An ANALysis of Singaporeans.......

Singapore is a FINE city. Uniquely Singapore.

Yeah, we've seen the adverts and some of us has, as tacky as they are, bought the t-shirts too. There are things we're all proud to have achieved as a nation like having the world's best airport or the world's best port. I think, especially after reading the papers 2 days ago, we can pride ourselves at being the most anal in the world. Pardon my language.

Where else in the world could someone be fined for falling asleep in a public park? I can't think of any. OK, granted that I haven't been to many parts of the world and haven't ventured further than Java, East Malaysia and the Malaysia-Thai border, it still borders on the ludicrous that one could be fined for sleeping in a public park.

My eyes almost popped out at that headline and upon further reading, I felt compassion for the sleeper and utter disgust at the park ranger. I just can't fathom how someone falling asleep at a park bench while taking refuge from the rain can be deemed as a nuisance or even a hazard to other park users. Have you seen the number of dogs running around unleashed and the psychopaths who call themselves cyclists darting around in the very same parks?

I mean, c'mon, I'd have no qualms with summons being issued against inconsiderate park users such as those who practically set up a temporary home complete with cordons in a public park. I'd be smirking at the fellow who let his dog run unleashed and pee and poo all over the park without cleaning up after it. The defining issue is being inconsiderate. I think many Singaporeans fail in the respect and they do so miserably.

I'm not even going to talk about road users. I've practically given up hope of having peaceful drive where I don't have to maintain a vigilant eye on every corner. I'm referring to the recently publicised issue of returning your plates after eating at the local foodcourts. Something as simple as that but we all find it hard to do. Personally, I try to make it a point to clear my table, not for the next patron, but to ease the load on the cleaners, who more often than not, are senior citizens. Most tmes, I'm greeted with a great big smile and a nice thank you when they accept my used utensils at the clearing point. Gratitute, no doubt, that they have one less table to clear.

Almost all the local guys go through NS and no one dares leave behind his food tray unless they want to get left behind during book-out day. It's such a simple thing yet we just can't do it. Just this afternoon during lunch with the wife at one of the many foodcourts, I saw just how many people conveniently walk away from their tables without even attempting to clear their table. Is it because they are wearing business attire and cleaning up is beneath them that makes them act that way?

Honestly, if the nice old lady didn't come to my table to cart away my crockery at the time when I was stacking them up, I'd have done it myself. the fact that she said thank you to me for helping her stacking up my utensils to make it easier for her to carry it away speaks volumes of her character and just makes the inconsiderate act of many patrons. What is it about us Singaporeans that we can't do something as basic as this?

Is it the rat race that makes us so self-centered and so self-enamoured that we consider the basics of courtesy an being considerate beneath us? I mean most of us don't have maids to clean up and we don't expect our parents to clean up after us, but yet, we expect the elderly cleaners at the foodcourts to do the same for us. The best part of it all, many of us even ignores the cleaners after clearing up the table for us without even a hint of gratitude for giving us a cleaner place to eat, much less a smile and a thank you.

Try asking your mother to wipe the table clean before you eat and you might just get a stare so deep, your stomach churns. Go and complain to your father when your mother gives you that stare and he might just throw you out of the house.

Now, all we need is another campaign. I'm sure it will work just as well as how the courtesy campaign worked for us.

PS: Wave as a thank you doesn't mean you wave only your middle finger.

Hoping for calm

Here comes the bear...

Haven't you heard? Technically, we are in a recession. The first time we've had a technical recession since 2002. That came off the back of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. In fact it's been a long-time coming. Something we've always known was gonna be here, a matter of when, not if. I'm no financial analyst, neither am I a stock market savvy person, but the signs were here more than a year ago when the world economy hit a speed bump and oil prices started escalating to record prices.

Back then, I kinda had a feeling that a recession is gonna hit us soon. Now that it's here, the word on the street is that depression may set in. If it ever get's that bad, then we'll all be in for a rough ride. Should I be worried? With all the talk of recession and depression ala 1930's, who wouldn't be? In an instant, life savings could be wiped out, bankruptcies and joblessness. Still I retain a little bit of optimism, in spite of all the turmoil swirling around us. While we are still being buffeted from the worst of the storm, and while I expect that it won't be long before it smacks us right in the face, I believe, it's not the end of the world.

Right now, while I do fear what the future may hold, I have faith that it will get better. It's only a matter of time. The only problem for many of us is that we suffer losses we think are too great for us to bear. Then when the fear sets in and panic starts, our hopes turn into desperation. Honestly, I won't be surprised to read of suicides when the economy don't rebound as quickly or takes a turn for the worse. I can only pray that none of my friends come to that.

I for one will hold on steadfastly to my shares....I mean beliefs that it will get better.....I hope...

Speaking of hope, fear, panic and the erosion of confidence, I can't understand the attitude of some Singaporeans. Case in point, the middle-class folks living in Serangoon Gardens.

First of all, if the people living in Serangoon Gardens and other landed properties are middle-class, does that makes 70% of Singaporeans who live in HDBs low-class? Where does that put the Condo owners and those who are renting and not owning their own flats? Or is it the fact that they live on landed property that makes them more sophisticated than the rest of us and gives them the right to be snooty and snobbish. C'mon, you all breathe the same polluted air I do, and don't you dare call me low-class!!!

Secondly, what's the hullabaloo about the foreign worker dormitories being set up in Serangoon Gardens? I can't begin to understand the resistance to the dormitory being setup there. Security? C'mon, since when did Singapore become an exclusive society and why pigeon-hole the foreigners as a security threat? Are we really that better than them?

Lastly, have the folks at Serangoon Gardens forgotten who we, Singaporeans, really are? We were, if I am to be honest, are just a bunch of immigrants flocking to this little red in search of a better life for ourselves and a better future for our children. Off the 5.8 million people who call Singapore home, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone who can trace their lineage back to the original inhabitants of Singapore - all the back to when Raffles landed here.

Save for the few, we all can trace our ancestors to lands as far away as Indonesia, Arabia, India and Mainland China to mention a few. We all fought for our stake in this land over the decades, why deny the hopeful newcomers their chance at a better life? You won't live forever and your children may even go off to other countries and stay there.

Personally, I think it's all to do with our fear of the unknown and uncertain. When the unknown and uncertain gets forced upon us, the erosion of our faith and our beliefs starts. And when hope turns to despair, fear and panic sets in. My guess, is, that's what's gripping the world and to a certain extent, Serangoon Garden folks.

The Hari Raya and the day she turned 1

Yeah, I know, it's 2 days late. It's her special day. A year to the day I first laid my eyes on her, heard her cries, cradled her in my arms and kissed her on her forehead. Not a day went by without me uttering praises to Him for His gift to us.

Blessed? That's really a mild understatement.

This year's Aidilfitri was a more meaningful and blissful affair for me as compared to the debacle that was last year. We managed to dress up nicely as a family and went about the visiting with the rest of the family. I joked with my wife about setting Izza a target for her "collection" money. As we both took leave on Thursday and Friday, it offered us more time and a less hectic schedule for our visits. We visited those relatives we didn't see last year and some were pleasantly surprised that there's now 3 of us. Obviously, no one told them about our bundle of joy.

Went back to my wife's Mak Andak place in Ayer Hitam on Friday. The planned trip was to start at 9am but we only left Singapore at 11. This was, as usual, through no fault of ours. We only reached Ayer Hitam at 1.30pm and didn't even make it to Kluang to her Mak Long's place as she was out. Glad we went on a weekday though. Travelling to Ayer Hitam and Kluang to visit 2 houses only doesn't seem to be a good plan for a weekend - half a day gone with only 2 houses covered. Not god for me - as the driver, and not good for Izza - for her collection.

Wifey had wanted us to just stay home on Sunday and have a quiet time to ourselves, though that would be a big ask of Izza - she just can't keep still nowadays, especially after 4 days of almost non-stop house visiting. Yeah, we were tired, more so our little princess. Still, I decided to go ahead with the initial plan, which was to meet up with my family and continue visiting relatives. I did make a promise to my wife that whatever it is and no matter whose house was next on the agenda, we'd cut our day at 5pm. This would give us some downtime with her, not to mention some rest as we were working on Monday.

The previous 4 days of action probably took a lot out of her. She slept in the car from 3.30pm and only woke up at home at 7pm. In between, some extended family members dropped by to see the birthday girl only to be disappointed to find out that she's asleep.Oh, and in the midst playing on our bed, just before she slept, she somehow managed to lose her footing and slipped of our platform bed and fell on the carpeted floor. Needless to say, tears were shed but she showed no ill-effects after that. Surprisingly, she fell asleep at 10.30pm again - that's how tired she was.

Although we didn't get to celebrate her birthday, not that we were planning to hold a party or anything of that sort, we did take some time to buy a new toy for her yesterday during lunch. Well, she loved her new toy, judging by her reactions. And there's more courtesy from her uncle and aunt and her grandparents.