Kindly Yours

 The Mr Scrooge Predictions for the coming Antipodes summer 2022/2023.  1.   A new wave of Covid strains is likely to cause spike in infections across greater Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane soon. Case numbers will continue to be under reported, more people can experience long Covid and we are approaching the third annual anniversary of the arrival of the now increasingly unmentionable matter.  2.   Many eating places of varying set ups across Australia will be closed for a few weeks after Christmas. Shortage of vegetables and other fresh produce are likely to hit supermarkets and eating outlets across NSW and Victoria, as Christmas 2023 approaches, due to recent widespread flooding over many farms.  3.  The months long continuing dispute between Nsw State Government and train workers for Greater Sydney have risks of getting worse.  4.    Prices of daily consumption items will be going up further, like for petrol, groceries, human services, insurance premiums, utility usage and supply c

  Human pyschology in approaching purchases - a deal, a package, a commitment, an arrangement or a perceived need - can be fascinating, bewildering or just being held captive. Try assessing whether you would enter into the following product arrangement. 1.    You pay upfront in money for a promise of services that you may never use. 2.     The annual charges increase every financial or calender year - and you will definitely be charged more if you had breached some detailed promise on your part. 3.     You are asked to disclose personal details of yourself, your lifestyle and your movements before the product is sold to you. There is no guarantee your privacy is protected in practice in the data base of such providers. 4.    Legislation makes it compulsory for you, your entity or business to have  or require the product. 5.  The people, software robot or website interface you deal with, after buying the product, have a different personality or customer interactive approach after

  The longest reigning royalty. The shortest ruling Prime Minister in a nation's history. Both were not given their roles in democratic elections. One talks too much, the other was so consistently discerning, in reflection. Both are called Liz. One has enjoyed the glory of Empire. The other aspires for power, Sire. One has long overcome episodes of family rife and public dissent. The other cannot handle six weeks of political turmoil and resentment. One met the last Queen, the other shook the hands of an inexperienced wannabe. One is a familiar authority recognised through generations. The other now seems more like a figment of a horrible reality, not imagination. Empires come and go, what makes good leadership more treasured than gold? The Autumn of Britain, 2022. #yongkevthoughts

 The nostril arousing cooking aromas wafted through the house. It was a hands on encounter of delightfully trying to second guess the source of the ingredient utilised.  At times, it was irresistible to just go downstairs to see what Mummy was dishing up over the stove.  The equatorial afternoons can be oppressive outside. So on a public holiday or weekend, we would most likely be preserved behind closed doors with the air conditioning fully switched on. I would go through  a spectrum of reading material, which would reveal the wonder and complexity of the world outside.   Cocooned as I was, I could hear the cries of passing vendors, visitors to the house at the gate and at times, the rumblings of a budding thunderstorm.   Best of all was listening to the radio, with voice inflections, pronounciations and enchanting beats of music.  Friends from school would drop by on their bikes.  We would chat outdoors during the coolish evenings and rattle about several things, building up our indi

 

 Why is is that Yum Cha is never served like on a sushi train, with diners sitting around a carousel and picking up the moving  tapa sized plates? Why are not more different culinary dishes served in small snack sizes late at night to accompany laughter, the party mood and small shots of alcohol after midnight? Why are not more non Japanese restaurants using the useful Bento boxes to showcase samples of their food? Why are serves of food still sticking to rather large bowls or plates - and diners wanting small serves are not catered for? Why does the asking price for simple street food dramatically rise in price with the addition of a piece of seafood? Why do we appreciate knowing the source and origin of ingredients used in our restaurant serves? Do we welcome complimentary serves of appetisers like Korean Banchan - or hot piping soups and free fruit platters at the start and end of Cantonese banquets? Must hot curries be accompanied by cooling yoghurts or pickled vegetable slices? Mu

  What a contrast, or more of the same? Nation I left behind: Malaysia with a population of around 33 million, turns 65 on 31 August 2022, given independence by Britain that long ago. 1.  Political leadership encouraging looking inwards. 2.   Society becoming more divisive over plural and religious diversity. 3.    Getting less competitive than its neighbours. 4.     Falling ranking significantly in corruption management and occurence, according to Transparency International. 5.     Rewriting and recognising history according to the view of the powers that are. 6.     De-emphasising the language of her past colonisers. 7. A federation that is showing cracks on its structure, although still with strong central control based on a sort of Westminster system. 8.   Rampant misuse of public monies, third party commissions from projects and socio-political enrichment of a few kleptocratic individuals. 9.    Increased empowerment of royalty in the governance, economic and cultural l

  When I had an unexpected electrical supply cut: I did not have wifi to phone the related electricity wholesale supplier for help. It was single digit temperatures outside during a winter night, so I learnt to appreciate when I could easily keep warm inside by the flick of a switch. I could not boil kettle water to make a hot drink for comfort - nor cook on the stove top. I had to depend on battery powered devices to shine a light in the dark. I had to just read a good book beside a solar garden light, as my electronic interface devices had run out of power - and there was no electricity to recharge the power banks. I had to take a cold shower and could not do the laundry. I could not open automatically operated doors, windows or gates. What do they always say, "Never put all your eggs in one place". You can still rely on your separate and independent sources of power, away from the commercial grid, if you have them.  As the population grows, as supply chains get d

  Since Covid management began, with all its downstream implications for labour availability, logistics supply and customer service, everyone has come across disruptions in accessibility. The rise of contactless transactions has encouraged scenarios where and when we receive no or little explanations for problems and poor service - and the frequent feeling that we just have to take it on the chin. In Australia, the  occurence of confronting climate disasters has coincided with the downside of Covid management since 2020.  As a nation, we over depend on manufactured stuff mostly from overseas. Although we have sufficient food production security, the society has only a few weeks of fuel supplies.  Over reliance on visitor and migrant labour for harvests also meant a  crisis when borders were shut down for months on end to minimise the spread of the Covid in 2020 and 2021 - but in 2022 most Covid infections spread like wildfire within domestic confines. Lettuce is now down to one dol

  When The War Came to my Reality. Aussies have long had this perception of battles taking place far away, fighting for freedom of peoples in other lands. Even if our continental island seems distant from the big troubles across the Northern Hemisphere, what happens when Australia takes its dutiful turn to host battles to be fought on behalf of its allies? Let us be all prepared for the physical, social and personal landscape suffered as collateral damage.  Politicians of different shades can still keep arguing with each other, but the reality for the rest of us at ground level must make us prepare ourselves for harrowing eventualities. Many things on our media, distracting us with irrelevant matters for so many years, will not matter anymore. Reality shows will be replaced by reality.   The pandemic will be pushed aside ( if it already has been) by the impact of intense failure of our logistics, energy supply, communications, food and economic grids.  A lack of national unity an

  So almost 30 months since the Covid pandemic began, downtown Sydney shows the intensity of lacking meaningful infrastructure, as it always has been. The attention seeking Crown Casino skyscraper at Barangaroo can be admired from road, ferry, train, yacht and more.  Its building height  can highlight the excesses of a city I once fell in love with and was proud of.  A city's pulse and reputation is not in having a questionable gambling centre, or new highways usable only by dishing out expensive tolls, but by the joy and purpose in the hearts and minds if its denizens. Sydney now is not a practical or user friendly place.  Its over commercial emphasis has superseded most other priorities.  It is not the quality of friendships, sense of security and ease of commute that defines Sydney, but the density of dwellings, making enough money to sustain livelihoods and self preoccupation that overwhelm a Sydneysider. Greater Sydney residents can be as totally varied and so different, de

  So I noticed the new packaging, smaller serves and higher prices charged. Just dropped by a mainstream supermarket, which does hold a duopoly advantage in a business sector vital to everyone's lives in a nation of around 25 million. Perhaps it is just me, but the increased processing of food is so obvious on their aisle shelves, as opposed to the more pleasing sight of natural produce. Ready made meals with more preservatives.  Bites and packages that utilise latest food technology but coldly hiding behind manufactured artificiality. Convenience emphasised with the furthest distance from the natural producer. So much sugar, so much salt and other chemicals.  Edibles over standardised in look and formula.  So many items looking like clones and fulfiling measurements that cater to logistical and cost imperatives, rather than appealing to our human instinctive need for variety. The inevitable self check out of the future is reinforced by the opening of only one cashier's a

  Round and round on an ever spinning wheel? A long weekend in Australia can mean different things to different people.  It can be an opportunity to do something away from routine. It can also be an option to enjoy a cooler or warmer clime.  Hobbyists prefer to utilise the freed up time to further indulge in their passions. Leaders of organisations can use the occasion to framework new ideas, strategies or paths.  Small businesses may take a break or get more busy. Catching up, taking a sabbatical or getting in touch more with our inner selves.  The shorter daylight hours in the southern Hemisphere can mean spending more time by an outdoor fire. Eating out can be combined with dressing up.  We tend to somehow let go of being too aware of time or schedules - and heal our selves with not being tied too much to the clock. Social restrictions are but a memory from the Covid tainted years of 2020 and 2021.  However, the value of any personality, who enjoys downtime, with crowds, someone

  Round and round on an ever spinning wheel? On the eve of a long weekend, traffic sprawls and airport queues occur.  Double or triple demerits are imposed on vehicle drivers.  Bowser petrol prices spike. No one in authority can do anything about it. Trees seasonaly lose their leaves when they are deciduous. Flora slow down in growth as the Earth embraces longer hours of night.  Yet the winds blow and temperatures plummet off whack in timing - but they are all part and parcel of the power of Nature. What is on offer as food continue to be more processed and artificialised.   Produce not so tainted with chemicals, hormones and additives are harder to source.   Fresh produce are increasingly made available in predetermined sizes and shapes.  Nutrients as body and health friendly are deemphasised in the rush for convenience and commercial profits. Society is portrayed by media as divisive, aggressive and negatively competitive. Compliance and regulation can be out runned by powerful

  Does the wind blow? Do we get hungry? Do we use what Nature provides? Do we need to rest and sleep? We all do. Does power corrupt? Only for those seduced by excess. Do we get addicted?  Only when we cannot let go. Do we get distracted? Only when we cannot see behind the manipulation. Do we waste our time? Only when we are not in touch with ourselves and those who love us. Do step back. The present is the only moment. Our body and mind is our own responsibility and joy. Do some things matter over the long run? Do step up. Enjoy our personal journey and thrive in our own challenges. Surprise someone in a positive and unexpected way. What you give will come back to you. Rejoice in shared values and retract from divisiveness. Go with the flow for change is the energy we can ride on. Some things are just are, with no judgement required. Some things will be, but you have to work on them. Some things were, but you decide what makes you strong. Some things are just i

  Every society has its downs and ups. Do we recognise, sharpen and utilise our inherent advantages - and do we counter our disadvantages? Size of territory, the lack of available natural resources and geopolitical risks can be set off by strategic planning and implementation, quality education for the public, technological value add and having an embedded practical vision for a nation. Governance can be betrayed by divisive politics, short term manipulation, obsessive diversions, pervasive corruption and undue foreign influence. Does your goverment cloud you with petty issues, falling standards, band aid solutions and lack of initiative? Singapore is not just economically rich, but has societal attitudes borne out of its unavoidable deficiencies. It has developed as a beacon of refuge from instability and as a captivator of talent ignored or under appreciated in other places.  Singapore does walk on a tightrope between competing interests.  Its colonial heritage, future socio-p

  Ethical standards and practice have significantly fallen around the world. The levee against corruption, rorting and monies stolen from the public in many sectors have collapsed. Is it the system?  Is it the manipulation of the system? Is it that third parties do not call it out when breaches occur? Is it because I observe, but do not say anything and do nothing more? Does it go deeper into the mindsets, of those individuals in and with the power, getting more greedy? Is it because the common person like me is easily fooled? Is it because I am part of the corrupt system, willing to pick up peanuts strewn on the ground by individuals who rake in millions in cash? The manipulation by the corrupt few will only grow, if nothing further is done more effectively, apart from reporting after the fact, discussing and talking.....as the said levee continues to go under. #yongkevthoughts

  On the cusp, Do you feel it in the air? How long more can they play it up, Leading us down a diversion and delusion not so rare? On the up, We can anticipate with a new dare, They play the same script with a self centred selective rub, trying to trap us in their lair. Hold up our cup, We are awakened with a renewed flair, Beware of false words, pretences and being dubbed, As we see with renewed eyes and hearts, the truth laid bare! #yongkevthoughts

 Costco Australia - navigating between the aisles. It is said the main revenue for Costco derives from the annual membership fees. The rest is just bonus income for this business model. Costco shelves are chock a block with seeming captivations, but one has to often buy in bulk - and this best suits small business operators, large families and those with ample home storage space. Not everything is a bargain at Costco, but they do sell an increasing variety of items from petrol for vehicles, coffins, optometrist services, white goods, health supplements, liquor and fresh bakery consumables. In USA, the range is even more, offering for example jewellery and tour programmes. Their trolleys are bigger than their retail competitors.  One can be lulled into stacking so many items in the trolley, but checkout can be a hassle, and on getting out of the Costco door, customers have to show their receipts to inspectors who also make a visual audit of the items in your trolley. Never go to Costco

  I am on the cusp of a five night, four day long weekend.  Most Anglo societies have a minimum number of public holidays in a calendar year. So with the full moon on Easter Sunday, this is a special time indeed. The seeming endless barage of rainy weather has taken a hiatus as well.  The parade of congested traffic heading down the NSW South Coast has reemerged after two years. The further removal of restrictions on air travel has seen Melbourne and Sydney Airports swamped with long queues for most of the past week.  Still, travel is tinged with uncertainty, Covid testing, compulsory insurance and ever changing details of rules. The economy is springing back as pent up demand and spending has manifested itself.  Yet the mostly unspoken monster at the party is still swirling around in the community, dismissed by the promise of more booster vaccinations, veiled by self testing results and downplayed by the authorities. This year, the arrival of Catholic and Protestant Easter has n

  The question of verification has grown to be larger than life. It used to be a preoccupation that documents submitted in an application had to be examined and witnessed by an authorised third party as true and authentic. All officially sounding and in actual physical process. The temptation of human forgers then jumped on to digital and electronic communication and representation. Authenticity is no longer confined as significant to just art pieces, printed psssports and land title deeds. We now question the validity of identities purporting to be our financiers, government reps, medical consultants, bosses, employees, fans, suppliers - and even ourselves. That may be because we are dealing more in faceless transactions interacting with low cost maintained robots, software and AI. The screen is what we touch, talk and manage in not just entertainment, but also for other essential activities in the course of contemporary life. Hackers intercept the vulnerable points in such p

  Artificial software increasingly replaces hunan interface. Real human experiences are sidelined by virtual ones. The enjoyment of writing is downgraded by clicks and quick phrased audio instructions. Creativity is reduced in the art and science of photography. Truth and facts are suppressed by manipulation. Durability is replaced by instant gratification. Organic and natural benefits are deemphasised by chemical induced produce and products. Greed overtakes civility and ethics. Short term priorities overlooks the multiplier impact on the future. Volume in turnover rewards business more than loyalty to customers and recognition to staff. Getting away with exploitation continues. The need for consumer goods and electronic devices are caught up in commercial churn. So called denocracy has been hijacked behind doors and in our face. Repairs of manufactured things are more costly than buying a new one. The credibility of marketing and advertising fizzles out when we use more

  My experience living in Australia for more than 30 years does not synchronise with the news reports in America of Asians or Asian looking people suffering violence with racial suggestions as victims of robbery attacks. Racism can be a two edged sword.  It may not just be articulated by individuals or groups representing so called mainstream society on minorities - but can also occur the other way.  Racism can be subtle or covert, especially when the law or public policy is to ban it, or overt, as in societies like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, Fiji and Myanmar.    Is it better to be able to read racism openly or do we have to put up with it in various shades like career progress ceilings, restricted admissions to prime universities, unspoken loops or barriers and moves behind your back?  I would rather be physically attacked than be discriminated in subtle and gradual ways.   Talking of individuals who commit violence on the streets of New York, Sydney, London or Perth, t

  The resurgence of conflict, flooding, politicking and other trends in local media coverage in the past 2 weeks has given me a few good reminders. 1.   Train connections can be more important than super road highways, even in the 21st century. 2.    Having a bomb protection shelter in your home or nearby can still be relevant. 3.     Freedom to voice out our personal views can increasingly be snubbed out, despite the apparent gushing flow of "information". 4.      More people we place in positions of public and social responsibility continue to react to rather than prevent problems - and seem to behave as if only pledging or throwing public money after the fact will resolve the problem. 5.     All that water can help nurture the Earth - but like so many things, can be a two edged sword. 6.    Describing things as a one in a ten or hundred year event is losing its credibility. 7.   Sharpening my observation ability works - I switch off obvious and overwhelming propagan

States are formed in the political scheme of power as envisaged by human beings.   Previously there were kingdoms, fiefdoms, empires and more.   Whatever the label, political entities are strong statements of unity and control under a declared culture, way of society, a dynamic personality of aruler or dynastic rulers, religion, trading hub or federation of smaller states. Singapore, now a modern city state of a Republic, was part of the British Empire for many years.  Eighty years ago, on 15 February, colonial troops surrendered to the Japanese Imperial Army, which had quickly conquered the Malayan peninsular after the attack on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii.  ( On 19 February that same year, 1942, the Japanese air force bombed Darwin).  The British had concentrated their defences in Singapore facing south towards the sea, instead of also providing for defences along the island's north.  This was a lesson of Achilles Heel that was learnt at much cost in human casualty, military strategy

  Omicron infections are spiking in Malaysia and Singapore. The experience of Sydney since December 2021, where the state governmemt has fast let virtually all restrictions removed and the spread go rip throughout the community, suggests some salient matters. Each individual has his or her own unique risk circumstances and parameters. Although most Omicron infections seem to only cause milder symptoms than Delta, there is a risk of long Covid, whether one is vaccinated or not. The nsw state premier and Aus PM have pushed it to self responsibility for managing any covid infections, at most since December 2021. Public and political management of covid can have powerful hidden agendas. Self prevention of infection remains the most consistent weapon for individuals.  Omicron transmission is said to occur through both hangabout air and infected surfaces. Several side effects of Covid vaccines are not highlighted by mainstream media and governments. It can be the luck of the draw when

  Lol, it took me so long.... to see through breakfast tv as an electronic interface of the junk in the postbox, ads with Apps and the clutter they send me with free things. to realise the same word script and playbook of "news" delivered in different modes from the same media owner. to realise how much artificial processing is in the nature of things on our supermarket shelves, fast food offers and addictive buys. to fall into the addictive throes of interacting on screen time is no different from gamers getting into endless nights of playing. to not be a loyal customer of any commercial service, but to keep churning our custom of different services. to value routine and regime as also adding to fulfilment. to realise that services and products not easily accessible during pandemic lockdowns can really after all be not essential. to support the local neighbourhood can be more meaningful than following hype all over the city. #yongkevthoughts

  Oh, the habits of the past and what was a comforting routine is no more. Many years ago, it was a casual relaxing pleasure to do something easy and different from weekdays, on a Saturday morning.  Simple regimes like going through the newspapers. Or catching up with people in a cafe. And driving like crazy just to try eating some hyped up dish, even before Instagrammable culinary. On a small island, it was doable, until the escalating traffic jams made me think twice. The pleasure and reward were to catch up with fellow human beings. The underlying pace was that it was unstructured, flexible and had delightful changes in store - surprise me! Across the plains of Greater Sydney, I had to plan arrival and appointment times, for distances were greater to transverse and traffic jams even more congested at particular hours. Now the newsagent is a sad shade of its past activity and future possibilities.  The dominance and ease of online publications have decimated the presence of prin

  We are coming to the second anniversary of the arrival of C19 in late January 2020. Amazingly, the number of infections in most states of Australia have skyrocketed beyond modelling, imagination and expectation. Cases of the latest mutated strain are also spiking in at least tens of thousands across nations which have governments embracing Omicron. So it does all fall logically like the snow in a severe northern hemisphere winter. Back in greater Sydney, the reporting of infections have become muddled in this new year - are they from self test kits, public testing facilities, from Omicron or from false online data input? Who knows, we are not told of useful breakdown in information anymore. What we experience instead are more alerts about we having visited venues at the same time as confirmed infectees (through use of the QR code scanning) and that more of people we directly know are down with infections. For about two years, we knew confidently how to get help if we got infect

  There is a growing irony when you live under a government that wants the public to embrace Covid. Busibess venues are open but customers are more reluctant to use them. Business venues are open but there are not enough stocks and staff available to viably keep them open. We are free to travel but subject to a whole host of procedures that restrict our other freedoms. We have minimal restrictions compared to days of lockdowns, travel permits and border closures- but we find ourselves more willing to stay home and observe what the heck is actually happening with the C and its implications. We are told to test, when we have symptoms, but it is getting more challenging to be tested. If the Omicron has less severity, then why are we still pushed to continue to test and get more vaccine jabs? Governments can tell us to ride the wave over significant spikes in new mutations of C.  If we get infected, we are however told mostly to treat ourselves with painkillers - and not to bother wi

  What are the likely near future public health scenarios across Greater Sydney in the next few weeks leading to the arrival of The Lunar New Year of the Water Tiger, on Feb 1? Already 20 pc of PCR testing are resulting in positive infections.  The NSW capacity for PCR testing is cracking up, so lower testing numbers will give skewed and underreported figures of infection.  PCR test results are taking more than 48 hours by pathology providers to inform those tested - increasing risks of those already infected to spread an already more infectious Omicron, before the test results are communicated to them. The push by Sco Mo and Perrotett for the public to utilise RAT testing, which can be inaccurate and incorrectly applied by untrained individuals, has already run into a wall of lack of stocks to buy, rising test kit prices and inaffordability of many to buy them. The current focus by government here on testing, significantly misses what should be done more to reduce the spread of Omi