The ever changing wisdom

Singaporeans are perhaps the most adaptable and flexible people in the world. They are easily taught to change, even their mindset. In the 50s and 60s, they would all be looking forward to retirement at 55, to look after grandchildren or drinking kopi in the kopitiams. Today, this kind of mindset has changed. The new wisdom is to work till you drop dead. This model is built on a new reality, on independence, self worth and pride, and being useful to society. And also not being a burden to family and society. Not that the high cost of living has made life unsustainable if they have not money. The old wisdom was built on family as the building blocks of a country, filial piety, looking after parents and letting him have a rest, after years of toiling to bring up the children. It is time to live on the fruits of labour, to harvest, and enjoy the children and grandchildren. And the children feel proud to be able to provide for their parents aplenty. Dr Anne Chong Su Yan wrote a letter to the Sunday Times and this is the first paragraph. 'Recently, I was at a toilet in a shopping centre when I noticed an elderly woman with a bent and crooked back trying to clean the floor while fashionable young women applied their lipsticks and checked their hairdos in the mirror.' Good for her. She finally found out that in paradise there are such old people working in the toilets. It is better late than never. It would be shocking if one day she realised that there are poor people in paradise. The gist of her letter expressed her shock that old people were working in toilets instead of sleeping under the coconut trees on a beach chair watching the sunset. But have no pity on these old folks. They are living the new wisdom. Pride, independence, and work till they drop dead. Some ass holes may brutally tell the truth, that they deserved to be in that state because they were irresponsible and squandered their youth away. Having old people working in toilets and living an independent lifestyle is a lifestyle of choice. It is the pride of our nation. We have succeeded.

Story of an ex CEO in an MNC

The CEO was replaced by a younger man, full of ideas and idealism, full of energy and vibrancy. The new CEO let the ex CEO sit in an equally big office next to his. All his other perks remained the same, including his private car park and driver, and his pay. And so was his private secretary which they both shared. The only exception is that all the duties and responsibilities were taken over by the new man. And for the lack of something to do, the ex CEO was assigned to look after the welfare of the old and loyal employees. And he was given the freedom to design his own job specifications. His request to visit other countries for 6 months on a study tour was quickly approved. The ex CEO was happy, that he was well treated and still walked around like a CEO. He was invited to all the official functions, like a CEO. After a year, he quit. He thought he was having a good time until one day, in his blurry and self deluded state of mind, he realised that he was being overpaid for doing exactly nothing. He quit out of shame and out of guilt. He even returned all the money he received from his company for the year he was there, for doing nothing. At least he valued his decency and for quitting, claimed back a little self respect and honour for himself.

Stop depending on Western Media

This is what George Yeo said. He also said, 'For too long, we have depended too much on the Western media for news about each other's regions.' And for too long we have allowed Western media to form views about us, what is acceptable to them and what is not, who is good and who is bad, according to their interest and agenda. The foolish Asians are starting to wake up and starting to think that they do not need the approval of the West on what they think is acceptable or not. Only now they are calling for a different world view in Asian eyes and in Asian interest. Singapore will host an Asia Middle East Dialogue to work towards the liberation of the Asian mind. Suddenly someone realised that they have a mind that can think, and that we are still colonised in our way of thinking and in the news we read. Only now that we realised that our views and opinions were formulated by the West. Pathetic. In the first place all Asian media should do a soul searching and kick out the asses that allowed misinformation and distortion of information by Western media to appear in their prints and news. This kind of unthinking and shallow behavior cannot be allowed to continue, unless the country is still a colony and the press is controlled by the West.. We demand a high standard of reporting on our own internal affairs by foreigners, or at least insist on a right of reply. We are we printing distorted and mischievious articles about Asian countries freely as a right, as a freedom of expression, press freedom? For so doing, we are equally guilty to the misinformation and mischiefs created and the distorting of the minds of the readers. Lets first start at home and impose a high standard of reporting and not blindly printing misinformation or totally biased views in our media. And if there is a reason to do so, include a qualification or a fair and objective article to prevent the tooth from becoming the truth.

So disgusting

With prices shooting to the sky everywhere, and the profiteers quietly congratulating themselves of their bank accounts that are getting fatter by the day, the message is that nothing can be done. Or some will say it will be worst if we tamper with the market forces. Fuck it. We have been tampering with the market forces all the while to let the market run out of control. I have been screaming my lungs out for so long, that we need to control the wild escalating of prices to all the wise men in vain. I set up this column for exactly the same purpose. I would agree that not all prices can be controlled and brought down to whatever level we want. But many can because we are the main cause of the hike. GST for one, govt own factories, offices and shops and land prices are all within our control. Not controlled by the international market forces as often parrotted. Exorbitant salary hikes to chase after inflation but give the false impression of wellbeing is a deadly potion. You don't need a genius or straight A's student to bring down some costs, selectively. You don't need to study another 5 years to come out with a good justification or plan to bring down prices. The talks and thoughts that prices must be allowed to run, up and up, are rubbish and irresponsible. It is only good for people who can write their own paychecks.

The Business of Dying

The lawyers are in a business to fight for justice and honour. In layman's term it is actually a business of threat. The rich and powerful pay to threaten people. The threatened pay because they were threatened. The undertakers are in the business of filial piety. People pay generously for the last rites, a show of filial piety to their parents and loved ones. What business are the doctors in? They are in a noble business to save lives. Or in layman's interpretation, the fear of death, or business of dying. In this business, there is not only the element of fear, there is also the element of filial piety, and also some elements of threat. What a powerful combination. How on earth would people be willingly pay the hospital bills without question? How on earth would people admit their love ones into hospitals without checking the price first? How on earth could hospitals charge patients $10k/$15k or more a day just to find out what is the cause of the illness and get away with it? And the best part of it is that the patient still dies. I am still very troubled by the $70k hospital bill for 4 days. The family had to pay $70k for the patient to die in a hospital. That is not a cheap way to die. It is not a good way to spend $70k in 4 days. I would very much like to know the breakdown of the bill to see how a hospital justifies this kind of bills. Let me make a guesstimate. A class ward charges at $500 a day. Food at $100 a day. Nurses attendance at $500 a day. Medicine at $500 a day. There must be such medicine available. Specialists attendance at $2000 a day. Too much or reasonable? Use of top of the line equipment at $1000 a day. Now how much will all these adds up to? $4,600. Add 7% GST, round it to $400. This will come to $5k a day. The rest must be miscellaneous I supposed. It is driving me bonkers.