which one is me?

it must be the hangover effect of too much ribena that my postings took on a different hue. now which is the real i, the views that i represent? they said that the true person will surface with a little bit of alcohol. so yesterday's view must be my true self. so to get back to my other self i must start to put on a mask again and take on a different personality. true true false false. both are equally true, and both are equally false. doesn't matter, this is just a blog. i will like to get back to the issue of tipping and the cab driver. we have many retired professionals or ex senior executives who chose to drive cabs after they failed to find another decent job. these cab drivers are not your ordinary doormen or bellhops. some are very well qualified and have a much higher station in life. now what has this got to do with tipping? tipping, like i said, is a class thing, a snob thing. it is a decadent and derogatory practice of the royalties and the gentry class. they sneered at the working class but use tippings to differentiate themselves as the haves against the have nots. tipping for good service, tipping also to show who is the boss. nobody tips someone in a higher station in life than themselves. you tip the doormen, the bellhops, the waiters, the barbers, and the cab drivers. you don' tip the doctors, the lawyers, the mps, or someone who is more important than you. but there are exceptions. the kings, the sultans and the sheiks will tip their doctors or whoever. but all are of a lower station than them. now, will our cab driver take tips from our maid population or foreign workers? a maid tipping our cab driver? that will be interesting and also disgusting. i will encourage our cab drivers to stand up and put some pride and respect in themselves. they provide good service as a professional cab driver. they are proud of their professionalism and their occupation. they don't put on a smile or try to do a good job hoping for a tip. this must be the message that we must put across to all our workers. be proud of what you are doing and do it well. do not degrade yourself to live a life depending on tips, depending on people's generosities and people's mood and sympathies.

why are we saving?

That is, a nation cannot grow unless the people spend, not save. Not just spend, but borrow and spend. Dr. Jagdish Bhagwati, the famous Indian-born economist in the US, told Manmohan Singh that Indians wastefully save. Ask them to spend, on imported cars and, seriously, even on cosmetics! This will put India on a growth curve. "Saving is sin, and spending is virtue." Before you follow this neo economics, get some fools to save so that you can borrow from them and spend. someone sent the above to me. in the article usa is seen as economically strong but with annual trade deficits in hundreds of billions. japan is seen as economically weak but with savings and trade surplus in trillions. is this the same problem we are doing to our economy? save, save and save. cpf, national reserves, charities, individual savings, corporate savings and stats board savings.

bull run or mule trot?

there is this running advertisement on tv asking when will the bull run ends. i am wondering where or when did the bull run ever started. all i see is a mule trotting round and round the mill, and the owner flogging furiously. but the mule is trotting to no where. superficially there seems to be a bull run based on the volume traded, and an uptrending stock index. but how real is this? did anyone hear of any punters making big money and buying cars and houses, all thanks to the bull run? why is there no euphoria, no one talking about the stock market or queuing to open trading accounts? actually there are many signs that this is a sick stock market, a market that is dying by the days. first indication is the lack of retail investors. ask any remisiers and they will tell you that their phones hardly ring. commission plummets. and many are thinking of quitting. and now ipos are no longer popular. many have been shelved. the latest, an australian reit could not list due to poor demand and bad market sentiment. how can that be when there is a bull run? how did we come to such a state when ipo listing is no longer viable or attractive? what can happen if things continue this way? more remisiers quitting the industry, leading to broking houses retrenching. more companies start to delist from the stock market for low valuation and trading volume. stock exchange has to raise charges to maintain profitability. broking houses starts more retrenchment of support staff. and the cycle will continue to its natural ending. this is the unique story of a fictitious bull run.

i think i gonna support tippings

what the heck, i got up from the wrong side of the bed and realise that it is good to support the correct policies and decisions. i am going to support tippings for taxis. for those who cannot afford to tip, please take mrts. and i shall encourage taxi drivers to be choosy and not to pick up cheapskate singaporeans. go for the tourists or well dressed people, the classy classy type who can afford to tip. and queue at the airport and remind the passengers that they must tip for good service. and those who live around tampines or pasir ris, not worth picking. too low fare. everyone, including taxi drivers, must make efficient use of their time and machine. go for fares that can pay well. important thing is to maximise your income. and higher school fees for independent schools, very good. you want quality education, you pay for quality. for those who cannot pay but good students, apply for all the scholarships and bursaries. they are in abundance. for those who cannot pay and cannot qualify for scholarships and bursaries, you know what to do. now i feel good. i feel like a winner.

ntu raising hostel fees

the justification: others are charging higher. very brilliant reason. have they asked why others are charging higher? what about location of ntu compares to nus? what about operating cost versus profit? what is the basis for providing hostels? to make profits? oh, they said it has nothing to do with corporatisation. and of course there are many financial assistance schemes to make sure that no one is deprived of a place in the hostel. i thought i just heard this phrase being repeated in the media and over tvs over and over again. if the basis of raising fees is to charge foreign students a higher rate then it is understandable. but hey, foreign students are mostly on scholarship and not affected by the higher rate.

free health screening turns sour

'people would probably think that we are cheapskate. but you are poor and every cent means something.' this is a heated statement made by a poor old man who went with a group for free health screening at joo chiat. they have not taken food for the last 10 hours or so to prepare for the free screening. but on arrival they were told that they must donate some blood for a research and must sign a consent form. otherwise no free health screening. they all felt cheated and were very angry. they were trying to save some money from the free screening but ended up starving for a night, no free screening, losing time and money travelling from bedok to the venue. what is important is that rich people must not underestimate the value of money when the poor is concerned. every cent counts. please understand. not everyone is so rich and can afford to throw away money, and give tips some more.

the arrogance of western powers

"Israel - and not only Israel - cannot accept a nuclear Iran," Sharon warned recently. "We have the ability to deal with this and we're making all the necessary preparations to be ready for such a situation." The order to prepare for a possible attack went through the Israeli defence ministry to the chief of staff. Sources inside special forces command confirmed that "G" readiness - the highest stage - for an operation was announced last week. the above is reported in the london sunday times. i must say here that i am not anti western powers but simply pissed off by their arrogance and the bullying of the weaker non western nations. and i am simply putting the truth and reality for all to see. the usa did not like certain countries, not their leadership or political system, not their nuclear ambition. so it is acceptable to attack or declare war with those countries. now the israelis also behave in the same manner. and they tell the whole world that they are friendly nations. and the silly world of third world minds all believe them and cheer, the usa is a friendly and peace loving country. imagine what would happen if any non western country dare says that they are going to attack another country. even without saying it, they are constantly being lambasted by western media as hostile and aggressive. china is a number one case. it's hostilitly is perceived! no need to say anything or do anything aggressive. in the case of those with nuclear ambition, the ambition alone is aggressive and gives the usa, and now israel, a right to attack them. when is the foolish world going to wake up and stand up to these hostile and warmongering nations who are wolves in sheepskin? they are the mafia of the world. what if every country adopts this policy? what if our neighbours also adopt this policy and say we are getting too powerful? it is a very dangerous precedent that the world body must stop it once and for all.

tipping taxis

the first case of ridicule is reported in the front page of the straits times. cabby drove passenger to destination without asking his preferred route. passenger complained and got a refund. i will do that the next time if cabby forgets to ask and get my refund. this also assumes that all the passengers know which route to take. if one is not a driver, how does one know which is the best route to take? and now, if one is not frequently on the road, one would not know which route will be the most expensive given the number of gantry points to pay. things are getting more interesting by the day. an innocent passenger may just say go this way and that way thinking it will be cheaper but ended up paying more because of the gantries. and then make a complain against the taxi driver or refuses to pay. we have a really informed public who knows which route to take, better than the taxi drivers.

education: tharman said money is no issue

tharman reiterated that money should not be an issue for good students to study in expensive independent schools. hamizah nordin, the top female malay student has applied to join rgs. good for her. tharman said that there are generous financing schemes to ensure that no student is deprived of the opportunity to study in independent schools. but if they are poor and cannot afford the fees, just beg and they will be given. oops, sorry he never used the word beg. it is my dramatisation. sensationalisation. he just said apply for financial assistance scheme. just spicing it up a bit. to me, applying for assistance is just like begging. i see it as a matter of approach. the current approach is that it is very nice to see people come forward and beg. what's wrong with begging when you are poor? nothing wrong right? when you are poor you are poor and you are expected to beg. and the rich will be most happy and generous to give. you get your money, we get our share of feeling generous by giving, and feeling very kind and compassionate. why can't we adopt a different approach. since there are generous funds available, why don't these funds be given to some schools and let them provide quality education at the current govt school fees. and poor students who are good need not have to beg. can we be kinder to people and allow them to hide their poverty without having to wear them on their faces, and beg for everything? can we leave a little pride in the poor bugger and let him quietly move along in life in his little world of not enough? or does the rich and powerful think it is a very nice thing to see poor people coming forward to beg?

quote of the week

'we must not create an environment where we have to pay extra for politeness, honesty, safety and cleanliness...while travelling in a taxi or shopping in a retail outlet.' by forumer jeffrey law lee beng in the today paper. what is revealing here is that this mentality that everything is money, everything can be bought, has sunk in so deeply in the psychic of many people that it is becoming a part of them, of their thinking process, of their behaviour and decision making. now you can't blame the people for wanting to be paid for their good service, for their smile and politeness, for their honesty, for doing a good job, for keeping the place clean and safe. what next? shouldn't we be cultivating a people that is gracious, honest, polite, responsible etc as what is expected from a good and decent person? can we singaporeans be proud of any of these character traits that is part of them? or singaporeans did not have any of these, that they have to be paid to be good and decent, and honest and to do a good job?

is nkf expected to continue to grow?

why is nkf expected to continue to provide more and more hospitals and facilities? isn't nkf just a charitable organisation that is supposed to help only some of the needy people? why is the nkf taking the full role of providing dialysis treatments? nkf must know that they have only a limited role and must limit its appetite. and nobody is going to blame nkf if it cannot expand its services, to build more facilities. they should not be too ambitious as in the past when the sky's the limit. it has to redefine its role in the context of the whole medical establishment in the country, taking into consideration the primary medical providers. should nkf usurp the role of govt hospitals and keep asking the public for more donations because it wants to do more and more? and if the funds are not forthcoming, then it becomes the fault of the public, that the people are less generous, less compassionate, less caring and less human? should the public be held at ransom by charitable organisations who said we want to do more but we don't have the fund? charitable organisations should work within what they can afford and what the donors are willing to donate voluntarily. and no one shall be pressured by whatever means to donate. if nkf cannot raise the additional fund to build another 2 or 3 clinics, then just work with the existing number of clinics. is that a problem? when an organisation has to depend on charity, it has to behave like a charity. people who depend on social assistance must live within their means. it is not a private foundation that has unlimited fund and can keep trying to figure out what else they can do to spend their hoards of money. the lee foundation can do that, the shaw foundation can do that, bill gates foundation can do that. cause they are rich and have their own means.

blast in north london

looks like the hunter is now the hunted. big explosion at oil depot north of london. blair is going to answer for all these bombings in uk. he has opened the door for the terrorists to make london a must hit target, next in importance to the usa. what goes around will come around. people who go around bombing other people's homeland will only have their homeland being bombed. those who live by the sword will die by the sword. how else can justice be served to the mighty if it is a way traffic.

the good that nkf has done

many people are now very wary of charities and donations. many people are feeling a bit silly after donating so much of their hard earned money only to see their money being squandered by people who are just the temporary keepers of their donations. many people are now also wary about big names, professional names, rich people who lend their names to charity to give the charity a semblance of respectability and integrity. no one is as innocent as he looks till it is proven otherwise. take a leaf from the police, everyone must be assumed to be a suspect. this is the biggest contribution of nkf. it has wisen up a lot of ignorant masses that they should not be too eager to be conned. that they must stand up and question when they see something amiss. all charitable organisations too will have to be open, transparent and be upfront on what they are doing and how the money are spent. no longer can they hide under the skirt of charity and be spared from public scrutiny. thank you nkf, for preventing more gullible people from being cheated. and thank you for bringing forth more rigorous checks and balances into the industry of charities.

lessons of the white elephants

today's straits times devoted a big article on the lessons of the white elephants. lesson one, must stay within the law. and 'be lighthearted so that the law will not come down too hard, ' so said jeanne conceicao, a researcher in the institute of policy studies. should the law come down so hard on an issue raised by the people, an issue that is not meant to attack the govt. how else can the people's view be given an airing when all the doors are shut or nothing comes out from them? can the law be more discriminating and allow the people an avenue to give feedback to the govt when all feedbacks failed? lesson two. grassroot leaders and mps must be willing to speak up for the residents. if this is a lesson to be learnt, are we saying that they have not been doing so? st also posed a question to charles chong, that the perception by the people is that those who spoke out are 'those who have nothing to lose,...not intend to stay in the party and stand for the next election,' now isn't that sad? charles chong's comment on this. 'you have to make a difference in whatever small way you can, to benefit your constituents. they elected you to be their voice and it is your duty to articulate their views, but it should always be with the law.' if we need the white elephants to learn these, it is really pathetic. and after the whole issue people seemed so apologetic. and 'it's still a "very sensitive issue with some higher-ups", says one who spoke on condition of anonymity. there was....' why should a simple issue of serving the people, for the people's interest, be seen as sensitive and affecting people's feeling. can't issues be handled without people getting personally attached to them? objectivity?

in celebration of death

why should the obituary always be a sad and sorrowful message? many people have live to a ripeful age of 70s, 80s and 90s. these are people who have seen through many things, the ups and downs of living. many have left behind happy and successful children and grandchildren or great grand grandchildren who are having a life of their own. is there anything to be sorrowful about? perhaps some may miss their presence as they will be no more. but should the family and friends rejoice that someone has walked the walk, live the life and finally getting on to their next phase of life? the physical body is failing, every physical part is malfunctioning. the person can no longer do simple things for himself/herself. there is no longer the energy to live life and enjoy life. would it not be a great liberation from the constraints of a dysfunctional body, a breakthrough to live another life? the chinese last rite for those who have lived pass certain age and have many children, grand children and great grand children is different. it is not meant to be a sad event. it is meant to be a celebration. the props were no longer white or green in colour, but red and bright. for those who miss the company, well it is like having a close friend or soulmate go on a long holiday. let us celebrate the freedom from this physical body when the time comes. let us rejoice and be happy that someone close have made it to live another day in another place. for many, dying is probably the best thing that can happen. an opportunity to start a new adventure.

the americans want to embarrass north korea

the americans is still trying their best to embarrass north korea by washing their dirty linen in south korea. and they want the south koreans to be a party to it. they are holding a joint conference with their human rights group to denounce north korea's human rights record. and they want the south koreans to screw up their north korean brothers. and they think the south koreans are still as silly as the koreans of the past to let them manipulate to fight among themselves? how out of time are the americans? the british were smart enough to know that their time was up when they have to give independence to their colonies in the 1940s after the second world war. only tony blair thought that they could return to those days of playing one third world country against another. and in korea, when the two koreans are so keen to reunite their country, and the usa keeps trying to drive a wedge in between them. such myopic policy making can only happen in a regime that is totally out of touch with the reality. keep it going, america. the two koreans will love you and will embrace you as two divided countries biting at each other. long live the empire.

loan sharks swimming freely

it is so sad to hear the sad story of the innocent woman who lost her baby because of a loan shark. how could this situation continue for so long and never seem to be able to solve? once our society was infested with secret societies and triads. and they were practically wiped out. is the loan shark such a great problem to handle compare to these secret societies?

tipping for good service

let's not have this stupid practice. i am totally against it. it is a colonial hangover. it is a practice of the rich who can afford to throw away small change to the servitude. it is degrading and patronising. the rich patron takes pride in giving and the servant takes pride in receiving. what we should encourage among the people is pride for their work and services. and also pride in themselves as an individual. that they need not live on other people's charity and generosity. people are paid to do a job and to do it well. the satisfaction and acknowledgement by others of their work is enough reward. i don't like to insult the taxi driver by giving him a few cents or a couple of dollars. and often i can sense that they felt insulted. there were many cases of rich little school boys giving tips to old daddy taxi drivers. how humiliating that can be. living a life depending on people's tips, tips from school boys or girls. on the practical aspect, many not so rich people also take taxis now and then. it will be very stressful on them to tip the taxi drivers. they don't have that many spare cash like our rich people who suggested such a silly practice, all because they could afford to practise it. it will lead to many uncomfortable situations where the poor taxi driver expecting a tip with a big grin and the poor taxi customer could not give. stop thinking like colonial masters and the rich aristocrats or the royalties...' here, this is for you.' and the servants will receive it with both hands and happily said, 'thank you master,' or 'thank you sir, m'am.' this is my tip of a people or society that has some pride left in themselves. do i have to tip the minister if he pays me a visit?

misinformation and disinformation about singapore

below is an extract of the kind of misinformation and disinformation being circulated by forumers in the soc.cul.spore website. with such misinformation, innocent people who are not aware of the truth will think that these are truth. this is the danger of how the media, in what ever form, can be misused. "Minorities cant get into the faculties they want because there exists a "quota system" in tertiary institutes , universities in Singapore for example in NUS ( National University of Singapore ) , Nanyang Technological University and SMU ( Singapore Management University) and various other tertiary institutes. The unwritten quota system made by Singapore politicians within the Singapore universities and tertiary institutes prevents some ethnic minorities particularly Malay-Muslims and Singapore born Indians in enrolling the faculties, field of study or even courses they want. " by 'concerned_people_person' dated 8 dec.

umno youth chief challenged

below article is copied from littlespeck.com UMNO Youth chiefHishammuddin asked to explain where he got million ringgit to buy luxurious car. Arfa'eza A Aziz. malaysiakiniDec 7, 2005 Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein has been challenged to explain how he could afford to pay M$1m in cash for an American-made vehicle registered to his name. Revealing this during a pre-election ceramah in Pasir Mas, Kelantan, Keadilan-Rakyat vice-president Mohd Azmin Ali also dared Hishammuddin to hold an open debate with him. Azmin produced the vehicle registration card issued by the Road Transport Department, indicating that Hishammuddin has paid in cash for the Chevrolet Hummer. "He keeps saying that he champions the rights of the Malays and the poor. How can he understand the plight of the poor when he indulges in such a lavish lifestyle," Azmin told some 2,000 people. "Hishammuddin (left) has to explain as to how he can afford to pay cash for the car which costs close to M$1 million, given his ministerial salary." He also said the people should not buy Umno's claim that it is protecting those who are marginalised, when its officials are squandering the people's wealth. Azmin said Hishammuddin must clear his name before the voters of Pengkalan Pasir go to the polls tomorrow to elect a new state legislative representative. "I dare him to have an open debate with me on this issue," he said. Ready for investigations Later at a function in PAS election headquarters in Pasir Mas, Azmin said he is ready to face police investigations into the issue. He said this when told by a reporter that Hishammddin had accused him of breaching the law by exposing a confidential document. "It's a public document which I obtained after doing a search. If he says I have committed an offence, charge me in court. No problem with that. "This is typical of Umno. It does not address the real issue but diverts the people's attention to other things." Two days ago, PAS Youth chief Salahuddin Ayub threw a challenge to Umno deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin to debate the New Economic Policy. malaysiakini