In Buddhism, we often speak of the 5 basic precepts that lay practitioners follow and today i'm putting down a short reflection on the first precept. Before i begin, you may ask what is a precept - precepts are generally regarded as principles that we adhere to that guide our daily thoughts, speech and bodily actions.
What is the first precept? Buddha said the first precept to a spiritual and harmonious life is to avoid killing. It is the practice of non-killing / non-violence, the practice to perfect the art of compassion. All practitioners are strongly encouraged to include all sentient beings and not just limit the practice to human beings in their practice of the first precept of non-violence.
Why do we practice non-violence? When we reflect and look deeper into ourselves and our surroundings, we will quickly realise and understand that all beings, including ourselves have the innate wish to be well and happy. There is no being who will wish to suffer and remain in a state of unhappiness. This innate wish of non-suffering is one of the common connections that we can identify ourselves with the rest of the sentient beings and develop empathy.
And when we incorporate the practice into our daily life, we first learn and practice not to be violent and harsh with ourselves. We must learn to apply the practice of kindness and love to our own mind and body first. This means first learning to let go of negative thoughts and intentions that arise in our minds. Mind is the forerunner of all speech and actions. Entertain and water similar negative thoughts and it may soon come into realisation and we will find ourselves hurting both in speech and action.
Without learning the ability to take of ourselves, to take care of our own sufferings and to treat ourselves with kindness and compassion, we will not be able to treat our loved ones similarly in the same loving capacity. The ability to love and take care of others especially our loved ones lies basically in our ability to self-love and take care of ourselves.
As we practice and become more skillful in treating ourselves and others with kindness, we will generate lesser sufferings. As sufferings lessen, we will have more opportunities to cultivate and water the seeds of peace, love and compassion within us, more joy and happiness will then naturally arise in our daily living.
In order to become more skillful in our practice, we must temper it with both wisdom and understanding. Only with the right view and right understanding, our best intentions and efforts made towards our practice will not be wasted or generate undesired results. What is this wisdom necessary to ensure our efforts produce the right results? It is known as insight and not just any insight but insights to impermanence, non-self and interdependence.
Without this insight, it is difficult to realise our knowledge into true wisdom. True wisdom is when we learn to transform our knowledge into realisation, apply the knowledge in our daily thoughts, speech and actions. Most of you will agree with me that having knowledge is not sufficient and only upon practical application is the knowledge proven useful and worthy.
Our practice and the results we yield will vary from person to person as we are unique individuals living under unique conditions but most importantly is that we nurture the intentions of kindness and compassion and start on the path of liberation.
May all be well and happy on the path of practice and may the path bear you sweet fruits of love, peace and joy.
Monday 30 May 2011
Saturday 28 May 2011
PM Figurines - Wizard of Oz Collection
If you've read one of my previous posts - Graphic Novel - Wizard of Oz, you probably know i'm quite the fan of Oz. To my surprise (and a very pleasant one i say), Precious Moments will be launching a set of figurines under the theme Wizard of Oz.
According to the latest newsletter i received, the 4 main characters from Wizard of Oz have been earmarked for their first launch under this collection series. Some of the retailers have already begun taking pre-shipping orders via their websites and expect these figurines to be ready for shipping by late Sep this year.
Just a quick peek to how these figurines look like -
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| "Heels Click 3 And Home I'll Be" Dorothy |
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| "Follow The Path" Scarecrow |
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| "Let Your Heart Guide You" Tin Man |
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| "True Courage" Cowardly Lion |
I have been purchasing PM figurines for a fair number of years, mainly as gifts for my friends on special occasions such as birthdays, weddings and Christmas. So far, i have yet to start a collection of my own. Things are about to change for me, this series is definitely going to be a keeper. Looking forward to its arrival in the Singapore stores :)
Thursday 26 May 2011
New Boop for My X100
Got a nice accessory addition to my new camera Fujifilm X100 - a soft release. Its probably fair to say i'm not a flashy guy so the soft release that i purchased is what most people would term a safe buy. Its something more conservative, a satin red Boop.
There are several designs to choose from. Some are unique, some interesting while others are cute like the ladybird series we see below. If you want to read more and see more about soft releases, you can visit this URL Beep - Boop - Bip - Bug
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| "See that little red fella sitting right on top of the shutter release button, that is the Boop" |
There are several designs to choose from. Some are unique, some interesting while others are cute like the ladybird series we see below. If you want to read more and see more about soft releases, you can visit this URL Beep - Boop - Bip - Bug
If you are interested in getting one, you can visit ChiifCameras. The shop is located at Excelsior Shopping Centre, right across Peninsula Plaza. Owner of the shop, Chii Fei is a nice chatty person who doesn't mind sharing some tips over small talk during the ten minutes i was there.
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| "Some of Bips in cute mini bug design" |
If you are interested in getting one, you can visit ChiifCameras. The shop is located at Excelsior Shopping Centre, right across Peninsula Plaza. Owner of the shop, Chii Fei is a nice chatty person who doesn't mind sharing some tips over small talk during the ten minutes i was there.
Thursday 19 May 2011
Stepping Down of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew - An Exchange of Views Among Friends
Posted an article by Dr Catherine Lim on Minister Mentor’s Resignation recently in Facebook and it had spiralled a spirited discussion among friends that can pretty much be summed as thought provoking.
For a start, i couldn't agree more strongly on the various points noted by Dr Lim in her commentary and i particularly loved this part, "the material prosperity that he had given Singapore, which many world leaders could never match, was no longer enough compensation to Singaporeans for the soullessness that was beginning to show in the society" and below are the exchanges between the 3 of us as it was. Hope it will provoke some thoughts in you too.
Sam: Unfortunately this is also propagated through the education system. The young were never taught how to be. Only what to be. I still stand by this quote regarding education. I only hope that the system can transform fast enough before my kids enter school.... - "There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live. Surely these should never be confused in the mind of any man who has the slightest inkling of what culture is. For most of us it is essential that we should make a living...In the complications of modern life and with our increased accumulation of knowledge, it doubtless helps greatly to compress some years of experience into far fewer years by studying for a particular trade or profession in an institution; but that fact should not blind us to another—namely, that in so doing we are learning a trade or a profession, but are not getting a liberal education as human beings." - James Truslow Adams
Ming: it is indeed a pity that our schools and institutions have became training grounds rather than actual places of education in order for Singapore to achieve its economic success. We train people rather than educate.
And its made worse by the fact that our society does not allow an average family to live on a single income. Had a single income suffice, the other parent would then be able to make up the gaps of truly educating the child in addition to the training received in schools.
A true education should be one that allows the person to realise that he / she does not know everything and thus humbling us, in turn freeing the mind to perceive and accept endless possibilities. This is something i see lacking in most children these days.
Ivy: I choose to focus on what he has done rather than not done. I dont talk politics but i think Singapore will never be what it is without Lee Kuan Yew. You just cant expect the growth to be 面面周全, something had to give for the other to grow with such speed. 改朝换代是难免的 but i still hold him in awe for what he has done for singapore for more than half a century. It is time for Singapore to have a change and he has embraced it. To me, it is the action of a great man.
As for single income families, i have seen several of my friends resigning their jobs after they give birth to take care of their children, with the plan to return to work when the kids grow older. So there are people who are doing it. Even if it is a full time parent taking care of their children, how they intend to so it also plays a big part.
I do not agree though that SDU focus more on graduate women only becos Lee Kuan Yew believe they have better offspring! Its simply becos they set too high standards and perhaps spend longer hours working that these women have a higher percentage of singles - thats not too hard to understand isnt it??
And yes the education system shld change. It is designed to filter out the smart and potential ones and flush out the less intellectual, instead of developing them. Right from primary school
By the way my sister is a working mother but she has done a great job in instilling proper values into her children. She always say it is the quality of the time u spend with ur children, not the quantity :)
Ming: Yes Aibuay, most of us including myself are grateful to the economic success that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has brought to Singapore, along with an extremely safe place to live and grow up in. Frankly speaking, i don't think anyone could have done a better job than him. However, material success does not equate to happiness and this is one of the more prominent points being voiced in this recent election.
Of course suffice to say, Singaporeans are pretty high on their expectations of our government. It is something that has to be managed on both ends, government and people. We also need to examine our own expectations and make sure it is not unrealistic. Perhaps we should take a hint from Bhutan, a country that has hardly any material comforts and yet their people are amongst the world's happiest. They measure their country's success using GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) and not GDP which is something that our government has overly focused on. This is so much in contrast to Singapore when most of us enjoy much material comfort and yet are among some of the unhappiest people ever lived.
As you have mentioned, its a give and take situation and most policies implemented by him simply had no place for human values, something that Dr Catherine Lim had pointed out in her post and i do agree on. It is a pity that this has brought about an educational system that is more skwered towards training rather than giving a true education for our next generation.
As for single income families, let's not talk about people who enjoy a salary higher than average and can allow one of the parents to have the luxury of looking after the children. The average median income as mentioned recently by our Finance Minister is about $2,400. At the sort of income, CPF contribution to the ordinary account in total by both employee and employer is at 23% if we are under 35 years old. Meaning about $552 goes into the OA and it decreases with age since more percentile will go towards medisave account.
A resale three room flat on the average costs about $300,000. Of course a BTO will be much cheaper, at least $50,000 cheaper with the subsidies involved. So using that as an indication and assume a loan of $200,000 is taken up over a 30 years period, the repayment is $801 each month, hardly covered by a single income and cash top up would be needed. After deducting CPF contribution of 20% and the cash top up, he or she would be left with about $1,670.
Is that enough to feed a family? Yes, it will be but hardly much will be left for savings and emergencies. I don't think that is a comfortable kind of cashflow or situation that people will get into if they can avoid it. And what happens? Both parents have to work for the financial stability that they wish to give each other and the family. And i have friends who are earning salaries that are quite substantially below the median income our Finance Minister mentioned.
I also agree that quality of the time spent is more important than the quantity of time spent with children but we have to be mindful that there still has to be a minimum amount of time and effort invested and when these times are utilised fully and properly then it becomes quality time. With both parents working from day till night struggling to make ends meet, the time made avail to their children is very little and how many wayward children have we seen lost to such cases? The number is not small i'm afraid, this is one thing that concerns a fair amount of Singaporeans.
Let me use a ridiculous example to illustrate what i mean - 2 minutes of quality time spent by the parent each day with the child filled with utmost love imparting the highest values vs hours of bad influence each day from external environments. It will hardly make a difference in most cases but in comparison if its a few hours a day spent from the parents when they can explain and guide their children, then the quality time will be truly effective. It is not as simple as saying quality time matters, not quantity. Both have to be in balance.
I have a friend who is working as a school counsellor and i know for a fact that she is overwhelmed by her workload. My belief (and i'm sure that she will agree with) is that some of these kids undergoing assistance would have done a lot better had the parents (or at least one of them) gave them the minimum time and attention required to impart the right values and educate them. And for most cases why didn't the parents do so in the first place? I think we know the answers for some of these neglected kids, their parents are both struggling to make ends meet. To me, its such a pity.
Sam: Alternative ideas were suppressed each time they were voiced. People who could have effectively created a balance in the lopsided culture of materialism left and went elsewhere. They were labelled "quitters". Indeed while some only complain of what he did not do, one cannot ignore the fact that he had fostered an autocratic form of leadership and government. Was this good or bad? Opinions differ. But don't ever assume that nobody, not a single soul could have done a better job. That is idol worship. Singapore might not have turned out the same way, but don't for once think it could not have been better. There were many others who had contributed and dedicated their lives. This "success" wasn't one man's doing. I do not stand in awe of intelligence and great leadership. That shit is plentiful. I stand in awe of enduring virtue in the face of corruption. Pay your politicians obscene amounts so that they will remain incorruptible? That is equivalent to coating your shoes in bovine excrement so that dust won't gather on it. The man himself, his family and extended family have all been rewarded materially enough to last for generations. There isn't a need to blow more sunshine up their money-holes as there simply isn't enough space for it. Enough of idol worship already. Let's move on and work on the current issues.
Ming: Sam i totally agree with you that had someone else been at helm, Singapore could have possibly turned out better with a more balanced and gracious society that has more room in our national policies for love and compassion that could address the needs of the less fortunate and the average family, placing less importance on economic success. This is probably more than evident from most of the comments in the past weeks we seen on facebook when friends posted electoins related topics and hence the call for an alternative voice in government that has resonated ever so strongly in this election.
However, i still stand by my belief that no one i knew could have achieved the sort of economic success and an environment where we can go about our daily activities with a peace of mind without worries of being hurt or being caught in act of crime even though it was achieved through very high-handed methods of crushing any opposing person that stood in the way. So in that manner of an autocratic form of leadership and seeing success in material terms, he probably has done the best job and no one could have rivalled him in this particular area.
Even when my friend mentioned that she stand in awe, i don't think even that would amount to idol worship especially when most of us had so much to question and criticise about the policies he implemented over the years he was holding the reins (and yes especially the portion about the ridiculous pay package that he and his ministers are getting, its absurd having to pay so much to an office holder who professed to be serving in the interests of the people in the first place.. so much for passion and serving the people). Rather than saying its idol worship, i see it more of a form of grudging respect that people gave him knowing that they themselves may not be able to make some of the hard choices that he made in the past to achieve what Singapore has today.
And this is the irony of them all! Despite having provided us with the material comforts that many countries do not enjoy such as clean water and all sort of good basic infrastructures, we are not happy at all and seek to change the form of government he has moulded with his life long efforts. Might i borrow a quote from Dr Catherine Lim's article again that illustrate this point best, "the material prosperity that he had given Singapore, which many world leaders could never match, was no longer enough compensation to Singaporeans for the soullessness that was beginning to show in the society".
For that, i am extremely glad that the WP had made a breakthrough in this election winning a GRC and gained more seats than any opposition party did since our independence days. I only wish that WP would live up to its promises and carry an alternative voice in the Parliament, allowing more humane policies to be passed so that our society will be able to progress much more intellectually, emotionally and spiritually and not just materially.
Sam: I'm sorry if I appear harsh. There seems to be plenty of loyalist comments appearing around. Starting to get on my nerves. Lets hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Changes usually involves pain of some sorts. Sometimes we have to b...acktrack a few steps in order to set ourselves onto another path. The debt burden in the Western world seems to be coming down fast... with the US debt Armageddon approaching early August 2011. Unfortunately I don't see anyone up there actively prepping the system, other than the Finance Minister giving some sort of passing "warning". Fiddling with the exchange rate can only go so far. It's like pumping water from one sinking boat into another. We need a life raft. Those in power need to actively secure and build our basic commodity and energy supplies via the reserves, and not continue leaving it in the casino houses of the stock market. The new foreign minister needs to secure or better relations with our neighboring countries who supply our nation's stockpile. We need to boost and provide technology that supports agriculture, energy and water purification to these neighbours. They have the resources. We can provide the systems and the technology. That's how we can move forward. The old economics supported by Western consumption is fading. It won't work as well into the next 2 decades. Change is needed.
Ming: haha dude, i dont think you are harsh at all, you are just being firm in your convictions although the words used at times may seem a little overly critical but you are just being yourself. And not to mention, these are discussions and exchanges i enjoyed tremendously and you are one of those people who i can count on to know exactly what they are talking about.
This would not be the first time i agree with you that the government has significantly played down the impacts of the global financial issues in their communications to public. I would even venture as far as to say they are somewhat overly optimistic in some of their economic forecasts, thinking that the inflation would somewhat be capped at a reasonable overall rate of 2% over the next 10 years. This is something i find disturbing especially when the recent inflation rate has already hit 5% despite their best efforts to control it with their short term meaures of strengthening the dollar. And again, we need to stress on the fact that this is short term measure and will not work in the long run and as you nicely put, " Fiddling with the exchange rate can only go so far."
Let's hope with the shakeup in the new lineup of cabinet ministers, we will see faster response time and better planning and preparation for the big economic downturn that may possibly happen in the near future.
For a start, i couldn't agree more strongly on the various points noted by Dr Lim in her commentary and i particularly loved this part, "the material prosperity that he had given Singapore, which many world leaders could never match, was no longer enough compensation to Singaporeans for the soullessness that was beginning to show in the society" and below are the exchanges between the 3 of us as it was. Hope it will provoke some thoughts in you too.
Sam: Unfortunately this is also propagated through the education system. The young were never taught how to be. Only what to be. I still stand by this quote regarding education. I only hope that the system can transform fast enough before my kids enter school.... - "There are obviously two educations. One should teach us how to make a living and the other how to live. Surely these should never be confused in the mind of any man who has the slightest inkling of what culture is. For most of us it is essential that we should make a living...In the complications of modern life and with our increased accumulation of knowledge, it doubtless helps greatly to compress some years of experience into far fewer years by studying for a particular trade or profession in an institution; but that fact should not blind us to another—namely, that in so doing we are learning a trade or a profession, but are not getting a liberal education as human beings." - James Truslow Adams
Ming: it is indeed a pity that our schools and institutions have became training grounds rather than actual places of education in order for Singapore to achieve its economic success. We train people rather than educate.
And its made worse by the fact that our society does not allow an average family to live on a single income. Had a single income suffice, the other parent would then be able to make up the gaps of truly educating the child in addition to the training received in schools.
A true education should be one that allows the person to realise that he / she does not know everything and thus humbling us, in turn freeing the mind to perceive and accept endless possibilities. This is something i see lacking in most children these days.
Ivy: I choose to focus on what he has done rather than not done. I dont talk politics but i think Singapore will never be what it is without Lee Kuan Yew. You just cant expect the growth to be 面面周全, something had to give for the other to grow with such speed. 改朝换代是难免的 but i still hold him in awe for what he has done for singapore for more than half a century. It is time for Singapore to have a change and he has embraced it. To me, it is the action of a great man.
As for single income families, i have seen several of my friends resigning their jobs after they give birth to take care of their children, with the plan to return to work when the kids grow older. So there are people who are doing it. Even if it is a full time parent taking care of their children, how they intend to so it also plays a big part.
I do not agree though that SDU focus more on graduate women only becos Lee Kuan Yew believe they have better offspring! Its simply becos they set too high standards and perhaps spend longer hours working that these women have a higher percentage of singles - thats not too hard to understand isnt it??
And yes the education system shld change. It is designed to filter out the smart and potential ones and flush out the less intellectual, instead of developing them. Right from primary school
By the way my sister is a working mother but she has done a great job in instilling proper values into her children. She always say it is the quality of the time u spend with ur children, not the quantity :)
Ming: Yes Aibuay, most of us including myself are grateful to the economic success that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has brought to Singapore, along with an extremely safe place to live and grow up in. Frankly speaking, i don't think anyone could have done a better job than him. However, material success does not equate to happiness and this is one of the more prominent points being voiced in this recent election.
Of course suffice to say, Singaporeans are pretty high on their expectations of our government. It is something that has to be managed on both ends, government and people. We also need to examine our own expectations and make sure it is not unrealistic. Perhaps we should take a hint from Bhutan, a country that has hardly any material comforts and yet their people are amongst the world's happiest. They measure their country's success using GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) and not GDP which is something that our government has overly focused on. This is so much in contrast to Singapore when most of us enjoy much material comfort and yet are among some of the unhappiest people ever lived.
As you have mentioned, its a give and take situation and most policies implemented by him simply had no place for human values, something that Dr Catherine Lim had pointed out in her post and i do agree on. It is a pity that this has brought about an educational system that is more skwered towards training rather than giving a true education for our next generation.
As for single income families, let's not talk about people who enjoy a salary higher than average and can allow one of the parents to have the luxury of looking after the children. The average median income as mentioned recently by our Finance Minister is about $2,400. At the sort of income, CPF contribution to the ordinary account in total by both employee and employer is at 23% if we are under 35 years old. Meaning about $552 goes into the OA and it decreases with age since more percentile will go towards medisave account.
A resale three room flat on the average costs about $300,000. Of course a BTO will be much cheaper, at least $50,000 cheaper with the subsidies involved. So using that as an indication and assume a loan of $200,000 is taken up over a 30 years period, the repayment is $801 each month, hardly covered by a single income and cash top up would be needed. After deducting CPF contribution of 20% and the cash top up, he or she would be left with about $1,670.
Is that enough to feed a family? Yes, it will be but hardly much will be left for savings and emergencies. I don't think that is a comfortable kind of cashflow or situation that people will get into if they can avoid it. And what happens? Both parents have to work for the financial stability that they wish to give each other and the family. And i have friends who are earning salaries that are quite substantially below the median income our Finance Minister mentioned.
I also agree that quality of the time spent is more important than the quantity of time spent with children but we have to be mindful that there still has to be a minimum amount of time and effort invested and when these times are utilised fully and properly then it becomes quality time. With both parents working from day till night struggling to make ends meet, the time made avail to their children is very little and how many wayward children have we seen lost to such cases? The number is not small i'm afraid, this is one thing that concerns a fair amount of Singaporeans.
Let me use a ridiculous example to illustrate what i mean - 2 minutes of quality time spent by the parent each day with the child filled with utmost love imparting the highest values vs hours of bad influence each day from external environments. It will hardly make a difference in most cases but in comparison if its a few hours a day spent from the parents when they can explain and guide their children, then the quality time will be truly effective. It is not as simple as saying quality time matters, not quantity. Both have to be in balance.
I have a friend who is working as a school counsellor and i know for a fact that she is overwhelmed by her workload. My belief (and i'm sure that she will agree with) is that some of these kids undergoing assistance would have done a lot better had the parents (or at least one of them) gave them the minimum time and attention required to impart the right values and educate them. And for most cases why didn't the parents do so in the first place? I think we know the answers for some of these neglected kids, their parents are both struggling to make ends meet. To me, its such a pity.
Sam: Alternative ideas were suppressed each time they were voiced. People who could have effectively created a balance in the lopsided culture of materialism left and went elsewhere. They were labelled "quitters". Indeed while some only complain of what he did not do, one cannot ignore the fact that he had fostered an autocratic form of leadership and government. Was this good or bad? Opinions differ. But don't ever assume that nobody, not a single soul could have done a better job. That is idol worship. Singapore might not have turned out the same way, but don't for once think it could not have been better. There were many others who had contributed and dedicated their lives. This "success" wasn't one man's doing. I do not stand in awe of intelligence and great leadership. That shit is plentiful. I stand in awe of enduring virtue in the face of corruption. Pay your politicians obscene amounts so that they will remain incorruptible? That is equivalent to coating your shoes in bovine excrement so that dust won't gather on it. The man himself, his family and extended family have all been rewarded materially enough to last for generations. There isn't a need to blow more sunshine up their money-holes as there simply isn't enough space for it. Enough of idol worship already. Let's move on and work on the current issues.
Ming: Sam i totally agree with you that had someone else been at helm, Singapore could have possibly turned out better with a more balanced and gracious society that has more room in our national policies for love and compassion that could address the needs of the less fortunate and the average family, placing less importance on economic success. This is probably more than evident from most of the comments in the past weeks we seen on facebook when friends posted electoins related topics and hence the call for an alternative voice in government that has resonated ever so strongly in this election.
However, i still stand by my belief that no one i knew could have achieved the sort of economic success and an environment where we can go about our daily activities with a peace of mind without worries of being hurt or being caught in act of crime even though it was achieved through very high-handed methods of crushing any opposing person that stood in the way. So in that manner of an autocratic form of leadership and seeing success in material terms, he probably has done the best job and no one could have rivalled him in this particular area.
Even when my friend mentioned that she stand in awe, i don't think even that would amount to idol worship especially when most of us had so much to question and criticise about the policies he implemented over the years he was holding the reins (and yes especially the portion about the ridiculous pay package that he and his ministers are getting, its absurd having to pay so much to an office holder who professed to be serving in the interests of the people in the first place.. so much for passion and serving the people). Rather than saying its idol worship, i see it more of a form of grudging respect that people gave him knowing that they themselves may not be able to make some of the hard choices that he made in the past to achieve what Singapore has today.
And this is the irony of them all! Despite having provided us with the material comforts that many countries do not enjoy such as clean water and all sort of good basic infrastructures, we are not happy at all and seek to change the form of government he has moulded with his life long efforts. Might i borrow a quote from Dr Catherine Lim's article again that illustrate this point best, "the material prosperity that he had given Singapore, which many world leaders could never match, was no longer enough compensation to Singaporeans for the soullessness that was beginning to show in the society".
For that, i am extremely glad that the WP had made a breakthrough in this election winning a GRC and gained more seats than any opposition party did since our independence days. I only wish that WP would live up to its promises and carry an alternative voice in the Parliament, allowing more humane policies to be passed so that our society will be able to progress much more intellectually, emotionally and spiritually and not just materially.
Sam: I'm sorry if I appear harsh. There seems to be plenty of loyalist comments appearing around. Starting to get on my nerves. Lets hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Changes usually involves pain of some sorts. Sometimes we have to b...acktrack a few steps in order to set ourselves onto another path. The debt burden in the Western world seems to be coming down fast... with the US debt Armageddon approaching early August 2011. Unfortunately I don't see anyone up there actively prepping the system, other than the Finance Minister giving some sort of passing "warning". Fiddling with the exchange rate can only go so far. It's like pumping water from one sinking boat into another. We need a life raft. Those in power need to actively secure and build our basic commodity and energy supplies via the reserves, and not continue leaving it in the casino houses of the stock market. The new foreign minister needs to secure or better relations with our neighboring countries who supply our nation's stockpile. We need to boost and provide technology that supports agriculture, energy and water purification to these neighbours. They have the resources. We can provide the systems and the technology. That's how we can move forward. The old economics supported by Western consumption is fading. It won't work as well into the next 2 decades. Change is needed.
Ming: haha dude, i dont think you are harsh at all, you are just being firm in your convictions although the words used at times may seem a little overly critical but you are just being yourself. And not to mention, these are discussions and exchanges i enjoyed tremendously and you are one of those people who i can count on to know exactly what they are talking about.
This would not be the first time i agree with you that the government has significantly played down the impacts of the global financial issues in their communications to public. I would even venture as far as to say they are somewhat overly optimistic in some of their economic forecasts, thinking that the inflation would somewhat be capped at a reasonable overall rate of 2% over the next 10 years. This is something i find disturbing especially when the recent inflation rate has already hit 5% despite their best efforts to control it with their short term meaures of strengthening the dollar. And again, we need to stress on the fact that this is short term measure and will not work in the long run and as you nicely put, " Fiddling with the exchange rate can only go so far."
Let's hope with the shakeup in the new lineup of cabinet ministers, we will see faster response time and better planning and preparation for the big economic downturn that may possibly happen in the near future.
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Happy Vesak 2011
Yesterday was Vesak Day where Buddhists worldwide commemorate the day when the historical Sakyamuni Buddha attained his enlightenment more than 2500 years ago and started a work that spans throughout the rest of his living days to spread the message of love, wisdom and compassion.
In addition to visiting temples, offerings and prayers, it is essential to reflect upon the wisdom of Buddha's teachings. These reflections will in turn enable us to imbue our daily activities with a little more wisdom and a little more compassion that will transform our lives into joyful living which will bring about more happiness into the lives of ours and others that we come into contact. This i believe is the surest way to pay homage to the Buddha and his lifetime teachings.
Buddha has taught much and one important aspect of his teachings is to live in the here and now, to be mindful of the present moment. What does it truly mean to be mindful of the present moment? Many mistaken this as a doctrine to indulge ourselves now in this moment without a care for both our past and future. This view and understanding cannot be anymore erroneous from Buddha's true intent.
To be mindful of the present moment indicates the underlying need to embrace our past, understanding that we cannot the exact person we are in this very moment in time unless everything that has transpired before us happened exactly the way it did. Only when we are armed with such right understanding and view, can we find acceptance of our past, people and conditions surrounding us with loving kindness. This opens our minds and hearts to our past actions, both individual and collective, and their karmic effects, providing us with the means to forgive within and without.
When we are mindful of the present moment, we also become aware of our actions and how it will affect our future and their ripples through time, through generations to come. We will realise that when Buddha advised us not to chase the future, things that has yet come to pass, he did not mean for us to ignore our future. On the contrary, he is asking us to be responsible for our own future and generations to come by taking care of the here and now. To live in a sensible and responsible manner instead of wasting our time and efforts on dreaming grandeur illusions that will not materialise in the future unless we make the conscious effort to build the foundations in the present.
Buddha has summed it up most effectively in a single statement, "You are the child of your past, parent of your future, the captain of your own ship." We have steered to this spot today because of our past actions, and unless we can reconcile this understanding with ourselves, we will never be able to see clearly where we are steering towards with our current actions.
Dukkha muccantu, Yattha-laddha-sampattito, Mavigacchantu kammassaka - May all be free from suffering, May all that is gained not be lost, All are owners of their own kamma.
In addition to visiting temples, offerings and prayers, it is essential to reflect upon the wisdom of Buddha's teachings. These reflections will in turn enable us to imbue our daily activities with a little more wisdom and a little more compassion that will transform our lives into joyful living which will bring about more happiness into the lives of ours and others that we come into contact. This i believe is the surest way to pay homage to the Buddha and his lifetime teachings.
Buddha has taught much and one important aspect of his teachings is to live in the here and now, to be mindful of the present moment. What does it truly mean to be mindful of the present moment? Many mistaken this as a doctrine to indulge ourselves now in this moment without a care for both our past and future. This view and understanding cannot be anymore erroneous from Buddha's true intent.
To be mindful of the present moment indicates the underlying need to embrace our past, understanding that we cannot the exact person we are in this very moment in time unless everything that has transpired before us happened exactly the way it did. Only when we are armed with such right understanding and view, can we find acceptance of our past, people and conditions surrounding us with loving kindness. This opens our minds and hearts to our past actions, both individual and collective, and their karmic effects, providing us with the means to forgive within and without.
When we are mindful of the present moment, we also become aware of our actions and how it will affect our future and their ripples through time, through generations to come. We will realise that when Buddha advised us not to chase the future, things that has yet come to pass, he did not mean for us to ignore our future. On the contrary, he is asking us to be responsible for our own future and generations to come by taking care of the here and now. To live in a sensible and responsible manner instead of wasting our time and efforts on dreaming grandeur illusions that will not materialise in the future unless we make the conscious effort to build the foundations in the present.
Buddha has summed it up most effectively in a single statement, "You are the child of your past, parent of your future, the captain of your own ship." We have steered to this spot today because of our past actions, and unless we can reconcile this understanding with ourselves, we will never be able to see clearly where we are steering towards with our current actions.
Dukkha muccantu, Yattha-laddha-sampattito, Mavigacchantu kammassaka - May all be free from suffering, May all that is gained not be lost, All are owners of their own kamma.
Monday 9 May 2011
Personal Notes on GE 2011
Overall i'm in an opinion that most Singapore citizens had voted in a generally logical and rational manner for the recent General Elections even though emotions ran high at certain points during the campaigning period. For that, i am very glad and pleased because the results will eventually affect the policies of this nation in the not too distant future and we cannot allow emotions to impair our judgement. How did i come to such an opinion? Let's have a look at the following points i noted during this election.
1) Contest for Ang Mo Kio GRC - the only electorate contested where percentage of votes for PAP actually went up instead of going down in comparison to the rest of the other constituencies. In 2006 when AMK GRC was contested by Workers Party, PAP garnered a total of 66%. For GE 2011, the percentile went up to 69% when facing Reform Party. It indicated that residents will not provide their support for candidates who are not sincere in serving them. Given a limited choice, they will continue to cast their vote for a team who had been serving them for the past years as long as the basic expectations have been meet.
Lack of sincerity by the opposition party is evident when they did not walk the ground to connect with the voters and failed to communicate their plans for the residents (there were neither banners put up nor leaflets distributed to indicate their presence in the GRC). It was as though they were not in the contest for the GRC and there was also the fact that some of the team candidates were loaned from other opposition parties in order to make up the numbers required to partake in the contest. This reflected one important point, they only contested for the sake of contesting and to ensure it was not a walkover, tying down PM Lee in his own GRC so that he cannot devote 100% of his time for the support of other GRCs.
2) How Workers Party won Aljunied GRC - the opposition party made political landmark breakthrough in the GRC system with some of the following factors in their favour. Voters only voted in an opposition team when they field excellent candidates that shown promises of being capable taking over the helm from the current team of elected MPs.
a) Miss Sylvia Lim - she contested in 2006 and was recognised as one of the best candidates that the opposition party had ever fielded. She had both excellent educational and career credentials. Her team had garnered 43.9% votes, the highest percentage for any opposition teams in 2006 elections. None of the opposition came close to such high percentile, none over 40%. That in turn allowed her to become a NCMP in the Parliament. Although she had no voting rights in the House but it allowed her to debate on all issues raised within the Parliament. That was something that she did exceeding well over the last 5 years, gaining her the reputation that she is not in any way inferior to the elected MPs. To her credit, she also maintained her presence in the ground over the last 5 years, making sure that the her party did not lose any of the grounds gained in the previous election.
b) Mr Low Thia Khiang - one of the only 2 elected MPs from the opposition parties in the last 20 years before GE 2011. It is no easy task being one of opposition voices especially when you are out numbered 82 to 2. However, he had done a good job ensuring that his constituency was well taken care of while he challenged some of the more debatable issues in Parliament in a logical and rational questioning manner. All these have been done despite the odds and obstacles that were met throughout his political career such as not having an proper meeting room to conduct his Meet the People Session and having only limited funds at his disposal. That built up his reputation as a man who sincerely wish to serve his people and a credible alternate voice in the Parliament.
He also shown the people that he is a man with vision and quick to correct his weakness as long as the criticisms were valid. One example i can think of is how he reached out to top candidates like Miss Sylvia Lim and Mr Chen Show Mao to build up his ranks when MM Lee commented that he did not have a First World Opposition. Another is how he envisioned ahead and calculated his move into a contest for a GRC. He only went for the broke when he was sure that his chances of winning were even. How did he level the playing field? That brings us to the next point.
c) At least 2 heavyweights in the team - Mr Low ensured he was not the only experienced politician and heavyweight in the team that contest for Aljunied GRC. He had in the same team, Miss Sylvia Lim who by this election is a experienced parliament member although she was not attached to any constituency. That lent a lot of consideration to the voters when they were deciding if the opposition team should be given a chance. Afterall, the team will be able to rely on at least two experienced politicians to guide the rest of the team members who are new to the political scene ensuring a smooth transfer between the incumbent team to the newly elected MPs from the opposition team.
Pity to say, this is the point where i believe Mr Chiam mainly lost out on his bid for a GRC. He was the only heavyweight and experienced parliament member in his team. Had he at this election, had another able and experienced person with credentials similar to Miss Sylvia Lim in his team, more votes might have swayed his way and we could have seen another upset. It is evident from the percentages of the votes for the various GRCs contested in this election that one heavyweight in the team will garner you a slight advantage but not enough to win the contest. 2 or more heavyweights in the team will level the ground and give the opposition team a fair chance of winning the GRC.
3) How PAP held on to other GRCs - one lousy team member in PAP team will not tip the scales and win the battle for the opposition parties. This is immensely evident for this election. From what i gathered so far, Minister Mah Bow Tan, Minister Wong Kan Seng and Miss Tin Pei Ling are some of the most unpopular PAP candidates fielded in this election and yet their teams continued to hold on to their seats in the GRCs they contested in. It shows that one man or woman will not make or break the team. Although the overall percentage of their supporters will drop but it is simply not enough to unseat them.
What voters did was to also take into consideration of the other 2 or 3 MPs in PAP's team that performed decently in the past and compare them to the opposition team of unknown and untested candidates. When cornered with such a choice, they will rather see in a team with the 2 or 3 decent MPs that has performed admirably (even though there is a member that they immensely dislike) than to see an entire team of untested candidates elected. I suppose this is what we termed as the "lesser of two evils" and the residents made the choice best to their knowledge. Ironically and sad to say, it is also this mentality that we lost a most respected former elected MP Mr Chiam See Tong. Simply because he did not have better and tested team members on his bench for his bid for a GRC.
In any case, the votes have been cast and i wish that no matter who is in the Parliament, be it PAP or the opposition parties, they will bear in mind that they are citizens first and party members second and work towards the common good of all Singaporeans. It is only then we will truly see a First Class Government and First World Parliament.
1) Contest for Ang Mo Kio GRC - the only electorate contested where percentage of votes for PAP actually went up instead of going down in comparison to the rest of the other constituencies. In 2006 when AMK GRC was contested by Workers Party, PAP garnered a total of 66%. For GE 2011, the percentile went up to 69% when facing Reform Party. It indicated that residents will not provide their support for candidates who are not sincere in serving them. Given a limited choice, they will continue to cast their vote for a team who had been serving them for the past years as long as the basic expectations have been meet.
Lack of sincerity by the opposition party is evident when they did not walk the ground to connect with the voters and failed to communicate their plans for the residents (there were neither banners put up nor leaflets distributed to indicate their presence in the GRC). It was as though they were not in the contest for the GRC and there was also the fact that some of the team candidates were loaned from other opposition parties in order to make up the numbers required to partake in the contest. This reflected one important point, they only contested for the sake of contesting and to ensure it was not a walkover, tying down PM Lee in his own GRC so that he cannot devote 100% of his time for the support of other GRCs.
2) How Workers Party won Aljunied GRC - the opposition party made political landmark breakthrough in the GRC system with some of the following factors in their favour. Voters only voted in an opposition team when they field excellent candidates that shown promises of being capable taking over the helm from the current team of elected MPs.
a) Miss Sylvia Lim - she contested in 2006 and was recognised as one of the best candidates that the opposition party had ever fielded. She had both excellent educational and career credentials. Her team had garnered 43.9% votes, the highest percentage for any opposition teams in 2006 elections. None of the opposition came close to such high percentile, none over 40%. That in turn allowed her to become a NCMP in the Parliament. Although she had no voting rights in the House but it allowed her to debate on all issues raised within the Parliament. That was something that she did exceeding well over the last 5 years, gaining her the reputation that she is not in any way inferior to the elected MPs. To her credit, she also maintained her presence in the ground over the last 5 years, making sure that the her party did not lose any of the grounds gained in the previous election.
b) Mr Low Thia Khiang - one of the only 2 elected MPs from the opposition parties in the last 20 years before GE 2011. It is no easy task being one of opposition voices especially when you are out numbered 82 to 2. However, he had done a good job ensuring that his constituency was well taken care of while he challenged some of the more debatable issues in Parliament in a logical and rational questioning manner. All these have been done despite the odds and obstacles that were met throughout his political career such as not having an proper meeting room to conduct his Meet the People Session and having only limited funds at his disposal. That built up his reputation as a man who sincerely wish to serve his people and a credible alternate voice in the Parliament.
He also shown the people that he is a man with vision and quick to correct his weakness as long as the criticisms were valid. One example i can think of is how he reached out to top candidates like Miss Sylvia Lim and Mr Chen Show Mao to build up his ranks when MM Lee commented that he did not have a First World Opposition. Another is how he envisioned ahead and calculated his move into a contest for a GRC. He only went for the broke when he was sure that his chances of winning were even. How did he level the playing field? That brings us to the next point.
c) At least 2 heavyweights in the team - Mr Low ensured he was not the only experienced politician and heavyweight in the team that contest for Aljunied GRC. He had in the same team, Miss Sylvia Lim who by this election is a experienced parliament member although she was not attached to any constituency. That lent a lot of consideration to the voters when they were deciding if the opposition team should be given a chance. Afterall, the team will be able to rely on at least two experienced politicians to guide the rest of the team members who are new to the political scene ensuring a smooth transfer between the incumbent team to the newly elected MPs from the opposition team.
Pity to say, this is the point where i believe Mr Chiam mainly lost out on his bid for a GRC. He was the only heavyweight and experienced parliament member in his team. Had he at this election, had another able and experienced person with credentials similar to Miss Sylvia Lim in his team, more votes might have swayed his way and we could have seen another upset. It is evident from the percentages of the votes for the various GRCs contested in this election that one heavyweight in the team will garner you a slight advantage but not enough to win the contest. 2 or more heavyweights in the team will level the ground and give the opposition team a fair chance of winning the GRC.
3) How PAP held on to other GRCs - one lousy team member in PAP team will not tip the scales and win the battle for the opposition parties. This is immensely evident for this election. From what i gathered so far, Minister Mah Bow Tan, Minister Wong Kan Seng and Miss Tin Pei Ling are some of the most unpopular PAP candidates fielded in this election and yet their teams continued to hold on to their seats in the GRCs they contested in. It shows that one man or woman will not make or break the team. Although the overall percentage of their supporters will drop but it is simply not enough to unseat them.
What voters did was to also take into consideration of the other 2 or 3 MPs in PAP's team that performed decently in the past and compare them to the opposition team of unknown and untested candidates. When cornered with such a choice, they will rather see in a team with the 2 or 3 decent MPs that has performed admirably (even though there is a member that they immensely dislike) than to see an entire team of untested candidates elected. I suppose this is what we termed as the "lesser of two evils" and the residents made the choice best to their knowledge. Ironically and sad to say, it is also this mentality that we lost a most respected former elected MP Mr Chiam See Tong. Simply because he did not have better and tested team members on his bench for his bid for a GRC.
In any case, the votes have been cast and i wish that no matter who is in the Parliament, be it PAP or the opposition parties, they will bear in mind that they are citizens first and party members second and work towards the common good of all Singaporeans. It is only then we will truly see a First Class Government and First World Parliament.
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Turtle Party
With the general elections on going at the moment, there's a note by a kindhearted volunteer polling agent circulating in facebook informing the public that drawing a turtle in the box on ballot paper will not actually spoil the vote and instead the vote will go to the party that the box belongs to. Same thing goes for those drawing a big cross that exceeds the boundaries of the box in hope to spoil the vote. As long as the centre of the cross lies within a box, the vote will be considered valid and the party that the box belongs to will have that particular vote.
So, how true is it? i decided to check on the statue itself to see on what grounds and conditions will a vote be rejected. Here is the URL Statutes - Contested Elections to the relevant statue about contested elections and based on what i see under section 50, the volunteer is making a valid case. A vote is rejected only when it is unmarked or it is uncertain which party you are voting for (i.e. crossing both boxes) or when you identified yourself on the ballot paper (e.g. beside your cross, you wrote, "Yours faithfully, Mr Smith Tan." So, please stop doddling on your vote or you may unintentionally end up voting for the team that you didn't wish to root for in the first place.
50. —(1) The Returning Officer shall reject as invalid the following ballot papers only, namely, any ballot paper —
(a) which does not bear the complete official mark for the authentication of ballot papers or is not initialled by the presiding officer;
(b) on which votes are given for more than one candidate or group of candidates;
(c) on which anything is written or marked by which the voter can be identified except the printed number on the back;
(d) which is unmarked; or
(e) which is void for uncertainty. .
So, how true is it? i decided to check on the statue itself to see on what grounds and conditions will a vote be rejected. Here is the URL Statutes - Contested Elections to the relevant statue about contested elections and based on what i see under section 50, the volunteer is making a valid case. A vote is rejected only when it is unmarked or it is uncertain which party you are voting for (i.e. crossing both boxes) or when you identified yourself on the ballot paper (e.g. beside your cross, you wrote, "Yours faithfully, Mr Smith Tan." So, please stop doddling on your vote or you may unintentionally end up voting for the team that you didn't wish to root for in the first place.
50. —(1) The Returning Officer shall reject as invalid the following ballot papers only, namely, any ballot paper —
(a) which does not bear the complete official mark for the authentication of ballot papers or is not initialled by the presiding officer;
(b) on which votes are given for more than one candidate or group of candidates;
(c) on which anything is written or marked by which the voter can be identified except the printed number on the back;
(d) which is unmarked; or
(e) which is void for uncertainty. .
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