Dear Administrator,

                              Now that the euphoria and jubilation of winning the right of hosting the inaugural Youth Olympic Games 2010 was over, the seriousness of making it a highly successful one in the eye of the world should begin now.

As this  Youth Games is the first for the Olympic Movement and also first in our Singapore's history, mediocre performance is not acceptable and under performance is disastrous.

As such government ministries and their agencies, sport fraternities, youth representatives and the private sector must now work in unity and rise to the occasion and challenges to make it a success beyond expectation.

More important than the hardware of  winning medals and honour for the Games, can Singaporeans and the organising committee succeed in imparting the software namely, the core values of the Olympic Movement which are excellence, friendship and respect to the world's participating youth? This is more important than the Games itself. Today's youth will be the world leaders of to-morrow. This will be the challenge for all of us.

As imparting good values to our youth are of extremely importance to a harmonious and prosperous world of to-morrow, I want to be a part of this historic event even though I am 68 years.

I am a relief cabby. By 11th July 2010, I will be exactly 71 years old and will still have 1 more year to go before surrending my vocation licence to LTA.

衣食住行

The coming living standard may be like this:

Change our children mindset not to buy branded cloth, shoes and bag, educate them got cloth cover body will do.

Eat frozen meat, chicken, fish, prawn instead of fresh one, eat bean curd, long bean, bean sprout, light soya sauce,cook porridge at home instead of having lunch and dinner at food courts.

Don’t expect for a bigger flat, have a roof top to shelter from rain and sun, better than end up lodging at the void deck, in case we retrench by the Company, encounter financial hardship, can’t afford the HDB mortgage loan, and repossess the flat by HDB.

Stay more at home will spend less on transportation, unless go to work have no choice.

Take out the sim card immediately and insert prepaid/top up card, harass free from Communication Company in case can’t make ends meet and default payment, also cannot breach the contract early, otherwise, compensation charges, solicitor fees, bill collection Company will chase after you, so using the prepaid card can prevent all these mental torture.

Convert the traditional electricity meter to replace with Payu meter, that type insert the smart key into the meter and top up the value if the credit is running low, so you need not to worry when the utility bill is high, if you can’t pay, your electricity will be disconnected.

Pray the god we are healthy and evergreen, because the medisave only covered those inpatients, for outpatients still have to spend lots of cash for follow up and check up. The topic hope for evergreen, is due to majority of Singapore employer only keen on employ young or foreigner employee, if your age range is around middle or old, I don’t think they will offer an opportunity for you to come for an interview, regardless how skillful, how high qualification or how many years working experience you have.

Do you observe that our safety net is getting smaller and smaller? Our high level expect we depend on ourselves instead of depending on them.

This is the time we have to learn how to drop our living standard, otherwise one of the day we can’t make ends meet.

Not sure how many more ERP are going to set up in future? May be one of the day, not only vehicle pass by needs to pay ERP, I think even we take bus no:11(use our own legs to walk) on the road, may be need to pay unknown charges, for instance different location different charges, this is what so called:过路钱.

This is my own imagination, hope forever won't come true.otherwise people wants to step out of the house, have to think it twice.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Administrator,

                             I followed  the debate of the Budget speech closely.

                             My personal opinion is that many MPs spoke sensibly and convincingly on the needs of our Government who  can play an vital part to combat the fast, ever rising high cost of living and high inflation which will continue to rise..

                             As I expected, our Finance Minister has not heed at all to the views of the MPs except delaying increase of government fees for 1 year. He just defended and justified his action and had not directly addressed some vital points that MPs brought up namely, that some of the increased costs are within our government's control, and why they are coming at a time when people are really struggling to stay afloat?

                             I strongly believe many of the budget issues can be given a thorough review, re-look, tweaked or improved on especially on those that have direct impact on man in the street daily living. Examples of issues within government's control are hospital and university fees and more ERP gantries, higher entry fees and longer operational hours. I do not believe at all our government has no control over the former as Minister Tharman has so suggested.

                              The damning effect of the GST increase has far outreaching consequeces which our honourable Minister Tharman has never anticipated.

                              Riding on this GST increase, wholesalers, retailers, shopkeepers, hawkers have taken advantages of and increased their prices between 15% to 25%. My favourite 'lotus paste' pau has increased from $0.60cts to $0.80cts - a whopping 33.5% increase.

                             I don't know how my fellow Singaporeans feel.

                              Personally I  feel it is a let down by our Finance Minister.

REGARDS

I refer to the ST article on 25 Feb titled Can you call this a school.  This is a big concern, that MOE does nothing to screen the private schools, not even the quality of the teachers!  And we aspire to be a world class education hub.  Not only that, it seems not too concerned to address the issue, given there was already a few blow-ups last year.  If this is not the responibility of MOE, surely, it can pass it on to the relevant authority instead of washing its hands off like that?

I hope the relevant department can be more transparent in their own evaluation of level of professionalism and performance.  If they are are not up to par, why should they get paid a mark-to-market rate?

By the way, what is the point of MOE approving the private schools and creating opportunities of abuse by lending them to use MOE's name to con people, if all it does is like what the article indicated?  These people con thousands of dollars from many people, that is a big crime and MOE is sitting there and let it be.  Is it not an accomplice?   What can we, as common persons, do to make enough noise for the relevant authorities to wake up?

Shame, shame, shame!  If there is a mistake, admit it and correct it.  What I can't forgive is that it took the stance that it is not it's responsibility and does nothing further.   The market practice will be to fire such employees.  However things only go 1 way it seems.  One can get paid market rate without facing the consequences like the 'market' people do.

HDB needs to be more compassionate in arrears cases, hope they are not just follow the rule and regulation, otherwsie many Singaporean when they encounter financial hardship, they will end up stay at the void deck one of the day.

Although HDB have their right to recover the HDB mortgage arrears from the residents, even to repossess the flat if the residents default payment, but did HDB take in consideration to assist the residents to overcome the extremely difficulty period instead of legal action?

Nowadays in Singapore, not only low-income level, also middle income(actually consider as sandwich, those need to rear elderly Parents and younger children) and those self employed, odd job workers with no stable income,housewives, retire Citizens with zero cents income, sick and chronic patients,single Parents and many others, all feel very stressful over the high costs living standard, all items, all prices keep on increasing everyday, they feel every now and then keep on cover l0 jars with only 9 caps.

More important, if they can't make ends meet, and insufficient fund to clear their mortgage arrears, they will lose their HDB flat, just like those cabbies, if they can't afford the high taxi rental and diesel costs,they will get ready to repossess the taxi by the Company, did the taxi Company ever consider once they repossess the taxi, not only affected the cabby,also their family, so the HDB too, if they just simply repossess the flat, affected not only the lessee also their family members.

Hope that HDB kindly bear in mind, many Singaporean can't make ends meet, thus they have problem in settle SP services, Town Council Conservancy Charge, HDB mortgage loan, hospital bill, taxi rental, I think HDB more or less knows about that, so why HDB can't be more flexible to handle the case?

Can HDB imagine how pathetic the resident and their family stay at the void deck ? and some even don't have any roof top to shelter from rain and sun?

Meantime, if let the Media, not only local reporter also Media from other Countries,for instance Channel News Asia to telecast the news all over the world due to resident can't settle the mortgage loan, so end up to stay at their own HDB void deck, it will be more or less affected those foreign investors who have intention to invest in Singapore, because the foreigner feels that even our own nation also don't have the "home sweet home" to stay, so who dare to come for an investment?

I sincerely hope that the HDB Authority would kindly review the repossess HDB flat policy.

Taxi cabbies earn a hard living on the road, long hours for driving taxi, no CPF, no bonus, dare not take off, due to the higher rental, the taxi Company even never discuss with the cabbies the actual taxi fare how high going to increase, only discuss among the high level themselves, not transparency at all, is that fair to the majority public and cabbies? In fact ,does not benefit much for cabbies, cabbies only work like slave for the taxi Company and diesel Company to settle the rental and diesel, take home pay sometimes can't make ends meet, so the big transport Company just concern to employ more enforcements no days and nights to keep on chasing after the cabbies for rental, if the cabbies really can't afford just return the vehicles, so the big transport Company needs to prepare more space to park the vehicles when cabbies returned the taxi to them, if too many cabbies return their taxi to the Company, I think the Company needs to think the way to explain to their big shareholders.

Everybody will think is that the only solution to assist the cabbies to increase their income by increasing such a high taxi fare?Did the taxi Company have better way to assist the cabbies to increase their income?  meantime  not increase those lower, middle incomes, sick patients and elderly citizens burden on transportation.

It seem more benefit to smrt and bus Company, even they try to increase more trains and buses, commuters still need to squeeze like sandwich, no space to turn around and no air to breath.

Really very crowded in MRT nowadays whether peak or off peak hours especially towards to Orchard or Town area or in return from town area to Woodlands, everybody squeeze like sandwich, no space to turn around or even no air to breath, if anyone suddenly not feeling well, or any emergency case happen in mrt, can't imagine how to rescue that person? or the public how to escape?

Not everyone stay in Private Property is rich, also not everyone stay in

smaller flat is consider poor, many viewers ever see lots of people who stay in 3 rooms flat own private car even own a shop or a Company, but some stay in 4 rooms, 5 rooms even private property encounter financial problem, even some can't make the end meet ,they have elderly Parents and younger children need to look after, also having a problem to settle their SP services or HDB/Bank monthly mortgage loan and hospital bill , if the husband is the sole bread winner of the family also a taxi hirer, they have high taxi rental or diesel cost price need to bear, if some doing odd job or self employed, they have no stable income, even now you have stable job and stable income, you also can’t tell the economic is up or down the next moment.

The relevant department should base on the personal income, but not base on the family total income, some family children although earn high income, but contribute very little to the family, the best, the relevant department should base on the personal income to offer the 紅包

八十岁，每月才领六百元？如果现在五十岁，要当长颈鹿三十年？远水救得了近火？

Have to wait until 80 years old then can get that $600 per month? If now 50 years old , just like long neck Giraffe waits for another 30 years? The water is so far away can put out the nearest fire?

保家伦为钱财奴.

千金苦锁穷眉愁.

报国不识满江红.

无钱莫见自白头.

干露洒尽温室花,

半枯老竹顶烈阳.

花艳炫亮栽花人,

堪记纳凉竹阴下?

I'm pretty upset about the incident that had recently happened to me.

I was riding from a filter lane to a small road that is connected to an expressway, and had noticed a mini bus a distance away (from 5 to 7 car length) from the dotted line that I was on, thus I turned and shortly after, the bus banged my motorcycle and I fell to the ground.

That bus driver told me he was speeding and when I ask him why he is speeding, he replied, saying who wouldn't speed in a small straight road. He ask me not to call  the police or an ambulance since I'm not seriously hurt and throw $30 to me on the ground and ask me to see a doctor. This is ridiculous.

What is more ridiculous is that when I went for the interview before the verdict is out, the senior Investigating Officer who is in charge of my case told me I’m liable for the accident. He said no matter what it is, the person coming out from the filter lane will always be at fault even if he is being knocked down by an oncoming vehicle from the main road.

He said speeding is not an issue for my case and the driver is not at fault, even if he was speeding at 80 - 90 km/hr and knocked me down, though the speed limit is 50km/hr. So when I ask him if I switched role with the bus driver, I'll be off the hook isn't it. HE SAID NO! Because I’m speeding!

Is this discrimination to female riders? So if I’m the bus driver I'll be at fault but if the bus driver is speeding, he is not at fault because he is a guy?

It takes two hands to clap, isn't it? I admit I was at fault too, but with the driver admitting to speeding to the witness, my fiancé and me, isn't it counted as a verbal statement too? Moreover, as the witness is someone whom I’ve met before, the Investigating Officer said that he can't be my witness since we’ve seen each other before, as he lived in the same block as my fiancé? This is ridiculous! What if I died from the accident? There won't be any witness because he was the only one who witnesses it.

The police said unless I died from the accident, speeding will then become an issue. So do I count myself as lucky or unlucky? Lucky that I’m not dead but unlucky because I had to pay for the fine and medical bill and the bus driver can just get away scot-free though he did SPEED?! The Investigating Officer even told me they need a speed meter to justify that the driver had speed in order to prove he is at fault too.

Is this law? Or personal discrimination to bikers especially FEMALE riders?

I can't help but to keep thinking that he had something against riders especially a female one as he did not seem to take me seriously during the interview. He did not put down important notes that I told him like "the driver admitted to the three of us that he was speeding because it is a small and straight road, and he was late for work" but he wrote “the driver gave me $30 dollars to see a doctor". When I questioned him about it, he said he just want a short and sweet report.

The conclusion that I gather are:

1) A person whom you’ve seen before cannot be a witness, though you may not know him or her.

2) Female riders are always at the losing end.

3) Those drivers coming out from the filter lane are always at the losing end even if the drivers from the main road driver speed and knock down drivers coming from filter lanes.

4) We can speed and get away scot-free if we hit someone from the back unless that person died from the accident.  

Recent capital injection by GIC to UBS and Citi has somehow create my curiousity on how the GIC and Temasek operate. Since the fund belong to Singapore, I see we should deserve the right to at least know how the organisation is operating. If due to the confidential reason, the management can just show in bulk figure which is not so detail.

My questions:

- How much money has been pay to the operation? E.g Directors and staff pays.

- What is the yearly revenue and profit for the whole fund?

- How GIC and temasek return the profit to the Singapore?

- Why is there no yearly AGM for the management to answer on their performance? At least something like the paliment debate to open to the public of Singapore? Even government also has election to reflect their performance although it is usually a sure win contest.

Since Singapore do not have a strong opposition party in the paliment, I see a strong need to be more open to the public. If GIC and temasek fund is a mutual fund, I dont see any worry for the management to show their report. Unless there is some unknown truth to the public?