Things are more interesting to me here now. Now I can see that there is litter, just not very much and not really obvious. After any public event the sidewalk is a mess just like any other place (well, maybe not quite that bad), it is just cleaned up faster.
Leon and I are constantly amazed how in the “man on the street” there is not very much free (out-of-the-box) thinking. When I called for a cab the other evening, the dispatcher asked where I was. I told her that I was at the corner of Market and Chulia streets just behind Boat Quay. She asked me what taxi stand. I told her that I did not know where the taxi stands were, although I knew there were a few near that place (as it is a huge tourist area, huge business and hotel area and I had been dropped off in a cab somewhere near there before). She told me just to tell her the number of the taxi stand. I once again stated that I did not know where a tax I stand was and if she could look at her map or whatever and tell me where one was in relation to where I was then I could go to that one. She told me to give her a landmark. I told her I was at Chulia and Market Streets behind (virtually on) Boat Quay. This would be like saying, I am at the corner of Park and 60th on the north side of the street at the Central Park entrance or like saying I am at Guadalupe and 23rd at the entrance to the UT campus….I mean, it is pretty exact for anyone who is from the country of Singapore. She told me I should tell her the taxi stand number. Before you guys think that perhaps I was talking to a computer and it was not understanding me let me assure you that it was a real person. Maps to these people are like cuneiform tablets..they cannot figure out where anything is in relation to anything else either by map or any other way. I think I have told you about the cabs—this is endemic. Anyway, I did tell the lady that as I was not from Singapore, and was not the one in the possession of the database of taxi stands and she was perhaps she could use some logic or deductive reasoning to give me some place to go to actually be picked up by a cab --that was nominally the business she was in. She was somewhat flummoxed and was only able to respond when Leon said, “The UOSB bank on Chulia—ask her if that helps.” And, lo and behold, it popped up on her screen that there was one right near there. Chulia street is about 3 blocks long mind you—you wouldn’t have thought it too hard to give me any place on Chulia and I could have walked there, but apparently despite 16 years of hard education with little to no vacation breaks the system has forgotten to include anything on deductive reasoning or map reading.
There were a few accidents of school buses (minivans) and children were killed or hurt because they are not required to have seatbelts. There was an uproar (by Singaporean standards) that children should be required to be belted in in school busses. Within about 7 days there is a new law for seatbelts that are required and subsidies for very small operators to whom the cost would be prohibitive. Two notes: the school buses in the accidents actually had seat belts they just don’t put them on their kids so it wasn’t an economic issue for the; AND Siena always has a seatbelt—her school and the bus company cater to expats and that is a non-negotiable with them (obviously).
The newspaper is great. I have told you how it’s a “How To” booklet for how to run a country and subtly influence its inhabitants. They often have these stories—exposes—of rules that are being flaunted. The best part is they have photo after photo of people doing these things---getting in and out of taxis not at the sanctioned taxi stands, jay walking, hanging dripping laundry in a rude way so your neighbors downstairs will get wet… It is hysterical that this is the reporting medium!!!
See the attached to see what every household got in the mail. Last year the country had a budget surplus of SGD$3 billion. The Ministers get together and decide how best to use that money. Then they make an announcement—there is no input asked from the citizenry—and that is how the money will be used. They then (about 2 months later) send out a nice glossy brochure telling you how it will be distributed to you in particular. They basically will be giving some cash refunds to the poorest people to help offset inflation and rising housing costs, medium cash back to the middle classes, health savings accounts top ups for pretty much everyone, but more for the oldest people and soldiers. Education account additions for all of student age…it’s the way an economics text book would demand that it be used for the greatest good in the long term. Really fascinating.!
At Leon’s work and at Rotary there is a big charity drive for handicapped persons. One of the problems that Rotary is finding (as well as the other organizations) is that they are unable to either find or contact these handicapped people. I do not know if there is a charity looking for a cause or there really is a problem of these people being out of the mainstream so much that they don’t know there is help or how to get it. I think it may be the first.
We went to one event where the Guest of Honor was Mrs. Varashawarn or something. She said nothing and it was never mentioned what was honorable about her. We only got, “Help us Welcome the Guest of Honor, Mrs. Varashawarn” and she took some plaque and that was that. I couldn’t find anything on the internet so I am hoping one day to be a Guest of Honor for doing nothing and saying nothing and no one will be the wiser and think I should have been honored because they have no evidence one way or the other…
We have been to Cambodia, Malaysia and Thailand since my last update. We went to Siem Reap in Cambodia—a two hour flight from here. It was so exotic to fly two hours and get to Cambodia. I loved the Ankgor Wat ruins and the town! They use USD everywhere and even the ATMs dispense USD. How can the Fed possibly control a money supply that includes places like Cambodia? Oh well that is their problem (along with bubbles and inflation. Perhaps the Honorable Mrs. Varashawarn has some ideas for them.
Here are some more tidbits from the newspaper: 2007 number of marriages: 23,966. number of divorces (2006): 5,937. (Muslim divorces are generally about 40% of the total). Don't you just LOVE the exact numbers?!
I’m sure I could think of plenty more, but I had better send this now.
Love.
Faith
No comments:
Post a Comment