Home Grown Talents

Everything happens for a reason ... so they say

The Power & Power-to-be starts with a good, noble intention
He fights for a cause and unites the divisive
With one view and one dream, they achieve

With success, comes rewards
When you are rewarded adequately, you strive to excel
When bonuses and ex-gratia payments are given, you go beyond the call of duty
When you are rewarded luxuriously, you ring-fence your job and protect your fort
Nobody will deny that money makes the World goes round
Too much money will bring 'devils and ghosts' around

In early days when Singapore was poor, we resolve issues within our 'poorness'
We build and welcome help and grants
From labour intensive to technology pushed; moving into high-tech, value-added and services
Singapore prospered from the contributions of all; locals, aids, grants and technology and knowhow transfers

All were talented, driven and committed

Today's results : Singapore is the blood and sweat of our immediate past; citizens & foreigners alike - Nobody can nor will claim monopoly of credits

With prosperity, the face of Singapore today is 'a facade of faces'
She is further divided into the 'Haves' and 'Have-nots'
The gap was widened by the rich and poor, the elite and the layman, the islanders versus the heartlanders
Like the Merlion; we are neither a Lion nor a Fish

Singaporeans are NOT against paying for the best
But, it's a different story when the promises are, but, misses. Silence can be more deafening than noises and excuses, unlike reasons, is the death nail for non-delivery

Singaporeans are NOT against foreign workers or foreign talents
But, if everyone who comes to Singapore is a talent, then it's a dime a dozen; sweepers, cleaners, hospitality staffs, croupiers, general grade admin officers, telcos sales and support .. the lists go on

Singaporeans cries of stressful living and gasping runaway costs are not wilful acts of a malingering child but deep seated crisis where the Souls and bodies are living apart
Economic uncertainty, an unending free flow of foreign workers including foreign PMETs, a crashing infrastructure and low wages add to miseries
If price is the only determinant, then very quickly those higher up the food chain can be replaced cheaply too

A good leader leads his men; an excellent leader eats, breathe and shares his men's dreams and aspiration 

If leaders and corporate honchus have no faith with our fellow S/Citizens and do not prioritise Singaporeans ahead of foreigners, someday Capitalism will become Socialism by circumstances Not by choice

Every Singaporean is a TALENT, has potential and is a gem in the making; did YOU give him/me a chance? Charity starts at home; a beloved leader choose from his flock


Supporting Singaporeans and Singapore home-grown companies is the beginning of happiness and prosperity


In the book, "The Good Earth (House of Hwang)", Mr Wang Lung would rather feed earth to his children when famine strikes than to sell any of them ...

If you forsake your fellowmen in times of need, how would you expect your fellowmen to support you at the box? Like Wang Lung, we may have lesser to eat but we are happy and take Providence by the horns...

This is the same philosophy why we have a strong, robust and powerful military; we DO NOT depend on foreigners ...

For Singaporeans, by Singaporeans

Will The World End?

Someday, somehow, someone's world will end ...

Era end
People end
All good & bad things must come to an end

Decline, bust, growth & boom are cyclical
Capitalism (survival of the fittest), Socialism (you get to share) & Communism (everything is shared) shine and fade as people's choices changes with time
Selfish capitalist will make way for socialist. When the socialist finds the going tough, the communist shall reign

Leaders come and go
With an altruistic heart, the Nation prospers 国家- 有国就有家
With selfish thoughts and self-aggrandizement, nations decline and disappear into the annuls of history
先为家再为国，国家就灭亡
History will accord the great man his title and recognition long after he is gone

History is filled with empires that stretched from East to West as well as an empire that the Sun never sets
But, no one can ever demand recognition nor dictate that his subjects served him selflessly
Such despots and dictators will be served their due desserts and recognized as such - a Failure
The end of their rule is the beginning of freedom, happiness and harmony for Main Street

The World is filled with IQs-centric academics but few with EQs & RQs
Being knowledgeable but without application and street-smartness is like an automobile without gas
The arm chair commander and leader who leads in the ivory tower ends in the tower - dead & forgotten
The populace cannot, and must not, be digitalized; that differentiate a thinking-human from animals

There are enough nuclear warheads that can, and shall, end the World through foolishness
Globalization has also made the World over-dependent on one another; there is zero tolerance for errors
The World can only be a better place if the North/South Gap is narrower
Just as a rich man cannot survives in a sea of poor

In time of troubles and chaos
In time of crisis, a new leader is born
Born to lead his flock to safety, prosperity and harmony

No leader is indispensable; when one ends another rises

The World will not end but most of us, our little Kingdom in time shall end when we take the last breathe

Let's live happily, healthily and with zest today & everyday

Stock Market - Dilemma

The double proposition of which neither is practically acceptable...

US is enjoying growth albeit small

EU - Europe - is an economic and political union of 27 members with tonnes of problems; the rich North supporting a poorer South
The excessiveness of some EU's members is emptying coffers and banks and their refusal to force sell the affected assets, whose value had reduced substantially, is nothing but hollow hopes

The West bullied the East (Asia) in the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crisis and bought cheap into Asia; why are they preventing the reverse from taking place? Protectionism? Selfishness? White superiority? It's a bundle of jokes and self-centreness

China, the workshop of the East, is shedding its low cost image and struggling with internal disquietness brought about by years of disproportionate distribution and a widening rich/poor gap while India is embroiled in internal politics and democratic gamesmanship

Japan is struggling to break out of years of deflation

Globalization and internet has brought about global problems which cannot be singly isolated nor quarantined. The World is more vulnerable; a declining or sub-normal growth will breed massive unemployment, disharmony and hunger

The Middle-East is the playground of geo-politico gamesmanship and distraction from localized problems

Russia will be the game-broker  
 
Commodity prices will correct from their multi-years high and go into a tailspin vis-a-vis declining growth and collapsing demand.

However, the saving grace is "Hot Money"!

World Wars I & II were fought for political and geographical dominance; by extension economic superiority and control ... there will not, and cannot, be a World War III as we have enough nuclear to MAD (Mutual Assured Destruction)

However, proxy wars are not totally unexpected

The World will have to shed her excessiveness and enter into a recession and/or deflation phase

Nevertheless, due to compact time and space, changes will be speedier, more painful and impactful. Brave for sudden and acute changes, both natural and man-made

After the collateral damage, comes recovery & growth

CASH is King

The Graduate Hawker

Phd (Food Engineering), BSc(Foodfare), Dip in Hawking...

The last bastion of free enterprise and creativity is now under Government control. It is fine to regulate hygiene and health issues in relation to food centres but to require certification for hawkers is uncalled for. 

"Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to set up hawker training centre and to built a pipeline of skilled hawkers". It's really stretched on imaginations to expect our hawkers to hold a Diploma in Hawking or Degree in FoodFare or some form of Certificates! Its an academic oversell!

In early days, hawker stalls and stalls in school canteens were given to financial hardship cases to help them eke out a decent living. Most of them have little or no education. I know many famous eateries and hawkers who take pride in their skills and food knowledge that no amount of formal education can harness. 

Such approach is not unlike an agency creating jobs to self-preserve their relevance and usefulness.

Food preparation and making involves some degrees of risk and skills. The argument that disadvantaged people and/or persons with disabilities can find jobs in hawking or hawker centres simply ignores the risk factors like boiling broth, hot water, fire, sharp objects, quick response and limited working space. 

I do not expect the Authorities to change their mind with this letter but I am hopeful that the Government will leave some areas to entrepreneurship and creativity alone. It's best that the Government do what it does best, that is, to govern with broad guidelines, compassion and meeting the crying needs of the people. 

There are many things that our Government has done well and I pray they will continue to do so. But, there are also pockets of issues that should be left alone to evolve.  

Not everyone can study nor achieve some level of certification but there is definitely many exemplary examples of uneducated and less educated people who made it and punching well above the headlines.

Surely we cannot be a nation of scholars without farmers; we will all be famished. A tertiary graduate may become a hawker (his intelligence, passion and willingness to learn) but its almost impossible for a hawker (he is a skilled 'craftsman', crafting meals) to become a graduate. 

I remembered the person and/or company who created his 'meals on wheels concept'. He was fairly successful. But, after he shared his idea with the Authority and the Agency tweaked and deployed a fairly similar concept, it did not last many years. 

I am concerned that we have given education and academic pursuit too much, almost exclusive, weightage.  

Published in the Straits Times 22/05/12

THE plan by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA) to set up a hawker training centre to 'build a pipeline of skilled hawkers' should be reconsidered ('Centre to train future hawkers'; last Friday).

It is a stretch of the imagination to expect hawkers to study for a diploma in hawking or a degree in food fare. If anything, the idea smacks of a bureaucratic oversell.

We should remember that hawker and school canteen stalls started as an informal trade for people who had to earn a living or were facing financial hardship. Most hawkers had little or no education. Those who turned their stalls into foodie haunts had little or no formal education, but that mattered not a jot as they taught themselves the requisite skills and crafted the recipes that made their food famous.

Hawkers are more jazz artists than operatic soloists.

The approach that the WDA is contemplating tries to encourage a creative trade through the rigid confines of bureaucracy: form an agency to create jobs that are self-fulfilling but may have little impact or relevance to the way hawker fare is crafted and enjoyed.

Food preparation involves risk and skills. The argument that disadvantaged people and the disabled can find jobs in

hawking or hawker centres ignores the physical risks of boiling broth and water, fire, sharp objects, swift reflexes and tight working spaces.

The Government should leave well alone some aspects of entrepreneurship and creativity.

It should do what it does best, which is to govern with broad guidelines and lots of patience and understanding.

Not all who excel in what they do best should study or be certified for their skills.

Philip Kwek

 http://www.straitstimes.com/STForum/Story/STIStory_801387.html

Down Days Are Invasive

Some days are simply dull, invasive, uninteresting and down ...

Do you find that some days everything seems incorrect
The trains are down, the buses are late, the flowers fade and the favourite laksa tastes bland
That the body is weak and the bones are aching
There seem so much to do yet you cannot pen anything worth reading nor meaningful

When every phone calls go unanswered or engaged
When the cellphone seems to to be spoilt and without incoming sms  
Where have all the urgent calls gone to
The vast network seems to have terminated your number

I am tired and sick
Down with severe running nose and aches

It's not just downtime, it's a complete knock out 


I hate to be sick
I hate it more when the biorhythms is low; a deadly combination
There are so much that I wanted to say but no one to listen
It's tired being a winner, a champion and a 'never say die' mentor

Tomorrow will be better
When I have fully recovered
I shall conquer new frontiers
I needed to move far ahead so that when I am down, I am still many paces ahead

My dream, my rainbow and my future
Are waiting to unfold
I shall be the butterfly amongst the flowers; sharing my beauty and my colours

Changes Or Indifferences

While change is the only constant, many things did not change; it only gets bigger...

JPMorgan loss US$2bn in hedging, an instrument that was suppose to insulate, or hedge, against losses. Capitalism or laizze faire without care, responsibility and prudence, sprinkled with greed, is the perfect route to financial armageddon.

Rank Group, owner of Mecca Bingo, is the biggest casino operator in UK, It owns Gala Coral and Grosvenor Casinos, with a total of 58 casinos. Rank is owned by Malaysia's GuoCo Group; the rise of Asian touch in the West.

To prioritise your posts on FB, FB is testing a 'pay to post' scheme whereby your posts is made more visible if you pay; FB is laughing all the way to the bank.

If nudisism or naturalism has a champ, nobody can beat the Germans; a country where nudity is not about sex - its attitude.

A Dutch scientist experimented and engineered the avian flu virus and make it deadlier and easily spread through air; the experiment is funded by US Government. The World, aka human race, is nearer complete destruction with or without nukes. Why fund medical gamesmanship instead of channelling the funds to cancer research or other life threatening diseases?

When we change for the better, our well-being and living are a little further from absolute suffering.

Is there a basis for the disquietness, unhappiness, discontent and challenges that Singaporeans are experiencing lately or were these fanned by anti-establishment movements? Or is this called 'political awakening'?
Generally, as in most countries in the world, citizens are apolitical. They go about their daily lives and living in a clockwork, peaceful and routine manner. The catalyst of the/an awakening, if any, is almost always economics.

In 2009, the elderly suicide rate per 100,000 for men was 28.7 & women 19. It takes more than bravery and silliness to commit suicide and preventive measures must be taken; it must not be seen as an easy way out to ease dependency.

Changes or indifferences? 

The World is getting smaller and more explosive. The majority who, if suffers in silence, are the tsunamic force that will change the world; not that they love anarchy but they need to survive - and to carry on their daily, peaceful routine.

The rich cannot lives in a sea of poor!

Change cannot be acutely sudden; its like anger ... a letter before Danger. You can ignore the pleas for change and the screams of pain. But, it will never be the same again when change finally comes, not by choice but by circumstances.

When the Earth rocks, the Ocean swings ... and live will never be the same again! Dinosaurs can attest to this.

I Was Once A Foreigner

From the rough Southern China coastal town, I boarded a junk for my journey into the future
An unknown future 我的明天 filled with uncertainty, danger and opportunity 危机
A three months journey into the unknown except destination was some distant land in the Southern shore下南洋

I left my motherland, a poor pauper
But, not leaving was never a choice; its between famine, poverty and the deep blue sea
I may starved and drown; I may find new shores - that's enough motivation for me to board the broken junk to journey into the unknown with hopes shining brighter than the summer sun

The journey was harsh, food was scarce and water rare
If there was a chance to die, this was it! But, the intention was to survive not to die
Dying or 'to die' 生死由天 was not in the dictionary; we escaped from the clutch of death to prosper not to perish大难不死必有后福

南洋 the southern seas was a sea of hope

I toiled and toiled; it was sweat and tears
Every cents saved was remitted to my home town to feed the dearest at home
Distance and loneliness did not break my spirit; its not about survival, its about prosperity

Nobody will risk their life just to survive; for that you need not leave home

Swiftly prosperity sweeps in and a new era begins
There is always hope if you survive; waiting to die is more trying than finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
Nobody can be any smarter nor wiser to believe the World will end because it just won't

Don't, and never, give up

I was once a foreigner in the newfoundland
Today, I am the Kapitan, the indigenous, the founder ... in my own dreamland

I make my bed and lie on it; You have a choice

I Am Caged

Freedom comes with responsibility ...

Freedom, responsibility and accountability moderate the outcome
The variance is a product of willingness to face eventuality
The challenge is to create newer frontier and drawing wider boundaries

When you are very capable and focus
When you have everything going for you
But, there is simply no result, no achievement, no reward, no desired outcome
... only frustration

Patience has its limit and my drives may dry up
Creativity is finite and hope alone cannot sustain my journey
Hard work and determination melt and dissipate over time ...

I am afterall a human; With humanly needs, weaknesses and disappointments 

I am cracking under constant non-achievement and thankless jobs
I have walked through many walls, overcame many challenges but without even a slight pat on the shoulder I am emotionally defeated and crashed
Rewards are seemingly illusive; my journey is getting less and less assuring

I am standing at the edge of the cliff
My Providence hangs me precariously and I have no answer to all that I had betted on
My tomorrows are hollow and the future bleak

I am caged

Will I get any better? Will I be lucky? At this very moment, I am a living zombie
My faith in GOD is evaporating like water in the desert sun

Today & now; my spirit is low ebb    

What will tomorrow brings? I will know ... if tomorrow comes

Tire

When I almost give up, when the body is weak, I ...

The spirit is willing but the body is weak
The heart is determined but I am simply distracted and lack motivation
My mind wonders ... floats in the breeze and lost in the cosmos
I knew my success is within reach

Between being smart and lucky, I would rather be lucky
Winners are not always the smartest, fastest nor the brightest
Luck is where preparation meets opportunity

I am, and have always been, self-motivated
I may be born poor but I shall live rich
Rich in mind, calm in action and wise in reaction
The Soul shall conquer new frontiers with ease

I am almost a spent force

I struggle within
I struggle along
But, I shall NOT sink

Many a times, I almost reach shore but ... fate wouldn't accede
I almost give up when lighthouse beacons and hopes abounds
It's the challenges that make the victory sweet
But, the sweat and tears, the wear and tear, the seemingly impossible; can be tortuous

I fight to win and its 'all or nothing'; the stakes is in the stakeholder
As “It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.” ― Mark Twain

I may be tired, I may be challenged but I live to fight another day

I will win; if not now, soon...


Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster. Sun Tzu

I am a Coin

There are two sides to everything...

There is day and night, black and white
There are good and bad, pretty and ugly
Brightness hurts the eyes just as its quite impossible to manoeuvre in total darkness

The sick shall heal as the healthy may falls ill
It's easier to challenge the victor than to remain in victory
I climb upwards towards my goals and expectations only to reach my peak in due course; after the peak, it's down-the-hill, definitely not downhill

Life and living can be quite nonplus

The world worship a winner
A win is a win by any other definition
Being second or almost there is NOT there; a near miss is a miss

I will not show my weaknesses when I am weak and down
I will never show the meek, sadden, broken soul that sometimes strike
There is no place on earth for any weakling

The real world is cruel and has no room for errors
Failures baked in instant hell and defeats cut through steel
Never expect mercy nor compassion; these are divine acts beyond the reach of an average human

 Whatever you do, where ever you are
The side that shines is the RIGHT side of the coin to show and be shown

There is no sympathy for losers, for me and for you

The truth is nobody remembers the loser, the near-winner or the almost 'make=it'

I will be the lighthouse to my Soul

Sweet Victory & Memories

I like to reminisce ....

Memories are made of sour, sweets, bitter and spice 酸甜苦辣 & everything nice
Shattered dreams don't hurt as dreams are subconscious
When you experience sweet dreams, indulge
Memories are experiences whilst dreams are works-in-emotion

I make my dreams come true

Win some, loss some
I live to fight another day; fight or flight, I choose my destination
I won't fight to win a battle and loss a war
The outcome of war is Victory

When an issue is event driven, I flow
When a challenge is time centric, I prepare for it
When certification is required, I acquire it in preparation
The fleeting seconds that the Eagle sweeps up her prey has zero tolerance for error

Time and tides wait for no man but patience must run its course
Hurrying may be fatal but speed is vital
The difference between success and failure is walking away a winner
There is no mercy in the ring; You must fight to win

My memories are riddled with betrayals, failures and entrapments
My strength is overcoming all adversities with a SMILE - the Art of Deflection
Like a Zen master, I walk away from fire, bathe in icy water and shot the rapids with ease
Failure is experience gained

From cradle to grave, I learn to relieve myself of bondage and to let go of painful experiences, hatred and threats
My steely mind, my zeal and my one-on-one relationship with HIM/God gives me enlightenment
I purify and flood myself with pleasant memories and dreams
I shield myself and show no weaknesses

For winners are no weaklings

Someday, somehow...
I will leave Earth as Winner and would have made all impossible POSSIBLE

When its time for me to leave, I will leave with a SMILE
The everlasting smile that all will remember ... in memories