Always stopping for NParks Facebook Pictures

Unless I am in a real rush, I always pause, slow down and enjoy the flowers NParks put up. They are just special. I have tons of pictures of flowers from elsewhere but these are our pictures and many of the places featured are familiar. Often I had driven pass them recently but these photo contributors provided a much more beautiful perspective I can't get from behind the wheel. Besides my eyes are mostly focused on where the car is going.

From garden city, garden in a city to city in a garden, Singapore is at its best when she combines idealism with pragmatism. Just as Dhana reminded us in his eulogy for LKY. He could have chosen the majority Chinese to dominate this place but instead went for the much harder and arduous task of multi-racialism. Of course, a single race dominating over other minorities would certainly have led to us tearing ourselves apart. Similarly, the failure to green this island would make this place unlivable.

Bought four DVDs

Bought four DVDs this evening: Interstellar, the latest Hobbit, Good Night and Good Luck, Emperor.

I thought better record this. We have double bought DVDs several times because we lost track of what we have. There are easily hundreds of them at home and I think I have seen no more than 10 percent of them. There is simply no time.

Singtel Wavee: Not too but just very late

I fired up my Google Play last night thinking of downloading the new Singtel Wavee app but did not in the end. I saw how few people have downloaded and much of the feedback weren't flattering. I thought to myself just like Whatsapp before, I can afford to wait. I didn't take to Whatsapp then until my brother forced me to. He wanted to organize the CNY lunch using the app. By then I had no choice since I was the only one without it.

No point telling me that data traffic incurred using Wavee is free till July 9 when no one on my contact list (a reasonable assumption) is using this. I don't know who is in charge of promoting this app but the most important task for such apps any rational start-up would have known is to get friends to also adopt it.

I read in the ST and comments elsewhere opining that Singtel has arrived in this space with too little and too late. I don't think so. They are only very late. Singtel is not a start-up but a big telco. They can succeed at this if they are not afraid to act against their culture of caution and more important produce a high quality product (can they?)

I also half suspect that Wavee is still in beta and not ready for prime time. Perhaps we need to give them about three months to polish this further. Meanwhile I don't feel that I am missing anything without Wavee.

Really, I don't mind if the telco serves us like Singapore Power. Invisible and reliable, working on the most cost effective delivery. If they want to do more, they have to be courageous and earn their stripes. They have to overcome the innovator's dilemma.

What of LKY in LHL?

See the underlined. I thought I was reading LKY but no, it is LHL.

I first spotted this at the PM's Facebook page. He signed off with a Latin greeting for Bernard Chen which I thought was the most empathetic act.

We all want to know how much of the PM is his own and which parts he got from his larger than life father.

Although he is not as able as his dad, and how many were, at least I know he can be trusted.

I wished most he has his father foresight and we must keep working on how to replace that vital edge.

A theory of mind for Autism

I can feel myself getting there: achieving a working model of theory of mind of an autistic person. The observations and evidence are falling into place creating a framework. Best of all I can also sense others are on the same path, getting it and some ahead of me.

There will be major breakthroughs in managing and treating autism.


I experienced different thoughts when I watch an ang moh clip on autism and I had seen quite a few previously. I find it much easier to emotionally follow a local story like this one. Let how you feel guide your thinking without being irrational which is often the case for so many.

Priscilla's mother spoke of punching holes through a bubble. The holy grail is to get the autistic person learn how to punch those holes, and I know you must try to punch them in the right order. That is why it is so hard.

We will get there.

Post Soviet Leaders using LKY for their own self deception

Link to above article.

Lots of leaders are misappropriating LKY's principles of governance to justify their dictatorial rule and when he was still with us, already expressed his pessimism about their success.

I was saw how big business and government did the same to scenario planning and in the end the technique got discredited. But as long as Singapore success continue to surprise, these self serving dictators would be the ones who get discredited instead of our model. In fact, it will make more people study us more carefully and especially honestly. Thus far too many leaders had been using LKY only to hear what they want to hear. They have or will learn the hard way when they try and fail to recreate the magic in their own country. True be told, I don't think these leaders care. They were only buying time to steal from the state and the people. They are Kleptocracies.

The same is happening in religion especially Christianity since I know this one better. Like these Russians and former Soviet bloc leaders, Christians are also misappropriating the Bible for their own self serving ends. God does not speak with an independent voice. He has left us the Bible which many of us selectively read it to justify our sinful desires. The church is full of this.

Unlike scenario planning, these religious texts continue to last. Be it the Bible, Talmud, Koran, Vedas and Sutras.

This article originally in Russian but translated in EL was just very interesting to me. As I read I can not only recognize but feel intimately how Christians especially so many pastors are misappropriating the scriptures for their ministry success. I am so glad in times like these there is a Pope Francis.

Best to just ignore Amos Yee

Until it was in my face, I paid no attention to this extremely rude teenager Amos Yee. I caught about 10% of his YouTube rant to understand why the public is so upset with him. I thought to myself the best way to deal with this brat is to ignore him.

It was obvious that he was seeking attention so that once noticed he could figure a way to launch an acting career.

We know for a long time now that if you cannot get noticed by being famous, infamous could often work as well.

Once he got what he wanted he would launch another campaign that he isn't such a bad person but I think he will never get to this point. With artistes like Gurmit Singh coming out roundly against him, quietly Gurmit's colleagues, friends and even bosses would have the same attitude toward Amos.

We will tire of Amos Yee types. The public will learn and wise up to such games. Then these kids will figure another way to be noticed and launch their careers. Work hard at becoming famous and not use the low road of infamy.

The more mature and fast learning our public is, the greater the chance that Amos Yee would get a slap on the wrist. If he is punished severely for this then the government must also be passing judgement that we are still kids incapable of learning from this and future experience. Look, the Christians haven't come out to decry him. The Lee family had also kept silent.

Amos you bloody grow up OK. What you did is shameful and you will wear this shame for a long time to come. This is probably the best way to dissuade Amos Yee wannabes.