Monday 27 September 2010

Who Says We Singaporeans Don't Have A Sense of Humour?

Why do some people still maintain that we don't have much of a sense of humour? Perhaps we have selective and sometimes short memories, but as a nation we now can laugh - sometimes - at ourselves.


The 'old lady' of newspapers in Singapore, the Straits Times, recently heralded their 'scoop' of the capture of a runaway terrorist in big display advertisements spearheading its latest circulation campaign. 


Then they followed up with this piece (see below) in the newspaper, again with the infamous Mat Selamat front and centre.


Just in case any of you do not know of Mat Selamat, he's the terrorist with a gamey leg who managed to escape from what was thought to be a high security detention centre in Singapore - and was at large for about two years. His escape hogged the headlines of our local newspapers for some time and also made the world news.


Despite our very best efforts to track and trace him it was our Malaysian neighbours across the two Straits of Johor crossings who eventually located, captured and returned him to the Singapore authorities.


Wouldn't you say that we possess a finely tuned and unique sense of self-deprecating humour?


Why ever not? C'mon, he has appeared in sufficient print advertisements to remind us of his presence (or should I say absence?) and recent return. The alternative is not particularly flattering.



Anyway our Deputy PM and Minister for Home Affairs has said that a full report will be forthcoming.


In a commentary piece in Forbes magazine entitled
Why We Will Have Bigger Disasters

Kenneth G. Brill, 09.21.10, 11:00 AM ET

The author said that: 
"disasters require between five and 10 (often minor) problems--typically seven--to line up before a major event occurs. There are almost always warning signals that go unheeded. It is time for business schools, boards of directors and especially government regulators to become proficient in the emerging critical body of high-consequence/low-probability knowledge so they can make prudent choices to protect the public and their companies.'

Will we see any disasters? 

Thus far there have been only minor hiccups namely the YOG which we under costed by three times (not including the misprinting of certificates of appreciation for 45,000 volunteers), glitches in computation of new fares for our public transport, and a few 'acts of God' like the flash floods which visited us this year.

Singapore's regarded as being so well run that it is easy to be a tad complacent. 

Lord Mandelson, Labour's 'spin doctor' and better known as the 'Prince of Darkness' was appropriately complimentary when he spoke at a luncheon:  

"There is an eternal, persistent, restlessness about Singapore. It must always do things slightly differently, slightly better than before."

Let's hope our ever so polite guest proves to be right (or should I say correct?). 

But why should I care? I will be dead and gone by the time a disaster strikes - if at all, as long as we only experience the warning signals during my lifetime.


In any event, if I have learnt anything in my 60-odd years, it is don't believe all the hype and don't believe all you read. Including my ruminations.

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

An example of humour from talkingcock.com, a website:

Saturday 25 September 2010

Once a Couch Potato, Always a ..................

Ever since I was a child, I loved lying on a couch or bed reading - comics (my father and uncles were a source of action and cowboy comics from a now long gone shop on Orchard Road which we visited at least twice a week), books (an aunt who decided I should read 'good' books ordered Penguins and Pelicans through Robinson's - then in Raffles Place) and magazines from Reader's Digest, Time and Newsweek interspersed with Motor Sport and Autosport.


This inclination towards comfortable places expanded in scope to the party trick of falling asleep after good meal; I even remember falling asleep at the beginning of dinner after generous quantities of our host's wine on a hot and humid tropical night. 


An old friend ribs me, even today, about her attempt to match make by inviting a potential suitor to dinner - unfortunately I did not make a suitable impression as I promptly fell asleep after dinner!


But I have improved with age and rarely do I indulge in my 40 winks, even after a good meal.


When my friends complain of insomnia, I count myself lucky that I can take 'zizz' wherever I happen to find myself - in aircraft, boats, cars, trains, homes, offices. 


While waiting for my mother's turn to consult a TCM (traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner in Hong Kong some years ago, I lay down on a bench and when it was our turn the receptionist thought I was the patient! 


Yet I don't need to to be horizontal to fall asleep, any chair or bench will do. In recent times I've even fallen asleep having a root canal - must be the dark tinted shades they have us put on in dentists' surgeries.


When I raced Mini Coopers in the '70s I would catch some nerve-soothing shut eye in the back of an available comfortable car. When I went down to one horsepower and four legs instead of four wheels I looked for an unoccupied bench in the lady jockeys' changing rooms. In those days facilities for females could range from a proper changing room in the Singapore Turf Club at Bukit Timah to a borrowed storage cupboard in a more modest horse racing facility in Malaysia.


Since Singapore started holding night Formula 1 races three years ago I have developed some interest again in motor racing, after all even my lunch companions talk about F1 these days and they are not hoard, old petrol heads!


For the past two years I've watched Singapore F1 event on the Speed Channel in Florida. But this year I found myself in Singapore.


After giving it the briefest of thoughts, 'Rip Van Wong Holloway' decided not add to the number of my clan going to the races. It's not a matter of being good and green, but the thought of having to get there and back and many hours spent eating and drinking that daunt me.


It's not even a function of age because people much older than I are going to be there, but a matter of it being entertainment rather than sport.


Motor racing, especially F1, is big business and while one cannot fault its success, it's more than ever about money, putting on a good show (be it THE race itself or the peripheral entertainment), entertaining and being entertained.


So instead of making the hike downtown, I am staying home with our new LED TV and watching the HD telecast in peace and quiet - and comfort. Actually I am getting quite a kick out of getting a good deal on a flat screen that just fits into our existing cabinet - with only a couple of millimetres to spare on either side after I had removed the doors and all the internal hardwares.


Besides the tv set it is replacing was FREE to start off with! (Starhub - a local telco - had offered a free tv for each new sign-on several years ago). Now that's the sort bargain I like - and even Bernie Ecclestone (el supremo of F1) would approve!


On the other hand, my sister and some of my female friends who probably do not know a camshaft from a piston or tell the difference between carbon fiber and plastic, are heading for their respective Suites - where, in between chatting, eating and drinking, they will be catching glimpses of the race on tv sets.


Singapore being a street circuit is not conducive to over-taking, but I am hoping that with a handful of championship hopefuls on the grid and only 5 races to go, the younger ones will set caution aside and provide us with a spectacle. 


A bit of rain will also add spice to things, ensuring that it will not be a boring procession with the pole-sitter leading the way to the chequered flag.


Some of you are in the USA; and if you are an early riser select the Speed Channel on Sunday morning (September 26)  to watch the third Singapore F1 GP. 


If nothing else, enjoy what money can do for a city skyline because Formula 1 and Nascar (America's favourite motor sport) are like chalk and cheese.


Mind you both these motor sports suffered a decline in viewership in 2009. A case of too many processions thanks to convoluted rules and regulations - and not enough on-track action?

Thursday 16 September 2010

On The Roads in Sin - may be of interest to only Singaporeans

This post will be of interest only to those who drive in Singapore - or plan to do so. Others may not appreciate that our driving standards have gone downhill. Meanwhile our population numbers have climbed.


We're proud of being a shining beacon surrounded by lesser developed world countries (hey, we pioneered Formula 1 night racing!) and proud that our Minister Mentor (MM) Lee is invited all over the world to tell the Singapore success story and his part in it. 


The MSM (main stream media) regularly reminds us how well we are doing as a country and of the benevolence of our government. 


Why only today we were told that Singaporeans above a certain age and below a certain income level will be getting one time Medisave "top ups" worth up to Sin$500 this year!


So maybe now we'll stop droning like vuvuzelas about the high cost of living and price hikes in public transportation.


Recently, the MRT and bus services (meant to be somewhat complementary) were further streamlined and after the new fares were put into operation there were something like 13 fare errors. When you charge commuters more, they surely will notice!


One could say that it was not a PR coup for the public transportation company which had tried to sell commuters on the premise that the new structure was going to lead to savings for them. (example: The base fare for Seniors went up instead of down which made it hard for people to marry the sales pitch with reality)


And 13 fare errors? That's a ding in our national pride because we are so proud of leading SEA in technology and being effective and efficient. Look at our award winning airport, a source of pride - we'd just as soon renovate or upgrade than do some spring cleaning, judging by the constant building works that go on there.


The world class airport at Changi has a commensurate VIP complex (off limits to ordinary folk like you and me) which is a good thing because our irreplaceable officials need these facilities while travelling to advise others, to make visits to other countries and receive foreign VIPS.


According to the newspapers in the past week or so, MM Lee left for Russia today, I think PM Lee is now back from China and BG Yeo is there (China) for a six day official visit. It just goes to show that our officials are much in demand.



I digress, back to appalling driving and road manners in Singapore!


This morning's papers showed a white VW driven by a woman driver; she had collided with a motorcyclist coming from the opposite direction as she was making a right turn.


Just from looking at the photograph, my humble opinion is that she may have misjudged her and her car's ability to make her turn ahead of the motorcyclist. 


Because we have no motorways, inter-state highways and expressways with conditions like they have in big countries, drivers here have little or no experience of real driving. Going from one traffic light to another or at the legal limit 50 kmh in many areas does not prepare one to drive in more open areas like Jurong (industrial park).


The speed limit on Singapore expressways is something like 90kmh (56mph) but often these expressways are so packed that one does not even reach that speed.


Without long distance driving experience people here do not have a sense of pace and judgement; consequently they have little idea what to do in an emergency. 


But they fiercely protect their perceived right of way - like the man in an SUV who charged down a one way section of the street and wondered why I had the temerity to be in his way! I was so taken aback I had no time to note his registration number.


Singapore requires all learners to take a Basic Theory Test, practice their driving, then a Final Theory Test and a Driving Test. After that they have to drive with a 'P' plate on the front and rear of their cars - for 1 year.


On paper it does look like we should produce drivers who know the rules of the road, the traffic laws, signs and markings. But in practice, a driving licence seems to be a licence to forget all they have learnt!


All this despite myriad different versions of what I still think of as the "Highway Code" (still goes by that name in many places) at the major booksellers like Borders and Kinokuniya. Aside from the official version, the rest are 'crib' books to prepare one for the two theory tests.


It's a thriving business in Singapore because there is a constant demand for driving licences. So much for weaning us from private cars and onto public transport!


'Cramming' for the Basic Theory and Final Theory tests (multiple choice question and answers format) has trumped true understanding of the principles behind these rules and signs and commonsense. 


Why do you think rear end collisions are the main causes of accidents on our roads?


Few have any idea how much space they should leave between themselves and the vehicle in front. And despite the law, many are on their cellphones - which is a huge distraction.


This is also why you will find people parking at street corners and outside driveways - ignorant that they are obscuring the view of other motorists. It's the simple and the obvious that they were never taught and do not know!


It's a system that makes it possible to churn out ignorant and unskilled drivers - as learners they become so familiar with their circuits they can drive them blind folded. But after passing their tests, they find that the rest of Singapore is a different proposition altogether.


And as for drivers from other countries, Singapore should adopt a policy to screen the licence holder who brings in a foreign driving licence. Years ago, in HK, I had to bring in my passport to show a required number of years' residence in the country of issue and so on.


I would go even further and have foreigners take the theory and driving tests - after all we have some uniquely Singapore traffic conventions and they should know them before they are allowed to drive on our roads.


While you can see on tv that cars have taken the place of bicycles on city roads in China, we appear to have gone the other way in Singapore! Here, bicycles are enjoying an unforeseen and unexpected renaissance.


And I am not talking about men and women in bicycling outfits on purpose-made bicycles. But a motley assortment, usually Chinese or Indian sub-content complexioned, riding some pretty ropey looking bicycles that do not have lights or reflectors. Brakes are probably an optional extra!


In any event they favour riding on pavements or the wrong side of the road. It's particularly hazardous for pedestrians and motorists at dawn and dusk when it's dark and you cannot see the bicycle, or its rider.


In the past four months I have read of two incidents of cranes crashing into overhead bridges or similar structures - one of them a well utilised pedestrian bridge over a main road. 


I could go on ad infinitum about the road users here - a popular topic of dinner conversation in a country that is car mad. But, for survival, I only stress myself out in small, manageable doses!


When I am not otherwise occupied or updating the blogs, I email the authorities a sample of which is below:


BTW, I received a reply from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to my last post, which is pretty good going because government agencies sometimes take their own sweet time (NEA on Tiong Bahru market parking) or not at all (Traffic Police on the emails I have sent them regarding parking violations).


As long as they are working on solutions I have no problem with a brief acknowledgement.
Since I have other issue with parking and traffic violations I replied thus:


Dear Sirs

Potential Accident Sites:
If there has not been an accident at the junction of Outram/Tiong Bahru roads I would be very surprised.

Every time I drive along Outram towards Seng Poh Road I am passed by taxis, pick-ups, vans, cars who do NOT stop at the STOP sign.

In the USA, the traffic police are especially hard on anyone who neglects to come to a complete halt at a stop sign.

Here, at this spot, there are trees and therefore shaded areas which cast shadows on the road. Tiong Bahru Road comes around a corner before the junction.

All it will need is someone speeding from Tiong Bahru Road (which has right of way) and a 'non-stopping' motorist in a hurry to breakfast or the market and you will see a bad collision.

LTA could add signage (I think there is just one STOP sign on the right) and put a speed bump before and after the junction to get people to slow down even if they do not stop. Speed bumps or 'strips' should at least wake them up to driving with more caution.

In the morning, there are also coaches and trucks parked on the double yellow lines before and after the Shell station.

Seng Poh Road before the junction with Lim Liak St has two lanes, but only one is usable because people park along the double yellow lines while they breakfast at the corner coffee shop. This is dangerous as I have previously mentioned.

Road Signs and Markings that are ignored
Why do we paint lines and waste time and money on them when we cannot or do not enforce the law? Would it not make more sense to have LESS doubles and only have them where no-parking or no-stopping is really vital to safety. Then in those areas, enforce them at peak times on sufficient days in the week so that people who would usually park there know you mean business.

Right now, traffic law enforcement is a bit of a joke and we rarely see traffic police except on escort duty. Foot patrols seem to concentrate near MRT stations.

When we discuss the decline of driving standards in Singapore and an increase in both driving and parking violations, my friends keep telling me we have a shortage of policemen and policewomen in Singapore.

If this is indeed the case then why not engage more parking wardens like they do in Hong Kong and train them properly? HK is a city with some very narrow streets and if everyone stopped or parked with the impunity that they exhibit in Singapore, the roads would be jammed like ours.

I am referring to the roads around and off Orchard Road, from Tanglin/Napier/Grange to Dhoby Ghaut. Especially around Claymore Hill and Road - my cousin was telling me how coaches park and double park along Claymore Hill - a between American Club and International Building. Of course, most of the time with engines running.

So when it is peak time and weekends and cars try to park in Shaw Centre and International Bldg car parks the junction becomes a real mess because drivers here will never give way - not even to allow access, egress or reversing.

Need for some yellow boxes
A YELLOW box at that junction might ease some of the gridlock.

Now that traffic from Orchard Blvd to Tanglin and Napier roads is backing up to the Tomlinson/Orchard Blvd junction, a yellow box is much needed. I understand that there was one but it was never 'replaced' after road resurfacing. This junction is also a dangerous one and I have seen a number of accidents here.

Outsource your efforts
While I have seen auxiliary traffic people on a few occasions, my friends and I think we can do a better job - and help older people at the same time. Can we suggest we be given a franchise :

1) to patrol and book minor traffic violations (stopping, waiting, parking when double yellow parallel lines or double zig zag lines are present; when vehicles are too close to corners/junctions and thereby obscuring traffic)

2) Supervise taxi queues to stop  taxis from exceeding the 1 taxi capacity at the Orchard Towers and Liat Towers taxi stands (LTA said the taxi stands ARE for 1 taxi although I suggested they could modify the affected roads to allow larger taxi stands).

3) Ticket all the taxis who park and wait alongside the double yellow lines at Angullia Park and Claymore Road and are therefore in violation of the law.

I am addressing this to both LTA and TP - some are within LTA's purview and other are under the watch of TP. But I figure that all traffic and road matters need the cooperation of both parties to be effective.

Thank you.

Anne Wong Holloway

some diagrams are attached for your easy reference:




Sunday 12 September 2010

Tales of Tiong Bahru - traffic and parking woes

Lest anyone think I made up my last posting, here are some pictures from my trusty old iPhone (and I never thought I'd use the camera much!):


Here I am behind the female version of "Michael Schumacher" who pulled right across into my lane at Seng Poh Road.



Here we are at the junction of Killiney and Eber Roads - she's gone to call the cops.


And this is why the accident almost occurred: illegal parking along double yellow lines approaching popular coffee shop on Seng Poh Road:

The above gives a better view of the double yellow lines and the parked vehicles on the left; this happens on a daily basis but no official action seems to have been taken.


Our very own Senior Minister (SM) has said we should take action instead of griping so I am sending this to the Traffic Police and the Land Transport Authority in the hope that they take remedial action on a regular basis and that road markings and signs reflect practical realities rather than wishful thinking and planning.


The days of "draw the lines and put up the signs and people will obey" have passed, especially as enforcement seems to be more relaxed and there are ever more road users, including new ones.


On the topic of lines and signs, Henderson Parking (which operates the multi-storey car park at TB market) should refresh the paint on the parking lots and put up permanent signage to define parking, loading and handicap parking areas.


There are a few lots with speckled red and yellow marks and I am not sure what they are for - on weekends (open season for motorists as there is fierce competition for parking) drivers park where they can and any ambiguity is regarded as a legal lot.

Saturday 11 September 2010

Tales of Tiong Bahru - trials and tribulations of middle aged housewives

Yesterday was Hari Raya Adil Fitri - a public holiday and celebration after a month-long fast by Muslims throughout the world.


I happened to wake up early and decided to venture to my usual market at Tiong Bahru (about a ten minute drive away) to replenish some supplies ahead of the weekend.


There's not much traffic at 7:45am on a public holiday and I was cruising towards the market when a car suddenly veered into my lane. Fortunately I was wide awake and pulled the steering hard right to avoid being side-swiped.


The lady driver in the black Toyota that cut me up had done so when she suddenly saw that a car in her path was not moving. 


(It was parked alongside double yellow lines, most likely because it's owner was breakfasting at the nearby corner coffee shop. Why the coppers allow this to happen every single day I do not know.)


Anyway, as the lady driver seemed quite oblivious to what she was doing, I thought I would let her know how dangerous her manoeuvre was to other road users. So I followed her. She hesitated before passing up several street parking lots and eventually came to the end of the dead end street.


Seeing her do a three point turn, I surmised that she was going to park in one of the season parking spots and so I stopped and prepared to get out of my car when she shot off again - in the opposite direction! I hastily fastened my seatbelt again and followed her up into the multi-storey car park, circulate it and then down and out.


I figured it would be more prudent (and safer) to wait for an opportune moment to address her as I did not want to run the risk of being side-swiped or run into. She did not drive very fast, but in her haste to get away, she neglected to stop at some stop signs. 


The roads were clear, so I was happy to follow at a distance rather than risk my car. So led me on a drive and eventually arrived at a street called Killiney Road. She stooped her car and I pulled in behind her; she avoided making eye contact, locked her car and scurried away.


I sat contemplating what to do when she emerged from the neighbourhood police post with two young policemen in tow!


What happened next must have provided these two young men much amusement and made for story-telling to their colleagues and friends later in the day.


She might have told them that she was being followed and threatened by the driver of another car, so the first thing I said to her was, "why did you run away?"


I then proceeded to ask her if she knew how dangerously she drove and emphasised that pulling out as she did - without any warning - could have resulted in a collision if I had not reacted fast enough.


She muttered that when she realised she had cut across, she had raised her arm in a 'I'm sorry' gesture, to which I replied that I didn't see it because I was busy avoiding her car. 


Then she made the excuse that a car has shot out in front of her. I picked up on this and pointed out that that the 'offending' car was parked on the side of the road.


Anyway, I guess she was so relieved that I wasn't a gangster or someone exhibiting classic signs of road rage that she kept saying she was sorry. Each time she said this I told her she was not listening to me and that I was not after an apology but to make sure that she understood the serious consequences of her driving.


Whether or not the she truly understood I will never know. 


But I left her and two bemused looking policemen and set off for Tiong Bahru and my marketing again. This time the journey was uneventful and the public holiday rush for parking spaces had not started. Whew!


Oh, and by the way, her parting words were, "God Bless You". I did not have the heart to say I would need all the blessings I could get if she continued to drive the way she did.


Come to think of it going to market can be quite exciting, even perilous, in Singapore - just the other week one of my friends slipped and fell as we were meeting for our morning coffee and bean curd. 


Fortunately she was not seriously hurt - she only sustained a hairline crack of her right cheekbone, black eye and some bruises. Nothing life threatening.


The life of a Singapore housewife is never dull!

















Sunday 5 September 2010

A Sweetener That's Good For You?

These days everyone says how bad sugar (and even honey) is for you. Even widely used sugar substitutes could cause cancer or brain tumors.

Then I found xylitol on the supermarket shelves.

This evening I was searching the web for things related to the ear and found that xylitol can help prevent ear infections. I could hardly believe my eyes (not ears, this time).

So - until one of you debunks xylitol - here is something to ruminate about:


Medical applications

[edit]Dental care

Xylitol is a "tooth-friendly," non-fermentable sugar alcohol.[11][12] A systematic review study[13] on the efficacy of xylitol has indicated dental health benefits in caries prevention, showing superior performance to other polyols(poly-alcohols). Early studies from Finland in the 1970s found that a group chewing sucrose gum had 2.92 decayed, missing, or filled (dmf) teeth compared to 1.04 in the group chewing xylitol gums.[14] In another study, researchers had mothers chew xylitol gum when their children were 3 months old until they were 2 years old. The researchers found that the mothers in the xylitol group had "a 70% reduction in cavities (dmf)."[14] Recent research[15] confirms a plaque-reducing effect and suggests that the compound, having some chemical properties similar to sucrose, attracts and then "starves" harmful micro-organisms, allowing the mouth to remineralize damaged teeth with less interruption. (However, this same effect also interferes with yeast micro-organisms and others, so xylitol is inappropriate for making yeast-based bread, for instance.)
Saliva containing xylitol is more alkaline than saliva which contains other sugar products. After taking xylitol products, the concentration of basic amino acids in saliva may rise. When saliva is alkaline (i.e., its pH is above 7), calcium and phosphate salts in saliva start to precipitate into those parts of enamel where they are lacking[16].
Xylitol-based products are allowed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to make the medical claim that they do not promote dental cavities.[17]
A recent study demonstrated that, as a water additive for animals, xylitol was effective in reducing plaque and calculus accumulation in cats.[18]

[edit]Diabetes

Possessing approximately 40% less food energy,[19] xylitol is a low-calorie alternative to table sugar. Absorbed more slowly than sugar, it does not contribute to high blood sugar levels or the resulting hyperglycemia caused by insufficient insulin response.

[edit]Osteoporosis

Xylitol also has potential as a treatment for osteoporosis. A group of Finnish researchers has found that dietary xylitol prevents weakening of bones in laboratory rats, and actually improves bone density.[20][21]

[edit]Ear and upper respiratory infections

Studies have shown that xylitol chewing gum can help prevent ear infections[22] (acute otitis media); the act of chewing and swallowing assists with the disposal of earwax and clearing the middle ear, whilst the presence of xylitol prevents the growth of bacteria in the eustachian tubes (auditory tubes or pharyngotympanic tubes) which connect the nose and ear.[23] When bacteria enter the body they hold on to the tissues by hanging on to a variety of sugar complexes. The open nature of xylitol and its ability to form many different sugar-like structures appears to interfere with the ability of many bacteria to adhere.[24] In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, saline solutions of xylitol significantly reduced the number of nasal coagulase-negative Staphylococcus bacteria. The researchers attributed the benefits to the increased effectiveness of endogenous (naturally present in the body) antimicrobial factors.[25]

[edit]Infection

In rats, xylitol has been found to increase the activity of neutrophils, the white blood cells involved in fighting many bacteria. This effect seems to be quite broad, acting even in cases such as general sepsis.[26]

[edit]Candida yeast

A recent report suggests that consumption of xylitol may help control oral infections of Candida yeast; in contrast, galactoseglucose, and sucrose may increase proliferation.[27]

[edit]Benefits for pregnant or nursing women

Xylitol is safe for pregnant and nursing women, and studies show that regular use significantly reduces the probability of transmitting the Streptococcus mutans bacteria, which is responsible for tooth decay, from mother to child during the first two years of life by as much as 80%.[28]


On the topic of ears, we have been tortured the last few days and nights by poor quality, but loud audio from the site of a fair at the Thai Embassy. 


By coincidence the Sunday Times ran a story, in today's issue, by one of their journos who said,"These construction workers must be the most hardworking in the world. They work seven days a week without fail, making it impossible for me to sleep in late even on weekends.

I've complained about this to my friends, who are uniformly unsympathetic - mainly because they are all experiencing some variation on the same situation.
Singapore has always been an eternal construction site but in recent years it feels like this has been taken to a whole new level.
Mega-infrastructure projects, extended MRT lines, plans to rejuvenate reservoirs and canals, and the construction of new roads, cycling routes and park connectors have transformed many parts of the country into a hellish cacophony of noise and confusion.
The dust and din are bad enough, but the endless construction is also a disturbing reminder of Singapore's perennial quest to continually overhaul itself and race forward.
Amid this chaos, buildings that I've always taken for granted have been dispassionately torn down. The condominium in which I grew up was recently sold en bloc, indelibly erasing a piece of my past. New landmarks and structures keep sprouting up, seemingly overnight, all over the place."


While we shouldn't necessarily believe all we read, see or hear these days (especially here!), this might give you a picture of the 'new' Singapore. 

If you are spared construction chaos and cacophony at night and weekends then you must be a VIP or live close to one. The rest of Singapore is sacrificed to progress - by the laws which allow building activity 24 hours a day as long as an AVERAGE sound level is not breached.

Even Hong Kong has better living or should I say sleeping conditions; I have mentioned this time and again but it always falls on deaf ears (I cannot help nauseating puns).

As it happens the same journo (unless there are two by the same name) recently dispensed what seems to be good advice on the government's new measures to curb speculation in the property market and to enable more Singaporeans and PRs to buy their own homes.

Fortunately we are in the so-called 'twilight' of our lives and do not have to worry about a roof over our heads, but my sympathies are for my young friends - especially singles under 35. The only option to this segment is to buy in the open market (as opposed to HDB 'public' housing).

On the other hand, I guess they can get around this by getting married for the sake of getting a home. One of my old pals did this years ago and is happily ensconced in her home - both of them leading totally separate lives (my dear friend, correct me on this when you read it. Or say something in your inimitable style that I can post later).
But surely this places Singaporeans in a moral quandary, having to find loopholes (skirt the law?) 
Another old pal, as loyal and true a Singaporean as you will find anywhere, has this worry: "Yesterday’s clarification by the HDB on its rules regarding the ownership of property abroad seems to be sending the message to retirees and permanent residents that they should either learn to lie, or leave town.

Like me, many who are retirees today grew up in a Singapore which still had rural areas. There, contrary to the official line, we did not live in “slums”. We had spacious, rustic houses with electricity and modern plumbing.

Wanting a return to that bucolic lifestyle, members of my cohort have acquired landed properties in Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia and America, at prices ranging from between S$240,000 to S$500,000 for large bungalows. These are hardly exorbitant sums, being less than the cost of a resale HDB apartment.

However, being Singaporeans at heart, with strong family ties and business connections here, they also purchased HDB flats for use during their very frequent and long return visits, during which some are still economically active and contribute to Singapore’s  growth.

A HDB flat is an affordable and important home base from which one can stay for extended periods. It allows one to come and go at will, without having to inconvenience friends or relatives.

This especially applies to foreign talent I know, who have business interests or family commitments spanning more than one country and who maintain homes in each.

The ruling that even properties abroad have to be sold before one can own a resale HDB flat can easily be circumvented, as pointed out in yesterday’s Straits Times article.

It will cause those retirees and permanent residents who are honest to make the hard decision as to whether or not to make Singapore their primary home.

And at the same time, those less upright will simply say to themselves that this rule is just another to be bent or broken for their own convenience.

If the former group leaves, and the latter’s mindset gains dominance, I fear for the future moral tone that will be fostered in this country."

Our government has many scholars in its ranks so I would have expected that the measures to make housing more accessible to Singaporeans would have been fully thought out before they were announced.

But more and more it looks like there are scenarios that were not taken into account or perhaps not even envisaged . I only hope that we do not paint ourselves into a corner as we have done with some of our policies aimed at controlling the number of vehicles, especially private cars, on our roads.

Speaking of which I had written to a local newspaper called TODAY about re-using the YOG road marking and signage instead of spending money to remove them. I wonder if the authority which decides on road matters has an entrenched 'NIH' (Not Invented Here) syndrome -  today's Sunday Times said, "Land Transport Authority (LTA) has started removing the lane markings reminding motorists to give way to YOG vehicles during the games so athletes and officials could get to their competition venues on time.


All such markings will be removed by the end of the year.
Some people have suggested that the markings be kept, and those lanes be used for emergency vehicles, such as ambulances and fire engines.
In response, the LTA said it was 'open to the suggestion', but that it would need to review this with the relevant agencies.
Maybe it is the NIH syndrome,maybe it's because we already had committed to remove the signs and markings (we spent $387 versus an initial budget of some $100+ million) and to vary that order would cost some more? 
Then there was a comment from Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Development, Youth and Sports, and Transport, "in other cities where the Olympics have been held, entire roads were usually closed."


That's a bit of a stretch since we held ONLY the YOUTH Olympics Games (YOG), not the real McCoy, the Summer Olympic Games which is many times bigger and enjoys a much higher stature.


Sometimes, but only fleetingly, do I wonder what I would be doing today had I hit the books instead of enjoying life. 


Now if I had been born some 20+ years later, been blessed with far more brains and used them, perhaps I would be one of today's panjandrums. Think of how I could be enjoying vast authority and security of tenure!



As one of my pals opined,"Road closures and the reservation of lanes for YOG vehicles were seen as necessary, but the inconsiderate behavior of the official drivers, certainly caused annoyance.

Then rage began to build up as the real story started to unfold. If I had not been already retired, I would have been fired if I had overshot my operating budget by more than 300%."




All the same, I probably would have blotted my copybook and put my foot in my mouth too many times to be successful in politics or to join the civil service.