I hope you don't have to be told this, but you can't believe
everything you read. When it comes to The Truth: The Real Source For
Singapore News, nothing can be believed. It's all in fun, and fun is
something we can never have too much of.
As I rode the MRT this morning, I couldn't help but notice how
true this fact is. As I pondered all the serious faces on the train,
I realized how the pressure of Singapore society affects us all.
Singapore is a country that is so tied up with forward progress, it
has lost something in the process: a sense of fun. Sure, we may try
to artificially recreate that sense by constructing theme parks and
Sentosa, but what can we laugh at if we can't laugh at ourselves.
I'm very sensitive to the feelings of Singaporeans almost to the
point of paranoia. But I'm going out on a limb by believing that
Singaporeans will enjoy a good joke, even at their own expense. If
you find any of The Truth offensive, I apologize in advance, but
bear in mind that no harm, slander, or prejudice was intended; after
all, I only speak The Truth.
Now that I've apologized, let me give you a little more
background about The Truth. Yes, it's very similiar to the popular
U.S. oriented website, The Onion.
I make no excuses for that as I am a huge fan of The Onion site.
However, I will say in my defense that the idea for The Truth came
to me two years ago before I knew anything about The Onion. My
parent site, Fongnet, has
become somewhat of a reference point for people interested in
Singapore (although the vast majority of visitors to my site are
from Singapore, ironically). For April Fool's Day in 1998, I was
going to publish "little known facts" about Singapore, all
of which I was going to make up. When I found out about The Onion, I
realized that April Fool's Day could be everyday if I wanted it to
be. Judging by the number of people who still believe in the Good
Times virus and cockroach
eggs in Taco Bell food, it shouldn't be too difficult in playing
with the mind of the average web surfer. But you're one of the saavy
ones, aren't you? Yeah, I'll bet you are. Right now, you're
thinking, "You mean that story about cockroach eggs isn't
true?"