Fair Result Arsenal 1 Wolves 1 ; Grab the Game by the Scruff of the Neck

I did not watch this match as it was on a Sunday early morning and I had to rise early for work. The result is Nuno's dedication to perfection for every single match and yesterday's one was a classic example of how to shake off the self confidence blues and push and scrap through to the best of one's ability.

This Wolves team has the potential to be in the top 6 ; they have the skills, the defensive qualities and now with Ivan Cavaleiro in form, the attack bite. 

I was disappointed when they lost at home to Watford, they payed pathetically, and were unlucky with Tottenham.

Going forward lets face again the League with renewed optimism that this team are indeed a class apart from the the chasing pack with aspirations to win the League one day soon. 

Cool Song Nickelback - Rockstar

Meeting with friends we left some 40 plus years ago in school.

This post is a no brainer. However, as I am slightly sleep deprived, from a night out with my Primary and Secondary schoolmates, I feel that writing this post is the best that I can do given the limited cognitive and reasoning abilities I have this morning. Meaning, I had too much to drink the night before. 

Last night, I met up with about 30 of my ex-school mates. We are all 55 or 56. The one common interest we all have is wanting to reach out, and connect, to try to relive and laugh about the best times of our lives, oh some 40 odd years ago.

That is the primary motivation which got me going to this gathering. Not about who earned or lost lots of money. Who drives the biggest, car, or has a wonderful house or has the most beautiful wife and family. Nothing of these came up during our small group chats. 

We all were back to 15 or 16 years of age. That playful boy is now a successul architect. The most rebellious guy is now a pastor. The boys hauled up for doing the most naughty things is now a successful businessman.

Me the plump and  geeky guy is now still a geeky guy but way slimmer without his Nana Mouskouri black spectacles.

The trivia and memories we bring up are priceless. Long may we have them and our friends.

Life is Precious because it is transient and fleeting

      
                                 Duomo Saint Marco 5 Dec 2017  (1 year 5 days ago to this day!) 



The transient nature of life, as we know it, is that time, the 4th dimension passes by. We have no way of encapsulating time, like we encapsulate the other 3 dimensions, in form and function like, say a car, or a painting or even doodles on paper. 

We can create form an function, like an art work, a sculpture, or a painting, a picture and that should stand the test of some time. Perhaps Michelangelo, whose fantastic sculpture of David (as in the chap who defeated Goliath) has withstood 5 centuries. 

Time on the other hand, cannot be stopped, or encapsulated as we know it. It moves. Along with it, all of humankind and animals and flora and fauna are caught in this dimension. Hence, when we are in this world, we tend to zone out the dimenion of time and hence, just coast along unthinkingly that this dimension is fast running away.

At Rue Cler in Paris Dec 2016 

Life is precious, and every second, every minute is a second or a minute gone. So use the time we have wisely. You never know when that time runs out. Well to a certain extent, we do know what the life expectancy of a man or a woman,dog, cat. How many of us actually hit that mark is more likely only 50%.

Just some useless musings on this Saturday morning 10th November 2018. 

Da Vinci's Last Supper at Duomo Santa Maria in Milan taken Dec 2nd 2017

Hey Jude, a valiant attempt at a classic song - 2011

Driving from Nice to Monaco - Video shot in 2016

Are we facing tough times ? Yes.

                                       Alley in Chinatown, Ang Ah Tee

For all intents and purposes, Singapore looks and feels like it is 1st World. Shiny new buildings, superb airport, infrastructure, gleaming new cars, multi-cultural and a food paradise. We only have 2 seasons, hot and warm and wet (year end). 

However, the fact of the matter is, it is tougher and tougher times for many of us here, as we who are born as Singaporeans will tell you. Every few years when the elections rounds the corner, we take stock and query. Is life better now than it was 5 years ago ?

I know many people who criticise the Government in private conversations, from the highest salaried ministers in the world, to the ever rising costs of living, from the difficulty of getting our sons and daughters into University places locally against the rising tide of foreign students. From the loss of manufacturing jobs to much cheaper sources now in China and Africa to mid life balancing of having enough savings, being retired or losing one's job in the late 40s to the '50s. I have personally never seen so many balding and greying citizens working as cleaners, security guards, Uber drivers or airport screening and baggage handlers. It is not a pretty sight when our elderly have to do backbreaking work, if it is by choice, well so be it, if not, it is a tragic result of poor life choices made by the individual and his or her lot is seldom supported with handouts, due to an entrenched system based on  self sufficiency. 

The bottom line is this, if we vote for you, then we hope you will take care of our interests and livelihood during good times and bad times.That is a fair social contract isn't it ? 

The issues come fast and furious. Not least will be the health issues which will inevitably come and whether the Government has got us covered when we face these tremendous costs of aging and aging well. Yes, we have Medisave, Medishield and Medishield Plus for seniors but the element of co-payment is now a must, meaning, if you get a debilitating disease, you still need to cough up 10% of the total cost of medical treatment and hospitalization. 

To be honest, I have seen first hand the medical support infrastructure in Singapore, it is good, but the number of doctors to patients in Government clinics is very high, and the wait times runs into the numerous hours or even one full day. That is well and good if you are retired and am not working, but those having full time jobs have to set aside those days mainly to wait for appointments to see a Government specialist. 

The cost structure for the Government hospitals is also very affordable, my mother in law only paid a few dollars each visit for surgery, medication and outpatient treatment for her cataracts as well as other conditions. The main bulk is subsidised by the Government. I am grateful and appreciative of this understated fact.  

We have a decent government, but an exceptional one ? I am doubtful. Men and women of character, yes they are. However, do they really really sweat and toil for the people or at the end of the day, its really pays good money and its all about Key Performance Indices (KPIs) ??

                                           Singapore River, Lim Cheng Hoe


I believe we should have more checks and balances, frankly. Too much from 1 side will only lead to group think and views from the approved feedback groups. Leading from the bully pulpit is not the way to go. Altough there are many dictatorships in the region and further afield who have far far worse human rights records than ours - so in a nutshell, we are still a pretty well managed socio-democracy with most strata groups taken care by social services.Out MPs are there to attend to most citizen's issues.

The only debatable issue is dissent and negative views are always frowned upon even though it is written or spoken with the country's citizens first and foremost in the person's mind and heart.  

It might be messy, and the worst is when you have rampant bipartisanship from what is seen in the US ; the polarisation of the country and the taking down of many institutions which were once held in high regard is truly something many Americans must be appalled and shocked to see how low they have sunk in terms of human to human interaction.

I for one cherish our multiracialism and the fact that many day to day issues between neighbours have been painstakingly negotiated and discussed to find a common resolution.
That remarkable cohesiveness amonsgt the races has been the ruling party's greatest success over these last 50 plus years. 

Lets strive to move forward and have a collective and fair system for Singaporeans first. For too long, we have looked enviously at those who come in and leapfrog and find the good life here before us. That should never be the case. 

Picking up the fishes, Artist : Tay Kok Wee