what it costs an average guy to live here

Let me paint in broadbrush of what an average hardlander of 25 years will need to live in Singapore against what he earns in the next 40 years of his life. I prefer the word hardlander than heartlander for obvious reasons. Assuming a nett income of $2000 plus bonus or $30k per annum. Total income for 40 years $1.2 mil What he needs to spend. 1. 4 room flat ($250k plus interest) $500k 2. Monthly household expenses($1k pm) $480k 3. Personal expenses($300 pm) $144k 4. 1 child up to self supporting $150k These 4 items alone will wipe out all his income. Forget about owning a car. And there are many other expenses and social obligations to take care of. As a hardlander, his increment is not going to be substantial to offset the constant increase in cost of living. So he will, for his whole life, living from hand to mouth, at $2000 nett income.

an american comedy

Ever since the North Korea detonated that device, I was all in stitches. I could not believe my ears to hear all the jokes that came after this incident. The first came from Hill, from the US State Department. He said that even if the North Koreans have tested a nuclear device, the US will not recognise the North Koreans as a nuclear power. So? Does it mean that if the US refused to recognise a nuclear power, that power is not a nuclear power or no longer exists? I can't believe this can come out from a senior state official? The next big laugh was the admission that despite all the satellite technology, all the monitoring stations, all the intelligence gathering, all the leading edge technology, the West did not have a clue if it was a nuclear bomb or just a lot of TNT! You mean that they did not know what the hell hits them? The best joke came from the North Koreans. They literally have the US by their balls. The North Koreans have announced that if the US is not coming back to the negotiating table, they are going to test fire a nuclear tipped missiles! Wow! How could they say that and do it? The interesting thing now is that the US has no answers to the North Koreans' antics and negotiating tactics. What's next Uncle Sam? They claimed to have all contingencies thought out but the North Koreans seem to be one step ahead of them. This latest threat of another test is something the US very likely did not think of. And John Bolton, the US Ambassador at the UN, quickly pronounced that 'This is the way North Korea typically negotiates - by threats and intimidations.' What Bolton is saying is that the US never threatens or intimidates anyone or even the North Koreans! What a joke! I can't stop laughing. It is hilarious. And he added another one, that this is a standoff 'between North Korea and the rest of the world'. Really? Which world is he referring to? I have never feel the slightest threat from North Korea. I am just enjoying the drama and excitement of how one party, a big bully, trying to impose its will on a smaller nation and expect everyone to dance to its tune. This is great fun.

bushism, a new world religion

What is Bushism? It goes something like this...Whoever believes in me shall be my friend forever. The little other details include creating lies and the believers must believe without questioning, and telling the believers not to believe in facts and pretend that they are not true. Take an example, by today, almost anything that needs to be known about the lies that Saddam Hussein possessed WMD have been revealed. There is no WMD and the intelligence reports were fabricated to justify the invasion of Iraq. Another example is the detonation of a nuclear device by North Korea. The American State Department said they would not recognise North Korea as a nuclear power. So North Korea is not a nuclear power. So Bushism believers will believe that Saddam Hussein possesses WMD and North Korea is not a nuclear power. Bushism is attractive as it means one is a friend of a new god and is blessed. But the most dangerous part of this belief is that many people around the world really believe that Saddam Hussein did possess WMD and the intelligence reports on it were true. Also, North Korea is not a nuclear power so does not possess any nuclear weapons. And as long as the believers blindly believe in what they are told to believe, everyone is happy, especially this new god.

unreplied postings

hi all, my apologies for not replying to some posts which i have read in my email. i tried locating them in the blog but could not find any traces of them. if i can find them i will respond to them. this is the limitation of a blog unlike the forum format. you are all encouraged to post at my www.redbeanforum.com for easy referencing. flipping through the older posts to find a response in the blog is very tedious. regards

'ignorant fools' according to eliza ng lai kuan

Religion and religious understanding and tolerance is in the limelight again. And this has prompted a reader, Eliza Ng Lai Kuan to write a letter to the Today paper chastising every 'ignorant Singaporeans' for not knowing the different religious dates and meanings of the different believers. In her view, it is totally unacceptable for people living in a multi cultural and multi racial country not to know about the culture, religion and practices of other races. Could they be or should they be? The schools are supposed to teach these subjects. There are the regular national education programmes and campaigns organised at national level. But the understanding is still very poor. Blame the people! Are we asking too much? All the children are already struggling to keep up with their exams, would they have time to memorise all the different aspects of religions and cultures that they have no interest in? Lets be realistic, many people will just want to live their own lives without a care of how other people live their lives. It may be a national objective to educate everyone in these issues, but many just do not have the time, the capacity, the memory or the interest to want to know them. How many people really know or want to know or bother to know?