China’s labour market at a turning-point

the tide has turned.
the turning point of cheap labour in china.
as the chinese govt did not suppress the large pay increment, she has given the workers to right to get pay rises.
as china is world's manufacturer, it will affect not only just herself, but the rest of the world.

we will see the great tide has finally turn, finally at last.

suffering

when i went through tough times, i treated them as an opportunities.
rather than difficultied as i knew a true person will emerge not under comfortable environment but intense pressures and stresses from all angles.

it is tough, it is hard.
for me, i just smiled at it, and even laughed.

years later when i recalled them, i treated it as a joke.
as something make a change in me for larger capacities to stomach those tough times, and longer fuse not to eaily imploded when things went awry, as they always.

sure, talking is easy, but i know, once i placed in writing, i will carry it no matter how tough it is.

advice to young gals

Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot,
who calls you back when you hang up on him,
who will lie under the stars and listen to your heartbeat,
or will stay awake just to watch you sleep...
wait for the boy who kisses your forehead,
who thinks you' re just as pretty without makeup on.
One who is...
constantly reminding you of how much he cares
And how lucky and fortunate that he is to have YOU.

where is singapore?

world cup 2010 has just began its first match.
it was South Africa against mexico.

we have heard that one minister told us that singapore will be in 2010 world cup.
but where is singapore?
ask him..

agony

one picture tells a thousand words.

when i does many good things for others, i do not expect returns or flavours.
i am just help them to solve their problems.
that is all.

but i do not expect them to betray me in the end, and do the unthinkable things.
alas.

that's life.

i have to accept people is not perfect as i have assumed to be.
i have been walking on narrow path, and still follow the same path despite the change of environment, despite of many things.

it is hard, but i follow the nature way.

tears

after what he has done for the people, and yet people despised him.
even totally shamed him.
that was just too much, but people kept on hammering at him.
when he has done so many good things, there was no arugument.
but when things started to get out of hand, there are finger pointing at him and his dark side.

this is unfair.

but we know that is life.
when you are down with accusations, you have to dig your deepest heart and soul, and have a good fight.
it is easy to give up, but when all the things gone to past, it tasted sweet when one recalled those tough times.

so, let's get going and not to stop too long.

durian seasons

i have jogged this morning and since it was still early, i went to the forest to check the durians trees.
i am thinking that the durians maybe ripe next month, but i am wrong.
they have already started to drop.
it is a surprise as i have assumed it will take sometime and also the weather was erratic for the past few weeks.

however, for the first batch that the durians dropped, i did not expected too much as i knew that they are not ripe yet, but dropped.
so, for the next few weeks i will be going there often.

a better person

after i have underwent a series of incidents, only then i realized that the things i have perferred was just nearby, within reach of my hands.
and i have been searching far away for the things, little did i realized that i have missed many things i have taken for granted.
alas.

life's that.
when the things are gone, i beganto treasure them,but it was already too late then.

that is why i took time off for myself and pondered the things which i have at present and cherished them.
before they are gone, forever.

poor harvest

few weeks ago, i have taken a walk round the forest nearby to check this year's harvest of the durians.

last year, 2009 saw a bumper harvest despite the economic downturns.
i can see the baskets and basket of durians when the season was in full swing.

after the walk, i was extremly disappointed with the findings:
2010 will be one of the worst harvest i have ever seen in years to come.
it is very bad,indeed.

i have asked one of working colleagues who normally picked durians and his remarks are same as mine.

don't expect too much this year.

dream

i used to dream a lot.
i am a dreamer too.
i like to live in my fantasy world.
but i know that the world outside me is the most hostile place on earth.
i have to face the truth, the real facts.

許冠傑 - 浪子心聲

one of favourite songs of all times

4 months later: Part II

yes..it has been 4 months.
and time really heals the wound.
i have felt no pain, just cherishing those wonderful memories.

now i know that i have been naive all along the while.
the world has not changed since then.

it is difficult to see through the real and fake.
people are also difficult to differentiate too.

everyone says they are right, no one will admit that they are wrong.

but for me, when things have come to past,i rather preferred not to ponder too much about the past.
just cherish the present, the moment i am still breathing, the very air.

4 months later

at first, i do speak to her.
but as days passed, i came to realize that we have a great difference in our character.
we have arguments, and i decided that i should end the relationship once and for all.
in the beginning, i have an awful feelings as i found out more and more about her.

thus, i quickly pulled myself out from the relationship.
it has been painful and i just could not figure out the reasons.

then came the real truth.
the cold hard truth.

that my trusted colleagues betrayed me in the end.
i have been too trusting.
alas.

at present, i do not like to see her at all, and do not talk to her for a long, long time.
it is good, though.

the greatest smoker

i have one colleagues who is the greastes "smoker" in my department.
he bluffed all the way in his work.
at first, no one will noticed him, but in the end, he was served with "love letter" for his silly mistakes which i shall not gointo details.
in the end, someone has seen through his bluff and is waiting for the best opportunity to strike.
he is patient encough.

so, i can see what comes around goes around.

and that included our dearest minister told us that Singapore will be in 2010 world cup. he got the guts, and has the most thickest skin to tell us.
good for him.
the truth prevails.

take a break

we are always on the hurry mode, rushing here and there.
we spent timeon earning money for the living,and for the bills of the family.
but we often neglected the things we have chosen not to hear,smell and feel:

the birds's chirping sound.
the fresh and crisp fresg morning air.
the wind breeze on our faces.

those little things we have forgotten why we are living in this earth: the purpose.

life is not all about money.
we should be the master not the slave to the money.
we control our destiny.
our choice.

parrot talking

i noticed that people likes to do parrot talking.
they did not gone through the mental and physical stresses but they talked liked they have been there.
just like our politicians.
their talking is excellent, but i see them as parrot talking.
just like parrot, repeating and repeating, without any feelings on the people.
they cared for themselves.

City Harvest Church will come clean

someone has filed a complaint.
this is not the first time.
once again, City Harvest Church will come clean.
City Harvest Church will be OK.

City Harvest Church under investigation

A DAY after City Harvest Church completed a massive five-day seminar which involved 30,000 people including foreign evangelists, police rounded up several individuals linked to the church for alleged misuse of church funds.

The founder of City Harvest Church and 16 other individuals and staff involved in the handling of the church's financial affairs are being investigated by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD).

Police confirmed on Monday evening that Reverend Kong Hee and 16 others are assisting in an on-going investigation arising from complaints made to the Commissioner of Charities (COC) on the misuse of church funds.

CAD officers in the morning visited various premises, including the homes and offices of the individuals involved. They secured items such as financial records and computers for their investigation.

As to how long the investigation will take, the police have given the assurance that while it will be thorough, it will be without undue delay.

Earlier in the afternoon, the COC and CAD said in a joint statement that they were investigating some financial transactions involving several individuals and companies related or connected to the church.

They assured the public that despite ongoing investigations, the normal services and religious activities of the City Harvest need not be disrupted.

City Harvest is one of the largest churches in Singapore, with a congregation of over 30,000 who regularly pack its venues at Jurong West and the Singapore Expo during sermons.

The church's reach online is even greater - through live webcasts, podcasts and its own broadcast channel. Much of it is driven by its charismatic founder, Reverend Kong.

This is not the first time City Harvest Church has made headlines. It was just in March that eyebrows were raised over the church's S$310 million stake in Suntec City Convention Centre, and the Commissioner of Charities was called in to investigate.

In a statement to MediaCorp, the charities watchdog stressed that this round of investigations is not related to the earlier Suntec case.

It added that the case involved more than just City Harvest - it included companies and individuals connected either directly or indirectly with the church. That is why, it said, the police have to be involved.

Depending on the findings, the charity's trustee may be suspended.

The statement continued: "While there was a governance review conducted on City Harvest Church in 2007, the objective and the scope are different from that of an inquiry.

"The governance review essentially looks at the organisation's corporate governance with the objective of assessing and helping the charities to improve the way they are run.

"The inquiry on the other hand is a formal investigation into allegations and complaints received to ascertain that there is no mismanagement or misconduct in the administration of a charity."

When asked to comment, the National Council of Churches of Singapore, of which City Harvest is a member, said it was too premature to do so at this point.

On the City Harvest's website, a notice to members by Executive Pastor Reverend Derek Dunn stated that the church was "cooperating fully" with investigations, and that services and operations would continue as usual.

The church has engaged Christina Ng from law firm Rajah and Tann to represent it.

maximise growth at any cost, at the expense of singaporeans

Singapore has the third-largest share of foreign-born persons in its population of any country, after the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.

It is inevitable that foreigner numbers will continue to swell, but the key is how many the country can accommodate and how fast it wants to grow.

PAP govt had went overboard in trying to maximise growth, at the expense of singaporeans.

For the investments that were brought in, the criteria were more to generate growth.

This has led to more low- skilled and cheaper foreign workers on work permits.

Their presence, in turn, has depressed the salaries of low-skilled Singaporeans.
It is not a new trend, and PAP govt policymakers are aware of it,




government labour reports show that wages of workers such as cleaners and labourers have stayed stagnant or even declined in the past decade, while the wages of higher- skilled workers rose.

Singapore had the biggest gap in both years. It also had one of the fastest widening gaps: In 1996, the top 10 per cent earned 4.9 times the income earned by the bottom 10 per cent; in 2006, that proportion had increased to 5.7.

The PAP govt has not done their job well, people has eyes to see.



cheers to our great leader who made thw wrong policies while they are aware of it.

1st World Country, 3rd World Wage Structure

1st World Country, 3rd World Wage Structure?
"For years, companies have creamed off a larger share of economic gains - larger than those in other developed countries or industrialising economies in Asia.

As a result, workers get a slice of Singapore's gross domestic product (GDP) that is considered unusually

tiny

compared with their counterparts' share in those countries.


many people have asked: how come we have economic growth of 10%, but we cannot feel the goodness?
where all the money have gone to?

we knew that 80% of the company profit goes to 20% of the top management whilst 20% of the rest is for 80% of the workers.

so, we can see the clearer picture from here.
we the workers worked like shit, had minimum increments over the past few years.
our CPF cut when there is a crisis and when good times have come, it is the same as ever.

For years, companies have creamed off a larger share of economic gains.

it really make us feel bad when you know the truth.

transport fares

come july the 3rd, there will be fare adjustment for the buses and MRT.
for some commuters, they may have slight savings while other remained the same.

but not for the elders who enjoyed a flat rateof 68 cents before 3rd july.
now the flat rate has increased to 86 cents, an increment of 18 cents.

still, it was a tiny sum as compared to others who enjoyed saving instead.

however, they are the vocals ones, perferred to be the silent ones, and kept quiet since the fare's adjustments a few weeks ago.

for those smokers who smoke outside the flat, they will noticed this sign..

smoking

i do not like people smoking, but i do not hate them as some of them chose a corner to smoke.
however, i hate those who smoke outside their flat, tnd let their neighbours have their second-hand smoke.
for their own conveniences sake, and to satisfy their needs, they do not care about other but they themselves only.

people have become selfish nowadays and i have noticed the changes long, long ago.
are our society progressing orwalking backwards..?

you have already know the answer

the special one

Mourinho always likes the last word, as he is plotting more Champions League success if he signs for Real Madrid.

"Few have the privilege of winning it.
it's an even bigger privilege winning it twice.
i can win a third, a forth, a fifth time but i don't like the feelings will be different," he said.

"the feelings are joy and happiness and a tear if i leave."

Mourinho always proved that he is always right in the end.
again and again, he showed that he could win the much prized trophy.
he said it and he did it.

unlike one minister said that singapore will be in the final 32 teams of 2010 world cup.
he is building castle in the air, knowing that it was the gigantic lie.
and yet he said it and reported in the press!
shame on you.

I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow

I am the man of constant sorrow
I've seen trouble all my days
I bid farewell to ol' Kentucky
The place where I was born and raised.

The place where he was born and raised

For six long years I've been in trouble,
no pleasure here on earth I've found
For in this world, I'm bound to ramble,
I have no friends to help me now.

He has no friends to help him now

It's fair thee well, my old true lover,
I never expect to see you again.
For I'm bound to ride that Northern Railroad,
perhaps I'll die upon this train

Perhaps he'll die upon this train

You can bury me in some deep valley,
For many years where I may lay.
And you may learn to love another
while I am sleeping in my grave.

While he is sleeping in his grave

Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger
My face you never will see no more
But there is one promise that is given,
I'll meet you on Gods golden shore

He'll meet you on God's golden shore

North and South Korea

ring finger

eversince i injured my left ring finger, i have changed much since then.
i am no longer no same person.
i have changed but still walked on the narrow path which i have chosen.
it is my choice.
no one else.

for friends

for friends.
as days passes by, as we works,
friends are disappearing from my phone list.
each year, it is getting smaller as we strikes off friends whom i trusted them but betrayed me in the end.

all left are few but precious friends whom i can depended on.

they are truly my friends.

talk less do more

i have learnt from my mistakes in the past.
luckily friends told me and advised me.
Talk less and do more.

i have been too trusting in others, and in the end, i have fallen, hard.

calm

i will be calm.
i will be still.
in quietness and silence.

too many jobs for singaporeans?

they told you that Singaporeans should not be choosy, take whatever jobs that comes up, but they never told you this:

The momentum has now ground to a halt because of the economic crisis.
But if the pace picks up again, Singaporeans could end up being outnumbered by foreigners in the workplace.

there could be more than three million foreigners working here by 2030, forming half the workforce. That will jump to almost 10 million by 2050, making up 75 per cent of employees here.

It is a frightening leap from the current figure of one million, or 36 per cent of the workforce.

Of the 235,000 jobs added in 2007, six in 10 went to foreigners. The ratio rose last year, with foreigners taking seven in 10 of the 222,000 new jobs.
This means that almost 300,000 foreigners flocked here to take up jobs in the past two years, pushing their population past the one million mark for the first time.

bad blood

Hong Kong comedy and drama actor, Richard Ng said this.

He told once he witnessed with his own eyes a China man pulling a woman out of a cab just because he wanted to have the cab for himself first.

He also commented on the huge influx of China immigrants into Singapore.

He said in time to come, Singapore's crime rate would go up because of these immigrants.

He added the Singapore government was importing bad blood.

attitude

it is just a simple task, but attitude that counts.
different people reacts to the task and have different attitudes.
the aim to do the things even better.
but what we saw is the exact opposite.
they just do not care.

honour

i will fight for honour,
regardless of everything.

Welcome To Next Great Depression

it is coming.
for every success came the greatest failure.

robin hood:one man can change the world

Robin Hood 2010 is not the typical story of the man and his gang of “merry” men stealing from the rich and giving to the poor that we have known for years.

This “new” version of the famous creator is more detailed and purposed.

Robin Hood 2010 starts out by giving us a more detailed history of the famed archer and how he sacrifices himself for his country.

Russel Crowe brings his usual expert performance to this film. Crowe makes us believe the notion that one man can change the world.

Max von Sydow, Kate Blanchett and William Hurt also give stellar performances. This version of Robin Hood is bloody and violent and is not for little kids.

As I was watching this movie, I kept thinking of the movie Gladiator and how Robin Hood falls along the same lines.

Don’t get me wrong here, this movie is an excellent movie.

If someone other than Russel Crowe were playing the lead I would probably never made the comparison.

Just as Russel Crowe made Gladiator the hit movie it was, he will also be remembered for Robin Hood.

This movie is definitely a must see for all action fans as Robin Hood 2010 will not disappoint you.

the saddest sound

Alvin Tan: Jobless reader cried with Mum on Mother’s Day, May 18th, 2010


if anybody asks me what I have given my mum on Mother’s Day last weekend, my answer will be – SORROW.

“Oh, you’re such a unfilial son!” one will quickly retort.

No, no, hear me out.

I am a 44-year old single guy, held the post of a senior manager before but was retrenched last year.

I have sent out more than 230 copies of my CV to potential employers but received only less than 15 interviews so far.

Each appointment brought forth false hopes of employment and ultimately disappointment. How many rejections can a person take?

I was furious and dismayed but I could take it all.

As for my mum, she can’t. Such is the love of a mother has for his son. She wants her son to be gainfully employed and not daily coop up at home living a meaningless life.

I know that she is worried for me as each time when she heard that there was an interview coming, she would iron my clothes personally because she knows that my ironing is out of this world.

Weeks and months have now passed and I am still at home, patiently cutting papers for job opportunities.

I also began to slowly doubt myself – is there something wrong with me? Am I that bad that no employer is willing to give me a chance?

My savings are also drying up and the bills are haunting me slowly.

I can take it all – but not my mum.

She can’t bear to see her beloved son unemployed for so long.

You see, a year ago, I promised my mum on Mother’s Day that I will give her a good treat when I can find a job.

More than 365 days had passed since that day. How time flies when you are jobless.

Finally, Mother’s Day came last Sunday. I asked her what would she want for a Mother’s Day gift?

She cried and said: “The best present will be a job for you.”

I hugged her and we cried together.

Tears filled my eyes and there is a growing resentment within me.

I don’t hate myself anymore for being unemployed. I hate the current policies of Singapore.

It is not that I am lazy but the truth of the matter is many jobs have now gone to the foreigners.



Under Singapore’s lax labor policies, companies are allowed to employ foreigners so long a quota for local workers are fulfilled.

The situation is further exacerbated by the astonishingly short time in which the PRs are granted.

Most countries require foreigners to reside for a period of time before they are allowed to apply for PR but not in Singapore!

Two out of every three PR applications are successful here.

Many of these so-called foreign talents are in direct competition with us locals for jobs. Can Singapore truly accommodates six million people? Where are the additional jobs going to come from?

I have served my 2-year national service to protect my country and now my country is filled with these foreigners, which I am obligated to protect. How ironical can it be!

Is this what I deserve for being a true Singaporean?

As for my mum, she will have to wait a while longer for her Mother’s Day treat from me.

mother's love

when i injured ourselves one day, the first person whom came into our mind is my mother.
no body else but my mother.

the call of the wild

the howling
the cry,
the hope
and
the wishes..
not for me, but for my mother

the nature

sometimes, i have time, i will go to the forest.
to smell the fragrance, feel its greatest, and sleep on the grass patch, glancing at the bright green leaves..

it is like heaven, there's no need to travel far.
it is just nearby.

marathon

i have hoped that one day i will run my 1st marathon.
of course, i have to train myself to run at least 50km.
now my average jog is about 6km.

still a long, long way to go.
still, i have to give my ever best effort to fullfill my wish.
Oh, Yes!

PR

a comment by one bloggers

I am glad to read you applied for citizenship. Sorry that you got rejected.

Regardless, it should be an official policy that citizens should always come first, at the expense of PRs and foreigners. Every country is morally obliged to care for its citizens FIRST. That is what a citizen should expect.

You might not be a citizen, but your sons are entitled to, since they are doing NS.

Most of us resent PRs because of the following reasons;

1) Many of them are just cheap labour. We locals can't fight cheap, because our families live in expensive housing, and not in Third-World Housing

2) Many PRs, once they become managers, have a tendency to fire Singaporeans and replace them with their own countrymen. If you were one of us, wouldn't you be angry with the foreigners too?

3) Many PRs are arrogant. They actually dare demand for the same rights and privileges as citizens.

4) Many PRs and foreigners think they are some big-shot just because they pay taxes. So what? They pay enough tax to cover all our salaries and the public services? If not, they should shut up. We pax taxes too.

5) Many PRs import into our countries the same bad values that keep their own countries poor and downtrodden; corruption, nepotism, dishonesty, laziness.

Not all Singaporeans are good. There are corrupt Singaporeans too. But enough of us are hardworking and not corrupt. That is enough to get our country going, and enough to make you come to our land, instead of us going to live in your land.

5) Many of us think that PRs and foreigners are only fighting with locals for limited jobs, jobs that can and should be performed by a citizen.
Many of us feel that Singaporeans won't get a job if the manager if Filipino or Indian or PRC, because the Filipino/Indian/PRC manager would rather give the job to his own countryman.

That makes us hate the PR very much!!

no pain no gain

bloodshed means nothing.
face them, not hide.
straight on.

still alive

i am still much alive.
much alive than what you have think.
it is good that i am still alive.
oh, Yes!

have no fear

fear is your greatest enemy.
show no mercy

band of brothers

in the end, when i was played out by someone, it was a humiliation which i will never ever forget in my entire life.
that is why i trust myself, and never believe in others.
they are afterall, our band of brothers.

shield

protect yourself.
guard your heart well.

supernova

liberation of the greatest energy.

rebirth

rebirth of a new man.
me, a changed person.

let it all go

Let go of the Past,
Only then you move towards the future.
Let go of the Regrets,
Only then you move towards the happiness.
Let go of the Presumptions,
Only then you move towards the truth.
Let go of the Problems,
Only then you move towards the solutions.
Let go of Yourself,
Only then you move towards the divinity.

do not break

Life is a mixture of good times and bad times,
happy moments and unhappy moments.

The next time you are experiencing
one of those bad times or unhappy moments,
Try your best not to let the situation get the best of you.

If the going gets tough and you are at your breaking point; show resilence.

Bend; But don’t break!

Philippines Elections 2010

Elections are more entertainment than enlightenment in the Philippines.
Every night, candidates travel from town to town in whistle-stop motorcades packed with comedians, pop singers, movie stars and basketball heroes.
They sing and chant political slogans, dance and hand out partisan, colour-coded T-shirts, baseball caps and wristbands to crowds of equally enthusiastic potential voters.

Party labels, ideology and issues have virtually nothing to do with the campaigns. Politicians instead rely on the strength of their personalities and two traditional

Philippine formulas for success-- "family and favours" and "guns, gold and girls."

In many ways, the Philippines' elections can be compared to the country's popular soap operas. Behind the conflicting web of personal relationships, business interests and shared histories lies a wavering uncertain mass of shifting alliances, angry accusations and desperate political showmanship.

And, just as on television, a fear of violence and bloodshed lingers in the background. So far, more than 90 people have been killed in the run-up to the May 10 polls.

old friend

met an old friend whom i have not met for a long, long time.
he still remembered me, and called my name.
ah..
after those years, he still does not forget me and i also have not forgotten him, too.
we had a long talk.
time passes quickly when you met a good talker like my friend.
it is good.

well, we parted unwillingly and promised to meet whenever possible.

take care my friend, take good care.

timeless

where time there is no borderless, boundless, unlimited.
our persistant chase of happiness always ended in agonies.
so, be contented of what i have.