btcprox 🇸🇬 @[email protected]

#Singapore having almost all of its new daily #COVID19 cases the last few months being imported, and sticking within double digits, together with less than 100 total deaths, is quite an achievement

Not too shocked that there are annecdotes about poly students involved in terrible hazing rituals or unnecessarily humiliating orientation camp shenanigans

It kinda feels like there's some vicious cycle of terrible camp games attracting new generations of power-tripping (and probably sexually frustrated) student leaders eager to "continue tradition"

Entire house smells like smoke, and others across Singapore have been complaining about the haze smell tonight

Yet strangely the hourly PSI readings from NEA have remained low

Something's wrong with their sensors, or whatever's causing the smell doesn't even involve particles detectable by the sensors

Just found out that right after the upstairs renovations are done, the renovations immediately below our unit will begin

What is up with all these heavy renovations so close together 😵

As annoying as it has been enduring close to a month of daytime drilling and hacking from renovations from an upstairs neighbour, I can't imagine how terrible it is for another nearby neighbour who works as medical staff on *night shift* 😫💤

*Maybe* the one person who still deserves sympathy might be the fiancee who got severely burnt trying to free the victims trapped in the car: even if she survives, she'd still have to deal with long-lasting pain, physical and mental

But I mean, that entire circle of friends is complicit in letting these reckless acts go on for as long as they have, being a miracle that they've not actually killed any innocent third parties along the way

Not easy to garner sympathy for the victims of the Tanjong Pagar car crash: their social media posts seem to give the impression that they've already been reckless, so it's not a one-off speeding thing

Also seems par for the course of a neglected issue (early morning hooligans revving on roads near populated areas) to only get highlighted and scrutinized by govt when a big incident blows up in the news

To be honest, I actually don't mind the scaled down #CNY festivities due to keeping to #COVID19 safety regulations here in #Singapore

Having to mingle with way fewer family members in the same house feel less overwhelming

Wonder if the online broadcasting of the Parliamentary Sessions could get more locals involved in politics, now that people in #Singapore can see what transpires (more or less) fully, instead of the snippets we get from other news sources

So from what I understand, apparently #Singapore has yet to only allow people to provide proof of negative #COVID19 test results before boarding incoming flights to this country?

Seems odd considering that several countries are doing this to keep incoming cases low, while we're noticing rising import numbers as measures ease

On further reflection, the laws surrounding police access of data for criminal investigation were long in place, but apparently the TraceTogether team didn't think to communicate that in their data use policy, and I think that's more due to negligence than intentional malice

Still think they shouldn't try to funnel everyone into using TT for SafeEntry, and cull options for those concerned with their privacy

They've also had the gall to only amend the privacy statement *later* to reflect the extra usage of data beyond contact tracing, as though they're going with the "easier to ask for forgiveness than permission" approach

Snapshot on 7 Dec 2020: https://web.archive.org/web/20201207040736/https://www.tracetogether.gov.sg/common/privacystatement/

Snapshot on 4 Jan 2021:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210104154412/https://www.tracetogether.gov.sg/common/privacystatement/

As much as we all should do our part to keep the pandemic suppressed, it's getting frustrating that the government is *really* pushing people to get onto TraceTogether, AND backpedalling on previous statements on the data being strictly used for pandemic-related contact tracing only:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-police-force-can-obtain-tracetogether-data-covid-19-13889914

The slippery slope argument is honestly not that unreasonable now that the govt is this blatant in pushing their boundaries re: data privacy...

I'm really liking this super cool weather currently, especially since I think I have a tendency to develop heat rashes occasionally

Plus we save on electricity at home by not turning on air-con + lowering fan speeds

Honestly not surprised that the first day of 2021 in Singapore is greeted with such torrential downpour and strong winds... Almost felt like the weather was holding back the rain from last night to not sully people's NYE outings

Just sipping on soju as we toast the arrival of 2021 here at home

Not that I usually go out on NYE anyway, but this year has certainly felt particularly muted and poignant due to the pandemic

Saw this CNA Insider feature of a former SIA attendant's job struggle in the pandemic, and kinda pleasantly surprised that they featured his male partner (though not using the label "boyfriend", and not interviewing him too)... a small step towards positive #LGBTQ+ rep in the local media, I suppose? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwezL_1jrfo

Yet another look at #Singapore's obsession with #BubbleTea, despite knowing how sugary and dairy-loaded the drink is

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piqrRdgppPo