A young student, quoting a 70 year old, I think, on the monkey problem
faced by our rich citizens in their landed homes, suggested culling as
the only solution to the problem. Culling is bad, unethical but
necessary. The monkeys have been a nuisance to the residents, disturbing
their peace, even threatening to harm children. The safety of the
residents is more important than the lives of the monkeys for sure.
Has anyone asked who is intruding into whose habitat, whose land or
landed properties? Are the monkeys invading into our living space or the
human beans carving away at the little greenery left in this island for
the monkeys? The truth is that they were here first and their homes and
playgrounds have been seized by the human beans. OK OK, they are but
animals.
The monkeys are like the Red Indians and we like the White Americans. We
encroached into their land, we stole their land and found their
presence irritating, unbearable. They, the Red Indians and the monkeys,
have become nuisance and need to be driven away or culled. But we also
have a little bit of conscience to know that culling, actually killing,
is a bad thing to do just to get rid of a little inconvenience.
At the rate we are expanding and bringing in more human beans to
populate this little piece of rock, soon there will be no place for the
original natives, the wildlife like the monkeys and the wild boars,
musangs, snakes and cats in the last of the remaining forests. We are
the invaders, the robbers of their land and homes.
We keep taking their land in the name of economic growth, for some
developers and the govt to sell the land and properties for more money.
Yes, culling is the only solution. It is a pity that the monkeys could
not cull the human beans who are not only a nuisance but raiders of
their homes and depriving them of their way of life. Human beans are so
humane and caring and kind. We are all animal lovers, up to a point.
Killing one dog is not acceptable. Culling families of wild boars and
monkeys is ok.
When our population hits 6.9m or more, the human beans here may start to
think about culling human beans for their own comfort and safety when
things get too rough. They will start to behave like white mice. The
syndrome of intolerance and anger is starting to show in crowded places
like trains and common areas.
Heh…heh…heh.
11/15/2013
Why are there still persistent calls for Sinkies to go overseas to work?
If Sinkies can’t make it here they should go overseas. There are plenty
of opportunities overseas. The world is your oyster. Now, if we have
built a paradise here, good living environment to set up family and grow
children, good jobs and pay, why would Sinkies want to go overseas? And
then let foreigners to come in to take over their jobs, live in their
houses, take care of their families, and take over the country?
What is the point of a owning a mansion when you cannot live in it? Go overseas, by all means, to travel, to enjoy, to see the world, but to work for a living and leave the paradise behind, or leave your family behind? Going overseas to work must be not out of necessity but a choice to experience, to widen the horizon, for the adventure.
Going overseas to work is different from going overseas to do business, to sell products and services. Our companies, manufacturers, service providers, should venture overseas to increase their revenue, their profitability like Sembawang, like Capitaland, like Hyflux etc etc. Chasing our people overseas to be employees is a stupid thing when jobs are plentiful here and the living environment is good. Why must we hire foreigners here and chase our citizens away, from their families, from their homes and country?
Why chase our citizens overseas only to replace their absence by foreigners that don’t really contribute much to improve the country but to fill up the vacuum, to take their place and enjoy the comfort and infrastructure built by our citizens…that were chased away? Whose bright idea is that? I hear a lot of parrots parroting the same silly tune. Do they know what it means, what are the implications to the lives of these people who have to leave their families behind?
Do they know the implications to the future of this country? Do they know that the country has been taken over by foreigners? One day they might realize their folly too late when they returned to find their country no more. Or they might not be able to return home any more.
They are the best talents available, the thinkers and planners. The wise men and women.
What is the point of a owning a mansion when you cannot live in it? Go overseas, by all means, to travel, to enjoy, to see the world, but to work for a living and leave the paradise behind, or leave your family behind? Going overseas to work must be not out of necessity but a choice to experience, to widen the horizon, for the adventure.
Going overseas to work is different from going overseas to do business, to sell products and services. Our companies, manufacturers, service providers, should venture overseas to increase their revenue, their profitability like Sembawang, like Capitaland, like Hyflux etc etc. Chasing our people overseas to be employees is a stupid thing when jobs are plentiful here and the living environment is good. Why must we hire foreigners here and chase our citizens away, from their families, from their homes and country?
Why chase our citizens overseas only to replace their absence by foreigners that don’t really contribute much to improve the country but to fill up the vacuum, to take their place and enjoy the comfort and infrastructure built by our citizens…that were chased away? Whose bright idea is that? I hear a lot of parrots parroting the same silly tune. Do they know what it means, what are the implications to the lives of these people who have to leave their families behind?
Do they know the implications to the future of this country? Do they know that the country has been taken over by foreigners? One day they might realize their folly too late when they returned to find their country no more. Or they might not be able to return home any more.
They are the best talents available, the thinkers and planners. The wise men and women.
If the region did not embrace Islam
We inherited our religion. Some times back, our forefathers or parents
were not religious. Then one of them decided to embrace a religion, be
it Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism or whatever, it
became our religion. Some have the choice to discard the religion and
change to another religion, some did not have that choice. Changing a
religion can be tantamount to a betrayal, becoming an outcast or could
even be killed.
Once a religion has been chosen, the whole lifestyle and thinking process changed. The affinity to what is good, comfortable, familiar, changed. The social and economic behavior and system also changed. In this region, Malaysia and Indonesia are Islamic countries with varying degrees. Indonesian polity is still secular while Malaysia is as good as an Islamic state. Singapore is secular and rojak as far as religion is concerned. The Philippines are more Catholic while Myammar and Thailand are Buddhists. The attitude towards life changed.
The primary religious forces that are making a lot of demands on the state in these three countries are Islam and to a lesser extent Christianity/Catholicism. Islam has been the domineering force in Malaysia and Indonesia and to some extent Singapore. Christianity did surface now and then to contest their rights as a religious group but nothing that unmanageable other than the Marxist Conspiracy episode. The other religions are not so demanding on the state in their own ways.
What kind of countries or societies would these three countries turn out today if the regional communities decided some time in the past to embrace another religion other than Islam? I am not placing any subjective views on the values or goodness of any religion but just pondering what could have been when the first base was changed.
Imagine a Malaysia and Indonesia that are more like Thailand or more like the Philippines with the accompanying life style changes, belief system and culture. This is only a hypothetical situation that would not happen but would have changed the socio political map in the region.
Once a religion has been chosen, the whole lifestyle and thinking process changed. The affinity to what is good, comfortable, familiar, changed. The social and economic behavior and system also changed. In this region, Malaysia and Indonesia are Islamic countries with varying degrees. Indonesian polity is still secular while Malaysia is as good as an Islamic state. Singapore is secular and rojak as far as religion is concerned. The Philippines are more Catholic while Myammar and Thailand are Buddhists. The attitude towards life changed.
The primary religious forces that are making a lot of demands on the state in these three countries are Islam and to a lesser extent Christianity/Catholicism. Islam has been the domineering force in Malaysia and Indonesia and to some extent Singapore. Christianity did surface now and then to contest their rights as a religious group but nothing that unmanageable other than the Marxist Conspiracy episode. The other religions are not so demanding on the state in their own ways.
What kind of countries or societies would these three countries turn out today if the regional communities decided some time in the past to embrace another religion other than Islam? I am not placing any subjective views on the values or goodness of any religion but just pondering what could have been when the first base was changed.
Imagine a Malaysia and Indonesia that are more like Thailand or more like the Philippines with the accompanying life style changes, belief system and culture. This is only a hypothetical situation that would not happen but would have changed the socio political map in the region.
11/14/2013
$4.3b for 5 km of marvel
The Marina Coastal Expressway cost the people $4.3b. Let me make this
number simpler. It is $860m for one kilometer of road. Or let me make it
more down to earth, it is $860,000 for 1 metre of road. Does this make
any sense to you? Can you appreciate what this mean?
OK, you live in a 5 rm HDB flat. How much does it cost you when you bought it? At today’s price direct from the HDB it can vary from $300k to $600k depending on the location. One can get a resale unit in one in the urban area for just about this price.
In other words, the cost to build one meter of the expressway is equivalent to one to three HDB 5rm flats. I think this is the bigger marvel than the 420m stretch under the sea. It must be great value. Some experts reportedly said this price tag could well be justified. They are not sure, I think.
Who can authorize the spending of such a big sum of money and what is the process before the project is approved?
I like the marvel part. We should build more marvels.
OK, you live in a 5 rm HDB flat. How much does it cost you when you bought it? At today’s price direct from the HDB it can vary from $300k to $600k depending on the location. One can get a resale unit in one in the urban area for just about this price.
In other words, the cost to build one meter of the expressway is equivalent to one to three HDB 5rm flats. I think this is the bigger marvel than the 420m stretch under the sea. It must be great value. Some experts reportedly said this price tag could well be justified. They are not sure, I think.
Who can authorize the spending of such a big sum of money and what is the process before the project is approved?
I like the marvel part. We should build more marvels.
China wasted opportunity to improve relations with the Philippines?
The typhoon disaster in the Philippines offers an opportunity for China
to win some goodwill from the Philippines Govt and its people by
offering more aid. This is the view of some commentators that China
could donate more to the victims instead of a paltry sum of US$200k. The
Americans coughed out US$20m, the UK 20m pounds and the Japanese
US$10m.
In my view, even if China would to pour US$100m into the Philippines, it would be money pouring into a bottomless shit hole. Tomorrow, after everything is over, the Philippines will be up to its monkey business and be a pain in the arse to the Chinese Govt again. And it would even attack Hongkong or Taiwanese fishing boats given a chance, arrest them, haul them to their islands and demand a ransom.
The Philippines Govt has placed its stake with the Americans and the Japanese and would not want to be on better terms with the Chinese. It is prepared to fight China with the Japanese and the Americans. China can forget about getting some goodwill from them.
Having said this, the human tragedy in the Philippines is a different issue and on humanity ground China may want to give a bit more. But don’t expect anything good coming from the Pinoys. If anything that can come from the Philippines it will be more provocations and more frustrations. To hope for anything positive is to be greatly disappointed and very painful when the Pinoys slam at China again.
Should China give anything more, it is like throwing some money to a beggar on the roadside and best to just walk away, don’t look back hoping for a smile or a gesture of thanks and gratefulness. The cards are stacked and nothing the Chinese Govt can do to change its relations with the Philippines.
Sometimes it is better to be less gracious than be stupid. Give only on humanitarian ground and don’t be an academic fool to expect something in return. The Pinoys have behaved like an irritating pest for too long and would not change.
In my view, even if China would to pour US$100m into the Philippines, it would be money pouring into a bottomless shit hole. Tomorrow, after everything is over, the Philippines will be up to its monkey business and be a pain in the arse to the Chinese Govt again. And it would even attack Hongkong or Taiwanese fishing boats given a chance, arrest them, haul them to their islands and demand a ransom.
The Philippines Govt has placed its stake with the Americans and the Japanese and would not want to be on better terms with the Chinese. It is prepared to fight China with the Japanese and the Americans. China can forget about getting some goodwill from them.
Having said this, the human tragedy in the Philippines is a different issue and on humanity ground China may want to give a bit more. But don’t expect anything good coming from the Pinoys. If anything that can come from the Philippines it will be more provocations and more frustrations. To hope for anything positive is to be greatly disappointed and very painful when the Pinoys slam at China again.
Should China give anything more, it is like throwing some money to a beggar on the roadside and best to just walk away, don’t look back hoping for a smile or a gesture of thanks and gratefulness. The cards are stacked and nothing the Chinese Govt can do to change its relations with the Philippines.
Sometimes it is better to be less gracious than be stupid. Give only on humanitarian ground and don’t be an academic fool to expect something in return. The Pinoys have behaved like an irritating pest for too long and would not change.
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