DisGraceFu Paycut

The hottest topic in the last few days has got to be the announcement of the ministerial paycut by the committee appointed to review ministerial salary.

While i applaud the steps taken by the government to address this issue which became a highly spoke about topic during the recent General Election, the fact is, our ministers are still getting quite an obscene amount. Our Prime Minister's salary is still higher than what the Commander-in-Chief of the United States is getting. Still, people are worried that the ruling party may not be able to attract high caliber candidates to come forward and serve the nation. So does paying more equate to getting better quality? Well, ministerial salaries were boosted in 2007 and we all know what happened in Singapore in the years that followed leading up to GE2011.

Which brings me to the reason why i decided to blog about this topic. Our Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts & Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Ms. Grace Fu added her opinion on the impending paycut with a post on her Facebook profile shortly after the announcement. This was what she posted,

"When I made the decision to join politics in 2006, pay was not a key factor. Loss of privacy, public scrutiny on myself and my family and loss of personal time were. The disruption to my career was also an important consideration. I had some ground to believe that my family would not suffer a drastic change in the standard of living even though I experienced a drop in my income. So it is with this recent pay cut. If the balance is tilted further in the future, it will make it harder for any one considering political office."

I was pretty riled up when i saw her comments being shared on Facebook. She mentioned how she was worried about the loss of privacy as well as the public scrutiny. Well Ms. Fu, you do realise that this is Singapore and not the United States or Taiwan or Hong Kong where politicians bear the wrath of the paparazzi as well. Our media in Singapore do not hound politicians and definitely do not follow you around when you are going about your daily life and i am pretty sure the photographers do not camp outside your apartment hoping to catch you in some form of unglamorous act. 

I hope you will also define the drastic change in the standard of living which you experience after you switch over to politics. Does that drastic change mean downgrading your car from a Mercedes SLK to a Mercedes E class? Or instead of owning 3 cars you can now only own 2? Or does it mean that you can only eat at a Michelin one star restaurant instead of three? While i understand that there will be change in your lifestyle, i don't think you are going from a copious way of life to that of a frugal one. There are people who are earning way less than you worrying about their housing loans or their kids' education fees and here you are complaining about the change in lifestyle with a annual salary of at least one million! You might want to take into consideration the feelings of ordinary Singaporeans when you made that comment.

Now for the last part of that comment. I believed that the point she is trying to bring across is that people may not wish to come forward to run in the political landscape due to the paycut. So my question to Ms. Grace Fu is this. You mentioned in your first sentence that pay was not a key factor in your consideration to run for political office but you end it by saying that people will hesitate to come forward and serve the people if salaries continued to be reviewed and cut. Isn't that contradicting? And as someone pointed out, most ministers have come from professions which are unlikely to figure among the top 1000 earners in Singapore like army officers, academics and trade unionists. Now, would that not make your argument elitist? 

The following paragraph extracted from Mr. Siew Kum Hong's blog echoed exactly what i feel about being a public servant in Singapore.

"The Government and the Committee see public service as a sacrifice, as if it is some sort of burden or imposition. But I, and I suspect most Singaporeans, see public service as a calling, as an honour and a privilege. It is something to be proud of, and not something to bemoan and begrudge. That is what the spirit of public service is about."

I hope Ms. Grace Fu and all other politicians look at the paragraph above and memorise it in their heart. This is what being a Member of Parliament or Minister is all about - Public Service. It should not be about how much your salary is or how much pension you are going to have once you stepped down from office. Yes, a MP and minister should be given their fair share of remuneration but not the obscene figures which we are looking at now as being an MP is all about serving the people and they should be honoured at being given that privilege.

The transparency shown by the government in this subject matter is definitely a step in the right direction following GE2011 and i hope they continue to do so in other areas. But honestly, does this paycut impact any of us commoners? The answer is a big NO. My salary is not going to increase as a result and i am still going to pay the same amount of tax. Simply put, this is part of the political play after a "watershed" election.

But it does look like the government is trying to go a different direction from the past and i shall try my best to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Goodbye and Hello

As we usher in the new year, I always love to look back on the year before and run through all the significant happenings that had occurred in my life. And to be honest, 2011 was a pretty happening year, both with its ups and downs, which of course culminated with a trip i had been looking forward to for more than a year.

But let's leave that for the last portion and look at other events first.

Career wise, i got my first ever salary increment during the first months of the year and while it was not a great deal, it made me feel that i was doing something right in my job. I was given more responsibilities and while it was a good thing, there were times which I felt I was not performing as well as I should and i know it. Confidence is key here i guess. Although I have been in my job for a little more than three years, there are still times when I still lack confidence in myself and the things I do. This is definitely something which I hope to address in 2012. That said, it was a eventful year and the event I enjoyed most was ironically the event which much time and effort had been put in - The Nestle Exhibition @ Health & You 2012. I definitely will not forget the hours spent at Nestle's office and the hard work put in at Suntec Hall 404. For me, the sense of achievement that you get from seeing the buildup from zero to hero and when the event started running smoothly is something no amount of money can buy. And that for me, has to be the highlight of my career in 2011. Although not getting the performance bonus at the end of the financial year was a dampener.

Social wise, there have been ups and downs. But I would say that the ups far outweigh the downs. As each of us grow older, we start to live our own lives but it was pleasing to know that we still take the effort to catch up and gather with one another. To all my friends, you know who you are, thank you for being a significant part of my life in 2011 and tolerating all the nonsensical stuffs that came from me. May our friendships continue to be everlasting.

Academically, I'm proud to say that I have successfully, bar a couple of papers and reports to submit, completed my degree studies. I never knew that I had it in me to take on a full time job and study part-time and dare I add that my grades were not too shabby either. But what a roller-coaster ride it had been. There have been several times when I feel like just giving up altogether due to tiredness and fatigue, especially during the May period where there was two modules back to back and during the lead up to the Nestle Exhibition. But I knew that for the sake of that damn piece of paper, I had to persevere. Throughout the entire year, this degree brought out the self-discipline, which had disappeared for a while, back into my life and I hope that this trait remains and not disappear again!  

Which brings me to the main highlight of the year. My five weeks trip to the United States of America! This is a trip which I have been looking forward to since i started my degree program. The three weeks on-campus residency program at Oklahoma City University and the holiday trip to New York City that follows. This is going to be my longest ever trip overseas and I did have my apprehensions in the beginning. But once the trip was underway, all traces of it were extinguished. Awesome has to be best word which can be used to describe the trip. While concentrating on the classes we have, we did not neglect to have fun. During the three weeks residency, hi-bye classmates turn from mere acquaintances to friends who are able to talk and gossip about all kind of things and I truly treasure this new found friendship that we forged. The residency was a real eye-opener as well, looking at what overseas campus life is like. Visited a couple of interesting places such as the Wichita Mountains as well as fired a live AK-47 rifle! If only our residency was longer than the three weeks planned!

Next up was of course the trip to New York City for our holidays! It was a real eye-opener as well! Shopping was fantastic as well. First time ever in my life which i spent so much on shopping in a single day! The sights and sounds were a real treat as well. No wonder New York City is also known as the city that never sleeps. Managed to squeeze in quite a number of attractions in the time we were there. This trip just makes me want to explore the world even more, go to even more cities and experience the unique sights and sounds of each city.

So my 2011 ended on a high and all in all, it was a pretty good year for me personally. As I stepped foot into 2012, I hoped to bring the high which I ended on to it. Some things on the top of my agendas include getting a driving license, learning how to dive and of course, do at least one more full marathon if my aging body allows.

Here's a to wonderful and blessed 2012 to all my friends and their family!

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane

In about six hours, i will be aboard a Boeing-777 heading to Dubai, a transit stop in my journey to the U.S of A. It's a trip which i have been eagerly awaiting since the turn of the year and finally, its here! I am actually heading to Oklahoma for three weeks to complete my degree in Mass Communications, after which, i will be heading to New York for a week of holidays with my classmates.

I'm definitely looking forward to this trip although i am dreading the hours on the plane. It will be the first time which i will be away from home and Singapore for one month. The longest i spend overseas was two weeks and both came during my time serving the nation when i headed to Australia and Thailand for military exercises. While i am feeling very excited, there is still this apprehension within me. Probably got to do with the fact that i will be away for such a long period for the first time in my life. Images of the bad things that can happen keep popping up in my mind. Alright, i'm thinking too much. Everything's going to be fine!

That said, its going to be a real eye opener for me. I will get experience what is the American school culture as well as the daily lifestyles of the folks there. Not to mention, i will be experiencing a white Christmas in New York! Of course, i am thankful that i will be spending this one month my crazy mates from school! Let's rock America!

As much as possible, i will try to detail the time i spend there on this space with tonnes of pictures! Pictures speak a thousand words as i embark on the final leg of this particular Hero's Journey.

See all you people in Singapore for the New Year!

那些年

I caught the movie <<那些年，我们一起追的女孩>> or "You're the Apple of my Eye" two weeks ago and I hereby declare myself a fanboy of this movie. The movie is based on the semi-autobiography of the same name whose author Giddens Ko is also the director of the movie. I've never really been a fan of romance movies but i have to say, this movie is an exception. Guys would probably relate better to this movie due to the meaning it was trying to convey in the movie. The fact that the lead actress, Michelle Chen, is a real eye candy probably helps as well. I do not wish to spoil the story for anyone who has not watch the movie or read the book by revealing details about the show though I'm pretty sure the phrase "每个男孩心中, 都有一个沈佳宜" will strike a chord in most guys once they have watch the show. So do go and catch this movie if you have not.

I met up with several group of friends these few days and i'm not sure whether we are growing old or are we being influence by "那些年", it seems that we tend to talk about the good old times that we had and the good old things that we used to do when we were young. When i met my secondary school buddies last night, we were reminiscing about our time in school, all the fun and memorable moments and not to mention characters that crossed our path. And when i was hanging with my poly juniors just now, we began talking about the fun things that we did when we were young. The playground with sand, block-catching, void-deck football etc. We did not have all the fancy gadgets like PS3 or Xbox or iPad back then but the innocent fun we had are probably what makes our childhood so interesting. Those were also the days where the kids would know each other in the same block and whenever its playtime, we would be running to each others house and gathering everyone. Thinking back, those were really some fun times.

While i will not say for certain that kids these days are not having fun in their childhood but i feel that with the advancement of technology, they are missing that element of camaraderie that all adolescents shared with one another. Personally, i do feel that there is still a difference between staying at home and playing your PS3 and going out and playing block-catching, that bit of EQ and personal interaction you get with everyone.

Alright, enough of the nostalgia. Enjoy the rest of your weekend kids while i continue my quest to find Makarov.

I'm blogging. Again.

I'm back! Blogging yet again, but on a new url, away from the old one. The old one was rotting away and i decided to just leave it as that. The old one contains mainly memories, things i did while i was in my youth, things that had a big impact in my life. So memories it shall be, a place for me to refer back on my adolescence, all the crazy and stupid posts which i wrote. Looking back, i can't believe i actually wrote some of the stuffs there! The old one is a google away should anyone of you felt the need to go and read those wonderful posts.

So what makes me decide to blog again. Well, you could say i rediscovered my interest in writing while taking my degree program. All those reports somehow made me realised that i actually miss writing! So here i am, back on blogger once again. But this time round, i ain't going to blog about what i do in my daily life, but rather air my views and thinking on issues which i can relate to. But hey, its not my blog if it does not have some rants here and there right! Another reason is probably due to the fact that i'm heading to the States to complete my degree soon and i felt this was a good platform to keep track of my time there.

So why the address tiquitaca-journey? My blog will not have been completed if it does not contain elements of my favorite sport and passion and so you have it, the first two words, tiqui-taca, which is the spanish spelling for tiki-taka, a term i'm sure all football fans will have knowledge of. The terms essentially meant a style of play which emphasised on short passing and movement. So i translate it as a journey of moving and passing, something which happens in our life everyday. Took me a long time before i thought of this name and no thanks to suggestions like iamyappyhearmeroar.blogspot.com, that coming from my wonderful uni-mate! But that did gives me a idea for my title. Controversy! Something which follows me anywhere and makes my life more exciting than i want it to be! Perfect title don't you think?

I will try to update regularly but that does not mean everyday! Time is something which i do have a lot of nowadays. So i shall stop here for today and catch up on my variety shows! Long weekend is coming people! Enjoy it!