxis reappear from hiding, summoned by the 50 per cent midnight surcharge. Location surcharges are another bugbear. Such surcharges now apply at Changi Airport, Seletar Airport, Singapore Expo and the CBD. At the first three places, we see long queues of taxis that are at times idle for hours before they pick up a fare. You could see this as proof that the surcharge works. But then, couldn't these empty taxis be better deployed to other areas of the city where demand is higher and the waiting time much shorter for the cabbies? The airport and Expo surcharges also result in cabbies preferring east-bound passengers to others at certain times of the day, so that they can then go to these specific places to pick up the next lucrative fare. In similar fashion, the CBD surcharge was designed to attract taxis into the city in the evenings. Mr Seng has suggested that this surcharge be applied to more locations. But how will the authorities decide on these places? And won't it mean that taxis will then avoid those other places or taxi stands that do not merit the surcharge - or worse still, avoid picking up passengers in the outer parts of the city altogether? Taxi drivers will seek to maximise their revenue, even if it means having to make detours or become selective about their passengers. Passengers are not oblivious to surcharges either. There are those who will wait out the peak hours if they can to avoid the $2 surcharge. But that just adds to the problem after the peak hour surcharges expire. Simply put, surcharges create artificial demand and distort the market. Cheats and touts THE LTA's move to step up enforcement and penalties is a good thing. However, once again, we should ask the right question: Why do cabbies cheat and tout to begin with? Many people do not empathise with the plight of taxi drivers. In most cases, the taxi is the property of the taxi company, with the driver renting it. He has to pay the stipulated rental regardless of his daily takings. Such an arrangement diminishes the companies' responsiveness to passenger feedback as there is no monetary incentive to do so. Taxi drivers also point out that rental rates have not followed market trends. Most have remained stagnant or have even increased, despite the significant reduction in car prices recently. Some smaller taxi companies have experimented with flexible rental schemes and lower charges to attract drivers, but others are reluctant to do so. Most taxi drivers say they ply this trade because they have no choice. As drivers, they are simply 'hirers' and not employees. Unlike most other workers, taxi drivers are not entitled to employer CPF contributions. Whatever they accumulate in their CPF consists of their own voluntary contributions. Many work seven-day weeks and more than 12-hour days, especially if they do not have a relief driver. They are not entitled to sick or holiday leave and they must still pay daily rental charges to the company even if they do not work on a particular day. And should they meet with an accident, not only do they have to pay damages if the fault lies with them but they also end up losing their trade for the period that the taxi is in the workshop. Taxi drivers also face health and safety hazards as well as associated risks from being on the roads for prolonged periods of time. Finally, because they are hirers, taxi drivers have to abide by the fare schemes set by their companies. While this is a good thing for consumers in terms of fare accountability and transparency, it also means that unless the taxi companies set realistic fare prices, their drivers will be unable to respond to higher operating costs. Unlike airlines, taxi drivers cannot impose a 'fuel surcharge' when diesel prices increase. Of course, such circumstances do not mean that cheating and touting should be tolerated. But neither should the welfare of the drivers be neglected. Good service can only come from happy drivers. Managing public expectations SINGAPORE is probably one of the few places in the world where taxis are seen as a common form of public transport. In the LTA's 1996 White Paper for a world-class land transport system, taxis are described as an important part of urban transport, filling the gap between mass public transport and private vehicles. Yet, at the same time, taxis are not accorded the privileges of public transport - they are subject to ERP, COE, ARF and other costs associated with private vehicles. The general public also regards taxis as public transport. But a taxi driver's role is more like that of a private chauffeur. He offers point-to- point service, with no defined stops. In quite a few countries, taxis are generally not deemed to be public transport. Instead, they cater to only a select (or desperate) group of people. The typical Singaporean 'cheap-and-good' mentality needs to be redefined. Many letters of complaint to the media use unfair comparisons. People often cite the case of London or New York, where the availability of the famous London Cabs or Yellow Cabs is never an issue. But the letters often fail to mention the hefty fares these cabs charge. Another favourite comparison is with Bangkok, where there are many inexpensive taxis available. But once again, the critics seldom think of the different standards of living and the massive traffic congestion in Bangkok. So let's stop all these comparisons and take a close look in the mirror instead. Who takes taxis in Singapore? Almost everyone, I would reckon, from businessmen to students, housewives to lawyers, tourists to foreign workers. Why do they take taxis? For some, convenience and time saving are a priority. But for others, especially small groups sharing a cab, taxis are actually cheaper or cost the same if they were to add up individual fares for other forms of transport. Singapore's case is unique in the sense that most taxi passengers here want the comfort of a private vehicle but cannot afford to buy one, owing to various taxes and policies restricting the supply of such vehicles. This makes them begrudging users of the service - hence the perception of taxis as a form of public transport - with an unrealistic expectation of reliability and efficiency at a low cost. A friend once told me that if the rail and bus systems in Singapore were more extensive, more people would use them and we wouldn't have the taxi problem we face today - a simplistic argument no doubt, but a pertinent one. We should look at the big- picture issues. There is a limit to the number of taxis that can be put on the roads, given tight space and resource constraints and the Government's plan to eventually increase the island's population to six million. There is also a limit to the number of roads we can build. In the long run, sizeable and significant developments in mass transport infrastructure will be necessary to move more people to more places at a faster speed. Singapore has always had a policy of 'infrastructure overprovision'. Infrastructure is built way ahead of ac- tual demand (think Changi Airport) to prevent undercapacity and overcrowding. This has been one of the cornerstones of Singapore's economic success. I see little reason why it cannot be applied to mass urban transport, especially in rail infrastructure. However, until that day comes, we will have to be content with what is available. Swallowing the bitter pill THERE is little consensus on how the taxi situation can be improved. In an earlier commentary (The Straits Times, July 4, 2007) I argued for a higher flag-down fare and the abolition of all surcharges. However, because of the deregulated nature of the industry, fares are not set by the LTA, but by the individual taxi companies, with subsequent approval from the authorities. Thus, the onus is on the taxi companies to make the first move. Theoretically, the economic mechanism of open competition should be a self-adjusting one catering to changes in demand and supply. But not all is fair in the taxi arena, where there is one dominant player, the Comfort DelGro group. Unless the dominant player adjusts its fares first, it is unlikely that the smaller companies will make any changes to theirs for fear of a consumer boycott (if fares are increased) and driver discontent (should fares be reduced). The onus should then fall back on the state agency to ensure that consumer welfare is not compromised. The best solution would be to raise basic fares sharply and allow the market to readjust. Since the LTA does not want to flex its regulatory muscles in the pricing of ser- vices, the only other way is for taxi companies to come together to work out a new fare basis that is equitable and practical for all. I envision a fare structure at double the prevailing levels for there to be any real impact. Of course, this is easier said than done, for there is bound to be strong opposition from the taxi companies and the general public. The higher fares will dampen demand (which is artificially high for a taxi service) and, as a result, a big number of cabbies may choose to return their taxis and seek greener pastures. Thus, taxi companies may be fearful of losing hirers. There is bound to be a public outcry at any drastic increase in fares but, if taxis are viewed as a premium chauffeur service rather than as a form of mass transport, higher fares would be justified in weeding out marginal users and ensuring that taxis are always available for those who really need one. The call booking system can then become part of the expected service provided by the taxi companies - at no extra charge. This proposal is drastic and controversial. But sometimes radical measures are needed in order to move forward. For this proposal to work, a multi-stakeholder approach is essential. There needs to be cooperation among taxi companies to increase fares and lower rental charges for drivers, continued regulatory enforcement of errant acts by the LTA and, most importantly, a renewed understanding of the taxi service on the part of the general public. This may a bitter pill, but a necessary one to help us cure this disease, which has been plaguing an otherwise efficient city.

Just to confirm: wear rate should be higher for FWD cars' front tyres, correct?

hey bros, i realized that its increasingly popular to justify why one should get a bigger CC car using this reason "Hey U sure u wan to buy 1500cc? dont u tink its lugging a heavy body and thus will affect FC?" For instances, Sylphy, Lancer ex, Civic etc. wat i feel is, such cars usually have more than 100bhp in their lower cc form and shouldnt have any difficulty moving the car and hence, wont result in poorer fc compared to their bigger cc counterpart. I remember that in the late 90s and early 2000s, buying lower cc ALWAYS implies saving more petrol. this mindset is slowly changing. Any experts care to clarify?

Tell your friends about this June 20, 2007 Oil And Petrol Prices Heading Higher Oil prices have broken out to their highest level since last September and may be on their way to US$85 per barrel in the next few months, says AMP Capital Investors. Author : AMP Capital Investors (Click here to download)

I noticed that most new cars have high seats. Even the lowest setting is still relatively high. What's the reason behind it ?

U.S. study finds the risk of death higher for male drivers By Seth Borenstein - 19 Jan, 2007 AP That age-old stereotype about dangerous women drivers is shattered in a big new traffic analysis in the U.S.: Male drivers have a 77 percent higher risk of dying in a car accident than women, based on miles driven. And the author of the research says he takes it to heart when he travels -- his wife takes the wheel. "I put a mitt in my mouth and ride shotgun," said David Gerard, a Carnegie Mellon University researcher who co-authored a major new U.S. road risk analysis. The study holds plenty of surprises. --The highway death rate is higher for cautious 82-year-old women than for risk-taking 16-year-old boys. --The northeastern region known as New England is the safest area for drivers -- despite all those stories about crazy Boston drivers. --The safest passenger is a youngster strapped in a car seat and being driven during morning rush hour. The findings are from Traffic STATS, a detailed and searchable new risk analysis of road fatality statistics by Carnegie Mellon for the American Automobile Association. Plans are to make the report public next week, but The Associated Press got an early look. The analysis calculates that overall, about one death occurs for every 100 million passenger miles (160 million passenger kilometers) traveled. And it shows that some long-held assumptions about safety on U.S. highways do not jibe with hard numbers. It lists the risk of road death by age, gender, type of vehicle, time of day and geographic region. "We are finding comparisons that are surprising all the time," said study co-author Paul Fischbeck, a Carnegie Mellon professor of social and decision sciences. "What is necessary now is to go through and do that second level of analysis to figure out why some of these things are true." For example, those dangerous 82-year-old women are 60 percent more likely to die on the road than a 16-year-old boy because they are so frail, said Anne McCartt, a research official at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, who was not part of the study. "It's an issue not of risk-taking behavior, but of fragility," McCartt said. The elderly are more likely to die when they are injured in an accident, she said, an explanation that Gerard and Fischbeck validate. These elderly women have the nation's highest road death risks even when they're not driving -- five times higher than the national average. Right behind octogenarians in high risk are young male drivers, ages 16-23 with fatality rates four times higher than average. That can be attributed to "inexperience and immaturity," McCartt said. As for men being more likely to die than women? McCartt and Fischbeck said men take more risks, speed more, drink and drive more. "They do stupider things," said Fischbeck, a former military pilot who has twin toddlers and a "totally unsafe" 1974 Volkswagen Thing.

Hi Ususally I pump 95 for my sunny. Occasionally I will pump 98 or even V power if I have to drive my in-laws over the wknd or when the car will be heavy laden. Will pumping higher Octane spoil my car?

Open Market Value (OMV) is assessed by the Customs & Excise Department, taking into account purchase price, freight, insurance, handling and all other charges incidental to the sale and delivery of the car from country of manufacture to Singapore Are cars from Czech Rep more expensive than Japan? If from France or Germany, it would be undertandable since their labor costs are higher. but from Czech Rep ?

i have been thinking abt this matter for awhile alredy but i suppose cars which have more horses have better engine braking effect? its almost the same theory as how fast a car goes from a stop..i think. someone please enlighten.

saying good bye soon to my car... but i wish to get a dealer who can offer better metal price... hee hee pm me if u got lobang

I think car distributors are raising car prices before the auction on 19 Jan. I am quoted 60.5K for Honda City (A), coe rebate at 17K. Is it a good buy? Tks much!

OK. It was cold morning at 1+am. I was on the AYE. The coast was clear. I dropped to 4th. Floored her and she went like a hare being pursued by a coyote. 90....100....120...130.140.150.160.170. My Starlet friends from behind saw in awe what a 16V engine can do at the high end. No vibrations that I experienced on the E3 with RON92 gas. What I have in my tank is Petronas Primax which is a RON97 gas. So those guys contemplating to go up north to "clear carbon", run her around here until the tank reaches "E". Fill her up with RON98 gas before Woodlands Checkpoint. Enjoy the power! If you don't want this, I suggest you stick to 100 because I feel the vibrations at 120 as well with RON92 gas.

I have switched from Vpower recently to Mobil/Exxon and noticed a jump in idling after that. When I was using Vpower, idling was about 800-1000rpm but upon switching to Mobil Ron98, it has jumped up to 1500rpm (going up and down). Thinking that the ECU may be the cause. BTW, I have been feeding my Suzuki Swift 1.0GL with Vpower for quite some time now (hehe...overkill but company pay, so use lah) but had to switch to Mobil after my company switched to support Mobil/Exxon instead of Shell. The mileage that I have gotten for full tank seems to be the same (didn't fluctuate drastically) after the change though. I will approach a workshop this weekend, but if possible will like to get some pre-information first to avoid being ripped. :P Hehe, maybe that's the result of putting something too good for an old car.

Hi quite a newbie to this stuff. Like to understand by changing to a higher grade cable, what type of difference will i get. Any recommendation for cables and installers/tuner. Thanks.