Global panel recommends Singapore's hawker culture be added to Unesco

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/global-panel-recommends-singapores-hawker-culture-to-be-added-to-unesco-list

HAWKER CULTURE SINGAPORE

Origins of Hawker

- Traces back to Early Immigrants, to be able to have a ready market of consumers with generally lower capital outlay without prerequisites of certifications. 

- The mobility of the stalls gave rise to "Hawking" where it is defined as Touting to Attract Customer in a Portable Stall.

- Hawkers would gather in Cross Junctions to maximize the Traffic Coverage therefore "Hawker Centre".

- 1971 first Government Built Legal Official Hawker Centre to consolidate the Hawkers in 1 area to operate legally with license such that they do not have to face problems of "protection money" while cleaning up the Sanitation of Streets. 

- Initially, people hated Hawker Centre Buildings as it lost the flexibility of travelling and have to travel far for Hawker Centre.

- It took us until 1986 before the last Hawker was resettled to a Hawker Centre

Characteristics of Hawker

- Caters to many Social Classes

- Becomes a Lifestyle 

- Where humans interact and mingle

- Topic of Conversations 

- Choice of Meeting Venue (social)

- Entrepreneur without Certification / Capital

- Innovative Creation of Food due to Space Constraints 

- Laissez-Faire Economy

- Upholding Intangible Legacy

- Part of the Ecosystem of Agriculture Locally, Regionally and Internationally

Hawker as a National Identity

- 114 Hawker Centres today, dependency on it in a Socio-Economical sense

- Display of Globalized Nation with Innovative Amalgamation of Food Culture

- In a cacophony of sounds and action, Hawker has stitched into the social fabric of Singapore

- This represent cultural creativity, and cultural exchange of human values in the Oral Traditions of Culinary Art

- It involves through time, invites platforms for Hawkerpreneurs, for continuity through Upward Mobility

- Testimony of Urbanization (Sanitary, Facilities, Urban Landscaping, Employment)

- Fun Fact : Instant Food is one of the 1st item cleared during the Pandemic, partly due to dependency on Hawker

International Recognition of Hawker

- Culinary Skills (Gordon Ramsay Hawker Cook Off)

- Michelin Guide (Plate, Bib Gourmand, Star)

- BBC / Netflix / CNA Documentaries 

- Submission for UNESCO 

When Michelin is concerned, a Michelin Hawker strips all the fancy ambience and service to the bare minimum of "Good Food". Master of Culinary Skills, Understanding of Flavours, Unique Personality of the Dish, Consistency, are among the criteria. Food is not just about 

UNESCO doesn't require the Contested Heritage Site to be original, because nothing in Singapore is truly original. But whether or not it defines our National Identity and therefore matches the criteria is probably more important. Can we Singapore survive without Hawker? Cost of Living will increase again, higher unemployment rates due to higher entry barrier for skilled labours, lost of Oral Traditions and Culture passed down through Hawker Food. What can we benefit from UNESCO? More recognition to attract tourists to give them a try, more support for Hawkerpreneur to operate and enjoy subsidized rental of stalls, more National Pride.

Freedom finally! After 2 weeks within 4 walls! 

Well, again another update. So my Dad is the Covid Positive Patient working as Security Officer at Changi Airport, receiving treatment at TTS now. As for recovery progress, it seems like it's not very good because of other Health Complications. And to make things worst, his pessimist mindset probably placed some placebo effects too. So I guess, we can only hope....... I mean, 50,000 recovery cases, I don't see why the big fuss is all about.

Luckily though his life routine is "Workplace-Coffeeshop-Home", unlike myself, I cant imagine the contact tracing if I am positive, the industry will shutdown hahahhas, too much at stake. 

So anyway, served my Quarantine Order at Hilton Garden Inn Little India, 23 Oct to 06 Nov, swab results Negative both on first day and last day of QO. 

Experience is boring. But coping way better than Circuit Breaker. Binge watching Netflix, Variety Shows, and MeWatch. Attended online day courses as it becomes more available. Grabfood is available so been ordering food every supper, thats the perks of being in rather heart of city. Service is great by Hotel. Welfare check everyday. Boring part is cant step out of room. Skin is getting dry due to aircon. But thus no need for any maintenance cuz no shaver no nail clippers no lighters no sharp objects. Other than zoom, no need for clothes too 

So then now that Im finally out, impulse splurge on myself. Booked One Farrer Skyline Suite for a night, and booked for Spa, Movies and a Scrumptious meal. Not the most wallet-friendly but I guess my mum deserves some luxury now and then la. 

Ofcoz, we talked about business too, about how the world is changing fast, AI taking over, and the importance of Transferable Skills and Personal Branding or Connections over Technical Skills and Traditional Career Progression Model. I am pretty sure that in the future where information is easily available online and precision or production is easily done by automation, bosses no longer are interested in investing on humans to deal with all the human factor but rather investing on a controllable predictable robot. So they would probably only hire people if their reputation is good. That means visionary skills, leadership skills, foresight skills. Or involvement in many many successful projects. 

Therefore I am truly grateful how this nation starts to shift the education framework to criterion based, a decade ago, gradually from tertiary to secondary and now to primary schools. While I personally do not believe in not having bell curve because I think that we should teach people how to fail, whats the feeling of being loser, instead of bubbling them, but I guess the negative consequences from pressure weights more than the nurturing of resilience. Oh well, there are other ways, enrichment, sports, etc. So back to the point, we are all working towards a holistic development future, where transferable skills are valued more than anything, problem solving and critical thinking, prepared us for AI industry. I am truly amazed.

Then is about some business acumen here and there. I was just thinking about inheriting the Lapis recipe for mum to do it myself because firstly is heritage, secondly, their reluctance to step out of comfort zone irritates me alot. I guess that is the reason Im probably the poorest pathethic indonesian chinese you know. My entire family has history of being cheated, of not innovating, of clinging on to hopeless matters, and all......... Cant blame them. Its fate, its generation, its trauma for them. And here I am, trying to make things work, but doesnt seem to go anywhere from here. I can only hope. But its tiring, trying to prove, but the result is not showing, and constantly, their simple-minded-brains are taking things too superficially and idealistically against their set of expired utopia. 

 It has been 2 months. 2 very busy months. 

So a little update, so I quit Monster Day Tours for good, joined Lets Go full time, to develop my own tours, to decide on the resources I need, with support with the marketing and other backend. It's an "ownself feed ownself" model. Working on this team for 2 months, I started to feel like this is a home I never had. I really enjoyed the dynamics and creative control I have, but that being said, I always felt I have done not well enough to reignite the drive and the passion of the existing team. Nevertherless, we need a breakthrough, a paradigm shift, to trail braze uncharted waters. So I felt that the only way this could grow is when I prove that Domestic Tourism could work, then perhaps the team could then grow, motivated and swift.

So I handle the Educational Tours for Domestic Audience and Private Themed Tours for International Arrivals; C should spearhead Lets Go Cook, a series of Cooking Classes series with Tour Element; and also D in to spearhead a Theatrical Tour, so storytelling way to convey historical events and facts; A to develop the Bicycle Tours with themes, and R to focus on Boat. So far, many hiccups, but in a way, a little silver lining at every misfortunes we had, pretty much like this Pandemic. Im for once hopeful, of a brighter 2021. 

The hindrance I had now, is that Dad is tested Covid Positive, recovering in TTS now. Not recovering well, seems like he has high accumulation of Covid. He doesnt sound optimistic since his fever is periodical. So I'm under Quarantine Order till 7 Nov at Hilton Inn Little India. Myself, my Swab on 24th Oct Noon resulted Negative, pending on more at the end of QO. Really lucky to be Negative, else my industry would shut down. 

So filling my time with more courses as usual, and watching random webinars and all. Binged watched lots of drama, including a 73 episodes series I finished in 3 days. Food wise, so far so good, but my spoilt stomach made me order grab for every supper and sometimes breakfast too. Sigh, it's like CB all over again but Im coping a lot better now, ironically, with lesser freedom. At least my mind is still sane. But well, hopefully the situation gets better, 50,000 recovery, please be another full recovery........ im not ready for more responsibilities yet. Aissshhhh que sera sera, whatever will be will be........

The past month was crazy.

Since Phrase 2, my schedule is suddenly packed. Mainly because other than the Courses I am taking, I'm on a project to look at Domestic Travel too. On top of that, I'm doing part time at Red Dot Brewhouse. However, I am very grateful that despite my busy schedule, I have friends who tries to squeeze in some time before or after my work, for a Birthday treat. Unlike past years where I throw huge parties and invite my entire social network over, this year is initiated by my friends. Feels great, that the entire month of July has been filled with such breaks.

So this year National Day feels very weird to me. As I am working, I am surrounded by Non-Singaporean colleagues, and the patrons are half expats, an the other half nonchalant about it. For once, I felt alone. I guess I'm probably the only one humming over the familiar tunes as the music plays in the background.

Every National Day, I would either be in a KTV, or somewhere with friends. I'm not the one who would physically join the crowd for the fireworks, nor rush to some pinnacle or book a table at a rooftop bar for the fireworks, but at least I would be with people who have at least a sense of belonging, a little hype about the special day. Last year, due to Tourist Guiding, I'm with a guest at Mr Stock, full of praises, full of joy.

So in the spirit of SG55, Robin and I gathered a few guides who are available for a quick 3h video shoot on Hari Raya, and took a half day filming segments at his house and mine, to put up a Music Video. Hilariously, the guides available turns out to be all guys, so we joked about Let's Go Boy Band hahhahas! Historically, no Tourist Guide groups have done a Music Video like this. I must thank the spontaneous spirit of Robin to agree on this less than 2 weeks before National Day, and that he sacrificed 2 sleepless nights for the editing. I dream that one day, the entire Tourist Guide community can piece together some kind of theater show having Tourist Guiding as the theme.

https://www.facebook.com/kyanta.yap/posts/10157414485170060

This entire year, makes me even more grateful that I am here in Singapore. The support I get, the people I meet, the sights and sounds around me. I'm also excited to be part of the next 20 years, for when I look at the current revised syllabus in Primary and Secondary schools, I am very optimistic about the next generation.

Though sweeping statement, but generally, my generation has been what they called the Strawberry generation, for we were raised by those who went through the industrial revolution, and thus we were brought up to expect good grades = good job = good life. So my generation would choose stability and career progression over risk and entrepreneurship. The kind of self employed are usually financial consultant rather than start ups too. But Singapore being at the plateau, this mindset hinders progress, we need breakthroughs and innovations. Therefore the infrastructures and ecosystems supported for the future. Financial literacy, exposure, design thinking, are even taught on secondary level. The access to information, the convenience, the avenues of groupthinking and networking, is plenty in the next generation. Though before that, we might need to deal a little with the "Ice Cream" generation first, where I defined as people raised by my generation who have everything taken care of thus privileged, entitled, and fragile, so much so that it actually takes effort to hold them up else they would just melt.

Truly excited for the next half of the year, when I see my project into completion, and a little glimpse of hope that I will be back in action for Guiding again, though not tourist, but at least I hope I would be on the ground.

Ciao,

So now we entered Phrase 2.
That was a Friday.
It was rather surreal.
I honestly was not expecting this to happen so soon.
As I was at the open staircase outside my unit
on that Saturday morning, I saw life............
The traffic didnt increased much on sight,
But the coffeeshop was brimming with people,
Sounds of the little metal spoon clanging on their cups,
And I kid you not, slurping sounds! Heard from my unit.
I felt great!

It was then a couple of days before I went down for dinner,
the Makcik asked me "Makan or Packet",
I was shocked so half a second!
SOOOO great to savour my Mee Rebus and Satay in the wet market.
The noise of the space, people shouting across,
The stench, the fragrance...... everything.

So I resumed working in Red Dot, but deployed at Dempsey.
Due to people cooping up at home,
Though our capacity is at 60% or so, maybe 70%,
But sales increase prior in relation to Pre-Covid.
I guess this really proved the purging period of Covid,
But then, hidden cost and diminishing returns come.
As much as we are grateful we can resume business,
It's really hard to juggle Customer Service with limited manpower,
and hard to juggle Customer Retention with Flouting of Rules,
If we chase customer, customer not happy,
If we dont chase, we get fined,
In my opinion, SDA should deal with customer direct because :
1) Everyone knows the rules
2) Restaurant already stated clearly about closing at 10.30pm
3) Reminders have been given to customer and last order was an hour before already.
But apparently is always Service Provider problem -.-

Then the hot news nowadays is GE2020, I come from an Immigrant background who became Singaporean, I really loved this country thus far, no where is perfect but Im comfortable here, not saying im living a luxurious live, but neither I have to worry about my 3 meals, ofcoz all these with much initiatives to hunt jobs, multiple jobs, tap into grants, etc.... at least there are ways to survive even in covid. I shall not debate argue etc, since im just 1 person stating my own opinion, but gonna state my unpopular views:

- CPF works because we are using a pool money to generate investment returns to get us more money, most accounts in Ordinary and Retirement can be transferable to children, and how many percentage of citizen actually have enough CPF to retire? this means that even the CPF is not enough for a comfortable retirement, imagine without it who shall be taking care of you? Solely on your next generations? Such burden..... I agree though, for older people who felt they were promised to withdraw CPF, if they can proof their future gen can take care of them and have enough personal insurance, enough safety net, ok la let the withdraw ba....... their well deserved lump sum. But when the time comes when money is squandered and then some reason need money, on what moral grounds should we then help? on who's expense?

- Is Healthcare managed well? Looking across the world, I would say it's managed really well considering quality, cost, subsidy, avenues for help. Inefficient when getting money? Yes, unfortunately, shall we improve on this?

- GST is great to get money to build infrastructures, though I think in Covid situation this should be put on Halt, should have no plans to increase and even consider decrease to cushion economic impact, I think progress and development can make way to recovery for now? Im not expert in economic this is just my opinion. Ofcoz the issue comes with where do the money come from, that, i wont have comments on that.

- COE too high, but public transportation is done well, land space is small, we dont get to be stuck in traffic for hours, just compare with the neighboring country, compare also with developed country. Occasional breakdown (probability of 1 person gets repeated breakdown is how many percent? Ive only experience once in my entire 20 years here), so okay another hour of your time, will die?

- Foreigner influx, but in ALL my FnB experience, I dont see much locals doing the job, how to not let foreign workers in? Mindset? Stigma? What's wrong with foreigner is they have the hunger you dont? Foreigners fight against their entire country to get this 1 place leh. Lets look at PMET then, people getting displaced, yes, unfortunately, this is a highly competitive country where people are indispensable, if not replaced by cheaper foreigner, then is higher qualification or more prominent portfolio, or my technology, or by the young bloods. We only got to rely on our own hunger to upgrade, do we have avenues to do that? Yes, skillfuture, CET framework, HR compulsory upgrading hours, etc etc, or....... migrate to a country where you can work 30 40 years and enhance your skillset without worrying too much on change?

- Fresh grads now do grab, where is the promised jobs. I guess this MAY be attributed to the mindset of the previous gen. Again im not expert in economics nor sociology. During our economic pursuit, it seems that the higher your education, the better job, the better future. The more effort you put in, the more likely to succeed. Was it the case now? no. Capitalist, rich getting richer, big getting bigger, economies of scale, high entry barriers. For someone who jumped 3 industries, I think it's not easy without High Qualification, Rich Industrial Experience and Remarkable Leadership Qualities. Ridiculous to demand for a fresh grad, but well, thus I advocate youths now to exercise foresight, to evaluate choices, because "go with the flow" or "go with your heart" may not be suffice anymore in this ever-changing ever-evolving society. Price Penetration dont work now, it's Market Disruption, is Innovation.

- HDB issues, well, we have no fevelas, no slums, no ownership but at least lifetime of shelter, with this it prevents hoarding, prevents private developers to sky rocket the prices, able to PLAN for 10m population, why not? It's a plan for accommodation doesnt mean is a TARGET, it's not a goal.

- Minister salary, there's just so much envy in this issue, who cares who is paid what, as long as I have a livelihood, I am happy with my job and life, this relative happiness is full of toxicity, is like when you get in Harvard but unhappy cuz you're in the bottom 10 percentile. One thing for sure, some great ministers do contribute the money back for society, but not all sadly. With heart or for show im not sure but as long as it helps im not complaining.

- Candidate not competent. This is personal attacks, im not gonna comment on this. Are they as committed as our forefathers, I guess not, since our forefather is working for a better future, not sure the motivator now? So if there is a better candidate that has equal wealth, connections, experience and power, by all means, let's work towards it rather than attacking one another? If this means pushing this potential candidate into the parliament system, yes why not. I believe this is a country that is run where decisions where passed through many rounds of many voices to be passed as law, first hearing, second hearing, committee, third hearing, minority voices, then presidential approval. Whether there are majority bias, party siding, etc, I guess its quite realistic? As long as reasons where given, perspectives are considered, not flawless, but I can accept. Besides, all the 16 ministries, stat boards, judiciary, executive and legislative, are working towards a common direction, ofcoz its commonly believed to be the founders of the nation spearheading it, but I see they are doing a good job still, so.......... not a problem for me.

- Poor people cant receive help. Yes and No, I would say help is there, whether sufficient, I guess all of us would day no. I dont deny that I myself do at times things I should "deserve" more help, but that's my selfish side right? A country can have disparity and poor, in singapore, there's a HUGE middle class, which we consider ourselves heartlanders, but there should have systems where one could break the relative poverty line either by the next generation of by yourself, through education and opportunities, and altruistic community. Are we lacking? unfortunately yes. We should advocate this more, I know of Social Enterprises struggling to survive to help. Many complained about not being aware for help....... so whose fault? Multi-lingual and multi-dialects, and even multi-generational campaigns were put up, sadly there will be those overlooked, but I dont really believe its 0 avenues for help, though efficiency is lacking, but I believe help would eventually be rendered. 

- If you have brilliant suggestion, raise it up, work it out, yes may take a painful long time, but I believe change is not impossible, it's not a matter of which party, but a collective management by multi agencies and government bodies. Can we have drastic progress, maybe not, we are reaching plateau, its a product life cycle thing, it's harder to see drastic changes when your product is already of high quality than when you started off.

- Using unproven Military Generals to run GLC, okay, well this is rather elitist and very military-regime focused. I personally dont think it's fair though I understand from the standpoint that in military its a test of leadership without P&L risk, but then there's just so much difference in my opinion, and this meritocracy thingy places too much emphasis on certification over anything else, not only in this regards but the entire nation too.

- About 100 billion support leh, comes from all the years of prosperity, this is indeed the "rainy" day and they had taken care of it rather well, still unsatisfied? Who owes you your living?

- And the way I see it, if you're unhappy, change the things you can, by helping whoever, by engaging in active feedback with constructive suggestions, not just empty criticisms, if not change the mindset, or leave the country, there are plenty in line waiting to be in, in this globalized world, who is entitled to what land? No one owes us a living, it boils down to how much hunger for success, how much hunger to adapt, how much hunger to search and forage for help, for connections, for social mobility.

- Lastly, "make you vote count", "deny supermajority", really necessary? Well it seems to be in this country, it becomes a norm to diss at whatever efforts of the country to praises to the country, to attribute it to brainwashing, bribery and all, and whatever is opposing seems to be painted with "speaking of truth" and "heart for citizens".

Nation started off with immigrants......
Developed by trades and diplomacy.......
Relatively young nation therefore much case studies to reference to.....
Thrived with Democracy and Meritocracy........
Then benefited from the industrial revolutions.......
Quality of life increased.......... attract too much immigrant,
Xenophobic looms..........
Questions leadership........
Accused for complacency and controversies.......
Make the Nation Great Again.........

I fear that one day, someone will eventually "Make Singapore Great Again"..................

The survey states "Keep Singapore Going", not "important roles in Covid situation", with 1000 respondents, I think this is a poor sample pool.

Artist is perhaps what keeps my sanity, and all the entertainment Im glad I have to pass time, it's an evergreen industry when AI could not replace just yet. HR, BD, Social Media, are part of Industry 4.0, when Human Capital is key for progress.

And these "essentials" they pre-determined by asking the questions "cleaners and security guards" ironically may face serious threat of Automation may be obsolete. Top 5 essential Hawker and Deliveryman, but I do hear about complains about surcharge of delivery fees and making hawker not affordable etc (yet on fine dining they bother to spend worhh)

Ask if "triple salary" would you take on the job, what is this trying to show? that we should all revert to 30 years ago manual labour keeps us busy? Appreciation is one thing, helping towards vertical mobility is another. Half of this pool of respondents are rather money minded, only do jobs if highly paid, where does this "high salary" come from then? Who's paying?

And really, is there a necessity to rank? We are all but spokes in a wheel, it's just the matter of in which one moment in time, some seems more important to YOU, but that doesnt mean it is not important to "Keep Singapore Going" as stated in title of survey. It's collaboration, not competition.

Unpopular Opinion,
But here goes anyway.

So I was eating at my kitchen when the bird flew in to forage for food.
Then for some reason, all the flashbacks of "optimistic" news of
Flora and Fauna all thriving and all...... then my cynical mind starts to doubt.

Why do the birds flew in?
Why are they hungry?
Could it because the hawkers are desserted now that they couldnt find enough food now?
Could it because of the heat of the day they look for shelter?

So unlike Singapore, many countries have zoos that are constructed for profits,
They rely on visitors to feed the animals.
And there were many cases of zoos having a problem with Animals famine.
Good thing is, some may escape from captivity,
Bad thing is, the eco-balance is disrupted
and they are domesticated to not survive in the wild.

Fruits, this is the period when the wild flowers blooms again,
But what about the tons of fruits and vegetables made to matured and ripe,
But left to wither when demands decreased?
And the farmers who depend on demands for their livelihood,
Only to get "failed" investment on their yields?

The more I think about the global impact,
The more I silently wept, the more bleak the future gets........
Then again, I have not done a scientific research on the negative impact on Covid,
so these may just be my myopic, naive, deductions, but somehow I dont want to go into this,
For I fear that the devastating results may kill me more........

Cling on Netflix, cling on food,
Is my way of being an escapist.........

Finally, 2 months is almost over.
However, the progressive recovery transition is another hurdle.
Again, the pessimist me would think that 2020 is basically over until everything resumes.

So ofcoz the latest news would be the budget release again.
Yes, in Singapore, we had Unity, Resilience, Solidarity and now Fortitude budget.
Seriously speaking, in relation to many countries worldwide,
I think we are doing super fine.
And just because election is coming, every action seems to be deemed
as a political stunt. Sigh. I have no comments on this.
And those comments about tax-payer money and all,
Historically, from Imperialism, Socialist, etc etc,
To what extend are government money belongs to us?

In my naive worldview, I choose to live in a country,
Where I get avenues of help, straightforward, I get infrastructure,
I get stability, safety, future-oriented, progress-centric, factors of this young nation.
The price to pay, is I gotta follow all the rules and regulation,
It's a package. And I dont really care how are people using my tax money
and how much they are paid etc, and all the political stunts etc,
I know that I am happy about what I have. Period.
(reference to pre-covid la ofcoz)
If you are unhappy, can you do something other than just revolting?
Apply to some position, make some changes, start a group, disrupt system,
If you cant contribute, but only have hate speech, then just get out of the country,
Leave the resources for those who have uses of them.
*not gonna debate on political views etc, im really not interested, just suit yourself*

So many of my SEP friends were disqualified for SIRS,
though not specified which criteria was not met.
My case, I wrote in for an appeal, awaiting result.
It's a mindset thing, I am not prepared to get it,
If I do, it's a bonus, it's a supplement to my plans.
I cannot rely on such things. I need to have concrete help.

Then again, with all these budget, how much of them are useful for me?
Frankly, very very minimal. Why?
From top down perspective, the mid careers are the most at risk,
they needed to be carefully care for because they are still in the workforce,
and this loss of income is like a mid-career crisis amplified.
So in short, its about Supporting Workforce, jobs in general.
Companies that have most potential to achieve retention of jobs gets priority.

Then is about helping family, especially elderly and young. Why? Vulnerable group.

So individually, its quite bullshit, in another perspective,
actually mid career have savings to fall on,
assuming non hand-to-cash workers,
and reasonable financial plannings,
the most disadvantaged are the young people that just started career
and yet without covid-friendly skills, we are stuck,
without indoor jobs certs, and no money to pursue to diversify skill.
This would also include fresh grads, they are stuck adding to the
jobs supply without jobs demand.

My case, worst, when qualification do not match jobscope,
and then try to diversify again? hopeless, will lose out even more.
The funny thing is, when I look at things at different Sociological Perspectives,
I kindda understand the Functional side of things,
and to some extent, some Conflict side of things
But doesn't mean I get the benefits,
It's like you understand how things come about but helpless eitherway.

So looking at the next months,
My most probable steps :

Disrupt my ACLP, clear Module 3 by end July.
Job hunting in July for Aug onwards,
Just a temp job to tide over until Tourism Recovery again maybe 2021.
For a week I wanted to make this 2 years count,
To find a job that : Diversify my Skillset, Career Progression in 2 years, Future-Proof
It's impossible la.
Either takes too long and too expensive to get the pre-requisite that I'm better off waiting.
Or job is not future-relevant, or no relation to my expertise, nor complement.
I do have more windows of opportunity if I compete ACLP asap,
But financially I cannot wait that long.
And I dont really like to owe people the favour.

So now until Aug, I will be applying more courses,
As long as it is within my means, financially and time wise,
Either for the cert or for the money under SEP Training Fund.
Taking on UX Design Courses, Data Analytics and Service.
And pending on Security Courses. If can afford, maybe HR,
All these are backups qualifications for a cushion to fall on.
Then gonna start applying for jobs in July,
Not gonna be choosy, take anything that open their door for me.

But if Aug cannot find job,
Then maybe do ad hocs while completing ACLP,
So by Dec at least will have a lot of windows of opportunities.

So I have been taking on these NTUC courses,
That pays $10 an hour for the lessons fro SEP Training Fund.
But it's running out, cuz Im maxing out my $500 SkillFuture Credits.
At the max, this would give me about $1200 for all the courses I attended.

But I need a more feasible plan until Tourism Recovery.
From the look at our main target market US UK,
It's not gonna be this year for Tourism,
But my wallet is not on my side.

So all these NTUC courses are generally useless for decent jobs. I needed Diploma or something in new industries if i were to venture out. But Diploma courses cost alot due to limited funding for people below 40 years old. As a cash-to-hand worker, I cant possibility afford that on these Diploma Courses. My current skillsets involve nothing that works right now in Covid situation. My whole life is about Service - Events, F&B, Tourism, Ad-Hoc. My Diploma is towards Social Work - Service. The road to recovery is looooong, and I cant be doing nothing in months to come.

I have zero interest in Financial Advisors and whatever along the line.
I have zero engineering and IT skills nor any software or hardware stuffs.
I have zero knowledge in IT or Construction field for Project Management roles.
Not interested in delivery and rider kind of jobs.
The manpower supplies in the market is saturated.
The job openings are very very limited.

To make things worst, my enrollment in the ACLP made me not eligible for many stable jobs that requires 5 days work week and all. I am unsure if I can change my enrollment type to Modular Staggered Cohort. I would probably postpone some modules if I can, to get some job first before resuming ACLP again when I'm on my way back to Tourist Guiding.

But who wants a temp? If  I shift to a perm, what am I gonna do with the remaining modules of ACLP?

Government funding such as SIRS and Study Awards, are not something I want to depend on for survival. Applied, but not optimistic. I need something more concrete, instant, and with continuity at least until Tourism Recovery. Or worst still, if I get a stable path, I might just forgo Tourism. I dont know.

When you're young, you got no money, and without income, you can only rely on Subsidies and Grants for Skills Upgrade, but all the Skills Upgrade are disadvantageous to being young, because useful course are not subsidized enough for me to afford.

It's few weeks to lift on Covid, but the gradual recovery is worrying. The future is worrying. Looking at Industry 4.0. Im honesty useless in it. No expertise in Data and Analytics, no expertise in Autonomous Bots and all, no expertise in and Additive Manufacturing, no expertise in AR VR domains nor any proficiency in programming languages, no expertise in Cyber Securities, and definitely not enough industry experiences to be in any kind of consultant / purchasing manager / simulation jobs.

As much as I am enjoying the current "work" to be paid to study and get certificates.
These are meaningless. With the free time today to think my next steps, I'm reminded again - I'm useless, at least in covid and the road to recovery.

I can go back to ad-hoc manual labour kind of jobs, provided I can postpone my ACLP. But is that my best option?

So, things turn out to be a little better this month.

For about 2 weeks I worked to tabao hawker food.
Was a hectic job because there would be 2 main waves,
12nn and 1pm, or 6pm and 7pm.
So orders would come in and you have to get ready the orders to be dispatched
by the stipulated time. Orders come in quantities of 30 - 100 orders.
Not easy at all due to the different preparation time of hawkers.
Meanwhile, there would be this phone who would ring when there's an order,
these orders should be ready in about 15 mins time for dispatch.

The problem also comes when 2 part timers coordinates.
Some only writes order number while some postal codes,
For me, I write both as well as Name.
It's hard when you dont have the item on your dashboard,
and have to find the food items for the rider to dispatch.
Worst is when all the plastics are of the same colour.
And riders arent empathetic too, time means money to them.
So yea though I was getting used to that,
I shall close that chapter of my life.

I am now enrolled to various courses in NTUC to get money.
Literally "work" as student.

How it works :
- For every hour of lesson, we can claim $10 from SEP Training Fund
- Course fees can utilize Skill Future Credits
- Advance Utilization of our Oct Credits is Eligible

Eg :

Course : WSQ ABC
$50.00 // 16 hours
So use Skill Future Credit to pay $50
After completion, claim $10 x 16 hours = $160 from SEP Training Fund

So by cramping myself,
I get free certificates, and being paid to study, why not?
But virtual lessons are a pain-in-the-ass.
Pace is super slow due to virtual environment,
Alot of effort to concentrate because more attention needed.
Things are worst when it comes to Adult Learners.
I am okay when there are newbies, and slow learners,
Though the pre-requisites are supposed to have certain competency levels,
But the irritating ones are the demanding learners.
Demand to get the easy way out or to get what they felt they are entitled to.
Example, they want a recorded lesson for reference but
Would be against school policy.
Walao write notes yourself very hard ah.

So yea now its a bit better, for I am earning to study,
and most of the modules though tedious its easy for my level,
and free time between classes or during classes I can do some
Own readings since i have to be in front of the camera.
So it forces me to be slightly more productivity with this webcam function.

So, it's almost the end of the first month of Circuit Breaker.
I'm finally better. Not because I adapted to this though.
So there comes a time when my mother annoyed me so but I threw a
HUGE tantrum, and it was for a very very trivial thing.
That was when I thought damn this CB shit is taking a toll on me.
The hopelessness, the coop up angry bird,
the loneliness, the rage.

So yes while I am still glad about government support,
This and that, BUT financially and functionally,
I wasnt getting much yet, in fact till date,
I have only received the Temporary Relief Fund.

You see, as a Tourist Guide, I am jobless now.
At the start of Covid, I thought that it would be affected,
thus I went to do part time at a brewery.
Meanwhile, I signed up for ACLP,
Thinking it is great time to part time study, part time work.
Then comes entertainment suspension,
I still get 2 or 3 hour slots, enough for daily meals,
and then comes Circuit Breaker.
Im then jobless.

Due to my involvement with Brewery and all,
The SIRS payment is not applicable to be back then.
And then I am not considered Self-Employed just due to part time,
So I cannot tap into the Training Fund,
My goodness sake dont tell people good news when there are fine prints,
To make accessibility so damn hard, might as well I prepared for no help at all.
I felt super betrayed.
I forsee a problem with my livelihood,
Time and again I tried to alleviate the situation.
Time and again I hit the wall.
But then there are tons of people out there,
Sitting their ass whole day doing nothing,
Just wailing and complaining,
But now they receive all these Grants and Support so seamlessly.
Now I'm appealing for most of these again,
Hopefully SIRS will be open for me at the very least.
I have gotten the Letter of Eligibility from E2I,
But then I realize most of the course are out of reach because CB,
And the ACLP I am on now its "too late" to apply. WHAT?!?!?!?!
Sigh, appealing again, but Im so prepared of the worst la.

So, the situation now is that I can't get a good temp job because of my ACLP course,
I have random days of the week dedicated for that sessions,
So most of the jobs are out of reach for me because :
- Travel to the west for a few hours of work
- Require full commitment without non flexible off days for my course
- Long contract that I cant commit to it
- Some technical skills required I dont have
- Too popular of a job that I didnt get any reply

So eventually, now I'm q-ing up for food in hawker,
for 2 waves of orders, dispatch to riders,
and thats it. It's again just enough to cover my meals,
So financially its shit job,
But then the latent benefit it brought me was sooooo much.

I got an excuse to go out in the sun again,
I dont have to walk at night to get fresh air,
I talked to the vendors, got some hope here and there,
I am being more optimistic about things,
I can get my lunch without q-ing!
I am eating relatively healthy again,
My mood improved!

Yes by optimistic, I saw a few changes in lifestyle out there,
There are actually hawker vendors that are glad we continued deliveries,
That theres this app to continue business,
Some people are super happy when Macs and BBT were closed because they got more business,
Some neighborhood stall enjoyed being in the limelight now that
the CBD is empty, and they can still get gov support and pay off their rent.

Yea, so being out there gets me going.
Social media is toxic.
People criticizing for everything and anything,
To the point even Singing and Clapping seems like a crime.
It was such a great initiative,
Where people feel connected through this organised act,
Be it to show appreciation or to kill time,
It's something for the entire nation to do,
I really dont see the need of dissing the effort.
Starting to be annoyed as SGAG cuz of the lady keep shouting.
Sighhhh the world needs more empathy, more care,
Not insults and sneers.

Elderly exercising alone inside cordoned area,
How deadly and the freaking spread be?
An activity for him/her to kill time right,
say nicely la, no need virtual-shaming,
some person after exercise panting sitting down without mask,
give him/her a break la, how to breath with that shit?
People queue for ikea, people are observing 1m and all these precaution,
People may not think upgrading their home furniture was necessary because
They were most of the time OUT, now need to spend 2 months IN,
They rush to buy, Understand them la.
People rushing to buy Macs and BBT,
Hahahahs this one I got nothing to say,
they say Hungry people are Angry people.
Every "last" meal is gonna be like this what,
but again measures are still observed, they havent lost their minds,
don't you forsee? blaming these "covidiots" are such a Privileged, Myopic and Apathetic act.

Oh well, I'm only alone, with my unpopular views, ciao.

This week passes rather quick.
Other than the fact that I still sleeps 12 - 18h a day,
It's interesting how fast it seemed to fly compared to the previous 2.
So anyway, this week was feeling better,
I actually started some kind of "Meditation" as defined by Dan Harris.

The book was called 10% Happier, so one the first chapter,
we touched on "Mindfulness".  Not a new word.
BUT, on reading on,

"Mindfulness is the ability to recognize what is happening in your mind right now—anger, jealousy, sadness, the pain of a stubbed toe, whatever—without getting carried away by it."

What it meant was that first I do recognize my insanity creeping up, when I have thoughts on what if I jump off the ledge and I appear somewhere in another reality, or what if I throw a hammer down to the carpark and cause a chaos, or what if I can set fire on every house unit of the first 3 floors and get people burnt to death or jumped to death, or skin myself little by little and preserve them so one day as my skin grow back I could construct a empty body of myself.

These are negativity, sadistic in fact. And "Mindfulness" is not to start loving myself again and to convince me not to do stuffs, but more of facing the ugly side of me and look into the root of my problems. And in fact, there are no problems, just some loneliness, just some boredom, and I realize, it is ultimately my rejection to be socially connected by virtual platforms. I need that human interaction.

And a little part of me I got to found out too, is jealousy and envy. I am jealous that most of my friends, are spending wonderful time with their loved one in virtual space, and me being the one rejecting it, will naturally feel frustrated, and jealous, that I lose my friends whom I used to go out weekly with. There was this weird yearn that some friends will knock on my door and surprise me, how stupid is this thought, but that was the root of my jealousy, the impossible hope. It only proves how much I need companion as much as I thought I didnt. And there is envy, I envy gamers and introverts who are used to use virtual platforms to connect with each other, to laugh, to have fun, and I dont, because I dont play games, and it irks me so much to do video conferencing, so I naturally envy their ability to accept, to connect, while I sulk my way through the 2 weeks. 

So.......... I talked to my family, face to face, start teaching them stuffs, this was all because of the heavy torrent that drenched me as I took a bike back from my office, for I shall stop ordering delivery and so out to takeaways instead. This little trip outside, made me so much energized. Though the fear of social vigilante and crazy extremist catching every movement I make, is still there, but at that moment this evening, I only had one resolution. If I were caught (and I probably have no excuses because I am probably gonna be classified as "non-essential" loitering because I was just about to take my bike, I was gonna kill that bastard on the spot, then kill as many random privileged-looking adults as I can before caught into a death sentence. Yes, I was that determined and insane.

When I got home, had a dinner, talked to my mum, read the book, and felt much liberated actually, and suddenly, I felt better. Indeed as the book reads, "10% Happier". As cliche as it seems, it probably wont work on me if I were not in this state of mind, sometimes we just need a little reminder.

So then I watched Big Bang Theory, been watching until season 2 so far, but man, I got so bored and annoyed at Sheldon, and I went back to How I Met Your Mother. It was still my favourite comedy series. Variety of perspectives of narration, variety of format of screenplay, very relateable topics of friends, love and life in general, lots of memorable moments, it feels like a great grandfather story learning how to grow up. I jumped here and there and one episode on "Sunrise" caught me.

"Whatever you do in this life, it's not legendary unless your friends are there to see it." Barney Stinson S09E17

"That's how it goes kids. The friends, neighbors, drinking buddies, and partners in crime you love so much when you're young, as the years go by, you just lose touch. You will be shocked, kids, when you discover how easy it is in life to part ways with people forever. That's why, when you find someone you want to keep around, you do something about it." - Ted Mosby S09E21

"You see, everyone’s got some baggage. It’s part of life. But like anything else, it’s easier when someone gives you a hand with it.” – Ted Mosby S05E23

"All I wanted to do was enjoy a night at home, but there ws something I had to do...... More than a legendary night we'd remember forever, Uncle Barney needed a bro to help him forget." Ted Mosby S07E21

"And that was when I realized why I hung out with Barney. I never got where I thought I wanted to go, but I always got a great story." Ted Mosby, S01E03

Yepp, that is why HIMYM is still my favourite. Seeing the bonds of the characters, that friendship, things they compromise, stupid things they do together, how they support each other. Is perhaps something I rather envy. Not say I dont have, just, not till that extend yet, and damn I still miss having a cup of coffee with my friends now.........

世上没有真的感同身受
No one truly understands, 

There's no such thing as "I know how you feel",
No such thing as "Stop whinning, deal with it", 
No such thing as "Its just a phrase",
No such thing as "Just look at the bright side", 
It's not that simple! 

Cuz what the fuck! 
No one truly go through the same predicament, 
with the same situation internal and external, 
the same life trajectory, 
the same personality, 
the same world views and past experiences,
It;s not that simple!

So don't think what works for you works for everyone else, 
It's not that simple! 

Looking down on others just because you are tiding over it well, 
Is fucking myopic, arrogant and apathetic! 
It's not that simple! 

Came by a wonderful post by "Singapore Matters" FB Page :
https://www.facebook.com/SingaporeMatters/photos/a.710662802353449/2859092637510444/?type=3&theater

WE ARE NOT IN THE SAME BOAT

I heard that we are in the same boat.
But it's not like that.

We are in the same storm, but not in the same boat.
Your ship can be shipwrecked and mine might not be.
Or vice versa.

For some, quarantine is optimal: moment of reflection, of re-connection. Easy, in flip flops, with a whiskey or tea.

For others, this is a desperate crisis.
For others it is facing loneliness.
For some, a peace, rest time, vacation.
Yet for others, Torture: How am I going to pay my bills?

Some were concerned about a brand of chocolate for Easter (this year there were no rich chocolates).
Others were concerned about the bread for the weekend, or if the noodles would last for a few more days.
Some were in their "home office" .
Others are looking through trash to survive.

Some want to go back to work because they are running out of money.
Others want to kill those who break the quarantine.
Some need to break the quarantine to stand in line at the banks.
Others to escape.
Others criticize the government for the lines.

Some have experienced the near death of the virus, some have already lost someone from it, some are not sure their loved ones are going to make it, and some don't even believe this is a big deal.

Some of us who are well now may end up experiencing it, and some believe they are infallible and will be blown away if or when this hits someone they know

Some have faith in God and expect miracles during this 2020.
Others say the worse is yet to come.

So, friends, we are not in the same boat.
We are going through a time when our perceptions and needs are completely different.

And each one will emerge, in his own way, from that storm.
Some with a tan from their pool. Others with scars on the soul (for invisible reasons).
It is very important to see beyond what is seen at first glance. Not just looking, more than looking, seeing.
See beyond the political party, beyond religion, beyond the nose on your face.

Do not underestimate the pain of others if you do not feel it.
Do not judge the good life of the other, do not condemn the bad life of the other.
Don't be a judge.
Let us not judge the one who lacks, as well as the one who exceeds him.

We are on different ships looking to survive.

Let everyone navigate their route with respect, empathy and responsibility.

--Author unknown"

right......... so now the lockdown extended as expected.

Sigh.

2 weeks, im already out of my mind.

So many people, but never felt so alone before.

Sometimes as I look down the block when smoking, wouldnt it be easier to end this fucking life?

But no, too many stakeholders....... too many expectations.

It's tough. And you'll never understand it.

It's almost 2 weeks down since the CB measure.

I'm not doing great.

To evaluate how and why and what am I feeling right now.

How am I feeling :

- Purposeless, nothing seems to make sense right now
- 0 Motivation, I know I can do a ton of things, but no motivation
- Lethargic, I rather spend a $3 delivery to get a bubble tea next block from my house
- Helpless, I recognize the insanity but there's nothing I WANT to do

Why am I feeling :

- All my life, all my skillset involves being out, now Im stuck in
- I have no interest in games, workouts, virtual meets, whatsoever
- I dont find virtual meet meaningful, I rejected so many of them despite being great social tools

What am I feeling :

- I don't know......... I can't describe
- Anger, Frustration, Helplessness, Empty, Lost, a mixture?
- I probably think there are similar people out there feeling this, but they are probably shutting the world out as much as me

See, there's this conflicted response I have in me now. One part of me recognize that I'm spiraling down into despair, but one part of me is stronger, it's like what is the point of living anymore. Then there's this glimpse of hope that I am clinging on that lets endure this few weeks or months, and things will be over, and the other part of me would be like vanity of vanities, does any shit I do even makes sense? What's life? Why live? Why exist? What have I done? What have I accomplish? I'm a mere vapour in the wind, a wave tossed in the ocean, how little am I worth? Why bother?

I used to have that passion for knowledge, to learn, to read, I have 21 course on my list to complete, but the irony is, with the privilege of time on my hands, I want to just sleep, and wake me up when this all ends............

It's not a matter of "quit whining" and "just deal with it", so easy for people to say. So easy when you have avenues to escape life from, games, music, workouts, whatever, but when the idea of virtual dont excite you, when you dont feel like talking to anyone, where else can I find joy? or may a purpose too?

王源 - 世界上沒有真正的感同身受

世界怎麼這麼安靜
I wondered at the silence of the streets

感覺被所有人拋棄
Feels like I am being obsolete
生活這麼拚命努力
All the things I've work hard to accomplish

是不是也算一種遠離 Was it all just a reason to live?

這世上除了我 只有千萬個你 And I aint the only one in this

逃離那些讓你波動情緒的事情
So then why bother?

So I have been doing nothing much,
Binge watching shows,
Occasionally read up on random stuffs,
and skipped around a few variety shows.

Well, I dont know,
I still couldn't adapt to this CB measures.
It's still torturous to be to be in the house,
I seek escape from my sleep,
These days I can sleep up to 16 hours a day.
A few online concerts actually gave me a purpose,
To feel excited again,
许冠杰，动力火车，刘若英，A-Lin，
and upcoming probably the One World : Together at Home concert
with Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, Sam Smith, Oprah Winfrey, and more.....

Meantime, I am just going through playlists,
So I looked deeper into this particular set of lyrics,
And the sadness of the speaker just got to me.

It's sooooo damn sad,
It's a song about this guy,
Who probably have a childhood friend,
and this girl probably got a boyfriend.
He felt that he had lost this friend because of the
complication of having a best friend of another gender,
because love is jealous right?
The entire song is about how he know he had feeling for the girl,
But since its a long time friendship he never once told her about it,
But now with her new boyfriend,
He could not freely interact with her without thinking through
that his actions may not be appropriate for a "non-boyfriend" friend.
He can only disguise his yearning for her
by being a "Gentlemen".
SO SAD RIGHT?!

So this is my interpretation:

薛之谦 (Joker Xue) - 绅士 (Gentlemen)

我想摸你的头发
只是简单的试探啊
Can I brush your hair
and what your response could be? 

我想给你个拥抱
像以前一样可以吗
Can I hug you like how we were in the past before you got a boyfriend?

你退半步的动作认真的吗
You moved back a step, 
Is that your response?

小小的动作伤害还那么大
It's a simple reaction, but its so hurtful 
that means we have already drifted apart

我只能扮演个绅士
才能和你说说话
I can only talk to you as a disguised gesture of a gentleman.

我能送你回家吗
可能外面要下雨啦
Can I send you back
For the rain may fall soon?

我能给你个拥抱
像朋友一样可以吗
Can I hug you like a gesture of friendship?

我忍不住从背后抱了一下
尺度掌握在不能说想你啊
So I went for a hug as a friend, 
Nothing can depicts the silent anguish,
that I couldnt say "I miss you" 

你就当刚认识的绅士
闹了个笑话吧
Just treat me as a gentlemen you just met, 
Don't read into that random hug, 
it's just a trivial gesture. 

你能给我只左手
牵你到马路那头吗
Can you give me a hand, 
To hold you over the street?

我会像以前一样
看着来往的车子啊
I will look out for the traffic for you
Just like how I treat all my friends. 

我们的距离在眉间皱了下
Our distance could seem complicated, 

迅速还原成路人的样子啊
Because we are just strangers,
I am just being a "gentlemen"

越有礼貌我越害怕
绅士要放得下
The more "polite" I become, 
The more I can get close to you, 
But thats what I fear most, 
For you ere never belong to me. 

Day 4, and I not coping well.

For a social animal like me, I really cant see locked down at home doing absolutely nothing.
To make things worst, parents, yes parents, their form of "care and concern" means to
Dictate your every move, every diet, every decision, no matter how old you are.
It's one thing enduring it a few hours a day, and spend most of my time outside,
But when you are 24h with them.............. oh my............
Simple things, eat noodles, say why eat noodles must eat rice,
Eat veg, say why so little, must eat more,
Eat meat, must cut down, etc etc.........
Go down to get a Kopi Peng, why never wear mask, high risk,
Oh my God....................................................

At this point, their Care and Concern becomes an annoyance,
Maybe im that Weakest Link youth,
But I seriously see them panicking even more and more each day.
As entitled and privilege as it sounds,
Having the liberty, having the power,
to choose, to indulge, in midst of pandemic, is a blessing,
but its toll is the deteriorating mental state.
My mental health is degrading too,
With all these constant comments of every step I take,
and the 4 walls environment, and noise from everywhere else.........
How long can I take it?
I'm not a virtual guy,
I hated online lessons,
I hated zoom and whatever social meeting methods,
I am an old school miser still prefer
to meet through a coffee or meal.
I want to walk, walk every inch of the city,
See the changes, the interactions, and everything....

Sigh......

But "my" life is never just about me,
It's a collective effort of so many hopes, dreams
and hardwork of everyone around me.
Some times, just thinking,
if I could end all of theirs and end mine,
Then there's no more "debts" to pay,
And I bring all the burdens upon myself in hell.......

So first day of the Circuit Breaker measures of Singapore.

Well, what a rough start of the year. So Covid came on Jan 23, Singapore was quick to respond,
Thus DORSCON Orange on Feb 07. As the virus is unprecedented, we didnt know the scale of which it could go, Thus without Social Responsibility, Some clusters started to form. This is also when we started to have Travel Restrictions and all, While trying to salvage existing ships and flights.

As a result, our Quantum of the Seas was cancelled. I was extremely disappointed and the group suggested a road trip to Malaysia. Then one of the parent was worried and we decided to forgo the entire thing. So it became a staycation. Though it was still enjoyable, but the group had the flexibility to go in and out, so there wasnt one time where we had a full group. We decided to have steamboat, kite flying, and Superpark. But it was a blessing in disguise, because Malaysia then started Lockdown on Feb 17. Should we have went on with the plan, we had to cut the vacation short to be back on Feb 16 and brace the massive traffic.

Soon after, clusters became to form, rumours spread like wildfire. Social Responsibility was still not seen as many people went out despite having symptoms / under Stay Home Notice / 14 Days Leave of Absence. One of the initial triggers was when we had our first 2 deaths reported on Mar 21. People started panicking. And then, it hit on a preschool cluster on Mar 25. When disease starts to reach to the vulnerable, people will be increasingly worried. As such, Entertainment Suspension on Mar 27 - all bars and entertainment venues such as nightclubs and cinemas would be closed as there is a higher risk of transmission in such venues due to sustained close contact over a period of time.

This was the time where from 0 Tourism Arrival, to doing part time in F&B, from 6 or 7 hours a day to 2 hours, and eventually, no more opportunity to work. So I started looking at all the available supports. After all, we had Unity Package and Resilience Package. As the pandemic progress a lot faster than we thought, there were too many criteria in the supports that restricts me for getting support, most of which involves me not declaring my TG income, yet receiving fixed salary for my administration task in MDT, yet the part time I embarked on pays higher CPF contribution, though I wouldnt have anymore supplementary income other than that.

As frustrated as I am, I am grateful though that there are avenues for me to seek help. With 5.8m people under their care, Singapore will take some time to come u with solutions. True enough Circuit Breaker measures came, Solidarity Package was announced, appeals were allowed for people like me. So now I just have to wait. The trigger for this was when the third death involves another elderly on Mar 29, and that clusters started to form at Elder Homes. When the old and frail starts dying, and the vulnerable is at risk, people will start to lose faith in the Government. As such, drastic measures vamped up in an instance.

What I didnt like in this whole episode, was people trying to play politics in every decision the government makes. Blaming it on "For-Show", too much "Un-achievable Qualifiers", gain votes, etc etc. Compared to countries all over, I really dont see how are we not doing well. I have friends from other countries receiving peanuts, having extreme discriminatory treatments, or just silent treatment. I have heard of countries still in denial, covering up cases. No matter what, at the end of the day, I felt so much safer and protected in Singapore than any other country.

Apart from politics, then there are people who seems to be so happy for lockdown, saying that Circuit Breaker is same as DORSCON Red, which is a lockdown. Obviously people havent had much thoughts going on out there. Can Singapore really have a complete lockdown, meaning no import and exports? Our basic necessities are very much dependent on all over the world. How much of the country resource would be needed to supply us? Also, what's the point of having a lockdown, when even if 100% of Singapore is cured of the Covid, we are still stuck with the situation of lockdown because other countries are not 100% cured. Singapore, having gradual progression, is something already very good. While containing the spread of virus, economy was kept running as much as possible until triggers came.

Then comes with influencers and this irritating woman ranting on social media to ask people to stay home. Disease is a civic responsibility, If unwell, its up to individual to not spread, but this is unprecedented, so it spread through carriers that may not have symptoms, this was only discovered at the later stage and so its not an easy thing to tackle. There are some blacksheeps and kanchiong people that may not be too educated, or just simply have no faith that they started hoarding and all. Then, educated them, I had to educate my parents for 3 hours for proper safety measures. Doesnt mean stay at home is the best solution either, maybe people had made plans long ago, hoarders may need to stock up their favorite stuffs, smokers may need to get their supply of cigarettes before cease of supply, some lost their jobs and tries to hunt for new jobs out there, some just trying to exploit, some had celebrations and catch up to do before 1 month staying home; more importantly, for businesses, some may be their very last time opening before closed forever due to high overheads and rentals, some may not be eligible for government support due to private land and all, some may be a family owned business unable to pivot that fast and decided to retire instead, some decided to give up to be on the race because it drains on the pocket and yet when situation recovers the big players will raise the barrier of entry. So whoever can just stay at home and rant clearly are super privileged and myopic. Thinking that they can get whatever they want, and thinking that everyone else is stupid, without really going down to ask why do people do things.

Thinking in Social and Economical perspectives. Maybe it would give you more empathy.

All in all, I'm rather ashamed about human behaviors, guess I'm better off be a misanthrope. Maybe deep down inside, I secretly hope, that the virus mutate and kill more people. May be then, competition gets low, resources amplify, easier to purge the idiots, and less drama and noise in society, resulting in increased efficiency, increased livelihood, and increased lifespan of Earth.

After clapping mosquitos for the past few days,
Went to a few events, and one of the more worthy updates,
Was the Ted Circle I just attended.
Great turn up of people from diff age, disciplines and nationalities.
The theme was "Future".

Topics Discussed :

Our Blindspots and how to Overcome? 

Interesting opening topic. It gives us a lot of scope to tackle this theme. A lot of discussion centers on the inability to see what was unimaginable, some kind of disruption in social, medical or  economical aspect, or even political. My thoughts, well, that's the reason why we develop tools or frameworks to think about the future seriously.

Importance of Foresight

Yes there are uncertainties, etc, but foresight in my opinion, prepares us the complexity in problem solving, the creativity in critical thinking, and better prepare us from the changes that may come. A part of foresight is also hindsight, where we look back in retrospect to look back into olden days principles, way of life, purpose, etc etc, such that we may uncover some old wisdom we may have overlooked.

Dystopian Scenarios 

Some organisations, some scholars, do look into scenario based roleplays, looking into different scenarios, some more realistic, some stretch a variable to the extreme, to see the complications and possibilities. That is the reason why sometimes when things happen, the "solution" magically seems so reachable, because someone probably had thought of that before. In SG for instance, have avenues such as Centre of Strategic Future, to look into this. In fact they have recently published a Industrial Revolution 4.0 discussion.

Legacy (how, why, what happened)

In the olden days, people talk about legacy, inheritance, empires, etc etc, these things seems to slowly fade away. Why? I guess in my opinion, economically, the bigger players are extinguishing the flames of the youths, and created a world where legacies are unreachable, and things are getting more and more ephemeral.

Plastics (positive and negative)

Other than the negative aspects on environmental care and etc, is also interesting to think on the perspective of Time Capsule, as these are perhaps the only things that would last till generations to come, and what written documentation can we have on these?

Oral Written Visual Traditions

From the past, we have cave paintings, oral traditions and stories, and some form of documentation. What would be the next form of documentation? Are data stored virtually everlasting? Will it be complete?

Future Intelligence (make sense of clues)

As we consider a lot on proper documentation of things, should we also give credit to the intelligence of the future generations to be able to make sense and decipher what ever we leave behind? They probably and piece together the picture if we leave enough clues and enough alternate cross referencing materials.

Automation to Inequality and Purpose

Automation replacing manual labour and etc is frequently talked about. How did Automation contribute to inequality, and how does it play apart in Globalization? And with jobs closely tied to the purpose of happiness or existence whatsoever, will automation redefine us? Do people fear automation due to the fear of becoming useless? Is there a possibility that we displace enough people to become useless? What is our actions and attitude then? Does blind rejection of automation and prevention of progress solves this?

Does Capitalism frees up time for pursuit? Or rejection of technology let us inwardly happy?

It's an oxymoron, that when technology makes things more efficient, and frees up our time, we tend to have lesser time, as we are always looking for other things to do to fill in that time, we are constantly searching for purpose, to fill the need of Novelty, Relation, Autonomy, Competency, and inversely causes Anxiety instead. It may be an endless pursuit in the end, if you stare at the abyss, the abyss stares back at you. Some people instead, reject technology, be secluded and look inwardly into meditation, into self searching, into detachment. This works to some, but not the entire society, for it is the capitalistic society we live in doesnt allow us to. And if we do, are we progressing or regressing? But in the end, is society always Capitalistic or are we ready to give up something, to sacrifice something, to make a revolutionary change?

Are we giving enough chances for our youths?

I will leave this thought to you...............

First ICT over!

Well, it was a good 2 weeks break.

1 day before ICT met up with Kun and he mentioned about ICT being very easy. We just gotta drive up the terrain, open up slope, and unload the troopers for fire movement, then we could sit inside vehicle. The only tough part would be to wash vehicle.

But ours its entirely different! Due to the change in safety directives, we support coy would have a simulation full troop instead of an actual one. And because our PRV drivers have not went through the simulation and refresher (though we drive PRV like every day using our active days), we cant drive. We we became PRV bellboys, open and close door for the troopers. HAHAS!

Most of the time there was nothing to do, so caught up with a lot of my readings, and decided to enroll in Harvard Online Module on Religious Literacy, completed a module, then bought their premium pass to earn a certification later. The module is really eye opening and their sources for discussion are really really really good!

So for the 2 weeks there was nothing work related, which is great, only the constant calls and whatsapp from people so just dont bother to read on our website about the FAQ -.- And a few impatient people. Well, anyway, these will all be "none of my business" soon as I step down from admin roles.

Other than that, no one bothered asking me out too, people just assume I'm uncontactable or something. One of those times where I felt "maybe surrounded by, a million people I, still feel all alone". Oh! Except for one persistent ghost! Hahahas but really glad he does make the effort to check hows things, and still asks. Intention, effort, is what I admire most la.

In the TG Resource chat, I'm really glad I set this up, information shared is really really solid, every questions were answered, maybe expertise inside.

Talked to the ICT people, they are all way senior than us, already halfway to MR. Well, a lot of them came to the general conclusion that I am being too nice; that at work people took advantage of me to stand new branding with cheap labour, built them up for other people, then start other projects; with friends, I seem to be the happy times guy and easily activated so their prioritise others and last min find me; at home, parents will never understand my personality cuz in their times its a grit-teeth kind of competition and vigilance.

Well, a good break a good "meditation" where i can think of nothing at all, literally "empty your mind" kind of feeling. a good evaluation of life, and ready for 2020 once again.

Hmm, 10 days into 2020.

I couldnt take it anymore.

Due to reservist, my income is greatly affected.

With that my bills are piling up, my premiums are pilling up.
My expenses couldnt be cut. 
And I think back again.

No.

I can no longer be a BD.
I can no longer do status quo.
My survival, my passion is after all still guiding.

I was promised a stake,
I was promised a fix,
but it was all but plain words,
and this time it's time for me to make plans for my future,
make plans for my survival,
make plans for the happiness of myself.

It's 2020!

Well, not gonna post long long thankyou notes for people etc etc,
at least not 2019. I guess all of you know each and everyone is precious to me.
But things change, don't they?
Looking back at some FB-triggered memories,
Where I am secretly hoping to build a family in workplace,
to always have a dedicated day of celebration for the team,
but not this year, as it just seems so different.

Well, instead, on a brighter note,
So in workplace we had 2 chats,
One used for stats back in those days, one titled "Rants and Resources"
So I thought to include freelancers on one,
But the team is too literal,
Somehow thinking that all TG come together will only rant,
OMG how shallow......

So come to the point,
Do I really need this company to be able to nurture a
Bunch of new-gen TG that look out for each other and shares knowledge?
Not really, so instead, I spearheaded a TG Resource Chat.
This way, I am not alone too, I have many veterans inside to help nurture the industry.
This is perhaps closer to my ideal.
In this couple of days, valuable resources are shared.
Due to the massive numbers I set boundaries too,
and yea towards a better 2020!

This is the 5th day of 2020,
I feel major changes happening.
Catch up with a lot of people before going into reservist later,
But it has come to the point I prolly need to think harder on my future.
Because people change,
So do priorities change,
And expectation is piling,
And deliverance is failing,
Promises are clouding,
Hope is fading,
Empathy is declining,
And I am finally stopping......

So towards the half of the year, it would probably be the end of this chapter.........