Ask and it shall be given

Every now and then, on Saturdays, armies of school children will be despatched into the streets, with a tin can in hand, to beg for money. Just ask, and the money will come in. People are expected to give, not to reward effort, but to beggars. The concept of begging to get easy money has been so successful that many big charities find it so convenient to beg for more money by organising them in a big way, with celebrities and public figures doing the begging. It is an annual affair and being conducted several times a year. And it is so popular and so attractive that foreign celebrities too find them very interesting and fun, begging for a good cause. We have a few infamous personalities that got so carried away with big time begging that they ended up behind bars. Money easy come easy go. When money can be had so easily, where is there a need to work? A young man even went to an extent of setting up several charities to beg for money, for his own pockets. And several others too did it in style. The latest I heard over the news is that grandmas are also roped in to the begging act. Great fun man, and so much enthusiasm shown by the grannies to beg on the streets. Soon more grannies will be attracted to this new found past time. Did I remember someone saying there is no such thing as free lunch? Nothing is for free. You want something, you got to work for it. With begging becoming a national past time, is there a contradiction? This culture of begging when one is young, begging when one is an adult, and begging when one is old, is sinking roots as a national culture here. Possibly we are the biggest nation of beggars.

Baby Shield?

We have MediShield and now BabyShield akan datang. Of course we have many kinds of shields for the oldies as well but in different names.. Soon there will be the ‘bao ka liao’ shield to cover from birth to death. Child birth is a risky business and statistically quite a significant percentage will be born with congenital problems or other birth defects. And the bottom line, it means a medical bill to foot. How come parents are not told that giving birth to babies is not simply footing the gynaecologist and delivery bills? There is another big chunk to be paid for birth defects and other related illnesses that is not cheap. So there is a need for BabyShield. Ah so. Can this be one of the prime reason why there is this urgent call to make more babies, to contribute to the economy by paying more medical bills plus insurance? Making a baby is a economic big factor that will add to the economic growth data. Just look at the cost the parents will have to bear, from conception to delivery, pre natal and post natal medical support and all the related medicine and medicare services. And that is only the beginning. The cost of bringing up the child, food, clothing, medical care as an infant, then nursery, kindergarten, pre school, and all the schooling till employment, and all the expenses for growing up. Finally as a young adult, 2 years for the country, follows by all the education needed to become employable. How much must the parents pay? Making babies is all about economics and the economy. A child could add at least half a million dollars to the economy before he makes his first dollar. Multiply this figure by the 30,000 to 40,000 births annually, the amount contributed to the economy is immense. The parents will have to foot the whole bill, plus all the shields. Should the govt share some of the cost of making babies, raising babies and educating them? The BabyShield can be a good start, plus all the medical bills for the delivery of a baby. This leads to another fundamental issue, the health of the people. If the headcount is so important, and if the people cannot afford to pay when they are sick, or dying, their loss is the loss of the country and the economy. Every headcount less will be a dent to the economic numbers. But the people are expected to pay for all the shields to keep themselves healthy and fit to help grow the economy. The country needs your babies. But you carry the can and pay to support all the services provided to bring up the babies. In other words, it is your problem if you bring out a baby to this world.

All the foul ups

More committees are being formed to come up with more recommendations to rectify the ‘foul ups’ by the govt. There are calls for slaying the inflation spectre which was happily reared to the size today as a good policy. The high prices of everything were seen as good and affordable. Now there were calls to do more to integrate locals and foreigners, as if the govt is not doing enough. Reach has formed a workgroup to look into the growing income gap and the rich poor divide as if the govt does not know. It also highlighted the ‘unequal balance of benefits and obligations between locals and foreigners, such as national service liability, in contrast with equal opportunities provided to Singaporeans and immigrants.’ There were several other recommendations on how to tackle the high cost of livings and how to help the low income group. All this sounds good and helpful. Look at it in another way, are they saying that the govt is not doing a good job and needs help from outside? Or are they thinking that the govt did not know what it is doing nor the effects of its policies? I believe that all the super talents involved in policy making knows exactly what they are doing and had thoroughly thought through all the processes before implementing them. In that case, what difference would such recommendations make or could make to all the good policies? I am sure the govt does not foul up in what it is doing. Everything has been carefully planned. Look, despite the high housing prices and medical fees, everything is still affordable and the people are happily paying for them and asking for more. Those who are buying definitely can afford them and expecting the prices to go higher. And looking at the long queues, it is obvious all is well. $150k medical bills are rare and need not be a worry. Do we need to set up more committees to make recommendations to the best talents in the govt to make the govt works better? My apologies, I am not sure whether the talents in these committees are lesser or better talents than those in govt. To be effective the talents in these committees must be better than those in govt. Otherwise it just does not make sense.

Orange peel cutting as art

I was watching the news on Channel News Asia yesterday and there was a report of a Japanese young man who used a paper cutter to cut orange skins into the shape of animals, just the outline. What came out were simple shapes of animals, something akin to paper cuttings. And Channel News Asia was there to broadcast it as news to the world. And this guy has about 70 or so cuttings. I have hundreds of images from my Art of RAR collection. And every image is painstakingly created as pieces of art. I think if I were a Japanese or an European or an American, the people in these countries will drool over my creations. These people from mature societies are more generous and receptive to creative ideas and arts, and are more ready to appreciate new art forms and creativity without the need for some authority or authoritative figure to say so. In this island, creativity is only art if other foreign talents say so. Anything coming out from our natives is unworthy of a second look. Not many really appreciate talents, creativity or art forms. I think it is more a case of lack of confidence, to dare to claim something as art for fear of losing credibility if others do not agree. In the case of reporters or art critics, what if the boss doesn’t agree? But when some foreigners did something and got reported, everyone will stand up with their mouths wide open and say, Wow, great art!. Even a naked man sitting on a chair is art! I call it stupidity, base and primitive instinct. Totally lack of ideas. It is utter nonsense, an insult to the audience and their intelligence. Then again, the audience need to be insulted if they accepted nonsense as art without protest, just because they were reported or being given a place in a grand art exhibition. If Damien Hirst were to walk across a zebra crossing, naked, it will be instantly hailed as an art form. I will wait to see who will make the first move to recognise my Art of RAR as an art form. I want to assure them that some of my pieces are in the style of some great artists, like Picasso and Wu Guan Zhong. But mine are photographic images, created by the hands of nature. I just help to give a little finishing touch to them. They came out in such forms were all nature’s doing. Not something that I have preconceived or planned. Anyone out there tempted to want to take a peep at my collection? I guarantee them that my collection will be more than kindergarten stuff. What I have created is perhaps the best thing to have happened in the local art scene: ) I need to brag a little to attract some attention.

Slaying the spectre of inflation

This is what an article in the ST is saying about the aim of the next budget. I think it is silly talk. The inflation beast has been carefully nurtured to grow to this size today, and everyone is so happy and delirious about it. The developers were encouraged to build and sell at an ever high price in a bidding system that can see prices going one way. The landlords were given a free hand to keep increasing the rentals under the guise of market forces. No need to mention about what HDB is doing. No one can meddle with market forces. The end result is a happy result. Owners of properties are all laughing at the value of their flats and private properties. And the best part, everything is simply affordable. The higher the prices, the more affordable they become, and the people can see more value in them. Higher medical bills are appropriate for world class hospitals. And rich people are discouraged from opting to go to lower class wards and pay less. Our education system is so high quality measured by the high fees that students are paying. As they say, quality and good stuff don’t come cheap. You want quality, you pay for it. And of course, with the money we are paying, we have the best quality govt in the world. An European talent said that Singapore is the best place for the future in the ST today. What more proof you need? What inflation? Where got inflation? It is quality. Everything is about quality. And Singaporeans are so rich that they can afford all the quality stuff in paradise. Singaporeans are paying the most expensive cars, housing, medical, education and almost everything. Please, please don’t slay the inflation beast. It is good, a sign of progress and better quality of life. The more Singaporean spent, the faster the economy spins, and the economic numbers will look better and better. Actually we even heard people saying, where got inflation? Everything is affordable, affordable understand? Everything is fine. Kindergartens are fine, fining parents who are late for a good cause. $2 for every 5 min. And of course the fines are affordable. A sign of things to come after the election. SMRT just increased night fare from $3.50 to $4. 50 cents only what! Imagine what would it be if the PTC would have gone through their fare review exercise? It is either now or later. Guaranteed better services after the next fare hike.