Friday, December 31, 2010

Conscript System And Rifts In Society

Not all articles in TR can be considered good and balanced. Below is one of the good articles sent to TR. How true it is!

In any country or nation with a conscript system, it is expected that the system hold responsibility for shaping the fabric of national psychology and integration to set precedence to a viable governance of the nation. But in some cases, it just fails after some point of time.

In Singapore, a small city state in south east asia with conscript style policies for almost everything, the boys spend 2.5 years of their life serving the nation before they set a steady course in their lives. But is not all over it seems as what follows is a 10 year cycle of reservist obligations. The girls have no mandatory requirements. In comparison to the girls, the boys loose out in employment and further education opportunities by 2 years. Then they lose the pechant to study further due to the long distractive national service duty and numerous psychological taunts in by their military superiors, ironically moulding most of them them into simplistic and narcisstic persons, rather than strong creative individuals. The girls, without this form of distraction climb the career ladder and as a result do not want to marry and settle down with the boys who are left behind. And factor in the foreign women influx, men shun away from local women, disregard them and generalise them. The girls also grow up in a life of luxury and are generally apathetic to political or social affairs in the state . Clearly evident, in their lack of understanding about the conscript system and purpose, state governance and its associated problems , one being the boys who have to compete with foreigners for jobs and reservist liabilities hindering their progress.

To add insult to injury, the cost of living does not tally with earnings and the low wages that citizens earn does not help in procreation in the city state. The other factor is the predominant materialistic culture prevalent in this city state that is causing traditional asian values to be eroded over time. And being females, their natural instinct tend to put materialism as top priority.

The foreigners who arrive, many are unwilling to settle down in the system and contribute to national security as they found that there is no real value in settling down in the city state which has no natural resources, economically unstable , politically underdeveloped and lacking in the diverse array of life found in other developed nations.

Those who do, are most often, not the top talents the govt wants to retain often not highly educated or employed in jobs that require entry or low level skills. These locals and foreigners, mainly professionals in the middle class working sector have also realised that the defective state conscript style is ruining lives by holding citizens hostage decide returning to their countries or use the city state as a stepping stone after a stint is the best option.

In addition the local talents after receiving education and work experience, have been already migrating in droves to nearby countries like Hong, Kong, Australia and the US. When the going gets tough , the tough gets going but elsewhere. Of those who are left behind , are ones that do not have the resources and skills to leave. As a result, the state is left with a mediocre workforce and an apathethic population left to fend for themselves and constantly being hammered down by the relentless state machinery apparatus which in itself is an enormous conscript system of sorts.

The problem here lies in the social fabric of the nation that was engineered for decades to fulfill a narrow mindset dominated purely by twisted and unnatural capitalism , meritocracy and elitism while showing a total neglect for social issues.The manouever has set the ground for an initial social problem that has since intensified and has been seen to cause more problems over time. Though the city state has flourished in physical resources through merticulous planning of infrastructure, transport, medical and security, it is way behind in the social context. While other developed nations have addressed these concerns with effective social planning and ethics, Singapore yet remains unwilling to take concrete efforts. Observers have noted that Singapore’s social and secuity hybrid policies are geared towards bringing about a secure and suitable environment for continous trade and economy, rather than as a whole solution which does not take welfare and rights into account . The system which collapses when the world economy turns its back , the social scenario is now paying the price. Rather than implementing protectionist policies to avert this situation, the authorities expect the social landscape to wait and ride out the tide till things improve.

The other problem here lies with the city state’s obsessive paranoia, stubborness, lack of foresight and outdated styled policing on issues relating to national security, citizen rights and social situation tied in as whole picture. The city state is known to invest in cutting edge defence technology, and yet why is there a need to maintain an army conscript system, when other similar countries like Taiwan have successfully abandoned it? The system together with the other issues is causing problems in the social fabric and how long before they start to realise this issue, until the birth rate reaches zero? Does the expenditure on the conscript system producing any real output value?. No it does not, at best a superficial face value.

Do we have to ask ourselves on why we are spending enormous amount of money on human assets of the conscript system that produces unhappy soldiers, who view NS duties as a hindrance and burden, get disadvantaged in employment, risk their lives, and most importantly bring about dysfunctionality in national birth and marriage rates? The conscript system is an enemy of its own existence, outputting results which is contrary to what it set out to achieve in the first place and along with it bringing added problems. And of course no problem is complete without addressing the the root causes .

It seems the city state is suffering from a major fundamental problem that needs to be addressed – Problems which are made up of myriad of problems. The Singapore, popularly known as the lion city we know today, is best described as the lion with an erectile dysfunction unable to set things upright, a trait which is of outmost importance in maintaining the success the it has than actually building it.

Who are we to blame? Ourselves or the govt? The answer is obvious. Both.

.

NS Joe

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Sunday, December 26, 2010

10 Reasons To Believe In The Christian Faith

10 Reasons To Believe In The Christian Faith

1. The Credibility Of Its Founder

Christ said He came from heaven to fulfill prophecy, to die for our sins, and to bring to His Father all who believe in Him. Logic says that He was either a liar, a lunatic, a legend, or the Lord of heaven. His first-century followers drew their own conclusions. They said they saw Him walk on water, still a storm, heal crippled limbs, feed 5,000 with a few pieces of bread and fish, live a blameless life, die a terrible death, and alive again. During His ministry, when some of Jesus' followers took issue with His teachings and left, He asked those closest to Him if they too wanted to leave. Peter spoke for the others when he said, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (John 6:68-69).

2. The Reliability Of Its Book

Written over a period of about 1,600 years by 40 different authors, the book on which the Christian faith rests tells one story that begins with creation and concludes on the threshold of eternity. The integrity of its historical and geographical record is supported by archeology. The accuracy with which it has been copied and handed down to us has been confirmed by the Dead Sea Scrolls of Qumran. Originating neither in the East nor the West, but in the Middle East--the cradle of civilization--the Bible continues to speak not only with spiritual power but with convincing prophetic accuracy.

3. Its Explanations For Life

All religious systems attempt to give meaning to our existence. All attempt to explain our thirst for significance, the problem of pain, and the inevitability of death. All religions attempt to apply the design of the cosmos to our individual lives. It is the Christian faith, however, that reflects the caring attention to detail so evident in the species and ecosystems of the natural world. It is Christ who speaks of a Father who takes note of every sparrow that falls, a Father who numbers even the hairs of our head (Matthew 10:29-31). It is Christ who reveals a God who shows how much He cares for all that He has created. It is Christ who clothed Himself in our humanity to feel what we feel, and then to suffer and die in our place. It is Christ who reveals a God who cares as much about His creation as the design and detail of the natural world indicates (Psalms 19:1-6; Romans 1:16-25).

4. Its Continuity With The Past

The Christian faith offers continuity with our deepest ancestral roots. Those who trust Christ are accepting the same Creator and Lord worshiped by Adam, Abraham, Sarah, and Solomon. Jesus didn't reject the past. He was the God of the past (John 1:1-14). When He lived among us, He showed us how to live according to the original plan. When He died, He fulfilled the whole Old Testament sacrificial system. And when He rose from the dead, the salvation He offered fulfilled God's promise to Abraham that through his descendant He would bring blessing to the whole world. The Christian faith is not new with Christ. From Genesis to Revelation it is one story. It is His story -- and ours (Acts 2:22-39; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

5. Its Foundational Claim

The first Christians were not driven by political or religious dissent. Their primary issues were not moral or social. They were not well-credentialed theologians or social philosophers. They were witnesses. They risked their lives to tell the world that with their own eyes they had seen an innocent man die and then miraculously walk among them 3 days later (Acts 5:17-42). Their argument was very concrete. Jesus was crucified under the Roman governor Pontius Pilate. His body was buried and sealed in a borrowed tomb. Guards were posted to prevent grave tampering. Yet after 3 days the tomb was empty and witnesses were risking their lives to declare that He was alive.

6. Its Power To Change Lives

Not only were the first disciples dramatically changed, but so was one of their worst enemies. Paul was transformed from a Christian killer into one of their chief advocates (Galatians 1:11-24). Later he reflected the changes that had occurred in others as well when he wrote to the church in Corinth, "Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 6:9-11).

7. Its Analysis Of Human Nature

The Bible says that society's real problems are problems of the heart. In an age of information and technology, failures of character have scandalized institutions of family, government, science, industry, religion, education, and the arts. In the most sophisticated society the world has ever known, our national reputation is marred by problems of racial prejudice, addiction, abuse, divorce, and sexually transmitted disease. Many want to believe that our problems are rooted in ignorance, diet, and government. But to our generation and all others, Jesus said, "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man" (Matthew 15:19-20).

8. Its View Of Human Achievement

Generation after generation has hoped for the best. We fought wars that would end all wars. We developed educational theories that would produce enlightened, nonviolent children. We conceived technologies that would deliver us from the oppressive slavery of work. Yet we are as close as ever to what the New Testament describes as an endtime marked by wars and rumors of war, earthquakes, disease, loss of affection, and spiritual deception (Matthew 15:19-20; Timothy 3:1-5).

9. Its Impact On Society

A carpenter rabbi from Nazareth changed the world. Calendars and dated documents bear silent witness to His birth. From rooftops, necklaces, and earrings, the sign of the cross bears visual witness to His death. The Western world-view, which provided a basis for social morality, scientific methodology, and a work ethic that fueled industry, had roots in basic Christian values. Social relief agencies, whether in the West or East, are not fueled by the values of Hinduism, Buddhism, atheism, or secular agnosticism, but by the direct or residual values of the Bible.

10. Its Offer Of Salvation

Alternative religious views have saviors who remain in the grave. No other system offers everlasting life as a gift to those who trust One who has overcome death for them. No other system offers assurance of forgiveness, eternal life, and adoption into the family of God by calling on and trusting Someone in the same way a drowning person calls for and relies on the rescue of a lifeguard (Romans 10:9-13). The salvation Christ offers does not depend on what we have done for Him, but on our acceptance of what He has done for us. Instead of moral and religious effort, this salvation requires a helpless admission of our sins. Instead of personal accomplishments of faith, it requires confession of failure. Unlike all other options of faith, Christ asks us to follow Him -- not to merit salvation but as an expression of gratitude, love, and confidence in the One who has saved us (Ephesians 2:8-10).

You're Not Alone

You're not alone if you find yourself honestly unconvinced about whether Christ rose from the dead. But keep in mind that Jesus promised God's help to those who want to be right with God. He said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether My teaching comes from God or whether I speak on My own" (John 7:17 NIV).

If you do see the reasonableness of the resurrection, keep in mind that the Bible says Christ died to pay the price for our sins, and those who believe in their heart that God has raised Him from the dead will be saved (Romans 10:9-10). The salvation Christ offers is not a reward for effort, but a gift to all who in light of the evidence put their trust in Him.

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Sunday, December 19, 2010

Singapore is having an identity crisis - a Country? Nation? City? Large organisation (MNC)? Hotel? Island? etc

Very sad to be having lost my identity as a citizen, fulfilled my NS obligation, here as my leaders are confused with the actual status of Singapore. The decades of national identity building has eroded these few years because of the incompetency of our government who still think they are right in their policies. Paying millions dollar to them for lips service only. Haiz... No wonder foreigners are laughing at Sinkaporeans.. lol


Singapore spirit blows hot and cold

Insight Down South
By SEAH CHIANG NEE


If Singaporeans fear they will one day be overwhelmed by migrants in their own land, the statement from a minister that Singapore is not a country, leaves them even more uncertain.

IN THE midst of a historical demographic change, Singapore’s hard-headed government seems less inclined nowadays to talk about national identity than it once was.

This is a departure from the earlier post-independence years, when promoting values like patriotism and nation-bonding were top priorities.

Today, they remain important goals but are more discussed among citizens than the policy-makers.

Many Singaporeans are worried about the erosion of national fervour in an island state bloated by the recent arrivals of hundreds of thousands of foreigners.

On the government’s part, priority seems to have shifted – at least for now – from promoting nationalism to persuading Singaporeans “to embrace foreigners”. I suppose there’s a time for everything.

It probably seems untimely for the authorities to preach an intensification of national feelings at a time when so many foreigners – and new migrants – are settling here.

“They are caught in a bind. Harping on national sentiments now could be seen as isolating the new arrivals,” said a neighbourhood doctor.

With its short history, Singapore still needs to continue to build a national identity among Singa­poreans citizens or risk losing its economic achievements, he said.

The question is: How, when citizens may soon become a minority?

Recent conflicting remarks by ministers have not helped to clarify to citizens where they are heading – or indeed if Singapore is a country or merely a global city.

Law (and Home Affairs) Minister K. Shanmugam surprised everyone when he told visiting American lawyers that Singapore was not a country.

He was defending the government’s human rights records. The minister said Singapore was viewed as a deviation from the democratic norm because it was seen primarily as a country.

“This is where most people make a mistake. I have tried to explain that we are different. We are a city. We are not a country,” he said.

It sparked off a public debate, especially among young national servicemen sworn to defend the nation. Baffled party members sought an explanation.

In an indirect effort to control damage, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Singapore could not afford to have a ratio of more than 40% foreign workers.

“We felt we are more comfortable with that than thinking we are nothing but a global city. We are also a country,” he said.

In an earlier unrelated event, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said that despite its achievements, Singapore was not yet a nation.

“Are we a nation yet? I will not say we are. We’re in transition. Please remember this is an ideal which we may not completely reach, but because we have this ideal, we’ll continue to make progress,” he said.

All this talk has not gone down well with Singaporeans, who find it incomprehensible and reflective of government uncertainty.

Songshus blogged: “From my observation over the last two or three decades, it seems to me that our government is only trying to succeed economically.

“We should also develop on other fronts that would bind our people together, and promote cultural and identity awareness.

“The average Singaporean really does not know what future direction we are heading towards.”

Critics of the government, however, are less surprised.

For years, they have accused the People’s Action Party (PAP) of governing Singapore like a profitable corporation, even paying themselves as Board members.

Increasingly during the past decade, the political leaders had been talking more of Singapore as a global city.

During his recent visit to Moscow, MM Lee said his vision of Singapore was that it would no longer be seen as just an Asian city one day – but as cosmopolitan and connected to the world.

In view of this line of thinking, Shanmugam’s description of his country as a city – not a country – should not be surprising.

The question is: what will happen to the national identity that the PAP had wanted to forge from day one of independence?

Can it work with so many foreigners coming and going as though it were a hotel?

Some analysts noticed that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who faces a tough general election soon, recently talked of wanting to build – not nationalism – but “The Singapore Spirit”.

Not many people remember now, but in 1989, Singapore’s leaders called for a “national ideology” to prevent a “harmful drift towards Westernisation” and promote a national identity.

No one bets it will be revived anytime soon.

While moulding a national identity has not been a popular leadership topic these days, the same cannot be said of Singaporeans. Many are pushing for a stronger rallying effort.

During National Day, another popular discussion centred on the question: “Will the rally make us feel for Singapore again?”

Some Singaporeans believe the country now has an identity crisis as a result of foreign arrivals now making up one third of the population.

Others agree that while it is causing some social dislocation, “we should not blame the whole problem on the government”.

Muhamad Nur appealed to all to treat Singapore as a nation – not just a city. “This is our only solution.”

A visiting student from Switzerland, Christabel, disagreed with those who declared that Singapore has no identity or is a sanitised corporate state.

“Remember as a country, you are only around 40 years old. Identity will come naturally, given more time.”

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Economics of rich man marrying pretty girl (Funny..)

funny... haha.. quite true from the economics point of view since the pretty girl also view marriage from the economics point of view..



A young and pretty lady posted this on a popular forum:

Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?

I'm going to be honest of what I'm going to say here.

I'm 25 this year. I'm very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above.

You might say that I'm greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York .

My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married?

I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you?

Among those I've dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit.

If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden ( ? ) , $250k annual income is not enough.

I'm here humbly to ask a few questions:

1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)

2) Which age group should I target?

3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I've met a few girls who don't have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.

4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)

Ms. Pretty

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An awesome reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan:

Dear Ms. Pretty,

I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor.

My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I'm not wasting time here.

From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you.

The answer is very simple, so let me explain.

Put the details aside, what you're trying to do is an exchange of "beauty"and "money" : Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square.

However, there's a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason.

The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can't be prettier year after year.

Hence from the view point of economics,

I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It's not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worse 10 years later.

By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a "trading position".

If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or "leased".

Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you,but will not marry you.

I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income.This has better chance than finding a rich fool.

Hope this reply helps. If you are interested in "leasing" services, do contact me.

signed,

J.P. Morgan CEO

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The current ruling party should change name

If the current policies are the "best" for Singapore, I suggest the name of the current ruling party be changed as it is not consistent with their policies. It really a eye sore to me whenever I see a mismatch. Perhaps a name and logo change would make them more relevant in this latest stage of globalisation if they choose to continue to defend their ideology.

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Friday, December 17, 2010

Unsustainable living

Unsustainable living! Unsustainable living! Unsustainable living!
Unsustainable policies! Unsustainable policies! Unsustainable policies!

I can't believe the most expensive leaders in the world can come out with these policies and continue to defend them. Haiz...

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Future of Singapore children

To a very large extent, I agree with the article below!!! I have lost confidence in my country and with the current leaders. haiz.. How much does lip service worth?


Future of Singapore children

We are a singaporean couple in our 30s and both of us are from top universities in Australia , since graduation we gave been married for quite some time now. We do not have any children at present. For some reasons such as family commitments, relatives from a large extended family, we had to stay put in Singapore for some time.

Some years back, we had contemplated on buying our own HDB home before having children. After observing recent developments in Singapore, we decided that at some point we should just return to Australia permanently, since then we had dropped the idea of having kids. We had a discussion regarding the issue as having kids in Singapore is indeed very disastrous compared to family oriented Australia. We were asked countless times by many of our relatives on why we have no kids . It’s a pleasure and a boon to have children who bring joy to our lives. but reality eventually takes the cake . Many people proudly proclaim their family oriented approach in life but how many of them face the stresses of having to deal with high cost of living and that of the child’s when reality hits them? While the authorities encourage producing more babies, it looks like merely lip service . They do not understand that high cost of living deters many prospective child bearing couples. The incentives such as baby bonus given are lackluster and the system itself is unforgiving to children. Which couple will want a child in a system where one pays school fees that are higher than most first world countries that subsidise education for citizenary , an education system that emphasize on paper grades, unstable economy,low wages , high cost of living and a lack of a comprehensive social safety net?

These are some of the few reasons that we had identified that may hold some worth having stayed and observed education, parenting and family aspects in the Australian and and similar Canadian systems.

1) high cost of education in Singapore relative to wages. Unlike Australia which subsidizes their local students heavily , Singaporeans are paying horrendous amount of fees for tertiary education that is supposed to be subsidized.

2) quality of education . No matter what the marketing machine churns out, singapore’seducation is not that trains students to think out of the box and to solve problems. Both of us, came from Australian universities which train their students from preschool in knowledge based applications and theory, what the Singapore system does is uncreative rote learning which left many singaporeans without the global thinking skill sets required for a knowledge based economy.

Despite statistics that show the Singapore education system as being one of the world’s best, it’s people have not turned out to be Nobel laurettes. The students are bent on getting high grades than actually learning stuff useful to them in a rat race to the top or rather , ironically, to the bottom. Having been a kid myself, I never gained anything from the education system , except stress. If Australia’s education system may not be the best , according to singapore’s “standards” , the country and it’s citizens are ironically doing better with higher productivity and home grown local businesses that compete on the global stage . It’s also a known fact that international rating bodies which rank education systems are not particularly known to take a holistic approach but merely do so from a investor or meritocratic point of view.

3) difficulty in entering universities in a tightly rigid classification method that streams students in a outdated meritocratic system that judges capability with past achievements from paper grades than future critical thinking ability. It does not take into account that people mature and change differently from others at different periods in their lives as I myself, had been a slow learner in school before but had obtained a degree overseas eventually. There is no scope for a well rounded holistic education here. Just a poor imitation of old British style system unlike the Australian and Canadian models. Scandinavian systems included as well.

4) Finally in a system that is unforgiving, a child if drops out of the rat race within a time frame limit , will have his or her future in question and expected to go into a job that pays$800 a month for a living. A situation we do not have in Australia. To further add on, children are being told to study in a rigid system that does not apply to foreigners who will be competing for jobs with our child in the future when companies insult the education system here by employing cheaper foreigners from some unknown university in India or Manila. It seems stress is only for the singapore child and the companies are here to enjoy the first world infrastructure and security without the social responsibility to pay for it.

5) we do not want our children to grow up in an education system that seems to be more tailored towards creating people who want to be rewarded with capitalistic benefits detached from society rather than thinking individuals that can improve the lives of others around them . It also seems that if a Singaporean did his or her education on Australia or overseas, they can’t accept the fact that one who was rejected by a singapore university has gained admission in overseas first world universities by a whole lot of discriminating local Uni grads that think too highly of themselves compared to people who have graduated from 100 year old overseas universities with a wealth of knowledge rooted in history and culture . It’s obvious that if one has been doing something for 100 years, they are pretty good at it. Besides that point, local unis will not be where they are without the template provided by the western education system and it’s state universities .

6) if it’s a male child , it’s obvious that he will be at a disadvantage due to NS liabilities. NS is for a good cause but it does not compensate a male for the sacrifices in terms of job opportunities or housing.

7) due to longer working hours eating up in valuable family time, today’s parents are vastly different to that of yesteryears , they do not have the time to spend with their kids who tend to be lonely and mix with bad company. In a first world country with a third world work structure that does not allow for work , life balance it’s expected that there will be moreproblems in teen delinquency, school dropout rate. The same situation can be found inAustralia but due to other different reasons as well. The Aussie kids do not have to worry about social security, job opportunities dropping out of the rat race or low wages.

We are unsure where Singapore is headed in the future, despite assurances that “singaporeans come first” , judging from past promises , we do not have confidence in the future and the system for us, especially for our child, if we were to have one, .In the future, there is no gurantee that we can send our own children like ourselves for overseas studies at the rate cost of living is escalating in Singapore . Till we see a system that takes the local society’s well being into consideration , we just want to end our generation here. We do not want another generation to suffer , worst of all, more than we did. As the Australians put it , we do not want our child to be in a system that is made by ”obligatories” that rely on the servtitude of others but yet provide a unfair playing ground .We shall be back in Australia to start a family. We want our children to be like the free children of Australia as children they meant to be, free and easy.

.

Local couple

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Monday, December 06, 2010

Very disappointed with Singaporeans

Very the disappointed with Singaporeans. Compete talent, no talent. Compete sport, no talent in sport. Compete academic, even lose to PRC. Compete with whatever things, we are nothing yet our leaders keep boasting we are world class country. Really a tragedy of our own system. Maybe Singaporeans good at wayang. Sometimes, I secretly feel ashame to be Singaporean :p

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Sunday, November 28, 2010

Something that I am grateful to our government

I thank the government for bringing the whole world in front of my footstep so that I can see the world without crossing borders and learn from them what is lacking of us.

I thank the government for bringing the whole world in front of my footstep so that by their presence, we know what our weaknesses are as our weaknesses are magnified.

I thank the government for bringing the whole world in front of my footstep so that with their presence, our system weaknesses are exposed and exploited, and that our leaders know what to correct.

I thank the government for bringing the whole world in front of my footstep so that in the midst of their presence, we heard feedback regarding our social and political flaws/issues which most native Singaporeans are either lazy to find out or indifference about it.

Without them, I would still be the ignorance Singaporean I used to be.

Those are my true experiences. But in the process, I have made many (good) friends as well. They are quite nice and interesting, and I hope to keep in touch with them for as long as possible.

I sincerely thank the government for all they have done for Singaporeans. 用心良苦。

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21世纪社会走向与危机 (唐崇荣牧师)- Q&A


Part 1:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/TBNAfRQGRss/

Part 2:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/7rqwTL48uS4/

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Saturday, November 27, 2010

康德说 。。

1. 康德说证明上帝的存在很难很难,但是证明上帝不存在更难更难。。


2. 康德年老的时候写了一封信给他最好的同学:“其实我这一生只要明白的事只有四样 - 1)我是谁 2)我可以知什么东西 3)我应当做什么 4)我做人有什么盼望”

蛮有趣的问题。。



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耶稣是谁(唐崇荣牧师)- Q&A

One of his rallies (Q&A) on 耶稣是谁. Not sure which location it is. Does not look like in Singapore.

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/BFkkvWe_Cpo/isRenhe=1

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Sunday, November 21, 2010

The pragmatic mandarin

This guy should continue to guide and lead Singapore! The current group of leaders (not all though) are pathetic. The current system (including education system) has gone very wrong. Very wrong.. training people with pathetic mindset.. I am very disappointed! Very disappointed. How I wish I am in the "ignorance" group like what MM had rebuked Singaporeans.. Reform must come to Singapore, though not drastic ones but more of a progressive. Without the rights to scrutinize policies, the future of Singapore, I afraid, will be bleak. The "high" tension situation in Singapore has inevitably pushed more potential and highly intellectual Singaporeans to voice out. Indeed, the next few decades of Singapore, I believe, will see reform coming, if and only if the citizens are not sleeping now.



Published November 20, 2010

The pragmatic mandarin

Arguably the most outspoken of Singapore's policymakers, Ngiam Tong Dow is also among the most experienced, with a panoramic perspective that is informed by an acute sense of history and political reality.By Vikram Khanna

'STRATEGIC pragmatism, that is my song,' declares Ngiam Tong Dow, in the course of our two-hour conversation amid the lunchtime hubbub and clatter of porcelain at a Chinese restaurant in the Singapore Island Country Club.

Many of his favourite quotes and sayings are pointedly practical: Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you will feed him all his life. Forget about cutting edge research; what we need above all is competence. And this one from Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, when he was still a young prime minister and Singapore was poor: Give a man a job and help him buy a house, and he won't riot any more.

Arguably the most outspoken of Singapore's policymakers, Mr Ngiam is also among the most experienced. During his 40 years in the civil service, from which he retired in 1999, he has served as Permanent Secretary in four ministries, in addition to the Prime Minister's Office. He has also been chairman of the Economic Development Board, DBS Bank, Housing Development Board and the Central Provident Fund Board. He has dealt with at least two generations of civil servants, ministers, CEOs and external advisers. His view of policymaking in Singapore is panoramic, informed by an acute sense of history and political reality, an instinctive feel for what will work and what will not.

After his retirement from the civil service, Mr Ngiam, now 73, has been doing the rounds of the lecture circuit, sharing his views on policy as few retired civil servants in Singapore have ventured to do. He has earned a reputation for candour, challenging many of the government's policies. Some people ask why he didn't speak up while he was in office the way he is speaking now. Mr Ngiam claims he did, but as a civil servant, he was careful to keep his views within the government.

But many of those views are now public knowledge and are about to be disseminated more widely. His speeches have been collected in a book, entitled The Dynamics of the Singapore Success Story, which was launched yesterday.

'Allowing people to buy shares with their CPF money is like sending lambs to the slaughterhouse.
The average CPF member is not stock market savvy... CPF is already used for housing loans and medical care. I don't see why it should also be used for stocks. It's unconscionable.'

'I would like to describe my book as a study in political economy,' he says. 'Political economy is one part politics and two parts economics.'

Singapore's political economy is his forte. Few can tell the story of its transformation as he can, from the days of high unemployment, slums and tin-shed factories when he started his career - to a modern high-tech economy with a first-world per capita income when he finished.

'In the early days we had no money. We had to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps,' he reflects. 'If we had thought about all the factors against us succeeding, we would not have started. There is a Chinese saying: 'The blind do not fear a tiger.' We were blind, so we didn't fear the tiger.'

But Singapore's economic strategy went through a trial and error process, he explains. 'We first tried to establish a common market with Malaysia. But that didn't take off.

'So when separation came, Finance Minister Goh Keng Swee said, forget about the Malaysian common market; we must compete with the world. It was an epochal decision. He didn't use the term globalisation - we didn't think of that word. But that was what we were doing: Singapore was the first global economy.

'The whole idea was to create jobs as fast as possible. In those early days, we didn't care a damn whether something was high tech or low tech, so long as it provided jobs.'

On the advice of Albert Winsemius, a Dutch UN official who prepared a blueprint for industrial policy in 1961, Singapore welcomed multinational corporations (MNCs). In doing so, it went against the mainstream view among economists at the time, which held that MNCs exploited countries for their own benefit. But Mr Ngiam points out that Dr Winsemius was proved right: MNCs provided jobs, access to markets and technology and did not stifle the growth of domestic industry. 'All they wanted from the host country was political stability and a hard working, educated population. They even joined us in providing training. So, we practised a knowledge based economy from the word go. We constantly upgraded ourselves.'

Singapore was conscious that it needed to set up its own industries and develop the skills to run them. Mr. Ngiam recalls: 'One day Winsemius said to me: 'Ngiam, you know, I can only be your adviser. I can teach you how to drive a car. I can even teach you how to repair a car. But you have to drive the car yourself.' Then he sat back, smiled and said: 'So that, if you crash the car, you have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.'

Remembering Dr Goh

For about 30 years, Mr Ngiam worked closely with Dr Goh, of whom he has fond memories. As he orders lunch, he remembers how frugal Singapore's first finance minister could be:

'Fullerton building had a canteen and sometimes, Dr Goh would invite Sim Kee Boon (the late former chairman of Keppel Corp) and me to lunch. He would order some taugeh, some fish and soup. The whole bill would come to about $2. And then he would ask us, 'Enough right?' How could we junior officers say, no sir, not enough! I can never forget Dr Goh's economy lunches.'

Dr Goh was also a believer in another of Mr Ngiam's favourite sayings - a quote from the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping: 'Seek truth from facts.'

'Dr Goh always did that,' says Mr Ngiam. 'I remember, he used to write his own budget speeches on Sunday mornings. Then he would send me the drafts and say, check the facts.

If I said, 'This figure is not correct,' he would say: 'Then change the conclusion; if the facts don't support the conclusion, change the conclusion.'

In the 1960s and 1970s, Singapore went into shipbuilding and shiprepair and several defence-related companies - the forerunners of ST Aerospace and ST Engineering - as well as Singapore Airlines.

While he agrees that these companies were necessary, Mr Ngiam is not generally in favour of targeting industries, as was sometimes done, as with, for example, semiconductors and biotech. 'Let the MNCs take the big bets,' he says. 'Our big bet should be on people, on education. If we try to do cutting-edge science, we can never beat the west or the Chinese and Indians, because we don't have the talent base. So our policy should be to raise competence levels. That's why I supported Philip Yeo when he said he wants to train 1,000 PhDs.'

But on Singapore's thrust into the biotech industry, he is circumspect. 'When we make such investments, we must ask, what comparative advantage do we have? If we do not have a comparative advantage, we should not go into it.

'We should train engineers who can do research for big companies. It's the same MNC-centric strategy, but at a higher level. In the early days we trained our people to become machinists. Today, if we want big pharma to come in, we should train the chemists and PhDs to be able to work for big pharma.'

On creativity, Mr Ngiam likes to differentiate between 'thinking in the box' and 'thinking outside the box'.

'I tell this story,' he says. 'When a Chinese boy goes home after school, his mother asks him: 'What did you learn from your teacher today?' But when a Jewish American boy goes home after school, his mother asks: 'How many questions did you ask your teacher today?'

'Which boy do you think will grow up to be more creative? I think, in the contest for intellectual hegemony, the Americans will win. Because the Chinese think within the box. The Americans are more open, they are encouraged to think outside the box.'

Although Mr Ngiam favours meritocracy, he believes that Singapore companies should be run by local CEOs. 'We must have our own people,' he says. 'Because unless you're a Singaporean you will not have the emotional attachment. You can be very competent, but if you don't feel for Singapore, I don't think you can grow a Singapore company.

'But someone like David Conner the CEO of OCBC Bank, he's been here so many years that I would regard him as a Singaporean even if he had American citizenship. So by Singaporean in this context, I mean more the mentality than the colour of the passport.'

Mr Ngiam takes issue with some aspects of Singapore's immigration policy. He explains: 'We increased the size of our population by one million people in 10 years. It's true that in the 1970s, we had a shortage of labour and we did tell the government we need to increase our population which was 3.5 million. At that time, it would have been the right policy to increase the numbers. But today, it's no longer a question of numbers, it's a question of technology. Thirty years ago, $1 million of output could be produced by 100 people. But today, it can be produced by 50 people, because the technology has changed. So numbers of people are not so important anymore.'

What matters is the quality of immigrants, he points out.

'If I was in charge of population policy, I would have said: every immigrant that we take in, his or her education level must be above our average. Our average is O levels. So the people we take must be above O level, then they can value-add. If they are below O level, they would be negative value-adders. I find it odd that people from China have come and taken over our hawker centres. What's the value-add there?'

He acknowledges that Singapore faces chronic labour shortages, but suggests that this is because employers 'take the easy way out'.

Skilling up

'The only way for us to grow is to skill up - we must raise our productivity, which we have neglected for 30 years,' he explains. 'If we had been tough and told building contractors, we are not going to allow so many construction workers, they would have automated long ago. But even today they are not doing it. Look at a Japanese construction site, and see how many fewer people they use than our contractors.'

Skilling up is also his prescription to raise wage levels and to narrow the income gap. He opposes the idea of a minimum wage. 'That is namby-pamby thinking,' he says. 'You get higher wages by improving skills, not by legislating. We need to take skills training much more seriously. A lot of the short courses offered these days by professional firms are like wine tasting. They are not real training.'

The Chinese take training very seriously, he points out. 'I teach Chinese mayors at NTU. You know, under the Chinese system, if you want to get promoted, you must go overseas, not for a short course; you must get a degree. Without their degrees, my NTU students won't be promoted.'

While remorselessly pragmatic and generally pro-market, Mr Ngiam favours government intervention to help the poor.

'About 10 per cent of people need to be helped and here, the state should intervene,' he says. 'My wife is a teacher. She had students who used to go to school without any breakfast. How do you expect them to do as well as other students? We should use old school buildings to run hostels for these children. They should live there Mondays to Fridays. Meals should be provided and they can go to different schools. It's worth our investing in this. We could help 10 per cent of our students, which would run into the thousands, and the cost would not be that high.'

The state should pay for this, he adds, 'because those in the social sector who try to help others should not be in the business of fundraising. That is not their job; their job is to show kindness to people.'

There are two areas where Mr Ngiam is emphatically critical of policies because he believes they do not serve the average citizen. One is the CPF Investment Scheme, under which account holders are permitted to use their CPF to buy shares. 'Allowing people to buy shares with their CPF money is like sending lambs to the slaughterhouse,' he says.

'The average CPF member is not stock market savvy. When I was CPF chairman, I said, my duty is to the members. CPF is already used for housing loans and medical care. I don't see why it should also be used for stocks. It's unconscionable.' But Mr Ngiam was overruled, because, he says, 'one of the KPIs of MAS was to promote Singapore as a financial centre'.

The other policy of which Mr Ngiam has been a long-time critic is the move to allow integrated resorts (IRs) that include casinos. 'By going in for IRs, Singapore has taken the low road,' he says. 'Casinos undermine our moral fibre.'

He does not believe the gaming industry has fundamentally changed from the 1960s, when Singapore shunned it. 'It's the same. It only has more lights and glitter.'

Nor is he impressed by the argument that the IRs will create 30,000 jobs. 'Such jobs don't have much of a multiplier effect,' he suggests. 'It's different from creating 30,000 jobs in rig building or pharmaceuticals.'

Whether they agree with him or not - and people sometimes do not - nobody denies that Mr Ngiam has always had Singapore's best interests at heart when crafting policy; his pragmatism has been not only strategic, as he likes to say, but also compassionate.

As a policymaker, he has shepherded the Singapore economy through its transition from third world to first. I ask him what should come next, after material prosperity.

'We should become a highly educated society and keep adding to our knowledge,' he says. 'We should also be a humane society where people have respect for each other. Then we can survive. That's the Singapore I would want for my grandchildren.'

vikram@sph.com.sg

NGIAM TONG DOW

Born Singapore, 1937

Education

  • 1959 BA (Hons) (First Class) in Economics, University of Malaya (Singapore)
  • 1964 Master of Public Administration, Harvard University

    Career

  • 1959 Joined civil service
  • Served as Permanent Secretary, Ministries of Finance (1972-79),
    Trade and Industry (1979-86),
    National Development (1987-89)
    and Prime Minister's Office (1979-94)

  • Chairman, Economic Development Board (1975-81),
    Sheng-Li Holdings (1981-91),
    DBS Bank (1990-98),
    Central Provident Fund Board (1998-2001),
    Housing and Development Board (1998-2003)

  • 2003-2008: Chairman, Surbana Corporation

    National Day Awards

  • 1971 Public Administration Medal (Gold)
  • 1978 Meritorious Service Medal
  • 1999 Distinguished Service Order
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    Thursday, November 18, 2010

    Something I would like to study further...

    Sometimes I would come across people writing or saying that isn't your god as evil as hitler, for example? Why would a loving god tells jews to go kill people.. etc.. I would find it disturbing sometimes.... Well, I have read the answer to it, and sort of know the why but find it hard to be engaged in such question. I would like to find time to do more research and study on this topics .. as the old testament is harder to comprehend, so it really need more time and effort to go about digging further... Anyway, I put some link below to motivate me to do further study whenever I can find time...

    http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/killergod.html

    http://www.rationalchristianity.net/genocide.html

    May God give me the wisdom to understand to enable me to be engaged in such conversation should there be in future..

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    Monday, October 18, 2010

    Wednesday, October 13, 2010

    Lead me Lord; guide me Lord, in my life's journey

    Dear friends and visitors,

    Please pray for Jeremy that God would plant signboards along his life's journey on various matters and Jeremy is attentive to it and heed His Way which is always the best outcome. The various matters are:

    1) Career path. Jeremy is in the midst of changing career and may God give a clear sign to Jeremy what is best for him according to his strength and weakness and personality. May God give Jeremy the wisdom to select the right path.

    2) Job opportunity. As the economy recovery is still not clear yet, may God lead Jeremy to the right job available in the job market.

    3) Right life partner. May God create opportunity for Jeremy to meet his future partner and may God help Jeremy overcome the obstacles that he may be facing. Shyness? Not articulate in expression? Not boring? Humorous? Boldness? Financial ability? etc ... which God so knows very well... Jeremy knows very well that there won't be any marriage in the next world / after life and he wishes to be committed in a marriage, which God has arranged for human from the beginning, during his lifetime.

    4) To be more active in God's work. May God help Jeremy to leave his comfort zone and come out and serve Him.

    5) To find more time to study God's word so that Jeremy can be rooted in His word and his faith will not shatter as we are fast (probably) approaching to a time when the devil will seem to triumph and Christianity further weaken in strength, power and influence globally, leading to the final removal of the Holy Spirit to restrain any evil scheme in the world during the final stages of the end times.



    ~ "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." ~


    In Jesus' name
    Amen


    (After typing the prayer list out, Jeremy found out that he had put God's stuff at the last few point and his stuffs at the top. Jeremy remembered that we must first seek His kingdom and all others will be given to us. May God forgive Jeremy.)

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