Monday, October 29, 2007

To curse vehemently under your breath or praise and thank.

Sometimes you do have to chose between the two. Some circumstances really lead from one thing to another. I was at the library trying to find Peony in Love by Lisa See after seeing the price of it at borders. No offence to the author but $31 (singapore dollars) is just too great a sum for that kind of literary standard. Only to find that some idiotic person was supposed to return it that day. I hope that person pays a fine, a big one. I spent $1.50 reserving it. Then I picked up a book out of pure boredom and the first few pages are great. It is The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger.
Before I found that book I was ready to kill and torture a bee if only one didn't freak me out when I came back home after school by hovering around. I think it got itself hurt enough, it kept hitting the ceiling and lights. So everyone who doesn't mind getting another person heavily fined for delayed return of a book, silently pray with me. Then I remember that if I want him to pay a really big fine I will have to wait even longer.
Confirmed, this world is unfair and to many things happen by luck, timing and the guy upstairs.
At least I am not as unlucky as the guy in the book. Every time he time travels, he never knows where or when he's going to wake up. When he does, he is completely naked with no money, clothes, IC or a fig leaf.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

A380, Singapore's New Super jumbo: Better or Bad?
This big plane is the new commercial airline which is costing the world millions. If I'm not wrong, around 8 billion throughout the world by 2015. They say it is the revolutionary plane which offers more comfort for passengers, for a whooping price. The people investing in this venture will get a great return soon. To make it sound even better, all proceeds from its first commercial flight will go to charity. Governments are pumping in money to house the giant plane with a wingspan of 80 meters.
Is it really worth it? All that money could go to better uses. After the first flight, those with big bucks and the people working for it are the only ones that stand to gain. I mean sure, honour for Singapore, more jobs, pay increase for airline people. 8000000000 dollars to fund for a plane, incredible and almost a joke. That money could go to helping so many more people, those poor and ill, hungry and homeless. All that money is going to fund a plane only rich people can afford.
It is the same thing happening to our country. En bloc, to build better, richer, more luxurious apartments and condos. This property market hike and the en bloc will cause those people who were under the en bloc scheme to find a more expensive place. Most of the new places like Sentosa Cove and One Degree 15 are things almost all Singaporeans can only think of in their wildest dreams. Where are our precious land resources going to? Again to the big bucks. Those paid to build them will get a part of the pie but only in crumbs, at most a thin slice.
This new age will mean better places for the rich but how about the poor and middle class huh? We get paid a meagre portion compared to what those from wealthy families are earning. We can't all be CEOs but what do those people do with all that money? Spend it on cars and bungalows and plane tickets. People are starving in some parts of the world. Why can't those people working on the giant planes and crazy weapons for the filthy rich just use their time and brain cells to find better ways of treating cancer, stop illegal drugs, help the poor or encourage those who just took a wrong turn in their lives and need help to believe in themselves again. That will be a much better help to our community and our planet. Instead of finding ways to burn up more fuels why not use that time to find a way to stop our planet from heating up too fast. This global warming thing is really causing a lot of weird weather changes around home.
So can we just pull our heads out of the clouds and dreams of the future and help the weaker foundations first?