Good System? Bad System?

It has been a long while since I had written here. I have been very busy and I foresee even more so for the following days or weeks. However, I decide to write this piece because I need to anchor my thoughts to some point in the universe, lest my mind wonders and I cannot focus my work.

There have been some critical articles and commentaries on Singapore's political and education environments or systems, most notably Joanne Leow's Journalism and Jiujitsu and those about the sad news of a 11-year-old boy’s suicide due to exam and parental stress.

It kinds of made me question: Is Singapore really this bad? Has it always been bad or has it turned bad? Have we adopted a bad system or has the model turned on us? Do we really need to change the system or is there a better system to go to?

It bothered be a bit for a while. Then it dawned on me. There is no such thing as a good or bad system. There is only a balanced or unbalanced system. A balanced system is one that benefits most people, not just an elite few.

Our political system has been a one to find a balance in pushing directed policies to improve our standard of living versus accommodating ideas and emotions from everyone on the ground. And our education system is one that balances absorbing knowhow that directly impacts our economy versus knowledge that liberates our environment.

A balanced system can in time becomes unbalanced and vice versa. So it needs taking time to tweak whatever system we have got. In a time when we no longer have any blueprints to follow or role models to emulate, we just have to hold on to what we have now and start tweaking.

Hopefully Singaporeans can find the patience to do that and not just be critical, resigned, or contented to the place that is so small yet is a home to so many people...

"Ordinary" by The Sam Willows

I like this song a lot and also support TeamSG at the Games!

Spouse For House (Seasons 1 and 2)

I happened to catch an episode of the latest season last week and I couldn't figure out why I had missed out on such a quality local comedy series. It is as good as some of the US comedies currently showing. I would rate it similar to, if not better than, Melissa & Joey and with it being local, the familiarity definitely wins.

The main characters John (Alaric Tay) and Jessica (Selena Lee) are an odd couple that somehow matches and complements each other. The cast does have the acting and chemistry to pull the show off.

Season 1 | Season 2

PAP disadvantages itself

In the coming election, PAP has been stressing about voting for the right candidates to represent their constituencies. However, I feel that it is a rather strange proposition coming from the party as the systems it has created seem to have forced the voters to choose political parties over candidates. It's like they have shot themselves in the foot.

Firstly, the GRC system. I want to vote for a candidate that I like. He or she may come from any party but it should not be an influencing factor. However, if he/she is contesting in a GRC, I am forced to look at his/her team members. What if I really dislike most of the other members? Do I still vote for him/her or should I sacrifice him/her? My feel is that the people will turn their attention and look at the party they are representing, thus overlooking the characters the candidates have. This knock-on effect may just be PAP's undoing if the people decide to put any mistakes the party may have done on the candidates' accounts.

Secondly, the requirement that PAP members have to vote along party lines in bills tabled in the parliament. This caused the MPs to lose their representativeness of their voters, unable to voice the concerns their voters may have and act in their best interests or promises. Again, the people no longer see their MPs as individuals but mouthpieces for the party and government. This will make subsequent elections more difficult for the candidates, especially the newer ones.

Our 四大天王 + Our 歌神 in NDP2015

Courtesy of 154thmedia Entertainment

(Click CC to enable lyrics~ ♪)

Stephanie Sun: We Will Get There; One United People

Corrinne May: Song for Singapore

JJ Lin 林俊杰: Our Singapore

Kit Chan 陈洁仪: Home

NDP 2015 Theme Song: Our Singapore (Live Performance by Dick Lee)

Courtesy of NDPeeps

It's time to wake up, FAS!

When I read that the match between Singapore and Philippines for the South-East Asian Basketball (SEABA) Championships was sold out at the OCBC Arena, I realised Singaporeans are avid sport fans deep inside, regardless of the sport as long as Singapore athletes play at their best at the highest level of competition available. Hence there is no excuse for saying our fans are not supportive and certainly no reason why football cannot do better for them. So my question to the FAS is: 

"Why are some of our best young players playing in M(inor)-League when they should be playing in bigger leagues and tournaments? The Malaysia Cup days are over; done and dusted, so please stop romanticising about it. The standard of M-League is no better than our S-League so stop wasting resources on LionsXII. The national coach should also look at players beyond LionsXII who are willing to work harder and potentially better."

MYSTIC WHISPERS 听

新加坡电视台的华语戏剧一向来给人的印象是没创意，没吸引力的家庭环境剧。虽然这往往是真的，但新加坡还是偶有佳作，让人追看的剧集，如《秘密花园》和《拍●卖》。

（不过好像大多数是外包给本地的独立制作室，可这也是一件好事，能让本地人才发挥创意。）

若不是U频道现在正在播出一部在Toggle.sg去年就上载的《听》，我就错过了一部值得推荐的好戏。我喜欢它的题材，对灵异故事里的许多细节都有很好的诠释。剧中的对白和说话方式也接近我们平时所说的。主要演员是我不熟悉的新人，虽演技有时夸张了一点，但胜在他们像我们认识的邻家小孩，再加上老戏骨在不同的故事段落的演出，弥补了不足。

Synopsis 故事大纲

Mo Xiao Yun lost her sense of hearing one year ago in a car accident and began hearing peculiar noises ever since. Although she knows that these sounds are from the otherworld, Xiao Yun chooses to ignore them because she does not see anything strange. However, this changed after she meets Zhang Ji En. Desperate from being bothered by the ghosts, Xiao Yun had no choice but to seek Ji En’s help. The pair eventually ends up helping the ghosts, and in the process, develops good feelings towards each other. Yet, Ji En learns that he is involved in Xiao Yun’s car accident one year ago…… (With English subtitles) 
一年前，莫晓芸在一场车祸中失去了右耳的听力。从那天起，她的右耳开始听到了许多奇怪的声音。她隐约猜到那是来自另一个世界的声音，却因为见不到鬼，而选择忽略。但是在遇到张吉恩之后，她却开始见得到鬼了！晓芸开始被鬼纠缠，无奈之下，只好找吉恩帮忙。于是，吉恩和晓芸开始了’帮鬼’的工作。两人在帮助鬼的过程中，渐渐对彼此产生好感，建立了感情。可是，偏偏在这个时候，吉恩却发现晓芸一年前的车祸跟自己有关…… (附英文字幕)

这显示，只要是好的本土创作，本土制作，贴近本土生活的戏剧，人们还是会喜欢，会支持的。我们也要给本地的制作人更多的机会和空间来点掌声。

[Untitled]

A man has passed
His story became a legacy
People talks about the good and the bad
Of his deeds being controversial indeed

For better or worse
With the best intentions or the worst actions
History is for the future to write
Not our time to fight

Now we are to reap
The fruits of labour of our forefathers
And plant the seeds of progress
For the next generation

Stand united we should
For a country we only could

Rest In Peace Mister Lee Kuan Yew

I happened to remember a question once posed, "How great is Singapore?" I feel the question can now be rephrased as "How great is LKY's Singapore?" And I feel I have the answer now.

Yes, we are not as great as the bigger or older countries. However, we have been given the abilities to hold our own when others come to our shore to either work or compete with us. We are also equipped to have a stand in the international stage when we fly out of Changi Airport. If greatness is measured by how much value the people of Singapore contribute to the community, society and world around us, then we are great beyond our means.

This should be the legacy Mr Lee has left us and we are forever grateful. Thank you and may you rest assured that Singapore will continue to grow strong. You had done more than enough and should you rest in peace now.

Why isn't Singapore govt giving local developers a chance?

Sent the following letter to Reach Singapore and Today Online in hope that it can make a difference, though I doubt I would even get a proper response...

Dear Reach and Today,

I am writing in review of the blog post "NDP Website an Embarrassment" by Lai Zit Seng.

It is disappointing to learn that the government, in order to save cost, has resorted to letting a third world country to work on something that Singaporeans should be proud of working on. Outsourcing should only be done by private companies but it is a shame that our own public sector has no loyalty to Singaporeans.

It is no wonder that software developers and engineers have pay that do not reflect their value here and are either leaving or not entering into computing related fields. Even our own government is not valuing local IT people and giving its citizens a chance to develop.

Furthermore, the website owners do not even bother to conduct audits and checks to ensure that the website has no potential security and information leak risks. The programming does not adhere to the latest web development standard too. It really does not bode well for Singapore's reputation of having high standards in work.

Hopefully the personnel involved in future public projects does not made such an embarrassment again.

Say "No" to an overpopulated Singapore -- Events

The government has passed the white paper on population which is definitely a faux pas. They argued that it is for our own good when every Tom, Dick and Harry can clearly see that it is not and we as Singaporeans are not stupid. We know what we want, we know what we can overcome, and we know we don't need any increase in population. Instead of worrying about how to cope with 6.9 million people in 2030, why don't we just cope with 5.9 million now and change our economic model? There are more successful cities than Singapore relying on a far less population so there is no excuse we can't do it.

So my fellow countrymen, let's hold our destiny in our own hands for once and make ourselves heard. Do the following:

Saturday, 16 February 2013 - Speakers Corner (Hong Lim Park)
Protest against 6.9 million population by 2030

Online Petition - The Petition
https://tklcloud.com/petition/Default.aspx

2013 wish for Singapore

2013 is upon on us and given all the happenings in the previous year, my wish for Singapore is for better governance, more transparency and wiser strategies to bring its citizens through an ever increasingly volatile future. I just read this news article and I agree much with the points brought up and hope the leaders take heed.

I left a couple of comments there which I will just place here for reference:

"We didn't really choose to be global but we are definitely told that economic growth would bring happiness. However, we are now sacrificing happiness for economic growth which is much irony. We now do choose to survive but we should do it with more intelligent strategies."

 This one is written with a bit of angst but it is how I felt nonetheless:

"The economists and scholars the govt hired are simply plain lazy to do anything, that's why they keep suggesting the same thing over and over again. It's time they get their butts off their chairs and think of new strategies. Economists around the world wreck their brains to better their peers and gain recognition while ours are simply here to enjoy their high pay. Maybe it's time we pay them the most basic pay and any bonus will have to be based on their performances."

My concerns are your policies

The footsteps of the General Election are approaching. My Group Representation Constituency has yet to show sign of any opposition candidates. The creation of a GRC in Singapore's electoral system is so abnormal that it has to be an one-of-the-kind abomination in the world. Oh well, politics has always been a game where the bigger party manipulates the board if not changing the rules. Players will just have to beat the odds.

Speaking of players, a number of new ones have been introduced. Are they as good as they claimed? Nobody knows. More importantly, all the candidates have spoken about serving the people, improving their constituencies and help their voters. How they are going about doing these, I am not sure. They never state.

I may not get to vote this tie round but there are a few topics that I feel all parties should addressed not just for my benefit as a potential voter. So far no in-depth discussion. No ideas or no desire?

• "Excuse me! Can I have my space back?"

Singapore's population has exploded in recent years but by no means due to a natural growth. Artificially inflated by a huge influx of foreigners, we are experiencing overcrowding that has caused our nerves to twitch and tempers to flare. Our infrastructure and resources have been strained to the limit and the people have barely room to stand in most public spaces. It was not long ago that our parents were told not to have more children to prevent exactly this scenario from happening but we seem to have forgotten that.

Experts calculated that Singapore can sustain a population of 6 million and maybe more. However, theoretical feasibility doesn't translate to practical living. A healthy living environment includes substantial space for its habitants to own with privacy. Singaporeans don't want to walk shoulder to shoulder with other people.

Personal space is so important to some of us. If I don't mind working or living in a crowded place, then I would have gone to Hong Kong. At least the pay is higher enough for me to buy my own space. I used to enjoy an arm's length of personal space even when I am out of the house. Can I have that back?

• "I just want to work!"

The labour structure needs to be reviewed and businesses reorganised. Gone should be the days where Singapore rely on cheap labour for manpower-intensive industries. By importing cheap foreign workers, we let businesses get away with their social responsibilities of providing the realistic level of wages that withstands the inflation rate. Instead of looking after local workers, they choose to supplant them with foreigners not because they have different skill-sets but to lower costs.

Yes, costs in running a business in Singapore has been rising. However, to reduce or suppress wages to an unrealistic level so that shareholders and directors can get obscene amounts of dividends and bonuses is morally corrupt. Cheap labour is definitely the easier way out as opposed to investing in existing workers and technology to increase productivity.

If we are to develop industries that require a small workforce to be profitable, we can even reduce the country's population to better focus in giving everyone a higher quality of living. The government can retain traditional businesses with historical or strategic values by subsidising operating costs or prices like how the Japanese are doing. As for other types of businesses, shift them to industrial parks in neighbouring countries with lower rentals and weaker currencies.

The bottom-line is: if Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway can achieve progress and growth with limited population, why can't Singapore?

• "How much is that apartment in the block?"

HDB started out as a wonderful initiative to provide affordable housing to Singaporeans. However, it has deviated from this noble commitment recently by arbitrarily determining the price of a new flat and allowing resale price to skyrocket. Of course, anyone who pays for a property wants it to preserve and even increase its value. But if the initial price already sets the owner back with a big and long mortgage, then it defeats the purpose of accumulating wealth even if the value of the flat rises significantly.

Another question lies in the true ownership of the flat: is it the payer or HDB? It is HDB when there is actually a 99-year lease whereby HDB has the right to acquire the flat at the end. Hence the flat cannot be counted as wealth even if the next generation can inherit it. And this argument has yet to take into consideration the taxes or fees HDB collects when there is a transfer of ownership.

So to truly fulfil the mission of 100% home ownership, HDB should build flats that are affordable in terms of a reasonable period of payment. It also has to return public housing to the concept that only Singaporeans can own a flat, i.e. no reselling of a flat to a permanent resident. To prevent a flat being used for speculation, one should not be allowed to own a flat if he/she has a private property.

• "We are Singaporeans..."

Tying to the first point discussed, the Singapore Identity has been compromised. We need an immigration policy that is designed for the people with generations here, not just in the name of economy or progress. It should be for the preservation of the social cohesion, ethnic harmony and community spirit that we have painstakingly built up so far. People are unhappy to see their social/cultural norms being affected, the togetherness eroded and feeling like a minority in their own backyard.

Worse still, the foreigners tend to form cliques and have no intention of assimilate into our society. Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for everyone to come together and create communities where they can bond with people from the same country or culture. But don't do it at the expense of the locals by bringing along habits that are not suitable or undesirable here.

Let us define the number of foreigners we allow in based on demographics. We enjoy the diversity of cultures and people from various countries but we need a quota for those coming from any single country. We also love to see immigrants start a new life and family here but there is no reason why they have to bring their extended family. Quoting a friend: "We are facing an aging society so why are we importing old people?"

• "The Straits Times or The States Times?"

Free speech and free press are the building blocks of a developed nation. We need a responsible mainstream reporting media that is independent from the government. Only this way we can ensure the country is run transparently and the people able to hold the government accountable for its policies.

Only with enough information can the people decide the direction they want the country to progress. And only when the people get to choose their own destiny instead of a group of so-called elites running the government can social harmony be achieved. If not, there won't be any trust in the government even if it does the correct things.

Last but not least, even Malaysia has learn the importance of respecting people's needs in celebrating festivals by giving the Indians a public holiday for Thaipusam. Shouldn't Singapore be following so?

PS: Credit to my friends for coining some of the terms used.

Happy 42nd Birthday Singapore!

I want to wish all Singaporeans a Happy National Day! May Singapore be a better country in all aspects. Now if only there will be no more price increases, at least for the next two years... (Wishful thinking?)

Everyone can watch this year's National Day Parade via the Internet at http://www.ndp.org.sg/.

If my throat can get better and I stop coughing so much, today will be a wonderful day for me.

Happy Birthday Singapore!

41 years of building and we are still going strong. Who could have thought that a tiny place like this can go on and on like a Duracell battery? Yes, Singapore is a place far from perfection, with a recent study indicating that Singaporeans are one of the most unhappy population in the world. However, there are still many little things to like about this place, although we tend to focus more on the things we dislike. Through most eyes, we are strange and uninteresting. But I say if you look from a different angle, Singapore does have a side which will endear you. May Heavens bless this country and its people always.

Now if only we can change the ways our government think and function...

[读后感] 亮的离谱的新加坡

中午睡醒（没错，我睡到中午，因为看世界杯），就在报纸看到了名为《亮的离谱的新加坡》的文章。作者写到：

偏偏在新加坡，没有月光的夜里，当我连星星都看不到的时候，却能够清楚看见夜空里飘游着的云。这个城市亮得自豪，也亮得离谱。

我也有同感，新加坡仿佛是个不夜城；夜如白昼。除此之外，现在的夜晚也缺少了以前的宁静。不论夜有多深，还是会有人影在街灯下。难道我们已经进化到无须那么多的睡眠，还是工作占据了我们太多时间，使得夜晚更加珍贵？

I saw an angel...

Angels do exist and I happen to saw one this morning. I had waited for almost an hour for a taxi but to no avail. I was very late for work and phoning for one was equally hopeless. Desparation and sense of finality were in me... Then something extraordinary happened. A lady waiting for a cab way up in front of me actually got one but instead of taking it, she directed the cab driver to pick me up! Apparently, she spotted me waiting for a cab while I couldn't even see her, being so far away. This was when I saw an angel in disguise;

However, for every angel that exists, there seem to be countless more ugly mortals. During the hour that I was waiting, I actually had people taking taxis in front of me and taxis speeding past me, the drivers avoiding eye-contact. What the hell? If you didn't want to pick me up, the least you could do was give me a wave. I am okay with people taking taxis from me in front as they might done in unknowingly, walking out of the buildings along the road. However, I actually had a couple of people who walked past me from behind and tried to stop a cab right in my face! These were definitely the worst kind of people. It wasn't a nice thing to do to an able-bodied person, let alone to someone on a wheelchair;

Ay... the good, the bad, and the ugly Singaporeans...

Happy 40th Birthday, Singapore!

Happy National Day everyone!

Apology Forthcoming?

How usually does one react when someone offended him/her with words? For me, I will wait a couple of days for an apology before commenting, in case I aggreviate the problem more than I should have. However, it has been about five days since the Taiwan Foreign Minister insulted Singapore and yet no apology has came from him. It's totally unacceptable, with him being a person of an important position. So Singapore should demand an apology which is only right. But then again, Singapore should not go into a war of words with him or his government. That will just be degrading ourselves to his level. So now I just feel pity for the people of Taiwan. I am so sorry that they have such a person representing them to the world. And my sorry is definitely not an apology :)