Wage hike = inflation, salary increment no inflation

The workers are scratching their heads again. Why wage hike will lead to inflation and salary increment will not? Very simple. The answer was given in the ST a few days ago. Singapore’s inflation rate hit a high of 5.2%. But this inflation rate will not affect the workers because hor, it only affects the rich who buy expensive cars and pay high COEs or expensive multi million properties. The inflation is only at the high end. There is no inflation at the low end as workers did not buy these big ticket items, or at least workers are not affected. Heng ah!

But when there is a wage hike, all the workers will be having a spending spree at their favourite food courts or hawker centres, and the prices of food will shoot up, leading to high inflation. Some will spend like a king in Batam, Bintan and JB. Now I am scratching my head also. This logic sounds right or not?

Workers say no to wage hike

While the workers of the world rose in protest over their low wages, the workers here were celebrating their good fortune. All of them looked so happy, and so rich. And they expectedly rejected the shock therapy of Lim Chong Yah that offered them a 50% pay rise in 3 years. Unbelieveable!

I think the workers are reading Lim Chong Yah’s therapy selectively. For one, Lim Chong Yah is no ordinary academic and he is definitely Not mad. How could an eminent economics professor make a recommendation that the workers and the super talents all objected in unison as if it is flawed? How could they counter with the argument that the rising cost of production due to higher wages would make the companies not competitive? It cannot be. The money paid to the workers must come from somewhere to balance it. And this is the part that no one wants to talk about. Where is the money coming from?

What Lim Chong Yah did not say directly is that the fat cows are too fat and can afford not to stuff in more food for the next three years. With their current intake, they could continue to be fat cows. The real objection to Lim Chong Yah’s proposal is likely to be this, that the fat cows want to eat more and more and their current intake is not enough. That is why if raising the worker’s wages did not come with a salary freeze at the top it will spell disaster. And that is right. But Lim Chong Yah did not ask for this disaster. He is asking the fat cows to take a break and stop taking more for a while.

When rejecting Lim Chong Yah, one must look at his full recommendations, not just raising worker’s wages alone. But workers are workers, just lead them and they will follow happily.

Watching Animal Farm

Today the workers celebrated May Day. I also worker, so I rest and watch the movie Animal Farm. But I also stacked up some roast beef, wine and some caviar to go along. It was great watching the movie with so much food around me and nothing to worry about.

Aung San Suu Kyi

I am seeing this gutsy woman everyday and several times today on TV. She is definitely the woman of the decade or the century, the feminine half of Nelson Mandela. I can't resist showing off a painting of her by Mother Nature. Don't expect a photographic representation of Suu Kyi as the canvas used by Mother Nature is nothing but water. The nature of water is ever fluid and changing and any images will be changed completely the next moment. This did not prevent Mother Nature for creating an image of Suu Kyi displaying her as a very strong will lady. In the painting she is all cool and filled with steely determination to stay her course and her fight for the freedom of Myanmar. Mother Nature likes her.

This painting is done using the Art of RAR Technique with Mother Nature as the master painter. This technique is developed by yours truly, a native art form invented by me, a Singaporean. Yes, it is a new Singaporean art form, not recognised by the conventional art community yet. The uniqueness of this technique is that you do not need an object to take a photograph. I have shot the Tree of Life without a tree and Suu Kyi without her presence. I have painted women, historical relics, celestial beasts, abstract faces, fishes etc etc, all from nothing.

In this aspect, it is like a painter painting something from his head, an image or form that he conceived of but not necessary an object. Only a painter can do that but no photographer can, until now. Photographers must have an object to shoot. Shooting an ideal or imaginary image is just not possible in photography until I discovered this technique. The images forming in the water are just like the images inside the head of an artist that no camera can capture. Now in a way I can.

I am claiming this unique photography technique as a Singaporean invention. It is still in its nascent stage of development and all my paintings were captured in environment that I have no control of. If I have the facilities and set up I would be able to make a more conducive environment and condition for Mother Nature to show much more of what she could do.

Today is May Day and the workers rest and celebrate. I rest too, and indulge in this hobby or art form of mine that gives me many satisfying moments. Oh, I even painted Michael Jackson, Bugs Bunny, Red Indian Chief, an Ascetic on a Mule, a girl lying abreast on top of two beasts and a Bali Dancer. These rar arts were the works of the first stage of my experiment with this technique, and all the images were actually created from Koi fish. I blew a whistle and they formed up for me to shoot: ) The pieces were not as refine as the second phase of my work. There were two masters showing me two different concepts on how to get these paintings.

My early paintings are also posted in my Art of RAR Gallery. Would this technique blossom as a truly Singaporean art form?

May Day... May Day... May Day

These two words, repeat three times, were the first most important words my instructor told me when I was a trainee pilot. It is a distress call when one is in the air and the aircraft is having engine trouble, or whatever crisis situation that has developed. I was lucky never to have the need to send out this distress call.

The above image is a very inspirational photopainting of mine. It is called The Tree of Life. Many of you must be familiar with this biblical concept. I am no Christian nor Catholic. I read the bible and is familiar with this concept in Genesis.

I took my pictures using a technique called The Art of RAR. It involves taking pictures of reflection and refraction, decode it and viola, I have a painting. I have many series of paintings from this process.

When this picture appeared to me during my docoding of the photographs, I instantly recognised that it is the Tree of Life. It looked like a tree for sure. Then it could be any tree, a rambutan tree or a durian tree. Why should it be the Tree of Life? A tree is recognised by the fruits it bears.

I needed some convincing and affirmation that this is the real Tree of Life. I have seen many painters and their images of the Tree of Life but this is different. This tree came to me without any premeditation, without any plans, and no fixing. When I shoot my images, my mind is clear of all thoughts and I am prepared for anything that comes out. Every picture is a mystery and a creation of chance. I have series on women, historical relics, abstract faces, coral fish, celestial beasts etc etc, and now this.

If this is the Tree of Life, there must be signs of life in the tree. I put the painting under the microscope for scrutiny, like looking for life forms in the moon. Believe me, there are life forms in the tree. There were several images of human forms in the tree, like the fruits of the tree. And the images were well formed and as clear as daylight. I can't believe my eyes. This is an image I shot of reflection and refraction on the surface of water and nothing else. And the last thing in my mind is the Tree of Life. It was conceived and crafted by mother nature with no human interference.

I have several other shots of similar trees in the series. They look the same as this tree. Some too have similar human images on them, but very few and not as well defined. I can still call them Trees of Life as they are similar in appearance but with lesser or no fruits on them yet.

I am planning to hold a solo exhibition on my Art of RAR paintings in Oct/Dec. The main piece of my rar art will be this Tree of Life. And I am not shouting May Day, May Day, May Day. I should be shouting Hallelujah!

PS, for a clearer view click my link to the Art of RAR Gallery on the right, the picture with the purple face. For those who are fascinated by this painting, try counting the number of human images on the tree. And don't miss out the lady in the centre with a white shawl.