Destruction, devastation....whither the world is going

In recent months we have seen so much devastation and destruction of human lives that it raises a few eyebrows and beg the question: where is the world heading? There was the outbreak of civil disturbances in the Middle East which swept across many countries. Guns were turned by those in power against their very own citizens all in the interest of the protection of their own wealth. The down under Australia was hit by floods never before seen, when only a while ago it was fighting uncontrollable forest fires. Intermittent earthquakes rocked cities in north Asia from Taiwan to China, until last night's monstrous quake rupture Sendei city in northern Japan. It brought with it a tsunami that punctured the lives of many innocent victims, disrupted civil life and captured the news headline of all media across the globe.

While many may not link the two, I have always felt that much of the movement in tectonic plates would have been triggered at least in part by the many underground nuclear tests. Governments in Asia, from Pakistan, India to China and North Korea have been conducting underground nuclear tests. The human triggered shaking of the ground beneath the earth would invariable cause a disturbance to the already sizzling core of the earth crust.

What can we expect next? Another war in the Middle East, another superpower intervention would appear inevitable if the people who seek liberation from dictators are not to be left abandoned. Bombs will be dropped and there will be more burning...while everyone is talking about saving the environment. FAO has warned of the spiralling cost of food production; given the rise in oil prices caused by the outbreak of conflagration between oil-producing governments, we can only see high inflation with no solution in sight. The clock is ticking...but who is doing all the thinking?

Remembering the Christmas of yesteryears...

Christmas is just two days away and I thought I pen my thoughts on the good days of the 1960s. As a child Christmas was a time to enjoy some goodies, cakes and cookies but no presents. We were poor and besides we don't observe Christmas as we weren't Christians then. However, I would visit my neighbour's home just 100 metres away and soak in their festivities, and gawked at their lighted up and decorated Christmas tree. It would take the place of pride in the living room, and people would come and go wishing each other Merry Christmas. As I grew up in my teens I got to know Christmas as a time for merrymaking, playing guitar, making a few dollars performing at house parties and enjoying myself as such. My first big party after leaving school was to attend one gathering held at Shell House then in Collyer Quay. There was "live" music and I was there with my schoolmate and also my neighbourhood guys.

Later on in my 20s we would go to parties and nightclubs. Bookings had to be made in advance if you want to get a seat - and we would go in group of 10s or more couples. It was enjoyable and memorable. I recalled on Xmas Day morning as I was climbing up the stairs to get home at 6am and my mum and sister were leaving the house for the morning mass! Gosh...it was really getting caught crawling into bed well after bedtime!

One Xmas eve I remembered as I was trying to take a nap before the big evening of merrymaking. I chanced to turn the newspaper and read about a classmate who had committed suicide. It was shocking and I jumped out of the sofa. Couldn't sleep after reading that report as I tried to analyse why did she take her own life.

Raffles Place was the place to be for carolling. Church groups would perform on top of what was once a covered underground car park - the first in Singapore, flanked on one side by buildings housing the Robinson's department store and the Oriental Emporium.

Subsequent years Xmas became more subdued especially after I started a family. The gatherings were at friends' homes but there was exchanges of gifts, including giving to the children. It's been the same all these years, but I will still always enjoy Christmas more so now as a Catholic. The masses were great and so were the hymns. Merry Christmas!

2011...hopefully a better year

Alas the twelth month of 2010 is drawing to a close. There' so much that happened during the year and I must say several of which were events that I would have hoped they didn't happen. But given life's cycle it is inevitable that we have to accept the depatures of love ones from people to pets. Lest their passing will not be in vain, it remains for those who are still living to remember the lessons they taught us, be it about treasuring friendship and kinship, to unconditional love showered on us by our pets.

What have I done in 2010 that could be called a milestone? I'm not sure. Perhaps it is the sale of a house and the purchase of a house on the hill. Certainly not the trading on the stock exchanges as the market volatility somehow ultimately gobbled up the gains from the winning streaks. Am thankful that it didn't altogether wiped out the capital.

What can one look forward to in 2011? Perhaps with circumspect I would like to make my money word harder for me. Strategically planning for some moves that can point that way. There will be some tough decisions to be made, perhaps to the point of being gutsy but they will not be callous ones. Certainly can do with more blessing from God; will work hard to walk His ways. Planning more time playing my guitar and bring back memories of those days gone by.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well Santa Claus is beginning to appear in the newspaper advertisements; Christmas trees are taking their places at the various retail malls while decorative bulbs are gradually crawling out of the leafy trees. Its not quite the end of the year, but in a matter of weeks I believe it is likely to begin to look like Christmas. Understandably the retailers can't wait to get their cash registers ringing...given that the year's economic recovery has been anything but smooth. Bonuses for employees - well there's talk about better payouts this year but it remains to be seen. The stock market is taking a drubbing today; some say this is expected given the rises in the past fortnight. G20 members are still struggling in Seoul to find a common platform acceptable for everyone. There's just too many rhetoric. The will to perform isn't there.

Somehow life goes on. Students are out in large numbers to enjoy their term end holidays - a much deserved one given that they waited a year for the final exams. Holiday-makers are always flowing in and out come whatever time of the year. The drinkers will get their pints and the drunkards will get their high.

I sometimes wonder just how many more Christmas will I get to enjoy? Never know. Guess it's a simple question but to give it a definitive answer is not easy. We as humans think we have the power to do many things but alas not over life. If we breathe, it's because someone up there allows us to do so. Otherwise we are just like the candle that can be snuffed out in one puff. Given the fragility of life, yet one wonders why we don't always treasure the time we have on this good Earth. Instead of ranting and complaining, we should be going out there to enjoy the surroundings and take things in their stride. At the end of the day, we should say: Oh what a beautiful day it has been!

Life's Journey

Having seen so many close friends, associates, relatives passed on in life, one somehow can't help but pause to think what legacy will I be leaving behind after I am gone. Perhaps no one will remember or talk about me. I am not a politician who may have introduced policies to change people's lives, nor am I a multi-millionaire philanthropist whose donations will be etched on the stones of buildings, not even a singer to leave a song for others to sing.

Perhaps all I have is my blog...even then it is not regularly updated. My rantings and writings may not even make it into a scrap book. My ideas and views are nondescript. But, and a big but, maybe people will remember me for what I am...just another person who led a normal life, yet is able to enjoy all that is around me, appreciate the beauty of life, music, art and all the challenges in work and business. Friends I have a few; some may disagree and say I have more than I can chew. Regrets yes I do have them, one of which was that I should have paid more attention to education when I was young. I could have taken a different route and who knows then I may not have to reflect on what is the legacy that I will leave behind. I may be a leader of sorts and be remembered by my followers. One consolation I have is that I still have friends who remember to invite me for their gatherings, old classmates whose numbers are fast dwindling as the years go by.
Family, who are closely knit though they may not always agree with my thoughts and views. But in a crunch, they will stand together as one. This is important for ultimately, it is not anyone else but the family that you go home to. It is the family that you leave behind as your legacy.

Freedom...at what price?

Many countries may have gone into the First World status, while others are at the periphery waiting to join the ranks of the economic elites. But even among these so-called rich nations, the question of Freedom for the people is still a subject that is widely challenged by the people. One question often asked is: Freedom..but at what price? Yes indeed can we put a price to freedom, but should freedom be equated to a value. One of the most common ires among people is the lack of freedom of speech, expression and assembly. We see in Thailand today the people demonstrating day after day in a mass expression of the freedom of assembly. Is this good for the country and for the people, or are they being manipulated by the rich, some even paid for their time to "exercise" their freedom? I won't go into whether there is justification in the street demonstration since the current government itself got into office through such parallel street politicking.

The point I want to make is should any nation be subjected to such inconvenience under the flag of freedom of expression, even at the cost of ruining the economy? Almost daily we read in newspapers about politicians and other social activists clamouring for more freedom, and governments proclaiming that they have given freedom to the people but some with caveats that such freedom should not be at the expense of social unrest. Indeed I suspect that some authorities are using this caveat to in fact draw the framework to the meaning of freedom that best suits their needs. Hence, they line up a list of out of bounds areas or subjects and imposed a sledge hammer policy to the slightest transgressions, to the point that it is perceived as intolerance of political freedom and personal freedom.

I don't have the answers; I believe even scholars will not be able to find a suitable answers. The probable answers I believe ultimately would lie in the hands of the people: at what price are they prepared to pay for freedom?

Human weakness...no place is safe

The recent scandals involving Catholic priests once again surfaces the weaknesses in humans. It is not uncommon to hear of human failings even at the highest of office in politics certainly as well as in the corporate world. And, certainly we should not expect too much of the religious who after all began life as a common man and is still human, whatever the frock that covers the body. In fact, at one Sunday sermon the priest right put it to the congregation when he appealed for decorum especially from women who turned up in church to take holy communion. He asked that they avoid wear spaghetti string T-shirts for "we priests are humans too...". The current scandals gripping the church indeed underscored what the priest said.

However, I can understand the sense of betrayal that the victims must have felt. I grew up with deep respect for one of my neighbours who was strict with his nephews. He was a regular at church and always seen as a person with an upright personality. One day while I was among my group of friends, I overheard him using the four-letter expletive matter-of-factly...and gosh how all my respect for this "Uncle" began to crumble. And as I grew into my teens, I even learnt that he was coveting a neighbour's wife. He would visit her when her sailor husband was away and she would go with him on his scooter for rides. Indeed I recalled my mum telling me how she once saw them walking hand-in-hand. There is a certain trust that we would place in a person, because of his office, or because of his title, be it CEO, teacher, priest, godparent for example. And the children who went to take refuge in the convent and other homes run by the religious would have thought that they have found the safest place on earth, only to be abused by the avarice of mankind.

I have always felt that in prayer, it should be a communication between Man and God. The priests and other religious are just facilitators. I have been put off many times by the high-brow attitudes of these people that sometimes put me in dismay. They behave very much like the Pharisees,and others behave like demi-gods themselves. If only they could leave religion to God himself, we could have averted all these man-made scandals.