How Happy are Singaporeans ? 2019 Reprint (from my answer in Quora first appeared in 2017)

                                                            Venice, Italy Dec 2017

I can only speak for myself. As a Singaporean, I have had the good fortune and opportunity to travel to numerous countries and experience many different cultures.As a result, several things have become clear to me. 

The pursuit of happiness should not be a goal. Why ? Happiness is a transient state of mind and people with adaptive mindsets (adaptable in thought) and good attitudes to performing work tend to be satisfied with life. However, work should not be the be all and end of of one's life, in my humble opinion.

Hence having a Raison Detre or Purpose in Life where work can be a significant part of it should then be the goal. Many artists, sculptors, poets, actors and performers come to mind.Their body of work is their main reason they are living for. The same goes for the businessperson, the professionals such as lawyers, doctors, dentists, engineers, architects and even software programmers. 

We should never shirk from physically hard or brain challenging work - our body and mind ultimately adapts and gets conditioned and our performance gets better the more we keep on doing it. Like crossword puzzles, sudoku, body conditioning and learning new languages for examples.

In fact, the avoidance of a miserable life is a much better Goal or Purpose. Therefore, taking into account the affordable and good quality housing provided by our Government's HDB which provides for a sizeable,easy to access flat, with 99 years lease and up to 90% financing, Singaporeans should be satisfied.

With regard to access to inexpensive food, again Singapore offers numerous food choices in our many food courts, coffeshops, restaurants and malls. Getting by on USD 10 a day is attainable for any able bodied and healthy individual. The truth of the matter is that many basic entry level jobs start at USD 1500, so after deducting say USD 600 for rental (for those starting out), and USD 250 for transport, there should be easily USD 400 for meals and some left over.

To insist on an entitled life, that is a high paying job, with the perks and travel is to just to be solely looking at the result of a person's motivation, years of education and painstaking  life experiences (failures, bankruptcies, personal challenges and health issues)  and then say 

"Yeah I want that ! I am entitled to that ". 

will ultimately lead to frustration and unhappiness because of unrealistic comparisons. 

Many other countries nearby Singapore seemingly give the impression of a good and happy life but then again, many of these stated below do not provide for the immigrant or visitor :

a) personal safety and freedoms
b) clean air
c) clean water
d) traffic free roads
e) clean and green parks and road connectors (many)
f) affordable and high quality public housing (in relation to basic wage jobs)

I would respectfully say that to live a meaningful life would ultimately lead to a person's long term happiness. Developing meaningful relationships with family, friends, colleagues and doing good for the community are all key to one being happy with his life.

Singapore provides all of the above. We can avoid the miserable life. Its upside from then on. 

Carpe Diem 

Hammurabi and the Babylonian Empire BC 1792 - BC 1750

Concacaf Final 2019 Mexico Seals it with 1 - 0 over USA

The Concacaf or Gold Cup 2019 was held in Chicago this morning and I am most pleased to note that the Wolves player Raul Jiminez was given the Golden Boot for his 5 goals and 2 assists en route to his team becoming the Champions of 2019.

Congratulations Raul and Mexico !! 

My Weakness - Not Focussing Enough on Daily Issues

This comic by Tim Rickard crystallizes 90% of the problems are caused by poor focus. 

My one big weakness, apart from Dark Chocolate that is, is the fact that I tend to gloss over and not pay attention. My attention span is quite weak, and I tend to drift away if the conversation does not interest me or the topic is not in my area of expertise, like telecommunications or the latest current affair news in the region. 

I have decided to make it one of my resolutions to pay attention to the topics at hand and learn 5 things each day ; that way the brain gets its input and 'nutrition' to be stored for future use (I hope). 

Meanwhile, enjoy the comic strip, I do not own the rights to this, and it is a one -off ! 

Memorable Quote from Hammurabi

The Babylonian King Hammurabi is credited with this quote : "I know that superiors, commoners and slaves are not inherently different kinds of people. Be if we were to believe they are, it will enable us to create a stable and prosperous society."

Think about it for a while, this was the King who many millions of people, his subjects, historians and people who study history regard him as the King who created the system of Justice. His 282 Laws of Justice were the earliest recorded laws which gave people the sense of what was 'right', 'wrong', 'fair' and 'unfair'.

The Law which paraphrases the words : An Eye for an Eye.... is based on one of Hammurabi's 282 Laws.   

Shitoryu Free Sparring - an old video from the past

This video was taken sometime in 2011 with my friend and sparring mate, Looi Teck Kheong. The blocks and punches were held back and we were 'playing' for the cameras.

Not the best of sparring, as I am over the hill physically :)

Our Karate Club is now 21 years old but sadly, the attendance has dwindled to below 10, a sad reflection of the lack of interest in the martial arts and the rise of the more 'sexy' MMA and shorter impact aerobics which in my opinion lack culture and finesses. Rather they focus on the quickest and easiest way to condition the body.  

Hopefully I can post some more recent sparring videos in the near future. 

Raison Detre - Finding your Purpose

Yesterday I had a delightful evening discussing all manner of things with some good friends of mine from karate school, where I practice and sometimes teach.

The topic invariably moves after several rounds of beers and nice food in Chinatown to the meaning of life. We had Johnson explaining the Buddhist philosophies and Felipe on the Hindu teachings. I sat by silently, absorbing all that was going on with great interest. It dawned upon me that all religions have good values inherent in them. I  then recalled  the 5 tenets from this wonderful game changing book called Ikiigai by Ken Moji which in rough translation means the "reason for my existence" or Raison Detre  for the French speakers.  

Essentially Ken Moji's point is this : we are all searching for our Raison Detre, by learning and more importantly practicising these 5 values or Pathways, you will find your Ikiigai or Purpose in Life. Every person's Purpose will be different, and some may change during their life due to circumstances and unforseen events but such is the way life is :  

The 5 tenets I have learned and am trying to implement in my daily life are :

1. Start Small 
In any aspect or stage in your life. Take on bite sized challenges which you can do bit by bit by bit. As a personal anecdote, to date I have managed to run some full 10 marathons. When I decided to start, I could barely run 2.4 km (that was when I was 38 years old). So I gave myself a challenge and slowly I built up my stamina, from 2.4 to 3km, 4 km, 5 km and woke up early (5 am on most weekdays) and bit by bit, I improved my distance and stamina.

After 1 year of concentrated training, I could cover 21 km without much extra effort. (I was 39 years old then, still considered in my 'prime' of fitness. Then, I continued with the schedule as laid out by Runners World and ran 10km to 14 km every day for 5 days with 1 day rest. Saturdays were reserved for my long runs (16 to 20 kms), and I signed up for my first full marathon which was in Penang Malaysia 2003. 

So from the start when I gave up golf in 2000, till mid 2003, it was a full 2.5 years till I reached the fitness and confidence to run a full Marathon. I still have the certificate and medal as a  momento.  From then on I had the stamina base and body conditioning and was able to continue running a marathon each year till the year 2015 when I decided to take a break.

Start Small

2. Release Yourself 
Put your ego down in a box, do something which you enjoy, much as many people claim they enjoy work, the reality is that in the corporate world, the efforts are rewarded with money or salary and performance bonus and there are many boardroom and office politics. I interpret it as if you want to do something, make that something, is an activity which you personally love and can spend immeasurable time on it. I call it a body of work. Some example can be painting, writing (in my case), or even simple hobbies like gardening. 

Volunteering in social and religious organizations such as in  your church, temple or mosque is another excellent way of releasing yourself.

Release Yourself. 

3. Harmony and Sustainability  
Our mother Earth is hurting bad. Climate change caused by excessive greenhouse gases and the massive deforestation of the tropical rainforests in S.America, South East Asia is leading to a hotter and hotter Earth surface temperatures. We must find a way to create and embody harmony and sustainability for ourselves, such as our carbon footprint (I am guilty of that), recycling more (again I am guilty) and using less plastic (guilty as charged).

Every person must do his or her part to sustain our mother Earth. Achieving harnony is also another goal - with our family, relatives, friends neighbours and even strangers. 

The Japanese have mastered the art of graciousness in all situations. I think it is important to learn that trait.

  Go West - the Queen of Spain told Italian Christopher Columbus in late 15th century.

Harmony and Sustainability. 

4. Find Joy in doing small things. 
Another personal anecdote of mine. I sleep on a tatami bed. Its cooling and very functional, providing very good back support. Its high density foam is excellent for reinforcing the back. Every morning, I ensure I fold the duvet or bedspread well and place it folded in one corner. The tatami bed is nicely folded and pushed under the main bed. Neat.

I find joy in doing this simple act every day. It takes 5 to 10 minutes but I do enjoy making the bed !

Even when I am travelling, I actually tidy back the hotel bed, place the towels and litter in their proper places and containers. 

So, during the event of each and every day, any rotten or unfortunate, upsetting things will and often come my way, at the end of each day, no matter what had happened, I go home and see my made by myself tatami bed and duvet and I take comfort that at least 1 thing went right for me that day.  

Find Joy in Doing Small Things.

5, Be in the Here and Now.
This is Mindfulness 101. When we are eating, focus on the food, chewing, tasting, swallowing and digesting. Many people let their thoughts drift elsewhere most often looking at that handphone slash entertainment system. Many people become mindless zombies during their mealtimes, their commute to and from work or wherever they are going and at the end of the day, they just go home and crash out. One day slips to one week and the time just slips by. There will come a time when this feeling - ennui or a state of listlessness will set in, and then depression will follow.  

Mindfulness. Be Here and Now. Tomorrow Can Wait. Yesterday is Gone.

Have I found my Raison Detre ? Yes. Its personal and its a work in progress. Meanwhile I have found my little spot in the Universe and I am at peace.

Carpe Diem.