If New York and London can...

If New York and London can... We cannot simply pluck examples out of context and use them as justifications to our cause. We have heard so many supporters of a highly dense Singapore, with 6.5 million people, as reasonable because there are New York, London, Tokyo or Shanghai that have bigger populations than us. 6.5 million is simply another case of peanuts, a relative term depending on what one is comparing. I will just elaborate on two points why using these examples is a serious flaw. These are big cities of a reasonably big country. Or at least there is a countryside to talk about where the people can disperse outwards if they need too. And even if they did not do so, mentally there is this sense of space around them. Psychologically it is very reassuring to know that they are not strapped into a shit hole. We don't have this privilege. The doorway north can be closed or strangled at any time. In the south more or less the same. Claustrophobia? Then there is the bigger population to even out the acute abnormalities built up in the big cities. The greater population and the greater culture will be there to absorb and balance off the vast diversities of the cities. We don't have that either. Once we mess it up, that's it. We are in a little shit hole and we will be full of shit. No running away, no running out, except for the privilege few. So for those who will have to face the shit if the little red dot is risking to become a shit hole, they better stand up and say their peace. It can be a paradise with 6.5 million. It can also be a hell hole. Who is God enough to say it will be this or that? I am just sharing my reservations and concern.

a refreshing thought by kishore

A refreshing thought Kishore Mahbubani is probably the best mind in his cohort that Singapore has produced. I can't agree with him more when he said that in many areas Singapore is already world class or surpassed that. The fact that we are still exhibiting traits of little boys like I want this and that because the boy next door has it, like Kishore said, is a sign of our lack of confidence, not amounting to immaturity. The 'eye' is the most glaring symbol of a third world mentality. Just because London has it, so we must have it. But maybe that got a little to do with our colonial heritage. The next thing we may want to have, God forbids, is to have a Queen. We have the English Premier League living in the local papers and in the minds of all our football fans. They even know which brand of toothpaste or underwear their favourite footballers used or wore. And while we have achieved in some very important areas like education, and telling the world how good our education system is, which has been vindicated by the large inflow of students from abroad, we have started to dismantle our own education system which have been the envy of the world. We don't believe in ourselves. We always think that our local stuff aren't good enough. Our local talents from one of the top world universities, NUS, are of lesser talents than talents from universities of third world countries. Or just because a few who could not make the grades and went overseas and returned with inflated grades, talked a bit louder, and impressed the listeners, so foreign universities are better. Sure there are many great universities abroad. But not many of the rest are great. Otherwise our NUS ranking is pure fiction. Do we want to believe in these rankings? If not, then we should not pursue them. If yes, then we must believe that our local grads are good, or at least better than those from third world and lower ranked universities. Have we grown up as a nation?

quotes n quotes

'The difference between a genius and an idiot is that the genius knows his limits.' Einstein. 'No matter how conceited one is, one shall not tell the people tomorrow will not rain.' Redbean

it's so unbecoming

Based on a list of factors Singapore is name the most conducive city for business but lags behind other big cities in other areas. We scored badly or at the bottom in areas like lifestyle assets, intellectual capital, technology and innovations, and even financial clouts. Have no worry. We shall overcome and be number one in these areas too. It is so easy to achieve. Lifestyle assets, once the marinas and all the high end properties are up, all these rich residents will bring in their pleasure crafts and all their Rolls Royce and antiques and exquisite jewelries here. Technology and innovation, and they are talking about broadband penetration. We just introducted this and in no time we will exceed the numbers needed. Maybe our Bus Arrival Time Panels will put us ahead of other countries. This innovative act is hard to beat. And taxi waiting time too. Intellectual capital is quite puzzling. With so many super talents and foreign talents, how can we be rated so lowly? Maybe we need the 6.5 million population of talents to put us up there in this category. Lack of financial clout, do what Mahathir did. Make more billionaires. What is unbecoming is that we are placed joint fifth with New York in terms of safety and security. Hmmm, all the muggings in the streets of NY and Central Park. Are we near there or already there?

myth 124

Myth 124 The Govt is overpaid I need to demolish this myth that the govt is overpaid. Simply look at the pay of the CEOs of our local banks, in 7 to 10 millions. Compare that to our ministers, no fight right? Our ministers are really being paid peanuts compare to these bank CEOs. And looking at the things and issues our ministers are doing, they deserve to be paid more than the bank CEOs. For their decisions affect the 4 million people in the island. On the other hand the decisions of the bank CEOs affect only the business people and hardly affect everyone in the island. Perhaps one, when they charged all the cheapskate people who have very little money but insisted on having a bank account. And they were so kind to charge them a token sum of $2 monthly. The cost of maintaining the accounts is very high, expensive buildings, expensive staff, expensive softwares and equipment and expensive CEOs to pay. What is $2? They would rather these cheapskate depositors keep their money in their Milo tins. Back to the ministers, every decision they make, good or bad, will hit the people in one way or another. If the decision is bad, they will suffer the wrath of the people and the bad karmas from 4 million people. They deserve every cent they are getting and more on this alone. The counter argument to this is that they are making all the good decisions that are good for the people and will be amply rewarded by 4 million good karmas. In the Singapore context this is true as all the decisions are for the good of the people. But no one get away from the appointments and titles of the job. These are national appointments. Just like the kings and princes and princesses, they are on top of the heap and must be rewarded accordingly. The king or prince may be born an idiot, but by virtue of their titles, they should be paid more than the commoners. In the case of a government where the ministers have huge responsibilities and are the best of all the talents the country can produced, they must be paid more. Or at least more than the bank CEOs. I rest my case.