Saturday, February 24, 2007
Post Modernism: Being Confidently Wrong..
Singapore is the home to many con jobs. In fact if I knew any famous con artists, I would say that they would be impressed by some of Singapore's cons. And the mark of an excellent con? People know they are getting con but don't do anything about it.
Case in point:
1) COE. This is a brilliant con. Basically from a business point of view, it's almost 100% profit. You're charging people money to own a car. And not even own a car till it dies or something, for 10 years. After that you need to pay more money. All this for a piece of paper. Buying this doesn't even give you the car, it gives you the right to buy a car.
2) HDB upgrading for only people who voted for the current government or as they like to put it "mandate of the people". This is another brilliant con that everybody who gets upgraded agrees with (well because people are inherently selfish). Everybody pays taxes and everyone is a singaporean, yet we're drawing lines because of political parties. Interestingly enough, all the taxpayers money goes to pay for said upgrading and even the salaries of the ministers.. whom they did not vote. Does the money from the non-main-political party supporters go to a separate fund? I don't think so. I don't see the democrats and republicans doing this. At least they know that after the elections, everyone becomes an American again. Not so much here...
3) Paying our ministers extremely high salaries and giving them pay increments while raising the GST so as to have more money to distribute to the lower income. Let's address the following fallacies first. Why are they paid high salaries? So that they won't get bribed. I always thought holding such high political office required people of stronger moral fibre. But guess I was wrong. Just need to pay them more to keep them honest. Brilliant. Hitler himself would be proud. He conned an entire nation about the aryans being superior when he himself wasn't a blue eyed blonde hair person. Second fallacy, government needs more money to give the lower income. Good. I agree. Yay team. Go go go. Money needs to come from the people. Ok find enough. The people who have get taxed a bit more to help this. All good. Increase the ministers salaries.. because.. hmm.. they are more succeptible to bribes now? Sure that makes sense... yeah.. but .. huh? Here's a tip powers that be: Don't increment your ministers pay.. you'll discover you have a lot more money to distribute to those who need it.
But for all their mastery at the art of con-ing, they don't seem to fair very well in the international arena. Cross ref: China Suzhou Industrial, Shincorp, Relations with Malaysia and soil, Relations with Malaysia and Indonesia over water.. Guess it's not easy to con people when you can't throw threats at them.
Singapore is the home to many con jobs. In fact if I knew any famous con artists, I would say that they would be impressed by some of Singapore's cons. And the mark of an excellent con? People know they are getting con but don't do anything about it.
Case in point:
1) COE. This is a brilliant con. Basically from a business point of view, it's almost 100% profit. You're charging people money to own a car. And not even own a car till it dies or something, for 10 years. After that you need to pay more money. All this for a piece of paper. Buying this doesn't even give you the car, it gives you the right to buy a car.
2) HDB upgrading for only people who voted for the current government or as they like to put it "mandate of the people". This is another brilliant con that everybody who gets upgraded agrees with (well because people are inherently selfish). Everybody pays taxes and everyone is a singaporean, yet we're drawing lines because of political parties. Interestingly enough, all the taxpayers money goes to pay for said upgrading and even the salaries of the ministers.. whom they did not vote. Does the money from the non-main-political party supporters go to a separate fund? I don't think so. I don't see the democrats and republicans doing this. At least they know that after the elections, everyone becomes an American again. Not so much here...
3) Paying our ministers extremely high salaries and giving them pay increments while raising the GST so as to have more money to distribute to the lower income. Let's address the following fallacies first. Why are they paid high salaries? So that they won't get bribed. I always thought holding such high political office required people of stronger moral fibre. But guess I was wrong. Just need to pay them more to keep them honest. Brilliant. Hitler himself would be proud. He conned an entire nation about the aryans being superior when he himself wasn't a blue eyed blonde hair person. Second fallacy, government needs more money to give the lower income. Good. I agree. Yay team. Go go go. Money needs to come from the people. Ok find enough. The people who have get taxed a bit more to help this. All good. Increase the ministers salaries.. because.. hmm.. they are more succeptible to bribes now? Sure that makes sense... yeah.. but .. huh? Here's a tip powers that be: Don't increment your ministers pay.. you'll discover you have a lot more money to distribute to those who need it.
But for all their mastery at the art of con-ing, they don't seem to fair very well in the international arena. Cross ref: China Suzhou Industrial, Shincorp, Relations with Malaysia and soil, Relations with Malaysia and Indonesia over water.. Guess it's not easy to con people when you can't throw threats at them.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Alternative CNY greetings
"Happy CNY and may all your enemies lick the dust off your feet."
"Happy CNY, give me the red packets but keep the oranges. I have more than enough."
"Happy CNY, I'm here because apparently we're related."
"Happy CNY, let me give you the 30 second summary of the last one year and let you draw your own conclusions."
"Happy CNY and may all your enemies lick the dust off your feet."
"Happy CNY, give me the red packets but keep the oranges. I have more than enough."
"Happy CNY, I'm here because apparently we're related."
"Happy CNY, let me give you the 30 second summary of the last one year and let you draw your own conclusions."
My Tribute to a good man
My tribute to my grandfather who passed away about 6 years ago. It was the year 2001 and I was still in the army. I remember he passed away on a Saturday afternoon and I only heard about it the next morning. I remember that it was before Chinese New Year because that year we didn't go visiting. I remember it was a very sudden thing. He passed away in his sleep. He had a quiet dignity in the way he lived his twilight years. He worked nights as a telephone operator for a taxi company after he had retired. I never really knew what he did before that. He had his issues that strained some relationships with people but never with his grandchildren (meaning my sis and I). But who doesn't? He had a drinking problem which eventually led to his death. He tried to quit I believe, but I guess the bottle is just too hard to escape. This is the main reason why I don't drink (for people who know me and don't know that I don't drink). It's out of respect for my grandfather.
The stuff I know about him isn't much. I know he had a tough childhood because his family's wealth was cheated from him when he was a boy. His dad had passed away early on and somehow his family's finances were mis-appropriated. Later on during the war he nearly died but he hid out in a temple. I don't know much else because we don't talk about him anymore. (Seems to be a very asian thing to not talk about people after they've passed on). Anyway I nearly forgot that he passed on about this time until a week or so back. Was 2 Sundays ago when my dad said that they sold my grandpa's stocks and they divided the money. Then awhile back I saw this old man at this coffeeshop whom from the back looked like my grandpa. Also had a dream about him a few nights back. Incidently, I dreamed that my grandpa told me he had died the night he had passed on (before I found out). It's always been something that's puzzled me.
Anyway since I can't remember the exact date he passed on, I'll just take the 19th of Feb as his anniversary.
To my grandfather: A man who lived his life with quiet dignity.
My tribute to my grandfather who passed away about 6 years ago. It was the year 2001 and I was still in the army. I remember he passed away on a Saturday afternoon and I only heard about it the next morning. I remember that it was before Chinese New Year because that year we didn't go visiting. I remember it was a very sudden thing. He passed away in his sleep. He had a quiet dignity in the way he lived his twilight years. He worked nights as a telephone operator for a taxi company after he had retired. I never really knew what he did before that. He had his issues that strained some relationships with people but never with his grandchildren (meaning my sis and I). But who doesn't? He had a drinking problem which eventually led to his death. He tried to quit I believe, but I guess the bottle is just too hard to escape. This is the main reason why I don't drink (for people who know me and don't know that I don't drink). It's out of respect for my grandfather.
The stuff I know about him isn't much. I know he had a tough childhood because his family's wealth was cheated from him when he was a boy. His dad had passed away early on and somehow his family's finances were mis-appropriated. Later on during the war he nearly died but he hid out in a temple. I don't know much else because we don't talk about him anymore. (Seems to be a very asian thing to not talk about people after they've passed on). Anyway I nearly forgot that he passed on about this time until a week or so back. Was 2 Sundays ago when my dad said that they sold my grandpa's stocks and they divided the money. Then awhile back I saw this old man at this coffeeshop whom from the back looked like my grandpa. Also had a dream about him a few nights back. Incidently, I dreamed that my grandpa told me he had died the night he had passed on (before I found out). It's always been something that's puzzled me.
Anyway since I can't remember the exact date he passed on, I'll just take the 19th of Feb as his anniversary.
To my grandfather: A man who lived his life with quiet dignity.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Scenes from a bachelor party..
The weekend is almost over. It went by fast. The wedding took a large portion of the weekend (not that I'm complaining or anything. Was an interesting experience.. or as some would say.. 'once in a lifetime' experience)
One interesting moment was perhaps when the groom was ko'ed on the table and the people around us asked " what's the occasion? birthday?" To which the reply was " Nope he's getting married tomorrow." Then the follow-up was "So where's the bride?" With a grin, "Not here." The last one was so where's the stripper? My reply now would be " no strippers but we had a couple of slippery nipples.. (man that's going to bring up some interesting google word hits..)
Alcohol loosens the tongue as well as the inhibitions..
The weekend is almost over. It went by fast. The wedding took a large portion of the weekend (not that I'm complaining or anything. Was an interesting experience.. or as some would say.. 'once in a lifetime' experience)
One interesting moment was perhaps when the groom was ko'ed on the table and the people around us asked " what's the occasion? birthday?" To which the reply was " Nope he's getting married tomorrow." Then the follow-up was "So where's the bride?" With a grin, "Not here." The last one was so where's the stripper? My reply now would be " no strippers but we had a couple of slippery nipples.. (man that's going to bring up some interesting google word hits..)
Alcohol loosens the tongue as well as the inhibitions..
