Why are there apparent double standards ?

I read with some dismay as to the recent 2 incidents which occurred recently. One was the incident where 6 schoolgirls from an Australian international school were given a warning for shoplifting. The second was an incident whereby a passenger was abusive and hit the Singapore airlines steward. He was left off and returned home.

We have been known to be strict on misbehavior be it from painting graffitti, to shoplifting to simple acts of violence. If there is a relaxing of punishments for offences, then let it be applied evenly throughout all aspects of our civil society. 

I wonder why the authorities have decided not to implicate the 6 schoolgirls and rather, let them go back to their home country. The same could be said of the passenger who abused and hit the SQ steward.Is there a hidden hand here ? 

This harks back to the Michael Fay incident in the 90s when the Government of the day decided to lessen the caning sentence of the boy and his accomplice, when previously it was strictly enforced.

It appear that there seems to be a double standard, one for locals and one for foreign people. Or am I reading too much into these 2 unrelated incidents ?

The law and the dispensation of it should be applied equally. If there is a light touch, then it should be applied throughout all aspects of society and not just microscopically.

I am disappointed. 

     

My best ever marathon time ; in 2007

This is the picture of my 'salad days' oh when I could easily run 10 K to 14 K most days of the week. 

Asian teams are already world class. Japan and S Korea ; take a bow.

Good Bye Christie McVie - singer songwriter for Fleetwood Mac.

One of the bands during my formative years (there were many, such as the Rolling Stones, Genesis and Bee Gees just to name 3) is Fleetwood Mac. Formed by Mick Fleetwood (drummer), Lindsay Buckingham (lead guitar and lead singer ), Christie McVie (singer and songwriter) and Stevie Nicks (bum shaker and not much else) they played hit after hit of pop rock in the late 70s till the early 80s.

Don't Stop was co- writtten by Christie McVie  and I read with sadness that she passed on yesterday 30th Nov 2022 aged 79. RIP Christie. You will be missed from afar but your music and youtr lyrics stays on forever. 

Many of the singers of my formative years have burned brightly and gone to the great stage in the sky, so I respectfully put up this awesome piece done in 1997 Burbank Studios in California together with the University of Southern California marching band.

For the younger readers, you missed a tremendous era when music was untainted by the Woke, cancel and LGBTQ culture. 

It was a purer, perhaps more immature time for all of us. 

 

Savour Victories Large and Small ; Find Joy in doing the small things well

 

Today I will list out some of the things I think I have overlooked and I need to savor and enjoy more. In addition, I need to be thankful for the many blessings bestowed upon me these 60 years running / walking / swimming / flying up this path.

1. Savour the completion of a very difficult or diabolical Sudoku (strange for many but for those who 'play' it makes so much sense.  As my brain gets old, the numerical, spatial, logic, memory, deduction or left side of the brain will lose its capability. So I am cognizant of this fact and must savor each and every challenge to it every single day. If I fall down hard, I must resolve to pick up the pieces and take on new challenges each and every single day.

I did a very difficult Sudoku this morning from the Sunday Times. 

Next up : Chess and Intermediate French. 

Timeline : 1 Year. 

2. I did 2 hard hours of cycling in the hot sun at East Coast Park yesterday. I pledge to do 5 times minimum per week of hard exercise, while my ACL recovers, at least to be able to run 10K one day without stopping.

I am glad, that for my age, I still have balance, stamina and speed

3. I am happy that every Sunday I am able to mentally calculate the sum total of the fruits bought from the Tiong Bahru market, as well as mentally tote up the bill for the dry groceries from Cold Storage supermarket at Cluny Court close up to the nearest 3 dollars. Its not perfect but I have trained my mind to memorise these numerical arithmetic calculations instead of ever relying on the calculator or handphone.

Things to improve upon :

a) Get back to running - albeit more slow, but increase the mileage 

b) Focus and concentrate on people's conversations and keep to the train of the discussion and not go off tangent. Stay on Point, rather than jump here and there like a frenzied chicken.

c) Be humble and do not self inflate my status, position and / or abilities.

d) Take criticisms from loved ones, relatives and genuine friends and understand why they said them, reflect and decide whether they indeed do have merit or not.  

e) Help the genuinely afflicted but do not fall into their state of mind. In short, stay connected by all means dive in BUT do not get myself enmeshed into their unique problems.  

f) My social connections are at their pinnacle. Now I need to improve on the "Pay It Forward" connections such as School, JC, Club and / or Charity.

g) Finally, ACCEPT that my body and mind will gradually decline. So I pledge to eat more healthily, drink in moderation, and accept that I am not as young as my mind thinks it is (forever 36 haha ).  

This is my Birthday Musings - from an Young Old Man  

I scribe ; this is one of the things which define me.

Lovely Lunch Hosted by Gurdeep at SSC Jade Phoenix Chinese Restaurant

From Left : Gurdeep Singh, Faisal Alsagoff, Yong Wee Loon, Alan Symons,Tom Gan

Tomorrow I will officially join the Senior Citizen's Club. Although I am not looking forward  to watching and experiencing my body wither first hand, I believe, I can mitigate and lessen the deterioration of my body and mind by doing the following :

a) Have a regular exercise regimen of at least 5 days a week of either brisk walking, cycling, karate and some running. I have been rather tardy of late, and I want to remind myself never to let slip the aerobic exercise till the forseeable future.

b) Playing lots of mental games, such as Sudoku, Chess, mental mathematics and daily arithmetic (such as calculating the costs of purchases from the petrol station, foodstalls and the 7 -11.

c) Having as wide a circle of family and friends whom I can interact with 

d) Doing meaningful activities such as volunteerism, leadership in clubs and even mentorship to undergraduates.

e) Reading, writing, playing music as well as learning new languages while travelling.

Writing is one such passion which has withstood the test of time. Testament to this, is the fact that this blog has been around for 14 years plus and with views of coming to 150,000 it is still going strong. I am amazed people care to read what I have to put up in cyberspace, as I hardly am the greatest observer of geopolitics, sports. I only manage a small business and try to make as many trips overseas for business and leisure, to widen my perspective of the world. 

On that note, I am truly thankful to my maker for me making this far. 

While I am actively running my business, I am planning to slowly extricate myself from the day to day activities and move into business development, most probably in a foreign country as this will be the new 'target' for my SME in the next year or two.

I am very blessed and grateful I still have the good health, the mental faculties, the family and friend support and the financial knowhow to continue what I am doing - at least for the forseeable future.  I have to thank my wonderful and supportive wife who has been my greatest critic and bellweather for many things on a day to day basis.  

So,moving into the 60s is not such a scary proposition after all.

   

Get Yourself Covered by Critical Illness Insurance Now (50 y.o. and above)

 This is a community message to all the readers of this blog. I have 3 messages which may save your life, your quality of life and even the prolong the length of your life.

1. Get a colonscopy done if you are above the age of 50. 

In Singapore, the No. 1 cancer for men is colon cancer. The No. 2 cancer is Prostate. Colon cancer can and does occur in people (in particular) and people above 50 are more susceptible to it. A lot of men do not eat enough fibre, do not drink enough, and when they do, it is probably sugared drinks like the sodas, alcohol, wine or spirits.

The cancer cells normally take years to grow, and they most often appear as polyps which are harmless. These polyps if they are not removed can turn cancerous. Hence it is imperative to get a scope once every 5 years upon turning 50 and follow the routine from then on.

If the polyp (or 2 or more) is discovered, it is unlikely to be cancerous if detected early (like mine was). However, in my case, I need to go for a check before the end of 2025 - as mandated by the good surgeon. The technology nowadays is so advanced, than upon detection, the polyp can be removed either through burning (cauterise) or cutting (snare) using a small flexible device attached together with the scope but the risk can then be reduced to almost zero. 

Hence a good regimen of early detection can and does prolong my quality of life and possibly prolong my life.

2. Get covered by a Good Critical Illness insurance (if you already haven't done so) Now 

I was prescient to sign up over the years to Aviva Care, now called My SingLife by Aviva in 2006. The plan 1 (which includes Private Hospitals) covers all procedures as charged, but there is a minimum co-payment of 10% of the total bill. This is so essential for our later years, as one thing or another will crop up once we turn about 50, 55 or older. You are advised to check online on the types of critical illness coverage and choose one which suits your needs and budget.

Hence, as seen by the bills above, my total bill for the hospital procedure for colonscope and endoscope, plus medicine, plus surgeon fees was S$ 6,324.96. After deduction from the Insurance, and from my medisave, my out of pocket fess was  $534.14

I am grateful I have dutifully accumulated monies in my Medisave, as they will come in so handy as I age.   

Do choose an insurance package which covers your hospital stay too, as the prices of hospital charges are rising every few years. And you don't want to spend all your hard earned retirement money on excessive bills - that would sour your mood in your golden years. 

  

3. Take Up a Critical Illness (Term Insurance) Payout if you can afford it  

 I am considering taking up an Critical Illness Payout Insurance soon, as this will payout a lump sum upon detection of any of the  35 critical illnesses (most cancers,brain diseases) up to the age of (say) 70.

This is like betting that you are likely to get something critical during the early part of your golden years. But there is 0 cash value and you take back nothing upon reaching 70 years of age.

If you are diagnosed with something critical, the payouts are huge (S$200,000) with up to 5 payouts for similar (after 2 years) and other (after 1 year) illnesses up to a cap of $1,000,000. This is very useful because you will find the money handy and you need to wind up or retire from working full time.

Think about it.