I came across this French artist on another blog and this song is absolutely spellbinding~ and then I realized, this is Nicolas Sarkozy's wife! No wonder he says it is more important for the French nation's progress to be measured in happiness and not dollars! =)
Check out this dude, Sylvain Raynes, attacking crazy-money Cramer on CNBC. Erin Burnett did her best to defend her colleague...and ex-Goldman Sachs colleague..well actually, all three of them, Erin Burnett, Sylvain Raynes and Jim I-didn't-take-money-from-Goldman Cramer are all alumni of Goldman Sachs.
Both Erin Burnett and Jim Cramer are Goldman Sachs alumni. According to her wikipedia entry Burnett began her career in 1998 as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs in their investment banking division, where she worked on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance. Cramer obtain employment in 1984 as a stock broker in Goldman Sachs’ Private Wealth Management division, according to his wikipedia page.
Sylvain Raynes is a founding principal of R&R Consulting, a structured credit metrics consultancy founded in 2000. He co-authored “The Analysis of Structured Securities: Precise Risk Measurement and Capital Allocation” with Ann Rutledge, the other R in R&R Consulting. Their second book“Elements of Structured Finance” is scheduled for release in May 2010. He is also a Goldman Sachs alumni.
I think it's been quite established by now that Singapore has some of the most over-qualified taxi drivers...tonight I met one taxi driver whom I had a nice conversation with.
To me, old taxi uncles are the best keepers of Singapore's local history. They tell you the stuff you cannot find from google or Singapore history books; and so I really relish every chance meeting I have with a coherent, logical and wise old taxi driver, such as this uncle tonight.
He wears a sporty cap over his crew cut head of white hair. His face looks weather beaten and slightly tanned but sturdily strong for a 59 year old. He speaks good English and he is not a myopic creature - which to me means somebody who knows about the world outside of Singapore.
He asked me, "Wah you get off work at such a late hour ah?"
After explaining to him the reasons we got off to a little chat about different time zones in the world and that got him started on telling me how he was once working in Saudi Arabia as an aeronautical technician for Saudi Airlines...not sure if it is exactly called Saudi Airlines or some other form of that...but anyway, the topic quickly got me interested, as I am always interested in taxi drivers' beginnings, especially those who seemed to have once had it better.
Well let's call him Uncle T. Uncle T says he joined SIA as a technician after NS in 1972 and worked there till 1978. He was paid in the region of $600+ per month. He moved on to join Saudi Airlines in 1979 when they first bought what he recalls as the "Jumbo plane" from SIA and needed good, hardworking Singaporean technicians.
"They wanted to recruit about 30 of us, 20 of which were Malays for obvious reasons, and the rest of us, we had to pretend to be Christians because they didn't like other religions like Buddhism. I had to get Christian friends' ICs to photostat and so on...because they got baptise and all that..." He explained.
"Why leh? I don't understand about the Christianity part.." I replied.
"Because they don't like Jews..." he added without a thought, leaving me curious to wonder if I was so ignorant as to not know some sort of a link between Judaism and Buddhism...ANYWAY, I let that thought hang for the time being.
He added that his wife and kids used to get 4 tickets per year per person to visit him there.
"The Saudis are so rich that is nothing to them lah.."
"That's nice...but is there anything they can do there?" I asked as I pictured a 1970s version of the land of the Saudis.
"You know, Singapore only started having all these huge shopping malls in the recent years. The Americans were there in Saudi back then and they had all these mega huge shopping malls even then!" He quipped.
So anyway, he went on to tell me they were paid SGD 3000 a month worth of basic salary for 8 hours work days, and every extra hour they worked it was an additional 1% of their basic salary, which pretty much allowed him to earn a total of $6000 every month, not counting a $10,000 per annum allowance. He did this for 5 years, and he decided it was time to return to Singapore.
Back in Singapore, he had the means to pay off his 5 room flat in Bedok Resevoir which cost him $70,000 at that time. He tried to join SIA but decided to snub them when they offered him only what a fresh recruit would be getting. He decided to take on taxi-driving, which he further explained was rather profitable back in the days of 1980s. He was bringing home about $2k-$3k per month.
At this juncture we started talking about his kids who are about my age and how today's housing costs are horribly out of sync with earning power. Today, a graduate earning $2k to $3k starting salary is very much the average statistic, and yet our 5 room flats in Bedok Reservoir cost up to $400,000 and more at the time of writing.
I told him I am saving up to escape this crazy island and he said he regret not being daring enough to move to Australia back when his friends were asking him along. He also has a brother-in-law whose entire family migrated to Canada almost 10 over years ago and are not regretting a single bit of their decision.
He ended his story saying, "no doubt they pay higher taxes there if they are working, but if they are not, they get welfare in return...I liked talking to you, I'll try to come round to spot for you again and we can talk again..I wish you luck" He gave a wise old man-ish white stubbly chinned grin and patted on my shoulder as I took the change and receipt.
I was reading a blog post on "Diary of A Singaporean Mind" called "Humiliation of the poor", when I came across an interesting (though a bit lengthy) remark posted by an ex-Singaporean which I'll like to share here.
Testimony of an ex-Singaporean who has a special need child:
In Singapore, one can go bankrupt if there is a major illness in the family and need to be hospitalized.
As we ward our daughter,all hell broke loose. We did not have CPF medisafe bec. we were self-employed, then no insurance. I remember vividly standing at the registration counter of the SGH LIMITED.. since I did not have all the usual coverage, she asked for my credit card and got me to sign on the BLANK copy and told me they will charge me later. I was signing a "BLANK CHEQUE"! Can you imagine how heavy my heart was when I was walking back to admit my daughter!
Not long after we landed in Canada, we received a letter (I kept it till today so that I will show my great grandchildren later) from the University of Alberta Hospital. It gave us two full-days of schedule with all those professors and sepcialists...from heart, hearing, speech, ear etc..you name it we have it there...to check on my 3 year old Singapore-born daughter. Again (like the same scene in the SGH) on the day of the medical check-ups I went over to the registration desk. After the white receptionist helped me to fill up all the forms, I sheepishly asked her: "How much must I pay for all these professors and specialists check-up on my daughter?" Listen, listen listen to the answer, ready?: "Sir it is FREE. It is under Alberta Health Care."
What!!? I could not believe her...I have not even paid my first Alberta Health Care premium (that time we need to pay about Can $100 per month for a family) and not a single cent of tax and yet we got FREE real professional check-ups for my daughter! I almost cried! The receptionist did not ask for my credit card. It was/is FREE!!!!!
Same daughter, same illness but in a different country and heaven and hell difference. Lucky we mmigrated to Canada. Lucky. Pure luck.
At kindergrader her class had only 7 special needs kids but they were taken care of by a full-time teacher, an assistant and watch over by a nurse and a specialist for special needs kid!
Fast forward. On reaching 18, she is given a monthly inflation-indexed allowance of Sin $1,500 (C$1+S$1.3), free medical and drugs, free dentistry and glasses (Sin $ 400 every 2 yrs). She can enroll for all kinds of studies and even dance, swim or social dance ... all paid for..yea FREE. Monthly bus is half price at Sin$45 per month ...unlimted bus and train travel.
If she is out of job, the social service will immediately find her a suitable job. Now she works 1 to 2 days a week in the Dollar Shop to do stuffing and packing...earning about sin$400 per month...no tax and no crawl back as it too low an income. So total monthly allowance+income about Sin$2,000.
I always tell Singaporeans that it takes alot of courage to emigrate out of Singapore but it takes even more courage to live in Singapore!
Canada is not a perfect place but you know for sure that it is not Singapore where if you do not die in the hospital, you will die of shock by just looking at the hospital bill!
Open to the idea of emigrating out of Singapore. We are not taking about politics here, we are talking about happy laughter of our children and grandchildren playing in the snow. We are talking about focusing on how to have our children get well in the hospital without worrying over the hospital bills.
The name of the writer is kept confidential to protect the rights of the child. This is a true case as I know the writer personally.
By WingLeeCheong, at 24/12/09 07:54
I get a lot of opportunities to interact with taxi drivers because my company sponsors my cab rides due to the odd hours. I'm sure most Singapore-netizens are aware of the taxi driver blog by Dr Cai Ming Jie...well I am not as entertained by my encounters with cabbies as he is with passengers, but I'd just like to share a bit of an epiphany I had derived from my daily brief meetings with them.
While I find that the garden varieties of cabbies typically fall into the happy, angry or bo-chup categories, there are some stark commonalities that link them all. Interestingly, Straits Times' choice of headlines in this article once again makes me wonder if they think we are collectively a stupid or dumb country. Why is the content of this article, "Former Reform Party member..." but the header "Reform Party man..." ??? It's slightly amusing actually.
Reform Party man wanted by US
By Elena Chong
FORMER Reform Party committee member Balraj Naidu made a brief court appearance on Tuesday for an extradition hearing which was adjourned until next Monday.
The businessman was arrested at his home last week and brought to court on a warrant of arrest.
He is wanted by the US Government on two terrorism-related charges and brokering an arms deal with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ellam (LTTE) .
No charge has been laid against him.
The request for his extradition was made around the middle of the year.
Family members of Mr Naidu were in court with his lawyer, who declined comment.
Fast food chains are quickly dropping down my chart of where-to-eat. Seeing it in a movie was one thing, seeing it proven in a court case is another!
Below is a case brought against KFC in NSW, Australia recently, as featured by Sydney Morning Herald.
KFC twister salmonella poisoned girl, court told
Bellinda Kontominas
August 3, 2009
A girl who suffered brain damage from salmonella poisoning, allegedly after eating a chicken twister at KFC, was the victim of "disturbing" and "unsettling" practices at the fast-food giant, a court has heard.
Monika Samaan, 11, was seven years old when she developed salmonella encephalopathy and salmonella septicaemia brain damage.
Her family claims the condition was a result of her eating the meal at Villawood KFC on October 24, 2005.
She is now confined to a wheelchair and her family is suing KFC for damages.
Barrister for the Samaan family, Anthony Bartley, SC, told the NSW Supreme Court today that Monika's injuries were caused by salmonella from KFC, an allegation strongly refuted by the company.
"Your honour will hear that, if the store was particularly busy, then if chicken dropped on the floor near the burger station it would on some occasions simply be put back into the burger station from where it had fallen," Mr Bartley said.
"The evidence, your honour, comes from employees of KFC at the relevant time both in the shop at Villawood and other stores."
Mr Bartley said other members of the family had become ill after eating KFC that day and, in the same month of the alleged incident, another 10 people who ate at Villawood KFC reported having food poisoning.
"There is no doubt in this case that what poisoned Monika and left her in the physical condition that she now is [in] is salmonella," Mr Bartley said.
"And there is little or no doubt that chicken was reported by all scientists, at the time of these unhappy events occurring, as being the source of that salmonella," he said.
The court heard that, in the months before the alleged incident, the KFC store in Villawood had rated poorly in internal audits on food preparation and handling.
"It makes you wonder how often you would have to score badly before someone would decide you couldn't operate. If it keeps failing on those potential areas you'd wonder why nothing was done about it," Mr Bartley told the court.
Since the incident, the Villawood store had become a franchise, but was still required to adhere to KFC standards.
As recently as last week, an internal audit had discovered cross-contamination of foods was present in the store, which had scored an overall performance mark of 41 per cent, the barrister said
The hearing, before Justice Stephen Rothman, continues.
Came across an article in CNBC today, "Wanted: Fake Employees"...
Interestingly, some filmmaker started a business venture, called 'Odd Job Nation' that makes taking on odd jobs during this recession way cool. They have jobs like...
1) Foosball player
We are in need of a seriously talented fooseball player. Our office has had a reigning champ of foosball for way to long, and as a result, said champ has become overly cocky and boastful of his foosball superiority. He needs to be put in his place and annihilated by a foosball pro. If you think you can beat our champ, you will be rewarded with free beer during/after the match. If you can beat our champ, you will be given a $40 prize!
2) Mermaids for a birthday party
Perhaps fulfilling a long-harbored “Splash!” fantasy, one poster is looking for a couple of women to pose as mermaids and swim around the pool at a birthday party in July. The pay is $150 for three hours, and they will provide the costume if necessary, but there is one teensy caveat: You have to do it topless.
Trust the Americans to come up with anything cool and wacky.
As a former badminton player in the inter-school circuit, I found it rather surprising when I saw the contenders for the title this year, RJC vs Jurong JC. What? JJC? What happened to VJC? Or ACJC? Or even TJC? Well the twist of story came to light when I managed to track down my former doubles partner at the badminton hall amidst the good old deafening RJC cheering. He is one of the teachers-in-charge now and the inside scoop is this...
Me: How come JJ is so strong now?
Him: They are all Chinese import students/players.
Me: Where do they find so many Chinese players?
Him: They have agents for that nowadays apparently...
Me: Then how can they cope with 'A' levels just coming into Singapore like dat?
Him: They don't. Their school don't care. They return to their country or find other things to do after the 2yrs in JC.
For a more informative read, below is a better documented article taken from the Kent Ridge Common.
Some really 'funny' comments also ensued the article...of which I extracted one...see below!
Warning signs of unhappy sentiments against foreigners
By Kelvin Teo ⋅ June 2, 2009
SINGAPORE - Last week, the National Inter-school ‘A’ division badminton finals featured a showdown between Jurong Junior College (JJC) and Raffles Institution (RJC). What was supposed to be a simple final duel between 2 schools ended up being polarized into a Singapore versus China showdown. How did that happen? The boys’ and girls’ teams from RJC consisted of Singaporeans, while the girls’ team line-up from JJC wholly consisted of Chinese nationals. Of the 7 members in the JJC boys’ team, 4 were from China, 1 from South Korea and 2 were Singaporeans.
JJC made history with its first appearance in a badminton final. However, the line-up of its teams came under heavy criticism, and there were hints of unhappy sentiments. Vice-captain of the Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) badminton team, John Low, echoed the sentiments of his team:”‘It’s unfair and we do feel a little resentful.” RJC coach Hamid Khan agreed with Low’s unfair assessment, adding that there should have been a cap in the number of foreign players allowed to participate. Others felt that a cap in number of foreign players would have the advantage of improving sporting standards without adversely affecting the participation of local players. The polarized contest between Singapore and China was summed up by Lim Boon Tiong, an RJC reserve player:”A lot of us feel like we’re playing for Singapore, not just Raffles”.
The resentment went to the level that even supporters from ACJC cheered on RJC. This is a thought that any ACSian in his right frame of mind would never ever entertain given the rivalry between ACS and Raffles. The fact that the former cheered for the latter just showed how polarized the contest is, which transcended inter-school rivalries.
Such unhappy sentiments were reminiscent of those expressed in the wake of the open door policy, which opened the floodgates for waves of foreign employees into our work force. These sentiments were expressed occasionally in our very own Straits Times forums, and online in blogs and other popular Internet forums. Like those who were concerned over the badminton showdown between JJC and RJC, there were repeated calls to exercise a strict cap or quota on the number of foreign employees a company can hire. Like local badminton players losing out on the opportunity to represent their school, local employees fear losing their rice bowls to foreign employees. If the calls remained unheeded, such unhappy sentiments against foreigners will rear its ugly head. The events at the badminton final provided a stark reminder to all.
Comment
nsnsns · 9 hours ago
Wake up, the Singapore male will eventually lose in the game of life when you finish your A-levels and are forced to enter NS slavery. The "JJC China loser" will move on to your varsity place and fuck your girls. I hope something ugly breaks up at a larger scale. It will be a much better show than this childish badminton.
Seeing as my intended graduate studies will be be in Information Technologies, this flowchart a friend sent me seems like a good start to cement the fundamentals...
Recently a friend read my blog and told me "dude, i think your blog is a bit too dark...". Seriously, even before he said so, I was already thinking the same, that there are happier stuff to write about; which was perhaps why I had the writer's block for quite a couple of days now as I ransacked my upstairs for a piece filled with positivity.
Failing to produce any article with this mandate in mind, I can only conclude my "pursuit of happYness" is coming up against some major brickwalls at the moment.
Referring to Maslow's hirerarchy of needs, I note that I'm waaaay behind schedule in terms of "self-esteem" (Achievement, Mastery, Recognition, Respect) and "self-actualization" is nowhere in sight. Worse yet, my lengthening spell as an unemployed is starting to shake the layer containing "security" and "stability". I also realize the one thing holding me up from sliding down this snake & ladder game is the "Belonging - Love" level. I have great friends, fantastic family and one heck of a spouse-to-be...but I've got no lover...hmmm
Anyway, seeing as this piece still doesn't quite qualify for yanking this blog back from the "dark side", I reckoned the least I could do is change its template to brighter hues for now =)
