Wuhan coronavirus Dorscon level changed to Orange in Singapore

Wuhan coronavirus Dorscon level changed to Orange in Singapore and everybody loses their minds. 

The last weekend was an eye-opening one. Not just because everyone went crazy and started sweeping things off the shelf but because the incident has shown me the true colours of people in Singapore. 

The good thing is it that it isn't just the bad and ugly but also the good. It all started on Friday evening when the Wuhan coronoavirus Dorscon level changed to Orange. 

"Oh changed to orange? Okay lah. life goes on. Just continue to eat lor." - me 

"Still on hur? Ok. See you guys later." - my friend. 

And then the rest was history. Social media started blowing up with images of people running around buying things. 

"It will be over by tomorrow morning lah. Singaporeans very short attention span." I said. But I was wrong. Things carried on and I was a little annoyed and I posted this on my personal Facebook. 

I was having dinner with my friends casually yesterday and chilling. Well, it was TGIF after all.

To my horror when I checked my phone at the end of the dinner, my phone was flooded with images of people snatching items from the various supermarkets.

"Guys, chill.

1. We are fighting a virus and when the dorscon shifted from yellow to orange yesterday, it is asking you guys to beware of the virus. Wash your hands, avoid crowds, and maybe even take your temperature. NOT TO STOCK UP FOOD.

2. This is not zombie apocalypse nor fighting a war. You do not need to stock up food. There is no lack of food, and that is not your main enemy now. Stupidity is as it seems.

3. Various supermarkets are already restocking. This mass panic buy is causing a lot of stress for these workers. Not only are they working double hard, I've heard people abusing and scolding staff. Guys, we are better than this. They do not owe us a living. They can jolly well walk away and not work but they did not abandon the community. So instead, why is the community abandoning them? They are only workers and doing their part.

4. Singapore, we can do this together and only if we do it together. By doing all these mass buying and keeping it in your own storeroom, it is an act of selfishness. Please, Singapore is more educated and better than this.

5. What you guys are doing now is simply breaking the system for ourselves even before anything happens. And when things go sideways, many will probably blame the government once again. But remember this, they have a system in place. You were the one who broke it.

6. I saw someone saying this yesterday, "Why tell Singaporeans about the dorscon? This kind of information only scares people. Tell them for what? They also do not know any better." See this is how difficult we are as an individual isn't it? Don't tell you information, you complain that the government is not transparent and Singapore is a nanny state. Tell you all things, you guys say the government is not strategic and scare the citizens. What can they gain from scaring citizens? So how? To tell or not to tell?

End of the day, think of the bigger picture, life should go on as per normal. Don't overdo it. This is not the time to do all these.

If you are reading this message, you are a friend and I hope you are not one of those crazy mass buyers.

If you are reading this message, you are a friend and I hope you can tell others and educate them not to be silly.

If you are reading this message, you are a friend and I hope you share this message."

The post above has gotten over 5,000 shares at this point when I am crafting this reflection post. 

While there were a handful of people who defended their honour and action, most of the people who shared the post shared the same sentiment. I went through each and every one of the comments on the post as well as those on the shares. I was surprised I felt a little touched reading all these comments. They truly touch my heart to know that there are like-minded people out there who would put community first. Of course, I am not saying that I am the only person out there. I am just, well, touched.  

Sorry, I am unable to share all the screenshots but here are some of those that I kinda really like! 

Goes without saying, when there is ying, there will be yang. I have also gotten some people going at me scolding me or nitpicking on the image or my messages. Well, I have been writing this blog and have been a very public person online for many years now and this ain't exactly the 1st time I get a little heat online. So it's really nothing. You guys really got nothing on me you know? 

At the same time, there were a few other posts that I would like to share too. 

The lawyer/ rice importer has spoken 

"Broadly speaking, at any one time, there is at least a two-month supply of most types of rice in Singapore. Several top rice exporting countries in the world, such as Thailand and Vietnam, are not too far away from Singapore geographically, and fresh rice stock from these exporting countries will typically reach our shores within 3 to 5 days of the cargo ship sailing."

This man explains why we can calm our titties because we have plenty of rice stocked up. Chill okay? Source.

The dude that tells you that national-level decision is above our pay grade. TRUST THE SYSTEM. 

"Ask yourself honestly: who else can you trust, in times like this, to lead us out of this crisis? Yes, like any other governments out there, our government is not perfect. But they are our best shot in leading this fight and winning this war. If the virus is creating FEAR, the only way to overcome it is to have FAITH in the systems and protocols put in place by the government. Not creating more fear and discord among people with baseless and senseless comments." 

And to summarize his message, "Remember, the enemy is the virus, not the government." Claps! #Respect. Source. 

Singapore Psychological Society explains why do people react the way they do. 

The amygdala of the brain (emotional system) gets activated together with regions of the cortex (cognitive system) that analyze and interpret behavior. In times of stress and uncertainty, this thinking part of our brain gets hijacked by the emotional system, resulting in 𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗰 and 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿.

A pretty good post telling why the whys and also what should we do at times like these. Source.

“Shy random person” tells a father-mother-son-daughter story that makes me tear a little

“We really need to behave like what we say. Cos really, somebody’s father, mother, son, daughter is out there somewhere doing what we are not.” “We are beyond 4 masks. Beyond sanitisers.”

Whoever this shy guy is. His instastories did strike a chord with me. I was tearing a little at the end of the post. Source.

Minister Ng Chee Meng telling Singaporeans we are not empty-UC 

"Some people have jokingly renamed our supermarket chain to Empty-UC FairPrice, rest assured we are still NTUC FairPrice and our warehouses are far from empty!" #SGCares #LMCares

Don't play play okay? Mr Ng Chee Meng got picture got talk. LOL. It's really quite amazing how NTUC managed to turn around for this man-made crisis we went through. The touching thing is that not only did the staff not abandon the community and brave through tough times. Many of the office staff including those from the unions and my colleagues actually gave up their weekend and went to the frontline and gave their support. I am still feeling the chills while typing this. 

S’porean man explains strain on supermarket staff caused by mass buying & urges people to stop

So mothership featured this guy talking about the strain on supermarket staff.. Wait.. That's me. :p 

---- 

Things are better now

Good news is by the end of Saturday, things were pretty much back to normal and I posted this yesterday on my Facebook. 

It seems like everything is back to normal despite it being a Sunday morning where I assume not every company does delivery. Not fully stocked up yet but you can tell that it isn't as bad as it was just a night ago.

These pictures were taken mins ago at the giant supermarket near my house. The cashier was telling me that Friday night was a nightmare. The queue extended out of the unit for almost a good 3 to 4 hrs and everyone was grouchy and impatient.

While we saw the ugly side of Singapore, we also saw a lot of rational Singaporeans too. I also saw the brotherhood in my own organisation where office staff volunteered their weekend to help out on the ground. (i also volunteered okay, but a bit late, things were already back on track when I got the notice.) I saw how some of my friends were texting each other in group chat to keep calm, don't mass buy and if need anything they can pass some around first as well. And of course, all the kind people who decided to share my article and educate their friends.

The bigger lesson out of this is that we need to keep calm. Other countries were laughing at us. It's not just a matter of face but we showed vulnerability. When we are weak, we put ourselves in a bad position for negotiation. Because we have high demand, it will become a good chance for importers to mark up prices when doing business with us. Why put ourselves in such position where we have to overpay for anything that we are not even desperate for?

Like when playing poker, always look confident even if you only have a high card. Haha.

It's Sunday, let us enjoy what is left of our weekend with our family. Remember to wash your hands. Stay Safe Singapore. #maytheforcebewithyou

So guys, stay safe, stay clean, stay strong. We just need to do this together. 

P.S. CAN'T TOUCH THIS (FACE)! 

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HEY SETH 2020

Hey Seth,

It's your father again!

Every time when I sit down and pen down such open letters to you, I try my best to imagine how would it be like for you to be reading this 1 day when I am long gone. Will you be reading this in tears? Will you be reading it at all? Will this blog even be around?

Why this random thought? Something big happened in 2020, one of the greatest NBA players of all time, Kobe Bean Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash. Not only was he one of the greatest of all time, but he was also one of my idols. I love him not simply because he was good on the court but he was also great off the court. I guess like many other fans of Kobe out there, we love him because of his work ethics. Something that he is known for and will always be remembered for. His Mamba Mentality.

Mamba 4 Life.

While it was sad that he passed away in such a tragic manner, what makes it even more tragic was that his daughter was in the same accident.

I imagined the scenes before the crash. I tried. I put myself in his shoes. The kind of pain that he went through before his death. Not by the crash, not by the fire, but because of the fact that it was out of his control to save his daughter. The kind of helplessness is something no one should ever go through in their life.

"NO SHIT! WE ARE GOING DOWN DAD!!"

"It's okay baby! It's going to be okay."

"Daddy I'm scared!"

"It's okay baby... We are going to sur......BOOM!"

I cannot imagine going through that. I never want to.

How did this happen to a man of his greatness? The kind of role model he was both on and off the court. The number of lives he had touched. The number of people he inspired.

I was telling your mother this just a few weeks ago,

"You know, I love you, I love my mum, I love my brother, I love a lot of other things. The love for my child (you) is something different. It might sound very much like a cliche or overly dramatic, but it is a feeling that I have never felt if not for Seth. The kind of love, responsibility, and guilt. While I am strict with Seth, I never ever want to disappoint him at all in the slightest manner. I just can't look at him when he feels down. I really want to do to the best of my ability to provide for him and to protect him."

Our annual CNY pic

And then the tragic accident of Kobe Bryant happened.

I might sound like a broken record at this time but I just can't wrap my head around this. It had been a week since but I was still not feeling done with feeling sad. If I ever disappoint you or fail to protect you in the near future, please know that it is probably unintentional.

1 of the many episodes of #SethStrikesAgain

The year 2019 - 2020 was a great year for us. You were growing up fine. You were able to verbalize your emotions and needs. You were so witty. You were saying things that made the Internet went wild. You were the star of #SethStrikesAgain.

We soon decided to give you one of your greatest presents/pains (We will find out) in the early part of your life –  a brother. Your mum got pregnant. She spent most of her days and nights rolling on the bed feeling sluggish. We did most of the activities in 3s before your mum's pregnancy. Things were different since she got pregnant due to her condition.



We started going out together, just the two of us. We had quality conversations. You asked me tons and tons of questions. You were a very curious kid. You wanted to know everything. You were great with your 5Ws and 1H. I got annoyed once in a while but I still tried my best to answer everything I could. I do not want you to stop being curious. I wanted you to bring this attitude with you. I wanted you to be hungry, and be brave.

This was also the year that I started a few new practices with you. I wonder how long these traditions went on for.

1. We had our very own handshake. You loved every second of it. You would run to me every time I came home and shout at me, "PAPA HANDSHAKE!" You were a very creative child. You always built on my ideas with your own. You suggested great ideas. You were the one who added some extra steps to our handshake.

2. We started this whole "one story" practice. I would come home and tell you something that happened to me at work or in my social life. While you did not fully understand everything, you would always ask questions. I like it not just because we were talking a lot but it was also for the fact that it was an opportunity for me to teach you things with context.

The little things you enjoyed in life. Taking the bus and train with me.

3. We started writing a diary together. Of course, you were not exactly one of those kids that were patient enough to practice your writing. I started the diary to get you interested in writing numbers, introducing to you the concept of dates. I also wanted you to be able to tell stories. If there is one thing that I have learned over the years in my line of work, it is that the ability to communicate and tell a story is a skill that is highly sought after. I wished that you would grow to like storytelling just like me. You enjoyed filling up your diary with little drawings that we did together. You would always come to me before the end of the night and tell me, "Papa, I want to do diary with you before I sleep okay?"

4. This year was also the year that we started you on video games. You loved it. I was very much against screen time but I always wanted you to have better hand and eye coordination. You weren't exactly a kid with great psychomotor skills. You would walk on flat ground and still managed to fall flat on your nose. However, you soon got addicted and wanted to play it every day. However, you were a great kid too. You will stop when I made you. That was probably the saving grace. You were a very special child. Other kids would play a game of racing and want to win by being first but you would try to knock other cars in the race and laugh at it despite losing the game. You would tell me that it is more fun this way. You always do things your way.

5. This was also the year that we gave you your own room and tried to get you to get used to sleeping alone. It wasn't easy at all. It was a very very painful change for all of us. Your mother implemented this system that you were only allowed to sleep with us on weekends. You still were not too good with those days and you would ask us every night, "Mama, tonight I sleep with you?"

You will also notice by now that I missed a year of this. I can't exactly remember why I missed it. I am not too sure what happened either. I guess 2018-2019 was not exactly the best year for me and I was not writing much.

For what is worth, 2019-2020 was a great one for both of us. Besides this post, I also did this post about me choosing to work late as well as this one about my take on education and my expectation for you on Unscrambled, a site that I contributed articles to on a regular basis.

Finally, I really hope you get to read some of these articles when you are of age and enjoys it as much as I enjoyed writing them.



Fly high, burn bright, Big boy Seth.

Love you to the moon and back.

Hey Seth 2016
Hey Seth 2017
Hey Seth 2018

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What is Fair Consideration Framework?

After yesterday's post, it appears that many have forgotten or are unsure what Fair Consideration Framework by MOM is. So I decided to do yet another picture explainer about what FCF is.

FCF is basically the framework to ensure Singaporeans get a fair chance of getting a job. FCF will also put companies on THE watchlist if you are one of those 'triple weak' companies.

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Have economic growth and job creation benefited Singaporeans more than foreigners?

Some saw the parliament video of Minister Chan Chun Sing's reply to Mr. Pritam Singh and Mr. Liang Eng Hwa and asked me some questions.

I am no politician but here I am trying to explain some of the main ideas that I understood from Minister Chan's speech. I try to keep it short for easy reading.

Have economic growth and job creation benefited Singaporeans more than foreigners?

Between 2015 and 2018, local employment increased by nearly 60,000 for the whole economy.

These jobs include jobs from companies like Google, Facebook, and Grab. They are big players and many jobs were created. No doubt they are for both locals and foreigners. If not for these investments, many of us might not have the luxury of working in your own country where your friends and families are.

The above would not have happened if not for foreign investments. And no, it doesn't work in a way where you take their money and not their people. Their people are needed here to ensure the operations. Which is not all bad, because we also get to learn from big companies about their businesses.

I would even question the intention of the question. To make things worse, asking for the breakdown of PR vs Non-PR. Does it matter who benefitted more when at the end of the day, Singapore is a better place to have a career than many other places? Better than many years ago?

My point is very simple. You want to win a championship but you and your team are not good enough. So you signed LeBron James, (Michael Jordan, David Beckham, or Fandi Ahmad. Take your own pick.) and you guys are a winning team. But, you still not happy because you are no longer the star player. You are also unhappy that you are paid lower than LeBron. If not for LeBron, you would not have won your championship, you would not be paid as much as you are being paid now. You might even be in a worse off situation. So how is that a bad thing to have someone better that can put you in a better situation and also make you a better person than before?

I personally feel that Singaporeans can be a bit egoistic. We are a small country with very limited resources. We need the support from other countries. We need to learn when we have to take a step back look at the big picture. This is probably a problem of our own success. We think that we are very good and very successful after achieving all the "firsts" in the world. Being successful is not difficult, it is about staying successful.

There is no perfect policy. Like I always say, you can't have your cake and eat it too. In every policy, there will be something that you have to give. However, there can be balanced with other measures too. Which is why MOM has the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF) and is continually updating the system to ensure that Singaporeans are taken care of.

So in conclusion? Yes. To quote Minister Chan, "a resounding yes."

Not only have we gotten the local-foreign workforce balance just in terms of quantity, but quality too.

P.S. I'm no woke salaryman, but I just gotten a new tablet, just let me have it.

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What happened in 2019?

Ask and you shall get. 

If you guys have been following this space for awhile, you will remember that I do my yearly summary during the last week for each year.

I can't believe how long I have been doing this. Yes, it has been 10 freaking years. Can you believe it? Ten freaking years! If you have been reading since the very 1st edition in 2010, congratulations!!! You have wasted a good 10 years of your life by my side. I can't thank you enough for doing so.

For those who missed it and wish to catchup: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 and 2010. 

2018 was a rather depressing year as I've shared last year. To quote me from a year ago,

"Maybe I am just jaded or maybe it's mid-life crisis some may choose to call it. Regardless of what it was, it has to stop. I need a change. Not too sure how to achieve it yet but I hope help is on the way. And when I say help, I mean myself. Nobody can change me. It's probably all on me. "

I am not the most religious person but I always believe in a higher power. I've no idea who or what it is but my prayer was answered once again. I got the change I needed. A change that brought me new energy and new targets in life. I asked, and I got it.

I stopped almost entirely with paid content. I stopped almost entirely with all the PR events. It is not because I am very busy but I just wasn't in the right headspace throughout the year. I do not know how to express this part of my life but I just feel that I am pretty much done using my personal voice to sell things for others. Good news is I am a lot more active writing things online be it on my own space, Facebook page, or even just contributing articles to various online sites.

Erm, as for Instagram, I am feeling very strong fatigue not just in terms of me posting but also in terms of users uploading and engaging with Instagram posts these days. I can't say for sure but I guess most users are using IG Stories more than IG's original function. I might be right or maybe I am just giving an excuse for my lack of posts this year.

I also stopped travelling. I had a lot fewer reasons for me to be travelling with my life's new arrangement. Do I miss it? Maybe. Do I wish to travel again? Not really. Did I even travel in 2019? Yes, I did went to Bali and I'm proud to say that the picture I shot was actually featured on some 10 over different travel sites. #weirdflexbutokay

Anyway, here are some of the crazy things that happened this year. (Not in any specific order.)

New Job New Me at NTUC. #Everyworkermatters 



My journey with NTUC has been a hell of a ride so far. The people at work are great. I probably can't ask for more. Actually, maybe I can, no harm having more hot colleagues right?

Not to sound like I am carrying balls but NTUC is really less rigid than I imagined. I guess I am one of those lucky ones that have very supportive bosses and colleagues. NTUC might be an organization with loads of legacy but yet at the same time is very willing to innovate and evolve with time.

I actually asked for more projects and opportunities throughout the year. Despite me being a very new staff, I got pretty much most of the things I asked for. Of course, I hope this has something to do with how convincing I am as a person and also the way I pick my battles and not just because I am handsome.

I've a full list of people that I wish to thank after these 10 months of working at NTUC but I guess I will save it for next time. Meanwhile, I just want to say that I really appreciate everyone here with me and all the opportunities are given.

There are a lot more exciting changes coming 2020 and I can't wait for it.

New Job at Ngee Ann Polytechnic 



Being an educator has always been something I see myself doing in maybe another 10-20 years time. However, I never back down from a good opportunity.

A friend of mine was helping his friend to look for a part-time lecturer and he thought I might be a good candidate. After reviewing my own schedule and getting approval from my bosses, I decided to use my personal leave to teach at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. I wanted this so much, and yes I got it.

Yes, you got that right. I am now a lecturer. Probably the last person that you imagine working in NTUC or as a lecturer. BOOM! I am currently working at NTUC as well as a lecturer.

Yes, I am very busy but it is very fulfilling. I don't think I am any worse at work and in fact, I think I am doing better and more motivated with the additional responsibilities and work. I know, I'm crazy. The students are lovely and it's so fun teaching them.

One of the most common questions that I get all the time is regarding my tattoos and working at these established organizations where public image matters. I guess I am lucky that I am born in an era where tattoos are seen as art. That being said, I can't stress enough that I am not encouraging anyone to have tattoos all over your body. I did plan the shit out of my life and I am glad it worked the way I wanted it to. Here are some tips for you;

1. Do your tattoos on spots where you have an option to hide. Ngee Ann Poly does need me to hide my tattoos in classes. I am working with a group of youths in their formative years and I personally do not wish to misguide anyone too.

2. I only had my sleeves tattoo very late in life. No doubt I said that they are being appreciated as art, but the truth is there are industries that still see it as a stigma. Thus, I only started having these many tattoos when I am sure of the industry I will be at and also my career path. So do think twice before committing to any tattoos.

New Ink of 2019 



What can I say? I am a big fan of star wars and my favourite movie vehicle of all time has to be the millennium falcon. The lines are so fine and I love it. It was a birthday present to myself.

Not exactly asking when I paid for it, but yes, I got it as well.

New Family Member - not quite, but coming soon 



Seth is an amazing child. He has grown up so much within this 1 year. He is so sweet and witty. Just the way I wanted him to be. In fact, 2019 was a very special year for us. Due to my wife's pregnancy, we spent a lot more time together. I mean we have always been close but I feel like we connected even more since we were spending a lot more father and son time with the wife out of action, suffering from her morning sickness.

I digress.

After long planning and discussion, we finally decided to try for our 2nd child. I asked, and I got it. I can't wait to meet him (yes, him again) in 2020.

Seth is going to be a brother!

New Friends, new relationships 

Nope, don't worry, I did not get myself a new girlfriend or wife but I got a lot more friends. Not just new friends but also deeper relationships.

Many of my friends like to say that I have many friends but I choose to correct them that I am just well connected. I am going to be shameless and just say it. I am a person who is pretty good at meeting new people. I also have to admit that I am not exactly good at keeping friends around me for long. I choose to believe that it has nothing to do with my fun-loving character but more often because I am a very lazy person when it comes to maintaining a friendship.

However, I also choose to believe (once again) that I did better this year. Here are some of the friends that I like to thank for sticking around. Don't be sad if you did not get a shoutout. I already said I suck at this. Just remember this, although you are not mentioned, I still love you. And also means that we should hang out more often.

The Boys.

I swear I thought I have a better picture of us and not me cross-dressing. We are getting ahead of ourselves about that story.

Started off as basketball kakis but now they are just like family. We spent so much time hanging out. These boys are 15 years younger than me on average.

The Old Boys



Probably the strangest relationship ever. I met these old boys on a gaming Facebook group and the rest is history. We text each other more than we text our wife and girlfriend. That's how clingy we are.

The Chimi's Gang

I've no idea why I do not have one that I am dressed properly.

Chimi's is this place that serves good drinks and food right below my office. I met them earlier this year simply because they are just right below my office. It is a great place to connect. What started off as a customer/business owner relationship soon turned into a friendship. And also because of these dogs (we call everyone dog there.) I have been drinking a lot. Yes, 2019 is a very very bad year for my health.

The Office Sisters

I LEGIT THOUGHT I'VE MORE PHOTOS THAN ALL THESE CROSS-DRESSING ONES! I AM SORRY TO YOUR EYES!

I do not know about you but I probably spent more time with these ladies than my own wife. I love my work and silly shenanigans. I think we successfully made working at NTUC look very chill and fun. And we are the office sisters because I am the only guy in the team.

OR am I?

What will 2020 be like? 

2019 was a great year. I'm given more than I could ask for. I really don't think I can complain much or at all.

2020?

It will be yet another crazy year.

Greater job responsibility. Hope that everything goes well.

New Child. Most importantly, be a healthy one.

GE is coming. (No, I am not going to be MP but I mean it is a big deal since I am a Singaporean after all right?)

I can see all these coming.

What else will I ask for?

WEIGHT LOSS OF COURSE!

Happy 2020!

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Old School Mama Shop Way of Life.

It has been a while since I have seen one of these old school mama shop. Being the typical "city boy", I do my shopping mostly at malls or my wife would just buy things off online stores.

I stumble upon this mama shop in Jurong when I was visiting someone.

I have spent a good 20 over years in newer towns such as Tampines and Punggol. The sight of such an establishment is really almost never.

"Uncle, how long have you been doing this?"

"36 years already." 

"Wah! So long?" I was kinda shocked because he does not look that old. He looks like he is at most in his early forties.

"Ya. Life not easy okay. With people like Sheng Siong around the corner. And youngsters like you buying everyone online."

He hit me with the truth and a wave of guilt.

I looked around their shop and I could tell that they are a rather progressive couple in their own ways. Not only do they sell the typical sundries but they also provide pick-up and drop-off of dry cleaning. They also sold things such as portable chargers, phone cables, and even earpieces. Probably catering to the people staying around the neighbourhood. He even tried to upsell me some candies when I was just buying a drink.

I looked at the couple and I tried to imagine living their life and wonder what they are going through.

How old are their kids?

Are they even a couple?

Do they still love each other?

With the need to open this shop, how often do they travel out of this area?

Do they even travel?

What hobbies do they have?

What do they do after work?

They seem like they built their lives around this shop.

Most importantly, are they happy?

I once had a dream when I was young. I wanted to open a mama shop. My uncle laughed at me when I told him that. He said that I have no ambition. He called me useless. I was only in primary school then.

I told him this or something along the line, (It has been a while.)

"I want a shop. I can provide my family with food. I can eat whatever I want. I can also earn money by selling things to people who needs them. I also get to interact and make friends with the neighbours. I do not see why is that useless." 

I remember this very clearly. I have no idea why but this conversation replays itself more often than I can explain. I remember exactly why I wanted to do it and the kind of happiness that filled me when I was explaining myself almost 30 years ago.

More questions came to me as I stood there looking at the little shop.

Are they still making money?

Are they in debt?

Can they be doing anything else?

What is their story?

Can they be earning even more money if they are just working as a cashier in a bigger establishment?

Is there anything anyone can do to grow their business?

Marketing? No one is going to travel here just to shop.

Funding? So what if they got more money? Hire someone to do it? Expand their business?

Upskilling? They sound like they are in their 50s, upskilling after 36 years of working at their own mama shop ain't impossible but it ain't changing this business.

Is there anything we can do to keep the business?

They did not tell me the shop is closing or in any trouble. It is just my own baseless assumption. Everything has to come to an end, eventually. 

What can the government do to help such businesses?

What can the government do to keep these businesses alive?

Then, I stop again and ask myself.

Do we really still need these businesses alive?

If no one is buying anything from them, what is the point of such businesses? Just for the sake of nostalgia?

What is going to happen to them if they ain't making a living out of this shop?

I guess they can always be placed in some other jobs.

I do not think anyone is going to take over such businesses anyway.

I actually have no conclusion at all for these thoughts.

It was just a very strange wave of emotion while I stood there looking at them doing their things.

Their way of life.

And I've no message for this post. I just wanted to pen it down. It still helps to clear my head sometimes. 

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It is not easy being a cleaner.

"I had to wipe semen off the floor every morning"

Recently I bumped into an old acquaintance of sorts (I hope she is not reading this.) and she was telling me about her job as a property manager and all the dirty (both literally and figuratively) deeds she heard from some of her cleaners.

Some of the stories she shared got me thinking if they really happened in Singapore.

1. I had to wipe semen off the floor every morning

Random staircase sex image.jpg

This auntie was working in one of these really old buildings in Singapore that has many nightclubs. So according to her that there will always be inconsiderate people having sex at the staircase and not clean up after.

She tried to complain to the security team but they just brushed her off.

"Nvm lah auntie. People having a good time. Why must we go and disturb? Any way we can watch free show via CCTV."

2. Some guys flashed me on purpose

It is really not easy being a cleaning lady where one of the many jobs include cleaning of the male toilet. For those of you who are familiar enough with the male toilet will know that there are standing cubicles with no doors. This other cleaning lady actually got flashed by a young man.

"He looks like he is around 20 or 30 yrs old. I wasn't offended or shocked at all. I just told him, "Boy ah, auntie almost 60 years old. What shape and size never see before? Don't need to show me okay?" but too bad he ran off before I could finish the sentence." , my, erm friend, related to me the story while I was laughing my head off. 

And all I could think about is him not washing his hands. 

3. Getting fired for being smelly

Sadly this uncle in his 60s was an odd job cleaner. He was being paid on a daily basis and was working at this place for six months before he got fired and started working with my friend's company.

The supervisor merely told him that he was very smelly and had bad personal hygiene and not suitable for the work. They fired him after six months with immediate effect. This is unacceptable in all the ways.

Not only did his job require him to do a lot of physical tasks that made him perspire, he also did not have a proper rest area. His rest area was a hot little corner hoarded up in a basement carpark.

How do you expect him to smell like a flower every day?

--

We all know that there are no elves that will fix our shoes or sew our clothes while we sleep. All our bins, toilets, common areas and more are being taken care of by cleaners. However, how often do we really think about them? How tough is their job? Where do they even rest or have their meals? If you ever need some cleaning agent or trash bags, do you even know where to find them within your office or buildings?

Guilty as charged. Some times we really overlook all these things in our lives. Especially when we are living in a time where it is all about "me". We are living in a time where it is just about ourselves. Personal achievements over the little things in life.
--

In recent news, it was announced that cleaners will have to undergo a mandatory Workplace Safety & Health course from 2022 to make sure they are aware of and take precautionary measures against occupational risks such as slips and falls.

I am glad that while everyday people like you and me may have neglected these invisible heroes, there are people fighting for not just their welfare but also for their wages and work progress.

Besides the compulsory safety course, cleaners will also have to sign up for a second Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) module validated and endorsed by the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC).

These initiatives, which were put forth by the TCC and come under the Progressive Wage Model framework, were accepted by the Government.

The Progressive Wage Model (PWM) is a wage progression pathway that helps to increase workers’ pay through skills upgrade and improved productivity. It is applied to the cleaning, security and landscape sectors, while the model was mandated for lift technicians last year.



In the last budget, my ex-teacher and also labour MP Mr Zainal Bin Sapari fought for the following things for older/poor low wage cleaners. For those of you who are unfamiliar, he has always been advocating for the low wage workers’ rights for a while now.

1) Revise employer’s CPF contribution rates for mature workers aged 55 and above, up to age 65. - checked.

2) Low wage workers to receive mandatory Annual Wage Supplement to reduce income gap. - checked.

3) Employers to bear outpatient cost and outpatient consultation fees (healthcare cost). - While there is no updates publicly on this but this is something that I am sure something will happen eventually.

In March this year, MP Zainal also wrote a blogpost and in parliament, highlighting the need to provide rest areas for outsourced workers.

In his recent Facebook post,

"It was a basic need that was lacking when we engaged these workers on the ground. MOM agreed and the tripartite partners worked together to produce an advisory. Cheers to MOM and the tripartite team for working on this."

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Kicking the habit of co-sleeping.

One of the biggest pain of be coming a parent is adapting to changes. If it has been such a difficult journey for me, what makes me think that it is going to be easy for my child?

Changes kicked in the moment I knew my wife was expecting Seth. I started throwing things out and emptied out a room for him and all the stuff that he might need. Because of him, I sold my bicycle, collapsed one of my tables in my studies, and dismantled all my legos and kept them into different boxes.

So with the new child on his way, one of the big changes for Seth is that he has to stop co-sleeping with us. He has his own bed but I do enjoy co-sleeping with him, thus I have been allowing him to co-sleep with us despite his age(He is turning 4 soon). The moments spent in bed before he falls asleep or just having him around while I call it a night from working late are rather precious to me.

Smelling his tiny little head and giving him a kiss on his forehead is pretty much my routine every night.

One of the things we did to help him to adapt is by enticing him with his own room where all his favourite toys and books will be.

Yup. That also means more of my stuff went out the window. Figuratively. I gave up my dumbbells, my books, some of my collectibles and yet another study table. I am left without a room to work from home anymore. I guess that is pretty much a want than a need.

There is no way for me to work from home these days anyway.

"Papa, are you doing work? Why are you still doing work? Can you play with me?"


Cat, "meow."

Seth. "shhhhhh."

He was supposed to be napping but he was trying to play w his toys quietly and got caught on cctv. Lol.

Being very worried parents, my wife and I decided to install a CCTV to keep an eye on this little one. For those of you who are familiar with his adventures, you will know that he is always up to no good.

So this happened the other night...




Not sure drunk or asleep.

Good night my little one.

Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite.

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