Latest book on LKY's Insights of China, US and World

             February 2013 will be the release of this latest book by Singapore's worldwide respected visionary statesman, Mr. Lee Kwan Yew. Turning 89 this year, he has always been a brilliant analyst of world events and never minces his words in other words, 'telling it like it is' on topics ranging from social engineering, baby boomer trends, modern day democracy versus socialism and most importantly, a seer into the Chinese Government's positions. As prime minister of Singapore from 1967 till 1989 (32 years), his achievements in developing Singapore to a world class metropolis are second to none. 

        Some of his taglines are quite like soundbites, I quote this interview he gave Time magazine a few weeks ago. Quite brilliant.

       On dictators : " In a dictatorship, you chop heads, not count them"

    

Unbelievable ! Only in Singapore ; Condo Units selling like Cinema Tickets !

The Marina, one of a number of property developments in Sentosa

       I'm sure everyone of you has visited the cinemas recently. If you book by Internet, all you need is a valid credit card, choose your seat(s) and in 10 minutes, you are booked to watch the Zero Dark Thirty at the nearest or most convenient theatre near your home or office.

       For those of us, who wish to try our luck the old way, by going to the cinema and buying them from the counter, well you first scan the bank of LED screens situated outside the Golden Village ,Shaw, Eng Wah movie theatre. You will see the movies flashed up there, the time and also, if the tickets are finishing quickly, you would see the words "selling fast".

No problem, the ticket is what, $10 to $12. If you miss it, you can always catch another movie around the same time or wait and have dinner and catch the next available movie.

     Now, I ventured to this website by a prestigious developer, who is selling a number of "exclusive" condos by the waterside of Sentosa. What do I see there ?   'SELLING FAST'.

he Marina Collection - Unit Sizes & Pricing

Type	Size	Estimated Pricing	Units
3 Bedrooms	1,873 / 2,099 sqft	Upon Request	42 Units
4 Bedrooms	2,185 / 2,347 / 2,390 / 2,519 / 2,766 sqft	Upon Request	39 Units
4 Bedrooms + Studio	2,788 / 3,272 sqft	Upon Request	12 Units
Penthouse 4 Bedrooms	3,369 sqft	Upon Request	14 Units
Penthouse 5 Bedrooms	3,757 / 3,907 sqft	Upon Request	13 Units
Penthouse 6 Bedrooms	4,693 sqft	Upon Request	4 Units

    Wait a minute, these are selling at $5 to $8 miillion a Condo Unit ! SELLING FAST ???   

  

    My US and European friends,acquaintences and colleagues who read this will be astounded at the vibrancy and fluidity at which property is selling in Singapore. Is the developer engaging in Cinema Sales ? Do people have so much cash to spend over in Singapore ?

    Can you believe it ??   

Yu Sheng ; Toss for Luck

One of the traditions peculiar to the Singapore and Malaysian Chinese during Chinese New Year is the eating of the popular 'Yu Sheng' or fish pieces. Normally the fish is Salmon sashimi, or Ikan Parang (a tropical fish), and one can add sliced abalone which is mixed with many types of vegetables such as carrots, white radish, red yam, green yam,pomelo,cucumbers pomelo,groundnuts, pok chu crackers and with the added condiments such as Chinese 5 spice powder, ground cinnamon, plum sauce, extra virgin olive oil and ground white pepper.   

    'Yu Sheng' Picture courtesy of NoobCook.com

Normally eaten on the 7th day of the Lunar New Year, many eating establishments such as top restaurants, seafood joints and 'zhi char' coffeeshops now offer this dish for the 'entire month'  and even 1 week before the the actual Chinese New Year ! The fun for this dish is that the Yu Sheng dish is tossed for luck, and everyone shouts 'Lo Hei' (Prosperity) and 'Huat Ah'  (More Power to you !).

Yu Sheng 

with either Raw Salmon or Boiled Abalone

This year my family had the Yu Sheng on the eve of Chinese New Year. So while tossing, it is encouraged to toss the ingredients higher as it symbolizes 'bu bu gao shen' or translated 'with each step ever higher'. Every member of the family, friends and colleagues are encouraged to participate for our common good fortune and prosperity. So the typical phrases which we wish are ' Nian nian you yu'  (Each year will have wealth), Xue Yue Jing Bu (Improvement on one's studies, if one is a student), 'Wan Shi Ru Yi' (Business will be good) and 'Shen Ti Jian Kang' (Good Health).  

Cinnamon and Black Pepper for Taste 

This dish is only found in the Singapore and Malaysian Chinese Restaurants. So it is really a local creation. For my readers from the Western countries, do get to try some 'Prosperity Dish' every Chinese New Year. But only in Singapore and Malaysia and only for 1 month during the Lunar New Year Period. 


'Huat Arh !! ' 

The First Time

Happy Chinese New Year of the Snake !! 2013

Singapore in 2030

     There are a number of pictures circulating the internet right now, all of which are lampooning the Government's projection of the 2030 population 17 years from now which projects that Sinhapore needs 6.5 to 6.9 million people of which the great additions will be from the foreigner and permanent residents (PR). This is because the projections of 1 elderly person will be supported by only 3.5 younger working persons is much lower than in previous decades.

     The fears of the common citizen are plentiful, overcrowded buses and MRT trains now, jostling for food court tables, cars and goods vehicles aplenty, accidents due to people rushing from point A to point B, see my post below, the prospect of citizens competing for jobs with the added new faces, and the ever upward spiral of costs of goods, cars, and HDB flats make an already stressed population of 5. 3 million sceptical of another up to 1.3 million more. Will we be packed like sardines and moved around from place to place, while the areas for quality living get more and more expensive ? 

      Businesses, small and large will worry about the current control of foreign workers permits jumping threefold in the last few years, costs of COEs for Open category vehicles around the $100,000 mark, the highest ever, and ever squeezing down of profits from the tender projects.

      I worry that this time, the push ahead will be too much for the ordinary citizen to cope pscholgically and will impact their quality of life. Lets look for other solutions from Scandinavian countries and the other countries with aging populations and see what policies have they got to tackle this inevitable issue going forward.    

    

Laurentia Tan for Sportsperson of Year 2012 !

Laurentia has made many Singaporeans proud of her dedication and tenacity

          Tonight, 2 momentous events will take place.One is for sporting excellence for the last year, the Sportsperson of the Year 2012 will be decided. The other is the Punggol East by-election.

           First the Punggol East by-election, will the groundswell of support for the strongest Opposition party,Workers' Party translate into winning votes or will the ruling People's Action Party still hold dominant ? Personally I like both candidates, as they have a very willing heart to serve, Dr. Koh or Lee Li Lian are both worthy candidates to be MP. Its up to the voters to decide. 

        For the Sportsperson of the year, I am rooting for the equestrian rider, Ms. Laurentia Tan. Born with cerebral palsy and deaf, she communicates by sign language and words she learnt through early childhood special teachers.Since she was 3 years old when the family moved to UK based on her father's work posting, she has managed to develop into a fine athlete and a world class equestian rider. 

        Laurentia has a degree in Hospitality Management from Oxford Brookes University and has also swum for Singapore at the national level at other Para meets. She is living proof that anyone with the will and vision can and will achieve the highest aspirations in life. Coupled with the wonderful support she must have had from her family to meet both her financial and training needs, which would run into the millions, she has overcome tremendous obstacles to be where she is today.

       For someone who has overcome her congenital difficulties and become a national athlete is already very impressive, for her to win multiple Para Olympic medals (silver and bronze) is really outstanding. She and her family must have made tremendous sacrifices as well as gathered around her, a multitude of opportunities and financial and moral support for her talent to flourish.She has lived in England for close to 20 years, and has made many Singaporeans, including this blogger, proud to be a citizen of this Little Red Dot. (Cue from the World Map, Singapore is so small, it only shows up as a little red dot).

       I am doubtful that in Singapore such an educational,physical and supportive, ecosystem could have made her what she is today. There is still alot of ground to cover for us to really 'level up' all sections of our society.

      For the other Sportsmen and women, well, they have had tremendous assistance from the various Sports Association (NSA) as well as funding, structured training and financial support, so I think, in essence, the comparison is not a fair one. Laurentia did the impossible all on her own, in a counrty far away from all our NSAs, so her achievement of 1 silver, 1 bronze in London's ParaOlympics 2012, and 1 bronze in 2008 is really incredible.

      Laurentia is my choice for the Sportsperson of the Year 2012.