SG first driverless car

I like this NUS-MIT developed car. I hope they will quickly bring it beyond the internal roads of the NUS campus. This is a little wishful but perhaps the car I am driving now could be the last time I own a car. I don't have that much faith and that's why my daughter is starting to take driving lessons. Nevertheless the day of the ubiquitous driverless car would come. The sooner the better.

The flip side of this opportunity is that lots of taxi drivers could be thrown out of  their jobs :-( What societies across the world have not improved since the last time this happened is how to graciously help the dislocated. If the winners don't want to do anything to help, governments would have to figure a way to squeeze them for funds but government itself is not good for dealing with such matters. I think commercial value driven solutions are still best but only if it is driven by long term thinking. The problem whey commerce isn't serving society or allocating resources correctly is because business people and managers are too short term these days.

PM: Wished he was born 50 years later

Even before my kids were born, my late father often suggested that they will have a tougher time than my siblings and I. He was right. Now when I see my niece, nephew and my kids work at school, the evidence is overwhelming on top of what you read in the media and the testimonies of relatives and friends.

But the young also have far more opportunities to the degree I could never imagine.

The PM sells himself that he would have preferred to be born 50 years later. In a way he is right. It is a very difficult and thankless job to be PM. Let someone else do the job and you can have your life to yourself. However it could be a less meaningful and purposeful life too if you care enough for others.

If you overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities, the future is bright. If you fail to make the grade you would wish life was like before as you believe you would do better. Question is will we have a small number of winners and many losers? The income gap is about a tiny number of rich people with a crowd of the unwashed masses. The answer to this question is personal and has to be aggregated to give the result for this society. However we must bear in mind that in an very imperfect world we need to be cognizant of what is possible and whether if we are already the least worst among all others.

As we cannot choose to be born, let's not waste time with fictitious questions and get on with making the best of this life.

HUDC: End of an era

End of an era. Used to live there with my parents where I had my most vivid memories. I can recall many events in great detail. On that December morning I left and from that day onwards only return to visit because I was getting married. The overnight mugging for university exams; the bus trips; the drives; punctured tires by uncivic neighbors; visits from friends; that one phone call....too many memories which I don't think I will ever forget.

Every few years I still take a drive into the estate to look around. The place look worn but its charm remains.

Oh, my old place is visible in this photo.

PM to NTU Students: Avoiding Conflict in Asia

The PM is addressing the 1,000 students in NTU this very moment and Today has tweeted among other snippets the above.

With qualifications the PM is right but it should more accurately be understood us nobody wants to attack anybody (they will defend themselves for sure) if they can help it. Each country has declared what could lead them to war. The only time when you can be sure there is no conflict is when everyone is committed to using arms only for repelling an attack.

The PM is not known for his ability to see over the horizon but his thoughts on the present shape of reality here and in the region is useful. I agree with him that the next 50 years would be exciting but what matters is what form of excitement it will assume. The way things go, even Antarctica would be exciting. That's is not foresight. Anyway I appreciate the guy for trying his best.

Should Schizos Serve NS?

Obviously not but this is one case where the young man Ganesh Pillay did. He went into NS and never complete it. The story from The Independent.

My friend's youngest brother went into NS and came out a schizophrenic. Destroyed his life. Friendless, I made friends with him and make it a point to send him a nice birthday card every year.

NS could have buried or more aptly sent me to the crematorium many years ago if I didn't have enough guts to keep pestering and challenge the medical officer. I was downgraded in the end.

Ganesh Pilly's psychiatrist should have done more and his camp doctor was useless and his lieutenant callous. I hope the Army bring all these officers to task but would they unless there is enough publicity for this case.

I learnt from NS that people should learn to look after themselves. My Ah Boy to Man moment was quite different from how Jack Neo try to tell it or Chen Show Mao gave for signing up to NS.

You must hop back into the process that preserve your life e.g., use of live ammo in the army. Most people are shooed into them so they live, but if you are born an outlier you need to put in special effort or your life would be at risk. Really, "you die your business".

NTUC Income vs SMRT

I got this email from NTUC Income only moments ago and I can't help comparing them with SMRT. How I wish SMRT would have just a fraction of the civic responsibility NTUC Income commits itself to. Of course to achieve this it cannot be a listed company. Income is a cooperative.

This is a crazy idea but may be public transport operators should be restructured with inspiration from successful cooperative enterprises. Whatever and however we do it, public transport must always put the short and long term interests of commuters as their highest priority. Anything that conflict with this should be re-engineered away. Unless Desmond Kuek and the board grasped this, their failure is all but a matter of time. Of course the cost would also surely be paid by the PAP in the next elections. Sometimes politicians would be forced to borrow your heads to appease the people. Remember what Cao Cao did to this chief logistics officer. Why be so stupid? Why should good people turn themselves into monsters? A stitch in time saves nine.

Nigel and Donovan one year later

I feel only pain for the parents of Nigel and Donovan when I read about them. I know I have written somethings about this tragedy a year ago but I am not ready to look it up..

Some comfort them telling them their two sons are in heaven. After all they are believers but let's be honest. Heaven for many is in the head but not in the heart. They need time to fully grasp that. That is why I find it so painful.

Being real is not just about going to heaven and reuniting with loved ones. Instead heaven has become a form of escapism in order that we may better cope with life's tragedies. That's why it was such a shocker when we read in Mother Teresa's dream, St Peter told her there are no slums in heaven. She chose not enter the pearly gates.

Get real means for now heaven is the hopeless wish that the tragedy didn't happen.

So what and where is heaven? That is a lousy question. The question to answer is the same old one from Jesus: Who do you say I am? In one's life that question will be asked over and over again. From Moses encounter with the burning bush to show me your face, step by step. Losing Nigel and Donovan is part of that journey but in this case it isn't just the Yap's journey, it has also become ours too.