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.

I love my Nescafe

What's wrong with Singaporeans? Why are they falling all over because of a few unreasonable price increases and profiteering? Why would they pay $1.30 for Ah Koon's kopi, or $5 for CoffeeBean or at Starbucks? I am living happily every morning with my Nescape. Shit, the great escape is getting into me and I can't even spell Nescafe without mixing the two in one. At slightly more than 10c a pack, the 3 in 1 Nescafe is good enough for me. And if I am feeling a little generous, I can go to Hong Lim or Amoy Hawker Centre for a cuppa of kopi at 60c. And they really taste better than all the $1.30 kopi or $5 cuppa at the aircon cafes. At 10c a pack, even if the price skyrocketted by 50%, it is only 15c a pack. Very affordable, really. And if this is still too much, go for NTUC housebrand. Or at worst, downgrade to Seng Shiong housebrand if time is that tough. Other than instant mee, 3 in 1 is a great blessing.

WYSIWYG

It's been nearly one and a half month and the search is still on. Mind you, the search is really serious. Armies of soldiers and policemen scouring every little nook and corner for the most wily prisoner on the run. This man is reputed to have an IQ of 200. Beats any scholar that we have. He can outwit every nitwit in paradise. Now he is commanding a respect that no one ever had. Some kind of a genius in the league of Einstein. And every stone will not be left unturned until he is found. Heard that they are planning to dig up the graves to look at the coffins, in case that's where he is hiding. The last time they were checking golf bags and thermos flasks. By now the world must be convinced that this man had escaped our equivalent of Alcatraz. And we are doing everything we could, with the best technology, and every man we got. No effort shall be spared till he is caught and kept safely in Mount Pleasant again. Frankly, I don't believe a bit about the whole story. Just my professional assessment. Escape from Alcatraz is impossible.

Foreign Talent as PM

Are Singaporeans ready to accept our political leaders who are Singaporeans but also hold foreign passports? Are we able to accept our future PM to be a “foreign talent”? Lam Pin Min | I would like to know what is MP Lam Pin Min's view? He posted the questions on the p65 site. The people will be more interested to know where he stands on such an issue and also where the other MPs' stand on this. Would he agree and would the govt agree if the people say it is ok to have a foreign talent as our MP? In fact many voices have expressed why not? Why not pay a cheaper foreign talent to do the job at probably 10% of the pay?