OUR REMARKABLE LEE KUAN YEW
Our remarkable Lee Kuan Yew,
One of the very, very few,
Born and bred, a brilliant mind,
A rare individual, one of a kind.
A polymathic master of politics,
A dancing wizard of linguistics,
A great leader, truly exceptional,
An adviser, internal and external.
He had looked and having seen
How weak our hearts had been.
A pragmatist, for heaven's sake.
That did not a pessimist make.
Making speeches full of power,
Charisma perching on the tower,
His exhortations a joy to hear,
With opinions frank and sincere.
Of all his concerns, at the core
Was to build up tiny Singapore.
Failure, to him, would be a crime,
So, he devoted to it his lifetime.
His iron rules driven by passion
Laws applied with determination,
Numb from it, we didn't flinch,
As they tightened inch by inch.
Results were always spectacular,
Though, some hardly popular,
Still, all good and goal-driven.
To be accepted and forgiven.
So, he never seek from us love,
As his loyalty sprang from above.
To him, much respect is due,
I can only offer "Sir, I thank you!"
Monday, 23 March 2015
Thursday, 19 March 2015
TOWARDS SG100
Satisfying Singapore's hierarchy of needs
Free from wants and hunger at SG60,
We'll be a nation without poverty.
A complete Total Defense by SG70,
We'll be a fortress with iron security.
Forging a cohesive identity at SG80,
Diversity will thrive within harmony.
To be an esteemed people by SG90,
We'll know neither fear nor anxiety.
When possibilities become reality,
Fulfillment will be our SG100 destiny!
Sunday, 15 March 2015
REMEMBER VANUATU
KEEP
VANUATU
IN
OUR THOUGHTS
AND IN
OUR PRAYERS
Vanuatu are a group of 13 larger and about 70 smaller Pacific islands located directly west of Fiji. Occupied by Melanesians for more than 2,500 years, it was named New Hebrides by Captain James Cook in 1774. It was renamed Vanuatu in 1980 when it attained independence.
The country with its 267,000 people is now being ravaged by Cyclone Pam and a state of emergency has been declared. So, please keep Vanuatu in our thoughts and in our prayers.
KEEP
VANUATU
IN
OUR THOUGHTS
AND IN
OUR PRAYERS
Vanuatu are a group of 13 larger and about 70 smaller Pacific islands located directly west of Fiji. Occupied by Melanesians for more than 2,500 years, it was named New Hebrides by Captain James Cook in 1774. It was renamed Vanuatu in 1980 when it attained independence.
The country with its 267,000 people is now being ravaged by Cyclone Pam and a state of emergency has been declared. So, please keep Vanuatu in our thoughts and in our prayers.
Tuesday, 10 March 2015
THE GREAT PROSPEROUS CITY
A tribute to Singapore on the 50th
anniversary of its independence
We, the incomparable country?
Ever so successful and wealthy?
Well, let me tell you the full story:
Peaceful progress was not easy.
We took the path of democracy,
Alongside justice and equality,
Onto the road of incorruptibility,
And became the subject of envy.
Our secret is in our diversity -
For we may quarrel like a family,
Yet, in our society, it's like SOP.
That holds the key to our unity.
Ok, there're bad things like COE;
High costs, high taxes and ERP;
Caning, exam-stress and GRC;
Broken MRT and low fertility!
But good things are also aplenty.
It's a food paradise, I guarantee!
Anytime, anywhere - total safety,
And best ever civil service surely.
That, in short, is our true identity.
Not just trouble-free and happy,
But a nation that works smartly.
So call us Great Prosperous City.
A tribute to Singapore on the 50th
anniversary of its independence
We, the incomparable country?
Ever so successful and wealthy?
Well, let me tell you the full story:
Peaceful progress was not easy.
We took the path of democracy,
Alongside justice and equality,
Onto the road of incorruptibility,
And became the subject of envy.
Our secret is in our diversity -
For we may quarrel like a family,
Yet, in our society, it's like SOP.
That holds the key to our unity.
Ok, there're bad things like COE;
High costs, high taxes and ERP;
Caning, exam-stress and GRC;
Broken MRT and low fertility!
But good things are also aplenty.
It's a food paradise, I guarantee!
Anytime, anywhere - total safety,
And best ever civil service surely.
That, in short, is our true identity.
Not just trouble-free and happy,
But a nation that works smartly.
So call us Great Prosperous City.
Friday, 27 February 2015
Monday, 2 February 2015
STEELYDANGUITARSOLOS
For those who love Steely Dan's music, they'll appreciate that a large part of the attraction is in their great guitar solos.
Here is a video of a young man called Colm Lindsay who had put together a 12-track medley of some of their greatest hits. This must be as close to Steely Dan heaven as it can be!
So, just enjoy!
http://youtu.be/6Z-WS1x47b4
For those who love Steely Dan's music, they'll appreciate that a large part of the attraction is in their great guitar solos.
Here is a video of a young man called Colm Lindsay who had put together a 12-track medley of some of their greatest hits. This must be as close to Steely Dan heaven as it can be!
So, just enjoy!
http://youtu.be/6Z-WS1x47b4
Sunday, 25 January 2015
GONG XI FA CAI SG 50
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This is a piece of graphic art that I have created without any physical drawing, painting materials, special computer apps or electronic tools. I call it my New Digital Art. This celebratory golden jubilee piece, called "Gong Xi Fa Cai SG50" is my interpretation of Singapore's 50-year history of progress; emerging from the dark shadows of uncertainty in early statehood to the confident shining lantern that it is today.
My wish for Singapore is the same wish that we have every Chinese New Year - a wish for happiness and prosperity.
Thursday, 22 January 2015
IN PRAISE OF DIVERSITY
In a world now crippled by hostilities brought about by cultural and religious differences, we should instead learn to appreciate and enjoy the diversities that enrich our lives.
Differences challenge assumptions.
If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values,
Infinite diversity in infinite combinations...
Life lies in diversity, not in monotony.
If we cannot end now our differences,
We all live with the objective of being happy;
Ecidujerp is prejudice spelled backwards?
Religions are many and diverse,
The wave of the future is not the conquest
In a world now crippled by hostilities brought about by cultural and religious differences, we should instead learn to appreciate and enjoy the diversities that enrich our lives.
Differences challenge assumptions.
-Anne Wilson Schaef
If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values,
we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities,
and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric,
one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.
-Margaret Mead
Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.
-Malcolm Stevenson Forbes. Infinite diversity in infinite combinations...
symbolizing the elements that create truth and beauty.
-Commander Spock, Star Trek
Life lies in diversity, not in monotony.
-M.K. Soni
If we cannot end now our differences,
at least we can help make the world safe for diversity.
-John F. Kennedy We all live with the objective of being happy;
our lives are all different and yet the same.
-Anne Frank
Ecidujerp is prejudice spelled backwards?
Either way, it makes no sense.?
-unknown
Religions are many and diverse,
but reason and goodness are one.
-Elbert Hubbard
The wave of the future is not the conquest
of the world by a single dogmatic creed
but the liberation of the diverse energies
of free nations and free men.
-John F. Kennedy. Saturday, 10 January 2015
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Wednesday, 31 December 2014
NO MORE NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
Let's have life-long aspirations
Okay, tomorrow will be the first day of 2015. I hope you would not be trying too hard to keep your New Year resolutions. Giving up your bad habits? Trying to sleep more? Hoping to eat more healthily, to exercise more or to generally be a better person?
Well, experience tells us that making such resolutions are likely to fail. Perhaps, these resolutions are not worth making in the first place.
Don't get me wrong - it is always praiseworthy to try to improve ourselves, but I think we should not just want to do certain things from year to year.
Maybe, we should have some permanent aspirations which are common with everyone; and I think it should be an ongoing process for the rest of our lives. So, with that in mind, let me recommend the following simple life principles:
1. SEEK KNOWLEDGE
2. LOVE OTHERS
3. BE GOOD
4. DO GOOD
Let's strive to have a fruitful and fulfilling life!
Let's have life-long aspirations
Okay, tomorrow will be the first day of 2015. I hope you would not be trying too hard to keep your New Year resolutions. Giving up your bad habits? Trying to sleep more? Hoping to eat more healthily, to exercise more or to generally be a better person?
Well, experience tells us that making such resolutions are likely to fail. Perhaps, these resolutions are not worth making in the first place.
Don't get me wrong - it is always praiseworthy to try to improve ourselves, but I think we should not just want to do certain things from year to year.
Maybe, we should have some permanent aspirations which are common with everyone; and I think it should be an ongoing process for the rest of our lives. So, with that in mind, let me recommend the following simple life principles:
1. SEEK KNOWLEDGE
2. LOVE OTHERS
3. BE GOOD
4. DO GOOD
Let's strive to have a fruitful and fulfilling life!
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