SINGAPORE SHORT STORIES

As year 2007 comes to a close, let us recall some of the key stories that grabbed the headlines in Singapore this year. These stories are listed in no order of priority: UNSW Bombshell The University of South Wales (UNSW) pulled its campuses out from Singapore as quickly as it have them set up, leaving many students in a fix. Many affected students eventually accepted the university’s offer to continue their education in Australia. A380 The much awaited A380 giants finally soared to the sky after years of waiting and delay. A new ruling is implemented to prevent couples from making love in some of the very posh cabins. Taxi touting Letters written to the Straits Times complaining and lamenting on taxi touts finally caused the authorities to act by lifting the penalty for taxi touts. F1 Singapore will host its leg of the F1 tournament right on our sunny shores come 28 September 2008! And yesterday, Punggol residents had their taste of a F1 when their constituency staged its own Gold Kar

The part of Waterloo Street flanked by KuanYin temple and the Indian temple, OG shopping centre, Albert Complex and the food centre is a microcosm of daily Singapore life. The rhythm of life is encapsulated on this street. Here, one can see a good representation of the different races living on this island and as well as the various groups of foreigners congregating on this lively street. Every time I come to this street, I am also enthralled by the many ‘performers’ on the street. These can be peddlers selling some ‘magical’ charms or acrobats performing intriguing acts. Of late, I spot a tiny ‘performer’ (woman in a child’s body) borned with both legs twisted to the front, so that her feet and head face different directions. She was singing on a karaoke set and asking for donations from the crowd of on-lookers. There are many other interesting ‘performers’ on this street and what I have observed is that many of these ‘performers’ do not look local. Though these performers liven up th

I have recently completed reading the book titled Singapore Hawker Centres: People, Places and Food written by Professor Lily Kong from the National University of Singapore. This book rightly captures the essences of our Hawker Centres and its relevance to the lives of Singaporeans from the past to the present. Our ubiquitous Hawker Centres are really the gems of our small nation. Dining out and eating with friends have almost become a ritual of our daily lives, not just as a mean to fill our empty stomach. In fact our hawker centres, a central part of our lives have become one of “the 1000 places that one must visit before one dies”. There is no more addition to the existing number of hawker centres in our country. What have been springing up are food courts, restaurants, cafes and the likes. The quality of food served at very affordable prices is the main draw of hawker centres. Conversely, many food courts I have patronised before served very low quality food in very small serving p

Teachers will get a hike in their salaries and fatter bonuses with effect from next year, the Ministry of Education announced. This announcement brought cheers to the 29,000 teachers in Singapore, at least in my opionion :) It is a challenging time and exciting time to be a teacher in Singapore. In this era, knowledge is dynamic and ever-changing and these demand constant upgrading of the teachers to imbibe the constant changing information, transform them into knowledge and impart to the students. The Ministry is giving generous scholarships, bursaries and allowances for teachers to upgrade their qualifications, from bachelor to Masters and even doctorates. Imparting knowledge to the students in this era may be more challenging than the yester-years. Now there are a wide range of techological devices to impart knowledge. Different facets of knowledge transfer asides, the students of today may be more sophiscated than before and the teachers of today have to really connect with the stu

In just two days time, 2007 will come to a closure. It was a rude awakening and a shock to denizens the world over when the daughter of the Muslim Word, Benazir Bhutto was assassinated during a public rally on 27 Dec 2007 (Thu) Singapore time. Bhutto had a vision for Pakistan, a country fraught with malaise and struggle. She stood as the symbol against terrorism and a beacon of hope for a better tomorrow for Pakistan. Surviving assassinations many times before, and despites reminder morbid death notes by her nemesis, she returned to Pakistan in her attempt to liberalise Pakistan, unafraid and determined. She has died, as a result of cowardly terrorist act but the world over shared her vision and mission. The terrorists have won this time round but the fight against terrorists will continue and be strengthed further !

I find it increasingly difficult to take the MRT these days as the train is always packed to the periphery, to the extent that sometimes, one’s body can be pasted like a sucker-fish to the door of the train (no kidding!) The overcrowding of the MRT at most times of the day may be attributed to the population increase, the simply reluctance of the passengers to move into the interior of the train and the recent price hikes of petrol which may encourage more use of public transport among the population. With Singapore gearing to an ever-increasing population, it is a real challenge to accommodate transportation needs of the people in this land-scare island. Though MRTs are efficient modes of public transport, to curb overcrowding of the train, more services at higher frequencies may be necessary but this would inevitably lead to higher fares. Mannerism and basic courtesy of Singaporeans are embedded attributes, which are unfortunately hard to change over these years despites numerous cam

Prices of many essential items such as flour and oil have increased in the recent few weeks, leaving many Singaporeans concerned and worried. Basic necessities asides, the price of petrol has also skyrocketed a little, leading to corresponding increases in the prices of petrol and inevitably higher taxi fares. Prior to these increases, GST this year has increased from 5% to 7%, and with the recent increases of many items, prices of hawker fares have subsequently seen a hike. All these increases this year may have put a strain on the pockets of the average Singaporeans, thus when the latest increases to top civil servants and ministers were announced, some Singaporeans lamented that it was not the most appropriate time for the increase. I would not dwell on the link between top pay and top talent. I believe one shall have read the lengthy justifications made for these pay increases in the newspapers. To me, the salaries of the top civil servants are definitely high but these may be reas

The SEA games ended last Saturday 15 Dec 07 with Singapore at the 6th position, clinching a total gold medal tally of 43. Our result at the SEA games was neither impressing nor poor. It was mediocre and to a certain extent fell short of expectation. We had a patchy performance with excellent results in some sports and under-performance in traditional strong arenas. It led some Singaporeans to wonder whether the heavy investments in our sports and our athletes were worthwhile? Consider countries like Thailand, which did not have such a heavy investment in their athletes nor handsome rewards for them as Singapore, and yet these countries produced sterling results at the SEA games. To me, talent is both nature and nurture. One may argue that Thailand is a much larger country than Singapore. In a bigger country, the number and quality of the talent pool may be definitely much greater than that of a small country like Singapore. With sufficient training given to its athletes, it is not hard

Recently I bought a game item from a reputable retail shop in a shopping centre. The item was sealed up in a neat transparent packaging with the price tag clearly labeled. After payment, I happily brought the item home. Impressed with the neat and transparent packaging which in my impression, conveys quality of the product, I did not open the game item until a few days later. Imagine my shock when I tore open the plastic wrapping and the stickers, only to find an aged box, which showed once the packaging, was torn. Examining the game item, I realized some parts of the item were missing ! It definitely pays to check one’s items after purchase and not to assume the purchased item has no defects, no matter how well packaged the item may be. I endured some inconvenience to bring back the game item to the shop where I bought it and convinced the staff there for a replacement, especially tedious when I had thrown away the receipt. I realized how applicable the adage “Do not judge a book by i

While passing the park connector between Tampines Avenue 10 and Pasir Ris, there are evidences of people poaching wildlife. Laying nets, armed with some traps, they straddle the shallow rivers, the canals and lay their baiting traps, hopefully to catch some wildlife. These can be fishes, or sometimes some rare creatures such as iguanas. Most often, they fail in their attempts as they are not skilled but once their baits are caught, they may be rewarded handsomely. And if they themselves are caught, the cost is even greater.

This month seems to be a month of marriages, with me witnessing, one after another, my friends, stepping into the aisle, being congratulated by friends and relatives. To get married at the age of twenty-plus in this age is considered early. Marriage is a commitment and my friends are already signing on this life long commitment at this tender age. Married or not, there are pros and cons, and it depends on one’s viewpoints of things. Responsibilities come flooding once one gets married. Being a good husband, a good father, taking care of wife and children, managing accounts and expenses and having real little time for oneself. All these commitments are challenges. To some, these are pros and they relish these challenges. For others, these commitments may be costly and one prefers to be single and free of commitments. Singapore is at a development stage where we need more babies as our population is ageing and declining. To tackle the problem of our population shrinking, our youth needs

With the advent of Email (Electronic-Mail), postage mail has been, to a certain extent relegated. Postage mail however is still a necessity in today’s world, especially when original copies of documents or parcels are to be sent from one point to another in the world. This necessity renders the sustained presence of mailboxes in Singapore. Together with the relegation of postage mail in today’s era is the ‘relegation’ of the location of the mailboxes. Mailboxes used to be located in populated areas, within easy reach of the mailers, e.g. inside the MRT stations. However after ‘911’, these mail boxes suddenly ‘moved house’ to be relocated at a further distance from crowded places like the MRT stations. The mailboxes are not the only facilities to have ‘moved house’ after ‘911’. Dustbins, a common sight in MRT stations were removed from the stations shortly after the incident. The relocation of these facilities stem from security concerns, which are worthy causes. It is a worthwhile trad

The seasonal monsoons are here again, bringing with it plentiful rain to this tiny island, lending a tinge of Christmas to this all-summer country. Areas in Singapore are not all flood-proof. Low-laying areas in the country are susceptible to floods. It was not unheard of for horticulture farms, homes and other factories to incur losses after flood water ravage their properties and assets. With excellent drainage facilities constructed, these flooded areas are fortunately a minority. In neighboring countries, the damage caused by floods is tremendous, ravaging homes, whole stock and barrel, livestock and even precious lives. The magnitude of these floods is far greater than our local floods where the maximum height is only waist-deep. As a result of man’s action, climate has changed. It was reported yesterday that it is raining hailstones in Australia, which is an unusual fact considering that it should be summer now in that country. Hailstones are no kidding stuff. Falling from great

Singapore is a ‘campaign’ country. Since two or three decades back, we had a slew of campaigns such as the ‘Courtesy’ campaign, the ‘Save water’ campaign, ‘Two (Children) are enough’ campaign, etc. Some campaigns such as the anti-littering campaigns are evergreen, which persist till today while some faded into oblivion due to irrelevance in today era. These campaigns are medium of mass public education, intended to achieve a social or economical aim of the nation. Of late, campaigns of a new nature have come to the fore. Though the aims of some of these new campaigns are still mainly economical, to a certain extent, they have taken on an international and global twist. When Singapore hosted the World Convention the year before, there was an aggressive campaign to showcase to the world that our people are friendly and ready to welcome the international delegates via the ‘Smile Singapore’ campaign. Currently, Singapore is in a bid to host the Youth Olympics in year 2011. Preliminary roun

This evening, I went for my routine cycle cum jog session to Bedok Reservoir. After an invigorating run, there was a commotion sparked up by some monkey business. Literally not figuratively speaking, monkey business. Out of the blue, a monkey appeared swinging from trees to trees at the reservoir. It piqued the curiosity of many joggers who paused to take a look. Some took out cameras to take photos of the creature, who was obviously proud of the interest it has created in the tranquil reservoir. For once, I did not know where this creature come from to claim a stake in Bedok Reservoir. Monkeys are common in the water catchment areas, Bukit Timah areas but in Bedok Reservoir?

Experience is the sum of interaction with people, with the environment and hence experience is always dynamic. Some folks who have been to a certain place individually may not want to revisit the place with a group as they believe that the experience is the same: visiting these ‘old’ places. But they are wrong. With groups, the experiences gleaned will be different, with interaction with others at different dates and in different environments. All these make for different experiences, different enjoyment and shall be cherished. It is like playing games: playing with different people will make the fun of the game different.

STOMP continues to be a popular news online medium in Singapore where Singaporeans can become reporters and their articles viewed by many others. Pictures are often convincing and it often validates the stories told by these ‘reporters’ but I must really caution that pictures can also be biased. There may be only one picture but the interpretations can be a dozen. One must judge the credibility of the stories at face value only.

I really advocate the smoking ban to be extended to all HDB flats. Living in a non air-conditioned unit, everyday, I fall victim to the suffocating cigarette smoke emanating from my neighbours below and which penetrates my room. The only solution is to shut all windows (which make the room also suffocating) and reopen the window again and the battle continues………..till the person stops smoking

Mocca, a platform for users to post advertisements free-of-charge has come to the fore with a big bang via an aggressive and humorous advertising blitz. There are hundreds and hundreds of advertisements of all types being posted on Mocca. Of late, I discovered a whole slew of advertisements offering sexual and discreet services. Though Mocca provides a free platform for genuine buyers and sellers, certainly it also fall prey to the oldest profession in the world. Sex sells and do continues to sell, via a whole gamut of medium in all places!

Employees who are late for work everyday are a drain on the company’s resources. Imagine if there is only one employee who us late for just ten minutes per day: in a month, about 100 minutes of working hours will be gone and extrapolated to a year, 20 man-hours will be wasted, and the company may have more than one such employee. Though it is true that quality of work takes precedence over the quantity of time spent in work, nevertheless, lost man-hours due to constant lateness on the part of the employees should be something management shall look at.

What are noticeboards for? For this one, it serves as a rubbish bin! But I find it disbelieving that this notice board is used as a rubbish bin for it is extremely difficult to slot these papers in. Or rather, how does one put all these refuse in? for this noticeboard looks locked.

This picture was taken on a raining day. I really believe the white mist shrouding the towers is low laying clouds.

Civil servants this year will get between 3 to 3.3 months of bonus + $220. This bonus includes the 0.5 month bonus +$220 that Civil servants had been given in July 2007, 2 months of bonus in December 2007 and a ‘Growth Bonus’ from 0.5 to 0.8 month pegged to the performance of good performers. Normally, the stand of the Civil Service in giving out its bonus is not to be seen as leading Private Sector in this practice, but rather as a guideline. Shortly after the release of the bonus handouts, private sectors are reported not to peg their bonus with that of the Civil Service as it is akin to comparing apples and oranges, and they have their own practices. There is one reader who wrote in to the Straits Time today to challenge the notion of the good performance of the supposedly good performers of Civil service and calls for transparency to dishing out public funds to these good performances and she even question the bonus itself. The reader seems to be steeped in a culture of envy in the

Today is 1 December 2007, the last month of the year. With two holidays in this month, two half day offs granted on the eves of Christmas and the New Year and with many colleagues taking off and leave, this month will fly and soon 2007 will be history. 2008 will be the year China hosts the Olympics and Singapore hosts the F1 tournaments and besides these great events, there will be a slew of interesting happenings coming up. However, there is a possibility that recession may set in year 2008. Recession is a vicious, cyclic occurrence. With the most recent two previous recessions in 1997, 2003, it may seem time that recession will indeed set in year 2008. But Singapore is confident that the recent slew of international projects it has undertaken (or will be bidding and hopefully getting them), will help our country tide over the recession.

The law of relativity, founded by Einstein is one important Physics law which underpins the principles of Science. In life, I believe this law is also applicable. Man often gets a sense of meaning through relativity. In short, this relativity stems from the comparison with others. Man often focuses on what others have that we do not have and feel a sense of regret or sadness. But at the same time, man does not treasure what he has until the time that he loses it. Then, it is late to regret.

22 Singaporean rowers of the National Team participated in one of the traditional dragon boating festivals in Cambodia where their boat capsized, drowning five of the members. These five members were found to be without life-jackets prior to the drowning. This sad episode threw a question: Why were life jackets not worn? In common dragon boat racing, though life jackets are advisable to be worn, many rowers do not wear due to the belief that these life jackets may impede their movements. And often, the sailors set off once they have determined that the sea is calm. It must be emphasized that this incident is a freak one. There was a sudden influx of currents which capsized the boat. Experienced rowers wearing life jackets may also drown in such an environment. However, life jackets do minimise the probability of drowning.

Though Singapore’s home-made TV productions has come a long way since independence, I believe its contents can be further improved. Often, new local entertainment shows or dramas are of the similar mould or if not, exactly similar to what local viewers had seen of its Taiwan or Hong Kong Counterparts. Chinese serial shows are often of the same genre, focusing on an extended family where the protagonists are often embroiled in a series of quarrels and caught in a complicated web of love and relationships, etc. At least, there is still the broadcast of Hong Kong and Taiwanese productions on the free-to-air channels which is a real breather. Recently, there is a new Chinese documentary showing on Channel U at 2130 hrs on Tuesday where Professor Yu Dan from China waxes philosophical about the Confucian beliefs and melded with the high tech animations to reinforce the messages. It is an extremely educational show. Such shows are sadly to say, lacking in this complex era of changes.

Singapore seems to be gripped in a mini flu epidemic in the recent weeks. Many colleagues of mine were given medical leaves due to the common cold. In the buses and MRTs, it is getting commonplace these days to witness passengers sneezing and coughing, and to a certain extent, infecting others who have not contracted the disease. This mini-epidemic often coincides with the close of the year when there is a change in the weather from hot to rainy. But this year, unlike other years, the weather is the most unpredictable: the morning and afternoons are unusually hot, then there is the occasional rain and at night, it may get extremely hot, humid and uncomfortable, especially when one’s house is not air-conditioned. At this period when common flu is prevalent, one who has contracted the disease should consult a doctor and refrain from going out and infecting the uninfected. Doctors here have warned that the flu strain this year has mutate to a more drug-resistant strain and thus this strai

The strongest person in the world is one who has control over his mind, emotion and his whole self, and one who does not easily falls prey to the influence of externality. Admittedly, it is hard to be influenced or affected by the outside world. Though we may act rational and behave in a wholesome manner, others may behave and act below what we expect them to be, and behave in a manner unacceptable to our morals, ethnos, beliefs and ways of life. The simplest thing is to ignore them but saying is far too easy.

Internet is a priceless invention but it has brought about its share of social problems. In Singapore, one of the countries in the world with the highest internet connections, one can witness the social problems brought about by this new medium of communication and information. With internet, one can email, play games, watch movies, communicate and chat via an array of different means; carry out banking transactions, listen to music and indulge in a whole slew of other activities. The social ills of internet stem from its inappropriate use. Companies suffer from decreased productivity when their staffs misuse the internet for chatting and other non-work related activities during working hours. We are also seeing an increasing number of internet addicts among the youngsters, who are easy preys to the lure of the internet. Youths who spent hours and hours everyday in the net, rooted to their seats, are common phenomena in our society. Playing games and chatting with friends are common ac

Enough has been said of the news of the local trishaw driver who was ridiculed by some foreigners. For those who were not aware of the news, it went like this: A group comprising of two to three foreigners hailed a trishaw in one of the tourism belts in Singapore. Along the journey, they poked fun, insulted and ridiculed the old trishaw driver in English, a language the poor uncle did not know. And all these insulting and bullying were happily captured by them in their camera phone videos which were then posted by them on Youtube and circulated to the world. The worst part was that no payment was made to the uncle at the end of the trip. Immediately, the video footage sparked an intense outburst and drew flak among the netizens. As a Singaporean, I find it deeply insulting for these white men to be discriminating towards Asians. The great colonial times have already passed, it is now the time of the rising Dragon!

Reading the news today, I find it unbelievable that a teacher, supposedly to be highly educated, can fall prey to swindlers from China. Singaporeans may not be really clever judging by the significant numbers of Singaporeans who were tricked by these swindlers. They ranged from professionals to those in the lower rungs of the society. Taiwanese Li Ao has labelled Singaporeans stupid. It is time for Singaporeans to show the world that they are not stupid and not falling prey to tricks which are meant more for children. Singapore’s old men are also being targeted by some China dolls for their wealth of income accumulated over a lifetime of hard work. These poor men lost their entire wealth to these dolls eventually and suffered. This is what I have read from a book the other time. In terms of shrewdness, 1 Chinese Man (China) = 2 Taiwanese Man=3 Hong Kong men = 4 Singaporeans Are Singaporeans getting lesser wiser compared to their regional counterparts as a result of being raised in a co

China’s products have been in the news quite a number of times this year for all the wrong reasons: defective design, defective quality and even possibility of containing toxic chemicals. This may prove to be an impediment to China’s growing economical power which is poised to take on the globe.

Figures released this week by the authority revealed the following statistics of our population: 3.68 million Singaporeans and Permanent Residents and 1 million foreigners: 756, 000 working (110,000 E Pass workers and 646,000 holders of work permits). Foreigners and permanent residents are becoming common sights in our society. Though some Singaporeans are less welcoming of them, it is noteworthy to see that some of these permanent residents and foreigners making good contributions to society, with an increasing number of them being involved in grassroots work. They are also making a mark on the landscape of Singapore with enclaves formed over time. Some of these enclaves are specially earmarked for them by the government, others developed over a period of time from a natural result of their congregation over time. It is easy to pass remarks at foreigners resulting from some preconceive ideas we may have about them. It is more useful for Singaporeans to understand them and welcome them

As one leadership guru says, if one comes under a manager with a leadership lid (or ‘capacity’) which is lesser than that of himself, two things are bound to happen: One, the employee will find it stifling to be under the command and control of the manager, deemed an ineffective under in his eyes and there will be rebellion. Two, the employee will quit after sometime to ‘escape’ from the control of a less-than -effective leader. Are leaders born? The answer is a resounding YES as which man is not borned?

I think I have written quite a number of articles on work as I am of the belief and convictions that work is a very important part of life. Work itself is an attitude, develop a good working attitude, and work will be a breeze. Take a real interest and passion in your work and you will soon like it. I have read from one good book that there is no perfect work as there are no perfect people. True sometimes, one will get bogged down by the negative work attitudes emanating from other lesser colleagues. Such an attitude is contagious and it soon spreads and poisons the proactiveness and morale of the whole team. I find that work in itself has infinite opportunities of learning, it depends on one to discover these learning opportunities and to be better off, armed with these opportunities.

Recently, traffic police revealed statistics which indicate an increasing number of cyclists being caught cycling on the wrong side of the law: expressways and pavements. One cyclist was even killed while cycling on the road shoulder of the expressway. While it is understandable that it is foolish to be risking one’s precious life cycling on the expressway amidst the fast moving vehicles, it is disconcerting to note that cycling on the pavement constitutes an offence too. I am a regular cyclist and I shall admit that while there are definitely reckless cyclists threatening the safety of pedestrians on the pavements, there are also reckless motorists on the road who threaten the safety of cyclists. A majority of our pavements in the country are bicycle-friendly and it is such a relaxing experience to be cycling on the pavements, taking into sight the nice scenery of our heartlands and knowing that one is safer on the pavements rather than to be on the roads, provided one cycle slowly an

In an unusual and surprising move, Minister of State for Trade and Industry, Mr Lee Yi Shyan, who is a MP for the East Coast GRC was suddenly appointed to be the Second Advisor for the Joo Chiat SMC, assisting the Advisor for the constituency, Mr Chan Soo Sen in the grassroots and constituency works there. What made the move strange was the fact that there was no precedent to appoint a Second Adviser in the SMCs. A Second Advisor to a constituency is usually appointed with the aim to equip potential PAP candidates with some ground experience before the General Election, but this is also not often. It is thus unusual considering that the next General Election is some 4 years away and that Mr Lee has already had a consistency under his charge. Only time will tell of the rationale behind the move.

In tiny Singapore where life on the weekends can be pretty mundane, where time on weekends are mostly spent in shopping malls and restaurants (just see the throngs of crowds on weekends at these places!), an alternative get-away would be the farms of Singapore. To many, Singapore is largely urban but there are still rural areas on the outskirts of Singapore in the northern parts. There are over ten farms that one can spend time visiting on the weekends and savour the rural landscape and rustic charms. I have been to such farms in Singapore and it is definitely a day worth spending at these places. Away from the maddening crowd, one get up, close and personal to nature, to animals and to plants. One is also able to see the places of Singapore less explored. A website that must be recommended for interested farm-goers is http://www.kranjicountryside.com/ Apart from farms, there are also parks to visit where one can feel the breeze of the sea and feel soothed. Cycling, jogging and skating

Yesterday, I attended a talk on leadership presented by a director of one MNC in Singapore. The speaker was an eloquent, fantastic presenter, who peppered his speech with live anecdotes and practical examples. Personally, I myself had read books after books on leadership. And taking the presentations that I had attended and the books I had read on leadership in totality, there are definitely myriads of leadership definitions in the world today! Personally, I view leadership as the following: a. Taking charge of yourself before taking charge of others b. Having discipline and the means to work with people. c. Being an exemplary example to others, with a clear direction to lead others. These are just the main salient points of what I believe in leadership. I believe leadership must start with oneself. It is unfortunate to witness that in some organizations, people climb into leader positions not by capability but by perceived capability and by some other means. One will only know the eff

Watching the Hong Kong serial drama now airing on Channel U every weekday, “The Conqueror’s Story” where the protagonists in the story are Xiang Yu and Liu Bang of the Chu-Han period, I am kept mentally and visually simulated. The 5000 year old Chinese civilisation certainly holds tons of valuable lessons to be learnt from the rise and fall of the dynasties and I welcome Chinese dramas based on these themes. Such drama serials are not only exciting in content, visually exciting, these are great educational tools as well. For this drama that I am currently watching, one can witness the power of emotional quotient demonstrated by Liu Bang at play, which eventually won over the hard technical power and prowess of Xiang Yu who was less attuned to the use of wise men and who lacked people skills In short, people’s leader vs dictatorial and authoritative leader. On a separate front, I wonder why the Television Corporation of Singapore (TCS) could not really produce a drama series which could

Flipping through the TODAY newspaper every Saturday, I come across the logic game ‘Super Sudoku’ where it was aptly described as ‘tough for the die-hard Sudoku junkies’. Admittedly, I play Sudoku less than ten times in my life at a level deemed to be ordinary, easy for many, on those occasions when I am really free. Looking at the description of the ‘Super Sudoku’ in the newspapers, it seems to be a difficult puzzle for many, even for regular players. Having nothing to do while travelling in the MRT yesterday, I dug up a pen and attempted to solve this supposedly difficult puzzle. And guess what? I managed to solve this puzzle within a modest timing of 25 minutes ! Though this timing may not be impressive to Sudoku players, the fact that I, an average player with not much practice in Sudoku, is able to solve the puzzle, is more important ! The ‘tough’ description of the game may deter people who are not regular Sudoku players from attempting the challenge, but only those who really try

No man is an island at work. Everyone depends on another in order to complete a certain task in work. One’s attitude towards work is important not only to himself but also to his colleagues around him. The latter fact is true as one’s work attitude in work is infectious, it affects others and this is particularly true for personnel holding managerial positions at work. Can you imagine if one’s boss is a slacker or a complete mess himself, so much so that he cannot even lead himself, lest others? Often the section or department under him would become demotivated, leading to a decline in staff morale and overall productivity. Such managers are not leaders, they shall not be even called managers in the beginning as they could not even manage themselves. Scores of such officers may be appointed to a high flying position based on the belief that they are capable and not due to the very fact that they are capable. They may be proven in their earlier ages that they WERE capable in studies and

The general common perception is that experience comes with age and hence as one grows older and learns from his previous experiences and failures, he will grow to be more mature and wiser. But this may not often be the case. From my daily interactions with people, I have observed a relatively large number of people who display a sense of maturity and wisdom which falls short of their age. The common problem for them is their mannerism and demeanour. Some behave, talk like a child. Some enjoy fun like there is no tomorrow and do not plan for their life. Some exhibit the undesirable traits of the ‘K’s of Singaporean: Kiasu and Kiasee. Others have unhealthy mindsets. It may also be too simplistic to associate age with maturity and wisdom. The values inculcated in the person since young, the life experiences undergone by the person and the attitude the person himself makes out of life are equally critical to shaping his character. I cannot emphasize more strongly the point of learning. Le

Life is never fair. This fact of life always holds truth to a certain degree even as society progresses. The notion of fairness derives principally from the assumptions of our moral values that we have been inculcated since young. Such assumptions include ‘Hard work will translate to success one day’, ‘Good character and good values will deserve good returns’ and etc. These assumptions though may be true are constantly being challenged in these times. For instance, the notion of ‘hard work will translate to successes may no longer be true nowadays. Though performance counts in many companies these days and thus hard work which results in good performance will merit promotions, salary increments and the like; mergers, divestments, outsourcing constantly displace employees from their workplaces. These almost immediately reduce them to zero (being jobless), erasing off their significant achievements made to the companies over the years completely. To these displaced employees, life is nev

While it is applauding that the National Environment Agency (NEA) has banned smoking in many public places, it could do more to prevent non-smokers from passive smoking. Like the majority of Singaporeans, I live in a HDB flat. Every night, my neighbour living one storey below me would light his cigarette up in his balcony. The smoke emanated from his cigarettes would never fail to ascend and enter my unit through the windows. Every night, my family and I would have to bear the unbearable smell of the unhealthy cigarette smoke as my unit is engulfed by it. While the smoker is having a pleasant time indulging in his activity, my family and I have to suffer from the dreadful effects of passive smoking. What made the fact worst is the reality that we do not choose to be exposed to passive smoking, we are in the place we love most: our home. Daily, I return home after a heavy day at work to rest in my pleasant home. It is indeed unthinkable that the health of my family is being compromised

There are millions and millions of books in this world, containing tons of useful knowledge to be imbibed, learnt and applied by man. The experience of human, the wisdom of sages, the worthy thinking of the philosophers are encapsulated in these tomes. In this global era, information is rapidly growing at a phenomenal pace. One must constantly make sense of the information presented right at his face and be discerning enough to discern the worthiness of the information. Information can only be transformed into knowledge with the right framing of the information by the perceiver of the information. The knowledge, once applied will generate possibilities beyond the imagination of the perceiver. Knowledge is power in this era too. Reading is one route to gaining information and acquiring of excellent knowledge. Youths are the pillars of the future of our society, they should be reading more than their predecessors. It is alarming to witness that more and more of our youths are besieged by

Singapore saw another group of citizens, mostly the aged, graduating from the YAH Community College today. The YAH (Youth At Heart) programme was a brainchild of the community institution with the aim to promote livelong learning among the senior citizens. Its other thrust is to render learning opportunities to those who were not privileged to attend schools in their younger days. The objectives of the programme are noble. For this programme, though the graduates don a mortar board and receive their scroll on stage, much alike the graduation ceremonies in the universities, they did not graduate with a bachelor in any discipline. Critics were quick to jeer at the senior citizens for donning a fake mortar board, wearing an inauthentic graduation gown and wasting time to earn a useless certificate. Some critics went as far as to suggest that this programme was a money spinner to generate mileage from this group of learners. What these critics fail to recognise is that the graduates of the

Singapore has clinched the hosting right for one of the F1 tournament games next year and coming on its radar is its bid to host the inaugural Youth Olympics. Singapore has also expressed interest to host the upcoming Volvo ocean race and Red bull air races. The benefits of hosting these international games of such stature are tremendous: it will inject a further boost to the Singapore’s economy and also stand Singapore in good stead in attracting tourist dollars and raising the awareness of our country. Together with the completion of the mega-projects such as the IRs and the Singapore Flyer, these international events will create a sense of vibrancy in the local community and may inject some excitement into the lives of Singaporeans. Never has our country been more exciting before. These are certainly changes in this new era where globalisation is the buzzword and competition is greater than before. In this new era, it is not only countries that must be constantly on the vanguard of

It was highlighted in today news that a British judge has ruled that the award-winning documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth” by former US Vice President Al Gore had presented some misleading facts and figures on global warming. The whole world seemed to be lapping up what Al Gore had presented in his documentary and took in completely the veracity of the facts outlined in his documentary. This brought to the point of the important role that mass media plays everyday in our lives. Many of the people has assumed that information purveyed by media are not error-free and fail to distinguish fact and fiction, opinions and facts. Statistics, bar chars, and other graphic tools used to present information are often impressive enough and it can look quite convincing to readers and audiences. One must be discerning enough to analyze the source of the data, the means of gathering the data, and whether the data presented are one-sided and without bias. In this age of information, technology and kno

Organizations depend on people and managers are critical to organizations. Managers need to be credible people, who are good leaders and who is able to motivate subordinates to excel in their work. There are tons of management tenets and mantras which I will not repeat here, one can read on these elaborated text. It is stifling and irritating to work under bad managers when you know you may be better than him or her and when your talents are constantly being stifled.

The grand prize of $5.5 million for the TOTO draw is shared between 2 lucky winners, each bagging about $2.75 million and they have become instant millionaires, joining the ranks of the 666 000 millionaires in Singapore. To win the top prize, one must obtain the correct 6 numbers out of a pool of 45 numbers and that mean a staggering 8145060 possible combinations and a razor-thin 0.00000123% probability of winning. If one is gungho enough, one can buy all the possible combinations at 50 cent each and that will be to the tune of $4,0725,30. This will definitely be foolhardy as the top prize may be shared by as many as 10 or more, thus one who adopts this tactic will definitely be at a losing edge. People who become instant millionaires via TOTO will not succumb to this rhetoric, they just need excellent luck and they got it. Others may rely on scientific means as they study the patterns, the combinations over many previous years and there may even be others who resort to unorthodox spir

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is doing a marvelous job in putting a stem to the perennial light up of cigarettes in public places like the coffee shops, bus interchanges, pubs etc. The thrust of the initiative, key to ensuring that non-smokers’ health are not jeopardized by passive smoking is well-founded. However the question is whether this initiative is sustainable? The machinery of enforcement, fines and monitoring is cranked up and set to full gear but at times where there are no officers to monitor and enforce would-be offenders, the basic instinct of smokers, kicks in and it is still not uncommon to see smokers smoking at public places at times. The effective success of the anti-smoking regulations can only be achieved through a mindset change albeit with the heavy fines, a certain deterrent effect can be achieved. All public places may be covered with anti-smoking regulations and fines meted out to offenders when necessary, but the regulations may not be able to cover h

“It is only during crisis or losses that people usually treasure what they have.” “ It is only during difficult times that leadership ability is being tested “. These two sayings are commonly heard and the veracity of the sayings are often attested to. These same sayings apply to common objects around us. One often finds that the objects around us have not much of a value unless one needs to use them urgently. For example, we may possess many pens around us but many people may have to source for a pen urgently when he has to use it in an emergency situation and realizes he does not have one. Many of these aforementioned problems can easily be solved by being ready: e.g. bringing a pen with you when you are out and bringing an umbrella to prepare for a sudden rainy weather. I observe such practices and often find it bewildered on seeing scores of people stranded in one place during a heavy rain, wasting valuable time to wait for the rain to cease, as they are unguarded with umbrellas. O

Sleep Sleep is paramount to one’s health and well-being. However as the society progress more and more rapidly, people are generally getting busier, juggling work, family life and other commitment within the same fixed 24 hour day. As one gets busier, sleep is even more critical, a busier person shall be getting more sleep for his body to ‘recover’ from the onslaught of the daily chores. However, this may be impossible in today’s society where the pace of life is mind-boggling, and I am talking about metropolis and cities in general, including Singapore. Sleep is at a premium to me too and I do not sleep enough. Signs of insufficient sleep are often shown on the next working day when one yawns repeatedly and needs that constant repeated jab of caffeine from teas and coffees; however this caffeine jab does not work for me anymore. Over time, insufficient sleep will exert adverse effects on one’s mental and physical health. The best cure is to obtain a sufficient sleep by turning into be

It has been pouring the whole of today. After the rain, the smell of the night was made even more palpable, sending my mind back to reminiscence mode as flashes of memories streaked past in my mind, reminding me of the yester-years. It was the smell of the night, but more aptly, the smell of the jungle; when boys become men, when command and control were given to a few men who were supposed to be good officers and commanders. Unfortunately, it was not to be. Command and control when given in a military setting, when left unchecked and used to control a bunch of innocent young men who did not have any inkling of the military law soon became hell. Abuse, humiliation, unfair treatments were the norms of the days…… the commanders were naïve to think that young men in their early 20s could not distinguish between strict regimen and plain ‘tekaning’. In my two years’ stay at the now notorious army camp, I could not recall the numbers of incidents when I was subject to absurd humiliation, tau

This morning, I had the good opportunity to visit an autism care centre on a guided tour and had a better understanding of autism and persons suffering from autism. In the context of our visit, we are being introduced to the term that the centre uses for the patients: clients. The general public does not have a good understanding of these clients. When one sees the clients in the public, the general consensus that one gives to this disadvantaged group of people is that they are not normal, and what one will usually do is to stare at their behaviours, and at time, some unkind folks may even jeer at them. This is understandable as many of us do not comprehend their actions. I really treasure today’s guided visit to the autism centre and I would like to share with all what I have learnt from today’s visit. Autism is hardly detected in affected young toddlers and signs of autism in a young affected child only surface out when he or she reaches 3 years of age. When these signs are detected,

Turning the pages of my diary, I suddenly realised that year 2007 is coming to an end suddenly. January is just like yesterday and here we are welcoming Christmas and then the Chinese New Year very very soon. People like to make New Year resolution and with the coming close of the year, many people will tend to reflect on the new year resolutions that they had made for themselves at the beginning of the year, and whether they have been fulfilled. Unfulfilled goals will most probably become new resolutions for the New Year for them. What have you achieved for this year so far? I believe achievements cannot be defined solely in material terms and tangible terms alone. Achievements to many will be to earn money, get the next promotion, get a better paying job, buy a bigger car or house, there is indeed a continuum of wishes …….these achievements are definitely some achievements for the individuals and the wishes to fulfil these achievements are understandable and inevitable in modern and

Reported in the news not too long ago was the fact that Singapore’s population has reached a figure of 4.68 million! This number includes the close to 1 million PRs and foreigners living and working in our island. The government has in the months before, unveiled its land use plan to cater for a possible population of 6.5 million. This created some ruckus among Singaporeans who have questioned the feasibility of accommodating this figure on our tiny island. With the population increase, is it any wonder if I find myself being in the midst of an increasing crowd these days on the MRTs, in the shopping centres on weekends and even in my neighbourhood? I find myself lost amidst the increasing throngs, outside of the hectic schedule of work, I need a breather. I need some place quiet, some place remote to do this ……. The place for such sacred places is getting more and more scare ……… I do know of one sacred place for to take a breather and imbibe in the natural surroundings and be complete

Charles Darwin’s evolution theory postulates that it is not the most intelligent man who will survive, and neither the strongest, but the one who is most adapt to changes. In this rapid changing era where change is the buzzword, man always find himself adapting to the new era. It is no longer a choice to be adaptable in this century, it is a MUST. Technologies keep outdating itself, new knowledge is relentlessly being created, new things are always on the move. Faced with the vortex of change, man has to learn, unlearn and relearn to make sense of the changing world. Today’s winners are learners. But not all learners are winners, the crux depends on what things you learn. Today’s economy is geared towards future, man has to learn about future, predict future and control future rather than being held hostage by the unknowns of the future. Singapore is entering into an exciting era. Singapore is entering into new industries like the IRs, the biomedical fields, and imbibing new ideas into

Singapore is a haven for food lovers, with a whale of food centres and restaurants offering a host of cuisine, pampering the tastebuds of the mass. Food centres have been renovated into spacious, hygienic dining places for all. Caterers have to pass through stringent checks on hygiene, food processing etc. The image of food centres is constantly been revamped. Though all measures seem to be in place to ensure a good quality of food and dining place, I still lament on the quality of food being served in the food centres. The benchmark of quality in my opinion is neither the taste of the food, nor the hygienic standard. Though these two criteria are paramount, another key criteria is how healthy the food is. I believe some of the food served in our food centres may be too oily, or loaded with too many salt, MSG. It will take a discerning tastebud to discover the excesses of oil, salt, MSG present in food. With the majority of Singaporeans working and hencefore eating out lunch and someti