An illusion or a deception

The biggest worry of the lesser well off Singaporeans is the rapidly rising cost of living. Whatever income that they have will quickly be eroded away. It makes a mockery of thrift and savings. All the savings are not savings in real terms. It is like putting aside good money, good present day value, to become banana money in the future. Singaporeans savings in the CPF have been held back for what, another 1% interest rate! Why would people want to look forward to another 1% when inflation is going to eat away more than double that amount? Does it make sense to earn a 4% interest over 20 or 30 years when in the same period the depreciation of the value of money could mean that they may become practically worthless? And better still, the additional 1% or 4% is not even guaranteed. Oh, there is hope that it could be more than 4%. If that be the case, you can be assured that inflation will double that. A sure lose option. Why are we believing in illusion? Or why are we made to compulsorily believe in an elusive dream of a better tomorrow?

Instant population! What does it mean?

We will be adding another 15,000 new citizens to our population by the time 2007 is over. And there is also another 40,000 or so PRs. This is on top of the average annual growth of about 30,000. With the 30,000 coming of age each year and the new residents, the demand for property is not going to slow down or decline. Singaporeans needing a flat or a roof, better get them fast. The demand is incessant. The locals, the real Singaporeans, may be not be able to afford the unstoppable price hike if their salaries do not experienced the 21% increment. But for the new citizens and residents, only those who are able will come. They will sustain the continuous hike in property prices by adding into the demand pressure. The price hike is not going to stop the flow. At every higher price, there will be new takers. Singaporeans, especially those that are struggling to make ends meet, just too bad. No amount of charity or handouts can keep pace with the whopping increases in property pices. If they can't, they can't, and would eventually have to squeeze as many as they can into their 2 or 3 room flats. The alternative is HDB rental flats if they can qualify. The message is shape up or lose out. There is no room for failures and laggards or irresponsibly producing as many poorly educated children as possible. They will be damned. They will be the new breed of struggling poor at the bottom of a society that is running ahead at full steam. They can never hope to catch up.

2007 - A great year of give and take

All the news in 2007 is simply great. It can best be described as a year of give and take. The govt and corporations are the generous givers and the people and employees are the happy takers. The employed see their salaries and income rising in leaps and bounds. The unemployed also benefitted from the giveaways by the govt. It is a happy story. And even as prices keep spiralling up, housing, cars, food, services and cost of living, no sweat, as long as money keeps coming in. Cost of living up, salary and income up, everything still affordable. What happens when the music stops? For the lucky few where the income will continue to flow in regardless of come what may, nothing will change. For those takers whose income or handouts will stop as a matter of time, then what? As the balloon gets pumped bigger and bigger, more air needs to go in to keep it afloat. Without air, it will deflate. But it will also burst with too much air. We have seen 1997. It was the same old story. Everyone was hilarious and delirious. Maybe 2007 and beyond will be a new miracle. The bubble will not burst. Income and salary increases will be the natural order of the day. Singaporeans have tapped into a nature's oil well that will not go dry. What a wonderful year.

Celebrating Singaporeans - Dr Seet Ai Mee

I should have added Dr Seet Ai Mee in this celebration. She is the force that is the deciding factor for Dover Park Hospice to dissociate from the Medifund. If people want to be kind, compassionate and generous, it is very easy to do so. It is time to use the heart and not the head. To put people under more stress and to dehumanise people just to receive a few dollars of help is mean. We cannot treat the downtrodden this way. If one wants to help, just help, wants to give just give. It is very wicked to strip people naked to see if he still has a dollar stuck in between his butts. The money to charities and charitable homes are given out of human kindness. Given freely and to be received freely. Turn them into a machine, and we will become senseless machines.

Benazir Bhutto - Another martyr

What a sad day for humanity. Another daughter of human kind tasted the bullets and fell. What is happening to Pakistan? Why are men so trigger happy to take down another fellow human bean who is contesting to lead them? Are men that primitive and barbaric? Benazir paid for her belief with her life. She died a fighter. She knew that it could happen and she braved the danger. It was very costly and unnecessary. Brutes!!!