8/18/2009

We are short of doctors!

Our university can only produce 200 doctors annually. And the supply of doctors is anaemic, must be affected by our 2 child policy that we cannot produce more doctors. Or all the straight As and straight Bs students were not good enough. So now we are recruiting doctors by the planeloads from third world countries or doctors with degrees from third world countries. Our medical facilities have been expanding in leaps and bounds. Our needs for doctors, nurses and other medical professionals must also increase. Somehow I got the impression that nobody notice this. And now we have to import all the great doctors from all over the world. Actually hor, if we know we need so many doctors hor, we can increase the intake of medical students hor, then we got no doctor no enough problem you know. QED.

First MRT, next trains, then roads

The great success in saving lives at MRT station with the erection of screen doors has spawned more great ideas about saving lives at railway tracks. The open railway tracks are even more hazardous as no one will be there to watch over those careless souls wandering into the tracks. And the trains are so difficult to spot, probably installed with stealth capability that they cannot be seen or heard. The trains will creep up quietly to mow down anyone found on the tracks. In the My Paper today, there were many good suggestions on how to make the railway tracks safe for people or jaywalkers. Instal barriers, fences, electronic devices or maybe human patrols to keep people out of the tracks. But no one is suggesting the $126m screen doors. Ok, maybe they know that it is expensive. The most relevant and practical solution is like what Matilah suggested, barbwires, cheap, good and efficient. And this can also be used later when they want to keep the roads safe as well. I remember watching a CNA programme of a train driving through the heart of a market place in one of the Asian cities. Before the train arrives, goods and people were all milling and scattered along the tracks. But the surprising thing is that without any signal or any electronic devices to warn the people and stall holders, at certain specific moments, they will remove everything from the railway track and the train will pass by uneventfully. Once the train has left, the track and its surrounding will be packed with goods, carts and people again. The strange thing is that nobody will be run over by the train. Even in our backyard, there used to be squatters with their huts along side the railway tracks. Amazing that no one got run over by the trains. Wonder how such a miracle could exist for so long without casualties. Can we learn something from these unsophisticated natives?

8/17/2009

Myth 208 - Foreigners taking over jobs and housing

These seem to be the standard complaints of Singaporeans. They are taking over our jobs and our flats. Now, are these happy or unhappy problems? Sell your homes to the suckers. Make them pay you a ransom for them. And with that kind of money, who needs a job, or who needs to work? Pack up and go to Lijiang and enjoy the life of an emperor. Why work, why coop up in a pigeon hole when the whole expanse of mother earth is there for your enjoyment? What are Singaporeans complaining? And there are many Lijiangs around the world where our strong dollar can be converted to buy anything. Singaporeans should seize the opportunity to upgrade their lives instead of thinking of working till they drop dead. Think laterally, think of better alternatives. Ahhhh Lijiang is beckoning. And they will do Singapore a big favour by helping it to renew itself with young and vibrant talents.

Happy like Fxxk feeling (pardon my lingo)

This is the impression one gets of all the PRs and new citizens here. How could they not be happy when they waltzed into a banquet hall with a big buffet spread awaiting them. And many were hungry and have never tasted such goodies before, or be in a posh banquet hall to be served. When people are happy because of goodies, beware. When the goodies are not there anymore, the happy faces may turn ugly. There are many goodies for the PRs and new citizens. And PRs and new citizens will become citizens and pay the price for being citizens. Membership has its obligations. OK the lucky guys are the PRs forever, enjoying the best of both worlds. You see, our system caters to impress the newcomers, not so much of the citizens. As citizens there are commitments, including your money in the lockups. When the new citizens realise what is happening, they are not going to be happy like fxxk anymore. They will be whining like the old citizens.

National Day Rally 2009

The most impressive part of the rally must be the last video clip on the future Marina Bay area. It is a future worth looking forward to. With its completion, we will really transform into another level of economic progress. During the National Day Parade I was staring at the diminutive Asia Insurance Building, once upon a time the tallest building in the island. Today it is dwarfed by its undescribed neighbours, everyone towering above it by twice its height. And the new Marina Bay area is another leap ahead from the present waterfront at Raffles Place and Shenton Way. I could imagine myself strolling along the Sands IR and enjoying the great sights and the richness of the surrounding. Then I wonder if I can afford the luxury within. Or maybe I shall join Wally and pitch tent at Changi Beach where the air is free, the stars and the views are free. Easier on the pocket. Our infrastructure will be first class. The several MRT lines that will complete the transport grid will make moving around so convenient, if one can afford it. Come to think of it, travelling to Changi to pitch tent by MRT is not going to be cheap. What is needed but missing in the rally speech is how to upgrade the pay check of the average Singaporeans. Can the pay check be bigger to meet the higher cost that is expected in a first class city living? Or shall the people be told to spend within their means, and join Wally? I have a better idea. I will turn myself into a professional gambler to qualify for a VIP card, free room and services and free food. I don't have to step out of the Marina Bay area anymore. Just live in the IR, for free. With my miserable income which I can confidently said is at least 3 or 4 times what Wally is getting, or more if he is a pensioner, I still think I will not be able to afford that kind of luxury. Now, for all the pensioners and would be pensioners, unless they have a couple of millions in their savings to last 20 or 30 years, they better find a job that will keep them employed till they are 70 or 80. Retirement or unemployment is no longer an option, but for the yodas. Yes, Hsien Loong did show a pic of Yoda in his presentation.