Our Healthcare System ; Stating the Obvious ; Why no preemptive measure when all the studies point to a Super Aged Society ?

 I read with dismay today that almost all of the Government Hospitals have waiting times of up to 4 days for patients with urgent medical conditions. I am horrified that the system and the management of this major issue is taking a 'reactionary' stance. With 2 over years of stagnant work from home arrangements, and we are caught in a 'deer in headlights' situation of not pre-empting this issue. 

While no one is denied prompt medical attention, the fact that we have been experiencing a bed crunch for the last 3 - 4 years with no plans or apparent plans to build new facilities is UNACCEPTABLE.

There is ample budget each year for Health Care, so why is our Government sitting like a lame duck ? 

Hey, the Minister is being paid millions of dollars a year  !

The Perm Secretary is being paid probably over a million dollars are year  !

And all they can do is highlight the problem ?

This is not the type of Government I would expect from such highly paid and so called competent and efficient civil servants.

 

Elitism ; a society ruled

ASICS 'ELITE' CROSS TRAINER 

Elitism is the belief or notion that individuals who form an elite—a select group of people perceived as having an intrinsic quality, high intellect, wealth, power, notability, special skills, or experience—are more likely to be constructive to society as a whole, and therefore deserve influence or authority greater than the common man. 

Singapore has had a superb run .Since its founding on August 9th 1965, Singapore the island nation of then 3 million made up of mostly poor migrants from China, India and the indigenous Malay people with a then per capita income of equivalent to Kenya, has over these past 58 years made great strides in improvements to its citizens well being. We are currently 4th highest GDP per capita (close to US$ 100,000 per citizen) and have one of the world's highest standards of living. 

We all know and are thankful to the first generation of world class leaders of the ruling People's Action Party helmed by the brilliant statesman and leader Lee Kwan Yew. His passing 8 years ago has led us to believe that the years of super high GDP growth (more than 10%) is but a memory.

As a developed society (Singapore became a developed society in the earl 2000s), I believe that the following values are well entrenched in our midst :

a) multi-culturalism

b) multl- religiousness 

c) abiding to a fixed rule of law

d) Separation of the 3 entities of Government, namely the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary.

e) a free and fair election of Government every 4 to 5 years as mandated in the Constitution.

As a result over the years of rapid economic and social standing growth, there has developed an elite class or people who by virtue of their status, have a better chance of 'making it' than the other class or 'working class'. 

The gentry or people who have achieved financial independence very early on in their lives, and are living in good class bungalows and / or in Sentosa island. Well good for them. Should the nation's leaders come from only this class of people ?

I say 'No'. The Government should be made up of elected citizens who go through the lengthy and tedious process of serving the country first and foremost. By working at the grassroots level, the major prerequisite for our elected leaders must be they must be :  

By the People (elected)

For the People  (serve the people first and foremost)

and Of the People. (from the people - every segment)

So while the gentry MAY be Of the people, how do they know or even experience the plight of the working class ?  It is only partially true. 

Do they feel the pain of inflation at all ?

Do they EXPERIENCE the issues of those living in rental flats ? 

Have they actually spent their time serving the people first before they actually are voted in, to formulate policies for the people ? 

  

Bedok South Market and Neighbourhood 23 April 2023

 

Last Sunday, 23rd April I went to Bedok South market to run some errands, and I was so pleasantly surprised that the neighbourhood is thriving what with the wet market at one end, the cooked food hawker centre, 1 clinic, 1 dentist, the 2 Chinese medicine halls, and lots of convenience stalls (3 bakeries, 3 fruit and vegetable stalls, 2 hairdressers, clothing stalls, snacks, 3 banks ATMs, several coffee shops and the Prime Supermarket - all within the 800 x 1000 m rectangular district centre.

There is even a Neighbourhood Police Post to ensure law and orderliness.

What convenience !  All within a short walking distance (5 to 10 minutes) from at least 20 blocks of HDB flats   This scene is replicated in multiple satellite towns all over the island.

This is the one thing I truly miss, as I have not lived or managed to stay in a Government managed estate in all of my (X0) years. 

Singapore with its emphasis on productivity, convenience, safety and ease of connectivity has it all.

The not quite 'village' lifestyle is apparent when you step out from your flat and into the common corridor. Take the lift downstairs your block and within minutes, you have everything you could possibly want. 

Singaporeans have arguably the best (managed and highly developed) housing program in the world. 80% of all citizens live in public housing and the reasons apart from affordability, are what I just described in the paragraphs above. 

Each flat which you and your spouse purchases (one party must be Singaporean) is heavily subsidised but you need to have a minimum occupancy of 5 years before you can rent it out or sell it completely. It is called MOP. Many SIngaporeans have benefitted from this asset appreciation hugely, but there are many differing points of view about the profiteering of an asset class which is not owned by the individual citizen. 

As a result, the ever spiralling costs of resale flats in the last 10 - 15 years have made living and retiring in Singapore an expensive 'dream'. 

  

4 Traits and 2 Obnoxious Behaviors observed in Singapore. Agree ?

Living in Singapore is like many big cities worldwide, we are constantly evolving and moving, be it with road works, road realignments, HDB blocks upgrading, tree pruning and new MRT lines being added on every other year. Its a fast paced environment. 

I read recently in Quora, the thought sharing app from a Singaporean who migrated to Australia, and his thoughts upon moving there with his young family and the differences he experienced from the Australian culture versus the Singapore culture were most abundantly felt in the first few years upon his migration.

4 Trends or Obnoxious Behaviors observed 

Singapore society is fast paced.

Singaporeans lack 'humanity' when they are pursuing or going about their business. 

'KIASUISM' or fear of losing out (FOLO) syndrome is apaprent amongst Singaporeans

KIASI-ISM or fear of dying amongst Singaporeans 

My only retort is that yes, we are all of the above. 

The other retort is that in every big city, there will always be this kind of boorish behavior.

BUT they do not represent the majority. In my opinion. 

HOWEVER, for every occasion I find there is one of the above, I try to make myself  NOT behave in that manner.

I have encountered numerous instances from fellow Singaporeans which made me feel proud and happy to be living here. Let me recount three. 

a) Once I was laden with a couple of heavy box containers at JEM, the well dressed lady and another lady offered to help me carry them into the lift, and I declined with thanks. There were at least several other offers of help to keep life doors open and to let me move on which were really kind gestures.

b) I was going for my medical checkup in Jurong West and I asked some random couple for directions. They willingly gave me specific directions and with a smile, which is heartwarming. 

c) I once slipped and fell on a small park area and the family came out to help me up and asked if I was OK. Well they were foreigners but the fact is that in Singapore, there are people willing to lend the extra hand when necessary.

> One Sunday evening, where we go to the Supermarket to buy our groceries, there was  a man at the supermarket counter who barged ahead of me, not aware my basket of things were lined up. Its true my son and I were somewhere else looking at the items on offer.

>I just smiled and told him, "Just go ahead. I am in no big rush".

>I count myself lucky to take the slow road ; he might be working or dashing out in between his Grab /Uber appointments making a living.

>"Cut the people some slack."    I tell myself.  

Can we do better ?  Well of course.

Are we by nature a selfish people ? I certainly do not think so.

Are we lacking humanity or compassion ? The multitude of people helping out in the food banks convince me that we are not.

Are we Kiasu ?  Well everyone on this earth has a choice. Self preservation is in fact being Kiasu. Practically everyone on this Earth is Kiasu at certain stages in their life.

Not more than most other societies, and this trait is so subjective and biased driven that it is impossible to measure. 

Kiasi ?  If you are a religious person, you should not be Kiasi. There is heaven and / or a good afterlife waiting for you.

Can we develop that community spirit ? It is  a work in progress.

 

 

 

Paris and other cities are facing a cost of living crisis

Rubbish in many arrondissements 

The much admired City of Lights is rocked once again by riots. This time it is because the Federal Macron Government had decreed that the retirement age be pushed later by another 2 years from the current 62 to the new 64.

If they are to move forward and push this decree into law, this means that the lower house of Parliament will not get to vote on this decree. It is not even a referendum, which surely affects all French people.

The truth of the matter is that as a foreigner, when I first went to Paris in 1987 I was blown away by its splendour, monuments, and charm. In 1993 on our honeymoon, it was quite the romantic destination. In 2008 I was taken aback by the amount of foreign migrants who had descended to the city and made the city feel less safe and more gritty. In 2016, we stayed in the most posh arrondissement, 1, near the Lourve and I was shocked to see that there was a big rise in the level of homelessness, drug addicts and petty thievery. There were gypsies preying on every street corner and also in the famed Metro.

In short, the city was going downhill for the last 30 odd years. 

In the Metro, one could certainly feel the pulse of the city. In 2016, we took the Airport Express from Charles de Gaulle airport to Gard de Nord and I was shocked that there was no proper connectivity between the airport platform and the train platforms apart from a couple of very old looking lifts. The airport 'express' was a rickety old piece of work. 

I realised that the city had lost a lot of its charm, its joie de vrie and although it appeared multicultural in many places. there was definately a degradation of unity of the people. The sense of anger brought about by the socialist Government who are taking steps now to prevent a further catastrophe in years to come - is palpable.  

This recent spate of riots is but another reaffirmation that the Western democracies no longer hold sway to the impression of the 'good life'. 

Freedom yes they do have perhaps more so than in (for example) Singapore. Then again, how much repression of the citizens do you find or know that has occurred to ANY Singaporeans ?   We can speak, write and critique everything political and there are town hall meetings to air our grieviences (MPs meet the people sessions). 

The difference ? Things do get looked into and action gets taken. 

Tough laws do exist in Singapore, but 99.999% of people don't mess around with illegal drugs. So that is not an issue with almost all Singaporeans.  

Singapore's standard of living, personal safety, access to proper water, sanitation and sewage removal  are truly world class when compared to the likes of Paris, Madrid, London or MIlan. 

    

Did Mum come back to me in a dream or did my ROM suddenly reactivate ?

 

June 1964 

On 2nd  April morning I woke up and realised that I had a dream about my mother Anna. She and I were in some kind of room and she was wearing the brightest multicoloured blouse and with red pants and she was talking to me as a matter of course.

I awoke and told this to wife and wondered whether this was a reactivation of my old memories (ROM) which is stored somewhere in the recesses of my brain or something spiritual ?

It just so happened that on 1st April, I had been sorting out many old photographs of my family (parents, myself and me) and this could possibly have triggered some awakening of my memories.

4 Distinct Types of Intelligence

One of the Intelligences not Listed in my post below, the Physio Kinetic ability or PKQ.

How does one measure creativity in Art or Self Expression ?

After numerous years of research and analysis, Psychologists have asserted that there are 4 types of Intelligence. Frankly I think there are 7 but as I read from this post in Quora, these 4 seem to be quite encompassing of almost 80% of any general population. Only 1 of the 4 such Intelligences is sufficiently measured nowadays with IQ Tests which involve mainly Left Brain thinking :

a) Memory

b) Logic

c) Mental Cognizance and Organization

d) Math

1. Intelligence Quotient  (IQ)

Schools and the school systems worldwide  generally follow a syllabus which tests children's ability to count, apply logic, memorise terminoloy and spew reams of information during term tests and exams - those who do well in the scholar exams are deemed as HIgh IQ. Lets call this person Z 

There are also numerous tests to determine whether Z is of High IQ and whether Z can function well in STEM jobs (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and IT). However,having a HIgh IQ does not deem that the person can achieve success and be well accepted into society.   

In short, Z, having a HIgh IQ without any of the other IQs actually can be a handicap. 

IQ is 90% genetically endowed and 10% learned.

2. Emotional Quotient (EQ)

There are no known tests to gauge how much empathy a person has lets call him M, or how M can relate to another person, who is at a higher or lower level than M. The greater the ability of M to use numerous 'techniques' naturally endowed or learned to 'get what he / she' wants determines if M indeed has a High EQ. 

How once can relate and use one's natural wit, charms, charisma and gravitas are all measures of one's EQ.

 EQ is also 80% genetically endowed and 20% learned.

3. Social Quotient (SQ) 

The ability of a person lets call him Y to build relationships which are co-operative or symbiotic in nature would be what I would call someone who is of High SQ. My late Mother and Father had both High EQ and SQ. My late Mum in particular was of average IQ, but had very high SQ, EQ.  She endeared herself to all of the 4 bosses she worked for, something which in this day and age of job and character matching would seem next to impossible.

SQ is 50% genetically endowed and 50% learned. 

4. Adversity Quotient (AQ) 

The late Sim Wong Hoo was the first person I recall who pointed out this category of intelligence. A Crisis Manager. Someone who shines during a crisis or even during the worst times of a war. George Soros elicited that his father was just a humble carftsmen but when the Second World War came, he organised his family and galvanised many to eke out a living during the worst of times.

Having a calm head and able to think clearly during the crisis.

Indeed having an AQ is very very important. 

AQ is 80% genetically endowed and 20% learned. 

For every one of us ?  What do you think you have ?  

Once you know what kind of Intelligence you have ; maximise it to uplift yourself and those around you.

Carpe Diem 

Finally a 5 K Run at Dalvey Estate Road

I had been out of sorts recently. The fact of the matter was that I had an LCL (Lateral Crucia 

Ligament) injury caused by overuse in the past years which had sidelined me to walking, cycling and even contemplating swimming just to get my endorphin 'fix'. I managed to persist the recovery by resting, going for Tui Na (Chinese massage with acupuncture) Sessions and taking a regimen of pills.

To date, for my joints (which so far, I have,thankfully no arthritis nor degeneration) I am taking daily these supplements from LAC and a Chinese supplier called Dandelion 

a) 4 tablets (LAC) formerly known as GNC ; the name : Joint Protect Xtra

1500 mg Glucosamine, 

1200 mg Chondriotin Sulfate

 900 mg Methylsulfunylmethane (MSM)

 5 mg Hyaluronic Acid 

 91 mg Sodium 

b) 3 Tablets Collagen (Dandelion)

800 mg Collagen 

Wonder of wonders, I managed to run 5 K today (Good Friday) at Dalvey Estate Park area off Evans Road. While I was not pushing for any good time. I am just a 'happy camper' that I can still run a decent distance of 5 K at the young old age of 60.  

A Top Quality Japanese Meal at an Affordable Price (2 of 2)

After a Satisfying Meal ; Smiles all Around 

This is the second of 2 Posts on the Omakase meal from Kamoshita. An Izakaya restaurant in Neil Road near Tamjung Pagar Station. 

Top Quality Sashimi 

The sashimi cuts were absolutely divine. There was the salmon belly on the right and the swordfish on the left. The fish practically melted in my mouth and the wasabi was top quality. Nose effusingly good.

3 Kinds of Japanese Cheese 

The 3 Cheeses were also memorable. 

We had 

a) cheddar cheese inside the radish exterior

b) Crab infused cheese on craker

c) Wasabi flavored cheese

Cold Udon Noodles for Soba 

The cold Udon was also top quality. The noodles were springy and had the Al Dente bite which is my wife's favorite. 

Fried Blue Eyed Croaker 

The Chef's special was the deep fried Blue Eyed Croaker. Crispy on the outside, moist and succulent on the inside. 

Desert was a scoop of Yuzu ice cream  to end off a truly memorable dinner. 

Total cost for 3 adults with aperitif ?   S$ 307  (US$ 227 / EU 210 / JPY 30,800).  

 

A Top Quality Japanese Meal at an Affordable Price (1 of 2)

                    Izakaya Signage from Neil Road ; it is along the row of shophouses just 

                        fronting  Neil Road. Behind the shophouses leads to Duxton Hill 

Yesterday, we had a memorable meal. The place ? Kamoshita Izakaya. Located at 5 Neil Road (SGP 088806) , it has basic furnishings, 6 tables of 4 and a bar counter which seats 8 to 10 persons maximum. Access to this Izkaya or inn is rather easy, and if you drive, you can either park at the nearby Duxton URA open air car parks or at the Maxwell building at Maxwell Road which is diagonally across Neil Road. 

The Izakaya is located along Neil Road in a shophouse, and the feel is rather simple. There are no big signs advertising the location, hence I believe the crowd have been regularly coming through word of mouth. There is a fine selection of Japanese Sake and Soju, testament to the 2 big chiller fridges next to the Oden and chefs preparation tables.  

View from Bar Counter 

                                                             

Top Quality Sake from Okinawa 

My wife selected 3 Omakase (As you Like it, or Chef's Specials to serve whatever is in season) of $80 each. We each had to order an Aperitif to start, so I had the Prosecco, Noel had an orange juice and she had the cold Sake. Prices from the Aperitif range from $9 to $19 and all Omakase diners must order a drink, alcoholic or non cocktail. 

    

                                                The Omakase (2 Prices, one $60 and one $80)

The starter consisted of some vegetable and smallish dofu (see below).The appetisers were fantastic, really great tasting. From left, HIjiki, a brown sea vegetable and looks a little bit like bamboo but tastes like some fish. There were super sweet cherry tomatoes, as well as some HIjiki salad (with edamame beans) which tasted awesome.

Appetiser - HIjiki Cherry Tomato and Hijiki Salad. 

Bagna Cauda

The Bagna Cauda is a fancy name for salad. All the ingredients, I am guessing are from Japan. The corn on the cob was the best we have tasted in a long while, what with the frangrance from the corn still lingering on the cob after we had eaten all the little corn bits off the cob. The carrots, broccoli,celery and trunip all tasted super fresh and the miso paste on the wooden spoon was a great condiment to add flavour.  

Wagyu Beef with Uni (Sea Urchin) 

The Piece de Resistance was the Wagyu (2 slices of top quality Kobe Beef) and Uni. The beef literally melts in your mouth as does the Uni which tasted like a savoury cream from the sea.  

My son wasnt impressed with the Beef nor Uni as there was no 'bite' or 'al dente' to the Beef.

I guess different people have different expectations from their Beef !!! 

The Oden was excellent, and we had the fishcakes (2), some daikon (white radish) and another long fishcake which looked like some root. The yellow mustard condiment was nose blowing to say the least !

Signature Dish of an Izakaya (Below) - the Oden consisting of Daikon (radish), Fishcake ( 2 white pieces and another fishcake). 

                  Really Tasty Oden - much like out local Yong Tau Fu or Dofu Soup 

                            Fishcake, Radish Egg  and Onions Common Staples