Jiuzhaigou

Lofty mountains rose into the sky
Snow graced their tops
Down the slopes
Their Water flew
Gushing in torrents
Over rocks and pebbles
Cascading over cliffs
In white sprays misting the air
Into pools
Shimmering turquoise

Tarmac roads punctuate its slopes
Countless buses roar along
Thousands gawk
Digital cameras flash blinding

The mountains shake
The waters ripple
The waterfalls quiver
As millions of feet pound daily

Beauty, transient

to decide

Each one of us deserves
A right to be treated when sick
No matter how sick
No matter how diseased
No matter how disabled
No matter how old
Each one of us deserves
A chance to live

It is not for others
To decide who
Gets to be treated
Gets to have deformity corrected
Gets to have disease beaten
Gets to live a while longer

No matter how slim the chance
No matter we may die during treatment
The choice to be treated
The choice to live
is still ours
To make

little children and god

Little children, little angels going to school
To learn maths science english
Little children coming home
Confused

Teachers wanting a quick foothold in heaven
Spent more time preaching to them on God
Taking away little children and parents rights
To decide on their own beliefs

Leave the little ones alone with their a b and c
And send the teachers off to study ethics

(This was prompted by newspapers reports on teachers preaching to their young charges and urging them to go to churches without the knowledge or permission of their parents. By all means, proselytize to the adults who can think and decide for themselves but if they need to chalk up on the quota converted, do not take the easy way out by working on young impressionable minds.)

Bali - 1st Oct 2005

Country hillsides, decked with padi fields
Rising to the sky, Touching the white clouds
Swaying women on village tracks,
Baskets of flowers perched on their heads
Tinkles of rain swishing down from the heavens
Temples droning with music and prayer chants
Incense and scent fills the air
Bali Gods, brimful with smiles

Indian Ocean, its white foaming surf, rush up the beach
Wetting, soaking the shores
Licking the fringes of humanity
Swirling along beaches, making merry
Loud music trances in the air

Evil came exploding its knapsack
The fragrant air turns smoky, red
People ran screaming, pain
Bodies blew apart, bleeding
The Bali Gods, distressed

The ocean retreats
And comes back
Up and back it continue
Heedless, scareless

One

the hindus and moslems of india
the protestants and catholics of ireland
the jews and palestinians of israel
the christians and muslims of indonesia
the blacks and whites of america
the muslims and buddhists of thailand
the sunnis and shites of middle east
the chinese and japanese of asia
all in One
One in all

in and out

in and out
they go
of the pubs and karaoke bars
in tanjong pagar
a man with a twisted leg, ambling awkwardly
swaying packets of snacks in hands,
a small girl, fingers saying words in air,
“please help me, i am deaf and dumb,
buy my soft toys”

it's like a merry go round
of the pubs
one by one
over and over again
invisible, unseen

by the pubbers
happy on their stools
karaoking at mikes
laughing, talking
drinking, drinking

the forgottens
living at the fringes
in and out
they continue

the maid

many months ago
on a Sunday evening
eating roti prata
somewhere in sembawang

a few tables away
sat a sri lankan maid
alone
sobbing away

some shop workers
stood around her
listening to her tale of woe
consoling her

she came many months ago
from her home in sri lanka
to work here
friends told her
she could make money here
as a maid

money she needed
for her poor family
a husband who drank day long
and hardly worked
and two young ones yet to school

but her life here
was no bliss
from dawn to night she worked
with nary a pause
sweeping, washing, cleaning, cooking
endlessly
with no minute of rest
and no day of rest
scolded, beaten for mistakes she made
no one told her that a maid here
was really a home slave

uprooted homesick helpless
yearning for her family
she ran away
looking for help
she sobbed

her owners came
hunting for her
took her back
to their home

the maid
a lesser being?

in orchard, an old lady

on a sidewalk along orchard road
sits an old lady, bent over
selling her pocket tissues
amidst hundreds of scurrying feet
of the well-heeled
walking around her
not looking
not buying

one cruel, insensitive cad
calls her
a nuisance
a blight on orchard road

“i need to live
i sell to live
to feed me
what can I do”

“what’s a dollar for my tissues
when you spend hundreds
on your shoes and dresses”

“don’t forget
while you walk shop eat in orchard
while you freely spend dollars
we, poor
still need to live
and eat
and earn cents”

beneath the sodden glitter of the city
the forgotten poor lives
and struggles
to live

Yellow Ribbon in Tatters

some time ago
one authority started
a yellow ribbon project
to help ex-prisoners
get a decent job
money in pockets
for a roof over their heads
and to feed their families

many years ago
once you were a prisoner
meant the end of your life
meant you were branded bad for ever
meant it was tough when you came out
as your id proclaim to all
you were an offender

a week ago
the papers
told the tale of this ex-offender
who went to prison for a small crime
came out
and in no time another authority took away his taxi driver license
saying he was no longer fit to drive one
saying he was no longer safe to society

in one swipe
in one mindless civil servant decision
they took away
his livelihood
without a care

what’s happening?
why are not
our authorities talking to each other
to success the yellow ribbon project

yellow ribbon lay in tatters
for now

A Right

A Right to live
A Right to have food on the table
A Right to have a roof over the head
A Right to learn and be schooled
A Right to hold a job
A Right to be treated when sick
A Right to love whomever one likes
A Right to worship freely
A Right to walk without fear
A Right to live in peace

Regardless of
Who one is
What one is
Where one is

A Right Dwindling
Divisive nations, religions
Barriers, boundaries
Pseudo reigns
Falseness preaches

A Right
Left
Owned
By the many few

Blasting & Cheating

The militants hold their religion at ransom
Distorting holy words
To suit their killings

The young swallow it all
Words, distorted and misleading
Leading them astray
With mindless killing

The young carry bombs onto trains
Thinking they were going to be ok
But blasting themselves
And other innocents to bits

Alas, the young, full of life
were cheated
The young
Should have asked
“Why don’t you get your own sons to carry these?

The London Blasts

where in my books did I say
u could kill the innocents
u could injure your fellows
where in my books did I say
that coming to Me
meant spilling blood first

once again, u created blasts
using my Name
killing your friends
smearing my Name
red

once I came and taught u
how to love, how to live
in peace
but u misuse my Words
for your own dastardly fights

those who love, will be with Me in peace
those who kill, may they perish elsewhere

aching love

in the subway cafeteria in suntec city
he sat at a table, his girl opposite him
he sat dabbing his red eyes, his girl wants to leave him
he wonders why, but she has met someone else
he does not want to let go, but she has decided dry-eyed
tears wells in his eyes
if only the most aching love was not love

Mystifying Rules

Over the last one week, there were two reports in the local dailies that highlighted some really strange rules created and propagated by some quite creative civil servants.

Rule 1:
Some buskers were complaining of the need to go for an audition before they could actually busk in our streets. Huh? I never knew that one had to audition for such busking. Life is already tough for the disabled ones who busk for some extra cash. They not only have to audition first but also need to be a member of some arts group! There are actually even more preconditons for busking listed in the busking authority webpage. Reading them is enough to put one off from busking.

Rule 2:
This rule surfaced when a foreigner working here refused to participate in the General Household Survey 2005 as it required him to divulge personal information and he considered it as an intrusion of his privacy. Guess what - he was threaten with a fine! There is actually a rule that allows the authority to impose a fine of $1000 on those who provide wrong information or simply refuse to participate.

Anyway, getting back to the story, the authority refused to budge and insisted he participate in the survey, saying that they could not simply select another participant as their samples were carefully selected. Hmm...does one do a survey without a backup list as there is bound to be someone who could not participate for whatever reason.

Do we need these stiffling rules to get the work done? Perhaps, it is simply a reflection of the authority officer penchant for creating rules rather than the state of our society. Sigh!

the real, the pretense

On a Saturday morn
Those
Calling, thinking themselves elitist
Pour into botanic gardens
With their dogs and kids
And maids in tow
Chirping, barking empty they trundle

On a Saturday morn
Those
Not calling themselves anything
Stroll into hdb parks
Walking, talking, mixing they go

The real, the pretense

the marginals part two

Somewhere in st george’s area
Are the one room hovels
Where the marginals live
The old, the poor, the desolate

Daily they toil
Sweeping the streets, clearing the rubbish
Cleaning tables in food courts
Collecting paper and cans
Cleaning and tidying our city

Daily they return
Adding up their cents
To their one rooms
Some with no water
Some with no electricity

Living marginally
Eating marginally
Sleeping marginally

The forgotten ones
Amidst us

Invisible Segregation

In a cafeteria
Malays eating with Malays
Chinese eating with Chinese
Indians eating with Indians

At orchard road
Malays out with Malays
Chinese out with Chinese
Indians out with Indians

An invisible segregation
Birthing in the elitist schools
Breeding then on

The Discontinuation of Memory

Friends, come and go
Joy, come and go
Grief, come and go
In a pause of time

Meeting and letting go
The discontinuation of memory

the losing poor

The poor, they cannot afford to pay
So we subsidise them
But need to wait in line
But need to wait a long time
Before they can see the doctor

The rich, they can pay
They wait a shorter time
They see the doctor faster

Should not medical care
Be given
Based on how ill you are
Than who you are
Than whether you can afford to

Monsoon Showers

Monsoon showers
Bolting down from the sky
Clanking against the window panes
Wetting the verandah
Washing the foliage

Monsoon showers
Streaming at my face
Running down my chest
Cooling slowing my heart
Washing away my stress

mixedup

Everyday we live
Day to day
Work to work
Home to home
Birth to death
In mixedup world

Everynight we dream
Where people gone come alive
Where times gone come alive
Where fun gone come alive
In another world

World, dreams
Illusion, reality
We continue on mixedup

the marginal

Once late at night
Eating in food centre
Saw
A woman
Aged and old
Wearing a beaten look

From bin to bin
She went
Groping for thrown drink cans
Collecting
Them in a plastic bag

From table to table
She went
Picking finished drink cans
Collecting
Them in a plastic bag

Selling them for a few cents

The Tissue Seller

In the orchard underpass
On a hot Saturday afternoon
Crowds streaming through
Walking hurriedly
To shopping jaunts

An old lady, sitting in a wheel chair
Face unmoving, looking nowhere
Hand thrust out clutching tissue packets
At the crowd

The unmoving crowd
Walking pass fast
Seeing but not stopping
at
hand thrust out
with tissues
to catch them

The Study Mamas

behind keong saik street
lies a narrow alley
with a meandering path lined with benches
with trees hanging their green leaves wide over
and some people taking a walk down the path

ladies, sultry
stand poised along the path
chatting up old men that happen by
selling themselves

ladies, sultry
calmness outside, sadness inside
but with no choice
trading this way
earning this way
so their child can go to school

old men on bench
continue gawking

One Night in Bangkok

At close to midnight
In a small alley in Patpong
With many streetcafes
Tables laden with food, tomyam, meat
Tourists and Thais eating, drinking, smoking
And talking jollily

Walking down alley
Comes an old, blind lady
Poor and desolate
Led by a small girl, barely of age four
Skipping ahead of her on bare feet
With can in hand
Seemingly carefree

Little girl
Should you not be in bed?
Is walking at midnight your routine?
Leading your granny, asking for some bhat
To buy some food
To fill you,
And make you happy

Little girl
Have you known any other life than this?
Where do you sleep nightly?
Do you get enough to eat?
Have you been to school?

Little girl pass by
Skipping on her little feet
Eyes looking at merry eating
Eyes at tables move
Looking elsewhere
Looking embarrassed
Some bhat klinked in can

Little girl move on
Rattling her can
Leading her old lady

Tiananmen - The Man Who Stopped the Tanks

June 4 is getting close.

That was the day of the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989. On June 5, a day after the massacre, this internationally famous picture was taken of a Chinese man who bravely stopped a convoy of about 17 tanks on their way to the square.

What became of this man? No one really knows. It remains a mystery up to now.

Read more in the link provided above.

The Tiananmen Mothers

Tiananmen Mothers icon
Tiananmen Bouquet

June 4 is around the corner.

June 4, the anniversary of the Tiananmen massacre of 1989, the day when an untold numbers of dissenting students were killed by the army in Beijing. An army that used its machinery to put down the demonstrations by the unarmed students.

The Tiananmen Mothers, a group of courageous family members of victims of the Beijing massacre has banded together to challenge the official claims about what really happened. Those in this network provide support to each other and work together to gather information about what really happened in those tragic days at the beginning of June. In addition, they collect and distribute humanitarian funds donated to assist the injured and the families of the dead.

Over the last few days, when news agencies reported the following:
BEIJING — About 125 relatives of people killed by Chinese troops at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on June 4, 1989 have sent the government a letter asking that it handle the incident the same way it wants Japan to atone for the Nanjing Massacre of 1937, a letter writer said Monday.
The letter, sent Saturday ahead of the 16th anniversary of the June 4 bloodshed, calls on President Hu Jintao to apologize and compensate for 1989 just as he asks Japan to do for its occupation of Chinese territory, including Nanjing, in the 1930s and 1940s, said letter writer Ding Zilin, who lost her 17-year-old son in 1989.

The Story of the June 4th Bouquet
"Years after the massacre, a student who participated in the 1989 demonstrations posted a message on the Internet explaining her ritual of gathering a June Fourth bouquet (six white roses and four red roses) to mark each anniversary. Her dream is to place such a bouquet in Tiananmen Square, publicly commemorating the massacre victims without danger of government reprisal. Until that time comes, supporters can only realize this dream in cyberspace."

Meanwhile, the Mothers continue mourning for their lost sons and daughters.

Some Cents

Part1
An old lady
Wizened, whitish frizzly hair
Back bent almost 90 degrees
Toddling along pavement
From shop to shop
Asking, looking, collecting
Paper and cartons
Selling them for some cents

Part 2
Teens
Decked in Esprit and Nikes
Sipping Starbucks
Flashing and thumbing Nokias
Talking air emptily

Part 3
An old man
Grimy face, lined forehead
Patched trousers
Walking shop to shop
Looking, peering, prying
Waste bins for cans
Selling them for some cents

Part 4
In ang mo kio
Along the road
The old ones wait
With their piles of paper
And cartons
Buyer coming soon
Paying them their some cents

A Botanical Hospital

In beds, the patients lie
In earth beds, the plants and flowers thrive
Nurses bestow loving care
To both
Equally
Hopefully

A Prisoner of His Mind

Neurons cruising chaotic
Smallish child
Sitting on bed corner
Mumbling incoherently
Legs shaking
Hands gesticulating
Eyes staring the window
Unaware of all
In the prison of his mind

Beauty amidst the mangroves

A Resting Dragonfly

White lilies in pond

Close-up of Dragonfly

Striking beauty of a white lily
Located in a quiet corner of the Sungei Buloh mangrove swamps is a small aquatic pond, in which beautiful white/yellow lillies grow in the dark brackish waters.

Appreciating our transport providers

Our transport providers want to raise their fares. They say that they have to, as their tills are depleting and their costs are going up. The commuters are up in arms as their salaries have yet to rise. While the final decision is being debated, here is a short take on how our beloved, efficient and cannot-do-without bus and train service providers will and do provide excellent customer service to the man in the street (or bus, or train?) :

a) provide an efficient way to collect fares accurately - the ezlink card do just that; the provider will never get short-changed as previously commuters could get away by paying lower fares. Well, this state-of-the-art system could have some inherent errors and the passengers do get over-charged at times. After all, all systems have some system bugs and, anyway, the errors are way below 1%.

b) use the satellite system to track movement of buses along roads and automatically update the fare stages. Wow! Again, there may be times when the system may have a hard time telling apart 2 buses at the same bus-stop. A little error here and a little error there, so what? No big deal!

c) provide a hassle-free way to refund over-charged and annoyed commuters. Nevermind, if this process takes at least five days, requires the passenger to fill forms, requires the passenger to prove he or she was over-charged. Nevermind, if the total administrative costs of refunding the sum is way high than the refunded amount (usually less than a dollar). Nevermind, if the commuter always have to check his tickets everyday if he was correctly charged. Nevermind, if we have a high technology satellite system to track buses but not one to provide refunds promptly on the spot. Nevermind, if the elderly and poor and illiterate have difficulties coping with the refund process. After all, at the end of the day, those overcharged do get their money back.

d) make it easy to replace ezlink card - but only after the elderly commuter has made a police report, filled some forms (we need filled forms to run our business), etc etc

Now this is what I call customer service at its peak.

Addendum to the TreeTop Walk

CNA yesterday reported that some MPs have asked not only for the pavement to be built along the road leading to the treetop walk but also for CCTV at the walk area. CCTV? What on earth for?

My humble suggestion to these wannabe whining jungle trekkers is that, perhaps, they should restrict their weekend treks to Carrefour, Robinsons, Takashimaya and the likes of these. Then, they could ogle as much as they want and make faces at the many CCTVs there.

And leave the jungle alone - we do not want the resident monkeys there to feel offended at the invasion of their privacy with those CCTVs in the treetops.

How to make the TreeTop Walk less of a Walk.

Saw some very bright ideas in the Straits Times from Singaporeans who must have spend a lot of time in their lives walking between their TVs and refrigerators on how to make the hike to the MacRitchie Reservoir TreeTop walk more pleasant. These guys now want the road leading to the reservoir lined with walking pavements - they claim it is unsafe to just walk along the roadside.

And while they are at it, I might as well offer some creative and innovative (civil service parlance, by the way) ideas of my own too to make this hike less of a hike:
a) introduce an airconditioned shuttle bus service from the nearest MRT station
b) make sure that the above mentioned pavement along the road is covered with a shelter all the way from Upper Thomson Road start point to the reservoir end
c) have a 7-Eleven at some halfway point, so that we can buy some cold cokes
d) pave the jungle track within the forest so that we can roller blade if we so wish
e) deploy the latest mosquito killing technology along the track so that we do not get bitten
f) get the park rangers to hand out free umbrellas at the treetop walk area when it rains (this will be counted as excellent customer service if the park authority decide to apply for the SQA award one day)
g) get some local company to offer a sedan chair service for those who wish to protect their pedicured feet.

Think that should be enough for those in the park board to work upon for the time being.

Let there be blissful silence in CD shops

Often wonder why CD shops which have CD players for you to listen to new CDs often have music and songs blaring loudly from their main speakers. It can be quite a strain listening to the new CDs. Or perhaps it is their way of making sure that we do not spend too much time trying and testing their CDs! Listen fast and buy fast must be the ploy here, I think!

"Only God can give Life and take Life"

AFP reported today on the hanging of the drug trafficker this morning and included what one of the sons said:
"He's in the wrong, but killing him is not the correct decision. Only God can give life and take life," Gopalan told AFP last week."
"Please give him a chance... give him 20 years, 30 years (in jail)."

What more can I say? The death penalty is simply cruel, inhumane and degrading. As a civilized society, we need to move away from it.

The Death Penalty

According to the Amnesty International, in 2003, more than 1,146 people were executed in 28 countries while more than 2,756 were sentenced to death in 63 countries. And Singapore is one of them together with advanced nations like the USA and Japan.

Singapore enforces some of the world's toughest drug laws. Anyone aged 18 or over convicted of carrying more than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis faces mandatory execution by hanging. In its 2004 report, rights group Amnesty International said about 400 people have been hanged in Singapore since 1991, mostly for drug trafficking, giving the wealthy city-state of 4.2 million people possibly the highest execution rate in the world relative to its population. Amnesty said only 6 people sentenced to death in Singapore have been spared execution. Singapore has staunchly defended its use of the death penalty and maintained that capital punishment has deterred major drug syndicates from establishing themselves in Singapore.

So at first view, it seems justifiable for Singapore to enforce the death penalty for drug offences and murders. After all, we do not want to end up like some crime-ridden cities in the advanced West where drug peddlars operate openly at street corners.

But is it morally acceptable? Does the death penalty really help to reduce the crime rate, the murder rate or the drug trafficking rate? There could be some truth that the draconian death penalty has helped to scare off the drug lords. But it also could be true that our overall deterrence strategies such as police raids, their strict vigilance and custom checks have also helped.

The death penalty has been around for eons. But that does not justify it still being around as nations and societies progress socially and culturally. The many advanced countries in Europe have long abolished it.

Also does a mere mortal, albeit a trained and wise one, has the right to send somone else to death? Should society be permitted to decide as to who and when someone should be killed? Should we not focus on alternative modes of punishment?

At 6am tomorrow morning, one more Singaporean will go to the gallows for a drug offence, leaving behind his two sons and his mother. If only, this judgement could be reversed. And let our society mature to a higher level of social consciousness and respect for life.

Let there be Peace on Pulau Ubin

There is a letter in the Forum pages of the Straits Times today that begged not to turn Pulau Ubin into another Sentosa. I agree with the writer's sentiments totally. I went to the island two weeks ago and did some cycling under the blazing hot sun and this was after an absence of several years.

The rustic kampong tracks were gone - replaced by a paved road that led all the way to the Buddhist temple. But the quiet and peace along the tracks still remained but, along the way, some bright spark (likely from some civil service dept) had built ugly contraptions that passed off as holiday chalets. But this holiday resort was strangely deserted, something like those abandoned towns in the old gold mining districts of USA. Obviously, no one wanted to pay dollars to stay far away from the madding crowds (and food, of course) in a deserted and obscure location and right next to mangrove swamps which equate to swarms of mosquitoes at night.

But, oddly, the letter writer who wants the island's kampong charm to be left undisturbed, suggested airconditioned boats to ferry him and like-minded cold-blooded creatures to the island and, believe it or not, he also wish a hawker centre to be built there! But, what on earth for? There is one gigantic food centre waiting for his return at Changi Village.

The jetty area on the island evoke memories of 1960s Singapore, with its mix of dilapidated shophouses selling food, drinks and from which you could hire the bicycles. After our strenous cycling trip, we sat here along the alley, under the trees and near the sea edge, drinking our cokes and lunching on seafood dishes ordered from one of the shophouses. An experience you cannot get on the urban mainland.

And to the authorities (not sure who you are) who are in charge of the island please:
a) leave the island alone
b) leave the jetty area untouched
c) do not pave any more roads
d) do not build any more resorts (enough of them on the mainland, anyway)
e) no food courts, ok? cannot bear the idea of an S-11 here
f) leave the quarry lakes alone (enough water sports along the east coast, right?)

While writing this, realised that I should have said some prayers at the Buddhist temple for many many years of undisturbed peace for the island. Nevermind, I will make a return trip for that.

The 3 Downtown Landscape Blights

Sunday Times, today, featured 3 newly completed buildings right in the middle of our historic area. An area with many memories for us - the red-bricked-walled National Library, Cathay Cinema and the long-ago demolished row of shophouses that sold used books.

And in the middle of it, there was this long stretch of green that extended from Cathay at one end to the church at the other. It was ringed by old giant trees that spread their leafy branches over games of football in the field opposite the old SJI. This green patch in the city provided a relief from all the tall buildings sprouting around it. And it served as some kind of identity landmark with SJI, CHIJ, the church, Cathay, Museum and YMCA arranged on its fringes.

Now the green stretch is gone - uprooted and deturfed. Taken over by the new SMU campus buildings - the new structures are a mix of modernistic glass and steel but totally faceless. No character. whatsoever. Why they wanted to build a university campus comprising disjointed buildings here when there were so many sites outside the city and where they could have everyone housed under one roof. Now it is a case of several roofs.

Equally nondescript is the NAFA site at Bencoolen Street resembling some kind of warehouse buildings from the outside. A shame, in my opinion. And there was great hope pinned on the new National Library. But, now it seems that we are going to have a artifact more suited for the Mars landscape. The about 7-story structure which has a glass-walled flying saucer transfixed to its roof has no obvious form and structure, no head or tail and no clear front and back. It rises like a junk scrap-yard mass of steel and glass succeeding in dwarfing and being out-of-sync with the neighbouring less imposing shophouses.

There goes the neighbourhood, the history and our memories.

The Polio Scare

There is a small outbreak of polio in Indonesia - the first time after a decade. Polio used to kill about a million a year during its peak but mass immunisations have almost eradicated the disease in the world except for a few countries where it remains endemic - Afghanistan, India, Niger, Nigeria, Eygpt and Pakistan but even these countries have reduced their infection rates with vaccinations.

But because of religious zealots in Nigeria who started a boycott of the vaccine claiming that it was contaminated by US agents, the disease has spread to various countries in Africa. And perhaps through a returning worker or Muslims pilgrims coming home from Mecca, it spread to Indonesia. Causing the present alarm.

Again, such religious clerics should simply focus on their preaching and leave everything else to the experts. And now because of them, countless innocent children in Africa have been inflicted with the paralysing polio. And now this spread to Indonesia. I cannot say much of these unthinking and misguided religious groups that advocate withholding of medical healing on the basis of some obscure religious edict or simply hatred of the USA.

The Condo Management that did Wrong

We are all now familiar with the condo management in Singapore that specified that no Indians were to be included in the team providing security services at their condo. They gave a number of reasons (or excuses) as to why this was so and denied that they were racist. But no matter what they said, they were simply and plainly racist.

Good that it created a ruckus and even MOM came down on them. Then came the apologies from the management and the lady who defined the "racist" contract was removed. Let's hope that no one else will ever think of using race as a criterion for selecting an applicant.

The Cairo Militants

Last Saturday, Cairo had its first taste of suicide bombings. A young man, misled by the extremist company he was keeping, exploded into bits while being chased by the police. A short while later, his sister and fiancee, killed themselves after firing at buses carrying some tourists.

What is it that drives these youngsters to adopt a fiery way of leaving this world? A promised short-cut ticket to the Heavens? Anger against the West? Imbecility? Total outright idiocy? Brain matter deficiency? Misguided by the masterminds? But plain stupidity should rank the highest - the cunning ringleaders of such human pyrotechnic displays zero in on to gullible teens who then believe every single word they are told. If they had studied their holy books well enough, they would have known that God is not in the habit of issuing express tickets to his abode and nor does he tolerate or allow killing of innocents. And not once, did He assign rights to charlatan radicals for deciding as to who will go up or down. That prerogative belongs rightly to God and not to a mere mortal.

What has these deaths achieve? A few days of mention in the world press? Some mayhem? Quaking-with-fear tourists? Maybe some of these for a few days but soon the suiciders will be forgotten. And life in Cairo will return to normalcy. Look at Indonesia - it had been shaken badly by 3 big bomb blasts - but each time it picked up and carried on resolutely and refusing to give in to the gutless terrorists.

Kashmir - Heaven & Hell

Kashmir, located in the Himalayan mountains, to the north-west of India, is much touted as the "Switzerland of the East" with its beautiful valleys and lakes backdropped against the snowy peaks of the Himalayan range. During the British reign, it served as their retreat during the hot summers. Eventually, it became a popular tourist destination with many flocking and roaming around its verdant valleys, beautiful gardens and staying on houseboats bobbing gently on the serene Dal Lake.

About 12 million people live in Kashmir, of which about 70% are Muslims. The rest includes the Hindus, Sikhs and the Buddhists. Most of the Kashmiri people work on farms and in cottage industries making carpets, shawls and rugs.

The independence of India from the British in 1947 resulted in the country being proportioned between Pakistan and India. And this was the cause of chaos and much bloodshed for years to come. In the last 11 years or so, Kashmir, the Paradise on Earth, descended to a hellish place as the militants started their war against Indian rule. Allegedly, supported by Pakistan, the militants initiated rampant bombings and killings. The Indian army was quick to retaliate with its own range of blood-letting.

And the losers were the Kashmiri people. The tourists disappeared in no time, the houseboats were empty, the economy floundered and the locals lost many of their kins to the bombings and indiscrimate killings. Blood flowed in the streets whenever bombs exploded in crowded markets. All this, while both warring sides executed their mayhem, masterminded by ruthless chiefs who live in peace far from this hellish scene.

It is time to return peace to the people of Kashmir; it is time to allow the young Kashmiri children to enjoy their childhood for what it should be; it is time for parents not to worry about their brood exploding into pieces on their way home; it is time for tourists to return and turn this valley once again to a much sought place to visit.

And let's hope that the Kashmiri people will no longer allow their homeland to be hijacked by crafty and shifty militants and politicians for their own selfish aims. And about time for both opposing sides to lay off their hands from this beautiful mountainous paradise.

From Casinos to Integrated Resorts

Notice how everyone and the newspapers no longer refer to casinos - they now call them the Integrated Resorts!

Kudos to the government PR machinery for achieving this almost overnight change so subtly and subconsciously. The word casino carries many associated negative connotations while IR, well, brings to mind the likes of wonders such as Disneyland, Caesars Palace and Mirage. IR equates with family-oriented and acceptable entertainment.

It is obvious that Singapore cannot get far if it continues relying on the traditional manufacturing sector; even the high-tech biomedical and life sciences sector has its peaks and troughs. There is a need to reinvent and diversify the economy and increasing the focus on tourism and related services is the way to go. Or else in no time, this will be a decaying city and our young ladies will be going to China to work as maids.

The religious groups who are so opposed to these casinos should pause and consider a few facts:
a) are they responsible for the economic well-being of the country?
b) are they responsible for ensuring that Singaporeans continue having jobs in years to come?
c) are they schooled in theology or economics?
d) why do they think they should teach the government on what is best for the country - the government does not teach them how to preach?
e) why are they getting so focused on country governance - should they not focus on managing well their own religious flocks?
f) if they are so concerned about the social ills of casinos, do they not realise that Toto, 4D, horse-racing and jackpot machines have been around for decades?
g) should they not shift their emphasis to doing what they are good at - educate and teach their religious congregations about managing with casinos and gambling?

Religion and country governance cannot be mates - they should be kept distinct. Look at history - Europe only started to blossom when the rulers became secular in their governance. Countries where governance and law are based on religion are stagnating economically.

And let's speed up the process and get the IRs built fast!

The Falun Gong (FG) Nonsense Continues

A few days ago, the Straits Times reported that two FG members were found guilty of illegal activites by the Singapore courts - they were distributing some illegal VCDs of their FG movement (seems more like a sect?). They had it coming and I think they rightly deserve the guilty verdict for being such a nuisance.

They had a choice of simply paying a fine or being jailed in lieu - any smart person, with brains in situ, will simply pay up and get on with his life. But the two ladies, obviously being brain-deficient and also very obviously being manipulated by some higher FG being, chose to go to jail. A clever move on the part of the higher FG being - they wanted media attention with the jailing and, of course, attention to their cause (whatever that is). And then to attract even greater media attention, the two of them in jail, decided to go on a fast. How stupid can some people be, to allow themselves to be manipulated like puppets on a string? Do they really think that China will rush in begging them to stop their fast? As I said in an earlier post, they are simply conducting their protests in the wrong place. If they have grievances against the China authorities and if they realy were sincerely concerned about their fellow FG arrested members in China and if they really had some guts, they would hasten to China immediately and conduct their protests there.

Alas, that is unlikely to happen. The stupid foot-soldiers at the front-line, will continue taking foolish risks at the behest of their supreme head, who pulls the strings from some convenient, plush, comfortable and remote location. While the two ladies fast, their puppet master will be busy eating caviar and sipping wine.

Rewriting History

Yesterday's Straits Times in Singapore, featured an article on how China itself has been whitewashing its history. Most of us are now familiar with how the Chinese erupted in rage when Japan approved a school text that was not entirely honest about the Japanese wartime atrocities.

Japan has retaliated with claims that Chinese history textbooks are also biased and contain glaring omissions. The textbooks do not tell the complete truth about the Great Leap Forward movement initiated by Mao which resulted in 30 million dying of starvation during the 1960s. There is also nothing about its military aggression against India and Vietnam. And the Tiananmen killings are simply glossed over.

So both sides need to acknowledge their history for what it really was - you need that if you want to move forward without being saddled with heavy baggage.

Looking

" I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, but he was not there;
I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagodas,
but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere.

I searched on the mountains and in the valleys,
but neither in the heights nor in the depths was I able to find Him.
I went to the Caaba in Mecca, but he was not there either.

I questioned the scholars and philosophers,
but He was beyond their understanding.

I then looked into my heart and it was there
where He dwelled that I saw Him;
He was nowhere else to be found. "

By Jelaluddin Rumi, a Persian poet of the early 13th century.
(Poem also appears on outer sleeve of Engima's second album, " the Cross of Changes")

The Falun Gong Nuisance in Singapore

Two evenings ago, I was using the underpass that links the Yishun MRT to the bus station - 2 ladies were busy distributing Falun Gong (FG) pamphlets that claimed that the FG is very likely to win an on-going case against two of their practitioners in the Singapore courts.

The FG has been in the news before in Singapore - for being a utter nuisance, I think. They claimed that their organisation is nothing more than one that advocates healthy living through some breathing exercises. If that is really the case, why are they always getting involved in China politics? Why can't they simply focus on their exercises and quit being a nuisance in many countries outside China, including Singapore. They declare that they need to spread information of their imprisoned fellow members in China so as to awaken our conscience. I am quite sure that the China authorities have good reasons for incarcerating their members. Perhaps, something to do with their hidden political agenda?

If the FG members in Singapore were really and sincerely concerned about their friends in China, then they ought to take their protestations to China itself, perhaps outside the prisons where their friends are habitating. What's the point of conducting their "demos" here? They should take their battle to China and leave us alone and desist from their disturbing activities here.

They are simply and plainly a nuisance.

Destroying the Happening Spots?!

Sometimes I think we are simply too efficient and orderly - the Singapore authorities will relentlessly trim every green patch along the roads, so much so, that the grass no longer dares grow beyong a certain height. Even trees and bushes are hacked to fit pre-defined shapes and spaces. All is spick and span and nothing is allowed not to get out of line. There is a disordinately great love for order - disorder is simply not allowed.

But to be become a real happening, touristy and high-fun place, there is a need for some disorder and less rules. Just look at Bangkok - it is just thriving in the range and scope of its entertainment and shopping. Its shopping surpasses ours at times. And they are good at reinventing themselves - they do not remain stagnant at all. Just look at MBK, a household name amongst Singaporeans - it has upgraded its external facade, looks and interiors to an all-modern glass and steel finish. The Thai tennagers and other locals continue flocking to MBK even in the face of competition from other newer and gargantuan shopping centres. MBK shopping is never a bore - there is always something to discover in its many nooks and crannies. The same goes for the weekend Chatuchak Market - a nightmarish, labyrinthine of rows and rows of small cubicle-like shops that carry whatever you need or may need or never knew existed. Browsing through all the shops can take more than a day but shopping there is simply delightful - you can never help but marvel at the creativity of the Thai craftsmen; and it is hard to find that kind of creativity here in Singapore. The seemingly chaotic disorder of the market in a somewhat ordered fashion is behind its success. You simply cannot imagine our Singapore authorities permitting such disorder to exist - though you can now find smaller and sanitised versions of the Bangkok market in the Heeren and Bugis Junction shopping centres.

Meanwhile, we continue razing the very corners of our city where some sparks of excitement exist - simply look at how the stretch of shophouses between Centrepoint and Orchard Point was converted to a sterile row which now includes, of all things, an S-11 food-court! The previous eclectic mix of bars with live music and restaurants is gone. Do the people who dreamed up the new and yawn-inducing mix of shops really know what draw the crowds? I doubt it. And to make things worse, it was in the papers, that the Sentosa authorities are going to revamp Palawan beach and guess what they are going to include - a food-court too. Sigh! Why can't a beach be a beach? It will be better to simply upgrade the beach and create on its fringes, nestling under the trees, small cafes and bars but, please, no kopitiam! I also remember they want to include a stream through which you can wade - but whatever for? The planners seem to be totally out of touch with beach culture dynamics.

Where is the creativity? the innovation? I just do not see it at all. It is no wonder we are losing the tourists.

Tibet - The Lost Homeland

You can find many Tibetans residing outside their homeland - in India, Bhutan, Nepal, Switzerland, USA and Canada. These are among the 80,000 and more Tibetans who have fled the oppressive Chinese rule in their country. If you visit Nepal, you can never fail to see the many Tibetans there carving a life for themselves outside their country.

In Oct 1949, China invaded Tibet and occupied it. Since the invasion, over 1.2 million Tibetans were killed as a direct result of this ruthless invasion and persecution. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, fearing persecution, fled Tibet secretly and moved to Dharamsala in India, where he set up the Tibetan Government-in-Exile in 1960. Today, more than 8,000 Tibetan refugees consider Dharamsala their second home.

China has steadfastly refused to return Tibet to the rightful owners and has continued to occupy it till today. Recently, the young Chinese people demonstrated violently against the wartime atrocities committed by the Japanese army, particularly in Nanjing. They certainly have a right not to be happy about that. But China also needs to look at itself about what happened in Tibet and the atrocities committed there by the PLA.

The Tibetans have been hoping and praying for the return of their homeland. The previous colonial powers like the British, Spanish and Portuguese have, a long time back, returned their occupied colonies. And, it is now, about time, for China to do likewise.

Whither Medical Care?

In this city, if you can afford to pay, you pay more for healthcare services; if you are poor, then the Singapore government provides a subsidy and you end up paying less at the hospital. This is a fair way of providing medical services in the public hospitals. That was what I believed was the original intent all along - you pay according to your ability to pay but you still receive the same level of care.

But it seemed to have changed over the years - the ones who can pay more are allowed to choose their doctor and logically they will select the renowned and experienced ones who can provide better care than say those who are relatively new and with fewer years of clinical experience. The poorer patients have no choice - they have to make do with whichever doctor is assigned to them.

And then, some hospitals started differentiating services one step further - patients without subsidy are being seen in newer and better facilities with nicer ambience while their lesser brethren are seen in the older clinics.

The hospitals do argue that everyone does get the same level of care - but can this be assured?

Should this be the way? Isn't it more ethical for everyone to be seen by the same group of doctors and in the same facility? That both group of patients be accorded the same level of privileges? That both groups be entitled to the same clinical and service experience?

Those patients who pay more do so as they can afford to pay - it does not carry an entitlement of privileges and differentiated services.

Trees and Shade

When Singapore decided to go green in the 70s, trees, bushes and all types of green foliage were planted along roads, at the road dividers and wherever there was space. The focus during this period was to plant trees that were large, grew high and whose green canopies provided much needed shade in our harsh sunny climate. The end result was simply pretty - roads, lanes and expressways shrouded beneath a green tunnel that simply went on and on. You can still see such vistas along the upper stretches of Sembawang Road and the older section of PIE near Boon Lay.

What about now? The new highways are still lined with trees but of a type that did not grow gigantic umbrella-like canopies that provided shade. They simply grew straight and tall leaving the roads exposed to the harsh sunlight. The thinking of the park authority had shifted - the branches of the trees previously planted easily broke especially during storms - so now they grew other tree species that have stronger branches. Alas! greenery without the shade.

Driving along the roads under the hot sun is now simply - hot and eye-scorching. No cool relief under a green shroud. Perhaps, the authority need to refocus on trees that do provide shade - so that we can have both the green and the shade and a cooler ride.

The Toilet Saga

Back in mid 2003, the environmental authority in this teenie-weenie city of Singapore plonked down about $4 million to upgrade the toilets all over the island, particularly those in the HDB coffee shops. About time too, as these filthy cubicles were usually dark, danky, stinky and grimy - one did not venture into such places unless one really needed to and even then, with the nose pinched shut!

For the next one year plus, there was a bustle of renovation work everywhere as coffee shops feverishly upgraded their restrooms - who would not with the government footing half the bill! The newfangled toilets came with no main door (great! - as one no longer had to touch that grimy germ-laden door handle anymore). They were clean and, for once, the toilet fittings did work, the flush did flush and there was even real toilet paper.

Fast foward to 2005, now. It's back to the dirty, old days again - the barely new toilets in most coffee shops are again becoming places to avoid at all costs. One should have realised that kopitiam owners will never bother about frequent and regular washing and maintenance of the toilets. They are only focused single-mindedly on collecting their rentals from the stall-holders. And do not even mention to them about getting a cleaner to wash and clean the place up!

The authority should ask for their money back and they need to clamp down fast on these errant coffees-shops. And fine them for not keeping their shops clean and hygienic. Perhaps, while we are it, get the Happy Toilet group of people to create the Dirty Toilet award - publicise and shame them widely and openly!

How are we ever going to progress to a first-world country with toilets in such a state?

The Infamous PSC Scholar

The PSC scholar who made some racist remarks in his blog attracted much attention from not only on-line forums which blasted him for his insensitive comments but also made news in last week's Sunday Times.

Poor chap! - he blamed it all on his alter-ego saying that he was not like that in real life ie life outside the net. His friends and family said the same - that this was the not the guy they knew. But who was he trying to hoodwink? Are we all such newborn babes not to know that a person tend to let loose his real feelings and thoughts while on the internet, counting on its cloak of anonymity. What was worse was that he betrayed his feelings of superiority over others in another post. Do we see shades of Hilterism here?!

Are these the kind of students being churned out by our so-called "elitist" schools (the independent schools, gifted schools, special stream pupils and whatever other segregations created by the education authorities in Singapore)? Students who only study and mix with their "kind" and who have little interactions with other student groupings. Students who need to have special events organised by the schools for them to learn about and mix with the minorities - are such one-off activities going to inculcate the right thinking? I doubt.

And frightheningly, these scholars are, one day, going to in the higher echelons of the civil service, laying down policies and making important decisions.

Pictures of WOW Buildings

Fuji TV Building, Tokyo

Tokyo Big Sight, Tokyo

Umeda Sky Building, Osaka

Railway Station, Kyoto

Railway Station (1), Kyoto

Pictures of buildings that I refered to in my post on WOW buildings.

WOW Buildings

Are there Wow buildings in Singapore? Sad to say, I cannot think of any.

The overall architectual landscape in this city is dull and uninteresting unlike in other major Asian cities like KL and Tokyo. KL can boast of its internationally well-known Petronas Towers which dazzles day and night. In Tokyo, there are buildings that simply make you gasp and literally go "wow".

The Tokyo Big Sight looks like inverted pyramids and includes escalators that climb steeply to dizzying heights. Not for someone who fears heights. Also in the same Odaiba area is the Fuji TV building - beautifully crafted with a gigantic sphere-like structure embedded in the middle. Kyoto city has one of the most remarkable train stations ever built - a modern structure with a cavernous hall with impossibly high roofs and with one end of the building totally open-ended with a steep flight of stairs that seem to go up forever. Climbing these stairs is certainly not for the faint-hearted. A glass-walled travellator straddles the building from one end to the other, up high near the roof. Equally mind-boggling is the Umeda Sky Building in Osaka city - going to the roof-top observatory in this building means having to use a glass-wrapped travellator that appears to float in space, high up there. Easy to get vertigo!

Whither Singapore? We nearly came close to an iconic building - what we affectionately call the Durian at the Esplanade. It looks good from afar but alas not so when you are right in front of it. The problem lies with the fact that the durian-like roofs are places on ugly rectangular blocks that do not impress.

What is stiffling our architects and designers? The 1o1 (or is 1001?) rules and restrictions laid down by our beloved rules-loving civil servants? Hopefully not. Perhaps, the architects need to engage designers to define the look while they focus on the form and structure.

Organisational Chaos

Organisational chaos is real! Let me tell you more about it.

It started way back in the early 1990s with the ISO 9000 standards. The benefits of implementing the standard in an organisation were of course obvious. And many industries and commercial entities in Singapore wasted no time in going for ISO 9000 certification particularly when it became a business pre-requisite. And then came along the ISO 14001 and much later the OHSAS 18001 standards. These were, in turn, also implemented by various industries.
Having a structured organisation framework makes sense and the benefits are many-fold. The industries could ensure and assure their customers that they could meet pre-determined quality parameters.

The problem started when the civil service organisations decided to jump blindly into the fray led and pushed along by the authorities which promised them pecuniary rewards if they could achieve the various ISO certifications. One often wondered how many of them were actually really interested in improving their internal systems rather than obtaining certificates for gold-plating. It did not help when another government authority started promoting excellence frameworks with the honourable intention of helping organisations attain so-called world-class status.

Another mad, helter-skelter rush to implement these frameworks started. And organisations now needed greater expanse of walls in their offices to display all the certificates they were accumulating.

But did all this really help the organisation? If the primary focus was on getting the certificate and shaking hands with some important government official while receiving the certificate, then it was simply that - another certificate! And the bulk of them fell in this category.

While the certificates accumulated on the walls, the various systems were seldom integrated and well established, leaving the staff confused and bewildered. Staff spent more time implementing frameworks and less on doing their jobs. Organisations went into various stages of stagnation and then the management could actually wonder why?

The focus was on looking good rather than doing good. And, sad to say, that is the focus of many governmental organisations in this small city-state.

That, in a nut-shell, is organisational chaos.

The Mystery of the HIV Spike

Many have written on this and I shall add my thoughts to it. Through the bright reasoning of some unnamed statistician working feverishly in the ivory towers of some government building in this red dot city, it was declared that gays were the cause of the recent spike in HIV cases. Although the data screamed otherwise - heterosexual contact was behind 2/3 of the cases! And in the same breath, it was also announced that gay parties, attended by many in the region, were the root cause of it.
The city's civil servants need to do better than this - instead of propagating widely and baselessly discrimination against this minority group, they need to get off their high horse (or ass?) and get to work on the real problem.
Meanwhile, the weekend migration of men for cheap nights of fornicatory fun in the pleasure islands off the southern coast continues unabated.
And perhaps, the same civil servants should not baulk at education on HIV and condom use. There needs to be more of these. Seems like they find it morally offensive to conduct such useful education.

China and Japan

The Japanese were wrong in continuing to depict history wrongly in the textbooks for their students. But the violent Chinese demonstrators were also very wrong - their riots in the streets of Beijing and Shenzhen did not endear them to the world who saw them, on their TV sets, behaving like hooligans, pelting buildings with stones and bottles and overturning and damaging cars. Their demos would have got the message across better if they were peaceful but alas that was not to be. The Japanese ended up as the nice guys here.
On TV, some of the Chinese students spoke out against the Nanjing massacre which has been mostly denied by Japan. But one must not forget, that once upon a time, in Oct 1949, the Chinese invaded Tibet ruthlessly and hundreds, if not thousands, of Tibetans died in their struggles in years to come, against the marauders. Many Tibetans fled overseas and to-date China has yet to return Tibet to the Tibetans. The Chinese need to look inwards at themselves too.