Time of Great Opportunities

The world financial crisis has thrown open the door to great opportunities if we are prepared to take a step back and assess how best we could benefit from it. One area that we can seriously take a relook is the policy on foreign talents. Now is the time to go out there and mount a major recruitment exercise to bring in the real talents from America. We can go for the top notch talents instead of the third or fourth rate talents we were getting in the past. We could go for the best 200 or 300 CEOs to replace all the CEOs in GLC linked companies. The CEOs of Citigroup, AIG, GM, Ford Motors, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the financial institutions and the airlines, the aerospace industry etc, all are available at a price that is now affordable. We can than go ahead and acquire the Citibank Asia operations, AIA, replace the CEO of HDB with Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, build car factories in JB, Batam and Bintan with the help fo GM and Ford Motors. The experts and top talents from Wall Streets can replace the local talents in our finance industry, and the possibilities are just enormous. Go and get them before it is too late. And we can truly transform ourselves into really world class. Our corporations all headed by the best foreign talents and supported by the best local talents. We will be world beaters.

The motorists are angry, very angry

The high insurance cost now, and the coming future, is making many motorists angry. And the fact that this is a mandatory requirement really is a pissed off. It is like legalising daylight robbery. It is not the point to tell the industry to reduce the insurance premiums. The govt must step in to stop the malpractice as the legal requirement for car insurance is from the govt. How can this thing be left to the insurance industry completely to decide how much they want to charge when it is obvious that frauds, abuses and malpractice are the cause. And don't forget that pay is also a major concern. How much is the cost going to the pay of the industry players? Big pay means big cost, don't ever forget that. Someone must pay for it. 8 month bonuses or 12 month bonuses or more?

Newton BBQed

It is good that the Newton BBQ stall has been suspended from business for 3 months. That is what the Singapore Brand is worth. I thought the Singapore Brand is worth more than that. But I hope all the tourists would avoid Newton altogether. The locals should avoid the place as well. And another big mess in Sim Lim and other shopping centres are about to unfold. Maybe the shops will also be suspended from operating for 3 months if they are caught fleecing their customers. In the case of Dr Clemen, he did not fleece his customers. They came willingly to give him the money.

$400k to $500k for 344 sq ft pigeon hole

The housing developers were bragging about the mad rush for 344 sq ft of pigeon holes and buyers willing to cough out $400k/$500k for it. And motor insurance of $2000 pa or about $200 pm, much more than the instalment payment of a OPC. Then $4/$5 for a bowl of noodle. Are these what we called progress, better off than yesterday? Why would people work so hard to earn $500k only to live in a little pigeon hole and feel that their quality of life has improved? What the shit to pay $200 pm just for protection to drive a car and may not even need it for the next 30 or 40 years, but keep paying? Then at $5 a meal and 3 meals a day, it will work out to $15 base. That is $450 min pm. Squeeze to bare minimum, it will still need $300 pm just to eat alone. Shouldn't someone tell those who are jobless and on public assistance to do the natural thing, which is practical, pragmatic and more dignified? We are getting poorer for sure, when our money is buying lesser and lesser things. And we called this progress? But everyone clamouring for more expensive housing as a good thing. Everything must be expensive than can be good. We can afford to pay and pay. 5 years ago I bought a flat TV for $5k. Just bought one for less than $700, and better in quality and features. Oops, I must be wrong. The cheaper one must be of poorer quality. Both are branded Japanese made. We are going crazy or becoming stupid to believe that things will get better at the way cost of living is allow to runaway uncheck.

Are we turning into robbers?

Yesterday we read about the thugs in Sim Lim Square fleecing on their customers, particularly tourists. And this did not happen yesterday, and not in Sim Lim alone. Today we read about daylight robbery in Newton Hawker Centre. 4 foreigners were literally robbed of $491 by Stall 43, Tanglin Best BBQ Seafood. This was their bill for the food. 8 prawns cost $239 or $30 each. 4 crabs cost $169 or $42 each. And what else? Is this what we have become? These robbers are not only robbing the tourists and foreigners, they are destroying the Singapore brand and livelihoods of the decent people in the same businesses. Do we want the world to know that we are a nation of robbers before something serious is done to curb such abuses? Letting them off with a warning or small fine is not acceptable. They should be made an example of by revoking their business licences. Maybe fleecing is now a way of life as long as someone else has to pay for it. It reminds me of car insurance. Another kind of robbery. And if one looks carefully, robbery is everywhere, some even appeared legal and honourable.