Author: CheckW

The haze is coming back again this year with a vengeance. Just within a span of 12 hours from 1 am to 1 pm today, the 1-hour PM2.5 reading has shot up from a low of 6 to 198 !! The haze had already been making its presence felt for the last few nights as I could smell burning wood in the early hours of the morning.

When Asia was in the midst of the Asia Financial crisis in the late nineties, no one had a clue as to how bad the situation was. I remembered playing golf in 1997 and at the tee off point, I could see little bits of ash floating down on us. Given the financial meltdown then, no one had the bandwidth to pay much attention to air quality.

A few years ago in 2013, the haze got so bad that the PM2.5 reading exceeded 400!!! Even the interiors of the shopping malls looked blurry and acrid smoke was choking shoppers. They even had to seal off the main entrances with thick plastic sheets to try to prevent the smog from entering the mall.

Indonesia is the main culprit but yet their politicians leave much to be desired, periodically shooting off stupid remarks while the rest of South East Asia suffocates. Deforestation is the main reason for the haze as more and more peatlands were drained over the years. Peat, a mixture of partially decomposing vegetation in a water-saturated environment, becomes highly combustible when dry, like charcoal. Once ignited, the burning is almost impossible to stop as it spreads underground and releases toxic CO2 gases for months. President Jokowi had started to mobilize troops last year to create canals to wet the peatlands again, in an effort to stop the haze. He honestly stated that this problem might take more than 3 years to resolve.

Time to take out the air filters and ionizers from the storerooms again. Shops will run out of stock soon and face mask prices will rise. Big sigh…

 

 

I am a fan of Lee Kuan Yew‘s books. I strongly recommend the following 2 books : Hard Truths to Keep S’pore Going and One Man’s View of the World.

LKY writes them in short and to the point sentences which is a pleasure to read. I am always amazed that the analysis he does about various countries done more than 10 years ago is still so surprisingly pertinent today. Over his long and illustrious career, he has met up with all types of politicians and has become the go-to person to consult for global trends and in-depth understanding of complicated issues. Whenever he does a speech in the media, I would make sure to watch it or read a transcript later. He brings a refreshing perspective to any situation and enlightens everyone with his deep analysis of the subject being discussed. His strong command of the Queen’s English due to his law background is a sight to behold.

Recently, I have come across another person who speaks his mind like LKY. Bilahari Kausikan is currently a policy advisor to Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). His career path is definitely moulded from the school of LKY. Oftentimes, he had bravely spoken out on taboo subjects and is never shy to air his thoughts. Not long ago, he called out China’s attempt to divide ASEAN countries with regards to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. He had also suggested in another recent article that perhaps the strong push by China on the sea disputes could be linked to Xi’s grand plan to overhaul the inefficient military structure within China. By focusing the country on a patriotic mission, he could execute his strategy to clean up the bloated infrastructure and get rid of 300,000 soldiers at the same time.

It has been more than a year since LKY’s passing at 91. His words of wisdom remain with us through these books. It should be compulsory reading for all students to learn about the short history of our country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://sg.news.yahoo.com/comment–bilahari-kausikan–singapore-s-undiplomatic-diplomat-031321174.html

 

Just came across a very interesting BBC broadcast this morning that demonstrated the power of Social Media in today’s politics.

A professor of technology was interviewed on BBC and shared her findings. She had recently conducted a study on Trump’s tweets to try to get an idea of the man behind the messages. She was looking to determine which were from Trump himself or if they are from his campaign team. Analyzing the Meta feed, she found that the tweets were either from Apple or Andriod machines. Looking at the language, it seems that those from Andriod were more similar to Trump’s personal style. Coupled with the fact that he is usually actively tweeting at night (having real-time verbal wars with the enemy of the moment), she is 99% sure that the real Trump is using an Andriod phone as the weapon of choice.

Looking at the history of the messages, the professor said that it was revealing to see that Trump was a very active user of social media, using it to enhance his campaign messages effectively. He was able to feel the pulse of the country via his tweets and pick on topics that would endear him to his supporters. By emphasizing and then encouraging  them (eg. immigration, oppressed majority etc), he was able to get an upper hand against his Republican opponents, as he zeroed in on what matters to the masses. He just needed to fan the discontentment with implied innuendos without going into any specific details to win the Republican nomination.

This is backfiring on him now as we enter into the final stretch of the Presidential elections. The lack of details is starting to cause doubts about his capabilities. Saying “I am the man to fix it” so many times is like crying wolf. I bet some Republicans are now seriously considering whether to skip or void their votes, rather than being forced to vote on party lines.

Alice Cooper just threw his name into the hat with the slogan : “A Troubled Man for Troubled Times.” Maybe he will shock everyone in Nov by getting more votes than expected…  😉

http://globalnews.ca/news/2897747/alice-cooper-makes-a-political-bid-to-run-for-u-s-president/

 

 

Do we appreciate our parents enough and understand what sacrifices they went through to bring us up?

In order to fully appreciate a parent, one has to become a parent themselves. Holding that little bundle of joy that depends 100% on you makes one feel the heavy responsibility, of having brought another living being into the world. If you are told that you need to give up your life to save your own flesh and blood, I bet that most parents would not hesitate more than a few seconds to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I remember that my sisters and I really loved the chicken dish my mom used to cook occasionally when we were young. It was made up of only the smallest part of the chicken wing, the sharp tip. Years later, she scolded us when we questioned why she didn’t make it anymore. With only my dad as the sole breadwinner and 8 of us in the household, she had to stretch her food allowance budget. Periodically, she would save enough to buy us a little meat for dinner. The wing tip only cost $1 for a big pack and that was the only meat she could afford.

My parents are in their 80s now, still blessed with good health and mobility. We cherish them even more now, as we reach middle age and confront our own mortality. With the limited time we have left with them, we go out of our ways to create special moments for them and make it a point to spend more quality time together.

 The quote below is ironic of a child not valuing his parent and then suddenly realizing how wise they are :

 “When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years.” – attributed to Mark Twain

 

My condolences to the family of SR Nathan, a true son of S’pore who had given his all to serve the country. He lived a rich long life long till 92 and had an exciting memoir that we normally only read about in storybooks. RIP, Sir.

Came across this fast company article over the weekend which does resonant so much with some of the thoughts I have penned down on this blog over the last few months.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been increasingly accepted as an important factor for our success and happiness. This applies not only to work but also in our relationships and all areas of our lives. I just want to highlight the 7 points in the article and add in my comments – the fast company link is pasted below for your further reading pleasure.

1. Focus on the Positive                                                                                       Positivity is an importance weapon to attack life’s up and downs. When you are being served lemons, make lemonade.
2. Surround yourselves with Positive People                                                     Negativity is contagious, avoid it like the plague.
3. Able to set Boundaries and be Assertive when necessary                             Know who you are and what you want. Do state your stand when required
4. Forward thinking and willing to let go of the Past                                          Letting go of regrets and moving on with life – so many great experiences ahead to overwhelm bad past events
5. Always look for ways to make life more Fun, Happy and Interesting           Enjoy everything you do, life is like an interactive game for you to make happy thoughts and experiences
6. Choose our to expend their energies Wisely                                                     Pick your fights carefully. Learn from past mistakes and strive not to repeat them
7.  Continually Learning and Growing towards Independence                            Be a lifelong learner, always be open to new ideas and never stop absorbing new knowledge

http://www.fastcompany.com/3028712/7-habits-of-highly-emotionally-intelligent-people

 

What exactly is friendship nowadays?  Some simply define a good friend as someone you have known for more than 7 years.

In this day and age of social media, it is so easy for one to make friends or even unfriend someone at the flick of a finger. While you can easily expand your circle of friends exponentially (no thanks to FB, Snapchat and Whatsapp), have we lost the ability to treasury true friendship the old fashion way?

To me, a close friend is someone who has weathered life’s high and lows together, have many shared life experiences, never takes you for granted and is a trusted confidant. Each of us has many circles of friends that may overlap but then we only value those that are closer to our hearts. Over time, we can tell the difference between the superficial ones versus the keepers. It is a 2-way street where both parties recognise the importance of maintaining the relationship. Constant actions are needed to nurture this unique friendship and regular reciprocation is required.

As we move through the journey of life and into our twilight years, I hope that one can reflect back on the past and identify the special persons who have shared their lives with us. We will reminisce about past events, laugh for umpteen times at the same jokes and generally have a warm fuzzy feel good sentiment in our bellies whenever we catch up. These are the ultimate friendships to hold on to.

 

 

I will try to make a bold prediction : The Fed will not raise rates again this year.

The Fed started cutting rates (ZIRP) during the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC) to save its economy. Then it started buying bonds to flood the markets with funds to boost demand. After 8 years, global growth is still weak. Most central banks continue to be in a rate cut mode – New Zealand being the most recent. The printing of money had allowed hot money to flow to all asset classes like property, art and wines.

The Fed pioneered the pumping of funds into the system and most countries are learning from them – Japan, Europe and China being the biggest now. Negative rates (NIRP) are now punishing savers and resulting in more reckless borrowing. Deflation persists as consumers are not convinced that things are getting better, preferring to save for rainy days ahead.

I am certain that the Fed will be the first central bank to hike rates again in the future, after doing so last Dec. This is because the US is far ahead of the rate cut game that the rest of the world and marginally stronger versus most countries. But all signs point to a still fragile US economy which is not likely to improve much further this year. Most companies are still announcing profit warnings and excessive borrowings are causing fault lines to appear for sectors like commodities, where prices are still weak. Politically, this is also an election year which will happen in Nov.

Yellen cannot afford to kill whatever little strength the economy has now, nor add on more volatility to the already confused market. The rate hike will be talked about in future FOMC meetings to manage the markets, but it is likely that we will only see concrete action in the 2nd half of 2017 at the latest.

 

The current sentiment of the US elections looks to be tilting towards Clinton, due to the self-inflicted injuries and own goals that Trump is ever so capable of doing it to himself.

What that had previously worked for him to earn his Republican nomination against his opponents has come back to bite him in the backside. His no holds barred and take no prisoners attitude to crush his competitors took the media by storm then and they loved it. This new, never tried before style of street fighting brought into the political arena had attracted the disenfranchised white lower middle class who felt that their needs have been ignored for years.

Now that it is only him against Clinton in the final 100 meters of the race, this style is cracking at the seams. He cannot stick to the script and his foot in the mouth moments are happening regularly. The media has turned against him and like a trapped animal, Trump will do what he knows best and fight back viciously, damn the consequences. The Republican elites are experiencing their “Oh my God, what have I done?” moment and trying hard to distance themselves. There is zero party unity and things are going to get worst. Only the hardcore Trump fans (read : white lower class male) will be left. The more educated and privileged Republicans may simply abstain from voting to preserve party loyalty.

Between a candidate that lied and the other one that has the potential to blow up the whole country, who will you choose?