TR EMERITUS

Pope Francis You can have flaws, be anxious and even be angry, but do not forget that your life is the greatest enterprise in the world. Only you can stop it from failing. You are appreciated, admired and loved by so many. Remember that being happy is not having a sky without storm, a road without accidents, a job without effort, a relationship without disappointments. To be happy means to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in fear, love in discord. It's not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness. It's not just about celebrating success, it's about learning from failures. It's not just about feeling happy with applause, it's about being happy in anonymous. Being happy is not a fatality of fate, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. To be happy is to stop feeling like a victim and become the author of your own fate.” It's walking through deserts, but being able to find an oasis deep in the soul. Is thanking God every morning for the miracle of life. Being happy is not being afraid of your feelings and being able to talk about yourself. Have the courage to hear a “no” and find confidence in criticism, even when it’s unwarranted. It’s kissing your children, cuddling your parents, having poetic moments with your friends, even when they hurt us. Being happy is letting the creature that lives in each of us live, free, joyful and simple. You have the maturity to be able to say: "I've made mistakes". It's having the courage to say I'm sorry. It's having the sense to say "I need you". Is having the ability to say "I love you". May your life become a garden of opportunities for happiness... that in spring he may be a lover of joy and in winter a lover of wisdom. And when you make a mistake, start over. Because only then will you be in love with life. You'll discover that being happy isn't having a perfect life. But use tears to irrigate tolerance. Use your defeats to train your patience. Use your mistakes with the serenity of the sculptor. Use pain to tune into pleasure. Use obstacles to open the windows of intelligence. Never give up ... Above all never give up on the people that love you. Never give up on being happy, because life is an incredible spectacle.   POPE FRANCIS      Read More →

I just saw an interview on podcast called “Mea Culpa” between Michael Cohen and Ms. Stormy Daniels. As is well known, these two were once opponents. Mr. Cohen is well known as Donald Trump’s lawyer or “fixer” who ended up in jail for his role in trying to fix Ms. Stormy Daniels, the porn start that had an affair with Donald Trump. The podcast can be found at: [LINK] The podcast has made international news and a summary of what was discussed can be found in the following AP report: [LINK] This was a fascinating podcast that provided insights into one of the most interesting presidents in recent history. What made it more fascinating was the fact that both are exceedingly flawed characters. You could say that both Mr. Cohen and Ms. Daniels have a clear axe to grind against Mr. Trump and you could say that both are “sleazy” characters. Mr. Cohen had a leading role in making whatever Mr. Trump wanted to happen and Ms. Daniels, as she openly says, is in porn – she makes a living having sex for the camera – not the career choice that most of us wish on the women in our lives. I guess you would say that these are the type of characters that “respectable” society writes off. These are the type of people that “respectable” society would rush to “write-off” because they do not fit the definition of “credible.” Think about the number of times many of us have written off comments like the hawkers, foreign labourers, taxi drivers and so on especially when those words have come into conflict between the “respectable” people like expatriate white collar workers, working professionals and dare I say politicians and civil servants. Let’s be honest, most of us take the view that the first group should be grateful to whatever the second group give to them. Let us be honest, a guy in shirt and tie who speaks crisp English always seems to sound nicer than the guy in flip-flops and a singlet. However, if you look at Mr. Cohen and Ms. Daniels, you will realise that the fact that they’re so flawed in the eyes of respectable makes them so much more credible. Both have effectively been screwed to a point where they have nothing to lose, and they go all out in a way that “respectable” people would not have the courage to do. Ms. Daniels comes across as a particularly admirable character who behaves in what she knows to be correct. She does not wait for government to do things for her – she goes out of her way to make things happen for her, without worrying too much about what “respectable” society thinks. As I watched the podcast, I was reminded of one of my most “interesting” friends – Fleshball, who is Singapore’s fleshiest, dumpiest hooker, who proudly calls herself “The Queen of Lorong 16.” Fleshball is what you would call everything that no man wants in a woman and everything a woman does not want to be. I mean you are talking about someone who looks so comical with cloths on that you will not be able to imagine her without. However, in the years of knowing Fleshball, I have realised that there a lot to be said for the saying that you need “friends in low places.” Fleshball is sharp at reading people and has an instinctive genius for being able to touch the right buttons to get certain people to fight for her. She could tell the sexuality of a person just by reading a text. What was particularly interesting is the fact that Fleshball had a situational awareness that women with far more did not have. One of the funniest moments came when I had to admit to her when I was involved with the police because the girl, I was seeing at the time threw a tantrum in spa because the spa wouldn’t allow me to sit in the same room with her. Fleshball just looked at me and said “Oi – how many years you hang out with me in Geylang and how many times have the police asked you for your IC? Hang out with her five times in posh places and you already must show your ic to the police.” I guess what you could say is that Fleshball has had so much against her that she has nothing to lose. Every small victory is a confidence builder and the more confident she becomes, things become easier for her. As another friend says, “What has she got to lose?” People in low places cannot afford to be trapped in fluff the way respectable people can. Its most prominent in meetings, especially meetings involving civil servants. If you sit enough meetings, you’ll realise that nobody actually wants to come to the point because it’s a sign of their importance. Nobody leaves meetings early because it is a sign that you are not smart enough to know what the person speaking is droning on about. It is part and parcel of being a respectable person. However, whenever you get “workers” involved in meetings, they somehow cut through the fluff. I think of a situation where the workers listened to the guy giving meeting and then put up his hand and said “Sir, you are telling us many things but where is the money.” This is ultimately the point of the meeting. This is not to suggests that people in low places are intrinsically better than “respectable” people. However, we should not allow ourselves to be swayed by the veneer of respectability and understand that the guys in low places might actually have a very important point that needs to be made. Let us remember Stormy Daniels who has limited resources organised aid for the needy when her state was in trouble. Pastor Joel Osteen only opened his megachurch to the needy during a natural disaster after criticism on social media. There was a reason why Jesus believed in having friends in low places. [LINK]   Tang Li *Although I’ve been based mainly in Singapore for nearly two decades, I’ve had the privilege of being able meet people who have crossed borders and cultures. I’ve befriended ministers and ambassadors and worked on projects involving a former head of state. Yet, at the same time, I’ve had the privilege of befriending migrant labourers and former convicts. All of them have a story to tell. All of them add to the fabric of life. I hope to express the stories that inspire us to create life as it should be.      Read More →

Of all the companies that were bailed out during the pandemic, SIA probably received the most money. It would have received hundreds of million of dollars just from the Job Support Scheme alone, given that it is one of the biggest employer in Singapore, and that the aviation sector benefited from the highest tier of support. It also benefited from the Enhanced Aviation Support Package and temporary redeployment programmes for affected workers. It also raised billions from sale of shares and convertible bonds underwritten by state-owned investment company, Temasek Holdings. According to Brendan Sobie, an independent aviation analyst, “When [other] airlines raise cash privately, they won’t get the kind of terms Singapore Airlines got from Temasek. They may be able to get the cash to pay bills such as monthly leasing bills at a time of virtually no revenue but later on, the cost of the capital is very high - and that in turns limit what they can do.” If SIA were operating in a purely free-market environment, it would have to navigate the fallout from the pandemic with its own resources, including asking shareholders for more money and taking on massive loans at market rates. Without the backing of the government, its share price would likely have tanked and shareholders would have suffered huge losses. As it is, government support has saved their skin. Now that the good times have returned, SIA has posted an operating profit of $556 million, the second highest quarterly operating profit in its history. Shouldn’t the government compel SIA, as well as other companies that have received taxpayers’ money during the pandemic that helped them stay afloat and are now doing well, return the money? Or does the government think it is right to take from taxpayers, including the poor, to bail out the rich?   Foong Swee Fong      Read More →