Mr Brown - "4 million smiles" & paper column

It's 2 months to September, but just last month, PM Lee Hsien Loong launched this "Four Million Smiles" campaign because delegates from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group are holding their annual meetings here. To, I quote, "offer our guests a positive, unique and unforgettable 'Singapore Experience'." Can send in a picture of us smiling leh! Then make into one big mural! Yet, there are people who hasn't even heard about this before. There are smile ambassadors being sent out to encourage people to smile and also to take their pictures, which is then, I supposed, included in this mural.

This whole thing's a bit freaky, to tell the truth. I haven't met a smile ambassador yet, so I don't know how they do their job. But can you imagine walking down the street one day and you spot this person standing in the middle of the crowd, perhaps holding a sign/banner and smiling continuously? Nobody is paying attention to him/her. The person's face muscles ache, so he/she stop smiling and rests for a bit. Suddenly a couple of adults turn to stare at him/her. A kid runs up, points at the person and shrieks, "Mummy says you have to keep smiling!" What to do?

Cut a sunkist orange and eat a slice lor.

Then again, I don't see why some people are making this such a big issue, pulling in ideas that this is an attempt to make Singapore a better place etc etc. Mixing this with the Global Courtesy Ranking that was the hot topic not too long ago.
I didn't mix things up right? Haven't been reading properly.

Anyway, if you want to send in a smiling picture, just go on and do it!

Mr Brown has an interesting podcast on this "Four Million Smiles" campaign.

Another matter concerning Mr Brown and his Today column. He first wrote this in TODAY paper, after which a there came a, what I see as defensive retort, from K Bahavani, Press Secretary to the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts. Following which Mr Brown's column was suspended.
*rolls eyes* I don't have anything much to say. The first thing that comes into my mind is SH's post on World Cup soccer players. Somehow when I read the letter by K Bahavani, it sounded as if the government has a guilty conscience and is thus arguing back. You know how when we will tease two persons of being together when we believe that they are not but in actual fact they are but nobody knows about it?

Classmate spots Boy talking to Girl.
Classmate (to Boy): "Hor hor! You are trying to woo Girl! Or are you two ...."
Boy interrupts: *glares at Classmate* "No, we're NOT together! You shut up!" *storms away*

Yar, something like that. Or...

Mom comes home from work and the first thing she sees when she opens the door are the toys strewn all over the floor. "Boy!" she shouts, ready to reprimand him for the mess.
Boy runs out and immediately blurts out, "No I didn't eat the last cookie in the jar!"

Yes, that's more like it.