They called themselves freegans, ie, people looking for food or items in
trash bins for a living. No, they are not the karanguni men but a group
of folks, the new poor in Singapore that have chosen to live a new way
of life as freegans. Some even proudly claimed that this is a way to
retire in super rich Singapore, no need to work, no stress and with good
food from the trash bins.
And here is another piece of good news in this Christmas season from
Channel News Asia. ‘Scavenging – Singapore’s ‘freegans’ find treasure in
trash – Some of the secondhand items found include a Louis Vuitton
handbag, Coach handbag and a set of Sony Speakers.’
Now if this is not good news, what else is? Free branded bags and
electronic items! I think many desperate Singaporeans may find comfort
in this piece of news. I think I can retire also and live a life of a
freegan, and probably can hang a Louis Vuitton bag over my shoulder. If
only the COEs are cheaper, the freegans could even find used cars, like
10 year old Mercedes or BMWs in the junkyards.
This is the privilege for living in the most expensive city with many
rich people. They are discarding many things of value, even things of
luxury, into the trash bins. No wonder some people said this is the best
place to be poor. Everything can be provided free, just dig into the
trash bins and rubbish dumps.
No more worry to retire in comfort with free food and luxury items. Paradise! Yes paradise for the new poor.
Happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! Happy New year!
Yes! You are 1oo% correct!
新加坡是天堂! 新加坡是天堂!
如果新加坡不是天堂 哪里是天堂?
We are the world!
Cheers!
Another piece of good news - Britain considering a new military base in S-E Asia, with Singapore as possible site (ST Front page Dec 31)
ReplyDeleteLike that they may abolish NS as no need for NS already, as British military will protect Singapore, like during colonial days !
Happy New Year !!!
Being poor in Singapore is really a privilege and an entitlement.
ReplyDeleteA privilege because they are the privileged few. Most Singaporeans are rich or filthy rich. And there are no beggars on the streets (except tissue papers sellers and baskers whi have to be licensed).
An entitlement because if you are not paid by the $millions like the Ministers and Top Civil Servants like those working for Temasek Holdings and the Government's Investment Corporation, then you are entitled to be poor. So that whenever election times come near you can get a few hundred dollars from the generally generous General who rules over you.
So, actually it is very good to be poor in Singapore. You get all the privileges and entitlements like CHAS Card and Silver Card. And every Sunday you can queue up to collect free vegetables from your MPs ir Grassroot Leaders.
By the way, today is 31st December, the last day of 2018 (old year, not new year). New Year is tomorrow. It's one day too early to wish others Happy New Year. Hold your horses until tomorrow. It does not pay to be kiasu in this instance, because people will think that you either do not know how to count ir you are senile.
ReplyDelete8.59 am, happy new year. Knn I wanted to be the first one to wish leh
ReplyDeleteHi853am
ReplyDeleteBingo! You are 1oo% correct again!
This is SG! No one is p$$r in SG!
We are the world!
Hahaha.......
Anon 8:59am, you can't wish someone happy new year on new year's eve?
ReplyDeleteGo check in at IMH. They are waiting for you.
Redbean>>>‘Scavenging – Singapore’s ‘freegans’ find treasure in trash – Some of the secondhand items found include a Louis Vuitton handbag, Coach handbag and a set of Sony Speakers.’ <<<
ReplyDeleteUncle,
Sounds like the rolling 20s bubbles (which burst in Oct 1929 and ended in the Great Depression, the rise of Adolf Hitler and WW2 with more than 100 million deaths)
You have written a fantastic piece to end the year on a "HIGH" note.
2019 "will be fanTESTic".
This news of the "new poor aka freegan" is the Best "piece of good news" to usher in 2019?
KARMA has till 3 Feb 2019 to reveal its true bitchiness in the year of the bitch?
Knn, uncle RB aren't you aware every evening after 10 or 11pm so many bakery shops are sweeping countless buns into black trash bags?
For living in a piece of barren tiny rock and with people of no particular special or unique talent be it in sports or academic such as world best soccer player or even a single Nobel Prize winner on record, how can there be so much wealth and wastage?
The "math" doesn't add up?
What is NOT yours is not yours in the end.
When KARMA the bitch visits, the payback may be more than (the destruction of) a volcano?
This piece of "good news" is akin a "QUAH CHA" wrapped in a beautiful ginomous gift box and presented as a BD gift?
"FanTESTic" ominous post to usher in 2019 in sinkingland?
Too late - the FTs are already stealing our lunch..oops I meant sellable trash. Competition is high-my Tiong relative has to make frequent rounds in the neighbourhood. Apparently it’s good money.
ReplyDelete@10.15am
ReplyDeleteDon't like that leh.
Why so serious? Not worth.
Relax. Enjoy your days on earth.
Be Kind to others.
All the best.
Too little too late le.
ReplyDeleteWhen faith and trust are lost, nothing can be sustainable?
Better throw in the towel and seek redemption?
As the Chinese has a saying:
放下屠刀
In gangsterism, there is a saying:
浪子回头
In the real world, many pooliticians are worst and more notorious than gangsters, pimps and druglords?
Turn over a new leaf while salvation still beckon (before there is no turning back)?
In other words, relative to some pooliticians in this world, the gangsters and badass in Geylang are angels?
A poem to usher in 2019 titled "A Human Bean Tsunami Thousand Times More"
ReplyDeleteStarting of poem:
"In this planet there is a people with pent up suppression built up over more than half a century and this emotional force if measurable on the Richter scale could be more than 100 and trigger a tsunami thousand times more than the worst experienced in history."
End
I think this 8:59am is the same joker that came out with silly numbers about China's debt and uncle exposed why this joker could not count. So now he is back at uncle nitpicking that uncle cannot count.
ReplyDeleteActually these Freegans have been here in this tiny island for ages already. It's just that now people started to notice them! They were so 'invisible' when the number is small, once it is almost every where in this tiny island, it becomes a common sight every corner of this island. Some Freegans r asset very rich but cash poor & others r cash poor also asset poor (this group form a small number as most hide in ECP or NP). Another group sleep in void decks, parks, streets or in McDonalds. Another group rented out their whole unit to FTs & sleep in Changi Airport in nite time & day time go resting in the public library. There r also many instances as mentioned in the Gilbert's website. All these Freegans r very high integrity as some rejected help from the ChengWhoLang as they r afraid their freedom r all lost when the ChengWhoLang suddenly becomes nice to them. They r better to b left lonely than be sorry & most r quite happy being able to live independently while others live like a pauper selling tissues & doing odd jobs like sweepers or Grab. Some very rich ones will go visit red light area while others go temples for free meals & being baptized not to create havoc to society lest their livelihood r threatened.
ReplyDeleteThe most impt is peace in the heart and all external are irrelevant. The pooliticians during prize giving ceremony talking nonsense on stage maciam seow lang ownself talking to ownself frankly nobody are listening just stare blankly and waiting to run at the earliest opportunity. Most pple treat them as trash in their hearts but foolishly or ownself bluff ownself think pple hold them in high regards. The grassrot helping out ya ya keep staring maciam want to pick up a fight but easiest way just ignore them lah. Just sitting there didn't do anything (wrong) also cannot and the grassrot must nitpick and find fault to pick up a fight? This is very disgraceful of some who pretend to be serving pple but behave so nasty to others think nobody else knows or mb they are being disgracefully authorised to do that? Who knows?
ReplyDeleteSg is actually a failed state. People have to look into bins for food, no money to own private cars, no money to own land despite working hard all their lives. Even in mexico, poor people can own land and private cars. All the success in this small island belongs to the elites. Nothing belongs to the non elites aka ordinary folks.
ReplyDelete@ Rich cuntry
ReplyDeleteYou only get this phenomenon in a rich place like Singapore. I know of people in the US and Australia who've furnished their houses with discarded furniture. One person's trash is another person's treasure. Rich cuntries are ABUNDANT, and often it costs money to have old stuff removed, so people just dump it.
And yes, being poor in a rich cuntry is a whole lot better than being poor in a shithole cuntry.
Living in a rich cuntry has many benefits --- especially if you are into freeganism. There is an internet community called Moustachians, and they follow the advice of Mr Money Moustache --- which is not one person but a really a collective of super-frugal and financially savvy folks. Most of them "quit" the rat race in their 20's after the got wise to the "scam" of modern day existence, and by the time they're in their mid 30's they're millionaires and RETIRED. Check them out. These are the non-poor frugal freegans, and the lengths the go through to cut their living expenses down --- without sacrificing security or comfort --- are incredible. They live frugally, invest wisely and allow COMPOUNDING to do its "magic", and they're rich when their peers are still in debt and working like pack animals just to stay afloat. BTW, they get a thumbs up from Warren Buffet, who considers himself a "Money Moustachian".
If old Warren can support freeganism, why not you? He's quite rich...I think. 🤡
I've been following a group of freegans for a few months. Mainly is to collect end-of-day buns & bread from bakeries near my home, as I love to eat buns. :)
ReplyDeleteSo for the past few months, my breakfast & lunch are mostly settled for free haha. I recently went for the $5 health checkup --- luckily still way below the unhealthy limits for blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI etc. Not bad for 50 year old :)
They also have weekly trips to Pasir Panjang Wholesale Market to collect vegetables & fruits, but I only went 2X as not convenient for me.
Some of those freegans I know are actually quite "rich" --- I know 2 who are retired or semi-retired at 40s. They have quite a big amount in blue chip stocks giving enough dividends e.g. average $2+K monthly, for low key living.
I asked them what happens when stock market crash? They told me they already went thru 9/11, SARS, and 2008 crash --- got battle experience liao haha!
10.15am, u think you very smart leh go hantam that dude to IMH, I think u need to be sodomized lar. Knn as u know from previous posts by others, I hope u not like Matilar a small dude. Cause u will suffer in the hands of black ants as they enjoy sodomize you by lifting you up and do it mid are by swinging u left to right so each time u reach one end then your ass Kena Lor. I suggest you apply some cream first lar. This is not to make the black ants enjoying more which they will but to lessen your ass suffering lar. God bkess.
ReplyDeleteOld aunties and uncles if need free buns just wait outside some bakery shops at either 10pm or 11pm. Just need check what time they close. Within few mins after closing time, often huge amount of buns are stuffed into boxes or poured into plastic bags trays after trays and given away.
ReplyDeleteCan check with the aunties working last shift in the bakery shop if need be (how to get the free buns)
There was this young professional looking couple who carted away two huge boxes stuffed with assorted buns.
After that incident, sat/ stood nearby several other bakery shops at various locations when otw after late nites work and without fail, more or less same thing happened?
There are many strange things happening in sinkingland in the food industry and others. Mb will post here next time about many other types of incidents.
One of the disgusting malpractices is the nasi padang stall at a ferry terminal near RWS.
One morning the lady took several bunches of vegetables right from the boxes delivered from Pasir Panjang Wholesale market and start chopping them and swept them into a crate. Shortly after she brought it to the back to pass to the cook and can hear him whipping up a storm in his wok le.
In front of the stall they hung a HUGE CERTIFICATE showing a CAPITAL "A" awarded by the relevant authority for "cleanliness".
Can yew believe it???
Either SHAMboLEE is sleeping or what?
At another coffeeshop, saw a Malaysian worker just pang sai in the toilet and so stinky but never wash his hand. Walked behind him and saw him straight went inside his stall and chopping the cabbage. Sat at a table near the stall, ordered a cup of teh o and observed what the workers doing. Half way some cabbage spilled onto the floor ik the stall was quite dirty and wet. The worker scooped up the cabbages from floor with both his hands and throw them into the whole lot he chopped. Shortly, another worker took the unwash cabbage and straight away pour into the wok and kept stir frying away, his perspire profusely dripping down the side of his forehead and face.
No wonder some food outlets are awarded this Star award and that award with super lo(oooooo)ng queue?
Many in the queue are made up of the daft often mentioned by uncle.
Famous quote by uncle:
"Stupidity got no cure."
No point one ministry healthcare standard maintain until so high but another in charge of the food "zzzg"???
Even if MOH budget increased 10x to $100 billion down the road also no use lah?
The amount of toxic consumed into the body accumulated each year 365 x 10 or 20 or 30 years etc ... could mean one water tap filling up the pail with many times more holes at the bottom, got cure or not?
What sugar tax???
Ha ha ha
For what?
(For) $$$ or the daft's health?
If really for daft's health, how come the food industry is so unhygienic in many instances but SHAMboLEE who is in charge is "zzzg" or what?
So before talk talk talk so much propaganda about sugar tax, show proof cleanliness problem in food industry is resolved?
The toxic consumed from poor hygiene practices in the food industry is a MUCH bigger MENACE than sugar sweetened drinks, food and even cigaratte smoking?
Dun pretend blind or deaf or sleeping?
I think they are encouraging this.
ReplyDeleteHow is that for solving the high cost of living in Sinkieland?
That must be the idea waiting to catch on, if they advertise more of it on CNA.
But I thought in squeaky clean Sinkieland, scavaging, begging and sleeping on the streets is against the law. I may be wrong.
b 12.22 is Right that Singapore is a Failed State.
ReplyDeleteYear end wah b became so brilliant
The PAP emphasised that Singaporeans are mostly well off and wealthy with many many assets to their names.
But they unwittingly shot their feet when they said how many of us turned to Medifunds and what's how many hundred thousands even applied for just S$30.00 transport vouchers.
If Singaporeans are doing ok, then these figures should be practically lower or even zero.
Just reconcile yourselves.
Virgo 2.34
ReplyDeleteElection is coming. The elites knows that throwing chicken wings and lollipops will always do the trick. The fact that hundreds of thousands are applying for the $30 shows the trick is again working.
Smart elites will always know a trick or two about vote buying under the table, and they already know for sure from experience that daft Sinkies do not care what comes after election. This has been repeated for years and if the dafts still want more of their 'soto mee', so be it.
@ 146
ReplyDelete>> In front of the stall they hung a HUGE CERTIFICATE showing a CAPITAL "A" awarded by the relevant authority for "cleanliness".
Can yew believe it??? <<
Yes, and it would help if you took a pic or video next time. Thanks. I am very careful about hawker food. How can they keep the prices down when everything costs a fucking bomb? By CHEATING that's how.
I've been here 10 days now, and I can categorically state that Singapore hawker food has severely DECLINED IN QUALITY.
Fucking official "ratings" eh? If global ratings firms like S&P and Moody's can cause trillions to be lost in the markets by their "fake" ratings, how much trust do you reckon ENV cleanliness ratings are worth? You tell me lah! 💩💩🤮.
To be fair, most hawkers are ok, but it only takes a few workers to make a part of the population SICK.
==============
@ Virgo:
Singapore might be a "failed nation" because the one can argue that The People have LOST Their Cuntry. But as far as The State goes, it certainly is NOT a FAILURE. The State of Singapore is succeeding like a motherfucker; omnipotent, omnipresent, just like God. 🤡
==============
@ 221 fellow freegan rock-star:
One thing I do like about Singapore is that you get many "successful value-minded" people, in a sea of free-spending Yaya Papayas who keep Orchard Rd in business and the credit card companies profitable. 👍🏻👍🏻 Then there are also those folks who have more BETTING SLIPS in their wallet than currency --- on the off chance that one betting slip or lottery ticket will be worth a lifetime's worth of currency. Singapore Pools is not going out of business anytime soon. Good luck lah! 🤑
Oh, I've left out one group: the dreamers (bless their wishfully ignorant hearts) who believe that free money will fall from the sky if only Singapore would vote in the opposition into government 🤣
Nah, I go for the frugal freegans, and value-opportunists, who keep more than they spend and strike like hungry scavengers when the arse falls out of the market, buying up "value" when others are dying from debt. 😂
'Singapore hawker food has declined in quality' unquote.
ReplyDeleteThat is very true. If you have been away for long, the impact is clear. If you are in Singapore for long you can still vouch for the decline in quality, but not the price. The decline is not just a recent happening. If you compare hawker food in the seventies, ten years ago and today, it is like comparing apples with oranges. The drop in quality is atrocious and across all varieties of cooked food.
When complaints are made, the Government keeps harping on most ingredients increasing in prices, which do make a difference I admit, but the one item that makes the most impact are the rentals at coffeeshops and food courts, all based on tendering to the highest bidder. That is the crux of the problem.
Sure old hawker centres may be rental cheap, but some hawkers are just renting them from private individuals and the rentals are anything but cheap.
There are plans afoot and some already implemented, to rethink the operation of old hawker centres by tendering them out to one big operator, like NTUC foodfare, and as recent events have shown, operating the stalls are not cheap and therefore food prices cannot be cheap. In the end quality suffers and customers do not get value for money.
Little wonder many brothers here are touting the good quality food, for value, up North. I totally agree.
@ 349 Go makan Malaysia lah!
ReplyDeleteI'm off to Ipoh to visit the super-Christian Cantonese part of my family. I'll be eating (what I hope still is) their delicious fare --- Ipoh towgay, white coffee, hor fun...the fucking works. I intend to stack on at least 1 kg. I'm done with Singapore street food. Except for a few of my favourite places serving stuff like like nasi padang, chicken rice...or the few GOOD zir cha kitchens left, fuck all that corporate kopitiam/ food court shit. It is shit.
@ 3.20pm Simple minded or lazy folks
ReplyDelete>>>Yes, and it would help if you took a pic or video next time. <<<
Alamak, if the fucking lady did it, cannot be for once off lah?
Go buy a kopi around 8am+ in the morning and sit there and video lah ...
If yew lazy, then forget it.
Dun pretend yew are dumb and dunno how to catch that fucking lady chopping vegetables straight from suppliers boxes everyday and into the wok without washing.
Yew want the name of the food outlet?
Yew claimed yew in sinkingland very long?
Then yew should know in the 50s, 60s and 70s the other name/ word they called the pri and sec sch canteens?
That nasi padang stall is in that corner small fdct.
Where Virgo69 take the ferries to Barthumb?
The other nasi padang stall at level 1 in a big fdct chain also sama sama.
ReplyDeleteThe money cai or vege inside got sand ... Yes ... Literally sand and some soil right from the farm ...
Damn dirty and full of toxic lah
All over the island, how many workers at fdstall are not doing that?
At one fdstall in Chinatown, at 3 diffirent occassion, 3 different pple eat their fd fell sick badly ...
One elderly sickly relative nearly die in the hospital after consuming their food for lunch. Evening time fever suddenly came and shot up, vomitted all over his body and fell unconscious. Lucky got one doctor nearby and save him in the nick of time. The doctor lifted up his arms a few times and he can't hild it there and fell right down again.
People around him thought he was dead already.
That stall very popular with many tourists especially unsuspecting Indonesian Chinese. Many times encountered them buying from that stall. Their bahasa indo speaking easily gave them away.
Quite careful when eating at hawker centres and fdct nowadays and always observing the workers around the stalls.
These days forced ownself wake up one hour earlier to prepare meals and dabao into those food warmers to eat during lunch time.
Sometimes too tired cannot do it then just go hungry till evening time eat at home or dabao some sandwiches.
Cannot bring ownself to eat at fdct and hawker centres these days after observing the hygiene.
The current and previous minionsters in charge of the fd industry are sub std "zzzg" on the job or the situation beyond their ctrl?
Hawker food is not clean. However, hotel and restaurant food also created bouts of food poisoning lately.
ReplyDeleteI guess it is all because of foreign workers bringing their different cooking habits over here. It is either that or we Singaporeans have develop a lower tolerance for bad hygiene due to living in too clean an environment for far too long, and our body fail to fight any infection that easily, what with all the new medicines helping us to do that.
And years of fighting viruses and disease carrying insects with antibiotics and insect repellents have created a more latent version of those viruses. We win one battle, they created another.
Hello 2019!
ReplyDeleteNext GE in 2019?
PAP=75%? OPPs=25%?
Possible?
Anon 8.33pm
ReplyDeleteIn Sinkieland anything is possible lah.
Even the opposition could win also provided Sinkies & New Sinkies r very United & has awaken. Otherwise PAPies can win pants down of more than 75%, a ex-Dr Tan A Block or even a bro Yang also can't topple the Mighty PAPies. To ask Sinkies to do a Pakatan Harapan alike is like dream on lah. With the many planted FTs in many GRCies it's even more an uphill task. But again, there is this Divine or Supreme Aslan One who will roar & wake up to do the impossible & make everything in order ( not the Tall Order but People's Order).
Hello 8.47pm
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Singapore Harapan? In the dreams only!
People will only kPkB and kPkB but when come to voting.....pap!
Anyway we shall see in 2019!
Cheers.
SHAMboLEE will be in despair in 2019 despite all the rhetorics and pretence? (Who will it be?)
ReplyDeleteThe feeling is like 31 Dec 1941?
ReplyDeleteFor some or many, there is NOTHING to look forward to in 2019 except MISERY, MISERY and MORE MISERY?
ReplyDeleteThis is what one old FART left behind?
Hardtruths or LIES?
U decide
Welcome to a sickening 2019 in sickeningland?
Many videos online are paid to be made?
ReplyDeleteCan believe them?
Stupidity is worst than stage 4 cancer?
TotalLEE no cure?
CONstructive your smelly FOOT old dirty filthy skeletons dressed in human bean flesh?
From this year A Level students comment online after some of the papers, one startling FACT emerged?
ReplyDelete18-yo swearing at some lao kueh bu in a very uncouth dialect Hokkien vulgar term - "LAO CHAO"!
Literally translated from Hokkien means OLD SMELLY CB LAO KUEH BU?
Imagine 18-yo students cursing and swearing using those terms?
More good years?
Who is "lying"?
Anyway, which lao kueh bu in sickeningland is most befitting of that term hurled by some 2018 18-yo A Level student namely:
ReplyDelete"LAO CHAO"
Such an awful term, isn't it?
LAO CHAO
What a term for 18-yo students to curse and swear at whoever they are?
For students to understand a dialect hokkien term such as "LAO CHAO" so vividly in thia era is unbelievable?
Speaks volume about what is happening in the sys and schs?
The respect 18-yo have for the elders?
In uncle RB's words, another piece of "GOOD NEWS" to ring in 2019 in an hour's time?
Uncle RB,
ReplyDeleteWay to go!
Stir and stir and stir?
Stir until the ("LAO CHAO") lobang as BIG as a barrel?
Many or almost everybody are numbing themselves from the pain?
ReplyDeleteAdults immersed in work to numb their pain?
Back home many females numb their pain immersing in Korean drama?
Students numb themselves in endless computer games and instagram?
Who else doesn't feel any pain and no need numb their pain in sickeningland?
(Pls) Kee Chiu.
Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteGood health and happiness to all!
Hypocrite!
ReplyDeleteAll yew want are the votes.
Ah Bock n Ah Yang united meet Ah Loong at AMK giRC..singkingpoor might just resurrect to singcanpore. An unexpected 2019.
ReplyDeleteIt is beyond any hope of a miraculous resuscitation and better declared it officially?
ReplyDelete10.15am, just read your post. Happy new year. But I must say I don't love you and I don't even like you but I want to sodomize you😀😝😛
ReplyDelete8.53am is Advente and 8.59am is also him, Advente. Remember, this Advente condemn all Seniors in his previous comments before.
ReplyDelete