as france burns...

as france is burning, the rest of europe is simmering and could ignite as violence spreads. those european states with a substantial minorities are getting edgy and counting the minutes as to when violence will hit their streets. they have all failed in their assimilation policies of the migrants. after all these years, the migrants are still migrants, living as different communities in their midst. the most successful country to practise assimilation policy is the usa. they not only successfully assimilated their minorities, they actually assimilated the majority natives of north america, the red indians. today, in the streets of america, hardly any red indians are seen or recognisable. those that stood out or are recognisable as red indians are either dead or in the reservations. would europe learn from the americans?

foreign talent policy. govt said it is a right policy

the govt is still sticking to its gun that the foreign talent policy is a right policy. wong kan seng said again that issuing of prs and citizenship to foreigners will continue to boost the declining birth rate. on the other hand many singaporeans think that the policy is wrong. it hurts their pockets in terms of employment. the govt has come out with a small shift in this policy by changing a little on job opportunities for the foreign workers. to this, many singaporeans are not interested. they are more concern with decent and better paying jobs given to foreign talents instead of low level jobs given to foreign workers. who is right? the coming general election will tell. if the people are really hurt by this policy, the govt is going to pay dearly at the ballot box. if the govt is right, then they will continue to be in power and continue with their policy on foreign talents. the people now has a chance to protest or confirm what they want or what the govt wants.

young punks versus old hags

singapore is now a land of the young punks. all the old hags have been banished to wash toilets, sweep the roads and wait at tables. old hags in singapore's definition refer to those who are 45 and above. in any organisation one steps into, it is noticeable that the staff are of the sweet and bubbly type, all below 40. any capable singaporeans shall be able reach the position of a ceo/gm/president before they hit 40. this is the structural imbalance in the employment market that is present singapore. there is no room for the old hags, except for the old old hags, which there are a very few that grabbed very tightly to a few plum positions that they will not let go. ignoring this very small group in their special bastion of privilege positions, the rest of the old hags are left high and dry, to fend for themselves. if they are lucky, they got to serve young punks at fast food restaurants or kopitiams. if not, they became mobile art pieces that lined hdb void decks or walkways along chinatowns. singapore will be a much more vibrant and interesting city if a drug can be found to put all these old hags to sleep. it will then be the most beautiful city state, with beautiful greenery, flowers and also young and beautiful people. welcome to paradise on earth.

stonefish lurking in safe singapore waters

this is an experience which i would like to share with all picnickers to our lovely little islands. do not be deceived by the apparently safe and clean waters around us. hiding in the crevices of our rock embankments that were erected during land reclamations of the islands is the highly poisonous stonefish. i have treaded and trampled along our beaches at changi and labrador, and the islands barefooted for all my adult years. never feel safer. never been hurt by anything dangerous. it happened one morning at pulau hantu during a snorkelling trip. just as i was lifting myself off the embankment into the water, i felt a stink on my big toe. i turned around immediately and saw this ugly looking stonefish sitting among the rocks, staring right at me. i quickly scrambled out of the water and called for help. my friends could not do anything as our boatman had left and would only return in the afternoon. and there was not a single boat on the island. we waved frantically at passing boats only to be greeted by friendly waves. no one would know why we were waving. fortunately a dinghy was found and i was bundled into it, hit towards a yacht nearby, transferred onto a speedboat and sped off to a nearby shell oil refining facility. this is an information worth taking note of. the shell medical unit has just the right antidote for stonefish. they have treated many such cases. when i reached there i thought i would have lost my toe. the tourniquet was too tight and my toe turned black. in the confusion and fear, everyone, including myself, forgot to release the tourniquet after a while. everything happened so fast and there was no time to know those kind souls, the dinghy owners, the yacht owners and the medical doctor at shell, except thanking them profusely. i nursed a swollen foot and leg, my foot was like a papaya, for a week. thank god i did not lose my leg or my toe, or my life. what would happen if no boat came to my rescue. our islands were too safe to think of all contingencies. it was a time when there were no handphones. i greatly appreciate those guys for their help. and again, a warning, wear your shoes in our waters. and if need help, shell refinery is the best.

is it honesty or being helpful?

once i left my set of keys in a pouch in the toilet of a macdonald restaurant. it did not take me more than 10 minutes to reach the carpark and return to the restaurant after discovering my forgetfulness. the keypouch was not in the toilet. i checked with the restaurant manager if someone had found it. he replied negative. i thought anyone finding it would either hang around for a few minutes in case the owner returned or would have handed it to the restaurant manager. that was the most reasonable thing to do. i got a phone call the next day. fortunately i left a name card inside the pouch. i had to make an appointment with the founder and drove all the way to his office to get my keys and pouch back. deep inside me i kept wondering, this guy must have scooted with the pouch the moment he found it, thinking that there could be some valuables inside. or maybe he was hoping for a reward for returning it to the owner personally. for he did not make any attempt to inform anyone at the restaurant. though i said a big thank you and feeling appreciative, till today i am doubting his honesty and sincerity. shit, he could have saved me so much time and trouble, and taxi fare going home to get my spare key for the car...if only he had just left the keys with the restaurant.