In search of happiness in the land of the thunder dragon

I made a promise to my daughter that we would go trekking in India or somewhere remote since she was 15 years. She was charmed with India after having served twice in her school’s CIP programme.

Now that she completed university, it is opportune time. Then, Tiger mum (aka The Wife) appeared and asked: “Don’t you folks want to learn how to live happy?” So our 7 day trek in Nepal was torpedoed. We compromised, settled for several treks in search of happiness in the land of the thunder dragon.

As many of you may know, Bhutan takes pride in this Gross Happiness Index formula to measure happiness of its people. According to this index, they are supposedly the happiest people on earth.

Here in Singapore, every other person seems to be testy, ever ready with an opinion on just about anything. The latest include whether to cull or caress our wild boars. I remembered years ago, Priscilla, a tamed sow boar, resides at Chew Jawa, Pulau Ubin. She simply enjoys being tickled on its belly! But these are WILD. NParks have gone that extra mile to explain the rationale to cull. We need to act before someone gets seriously hurt.

Bhutan physical size is 350 km by 150km. It’s 70% forest with 8% arable land. The terrain is hilly and mountainous with some peaks over 7,500 metres. The population is 700,000 and literacy is under 60%. Hydropower contributes about 60% revenue (sold to India), 25% tourism and a mixed bag of small inconsequential sectors. Life expectancy is below 66 years. In tourism, their emphasis is low volume, high value. The local currency is in Bhutanese Ngultrum and is interchangeable at par with the Indian Rupee. English is widely spoken and our guide Dorji speaks perfect English; thanks to many overseas teachers from India and Canada during his schooling years.

There is no direct flight to Bhutan from Singapore (akan datang, September 2012). As such, we overnighted in Bangkok, crawled out of bed at 3:00am, chauffeured to the airport and arrived 3 hrs ahead of flight time. Talk about kiasuism on the part of the agent.

There is only 1 international airport located at Paro and Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu, is 50 km away. The only operating airline is Druk Air, state owned with a few A319 Airbus, powered by A320 engines. In the words of my guide, Druk Air pilots are well trained to sneak in and out without radar assist; all things visual.

Our flight was delayed 2 hours because of massive clouds. We circled twice before landing. We took pictures of the plane, runway and, of course, with the lovely poster of the 5^th King and Queen. Her Highness is stunningly pretty with mesmerizing eyes, 10 years his junior. My spirit was momentarily uplifted, good start to have a pretty Queen and an educated, happy King. (they were wedded last Oct11).

Immigration was a breeze. We took over an hour of meandering about to get to Thimphu followed by some sightseeing. By the time I turned in bed past 10pm; I was totally concussed for the day. Just before blissful sleep set in, Tiger mum shook me vigorously and said: “honey, the lights went off”. Can you blah, blah, blah... Whilst my spirit was willing, my flesh was dead and I mumbled that she should just go sleep.

Apparently, she had not showered and the ensuing ruckus must have awakened all the dogs in the neighbourhood. Mercifully, the lights came back 40 minutes later. Otherwise, I would have been eaten in comatose state. Thank God, the day ended on a happy note.    

On the second day, I notice vehicular traffic was sparse. Apparently, private vehicles are taken “off road” every Tuesday leaving all to depend on public transport of buses and taxis. Taxis also have to take a day off once a week based on even or odd number plate.

Smoking is not allowed anywhere except in private homes. There is no “over the counter” tobacco sales and the natural substitute is “doma”; beetle nut chewed with a piece of leaf and mixture of gooey lime. Bhutanese loves to chew this all day long. Not so long ago, we too chewed “doma”, especially with the elderly. Marijuana (considered wild weed) is everywhere. I collected some, crushed it, but there is no aroma of any sort. I was told by Dorji it has to be roasted for efficacy.

Without tobacco, we would have 16% of more unhappy 18-29 years in Singapore. Without private vehicles for a day, we would be screaming murder! So, why are they happier than us when more affairs are regulated?

Theirs is probably a state of “resilient poor”. Most of them have roofs over their heads, plant vegetables for sustenance living. Some better off own fowls and animals. But life is very hard. Getting to school may require walking 1.5 hrs from one ridge to another and then another 1.5 hrs to get home. Planting rice is back breaking and climate dependent; at best, two crops a year. Produce, commodities are barely enough for domestic consumption.   

In urban Singapore, our very poor are likely “unhappy poor”. All our edible items are imported. Without money as exchange tokens, one simply cannot bring food to the table. We don’t have the land to rear chickens or tend to cows. At best, we grow some vegetables along the corridor or balcony. While therapeutic, the yield is never enough to feed the family (I experimented). So our poor generally have to depend on state hand outs and from well-wishers.  Over time, our very poor may be conditioned as “handout happy”, trapped in a vicious cycle.

From Thimphu, we travelled to Punakha, our second stop. On the way, we visited Chimi Lhakhang – The Temple of Fertility, dedicated to Lama Drukpa Kuenley, the Divine Madman. Getting there was quite an adventure as we criss-crossed over paddy fields. Couples who visit the temple are blessed by a replication of the iron bow and arrows of Drukpa Kuenley, his scriptures and the phallus, which is the symbolic representation of fertility. It’s rather an unusual place with phallic symbols all over. Wife and I were tickled pink, happy to redirect all good intended blessings to our daughter.

Besides the temple of fertility, we visited the Queen’s Village at Talo. It’s was a winding, uphill climb of over an hour. The village is essentially a monastery of sort for boys entering monkhood. There must have been more than a hundred of them of various ages; each holding a piece of paper (a few lines of script) and scribbling repeatedly in a huge garden in the sun. Some of them were blowing their “long horns”, similar to those in Switzerland.  Some gawked as we obviously looked alien. I cannot say they looked happy or otherwise. Most looked beyond their age, exposed to the harsh elements. What would become of them as they grow up? What would they do for a living? There are no easy answers.

We walked down the village, came across a farmer no more than 5 feet, hunched, carrying a huge basket on his back and holding an old fashion ‘changkol’ in one hand. We bowed, and my guide exchanged a few words. As he proceeded downhill, my guide turned to us and asked if we mind giving the old man a lift down to Punakha. Of course not, we said.

In our exchange in the van, we learn the farmer’s home is next to the Queen’s village. He grows some vegetables and fruits. He owns another small plot of land near valley of Punakha for growing rice. He was on his way to the market in Punakha to sell his basket of peaches. For him, it would have been a 3 hr walk downhill. On the van, it took 45 mins.

Upon arrival at our hotel, we bought some peaches from him. He was insistent in not charging us. We flatly refused and paid him fully. After pushing to and fro, he reluctantly accepted our payment. Recently, I read Michael Lewis Princeton University's 2012 Baccalaureate Remarks and the issue of “luck” popped up. Extract reads:
"But you must sense its arbitrary aspect: you are the lucky few. Lucky in your parents, lucky in your country, lucky that a place like Princeton exists that can take in lucky people, introduce them to other lucky people, and increase their chances of becoming even luckier.”

It begs the question? Are we the lucky people in Singapore or are they the lucky ShangriLa, the size of Switzerland?

On the penultimate day, we made our way to Tiger’s Nest (a prominent Himalayan Buddhist sacred site and temple complex, located in the cliff side of the upper Paro valley, Bhutan. A temple complex was first built in 1692, around the Taktsang Senge Samdup cave where Guru Padmasambhava is said to have meditated for three months in the 8th century. Padmasambhava is credited with introducing Buddhism to Bhutan), a must visit place.

A return journey to the peak at 3,120 m takes 5 hrs. It sure makes Pengkang Hill, SAFTI a walk in the park. Tiger mum, smiling ear to ear, outsourced a horse to take her to the top (one way only). We minions, including Dorji, soldiered on stoically on foot. She was initially terrified with the horse but soon got into rhythm as the animal trotted uphill. Half way through, another party with a few horses overtook us. One disgruntled horse, overtook us, kicked Tiger mum in the shin as if telling her to get off the horse. We could only snigger as we were so out of breath!

I left Bhutan 1.5 kilo lighter after all the hard trekking, feeling satisfied to tick off another item in my bucket list. When the wife consolidated all travel bills, I felt only half happy. And she is less happy too, having to nurse a bruise.       

Side note

I replayed backwards to reflect on my formative years. Poor as I was, somehow I remembered more “happy than unhappy days” and asked why? I suspect my surroundings played a major part in keeping me upbeat. I had nature’s 3Ss on my side…the sun, sea and sand. Then again, maybe mum’s reminder that in the school of hard knocks, the harder you work, the luckier you get. Supposedly good luck makes for a happier person.

My fantastic guide Dorji is likely to visit SG in Sep/Oct. He is superb and understands good service after having worked in high-end Aman for over 10 years. I intend to get him to give a presentation.

Many roads lead to Rome

I grew up cycling to school. Before long, my school was relocated to a neighbouring island because Shell built a refinery next door. With the change, getting to school took awhile. I first had to cycle to a jetty, lock my bike, take a sampan (a small rowing wooden boat) across a 150m water-gap, walked a long bridge and then another 15 minutes to get to school. Muscle-assist commute edged for life!  

It was documented in 1854 that (Alfred Wallace notes) back then, the population can expect at least 1 fatality from tiger attacks every day. The last tiger was shot along Old Choa Chu Kang Road on 26 Oct, 1930. Fast forward to modern Singapore and we have over 1 million vehicles on our roads. Now the situation is such: mǎ lù rú hǔ kǒu (roughly translated, roads are like tiger's mouth).

It’s not the roads but the 1 million “tigers” on the prowl that is scary. A handful gets pissed, and then drives like a maniac endangering other road users. Then there are those who obliviously steam-rolled over cyclists on roads (at least 4 in the past 12 months).

Still, motor vehicles are indispensable. In land scarce Singapore, buses, MRT and taxis form a large part of public commute.

But when it comes to private vehicles, the situation becomes emotionally complex. Every citizen in an effluent society would invariably aspire to own their own wheels, cost notwithstanding. Our present mechanisms (COE, ERP) to control car population (another COE tweak on 30May12), while working, have to step up to keep abreast of changing circumstances. One possible game changer is based on the principle of "use more, pay more"; consumption based. This concept is not new and I am hopeful various supporting technologies will form an equitable solution soon. Political will to implement is another story. 

While we cannot curtail insatiable appetite to own cars, we can make it expensive to USE a private vehicle, calibrated to time of travel. Last Saturday, I almost had a seizure paying $9 for parking over an hour at Four Seasons Hotel. For the rest of the day, I hitched 2 free rides, took the MRT and it was all good. I still maintain our MRT cabins are usually freezing cold.

With sky high COEs, it creates potential resentment as the scheme (unintentionally) “sided” the rich as they can afford, whatever the price. Concurrently, it hits SMEs negatively to those who may have to acquire new commercial vehicles as part of conducting business. It is a dilemma and goes to show public policy has to keep in tandem with changing circumstances. 

Last week end, I was with a senior civil servant. He knows I am pro-bicycle. He nudged me to be openly "anti-car". He argued that only then will bicycles gain currency. I asserted that cars will be here to stay and we cannot wish for them to disappear anytime soon. While traffic management is complex, I believe that continuous improvements in existing schemes coupled with better defined pricing mechanisms, we can curtail the USE of cars especially during peak hours.

I argued that we should not wait for cars to be taken off roads before we act on other options. Instead, we should start immediately, recognise and embrace an eco-system comprising of multiple pathways including the present (MRT, buses, taxis, private vehicles and motorcycles) AND encouraging other options (be it bicycles, e-bikes, walking).

Meanwhile, continuing efforts to tighten the noose around private cars (be it higher car park charges, COE, ERP and fewer car parks in town) will go some way to help reshape travel behaviour.

Where possible, a can of paint here and there to allocate bicycle lanes should be implemented. Doing so, we generate awareness, heighten alertness and signal motorists that cyclists do have equal right to use the roads. For now, not a single drop of paint is use for this purpose; only tainted red blood from mangled cyclists every few months.  

Whether we like it or not, many of our transient and foreign workers are already cycling to work (eg shipyard workers at Sembawang, Changi, Tuas), expats down to business district and some of my civil service friends do cycle to work despite today’s limitations. We are blessed to have 200 km of park connectors, our pavements are wide (increasingly redesigned to accommodate both pedestrians and cyclists in various towns) and our lesser-vehicle roads are safe.

We should encourage, promote and support cycling as one of multiple pathways to commute to work. Increasingly, cycling is gaining traction in most forward looking cities. We must not stand still; suffer from analysis paralysis (as Thatcher would put it), twiddle our thumbs and wait for a “perfect solution” of  mere MRTs and buses. We should start now, let it evolve and through time, what is availably good can only get better. Sometimes, we are too hush on ourselves, searching and researching for one "silver bullet"!

Furthermore, we have many more good things lined up in the years to come as we add on the Rail Corridor and the Round-Island-Route. These will further extend and enhance our cycling networks making most places accessible by wheels.
 

Last September, I discovered this hybrid mode on transport using foldable bicycles in London; another pathway. It addresses both the first mile (getting to the train station) and the last mile (from disembarkation point to final destination). I was pleasantly surprised that one is allowed to bring on board a foldable bicycle onto the London underground at any time of day.

The big-do is that it takes up no real estate. Cyclists rides to train station, folds the bike, hops onboard, alight and rides to destination point, folds the bike and tugs it under a table. Voila!

Our local practice purely addresses the first mile (ride to the train station), park your bicycle (takes up real estate, bloody messy and is a graveyard of unclaimed bikes) and risk theft. Then after, it assumes you walk to your final destination after you alight. If your final destination is afar, you need a second bike (pray it's not stolen!) and then another part of parking lot at your work place. In short, it doesn’t work.

Understandably, our priority now is to get our train system running reliably once again. Furthermore, a common gripe amongst commuters is that our trains are already too packed. So to completely copy the London model will be a difficult sell.

Instead, we should be bold enough to create our own version; fine-tune boarding time. The morning MRT peak hours are from 7:30am to 9:00am. I would argue (from past field observations) to allow foldables on board MRT from start of day operation until 7:30am. Then after, we impose a "black out" period which disallows boarding from 7:30am to 9:00am. After 9:00am, we can again allow foldables on board. 


Surely the Brits are not stupid or are we unimaginative? Presently, one is allowed to carry foldables on board MRT after 9:30am. It's another way of saying we do allow, but you still cannot make it to work on time!  For now,  there are no restrictions of foldables on board MRT on weekends. It's good. 

A more recent option is that of an eco-friendly e-bike or a pedal-assist bike. This is gaining popularity in many places. It's another mode of transport which we should keep an open mind and evaluate. Locally, these are quite prevalent especially within intra-town. Surely, some do behave like a*sho@%s. The following article talks about e-bikes and its promise. That’s another long story…

Battery-Swapping for Electric Bikes & Scooters http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=battery-swapping-for-electric-bikes-2012-05

In conclusion, while we figure out ways to manage car population, we should expeditiously explore other avenues to make for a greener journey and a less congested city where only cars seemingly have right of way. 

FTR: I am both a motorist and a recreational cyclist. I ride the MRT frequently and take the bus once a while. Oh yes, I walk too.  

Other Information

Los Angeles Lives by Car, but Learns to Embrace Bikes By ADAM NAGOURNEY

“The popularity of cycling is totally surging,” said Jennifer Klausner, the executive director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition. “What I see is more and more people than ever before on bicycles, at all hours of the day and night. It’s taken a while for the city to catch up.”

Joel Epstein, a mass transit advocate, said traffic here had led him to use his bicycle more often. “L.A. is a very complicated kind of place,” Mr. Epstein said. “A lot of people are going to commute by car forever. But I think bikes are a piece of the puzzle, just like mass transit is and just like walking is.”

In Austin, A Street Festival Offers A Vision of Modern City Planning By David Wogan

“Modern city design calls for less emphasis on the car, and more on walking, cycling, use of green spaces, and safety. The car-centric model isn’t cutting it any more. But modernizing the urban core takes a lot of time, money, and political will – an annular eclipse of public policy”. 

Why there is an urgent need for local cyclists to have a voice?

Cyclists unfortunately do not have a voice on our roads. Read on. On 26 May 2012, a lorry driver steam-rolled and killed a cyclist along Changi Coast Road. A medical doctor was recently sentenced to 4 weeks jail and banned from driving for 5 years for running into 2 cyclists (1 died). He scoots off only to return to try retrieve his number plate.

Last December, a 41 year-old sales director was knocked down in a hit-and-run situation along Changi Coast Road. He survived with a fractured spine and two cracks in his pelvis. It is going to be a long recovery.

On May 19, 2011, Ms Kirsten Koh was cycling home with her best friend and house mate Orla along Mandai Road when a collision with a lorry, changed her life forever.

Ms Koh fractured both ankles and femurs. Her pelvis was shattered. Her left shoulder, fibula and shin bones were broken. The doctors told her parents to prepare for the worst. She went on to have 19 operations totaling more than 80 hours, needed 5 litres of blood transfusions and 60 stitches. She was bed-ridden for 2 1/2 months. Recently, she completed walking 42km at the Sundown marathon.

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_788992.html

Three stories, same tale

Recently, I watched Iron Lady and this brought me back to 1979, the year I graduated. After going through multiple loops of IQ tests, interviews I was offered a job with ICL (Intl Computers Ltd), UK. My thoughts back then was to work in London for a few years. I remembered the offer came by telegram. I was all excited, shipped my things to London and was ready to head home for a break before returning to work. Within 2 weeks of my offer, ICL withdrew, thanks to Margaret Thatcher. I must add ICL was gracious to compensate me 1 month salary. Welcome to citizens first!

Margaret Thatcher came into power at about the most turbulent time post WWII, having to fight militant unions, unemployment and the IRA. As a student, I remembered bizarre strikes such as bakery, rail, postmen, policemen, firemen, buses, coal miners. She fought tooth and nail in many quarters and subsequently brought on a much stronger UK. During her watch, she was almost killed by a bomb plot on the last night at the Conservative Party conference in Brighton. She fought a principled, but expensive, war with the Argentineans over Falkland, thousands of miles away from home.

At home in late Apr12, a well respected don, Dr Tan Khee Giap suggested giving Singaporeans "first bite of the cherry" in jobs. The resounding message from the Government right now is Singaporeans come first.

Let me relate 3 stories I heard in the past 16 months. Story 1 was related to me by an ICT Singaporean honcho early last year. This person lamented that for a huge ICT project in SG, the person taking notes (minutes of meetings) is a foreigner. So I asked, "don't you have a say?" Unfortunately not, my HQ is in the West. I subsequently gathered their project director went through several iterations of Westerner, ABC, then Westerner and last I heard a local. I am not sure if the foreign scriber is still there.

Story 2 smacks colonialism. This person I chatted with worked for a smallish European company specialising in ERP domain. He is the only Singaporean director amongst a dozen European directors. He is the company's "poster boy", propped upwards whenever there is a large Government project.

According to him, his fellow European directors simply do not have a clue on how business is conducted here; have no local network or ground information. Furthermore, all were on expat terms. How they continue to remain business viable is questionable. His own boss apparently instructed not to be "disturbed" whenever he goes on leave. On the other hand, this local chap is required to be "voice contactable" on his vacation days. Last I heard, he held his own, moved on to a more level playing field; good for him.

Story 3 involves a large French company. Within weeks of hiring this local person at management level, his foreign boss forwarded some CVs of fresh graduates from France with a "highly recommended" rating. So what would you do if you were in his shoes? To keep his job, he had no choice but to do the “politically right thing”, hire a few foreign talents.

A recent story is one of a German ICT management staff, seconded to Singapore, trying to help bring across a secretary support person. I don’t know if his barber is coming too!

Based on these anecdotal cases, I am not entirely surprise such practice takes place in the ICT segment. Unlike professionals such as doctors, lawyers or finance with unique skills, ICT has hardly any entry barrier. Anyone with some resemblance of ICT related training can land on our shores, stay to work, subject to basic scrutiny.

Fast forward 33 years and history repeats itself in the UK. It is in technical recession, exchange rate at the lowest for decades and Europe is groping in the dark, reluctant to take the austerity route. Meanwhile, my kid, followed my footsteps, is bent on seeking for a job in London upon graduation this year. It's humbling when you send out hundreds of emails and a handful replied. However, the rigour of going through tests, case studies, interviews is still invaluable.

I continue to cheer her on knowing "what don't kill you makes for a better man, woman included". Presently, it may be easier to strike lottery than landing a job in the UK. Understandably, locals come first again!

We are a migrant society, highly tolerant and conditioned to accept and embrace change. All things equal, we need to take care and grow our own timber as well. We owe no apologies.

FTR: I am "colour agnostic", having 8 nationalities in my work team, including Singaporeans.

Humourousl​y serious

Two weeks ago, I was invited by NParks to attend the re-opening of Bishan park. I was keen to attend because it was closed for 2 years for a major transformation from concrete canals to a beautifully re-created river, ponds and many other interesting amenities.
 

Spanning 37 hectares on one side, you can head down to the river, stroll along the water's edge and enjoy the vast biodiversity; fishes, turtles, dragonflies, waterhen and a handful of majestic purple herons. Across busy Marymount Road, you are spoiled for another 27 hectares of green amenities. There are two huge thematic playgrounds, science at work cleansing water and above all, one of my many favourite cycling haunts across the two parks kept intact.

It would be great to have 2 underpasses for seamless access from one side to the other without having to dismount and cross at traffic-junctions.

The night before, I was all excited; prep my bicycle to go green the following day. Come morning, I cycled to Dakota station, took my foldie onboard the train, alighted at Bishan station and pedalled my way to the opening ceremony site. It was crowded and security was tight. PM was the GOH. I was pleasantly surprised to have Poo Kiong, NParks as my host. PM spoke amidst a noisy background and I had to strain my ears trying to figure out what he said. We are still a long way from being courteous to just shut up and listen whenever someone is making a speech.

After the opening ceremony, PK led me to follow PM’s entourage as we made our way to the water edge.  Recycle Hill, the highest point, looks awesome from a distance. Soon, we back tracked, pass the dog run area and adjourned for a break in a cozy, outdoor restaurant. With all the trees and lush, it was temperature cool. 

I settled for water and before long, the CEO of NParks walked me forward to meet PM. There were just 3 of us. Poon introduced me as an avid cyclist. PM stooped, with his hands extended, gripping both handlebars of an imaginary road bike. I explained I am not the Saturday, 'man in lycra’ road cyclist but rather a Sunday recreational cyclist. My group cycles on NParks park connectors, side roads and an occasional pavement when squeezed (to stay alive!). He immediately put one finger to his lips and went....shush, then laughed. Staying alive is paramount, I protested. Vehicular roads in Singapore are not safe and most motorists, especially taxi-drivers, do not think we belong.

I lauded NParks for doing a good job connecting the island through the concept of park connectors. Today, there is already 150km of PCN. Soon, it will be more exciting with the Round-Island-Route of 150km and another 26km along the Rail Corridor (the old railway tracks). By then, a visitor can enjoy a 3 day cycle inclusive of 2 nights along this route.

Somehow, the conversation drifted to my peeve of 5 years. PM, I said: "the most scenic tourist route today along the Singapore river on a bicycle can set you back by $10,000". Why so, he asked? We have to go through 5 underpasses from Alexandra Road to the Esplanade. At each underpass, there is a sign that reads "NO RIDING Fine $1,000 Please push your bicycle across the underpass". “Is it because it is too narrow”, he asked? I replied saying it is big enough to take a moving MRT train on each side, save for the underpass at Anderson Bridge. Cyclists, both young and old, loafed to dismount and push unless safety is compromised.  

I cited the busiest corridor fronting the Marina Bay as "bicycle friendly" (sign reads: ‘cyclists please slow down and give way to pedestrians’), thanks to Benson Phuah, CEO Esplanade. 

He pause momentarily, then asked: "how much are you prepared to pay to go through these underpasses". A dollar, I said. Better still, free for senior citizens; I am getting there. We roared. Bicycle ERP soon?

I lamented that while our infrastructure, events (eg F1, Flyer, IRs, PCNs) are wonderful and crowd drawing, some of our messages are old fashion and out of step. He nodded, and then said: "maybe you should write to the forum page, Straits Times; reception could be better there!”. We laughed. Poon smiled; bùshì wǒ de wèntí (not his portfolio).  Those senior civil servants within earshot steamed!

PM was ‘belly’ good in his element. With so much laughter, I felt totally oxygenated, cycled home then after.   

Shikata ga nai

Following the Japanese earthquake, tsunami on 9 March, 2011, a generous friend took out $50,000 as seed money and suggested I organize a Charity bicycle ride to rally HPA members and Singaporeans to support the Japanese people. We took on an ambitious target of $200,000 with less than a month to organize.

A day before the ride, I was despondent, stuck at $130,000 collection for over a week. At 2pm, one fairy godmother, who wished to remain anonymous, came along and cheered me with a $50,000 cheque. This was then broadcasted and an hour later, one godfather underwrote to top up to $200,000. Eventually, we overshot slightly.  

Several parties came forward to chip in, be it ambulance, logistical support, private companies and manpower from NParks. We did not spend a dime on anything. Even the banners were re-cycled stuff. Every dollar raised went to the Japanese Disaster 2011 fund through the Singapore Red Cross Society. We had about 40 cyclists and 20 odd walkers.

Through my Japanese friend, we thought it would be befitting to invite the Japanese ambassador to grace this event. We also contacted a local Japanese radio channel and some Japanese related advertising agencies. The idea was to attract Japanese in Singapore to step forward, participate alongside us.

Unfortunately, this was not to be. The reply from the Japanese embassy was totally alien to me. We invited, waited with bated breath and then this:

“Thank you for your heartfelt concerns of the recent earthquake in Japan.  I am sorry for this rather late reply. We deeply appreciate your generous intentions and enthusiasm in organizing the Charity Bicycle Ride to raise money to help those affected by the disaster.   

After much consideration and discussion, it is with great regret that we have to decline your kind invitation, as it would not be suitable for the Embassy of Japan to make association with charity events due to the fact that Japan is the country that receives the donations and relief support”.

I was bemused. Later on, I found out that the word ‘charity’ caused lots of discomfort. We had always used this word in our previous charity drives. Apparently, it became awkward for a rich nation to accept charity!

About his time, a BBC commentator had this to say about wealthy Japan. He said: “If Japan gets knocked down by a vehicle, it is likely to reject any ambulance that comes along. It will instead call for it’s own ambulance”.

So I asked my Japanese friend his interpretation on this matter. He had this to say:

“It is very difficult to say anything about Japanese embassy but I give you some example for you to grasp Japanese embassy way of thinking.

When I was introduce Secretary of Japanese Association to Japanese ambassador (

last one), I was requested to submit resume before I visited. When I was invited my senior Japanese friend to have lunch with Singapore Ambassador to Japan

in Tokyo, I was not requested anything before hand.

So my personal opinion is Japanese ambassador is behave like tycoon while Singapore ambassador is like sales director of Singapore. You can find who is more working for the nation and citizens. I am very sorry about Japanese embassy reaction”.

My Japanese friend felt sheepish. Then again, Meira Chand wrote a very good piece following disaster in Straits Times and had this to say: “Japanese society is structured, among other things, upon the element of shame. Loss of face is a dishonour that is hard to bear on any level”. She went on to say: “Shikata ga nai, it cannot be helped…”

I wish all Japanese to be more upbeat with the word Gambatte. It’s more uplifting, positive and rousing. In Google translate, Shikata ga nai is roughly translated as “NO CHOICE”.

Oh yes, my generous friend who gave $50,000 from his own pocket had a choice, moved by the repeated scenes on TV of that catastrophic tsunami that hit Japan. May the souls of 15,000 victims rest in peace and may our Singapore ambassadors around the world continue to be sales directors of our little red dot. 

P/S: In all, the Singapore Red Cross collected about $34 million. Most of this money will be spent in building/reconstruction of infrastructure which have more meaningful values.

First world marred by third

The day before I was to go on a driving holiday up to Penang, I was flat out on my back. Everything I took simply got thrown out of my stomach. The world was a spin and I checked into hospital; stayed 2 days. It was a severe inner ear infection and vertigo kicked in.

Upon discharge, I was not able to drive. Judgement of positioning, depth and distance were impaired, likewise hearing on my right. In short, spatial orientation is off and has to be recalibrated. I broke a tall glass in restaurant, chipped a cup or two and almost tip over a road side barrier riding my bicycle!

The experience is a nagging tipsy feeling and rehab is a good option. It’s a science called vestibular therapy.  It works by having you perform motions that are intended to make you dizzy while at the same time making you focus on your body position. Three receptors are at play for an able body person-vestibular system (inner ear balance), ocular (eyesight) and lastly our skeletal, muscular movements.

So post medical leave, I went back to work using our public transport system, largely on trains, buses and occasional taxi rides. It’s no big deal as my formative years were walking, cycling, sampan, ferry boat to school. After three weeks of public commute, I would rate our  transport system as first world.

Understandably, some parts of Singapore (North-South line, Jurong East-City) are congested on trains during peak hours. These are best addressed by frequencies and capacities (supply vs demand) or even pricing differentiation to ‘incentivise’ early birds to work. Conversely, ‘disincentive’ of more expensive fare during peak period, much like vehicular ERP to spread the load. I imagine latter to be highly unpopular.

It helps that my home is only a 3 minute walk to the train station. I take a train, switch over to another and then a feeder bus to work. In all, it’s 50 mins compare to 30 mins of driving. You get to read, go about doing eye rehab exercises or simply people watching on trains. It’s therapeutic.

Alighting from train, I have the option of 2 feeder buses to work and a spoilt choice of 4 feeder buses on my way back to the train station. The connection from train station to bus stop is sheltered. Our bus captains are generally patient.

Most buses are ‘handicapped friendly’, allocating a generous slot, good for 2 wheelchairs. In the 3 weeks, I did not witness any one on wheelchairs. It can be argued that the same slot is a wonderful place to park one’s foldable bicycle, a practice that’s allowed only after 9:30am. Our buses are clean, air-conditioned, armed to it’s teeth with ‘stop buzzers’ all over including a ‘low buzzer’ for those on wheelchairs. There's no reason for alighting one too many stops.

I only wish our bus captains are better trained especially when accelerating and decelerating. The anal ones tend to jerk and it’s most unpleasant when standing or trying to alight. With the double-deckers, the hissing sounds emitted (from hydraulics) are quite annoying. Thus far, I have not experience bus captain ‘skipping bus stop’ despite congestion at peak hour.

Our trains are clean, frequent and reliable. I feel it puzzling that in the tropics, our trains are grossly cold at most times. The ‘reserve seats’ for elderly, handicapped are respected.

As for our citizen drivers, we have some way to go. One morning, the sky opened, pouring buckets once I alighted at my destination. The bus stop to overhead bridge is sheltered, likewise the overhead bridge itself. Upon stepping down the overhead bridge, the walk way to my office building is also sheltered. Dry so far; I did not have to use my umbrella! So I trotted along the sheltered walkway. A huge private car zoomed past, hit a puddle of water and I was spilled wet up to my knees. I could only shout the b*!&% word (I meant bastard, not bitch). The next vehicle was a double-decker. The bus captain had more sympathy. He actually moved at a measured speed without spitting on me.    

If only more of our heart ware are  in place, we would be first world, first class.

Blowing in the wind

I was taught many folk songs whilst in upper secondary school by Shanta Abisheganaden. I remembered songs such as Red River Valley, Oh Shenandoah, 500 miles and of course Blowing in the wind. Post GE, the departures of GCT and LKY from cabinet echoes the lyrics of BITW: 'the answer my friend is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind'. There were too many why and too few why not.

So I went back to history to try to make sense of some of these tumultuous changes over GE and how democracy evolved through the years. Aljunied GRC started off as a tough touch-and-go situation. GY maximised the use of new media to reach out especially to Gen Y. Arguably, new media worked in favour of the opposition at the speed of light. It is said that 'bad news' travels 13 more times than good news. So we should not be surprised by it's viral effect, be it TPL or Yammy in cyberspace.

While GCT said SG is going to be in trouble if we lose GY, he is mostly correct. But the counter-argument by LTK of 'why have elections when one cannot lose' sat well with the disenchanted. When LKY came in with this 'live to repent' if one chooses the opposing side, it backfired big-time. I remembered a posting on FB immediately after this Gen Y voted. This person said: 'this is demockracy. I just voted. Do I have to repent for next 5 years?'.

So it came to being that Aljunied GRC was reduced to a 'good man who came to a bad end'; Boethius (c. 480-524) in the Middle Ages. In 524, he was charged with disloyalty and sentenced to death. While awaiting execution, he wrote 'The Consolation of Philosophy', one of the most widely read book back then. In a dialogue between Boethius and Lady Philosophy, who appeared in his cell, he poured out his soul and asked: "If God is, whence come evil things?" She comforted him that from limited perspective of humans, God works in mysterious ways.

In a more recent book "The Belief Instinct", Jesse Bering put it succinctly by saying: "Life isn't unfair. It isn't fair either. It just is".

If we fast forward to the Age of Enlightenment, we have the British Philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) who mirrored the laws of human society as would Isaac Newton in the laws of motion and gravity. He spoke of a community that submits to the absolute authority, maybe a king or legislature, and that power is unquestioned. According to him, to be free of chaos, people must put themselves in a sort of prison of their own construction and he warns: "life can be nasty, brutish and short, said over the English Civil War". Of course, he had the King on his side.

The Enlightment period is also a time when thinkers tried to explore and discover better ways to organise society. Hence John Locke (1632-1704) propounded the social contract theory where people gain safety and security for themselves and their property by surrendering some of their rights to government. The government in turn must respect certain rights of its people, preserves the rights to life, liberty and punishes citizens who violate the rights of others. This resembles the roots of modern elected government.

Interesting enough, another character Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) came along before the French Revolution with these famous contradictory words: "Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains". He argued that people are basically good and that institutions of society corrupted them over the centuries! So 'shaking the box', said GY, post GE may be a good thing.

So it has been 300 years on as society continues to evolve. Most societies lived under an elected government, whatever its imperfection. The recent GE opened the eyes of the population as more than 90% locals enjoyed the constitutional right to vote the party of their choice.

The aftershock of Aljunied GRC jolted many Singaporeans with some asking for GY to return into parliament, government, the President and be the 'voice of the people'. The die is cast, no replay, no play, play (horsing around) and sadly all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumoty together again.

Some years back, the late Samuel Huntington from Harvard once compared our political system against the Taiwanese. He opined that the Taiwanese political system will survive because it is democratic. Conversely, he thought the Singapore political system will be hard to survive beyond LKY. The buzz and energy generated from the recent GE showed otherwise. That there is already vitality and vibrancy with LKY 'well and alive' bode well for SG.

As Winston Churchill once said: "Democracy can be an exasperating, messy system, the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time".

For me, I am still a virgin voter, deprive of my constitutional right as a result of a last-minute walk over!

All the same, we should be proud that our election process is clean, civilised and safe and that the man on the street has the the freedom of choice every 5 years.