Angst of a Smoker

Just read on the news that smoking in Singapore will be banned in more places. From now on, bus interchanges, community centres, hawker centres etc will have fresh air. Bravo! Well done Singapore. Not only will the air be cleaner and the incidence of inhaling second hand smoke be lower, mass numbers of street cleaners will be out of jobs because hey! There just aren't any more butts to pick up. From now on, the only way to pick up public butts would be at our designated red light districts.

Now how about the idea that smoking ought to be banned at pubs and clubs? Huh? Hello? I mean, I can actually intellectually understand the necessity of banning smoking at public places such as hawker centres and the like, because they are truly public places in every sense of the word. No bouncers to tell you what to do or where to go, no DJs to exhort you to raise your hands up into the air and shake your booty, and no gorgeous SYTs imploring you to get half-a-dozen tequila shots just because there is an inhouse promotion going on (sah, if you buy 12 shots hor, you can save 50 cents a shot lehhhh). But in pubs? Clubs? I mean, if you are scared of inhaling second-hand smoke in pubs and clubs, why not just not go? One can live without food, thus one needs to go to a hawker centre for sustenance. Last I heard, one does not die from lack of alcohol or lack of dancing.

When do we cross the line between social good and inhibition of personal liberty? I believe myself to be reasonably well-educated, and I do try to keep myself updated on all current affairs, health issues included. It is thus, for me, despite the well-documented health risks, a conscious and deliberate lifestyle choice to continue smoking.

We can take this argument a little further. In recent times, the government has been increasing taxes on cigarettes. What once used to be only $2.90 when I first started puffing, is now an average of $10 a pack of twenty. Of course I can bitch about how expensive it is, but intellectually I do understand that the choice is actually implicit in me. If I can't take the price hikes, then don't smoke! The final choice is mine.

The blanket ban on pubs and clubs on the other hand is a totally different thing. In fact, philosophically, it is a 180-degree thing from what I just highlighted. The choice no longer lies with me. In the absence of a compelling factor, this is something I cannot comprehend. Why can't smokers light up in pubs and clubs when it is the non-smoker's choice to frequent such places? They do not provide an essential service (alcoholics may choose to disagree *hiakz hiakz*), unlike hospitals, banks etc; they are not directly accessible to the public (unlike bus interchanges and queues); they do not cater to the masses (unlike transportation systems and food centres); and they do not have high human traffic (unlike shopping centres and theatres etc where the turnover of human traffic is high). Ergo, where is the inherent rationale for banning smoking in pubs?

I guess I'm just a little disillusioned. As far as I can see, there is an inability to separate two issues here: health risks to the general public as a result of smoking (whether first-hand or second), and personal liberty. In different contexts, each issue must be accorded its individual relevance. To me, to smoke in a hospital or cinema definitely contravenes the first more than the second. To smoke in a pub? Definitely contravenes the second more than the first.

May those with cooler heads and more rational minds prevail.

San Miguel 9-ball Tournament Singapore

I'm now working on my night shift (hope my bosses aren't reading this... then again, who the fuck cares even if they do?) after having done scoring duty for the above tourney. Got to rub shoulders with wonderful characters like Reyes, Bustamante, Chow Fong Pang, and a whole host of other Asian Pool stars. Pity I didn't bring my camera along.

The thingey is being held at Suntec City, and let me tell you, parking there on a weekday is hell. Can you believe my parking fee for the day was like $12.60?!? Yeah yeah yeah, doesn't sound like much but then again, I ain't particularly rich you know.

Sometimes I really wish that being a pool referee could net me more pay. If I could, I'd love to become a fulltime referee. Why? Cos I just can't cut it as a player that's why. Bleh. But I still love the game, so I guess being a referee and being able to bawl at those big names while asking for their autographs after their games has its perks too.

Had the rare opportunity to do scoring and time-keeping on the TV table. ESPN was the official broadcaster, and boy did they roll out the works. Felt like a movie star. Well, movie extra anyways. Heh. Guess the only drawback was that no food was provided and that we were on our feet most of the time. But what do you expect from ultra-efficient Singapore eh?

Next few days are gonna be tough. I'll basically be just shuttling between 3 places for the next 72 hours: work, home and Suntec city. Not enough sleep. Pimples erupting. Argh. Then again, who cares? Last I checked, I'm a guy. And not particularly sexual in Metro at that. Bleh.

Me? Huh?

I got this from a little website that professes to get to the root of a person just by asking him/her 20 questions. I must admit that the questions were a little different from the "How many times do you fart a day?" type of questions. Surprisingly, while the description of yours truly was not 100% accurate, it wasn't 100% wrong either. Hmmm, then again, don't they say that about horoscopes in general too?

"Edwin, you are mildly left-hemisphere dominant while showing a slight preference for auditory processing. This overall combination seems to indicate a well-working blend of logic and judgment and organization, with sufficient intuition, perception and creativity to balance that dominance.

"You will at times experience conflict between how you feel and what you think which will generally be resolved in favor of what you think. You will find yourself interested in the practical applications of whatever material you have learned or whatever situation you face and will retain the ability to refine whatever knowledge you possess or aspects of whatever position you are in.

"By and large, you will orient yourself toward intellectual activities and structure. Though not rigid, you will schedule yourself, plan, and focus on routine and continuity of operations, rather than on changes and disruptions

"When changes or disruptions occur, you are likely to consider first how to ensure that such disruptions do The same balance is reflected in your sensory preference. You will tend to be reflective and measured in your interaction style. For the most part, you will be considered objective without being cold and goal-oriented while retaining the capacity to listen to others.
Preferentially you learn by listening and maintaining significant internal dialogues with yourself.

"Nevertheless, you have sufficient visualization capabilities to benefit from using graphs, charts, doodles, or even body movement to enhance your comprehension and memory.

"To the extent that you are even implicitly aware of your hemispheric dominance and sensory style, you will feel most comfortable in those arenas which emphasize verbal skills and logic.

"Teaching, law, and science are those that stand out among the professions, along with technical sales and management. "

My First Blog

I like the Georgia font. It's got this old style thingey that's both classic and very clean to look at. Rather comforting don't you think? Very rounded, not seeming to want to go in any one particular direction. Oh well...

Yeah, this is my blog. Used to keep a diary a long time ago. Then it became a journal. Then it became an occasional log book. Then it became antique. That was a period in my life when time seemed to pass at Mach 6, and there was never enough time to do what I wanted to do. Now, I'm working. For almost 4 years actually. And maybe, I thought, it's time to start writing down my thoughts again.

For my friends out there who happen to chance onto this perpetual work in progress, you're welcome to leave your comments on my blogs. But I'm gonna fuck you upside down if you mention this in my face. I've got nothing to hide, but there will always be things I'd rather not have my face rubbed in.

So, here goes... I guess...