i have resumed my normal life without a cast. almost. left wrist hurts from time to time. sigh... going to resume my driving lessons. it's so... i dunno how to describe. i just dun want to learn how to drive.

Bertram awoke @ 9:52 AM with (0) flashes of inspiration

what the hell. drunk driving might get you 2 years jail and a fine max. even when you kill someone in the process. no suspension of license? no banned from driving? and that guy got 4 months jail. only. oral sex? 2 years jail on the spot no talk. caning might be possible. so what sort of message is being implied to the people? oral sex, voluntary at that, is more serious an offence than drunk driving AND KILLING someone in the process? so manslaughter, loss of lives are all acceptable AS LONG AS no oral sex is involved? unless oral sex leads to the normal act of copulation? either there is something wrong with this judical system or values are severely misplaced here.

and note:
(Extracted from The Straits Times Online)

Apart from the higher number of fatalities, the overall road traffic situation here is somewhat better.

Fewer people were injured in crashes, for instance - there was a 21.2 per cent drop in the number of serious injury accidents, from 146 cases in 2002 to 115 last year.

The number of motorcyclists killed also fell, from 90 in 2002 to 79 last year.

Also noteworthy is that the number of motorcyclists and pillion riders injured last year has dropped to 4,249, compared with 4,637 in 2002

"Traffic Police Commander Teo Kian Teck said the lower figures were partly the result of tighter checks, particularly against speed demons and drink-driving. He added: 'We had more roadblocks and issued more summonses last year. I think our road safety messages to motorists have also made them more compliant to traffic rules.'"

More drink-drivers were arrested last year - 2,334 compared with 1,895 in 2002. Also up: Summonses issued for speeding, which jumped 37.6 per cent, from 35,361 in 2002 to 48,667 last year.

But Deputy Assistant Commissioner Teo said: 'Road safety is not just about numbers. It's about taking ownership of your own safety by being responsible, alert, patient and courteous.'

(end)

the overall report states that there is a fall in the number of crash/accident related injuries and motorcycle deaths, but does not state the number of accidents/crashes that has happened. did the number increase or fall? also the number of pedestrians that died in accidents has increased. what some people do not consider is that yes more drink-drivers arrested, more summonses issued for speeding does NOT show motorists have been more compliant with traffic rules but the OTHERWISE. what the heck??? since when did more arrests show more compliance for the laws??? so what if you have more roadblocks? THE DRIVERS DON'T CARE!

and the last statement he made is totally bull. taking ownership of my own safety means that when i bloody cycle, i stick to the leftmost lane and take up the whole damned lane whether you like it or not. that's being responsible for myself, makes me alert, AND teaches drivers patience and courtesy. bloody hell you know how many times drivers squeeze cyclists to the very edge of the road? heavy vehicles, trailer trucks, buses, taxis, vans, lorries, cars (especially owners of BIG EXPENSIVE FLASHY CARS like the mercedes benz, lexus, sports cars, modified (illegally) cars, etc) they all do that. and we can't cycle on the pedestrian walkway by government law as well. left to find for ourselves.

all pedestrians and cyclists, fear for your lives.

Bertram awoke @ 10:55 AM with (0) flashes of inspiration

watching what i blog is such a pain in the arse. being politically correct and avoiding misunderstanding is just so irritating. when i type something but someone else takes it to mean it's to be directed at them when it is not so in the first place. how to blog what i think without people getting mired in the trap of misunderstanding? ambiguity is so... aimless.

on another note with regards to my life in the future:

"Soldier knocked down cyclist after drinking binge
By Chong Chee Kin - Straits Times (27 Feb 2004)

SINGAPORE Armed Forces First Sergeant Koe Seng Wah had already had too many glasses of beer when he got behind the wheel of his car on Sept 13 last year.

It did not stop him from exceeding the speed limit though. Shortly after he left Tengah Air Base at about 4.15pm, he hit a 23-year-old cyclist, who died at the scene.

Yesterday, Koe, 31, was jailed four months for causing the death of the cyclist through his recklessness.

A district court heard that the breath analyser test he took about two hours after the accident showed he had 78 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of his breath - more than twice the legal limit of 35 micrograms per 100ml.

The cyclist, Nanyang Technological University engineering undergraduate Alvin Boey, was on the road with a group of friends in Jalan Bahar, which has a speed limit of 60kmh, when the accident happened.

Koe, who was driving his car at about 70kmh, was on his way to pick up his wife and year-old son, when he spotted Mr Boey and his friends on the inside lane, travelling in the same direction.

Instead of slowing down or moving to the right lane, Koe continued driving on the inside lane at the same speed, and hit Mr Boey's bicycle.

The undergrad was flung onto the windscreen of Koe's car, landing so heavily that he cracked it before ending up on the road.

Investigations later revealed that Koe had finished work at the airbase at about noon and gone to the mess hall where he drank beer for about four hours until he left.

In his mitigation, he told the court he had a clean driving record before the accident. He also said he was remorseful and had swerved right after he hit Mr Boey to avoid running over him.

He could have been jailed for up to two years and fined."

(Extracted from The Straits Times Online Forum Section)

Fatal drink-driving case sends the wrong message

I AM appalled at the light sentence - four months' jail - First Sergeant Koe Seng Wah received for killing a cyclist while driving under the influence of alcohol ('Soldier knocked down cyclist after drinking binge'; ST, Feb 27).

In another article on the same day ('Cop gets a year's jail for oral sex with wife's sister'), it was reported that a man was jailed for a year - three times longer than Koe - for oral sex.

Another jail sentence for oral sex was halved recently, from two years to one year.

In comparing the two crimes and the sentences meted out for them, I cannot help but feel that the judicial system is sending a message to the public that it is much less reprehensible to drink and drive and in the process endanger and even kill fellow road-users than to engage in a sexual practice which hurts only the morals of others but does no (or much less) actual harm.

In my opinion, the light sentence Sgt Koe received is a slap in the face of all cyclists, pedestrians and other road-users and undermines efforts to stamp out drink driving and to make the roads safer.


One can only hope that the prosecution will appeal against the sentence and that other motorists do not think that drink driving is a petty transgression which one get away with lightly, even if something happens.


MATHIAS KORBER



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I REFER to the article, 'Soldier knocked down cyclist after drinking binge' (ST, Feb 27).

The report stated that a motorist, who had twice the legal limit of alcohol, knocked down and killed a cyclist, demonstrating the addled responsiveness typical of the inebriated state. For this, he was jailed for four months.

It is appalling to think that so little value is placed on a human life. The message being sent out is that a cyclist, acting fully within his rights according to the Road Traffic Act, is expendable.

Under the Road Traffic Act, 'any person who drives in a manner which is dangerous to the public... shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $3,000 or to a term not exceeding 12 months or both'.

However, in other countries, drivers have been found guilty of using their cars as instruments of homicide, and charged accordingly.

'Reckless driving' doesn't take into account the damage inflicted; what this law suggests is that he would have faced the same amount of jail time had he knocked down a lamppost, or even if he had completely avoided hitting anybody.

But this is a human life we are talking about. It is about the responsibility that driving a heavy vehicle which could kill an innocent passer-by (or cyclist) with a spin of the steering wheel entails.

First Sergeant Koe Seng Wah's mitigation plea - that he 'had swerved right after he hit Mr Alvin Boey to avoid running over him' - only demonstrates a lack of remorse and a repugnant inability to grasp the true consequence of his actions.

The Government needs to act to make the roads safe for everybody - drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike.


EDRIC SNG TEK JIN

(Extracted from www.togoparts.com forums)

Quote:
" Formerly posted by Kong:
i know some of you don't like sarcasm....
put on this t-shirt when you go riding

HIT ME
It'll Only Cost You
4 Months!"

Bertram awoke @ 10:35 PM with (0) flashes of inspiration

i have faced a lot of moral issues. challenges posed by God or just things i should take note of in my life?

on the other hand i am just counting down to when i remove my cast and can cycle again. 2 more weeks. can't wait for that day. finally having something to do sure beats sitting around in camp doing nothing everyday. sigh... i feel like i am just rotting. finding ways and means to while my time away. but i will find a way.

Bertram awoke @ 6:14 PM with (0) flashes of inspiration