In Sydney or Seattle nobody would bat an eyelid, but the couples are part of a thriving underground swinging scene that is an anomaly for a country where oral sex is illegal and Playboy magazine is banned.

There are at least 10 swingers clubs in Singapore, most of them private, some of them online. With more than 6,000 members, the Web-based United SG Swingers is one of the biggest.

"There are a lot more people that are open to the idea. It's so widespread now," said a 42-year-old Singaporean company executive who only wanted to be identified as Jack.

"Swinging is all about sex. It's satisfying the urge to have casual sex and doing it with somebody you're comfortable with," said Jack, who has been swinging for 10 years.

For all their enthusiasm, few swingers tell family and friends about their lifestyle, although the practice is not illegal in Singapore.

"In Singapore, most people will perceive us as perverts," said a 39-year-old publisher who has been swinging for five years. "Look at our government policies, they say: 'Let's open up.' But our policies have always remained very conservative."

Wealthy Singapore, which has consistently ranked near the bottom in a global survey of sexually active nations, has been struggling to shake off its reputation for prudishness.

Friday, it opened Sexpo 2006, the country's second sex exhibition, featuring an array of toys and seminars.

SINGAPORE SWING

At United SG Swingers, people share erotic photographs, exchange personal ads and correspond about the next gathering. It is a close-knit community in which couples recommend good sex partners and criticize those who aren't.

A police spokesman confirmed that swinging is not illegal as long as it is done behind closed doors, is consensual and no money changes hands.

This year, the organizers of United SG Swingers started holding "on premise" parties, where couples can engage in group sex in houses and hotel rooms across Singapore.

At these parties, the bedrooms have a strict clothes-off rule and the "hard swingers" can engage in partner swapping. The "soft swingers" are couples who stand around and watch, or have sex with their own partners in full view of others.

Couples who swing say that seeing their own partners in action keeps their passion burning.

"It's like looking at cake and wanting to eat it," said the main organizer of United SG Swingers, 37-year-old IT specialist Josh, as his 32-year-old wife nodded in agreement.

But some swingers disapprove of these parties, saying they can degenerate into orgies.

"You can't establish pure friendships when there's a large group," said Ishak. "Genuine swingers would want to establish trust -- you can't trust a person just by meeting them one time and then think they can do it with your wife."

A 34-year-old Australian who attends swinging parties told Reuters that Singapore's scene is just evolving.

"It's very innocuous here, it's not like other countries," he said. "Compared to Australia and Europe, it's more discreet and less lively. Singaporeans are pretty reserved in a lot of ways."

I think Mek is finding the webby now.

So I was at the Legal Lab and doing everything but work when I saw this:


"ONE
there is NO SUCH THING as a friendstertracker.
it does NOT exist. so quit postingstupidbulletins like
"OH-EM-GEEEEE this WORKS!!!"
no, it doesnt.

TWO
To the people who have like 25,000friends,
are you serious?
You're stupid.
Go play in traffic.

THREE
Don't ever post pictures and say
"OMG, I'm so ugly"
"OMG, I'm so fat"
because if you were,
you wouldn't post them.
And if u do ur a freaking mongoloid.

FOUR
Nobody cares about threats over theinternet.
Don't try to act hardcore with thekeyboard.
Fighting online is like racing in thespecialolympics;
even if you win, you're still retarded.

FIVE
Quit crying
b/c you're not on someones top 8.
who cares?
ITS FRIENDSTER!!!
Stop bitching!!!
SIX
Who really cares if
I don't accept you as a friend?
MOVE ON!!!
Don't send me another request ormessage asking
"what's up with you not adding me?"
I don't want you as a friend,
that's what's up bitch!!!

SEVEN
Little 12 year olds who have Friendster
and look like sluts, and act likewhores
go somewhere else
because nobody wants you here.

EIGHT
If you have decided to read this,
you are a true Friendster Friend.
Real friends read their bulletins.

NINE
I say you go and pass this on
and maybe it will finally get throughpeople's brains
TEN
And if you open a bulletin and it sayssomethinglike
"repost this in 100 seconds or a ghostwillrapeyourdogtonight,or some dead skinless girl isgonna rapeyourmom"
QUIT BEING A DUMBASS

This is a test to see how many people
in your friends list
actually pay attention to you.

Repost this with..
"10 things idiots do on Friendster"

I was like thinking "how true" until I saw the person who posted it. THE IRONING IS DELICIOUS!

Yay. I am very very very bored now and I very very very want to eat a lot a lot a lot of curry puffs and drink loads and loads and loads of coke and smoke sticks and sticks and sticks of ciggys.

Yay.

Thank you Hany, Winsor, Desmond, Sheena, Shimin and me for playing at Hany's place! Damn cosy can!

For the smokers out there.

http://planetvids.com/html/Man-Smokes-Through-his-Eyes.html

So I was in the toilet just now and I saw this.

My ass feels catty after using this.

SINGAPORE: The Goods and Services Tax will be increased to 7 percent from 5 percent presently.

This was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Parliament on Monday.

However, when the rise will be implemented, will be decided later.

Speaking in Malay, Mandarin and English, Mr Lee explained that the hike was necessary to finance the enhanced social safety nets, needed to help the lower income group and he emphasised that the offset package would more than counter the rise in GST.

While Singapore's current model to tackle the widening income gap is sound, Mr Lee said the government would take on two approaches to deal with the new environment - to strengthen the safety nets and tilt the balance in favour of the lower-income groups who do not benefit from the fruits of economic growth.

To do this, government spending will have to go up. The government now spends some 15 percent of its GDP - one of the lowest in the world.

"This is inevitable over the next 5 to 10 years. Infrastructure investments will cost money - R&D is to cost $5b over the next 5 years; as medical technology improves, people age and more will go to hospitals to get more treatment, so spending is bound to go up. As we tilt the playing field across the board, the lower income will be getting another boost, not just once in a while. Therefore its better to start building resources now so that when we spend more, we have the means to do so," said Mr Lee.

To finance this, indirect taxes or the Goods & Services Tax will have to go up.

"It will give us precious extra resources to implement social programmes like Workfare later on. Our aim is to help the lower income groups and the elderly, not to increase their burdens. When we implement the GST increase, it's not just the GST increase, it's the package which will fully offset the impact of the GST increase and begin to strengthen the social safety nets and tilt the balance in favour of the low income groups - we will not just raise the GST but we will have a comprehensive offset package," said Mr Lee.

This package will be weighted more to the middle and the low income groups, especially the elderly, and it will more than offset the GST increase.

"It is not just an offset package to deal with the GST. It is a whole set of measures which we are taking in order to tilt the playing field in favour of the lower income group, which is what we have to add and tally in the balance, and my purpose is to help the lower income group. For the middle income, it will be generally about ok; for the higher income, I think the higher income should end up paying more overall. It's part of being one society. I'm not going to tax 15% on income tax, I'm not going to tax 25% from GST the way the Scandanavians do, but I have to make the adjustments of 2% which I think is fair and I think Singaporeans will support," added Mr Lee.

He explained that it is better to do the increase now when the economy is doing well, rather than wait till later. This will give the government time to see how this adjustment can be managed, and to cope better with the unknown forces of globalisation over the next 5 to 7 years.

More details of the GST increase will be announced on 15 February 2007, which is Budget Day. Mr Lee added that Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam would deliver the Budget speech.

Another change will be the amending of the Constitution to allow the government to tap the capital gains received from investing the national reserves. - CNA /dt


Lan jiao I tell you. Eh cheng hu lemme tell you. You want to help low income right don't need to make a lot of pattern one. Just cut down the tax. You few months ago increase bus fare now you increase GST? Fucking hell now one pack of rice like 30 cents more because of your chee bye tax. Eh siao eh. Every item 30 cents you add up la. You buy rice 30 cents. You buy bak 30 cents. You buy veggie 10 cents. Add here add there end up chee bye fortune liao. Eh brother, your pay 1 million can tahan 30 cents leh. My pay kanina 200 dollars 30 cents become material leh. Nah beh. Ciggy tax, GST, transport, stamp fee, every lan jiao also want to tax. Kanina next time I at TP eat beef steak you tax me Beef Tax issit? You see our pay a not? Got increase a not?

Simi lan jiao more precious supplies. Our money tak ni surplus dunno how many billion no need top wa lang eh lui eh la. Lim beh ke tan jiak ng pa ko nia leh, ai bueh hun ki ma ai san xiong si xiong, ni nah beh.

Simi lan jiao safety net. You take the net and hang us on the neck la. Quicker and less cost.

Fucking just smoke away my life la.

So I went to friendster today and I saw this from my Hiap Seng

" My Fourteen Favorite Boys!!



Firstly, I want all of you to know that I love u to death and its hard for me to only pick 14 boys to send this to, so consider yourself lucky ... or is it not lucky? If I dont get this back I understand =) I have a game for you.



This game has been played since 1977. Once you read this letter, you must send it to 14 males within five days. On the fifth day, SHE(the female of your choice) will either ask you out, or say "I love you." Please send this to your 14 FAV0RitE males. It has worked for years. Good luck boys.
*muackz*"

A perfect way to end the day. Thank you man.

Go go power rangers!

Winsor did his magic on me yesterday! He did this tarot card thingy. Managed to come out with incredibly true analysis on my love and work life. Oh my god. They say they work by being vague, but hey Winsor wasn't being vague at all leh.

Winsor, please go be a magician or wizard. I swear you will become Gandalf or Zedd.

Want to join a gang in your neighborhood but don't know where to start? Want to be a beng wannabe but need to brush up your preferred gang locations? Now you can. Call 1800-I Am A Pai Kia or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_societies_in_Singapore to find out more!