Cartoon Caption Contest, 15 February 2009

The shortlisted ones:
"Hey dude, you must be out of your mind.
I cannot even cash out my capital-protected investment plan."
- Lee Kian Wee

"You have not been reading about banks' financial health lately?!"
- Sim Kwang Seng

And the winning entry:
"Oh, how thoughtful of you! It isn’t BYOB Day,
but you still brought your own bag!"
- Darius Xu Jun Ling

You a foreigner?

Are you new to Singapore?
Do you want to know more about my country?
Here's a crash course:

Singapore is a place where...

...research has shown that its people
have the worst eyesight in the world
(myopic symptoms evident at MRT waiting lines).

---

...schooling is a harrowing experience
(for the parents).

---

...93% of the population are literate
(the remaining 7% can be found in cinemas...)

(...and on public transport).

---

...social unrest is unheard of
(except where Hello Kitty toys, $1 BreadTalk breads
and free M1 GSM handphones are involved).

After bubble tea, now comes blended tonic

[Published on 10 April, 2002]

With local firms rebranding traditional fare, expect a range of tonic drinks,
blended with herbs and fruit juices.

To keep Singapore's $10-billion food-export industry growing, local companies
are rebranding themselves and repackaging their traditional fare.

Local Chinese-medicine retailer Eu Yan Sang International, for example, is
setting out to change the image of its traditional products by bringing in a
new range of tonic drinks from the United States - blended with Chinese herbs
and fruit juices - to capture the taste buds of the young.

Step aside, bubble tea. The new-age herbal drinks will come in six flavours,
with names like 'virtual nirvana' to calm the spirit and 'yin from the cold'
to relieve toxicity.

Soon, it will be e-cheques

[Published on 5 May, 1998]

At least three local banks are exploring the possibility of introducing
electronic cheques, a cheap and speedy new Internet-based method of payment.

All a user needs is an Internet-ready computer equipped with a smart card
reader and an e-cheque account. A software program supplied by a bank will
provide the "electronic cheque book". Users can write out and send an e-cheque
with a few keystrokes and the recipient will forward the cheque electronically
to the bank for payment.

And users will not run out of cheques.

Begone, tooth decay!

[Published on 30 April, 1998]

British scientists have said they have developed a vaccine which
could put an end to tooth decay and do away with the misery of
the dentist's drill. The vaccine is painted onto the teeth and
is safe for adults and children.

The plant-based vaccine produces antibodies that prevent harmful
bacteria from sticking to teeth and causing cavities.

The development would lead to the end of tooth decay and the vaccine
could be available in about four years.

The achievement marks the culmination of 25 years of research.

In a preliminary trial, 15 dental students and other volunteers had
the vaccine dripped over their teeth twice a week for three weeks.

The treatment was then stopped and it was found that four months
later the volunteers were still protected against tooth decay.

The scientists believe protection could last much longer.
Larger clinical dental trials are to start later this year.

Cartoon Caption Contest, 25 January 2009

The shortlisted ones:
"Hello! Gong Xi Fa Cai!
Owe hong bao, pay hong bao!"
- Francis Tan

"The financial crisis has hit us!
Where are our bailout hong bao when we need them?"
- Cheong I-Ning

And the winning entry:
"Where have our God and Goddess of Wealth gone to?"
- Lee Siak Cheong