Thoughts on Singapore - On the Cusp of the Future

 

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-political development and dependence on an open market are all two edged swords of opportunity and crisis.

Taxes can be low but costs of car ownership and properties prohibitively high.  Spatial freedom can be a challenge for visitors with loads of open space and lower populations from nations with too much land.   Singapore is a world critical transport hub by air and shipping, due partly to its location.
Will it be caught up in a war not of its making but due to its geographical and trading eminence?

#yongkevthoughts

Corruption and Manipulation

 

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

Here I Shall Rise

 

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 Revisited

 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 on a busy day.  There is no social distancing, no face masking and at times, observed possible lack of civility in the behaviour of the crowds.

Costco pricing does awaken at least one thing in me - our main stream supermarkets are charging us more than a bit as they make it a routine to go to them to buy.

There are only three Costco outlets in NSW, centred on huge population hubs in Greater Sydney.  This says a lot abour their emphasis on having a large viable market base before they establish any branches.

14 April 2022

 

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 not been accompanied by more nippy evenings, with daytime temperatures still clinging to that of summer days.  Orthodox Easter in 2022 falls on the weekend before ANZAC Day in New Zealand and Australia.  April has festivals of the Hindu New Year, Thai Songkran, the Chinese Tomb Sweeping Day, the end of Cherry Blossom viewing in Japan, the Jewish Passover and the Muslim Ramadan.

So the Earth keeps on spinning. Supply chains are under stress, globalisation has faced challenges from the latest pandemic and inflation has spiked.

Polarisation in politics has increased.   Information, hype, data and truth are getting murky.  Transparency has dipped, but corruption, division and manipulation have increased.  Are there more aggressive governments?   Are human societies thriving on what separates them instead of cherishing common and shared values?

Yet the story and saga of human beings continue.  Do we see an awakening of the individual mindset grow, instead of blindly following commandments?  Do we see grassroots community and individuals organising themselves, when those who govern us take more care of their selfish interests?  Do we sense a rising level of resilience in ourselves?

#yongkevthoughts