Beware of your pockets

If the forum pages of the main media are an indication of what is over the horizon, I am fearful of what is in the pipeline. The main media has rightly been perceived as the sounding board for the govt policies, what the govt has in mind are often tested first in the media for a ground feel or to signal what is coming next. And the preview could lessen the impact when policies are implemented with the people mentally prepared for the shock.

The last few days the signals are for higher cost of water consumption and hitting hard on car ownership. Two foreigners, I am guessing from their names, likely new citizens or PRs, one a Dr Asit K Biswa and a Cecilia Tottajada, wrote to the ST forum that the cost of water was too low, or cheap and it was time to tighten the tap on cheap water to reduce consumption. Another comment, not sure if it was from the same two, ‘the price of water has not increased since 2000’.

See the reasoning for the increase? So long never increase so much increase. The other reason, must increase price to cut down on consumption. Aren’t the people already paying too much for water with different kinds of water conservation taxes? Not enough, still want to increase? And the reason is to cut down on consumption. Did they know the history of water pricing and the cost of water instead of gut feel of cheap or expensive, based on what, market mechanism?

Hey professori from whatever university, I already limit myself to take bath once a week to cut down on water usage. Not enough? And I only brush teeth once in two days. And I also use used water to flush the toilet bowl, which means the water is used several times before flushing down the drain. Do you know or not? It is so easy to talk about cutting down consumption. Tell the poor worker to cut down on food consumption lah. But make sure you know how many meals he is taking and what he is taking in the first place. If the guy is already taking plain bread or plain porridge and only two times a day, how much more to you want him to cut down? You think everyone eat like a pig, 5 meals a day? You think everyone is hosing water on their cars?

Do these so called academics know what they are talking?

And the other call, not by an academic I think, to reduce car usage, is to make car use prohibitive. What a moron. The next thing, to manage the use of precious land, shrink the size of flats by half to make it painful. There are many people who must use car whether for work or for special needs. Using the car is a necessity and sometime unavoidable. And there are many small enterprises that need a car or they could not operate. Increase cost to make it prohibitive? I see shit coming out of the mouth.

But put these silly thinkers and comments aside. What is behind these calls, is it an indication of what is coming and the media or govt is preparing the ground for increase in water fees and more financial disincentives to car usage?

What are the real problems to water usage and car usage? What are the causes to high water usage and car population? You dunno meh? Think 10m or 6.9m. If the govt is crazy to keep pumping more people into this piece of rock, water will always be not enough and no matter how high the price is, the people would still need to use them. Fuck the pseudo academics. And so will be space for cars. 5m and we are so squeezed with so many cars, 6.9m and 10m, how would it affect car prices and car usage? Is this what we want? Is this for better quality of life? Prohibit car ownership, prohibit water consumption so that everyone would smell like a sweaty manual worker and cannot afford to bathe?

This is already one of the most expensive city to live in. Want to increase cost further by more stupid suggestions?

Amos Yee – Autism Spectrum Disease 人在做天在看

‘District Judge Jasvender Kaur today (23 Jun) ordered teenage blogger Amos Yee to be remanded for 2 weeks at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to undergo a psychiatric assessment.
The court heard that an RTC report had found the 16-year-old physically and mentally fit to undergo reformative training. However, a report by Dr Munidasa Winslow also said that Amos may be suffering from autism-spectrum disorder.’ TRE Editorial 
What is this ASD? According to a psychiatrist interviewed by CNA, an Adrian Wong if I remember correctly, there are three signs to watch out for. Difficulties in reading or articulation, difficulties in relationship, and a kind of stubbornness in views on things. And generally almost everyone has such symptoms in varying degree. In my view, of course I am not a psychiatrist, I also can say maybe everyone has ASD. Tiok boh? 
Look around us, how many people did not have the three signs? Cannot speak properly, plenty of them. Have relationship problem with people, how many people did not have this problem? I will say none, everyone has some relationship problem with some people. Have a kind of stubbornness in views of things like insisting that Amos is sick when he is not. How many people are sticking to this sick view? I think in this case, everyone is suffering from ASD except Amos Yee. Yes Amos is the only normal one. 
Let me put up my justifications. Amos is extremely articulate, no problem with communication. Relationship with people, he is so friendly. See how he waved to everyone and smiling all the time despite being charged with this horrible crime? At his age, with the whole state machinery and a lot of sick people gunning him down, he has a mind of steel, standing rock solid and not breaking. This is a sign of a very emotionally strong person. Many people would have broken down. Not Amos Yee. It is the other people that are having relationship problems, and with him. It is not Amos having problems with other people. And all those people are sickly sticking to an obtuse view about Amos that the UNHCHR and HRW are saying all hogwash. There is nothing wrong with Amos Yee. He is a healthy young boy and behaving like many young boys of his age and intelligence. 
How, my justifications can jalan or not? Reasonable or not? And Amos is fit for Reformative Training but suffering from ASD? Tiok boh? Like also can? If Amos has relationship problems with people, how can he be but put in the same confines with troublesome youth in the Reformative Centre? Would they not murder him since Amos cannot get along with them? Is it the right thing to do? Oops, wrong question to ask about right or wrong thing. 
I think everyone should be sent for Mandatory Treatment Order instead of Amos Yee. In my view, not the view of a psychiatrist, everyone is sick except Amos. Just my layman’s view.  
Please, disagree with me as much as you like. I am not an authority on this ASD thing.

Mahathir declares Langkawi a new nation

News Flash--Mahathir bought Langkawi island for new Nation

Now, he can build his crooked bridge n treat the kampong folks as their medical director apart from landlord (King Mahathir).

Mahathir said he had bought the island from the Sultan of Kedah for an undisclosed sum and has declared it as an independent state.

Who is cheating the Malays of their inheritance, if this is true?

Can someone verify this? If true he can joined his nemesis in the club of founding nation members.

PS. GiGo confirmed it is a joke.

Khaw Boon Wan – Every Sporean couple a chance to live in HDB flat

I told you right, this is the best minister in the PAP. His thinking at least is thinking. He is the only one who can see the silliness of depriving a Singaporean from buying a HDB flat and living in a HDB flat. Only sick minds can deprive a Singaporean from living in a HDB flat. It is a betrayal to all NSmen to deprive them of buying a HDB flat when new citizens that never served NS can buy and live in HDB flats. And it takes so long until a good Buddhist man comes up with a clear idea of what is wrong with that insidious policy against NSmen. Imagine no one can see anything wrong with it. It must be Boon Wan’s meditation and he saw the light.

And many young couples have been excluded from buying HDB flats and forced to buy private flats and have to live with a huge mortgage that many would find it a big burden to carry. It happened. And asses would be blaming them for not having enough savings for retirement.

Now, when would Boon Wan correct this wrongful policy, a crime against our young people? Let’s hope he does not take another 56 man years to make this right. All NSmen paid a heavy price to serve the country, how can they be excluded from buying a HDB flat? And to rub salt into their wounds, new citizens never serve NS can buy HDB flats to resell to these NSmen at a profit. I want to use the four letter word already,  but must respect Boon Wan, so I try to be polite here.

Even in practical terms, every young couple would start life earning $2k or $3k and be eligible to buy HDB flats other than those whose parents are ministers and can afford to buy private homes. Many have to delay buying because of circumstance beyond their control, unable to find the right partners or other reasons that made them to do so. And by the time when they needed a flat, their incomes could have exceeded the stupid income ceiling imposed by HDB. And they became the citizens that sacrificed 2 and ½ years of their precious youth to serve the country, pledged to defend the country with their lives with more years as a reservist, and cannot buy HDB flat! Can you believe it?

Lucky, so very lucky, there is a wise and good man in Boon Wan to make things right. So, how are they going to compensate for the wrongs done to those young couples out there? And please, no more silly schemes to force young couples to buy bigger flats just because they are earning more. Prudence! You know what is the meaning of prudence? It means don’t anyhow spend. Spend only when necessary and save your money for the rainy day or for retirement. Do not let silly fucks to blame them for buying bigger flats and ended with little savings for retirement. It is elementary isn’t it? And it is a sickness of the mind to continue to victimize the young people with silly policies.

Ok, the ball is now in Boon Wan’s feet. Do the right thing and the decent thing. No more silly schemes and silly explanations please.

1974 – The last supper

1974 was the year the British pulled out of Singapore to wave goodbye to their Empire and one of the last colonies left in the Far East. 1974 was the 1997 of Hongkong, the last vestiges of the British Empire. What the British did here, though in a small scale, was similar to what they did to Hongkong in a huge scale.

In Hongkong, the Treasury was open to the British to help themselves. And they spent and spent, on anything they fancied, for the good of Hongkong or for good of Westminister. The Hongkong Treasury had a lot of cash waiting to be emptied and the one holding the key, the British of course, would make it easy for Chris Patten to do the necessary.

In Singapore, by 1974 we were already an independent country and the Treasury was out of bound to the British. We were an independent country and governing ourselves except for the military bases that were still in operation.

I was a young officer in RAF/RSAF Tengah. All military units under the British tradition have this thing called Officer’s Mess where the officers dined and wined. Though the beer and liquor were tax exempted, still the Mess was able to have a nice  surplus over the years, including revenue from the jackpot machine.

What would the British want to do with the money? They have contributed a big chunk to it by their drinking in the bar. They are not going to leave it behind for us to inherit. They are going to spend it one way or another.

That December of 1974 was a grand last supper before the British packed up and leave, leaving behind nothing in the Mess kitty. They organized an opulence party to celebrate for one last time. It was not so much as to have a good time. It was how to finish off the money in the kitty. The spread of food and drinks was not only generous, but wasteful and very unnecessary. There were less than a hundred of them left and about a similar number of us locals taking over the Mess.

What the British did was to open up three dining areas for the night with all kinds of food, Asian and European and what not. As if this was not enough, there were, if I can remember, three separate bars, with free flowing of beer and liquor, on the house of course, like the food. And that was not enough, I think there were three bands playing in three different areas.

It was like money everywhere and money to be spent to make everyone happy. They were throwing the money at everyone, at themselves and to us, to partake everything in that one evening. They were still in control, in control of he money, the money soon to be OPM, no longer theirs if they didn’t spend it. It was so easy to spend money that was OPM and had a good time.

When the curtain is about to fall, why not? At least they made themselves happy and emptied the kitty at the same time. They are not looking back. They know that the money would not be theirs anymore to spend. It was like ‘It’s now or never’.

That was 1974, the last day of the Empire. We never see them again. Or we never allow them to take control again, not with our money.