A good and glorious project for Sin City

There is a report of Canada conducting a scientific mission to map the seabed around the North Pole. I think this is a good project for Sin City to embark on. We can buy all the great scientists and all the expensive equipment. Don’t ask me what for. We can build a Centre for Scientific Research of the Artics right here in the tropical city. Then we can attend all the world conferences about the Arctic. We will be represented by our foreign talents. Better still we can be the venue for such conference with the world’s scientist community descending on our city state. We will be in the news of the world. Recognition!

We can be a participant in this mission. Never mind if it means nothing to us. Never mind if the Canadians and the Russians have a natural vested interest to secure and claim the sea in the region. We have the money and we can gain some recognition as a high brow scientific community with resident scientists also knowing what is going on in the Artics. Studying the Artics is definitely more meaningful than studying Sun bursts or the universe. The Artics are nearer and of immediate relevance.

With money we can do anything. Have money will travel. How can we be left out of such a glorious project?

Kopi Level - Red

I have been convinced, Singapore is getting more difficult to manage, and may not be around.

Singapore is growing every day and is a big country. And the bigger it grows, the bigger the island, Australia is also an island, and the bigger the population, the more complex will be its problems and ability to survive. There may not be a Singapore in 50 years. Actually I think it will be sooner, maybe 20 years, when Singapore could be renamed as something else.

When we were small, it was so easy to govern. We only need a few tertiary educated ministers, and paid them peanuts, to run the country. The rest of the cabinet and MPs were workers, no worry, everything was fine. The problems were small and easily managed. No need for the talents of scholars.

Today our problems are huge and very complicated because we are a big country. So, despite having so many scholars in the cabinet, despite paying them top dollars, practically everyone in the cabinet is paid more than the President of the USA, we may not see a Singapore in 50 years time. In fact several MPs could be getting paid more than Obama if their other directorship fees are added into their salary.

Come to think of it, we could be paying $50m annually to our cabinet of super talents and top scholars. The same amount of money could be good enough to hire 50 Obamas at the same time. Should be hearing them saying with full confidence, everything is in good hands, everything has been thought out, Singapore will go on and on, Singapore will exist forever? Why are we paying so much for so many top talents that have no confidence of Singapore still being around in 50 years? Are we paying for top or super talents, better than anyone money can buy?

There are two simple solutions to the existence of Singapore beyond 50 years. The easier one is to pay the ministers double their current salaries. This should guarantee Singapore to be still around in 100 years time. You want quality ministers, you just have to pay for it. If the current pay can only possibly see Singapore surviving for 50 years, doubling the pay should do the work for another 50 years.

Another easier solution is to openly seek talents from all over the world to replace our inept talents. If our talents are not even sure of keeping Singapore alive for 50 years, then Singapore should import real foreign talents to replace our not so talented talents for Singapore to be around for more than 50 years. Logical right?

And this can be applied across the board, from the top in govt to the top positions in the private sectors. Then the govt and private institutions would stand a chance to be around. Not sure if the Singaporeans would still be around. But that is a non issue as the new Singaporeans from everywhere are still Singaporeans.

Wow, I so clever, can solve the problem of Singapore being around in 100 years by two simple solutions and doing it all in a Sunday morning, and feeling so good and positive.

Kopi Level - Red, like at the NDP.

CPF – An asset or a liability to YOU?

CPF is our life savings, how can it be a liability? By 55 we should all be happily getting it out from our CPF accounts for our retirement. Ok, the rules have changed, by 65 we should be happy, late than never.

The rude shock to CPF members, by 55 they are told that they ‘owe’ the CPF or the govt $155,000 in the Retiremment Account and $43,500 in the Medisave Account. Yes, you need to let the CPF or govt have these sums of money like you owe them. If you don’t have enough in your CPF savings, or lesser than these sums in your CPF, you cannot take out your savings. But the CPF would be so kind to let you have $5,000.  Or you can pledge your property to the CPF for half of the total sum of the total sum of $198,500, or is it half of the $155,000, with the CPF.

Put it whatever you like, isn’t this a liability, a huge sum of money that you now ‘owe’ to the CPF?  Yes or No? By 55, many would find the CPF a liability instead of an asset in away.

This must be another Uniquely Singapore thing. You can owe the govt or a savings scheme money when you are supposed to be taking out your savings to live your golden years. And many Singaporeans are finding this damn stressful.

Oh, not to forget, if you sell your property bought using your CPF savings, you have to return the sum borrowed plus the equivalent of interests that the money should have earned over the same period to your CPF account even if you are retired, in your 80s or 90s or 120s. It is not that after the withdrawal age kicks in, whatever money you took out for the purchase of properties is none of the CPF business. All these open ended contributions to the CPF regardless of age must be driving many people crazy, except the people making these rules and collecting the money.

Tiok boh?

Kopi Level - Green

National Day Rehearsal - 2 Aug 14

These pictures were taken last week. The top pic is the performance stage, the largest floating stage in the world. Pic 2 and 3 are the performers and dancers in front of a huge screen. Pic 4 and 5 are the Red Lions dropping from the sky. Pic 6 and 7, the guards firing the 21 gun salute. Pic 8, beautiful doggies dressed up for the National Day. And the last pic is the fly past of the national flag in a clear sky with nice cirrus clouds.

For those who want to view the actions again, today's the day, 9 Aug, with the parade starting at 5.30pm. The performers and dancers would start the show at about 4pm.

Kopi Level - Green

A different kind of reserves Our national reserves, the money type, is going up and up, more and more, and no one knows how much is enough. The more the merrier. We could be sitting on more than a trillion dollars today. Not enough, sure not enough. More would be added every year and when we hit $2 trillion or $5 trillion, it will still grow and grow. There is no limit to what is enough.
 
We have another kind of reserves that are dwindling by the day. It gets lesser and lesser, smaller and smaller. Maybe because no one actually refers to it as national reserves, so losing it is ok. Actually not losing is, but transforming it into other more valuable assets is ok. I am referring to our land, the natural reserves, the parks, the green lungs and land that are not highrise.
 
There are some numbers like a certain percentage to be kept according to the planners. And this number is always getting smaller. No one actually says or is fighting for our land reserves to grow bigger. Any piece of reclaimed land is already chopped for use even before it is ready or reclaimed.
 
It may be nice to include our land reserves into the formula for national reserves to enjoy the privilege of growing and growing, or at least untouchable, cannot take out, or after taking it out, must put back with interests. Then we will have our land protected and even grow bigger. If not, our land and the reserved land will risk being used up for economic growth. We need the space, the fresh air, the option to be with nature, with the trees, the birds and the grass and rivers.
 
The land has more values than just being converted to industrial or commercial uses. They are our national reserves, to be kept and better to grow bigger. Unfortunately its fate is reversely proportional to economic growth or population growth. Can’t imagine how much of our land would be left as reserves when 6.9m or 10m becomes a reality.

Kopi Level - Green