Okay, so it was a dog that was murdered. But still, it was cold-blooded murder.

Two weeks ago, a Pomeranian was bashed to death at Block 267A Compassvale Link. The SPCA was called in to pick up its body and the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority picked up the investigation.

Two weeks ago.

Apparently there were witnesses but there still has not been anyone identified as the perp.

Aren't you outraged? I am.

The dog was collared and on a leash. It wasn't a stray. Therefore, it has an owner. So why hasn't the owner come forward - unless, obviously, he or she was the perp.

More naggingly, why haven't the neighbours come forward? Whether they witnessed the actual act itself, surely the Pomeranian's immediate neighbours would know which unit it lived in? (Pomeranians aren't exactly the world's quietest dogs.)

I'll freely admit that I'm not a very neighbourly person. Apart from entering and exiting my unit, I don't mingle with my neighbours - just a hello if I happen to pass them by in the street.

But I know where their dogs live.

How can you not? You see them being walked by their owners every now and then. If one of them ends up dead on the road, surely you would know which dog it was - especially when photos of it with a bashed and bloodied head appears in the national newspapers with your address attached.

So where are this dog's neighbours? Why haven't they come forward? Why does the SPCA have to offer a monetary award to loosen their tongues? The "reward", which started out at about $2,000 a week ago has been upped thrice to $3,400 now - and still it appears that the investigation has no leads.

What does this say about our society?

I had thought we were pretty civilised and valued life - all life, not just human life.

But I'm now awfully dismayed at what this incident appears to reflect, and I've been wondering whether it's just me being an animal-lover that has got me so riled up.

I was similarly outraged just about two months ago when a video posted on YouTube had shown a woman hitting her cowering little brown dog several times with a sapu lidi broomstick. The AVA investigated the matter and decided that the poodle-terrier Butters was just being disciplined and let the owners off with a warning. That incident took three days for the owners to be found. (Of course, it helped that the owner filmed the video and came forward himself.)

If convicted of animal cruelty, an offender can be fined up to $10,000 and/or be imprisoned for up to 12 months.

Perhaps the AVA should start hitting these offenders a little harder. Animal cruelty is not an issue that will be resolved by reward rather than punishment.

Meanwhile, the punishment for the witnesses and neighbours of the poor murdered Pom, who have remained cowardly quiet for the last fortnight, shall have to be guilt.

I hope the guilt hangs heavy.

When it comes to Singapore, most of us love to slam the authorities, nitpick about local habits, gripe about the traffic, rant about housing prices, go postal on the foreign worker issue and much, much more.

So it's rather nice to see people, other like expatriates who tend to wax lyrical about our nation, to declare what they actually like about Singapore.

The folks at digital marketing agency Tribal DDB have put together a cute website called www.welike.sg "to rally Singaporeans to connect digitally and share their LIKES about Singapore with National Day just around the corner."

It basically lists out all sorts of quirky things that we do in our little island that define us as Singaporeans - including "we like choping seats with tissue paper" and "we like to buy 4D". It also allows you to add to the list.

Giggles aside, the idea is to share via social networking tools like Twitter and Facebook that you like Singapore, and list what you like about it. By pressing a button or two on the website, a link to the whole long list of "likes" representing Singaporeans' collective identity will appear on your Twitter or Facebook account.

(Only the URL to the welike.sg page shows up, so don't worry about spamming your friends with the super-long list.)

Tribal DDB says that more than 20,000 people have showed their "likes" over just the last few days and even government agencies like the Singapore Tourism Board and the official site of the National Day Parade have posted their "like" on their Facebook wall.

There've apparently been more than 20,000 people who have liked the site in just a couple of days.

Said the agency: "We hope that this story will inspire people as they read and connect and laugh and debate what people LIKES about Singapore!" (sic)

Being Singaporeans, the "likes" sarcastically include dislikes, such as "we like referee kayu" and "we like using phones while driving". I suppose, even with the best of intentions, there is just no stopping Singaporeans from complaining - a fact pithily captured by the exclamation "we like complaining for the sake of complaining".

But, since National Day is just round the corner, I've actually gone through the entire list and picked out 10 of my favourites (not in order):

- "We like cheap, reliable public transport."

- "We like how Singapore has so much greenery."

- "We like how it's safe."

- "We like roti prata."

- "We like upgrading - ourselves, our flats, everything."

- "We like the sound of bells when the ice-cream uncle comes driving around the HDB estate."

- "We like to eat black carrot cake with a lot of chilli."

- "We like the peace we have."

- "We like drinkable water from our taps."

- "We like saying the National Day Parade is cheesy but we watch it anyway."

And here's one that I've made up: "We like National Day because it is my schnauzer's birthday."

Okay, I'm being silly, I know. But that's the point of the website so make some up yourself and post it here (and/or on the welike.sg site). But be nice, please. It is National Day weekend after all.

I get conned into buying a huge whopper of a package and end up going maybe twice a year or something. By then, the package would lapse (nobody told me they lapse!) and I would have to pay another top-up to keep it going.

So had I been one of Wax In The City's clients, I would pretty much be up in arms about its new defunct status like a group of them are at the moment.

Could the recent spate of insolvency of spas been avoided? Absolutely! And my proposed solution addresses what I hate most about going to spas in Singapore in the first place.

Have you ever noticed that a simple facial is never that simple? After 45 minutes of soothing facial massage usually by a young, sweet therapist, suddenly your quiet little sanctuary will be descended upon by the spa's mamasan who'd then launch into a hard-sell of a certain miracle ampoule that they used free-of-charge on your face earlier.

To my eternal shame, I gave in once or twice and bought 10 ampoules for future use just to get the scary mamasan off my back.

You see, the problem here is that the spa operators sell products so aggressively, but they don't quite understand that they only have a small pool of cows to milk. Say if I succumb to upgrading my package today - because the offer lasts only one day! - needless to say, I won't be spending any more at the spa for a few months to come. In fact, I might never spend a cent there again after being so turned off by the hard sell tactics.

That means, for the next few months, the spa gets nothing out of me. I'm already paid up for the rest of the year and I refuse to buy any products on the side. If most of the spa's clients are experiencing this process as well, that's a cessation of the spa's cashflow right there.

And it's not just cashflow either. These spas, having signed up membership packages, will have to spend their capacity on them. Therapists, therapy rooms and other resources will be committed to members would just redeem their already paid-for points. So it's not as if the spa can continuously take in new members or accommodate walk-ins.

Just a few months of this cashflow problems, with no excess capacity to bring more revenue in, and insolvency isn't too far away for the aggressive spa.

Now that The Spa and Wellness Association is working with an "appropriate insurance body and other appropriate organisations, hopefully insurance policies will be set in place to insure both consumers and spa operators.

For one thing, I hope it puts an end to business models based on the hard selling the client various unnecessary packages and products which, in Wax In The City's case, end up being dishonoured. 

I don't care if it's 60 per cent off the normal price. No means no!

Ever since the charity single for Haiti was launched at the opening of the Winter Olympics on Feb 12, the 25-year-old song has been looping around the back of my brain.

It was something I was looking forward to after finding out on Twitter that one of my favourite artistes (the fifth to appear in the all-star line-up) was in it. And, knowing that it was co-written by Michael Jackson, I was curious about how the late singer would be featured in the 14-hour recording enterprise.

Also, I suppose, I'm a sucker for feel-good humanitarian efforts. (The proceeds from the song go towards the relief work in the earthquake-torn country and I did buy the single from the iTunes store, not just enjoy the video online.)

But what really tugged at my heart-strings and brought tears to my eyes was not the 80-strong official 2010 fund-raiser, it was a YouTube version that was released a week later.

Just two days ago, a YouTube community of would-be singers started circulating their own interpretation of the hit. About 60 or so amateur singers sent their lines via the Internet and someone edited it all into seven-minute long video clip.

Like the 2010 version, it really brought home the state of music today. Although, I'll admit I didn't recognise some of the younger artistes in this year's official version, it was interesting to watch what one critic (Chris Rogers, The Washington Post) called a "panoply of voices". From classically-trained Josh Groban to Hannah Montana pop star Miley Cyrus, older voices like Barbra Streisand to kiddish pixie Justin Bieber, Titanic warbler Celine Dion to Black-Eyed Peas' Will.i.am, the juxtapositing made for repeated viewings of the video just to take it all in.

Who opened the song? Who sang Cyndi Lauper's part? Who wrote the rap? (Bieber. Dion. Will.i.am.) For someone who is at least as old as the 25-year-old song (okay, maybe more), it's not a given that those three singers are known entities.

The YouTube version isn't at all like a Lionel Ritchie/Quincy Jones production, obviously. It does not have the same spot-the-singer allure of both the original and Haiti renditions. Yet, with over 50 average Joes recording themselves on home karaoke systems, iPod earphones or laptops, it's hard not to replace the YouTube loop with this version.

Featuring wonderful voices with different backgrounds - racially, musically, and choice of home decor - you can't help but think: They are the world.

In a way, the YouTube version illustrates the state of music today far more accurately than the official Haiti version. But then again, reflecting the recording industry is probably not meant to be the primary reason for the song.

It's just a shame it's not available on the iTunes store for Netizens to download and contribute to the Haiti earthquake efforts.

Check it out anyway.

The introduction is a bit long, but the lyrics, once the rap gets going, are hilarious.

Enjoy!

Get the lyrics at econstories.tv.

And yes, it is "news".

The ex-Miss Singapore World has been fodder for public attention since a much-circulated Razor TV video clip started making the rounds as part of the beauty contest's media hoopla. The reason: Her heavily-accented Singlish, interview answers and coining of the (since widely-used) adjective "boomz".

The video of the 19-year-old "went viral", as they say in the online world, and both the original video and subsequent copies on YouTube literally exploded all over social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Her barely-understandable diction and shockingly-frank replies were commented on by hordes who sent it out to their friends, who sent it out to their friends, who sent it out to their friends.

Then, the newspapers found out that she had been charged with credit card fraud and dismissed by her former employer, when she was a medical clinic assistant, and she was forced last week to give up the crown.

Everyone was fascinated at the video clip, aghast at the fraud charges and riveted by the abandoned crown. The term "Ris Low" was even a trending topic on Twitter for hours the day she gave up the crown - a reflection of the Internet buzz on that microblogging website alone.

Now, however, public interest is splintering. While many are still curious, a few are saying: The girl is not news, anymore. Move on.

Critics are accusing the media of picking on Ris by digging out the information on the fraud charges.

Said 'shioshio' on ST.com yesterday: "She made lots of mistakes but local media spare no effort to keep bashing her, which i think is over doing it."

More vehemently on Twitter, 'lucian' said: "@stcom Please leave Ris Low alone, you low-life scum."

Now that she's given up her crown, people are asking who is she and why is she still getting all the newspaper inches and broadcast headlines.

Well, the answer is simple: Remove the gown and crown, and people are still interested in the unfolding details of a teenager who has caught everyone's imagination. It's a riches-to-rags story of someone who was, undoubtedly, looking for fame - but instead found infamy.

Is it news? You bet.

What is news after all? Conventional journalism training defines it as information that is of interest to as wide a public as possible. It boils down to: Not "dog bites man", but "man bites dog". If it's a man who almost represented the country, all the more reason it is news.

Throw in an event organiser's bungled attempt at damage control, a cat fight between the dethroned beauty queen and her possible pageant replacement, someone defending the 60-odd charges with a defence built on bipolar disorder, and Miss Low has been a news item that undeniably meets the definition above.

The social impact of it all, meanwhile, has been a story in itself. And it's a developing one too.

Many a Singaporean I've spoken to recently has told me they've learnt a great deal apart from the details of Miss Low's pre-pageant doings. Namely, how a hitherto unknown teenager went from complete obscurity to word-of-the-day practically overnight because of online video sharing, Facebook updates and Twitter.

"You mean the 'boomz' video was when she wasn't even Miss Singapore World yet? You mean all this was available to the whole world before she was even chosen to represent Singapore? You mean people were watching it even before it was in the newspapers here?"

Yes. Yes. Oh yes!

Not a few went on to express views ranging from "the participants should all get media training" to "the organiser should be responsible if they are putting these kids up to represent the country". As a result of such discussion, people are now talking about standards of spoken English/Singlish, the culture among the youth of "it's all about me" (quote-unquote Miss Low) and even the effects of mental health conditions like bipolar disorder.

That's impact and it is all that due to a news story that started online then spread to the offline world - a trend that usually occurs the other way. The Ris Low story has become a very local case-study of the reach of online social media with implications yet to be absorbed by news makers and their managers.

Is it news? Yes, and in more ways than one. In a word (that I'll never use again), it's boomz.

Read Nicholas Yong's blog entries: To boomz or not to boomz and What does 'boomz' really mean?

Read also:
Ris has to retake exam
Not allowed to shop alone

On our new SME Spotlight microsite, featuring articles on all things small and medium-enterprises-related, we are rolling out a new series of blogs.

Today's new entry is something some readers here will probably describe as "me, me, me"! Sorry, guys! Well, it was my experience at a conference this week, really, and the first entry is on whether it's polite to multi-task at conferences. It's a new blog specifically on business etiquette - so do leave your comments on whether you think the behaviour discussed is a do or a don't!

Apart from this, there will be two other blogs - (1) one looking at working towards business success; and (2) another on starting up a company in Singapore.

Sharing her insights about the domestic and entrepreneurial sectors in Singapore is Elim Chew, owner and founder of fashion retail chain 77th Street. Pitching in to describe their experiences in starting-up their own import-and-distribution companies are actress Wong Lilin and entrepreneur Chris Lim.

Do stay tuned to SME Spotlight and leave us comments on what you'd like to read.

If you run a business, we'd like to hear from you too. Share your dream with ST Money Correspondent Francis Chan by emailing franchan@sph.com.sg. You just might be featured in our next SME Spotlight and stand to win special gifts from HSBC. More details here.

Junkets are basically sponsored trips to review products or services. Having covered mostly politics and business news all my reporting career, all my work-related trips have been all work, no play and definitely no junkets.

So when a friend extended an invitation to stay at a year-old resort in Koh Samui that she's working at, I jumped at the chance. Called Absolute Sanctuary, it promised peace, tranquility and an opportunity to jumpstart my system with a detox programme.

Claire Bostock, the Executive Director of the resort, said there'd be yoga classes, Pilates classes and various detox plans. So Joanne, being Joanne, replied: Bring it on! Sure, I'll do the Ultimate Detox programme. Too many late nights, drinking and no exercise has slowed my metabolic rate down considerably over the years, and this was my chance to get my aging system going again.

After all, Absolute Sanctuary is the place one of Thailand's princesses goes to for yoga classes and where supermodel Elle "The Body" McPherson goes to for detox when they are in Koh Samui. How could I turn such an amazing opportunity down?

My first junket!
Photo source: Janice Lee Fang

So after flying over on the evening Bangkok Airways flight with my sister Janice for company, we had one last hurrah at Chaweng in downtown Koh Samui with a couple of drinks and it was early to bed.

Well, if I was looking to jumpstart my system, the week proved to be a complete shock-and-awe: Shock to my system and awe at the results.

At 7am on the first day, there was a knock on the door. It was the first of my four detox juice drinks for the day, accompanied by health supplements packed in five little ziplock bags. Oh boy.

By the time I actually woke up and went for my morning consultation with the Wellness Consultant, Dr Alister Bredee, I was quite horrified to learn that the Ultimate Detox programme meant a seven-day fast with only vegetable broth allowed and colonic irrigation every day!

Honestly, as ready for the first press junket of my journalistic career as I was, even I had to stop and wonder if I would survive such a gruelling seven-day programme. I've never been the dieting or exercise type, so would I be able to accept the Ultimate Detox challenge?

Bets, anyone?

Follow Joanne's seven-day experience courtesy of Absolute Sanctuary and Bangkok Airways at AsiaOne's new Relax travel website here.

It was something everyone was asking each other last weekend after the National Day Parade.

On 8:22pm last Sunday, thousands of Singaporeans stood at attention to recite the national pledge, clenched fists on heart, renewing the civil bond with their fellow countrymen by declaring themselves "one united people, regardless of race, language or religion".

The island-wide pledge coordinated on National Day saw people stop along Orchard Road to participate in the recital in the middle of shopping excursions, stand in coffee shops in the heartlands or simply in front of their television sets at home. Somehow the one-minute act seemed to capture the imagination of the nation when synchronised to be done together.

It was an exercise that put into action an issue raised by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Message the day before: Social cohesion.

He had sought to inspire confidence in his televised message, recalling Singapore's journey since self-government in 1959.

He said: "Each time we were challenged, we responded as one, everyone pulling together and working for the common good. Each success cemented social cohesion."

Tracing the racial riots of Singapore's early years, right up to the recent H1N1 flu outbreak and the ongoing economic crisis, he'd identified unity as a key factor that has pulled the country through tough times.

"We must work hard to strengthen it, and to bridge potential divides within our society, be it between Singaporeans and new arrivals, between rich and poor, or most fundamental of all, between the different races and religions."

On Thursday, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew made a speech warning Singaporeans of the dangers of closing the country's door to foreign talent. He stressed the importance of accepting and embracing them - once again, that same message of social cohesion.

This message, together with the organised pledge-taking across the Republic, comes at a time when the fabric of society has been tested in the past year - a year of furious debate brought on by the escape and recapture of terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari and the Aware saga of several months ago.

Both episodes had religious undertones that hinted at what PM Lee called those "potential divides" in Singapore society today.

Given the prominence the message has been given of late, it is almost certain that PM Lee will expand on its importance in his National Day Rally speech tomorrow - just how candidly remains to be seen. No doubt, he will touch on other topics such as economic recovery and Singapore's transformation, as he did in his National Day Message. But it's the sensitive subject of remaining a "one united people, regardless of race, language or religion" that will make the National Day Rally interesting to watch this year.

What will he say to build (or rebuild) social cohesion in Singapore?

Tune in to The Straits Times' live blogging tomorrow evening and leave your comments as PM Lee delivers his speech. Follow us "@stcom" if you prefer to get the updates on Twitter.

So imagine my shock when news broke about two hours ago that a Bangkok Airways flight veered off the runway at Koh Samui's airport and crashed into a disused building - flight control? firefighting building? - due to bad weather.

At the time of this blog entry, one is confirmed dead: The pilot. Several are injured.

I'm, however, told by the husband of my friend who runs a resort there that hospitals are calling for blood donors of all types. Hopefully, that's just a precaution and not an indication that more casualties are to come.

My friend is currently on her way down to the hospitals with some of her staff members to see if there's any way they can help - donating blood or otherwise.

Source: AP

It just goes to show: When it's time for you to go, it's time for you to go.

All the precautions in the world against natural disasters, viruses and other uncontrollable elements just aren't going to save you.

It could have easily been us.
ST Photo: Joanne Lee

There I was, in Changi's Terminal One and later on the Samui-bound flight, trying to avoid getting too close to other travellers in case of contracting H1N1, wiping my passport down with wet wipes and using my hand sanitiser religiously.

My paranoia is probably semi-inherited from my mother, who till this day is afraid that a tsunami will hit every time we head off for regional beach holidays.

Thankfully, as far as my family is concerned, nothing's happened to any of us on any of our travels. We check out the terrain where we stay so we know where the high ground is, where the emergency exits are, etc.

This time, obviously, the main worry was H1N1. Now, however, my at-the-time careful H1N1-preventive measures taken when I was flying last week seem silly in the face of this latest tragedy.

In fact, I feel downright guilty that I'm okay given that I take air travel so lightly and never pay attention to flight safety videos when they are aired. If it were me on the plane today, I wonder how I would have reacted in the face of panic and mayhem.

Bangkok Airways is holding a press conference as I post this entry, let's hope there are no further casualties.

Read the update on the situation here: Thai jet skids, pilot dead.