Past Quotes
18 July 2012
Why do we pine for the Savannah or the Alps, when we can see them in the clouds?
15 August 2012
Is the decline of local birth rates such a grave problem?
27 August 2012
In Singapore and many other nations, competition is the de facto ingredient to prosperity. Very often, conventional wisdom dictates fostering competition, with jargons like ''competitive advantage'', ''competitive rates'' and ''competitive firm'' affirming competition as a dynamic and positive phenomenon. Yet little attention had been paid to the dark side of competition: regulatory capture, dehumanization and pathological pursuits to win at all costs. As societies are awakening to the detrimental effects of negative competition, there will be a paradigm shift emphasizing collaboration balanced with competition.
31 August 2012
Replacement migration is a very narrow measure of approach the aging population issue. Instead of thinking out of the box or reimagining the economy as an extension of the society, pro-natalists simply take the path of least resistance: import more people.
One interesting idea is that replacement migration somehow resembles an unsustainable debt structure.
The country's economy serves as the collateral.
The interest payment is the amount of resources needed to support the burgeoning population fueled by immigration.
The migrants serve as ''short term borrowings'' to service the long term debt.
Clearly using debt to service debt isn't a viable long term solution.
Even the UN report, ''Replacement Migration: Is It A Solution to Declining and Ageing Population?'', often cited as proving the case for Replacement Migration, actually came to the completely different conclusion. The authors concluded that the scale of migration needed to change the demographic profile of a whole country is so large as to be ''out of reach''. For example, to combat the effect of aging population in South Korea, almost the entire population of the earth will have to move there by 2050.
Some rough ideas:
1. Invest in development and propagation of elderly products.
2. Teach and inculcate financial planning and independence from primary school onwards.
3. Change the methodology of data collection and calculation: eg. InterGenerational Accounting and Dependency Ratio
4. Redefine the way we perceive aging: Elderly not as productive?
5. Amenities and facilities (govt doing now)
6. promote Active aging (govt doing now)
7. Recognize the lopsided perspective and stop knocking at the wrong door: More babies with aging parents will lead to a sandwiched generation- it is virtually impossible to have a cake and eat both.
8. Realize the future consequences of replacement migration: a ponzi scheme. In addition, the wage depression caused by excess workers in the labor market only hampers current workers from saving for retirement, putting more onus and pressure on the State in the future.
6 September 2012
As societies become increasingly rationalized, labor structures are rapidly codified and specialized. Specialization may sound lofty and professional, but it is infact a narrow route. The narrowed role translates to a narrowed perspective, and the resultant fragmentation of society. Therefore as rationalization escalates, weaving and reconciling various perspectives becomes more difficult.
28 September 2012
As we walk with Christ, we learn to identify with Him through the myriad experiences of life's ups and downs- that our sorrows, pain, joy and breakthroughs may illuminate His goodness in our lives.
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11)
3 October 2012
Why do we pine for the Savannah or the Alps, when we can see them in the clouds?
15 August 2012
Is the decline of local birth rates such a grave problem?
Actually I asked this question because many of our current policies hinges upon the assumption that the local population size must at least be maintained to preserve economic prosperity and avoid social upheaval in the decades to come.
I question this assumption because I think a falling birth rate will not adversely affect Singapore in years to come if we think out of the box and enact policies to mitigate the emerging challenges of dwindling local population.
But first we must acknowledge that there are other better ways to frame and overcome this challenge apart from "making more babies".
Or importing more immigrants. Disclaimer: Nothing personal against individual immigrants; however there's a limit to how much a locality can accommodate the total population- if there are too many people, everyone (including the immigrants themselves) will suffer.
27 August 2012
In Singapore and many other nations, competition is the de facto ingredient to prosperity. Very often, conventional wisdom dictates fostering competition, with jargons like ''competitive advantage'', ''competitive rates'' and ''competitive firm'' affirming competition as a dynamic and positive phenomenon. Yet little attention had been paid to the dark side of competition: regulatory capture, dehumanization and pathological pursuits to win at all costs. As societies are awakening to the detrimental effects of negative competition, there will be a paradigm shift emphasizing collaboration balanced with competition.
31 August 2012
Replacement migration is a very narrow measure of approach the aging population issue. Instead of thinking out of the box or reimagining the economy as an extension of the society, pro-natalists simply take the path of least resistance: import more people.
One interesting idea is that replacement migration somehow resembles an unsustainable debt structure.
The country's economy serves as the collateral.
The interest payment is the amount of resources needed to support the burgeoning population fueled by immigration.
The migrants serve as ''short term borrowings'' to service the long term debt.
Clearly using debt to service debt isn't a viable long term solution.
Even the UN report, ''Replacement Migration: Is It A Solution to Declining and Ageing Population?'', often cited as proving the case for Replacement Migration, actually came to the completely different conclusion. The authors concluded that the scale of migration needed to change the demographic profile of a whole country is so large as to be ''out of reach''. For example, to combat the effect of aging population in South Korea, almost the entire population of the earth will have to move there by 2050.
Some rough ideas:
1. Invest in development and propagation of elderly products.
2. Teach and inculcate financial planning and independence from primary school onwards.
3. Change the methodology of data collection and calculation: eg. InterGenerational Accounting and Dependency Ratio
4. Redefine the way we perceive aging: Elderly not as productive?
5. Amenities and facilities (govt doing now)
6. promote Active aging (govt doing now)
7. Recognize the lopsided perspective and stop knocking at the wrong door: More babies with aging parents will lead to a sandwiched generation- it is virtually impossible to have a cake and eat both.
8. Realize the future consequences of replacement migration: a ponzi scheme. In addition, the wage depression caused by excess workers in the labor market only hampers current workers from saving for retirement, putting more onus and pressure on the State in the future.
As societies become increasingly rationalized, labor structures are rapidly codified and specialized. Specialization may sound lofty and professional, but it is infact a narrow route. The narrowed role translates to a narrowed perspective, and the resultant fragmentation of society. Therefore as rationalization escalates, weaving and reconciling various perspectives becomes more difficult.
28 September 2012
As we walk with Christ, we learn to identify with Him through the myriad experiences of life's ups and downs- that our sorrows, pain, joy and breakthroughs may illuminate His goodness in our lives.
"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11)
3 October 2012
It's interesting that with the exception your mother who
gave birth to you, every other relationship you will ever form in life starts
out as one between strangers.
9 October 2012
Chaos is the explanation provided when one fails to perceive an orderly pattern or existence. In essence, chaos describes the limitations and ignorance of the human mind.
13 October 2012
The state of our spiritual lives are inextricably tied to
our comprehension of Christ's Resurrection.
For if Christ is indeed risen in our hearts, we will be
resuscitated through Him.
If our hearts within are dull to His Promise, it is natural
that we remain at the brink of being spiritually dead.
28 October 2012
Christianity is full of paradoxes. How can one be a slave to
righteousness and yet be free? To understand what this, one needs to dig deeper in the
context of ''slavery'' and the definition of ''freedom''. Here's the interesting part: when one is a slave to
righteousness, he/she is empowered to say ''No.'' to evil. In a certain sense, everyone is a ''slave'' (subjected) to
something, be it good, bad or grey.
28 October 2012
Life is too short to be nursing grudges. Make peace before
you leave.
30 October 2012
It's baffling that most people are more concerned about
their future than the need to faithfully complete their daily tasks. If the
parts are fulfilled, the sum will be complete. Daily discipline is a necessary
prerequisite to success.
31 October 2012
The most important part of worship is Jesus.
7 November 2012
Actually, the message is darn simple: love God, love people.
If we are convicted of it, living for God isn't as
complicated as we think or claim it to be.
3 November 2012
Appreciate the simple things in life- the melody of a
downpour, and its gentle breeze.
19 November 2012
An interesting conversation just now helped me to realize why it may not be possible for some SMEs in the F&B industry to branch out or scale up even with sufficient capital.
I was eating at a Vietnamese concept cafe (Va Va Voom Cafe). The ambience is good, the seats are very cosy and it's a perfect getaway on a weekday night! You can even bring your own board games, recline on the couch and sip their fragrant Pandan Tea blissfully. Definitely worth the time!
Well, someone shared that although it's possible to make money in the F&B industry, finding the right talents to maintain the consistency of speciality cuisine across branches is really challenging. In addition, foreign levies had risen since GE2011.
The immediate effect (in theory) may be to improve the competitiveness of locals vis a vis foreigners in blue collar jobs. However the increased cost is largely passed on to customers as SMEs struggle to adjust to levy hikes and breaking even. In addition, levy hikes do not immediately lead to greater hiring of locals since very few locals possess the skill or willingness to work in the F&B industry in the first place. The customers pay more, the firms pay more while the government collects the levies to fund its budget.
This doesn't mean that levies are a ''bad'' or ineffective tool. Rather the challenge is to figure out its limitations. In this context, levies are a blunt instrument to tackle the problem because the root cause is the shortfall of laborers with the right skills or willingness in the industry.
Here are some immediate effects of the levy hike:
The local labor supply is relatively inelastic.
A levy on foreign labor (a close substitute) reduces demand for foreign labor as SME owners substitute towards more local labor.
However the relatively inelastic local labor supply renders the effect to be rather muted.
Unemployment among locals in F&B industry may fall, but this fall is relatively smaller than increase in cost differential between hiring a local and a foreigner.
The net effect is more locals hired, less foreigners hired but higher costs for SME owners.
Instead of implementing levy hike, the government should consider other methods like improving the networks and recruitment pool within the F&B industry. It may seem weird since we don't usually associate F&B with professionalism. Bankers network. Technopreneurs network. But networking is seldom heard of among the F&B firms. However things need to change.
We're living in the Facebook generation, and networks are bread & butter not just to the survival of the individual firms, but also the dynamism of the industry itself. I advocate professional networks among F&B for two reasons:
Firstly it improves the image of F&B and attracts more locals into the industry.
Secondly, networks reduce search costs and reduce frictional unemployment within the industry itself.
I'm just a neophyte, so these are just ideas bouncing around. Maybe Spring Singapore had already started working on it. Hopefully our SMEs in the F&B industry will be better positioned to expand and grow in years to come.
19 November 2012
An interesting conversation just now helped me to realize why it may not be possible for some SMEs in the F&B industry to branch out or scale up even with sufficient capital.
I was eating at a Vietnamese concept cafe (Va Va Voom Cafe). The ambience is good, the seats are very cosy and it's a perfect getaway on a weekday night! You can even bring your own board games, recline on the couch and sip their fragrant Pandan Tea blissfully. Definitely worth the time!
Well, someone shared that although it's possible to make money in the F&B industry, finding the right talents to maintain the consistency of speciality cuisine across branches is really challenging. In addition, foreign levies had risen since GE2011.
The immediate effect (in theory) may be to improve the competitiveness of locals vis a vis foreigners in blue collar jobs. However the increased cost is largely passed on to customers as SMEs struggle to adjust to levy hikes and breaking even. In addition, levy hikes do not immediately lead to greater hiring of locals since very few locals possess the skill or willingness to work in the F&B industry in the first place. The customers pay more, the firms pay more while the government collects the levies to fund its budget.
This doesn't mean that levies are a ''bad'' or ineffective tool. Rather the challenge is to figure out its limitations. In this context, levies are a blunt instrument to tackle the problem because the root cause is the shortfall of laborers with the right skills or willingness in the industry.
Here are some immediate effects of the levy hike:
The local labor supply is relatively inelastic.
A levy on foreign labor (a close substitute) reduces demand for foreign labor as SME owners substitute towards more local labor.
However the relatively inelastic local labor supply renders the effect to be rather muted.
Unemployment among locals in F&B industry may fall, but this fall is relatively smaller than increase in cost differential between hiring a local and a foreigner.
The net effect is more locals hired, less foreigners hired but higher costs for SME owners.
Instead of implementing levy hike, the government should consider other methods like improving the networks and recruitment pool within the F&B industry. It may seem weird since we don't usually associate F&B with professionalism. Bankers network. Technopreneurs network. But networking is seldom heard of among the F&B firms. However things need to change.
We're living in the Facebook generation, and networks are bread & butter not just to the survival of the individual firms, but also the dynamism of the industry itself. I advocate professional networks among F&B for two reasons:
Firstly it improves the image of F&B and attracts more locals into the industry.
Secondly, networks reduce search costs and reduce frictional unemployment within the industry itself.
I'm just a neophyte, so these are just ideas bouncing around. Maybe Spring Singapore had already started working on it. Hopefully our SMEs in the F&B industry will be better positioned to expand and grow in years to come.
27 November 2012
New wine into new wineskin; introducing too many new ideas
to a stubbornly fixed mentality will blow the person's mind.
28 November 2012
Sometimes the challenge isn't to think harder or faster, but to think differently.
28 November 2012
Sometimes the challenge isn't to think harder or faster, but to think differently.
2 December 2012
There were many things I could have made right years ago but
I already did what I could, given my condition and the circumstances at those
points in time. Time to move on without regrets.
5 December 2012
To a certain extent, being cynical is a choice. When faced
with life's disillusions and disappointments, one need not harden his/her
heart. There is always hope.
"Actually there are moments when the future seems dark and foreboding and the hand of God seems to be absent, as stability and familiar comfort gives way to chaos, doubts and despondency. It's in these moments that God's promises and His goodness are called into question but through the lens of God, we see beyond our immediate circumstances and nurture a hope that transcends our human experiences."
12 December 2012
Something interesting that I learnt from Chef Benny of 18
Chefs: identifying the unique strengths of your business model.
Since the 2007-2008 Subprime Crisis and its later repercussions leading to a sluggish economy, the F&B industry had been hit particularly hard. Coupled with tighter restrictions for foreign labor since GE 2011, the cost of hiring restaurant crew and cooks had escalated considerably. The F&B industry is now experiencing a labor crunch.
Interestingly, Chef Benny does not experience the same pressures as his counterparts because his hiring policy is built around hiring ex-convicts and providing them with gainful employment. His hiring policy sets his company apart from others, achieving a social purpose whilst maintaining profitability.
29 December 2012
2012 is a year where He turned my mourning into dancing, my
sorrow into joy.
Biggest takeaway: Persevere with God and people despite adverse situations and tense relationships, stay disciplined and committed, listen to feedback and never give up.
5 January 2013
When we're tested, it's an opportunity to stretch and be
lifted to the next level, be it in our capacities, character or relationship
with God. Depend on God as life starts to speed up.
31 January 2013
Just realized Ronald Coase was born in 1910, received the
Nobel Prize in Economics in 1991 (81 years old) and was working on a book
concerning the rise of the economies of China and Vietnam as his 100th birthday
approached in 2010. He is still alive (102 years old). Amazingly productive
man.
1 February 2013
Strangely the "transaction cost-property rights"
approach talks about investment specificity (time dedicated to dating, proposal
ring, HDB, cost of wedding), opportunistic behavior (post-marriage life) and
bounded rationality (unexpected events and things you didn't know about the
other party).
The relationship, as it evolves, is subjected to
unconstrained bargaining (dating), contract (marriage) and vertical integration
(one takes control).
21 March 2013
Laying down one's life doesn't just occur in the dramatic
cliffhangers. It involves the daily surrender of one's time, pride, career,
priorities, personal preferences and wealth for the sake of another.
22 March 2013
What is happiness? When does happiness start, and when does
it end? How does one add to, or remove happiness from another? What makes a
person truly happy?
I'm happy when I see parents care for their kids. They remind me of God's love, and the faithfulness of my own parents.
I'm happy to bask in the sun as I sit on the open air of a
boat or a lorry, beholding the clear blue skies as the wind brushes gently
across my face.
I'm happy when I get to have a satisfying meal.
I'm happy when I'm taking public transport with friends.
I'm happy to finish a 4km run.
I'm happy when I get to learn new facts and trivia about
animals and foreign cultures.
I'm happy when I see someone cross the line of faith.
I'm happy in so many ways that sometimes I took these
moments for granted.
As I remember what makes me happy, melancholy gave way to gratefulness, as i give thanks to God for this brief but comforting existence.
27 March 2013
“Loving people live in a loving world. Hostile people live
in a hostile world. Same world.” - Wayne Dyne
29 March 2013
Very often I envy what others have that I don't, and I mask
it by pretending to be contented.
Eg. ''It's ok, I don't have ..... but at least I have ...''
But I'm learning that true contentment comes with a sense of gladness and celebration of what others have, and also gratefulness for what I already have.
10 November 2013
Once again reminded that when You are all that I need, as
You carried me through the bitterness, the pockets of joy and laughter, the
anguish, the breakthroughs, the doubts, the triumphs, the brokenness and the
exhilarations across the years. Thank you, God.
24 November 2013
Just saw a 5 year old kid gently chiding his younger sister
at Toa Payoh Interchange: "If you keep doing that, I won't let you play
with Hello Kitty." And the little girl complied.
The most precious things need not be expensive nor extravagant. A good reminder for those weathered by age and life experiences.
28 November 2013
When Christ is the treasure and souls of Man the profit,
there is no price too high and no right too sacred that one cannot lay down for
the love of another.
1 December 2013
When the Roman adoption was complete, it was complete
indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights if a legitimate
offspring in the new family and completely lost all the rights in the old
family. In the eyes if the law, the adopted is a new person, to the extent that
even all the debts and obligations connected with the previous family were
abolished as if they had never existed.
2 December 2012
Miss the simple things in life. Like sitting at the back of a pickup truck, bathing in the sunlight and carried by the breeze in the glory of adventure.
6 December 2013
The Spirit's work transforms Truth from ideological
constructs to intimate convictions, which then anchors, informs and liberates
its hearers.
12 December 2013
There are 3 qualities that should not be tempered by age:
humour, curiosity and faithfulness.
25 March 2014
The Presence of God is fundamentally rooted in relationship-
Father to child, Master to servant, Creator to creation, Vine to branch, Shepherd
to sheep and many more. Therefore it will not be confined to any locality or
event, unless the relationship had taken a backseat.
30 March 2014
Many problems of faith and fear are dwarfed when we realise
that in receiving Christ, we had taken on a new citizenship.
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