Our hotels are safe

We have the best men and most advanced surveillance equipment installed in all the hotels. And now we have the benefit of experience from the Mumbai attack to help us close the gaps. I think one of the things that all hotels will be doing is to vet their chefs for links to terrorist organisations. Their Indian counterparts would have provided them with vital information on what a potential terrorist would look like, the age, colour, height, passport etc etc. We should be on the look out for them. I only hope that there is an attack on key vital installations like airports, govt buildings, shopping centres etc so that we will have all the information we want. Other than chefs, I think terrorists may also seek jobs like security personnel of such installations. And if they do, they will have a whale of a time every night to inspect every aspect of the installation and to prepare for the attack. But I still have a problem. How could one detect a potential terrorist when his main task is to conceal all his background, links and intention to blow up the place? I think every terrorist will be a model employee where the boss will even think of marrying his daughter to him and let him take over the running of the organisation.

A home song 8

My beloved homeland I was only fifteen when I bade her goodbye Stepping out into the night, misty in my eyes But before the tears would flow, The sky opened up, and my head went low I will miss her, whenever I’m not here Spring was refreshing, with the smell of new Summer mesmerizing, with flowers of varied hues Then autumn, a little sadness of a year going by And winter came, glistening snow and wintry chills I still miss her, every moment of the year Sprawling fields of tulips and daffodils Snow capped mountains and low lying hills Mysterious forests and haunting tales Flowing rivers steeped with medieval adventures I still miss her, no place can hold so dear Cottages, castles and chapels filled my eyes Faces painted by the weather and climes of time They brought along, songs and wines, all so fine I feasted everyday, everywhere, losing myself in time I still miss her, my beloved homeland, the land I left behind Chorus I can hear her crying, ringing in my ears I can feel her heartbeat, thumping through my soul I can feel the tenderness of her warm embrace How I long to be in her arms, intoxicated in her loving graceI was only fifteen when I bade her goodbye Stepping out into the night, misty in my eyes But before the tears would flow, The sky opened up, and my head went low I will miss her, whenever I’m not here Spring was refreshing, with the smell of new Summer mesmerizing, with flowers of varied hues Then autumn, a little sadness of a year going by And winter came, glistening snow and wintry chills I still miss her, every moment of the year Sprawling fields of tulips and daffodils Snow capped mountains and low lying hills Mysterious forests and haunting tales Flowing rivers steeped with medieval adventures I still miss her, no place can hold so dear Cottages, castles and chapels filled my eyes Faces painted by the weather and climes of time They brought along, songs and wines, all so fine I feasted everyday, everywhere, losing myself in time I still miss her, my beloved homeland, the land I left behind Chorus I can hear her crying, ringing in my ears I can feel her heartbeat, thumping through my soul I can feel the tenderness of her warm embrace How I long to be in her arms, intoxicated in her loving grace The above is copyrighted by redbean

Ah Seng, Ahmad and Muthu wanted

With the threat of terrorist attacks getting closer and more dangerous, it is time to call on Ah Seng, Ahmad and Muthu to come forward to protect this country. They may not be any big time celebrities, not anyone that is going to be noticed or missed if they disappear from the surface of this globe, but they can play a vital role to protect the people here. Can we give some recognition to these nobodies? They can give us a peaceful sleep knowing that they are out there looking out for us. They are the people we can rely on in times like this.

Providing the people a good life

It is very difficult to define what is a good life for a Singaporean. There are the intangible, religious or immaterial aspects of living that some people will find more important than others. I know that this is very controversial but from the perspective of a govt, maybe a simpler definition base on material comfort could be a useful guide as a national objective. Spiritual or religious wellbeing is something that is beyond the govt. In my opinion, a govt that can provide the average Singaporean with an affordable 4 rm flat and a small car(OPC also ok) and live comfortably without having to make ends meet every month would have been very successful. A supervisor or executive is a good reference point to take as they form the base of the population, and it is not unreasonable to expect them to live at a decent standard of living. If at this level they can say that they have a good life, the higher income Singaporeans would have nothing to complain about and the lower income would not be too badly off except for the extreme end. If the govt can focus on such a standard of living for its people and design all the policies and cost around it, then Singaporeans can look forward to a better future, and more good years. If there is no such reference point, and cost is allowed to run away, and the bulk of the population falls to a level where everyone is struggling to make ends meet, then the govt has failed despite all the beautiful infrastructures and all the wealth accumulated by the nation. The 4 roomers are the average Singaporeans. Their well being is an indication of the well being of the country, of whether the govt is doing its job and implementing its policies correctly. Why did I feel that a simple objective like this has been forgotten and govt agencies, private or public, only think of how much money to make from the people instead of how well they are living?

From subsidy to market subsidy to market price

The word subsidy in the context of HDB flats were hammered for many years until it takes the form of market subsidy today. It was called subsidy at the very beginning until a lot of digging revealed that it was not subsidy as people knew or expected but a kind of subsidy off the market price. When I looked into HDB website, I found that the prices of Pinnacle flats were priced at resale market price or at best a $2k subsidy using the average prices provided in the site. Until HDB explains where is the subsidy and how they got to price the second batch of Pinnacles at a subsidy or discount from market price, this is what it is. Market subsidy is near to market price or at market price.