Sunday Times had a pretty shocking report on pages 14-15 of the main section.

Apparently, a lot of grown working adults are still getting allowance from their parents. Not to tide them over the first month when they have not received their pay, but to maintain their previously extravagant lifestyle.

Many of these working adults have extremely questionable finance management skills... I mean, there's this guy who earns $3,300 a month, and still gets allowance from his mum. The money goes towards buying super branded goods (not like he can't afford it on his salary), and not staying alive.

It makes me wonder... is today's working class so fan tong (useless)? That they do not know what it is to work hard anymore? I was just appalled by the report...

So yes, most of the young working adults do give a token sum to their parents, but their parents give them an even larger amount! It just baffles me... Are these parents out to spoil their children rotten and ensure that they don't have a proper attitude towards working, money and lifestyle management?

"Love is an emotion that defies all boundaries."

Upon hearing that, most of us would go "awwwwww" and envisage the phrase written on scented note paper, complete with soft music playing in the background...

And here is where I electric jolt you back to reality.

Does love defy all boundaries? I would think so. Love defies colour, nationality, beliefs, age... But is this statement meaningful?

Now, let us do something very simple. Let us cross out the word "love" and replace it with the word "anger". Same test. Does anger defy all boundaries? Yes. Regardless of skin colour, nationality, beliefs and age, people do get angry. They get angry about different things, but yes, they do get angry.

Now let's try the emotion of "jealousy". Same thing. "Envy"? Ditto "jealousy" test. "Fear"? Sama-sama. Run the whole gamut of emotions through the same statement.

All would be true.

That would mean simply that "Emotions defy all boundaries". What emotions do not defy all boundaries? Sometimes, local radio can be quite meaningless.

Thanks Kai, for pointing this out! I would have glossed over it as well if you hadn't questioned it.

There have been some really disturbing posters up around the island recently.

I can't really remember the exact words, but the ideas are there.

Poster 1: 2 ladies in the loo, with really frilly shoes
"How did she manage to go on a holiday?"
"She did it with James"

Poster 2: A couple in bed
"I think we should start a family"
"Let's do it with James"

By now, you'd probably be wondering by now who James is. Or how he helps a girl go on vacation or a couple conceive. Well, James is not a he. Nor a she. James is an 'It'. This James is a loan-scheme that allows those falling into the lower-income bracket to take loans and draw on credit facilities. Sounds great, especially since banks are wary of lending to those who earn little. It's an extremely high risk loan for them.

So well, it's the friendly Post Office that steps in with James to save the day! Now, if you have been aware of what has been going on, there were quite a few features done on credit facilities. It was found that many executives (those who earn more) spend a lot and draw a lot of credit, resulting in them ending up in debt.

So what is the friendly and trustworthy Post Office doing to those who earn little? Yes, the scheme can give them the chance to have credit facilities to say take that holiday they've always dreamed of but could never get. But with the age of the ladies in the loo (judging by their frilly shoes), they would be young yuppies who just started out working not too long ago. They've probably worked at most 2 years. And spent loads of their salaries on the expensive looking frilly shoes. Ferragamo perhaps? Or Vuitton?

The message being sent is a very disturbing one. In this age of a working class with constant debt, the friendly and trustworthy Post Office is encouraging people to take more debt. Measures are already being taken to help the middle-rich to not get into so much debt so as to protect their treasure chest(s). Yet, the lower income are being encouraged to get into debt to attain the same lifestyle as the middle-rich-debt-laden-working-class. Ironic isn't it.

And as for asking James to help with raising a family, I think it's bull shit. Pardon my crude words, but it's really bull. Anyone who knows Finance can tell you that the loan is not long term, and building a family is long term. James' loan is not going to tide the family over. It is going to add to the burden. And that's the financial bit.

James also equates children to money. Have money, have children. No money to ensure good living for self, no children. Our friendly and trustworthy Post Office (that has links to the government) has equated children with money. Just like the tax authorities: I give you rebate, you have more children. Funny isn't it, how people and out future are being reduced to dollars and cents.

James? Bah humbug.

Food Report by Lil' Miss Mouse: The Case of The Rice Burgers

Rice. Asians grew up on rice (not if you're a war baby and everyone's so poor. then, tree roots and tapioca might have featured greater on the menu than rice). So, McDonald's decided to push out a new product after good feedback from taste tests. That, after many years growing the franchise in the various Asian markets. But I digress.

This new burger boasts of rice patties (think of sushi) with lettuce and either chicken or beef. Just today, I had the chance to eat one coz it came free with the purchase of an extra value meal. Apparently it's free because sales have been so good. If sales are that good, why the need to offer the burger free? Many other items cooked up a storm (shaker fries and this burger affiliated to Japan with teriyaki sauce over the chicken) but weren't free. So why the free fantastic (pronounced fun-tes-tik) burgers? But again, I digress.

McDonald's isn't the first fast food outlet to push out rice burgers though. MOS burger still holds that honour. If MOS isn't the first, tell me! I'll set the record right! So well, I thought I'd just do a comparison on the two burgers. Am comparing the beef ones, as that's what I had.

Criteria:
- Price
- Size
- Rice: texture, softness, colour
- Beef: taste, bite, amount
- Onions: taste, amount
- Lettuce: colour, taste, blend

Price & Size
Price-wise, I think McDonald's is cheaper. Got to check this out. Can anyone enlighten? Size-wise, the McDonald's burger is bigger. So, it looks like it's value for money.

Rice
MOS' version has the softer, plumper rice. McDonald's burger is much more chewy and provides more bite. For rice, MOS has the better recipe.

Beef
Again, MOS has the more tender and juicy beef slices than McDonald's. MOS wins here.

Onions
MOS burger... i don't remember any onions inside. The distinct sharp taste of raw onions was absent. Perhaps they were there mixed with the beef, fully cooked. McDonald's onions are half cooked. The raw taste permeated the burger. Oh, and I must hasten to add that the amount of onions was amazing. There was such a huge amount of onions that it should be an onion burger instead of a beef burger. Ratio of onion to beef was about 1:1 Hello, can someone please tell the person who developed the recipe and implemented it that onions are good for adding flavour, unless it's onion soup where onions rule? McDonald's failed miserably on this account.

Lettuce
I have never eaten greener tasting lettuce before. McDonald's lettuce was slightly bitter and had a sharp green taste. There was none of the crisp sweetness of good lettuces. MOS' lettuce was a bit overcooked. But it went better with the burger.

Overall, McDonald's burger tries too hard to differentiate itself from MOS' by being 'fresher' and perhaps more 'chinese' than 'japanese'. Apparently, by fresher they also mean raw-er and less palatable. And by chinese... they mean food worthy of the usual restaurants in the Western countries that sell 'chinese' food like chop suey. Chop suey isn't a chinese dish. It never was. Neither are fortune cookies.

Lil Miss Mouse has no idea how the taste test was done. Frankly, I'm very skeptical about the longevity of the Fantastic burger. The report inThe Straits Times (10th Jan, 2006, by Grace Ng) states that McDonald's had great success with its taste test. Hmmm... I wonder about the average Singaporean's tastebuds. And the person(s) who turned the taste test products into mass produced burgers.

Just as kids can make my day, adults can break my day.

I seriously think that some adults are too adult to remember their childhood.

They're too far removed from the notion of exams.

Harlow, when it's exam-time, you do not swamp someone with innocuous requests and matters. Those can wait. That's only polite. So maybe you're impatient and "efficient". But that's just you and your notion of "efficiency".

Kids can really make my day.

I was so shocked to hear that the little girl answering the phone just now is a K2 girl! Her phone manners were wonderful! And she was extremely confident to boot. I thought it was her 2nd sister. Heh... Never expected the bespectabled little girl to be so vivacious! That made my day... she wants to join the kid's choir soon, so, I'm eagerly waiting for u Nathalie!

And Jun told me some story about her as a kid. Seems like she and a bunch of guys were enthralled by this large tree in their school grounds. So what did they do? Being curious and playful K2 kids, they climbed the tree. Then, they realised they couldn't get down. How? CRY! All would start crying and the teacher would have to come get them down from the tree! So naughty yet so cute!!! Ok jun, i'll do a story about this. ahahaahahahaa