Reality

I've been reading the Temasek Review & The Online Citizen since GE2011. Basically the TR is quite demoralising. Reading too much of TR gives me a sense of helplessness & like what the heck - .....

Lets face reality. Those who have been in the workforce will surely realise that those who 'make it' are those who are better at networking. How many times have we heard of someone, who is very knowledgeable and hardworking, but poor EQ, is being passed over for someone who is not so capable but able to please his boss?

My frank opinion is that many people think that the government is duty-bound to take care of the citizens. However, we forget history. Those in power will definitely try to help their kins first, before helping strangers. If you ask me, I would do the same too.

For those naive TR readers who expect the govt or others to take care of them, I suggest they read up Robert Kiyosaki's book, Rich Dad Poor Dad. Whatever our opinion of the author, basically what he trying to drive home is that we should be financially literate, and there is no better person to take care of our finances than ourselves.

I will take the example of the 40+ former hedge fund manager who was earning $100K++ and he was on cloud nine. I can imagine him on cloud nine - buying all the luxurious goods and lavishing on himself like there's no tomorrow. Suddenly he finds himself out of job - and he expects the whole world to be sympathetic to him, and offer him a job, paying $7K++? It all boils down to keeping our feet on the ground. We need to face reality. Whoever becomes the next govt will take care of their own interests first.

Lets forget who is in govt. Lets look at what we can do for ourselves and our friends. The glass is either half full or half empty. If we see the glass as half empty. we will always be unhappy. On the other hand, if we see the glass as half full, we will be contented. That is not to mean that we don't fight for our rights. But the lesson is that it is so much better that our destiny is in our hands. & not in the hands of the govt. Or charity. Or even our children. I believe that we should nourish our children without having the thought that they will pay us back.

So ... lets think positively - and accept whatever life throws at us as challenges - and we will triumph!

Education is big money

We all know that education is big money. Look at all the private education centres mushrooming in Singapore over the past few years, until Edutrust had to step in to filter out those fakes from the real ones.

The mind boggling question is: When employers can easily employ graduates from all over the world, and so many students are competing for a place in Spore u, why is the govt still offering tuition grants to foreign students to study at local unis? I am sure we will get enough good students from overseas to study in our unis without offering them the subsidies. Yea, in the developing years when NUS & NTU were not up there yet, it was ok. But now, should remove the carrots. Then MOE can make even more money.

But then again, the govt must know something we don't.....