Immanuel - God With Us.

1. The Light shines in the darkness
2. Salvation for all.
3. The Holy for the crudeness
4. Love divine and more.
5. The imperishable for the perishable
6. Eternal for the ephemeral.
7. Miracle unimaginable
8. God with us!
9. 
   
10. My family and I wish everybody a BLESSED CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The Last Time For Everything.

Have you ever comtemplate that this will be the last time you will be engaging in whatever activity that you enjoy doing - be it enjoying reading a book, watching your favourite television show, playing with your children or grandchildren, chatting with a close friend, etc.?  A famous philosopher says " All things human are short-lived and perishable."  Buddhists believe in the impermanence of things.

Thus, it is healthy and prudent to keep in mind that all things valueable and precious will one day be lost to us.  Things can be taken away or our own death will deprive us of such things.  For some such talk may sound morbid and unpleasant to the Asian psyche.  However by comptemplating the impermanene of things and recognising that this may be the last time we are doing the thing we are more appreciative and cognizant of the blessedness of the moment.  We will not be sleep-walking through our life.  We will cherish more every moment of our life for such moments may never be repeated again!

May God bless and keep you and your family always!    

My "Haiku/Senryu" Moments 5.

• 1) A  Public Company
• Used as a Public Relations
• Body for a Dynasty.
• 2)Ubiquitous face
• On newspapers & TVs
• No one is interested!
• 3) Talking heads on TVs
• Vomitting their expert comments
• Confusing everyone.
• 4) The most powerful man
• In the world cannot govern
• Intransigent fools!
• 5)Trust betrayed trust lost
• Trying to repair the damage
• Possible, anyone?
• 6) Human capital
• Country's rich resources
• Politicians must know!
• 7) Americans ask for
• It: a sitting duck President
• Dysfunctional Leg.
• 8) The Leader knows it
• It pierces his heart centre
• "Hatred" it is!

Our God Of Comfort.

Our God is a God of Comfort.  He says "I will never leave or forsake you and I will be with you to the end of times."  I have listed below few verses from the Bible which I hope you will find comfort and useful at the crucial time of your needs.  I hope with the comfort that you receive you will help to comfort those who are in need.

1) Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand .... Isaiah 41:10.

2) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm .....Exodus 6:6.

3) When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers,they shall not overwhelm you;  when you walk through the fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.......Isaiah 43:2

4) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty .....Psalm 91:1

And last but not least he warns us of false teachers and prophets:

5) But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will  be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them - bringing swift destruction on themselves.  Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.  In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up.  Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping .......2 Peter 2:1-3.

A New Social Compact.

There is much "hurrah" for the PM's National Day Rally Speech.  The mainstream media went into a frenzy by bombarding the people with the new intiatives that the Government were embarking in the areas of education, affordable public housing, health care, caring for our seniors, etc.  The measures were described as epoch-making and were launched to achieve a fairer and just society - a new compact with the citizens.

Wait! What had taken the Govenment so long to really feel the angst and unhappiness on the ground.  The drop in the majority votes in the 2011 GE and the subsequent loss of 2 By-elections in Hougang and Ponggol East would have raised all the red flags.  Not convinced the Government in typical kiasu Singaporean style embarked on a 1 year "Our Singapore Conversation" exercise to seek Singaporeans' view on what they really want and their grievances.  The conversation involved 50,000 participants conducted over 660 sessions (I wonder how much money was spent on this exercise).

Everyone knows a new social compact has to evolve for the status-quo is not tenable.  In more matured Democracies the buck would have stopped at the PM's desk and a new incumbent would have emerged.  I see the current iniative taken by the Government as preparation for the GE in 2016.  The jury is still out whether the Government will regain much needed support.  Let's wait and see.  The new compact has to be managed carefully and wisely if the Ruling Party does not want to see more losses in SMC and GRC wards in 2016. 

On "By-Election" And "Good Politics".

Many Singaporeans may not be aware or conscious of it.  On 5th July 2013 Singapore's Court of Appeal had ruled "that Article 49 of the Constitution of Singapore does not give the Prime Minister an unfettered discretion in the calling of an election to fill a casual vacancy of an elected MP.  He must do so within a reasonable time.  If the vacancy is left unfilled for an unnecessarily prolonged period that would give rise to a seious risk of disenfranchising the residents of that constituency.  There is thus a need to balance the rights of the voters in a Parliamentary system of government and the discretion vested in the Prime Minister to decide when to call for a by-election to fill a vacancy."  It is worth noting that since 31.10.1981 there were 3 such vacancies that were left vacant for an unprecedented time of as much as 2 years.  The landmark ruling resulted from a court filing by a Hougang resident on how Article 49 is to be interpreted when  a  Workers' Party MP vacated the seat on his resignation from the Party.  It is also worth noting that the Hougang By-Election was called within 3 months of its vacancy while the Ponggol East By-Election was called within 1 month.

The Ruling Party now propagandizes the concept of  3Cs of "Good Politics" - clean, constructive and continuous.  Such concept cannot hold water when we have:

1) Behind-the-queue estates upgrading for Opposition Wards.  Let us not forget that citizens in such ward also fullfill their citizenship duties like doing Naitonal Service, paying their taxes, etc. It would appear a Permanent Resident residing in a PAP ward which has up-grading will be more equal than a citizen residing in an Opposition ward.

2) Adviser to the grassroot organisations is a losing PAP candidate and not the winning Opposition candidate. 

3) A compliant mainstream media which churns the Ruling Party's propaganda.  Worse, there are editorial staff with an unhealthy agenda of painting all opposing and competing views in a bad light.  Any Opposition Parties' slip-ups, mistakes, goofs are pounced on with evil delight!

Haze - The Face of Evil And Corruption.

The above photo taken from the window of my apartment is self-explanatory.  It is the worst haze conundrum that has occurred in Singapore's history.  When the photo was taken, the PSI reading was 400.  It looked like a war zone outside - white smoke shrouded the buildings, few pedestrians and cars on the roads - a ghostly neighbourhood.

I characterize the haze as the face of evil and corruption.  Evil - because the insidious deadly smoke choking people's throats and eyes.  This happens because the powers in Indonesia refuse to do their job.  The Indonesian Government seemed oblivious to the crisis and taking a nonchalant and "bochap" attitude.  It is just as incredible that the Government has even allowed its own people to suffer such inhuman health risks and hazards.  It is even more unbelievable that its own people are prepared to subject themselves to such hardship without a word of protest.  Indonesia is well known for organising demonstrations/protests against injustice, price hikes, corruption, etc.  But hardly a word was heard from the populace regarding this tragedy.  If politics and businesses are good bedfellows then the third party, the people's interests are thrown into the gutter. 

Corruption - The local and central Government refuses to enforce the laws governing such fires.  Are there vested and cronies' interests which overide the people's welfare and health protection.   While the country burned and the people's health suffered, the politicians turned their blind eyes.  It is a heartless and cruel thing to abandon the people.

Worse, the neighbouring countries were subjected to such hazards also.  Our concerns and insecurities were brushed aside as childish.  It looks like these people will only answer to God alone!!!   

My "Haiku/Senryu" Moments 4

The bright morning sun

Bursting through the clouds

Heralding God's salvation!

Defense of the obvious

Freedom of speech and of thoughts

No one can deny!

Hawkers and hawkers'

Centres cleaning in cross-fire

That's politics!

Goal of the economy 

Greatest good for the greatest

People in long-term!

Laws of the land

The institutions nurtured

Must never be abused!

A world of one's own

Who can really understand

A life's destiny!

Scenes From The Heartland.

Heart-warming/disdaining scenes in our heartland.  Here are a few of them.

i) Outside the Post Office - An elderly lady momentarily stopped the wheel-chair she was wheeling.  Inside the wheel-chair was an elderly man (presumably her husband) and she whisphered something  sounding reassuring and pleasant into his ears.  The man was just having a nice nap.  Such show of elderly love and care!

ii) At the Hawker Centre -  A young man (probably the man's son) guided the old man to his seat.  He assured his father saying he was going to get him a bowl of "kwa-teow"  soup for him.  It was obvious the old man was a stroke victim as the right portion of his body was limping.  Such filial piety shown by the son was just touching!

iii) At the escalators of shopping malls/MRT trains & inside MRT trains - You often witness teenagers and young adults facing each other and started hugging and showering kisses.  I thought such intimate actions should be confined to one's private rooms. Perhaps here Paul's warning in Ephesians 4:19: "Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more." needs to be highlighted.

 iv) In the Mainstream Media - If you  have been observant you would have noticed that lately a particular politician's photo has been given prominence accompanying every speech that he made. These photos were cleverly digitised/touched up to make the poltician looked good.  This is what I called "media spin".  I thought it should not be "business as usual" for the Ruling Party after its majority votes were reduced in last GE and having lost 2 By-Elections. Singapore needs a "new vision" to take it to the next level of its development.  "Dead Wood" in Government will get us nowhere!

My "Haiku/Senryu" Moments 3

1) Central Banks/QEs                                       2) Liquidity galore
     Failed banks kaput/bailouts                             Asset prices "jiong"
     Ordinary folks stunned.                                   When will bubbles burst?

3) Long queues at showrooms                          4) The rich gets richer
    Animal herd instinct gone wild                         The poor gets poorer
    Lambs for the slaughter.                                    It's my Father's world.

5) The rippling waves                                       6) Tree-lined tracks meandering
    On water passing gentle breeze                         Around the reservoir
    A sight to behold!                                              Joggers having their workouts.

What They Did'nt Tell You!

The Government of Singapore has presented two documents namely the The Population White Paper and The Budget 2013 to steer Singapore in the next five years and beyond.  Since garnering the lowest percentage vote of 60% in the 2011 General Election and the subsequent loss of 2 By-Elections - in Hougang and Punggol East - the ruling Party had confessed and apologised openly of its mistakes and promised the citizens it would do better.  The citizens were not convinced and had seen through "the crocodile tears shed".  This culminated in the Hong Lim Park Civil Protest on 16 February 2013 where thousands attended - among whom are children, housewives, workers, senior citizens, politicians, academics, etc. The cry of the people is loud and clear!

1) The Population White Paper - The projected population of 6.9 million by 2030 raised many people's eyebrows considering the daily crunch the public encountered in their daily commute. The assumptions that ageing population will slow down economic growth and optimal TFR (Total Fertility Rate) calculations were open to questions.  According to Austrian demographer Prof. Wolfgang Lutz who was in town recently the dire situation as portrayed in the Paper on the ageing population was over done.  He cited the examples of Germany and Cyprus - the former with an ageing population was thriving economically while the later whose population is 10 years younger and dynamic did not overtake the former.  He added the next cohort of older generation will be more educated and thus translated to a better-educated, active and productive elderly population.  He also suggested the TFR for Singapore is 1.7 rather than the usal 2.1.  He said we may be working on outdated data.

2) The Budget 2013 - The Government labelled the Budget as "inclusive".  Yes, " inclusiveness" is a value very much enshrined in our Pledge - ".....to build a democatic society based on justice and equality ....".  The Government has all along always been "tight-fisted".  It can be a lot more charitable and forth-coming in lightening the people's burden especially for the botttom rung of the 20% of the population.  More can be done and should be done for the whole population from the young, the schooling, the working class, the elderly, the business community, the civic society, etc. Whatever can be done for the social good the Government should not spare its efforts.  I hope by 2015 after half century of our nationhood we all Singaporeans can be proud that we have attained the Swiss standard of living where low wages, long working hours and cost of living will not require our attention anymore.  For this to become a reality the Government must always stand on the the side of the weak, the vulnerable, the poor, the disadvantaged, the young child, the widow, the working mothers, the elderly, etc.  This is a tall order!  I see a "sparkling" RED DOT.

Blessed & Prosperous Chinese New Year.

This coming Sunday, on 10 February 2013 will usher in the Year of the Snake.  My family and I will like to wish everyone a BLESSED & PROSPEROUS CHINESE NEW YEAR. May we all be mindful of God's unfailing love for us as individuals, families, communities and the country.  God bless!  GONG XI GONG XI, SHEN TI JIAN KANG!!

My "Haiku" Moments 2

1) The child-like essence                                                6) Our True Home Divine
     Down-to-earth beliefs and talk                                       Rulers still blind and stubborn
     Captivating hearts.                                                          Long live motherland.

2) The stupid hopeful                                                      7) The writing on wall
    The elitist head in clouds                                                 Most people can clearly see
    When will they wake up.                                                 Shameless media spit.

3) Clever arguments                                                        8) Drowning not knowing
    Wordsmith and tongue gymnastics                                 In their own vomit swimming
    The truth still denied.                                                      Wake up Wake up See.

4) Goodies tangling                                                         9) Talking to Oneself
    The propaganda machine                                                 Justifying to Oneself
    In full blast jarring.                                                          Reality Shun.

5) Truth be told exposed
    Some people still in denial
   Will leopards change skin.

Punggol East Can Be "The Beacon Of Fair Play"

There will be a 4-cornered fight in the Punggol East By-Election.  I prefer to see it as a 2-Party contest between the WP & PAP.  Residents of PE should seize this wonderful opportunity to cast their votes wisely.  No matter who emerged as the winner the ruling Party will still govern the country. If you do not agree to how the Government has beeen governing the country all these years you may want to express your displeasure or unhappiness by giving your vote to the WP candidate.  As "Hougang is the Bastion of Democracy in Singapore", your constituency can be "The Beacon of Fair Play in Singapore" if you send a strong signal that you do not subscribe to the following unfair practices:-

1) The gerrymendering of electoral boundaries and creation of Group Representation Constituencies; etc.

2) The mainstream media has not been fair and not giving a balance report of the political situation and in certain instances of engaging in painting a bad light of Opposition Parties.

3) The behind-the-queue Estates Upgrading for Opposition Wards and the removal  of hawker/market centres and bus services in Opposition Wards.

4) The on-going income- inequality gap; increasing unaffordable housing; pressures on children in our education system; high cost of living and medical charges, transport woes - over-crowded buses and trains, frequent breakdowns of train services; immigration policies, etc.

Yes, on 26 Jan  2013 cast your vote for the WP candidate.  By doing so you would have shown your political maturity for it is not healthy to have this PAP juggernaut hanging over our heads.  Long Live Singapore!