Donate to the Garden City Fund

Singapore is widely known as the Garden City. Unless you already live in a forest, you will likely be pleasantly surprised when you touch down and pass through the gates. The Singapore government has spent considerable resources planting trees all around and basically keeping the island green. Such effort is easily evident as the flora certainly beautifies the surroundings. The Singapore Environment Council and the Garden City Fund, a registered charity, have jointly launched the Plant-A-Tree Programme. On the last Sunday of every month or on special days such as the World Environment Day or Earth Day, the public can now plant trees at designated parks or nature reserves. Planting trees does not come cheap though. To plant just one tree, you need to fork out S$200. You get a "discount" if you plant 10 trees which will set you back S$1,500. 50 trees will cost you $5,000. Personally, I feel that the minimum amount of 200 bucks is a deterrent in itself. $200 is no small sum of money to the general masses and one suggestion would be to open one-tenth or one-quarter shares to the public. It's like, people can choose to do their part for the environment by sponsoring one-tenth of a tree for 20 bucks. This will make the programme affordable to more people and even students who are not earning can participate. For details of the Plant-A-Tree Programme, check out www.gardencityfund.com.sg . You can also see a report from Channel NewsAsia here (mirrored here). If you have any queries, go ahead and push an email to Garden_City_Fund@NParks.gov.sg .

Making your Advanced Medical Directive

I wanted to make an Advanced Medical Directive. It will have to do since it is the closest I can get to euthanasia which is not allowed in Singapore. In the unfortunate event that I become incapable of making my express wishes known, I would not want my life to be prolonged needlessly. The contrary would only waste money and sap energy from my loved ones. It also takes up valuable hospital resources that might better serve those who have more hope. When it is time to go, I rather do so with dignity and be cool about the whole affair. From http://www.moh.gov.sg/mohcorp/legislations.aspx?id=7120 , "an Advanced Medical Directive (AMD) is a legal document that you sign in advance to inform the doctor treating you (in the event you become terminally ill and unconscious) that you do not want any extraordinary life-sustaining treatment to be used to prolong your life." Extraordinary life-sustaining treatment is any medical treatment which serves only to prolong the process of dying for terminally ill patients but does not cure the illness. An example is the respirator that is connected to a patient to assist him/her to breathe. It serves only to artificially prolong the life of a terminally ill patient. The AMD Act was passed in the Singapore Parliament in May 1996. I hopped over to the forms section and downloaded the AMD form (link opens to pdf file). I had thought that once I find two witnesses, I am done with this instruction of my mortal body. It was a good thing that I read through the form before arranging for the witnesses. From the form and the FAQs (go to http://www.pqms.moh.gov.sg/apps/fcd_faqmain.aspx and type in "AMD"), it seems that one of the two witnesses must be a doctor. I understand the rationale behind this but it seems an inconvenience nevertheless. How many people have friends who are doctors? In fact, even if you have a friend who is a doctor, I suspect that the witnessing is only valid if he does so in his professional capacity. Then I began to wonder. Why do people even want to make an AMD? I would count the AMD as one of the more important "medical decisions" of one's life. People make AMDs because they have certain motivations, certainly not for fun. For dignity like I mentioned? To prevent loved ones from wasting time and resources? Embarrassingly, I can't think of other possible motivations. Yet if it is because of saving money that one makes an AMD, isn't it ironic that he first has to spend money to visit a doctor? Like I said, I can appreciate the need of having a doctor as a witness. He can explain to you the AMD and make sure that you really understand what you thought you understood. But if money was the crux in the first place, would paying to see a doctor for the signing put one off? After all, the AMD form itself is free. With our current health minister giving his portfolio a vibrant shake, I feel that more can be done here. The AMD act has been in existence for more than a decade but how many people had exercised their rights? I would suggest that the government steps in to make the making of an AMD completely free. I want to say that all doctors should have the goodness in their hearts to volunteer (= do free) as witnesses for the AMD signing. But you know, I know, we know; so we won't say more. Instead of this suggestion, perhaps the government can compensate those doctors who help with the witnessing. Say, every time someone approaches a doctor to be witness for AMD making, that doctor will be given a token $20. Even if the entire nation becomes "AMD-certified", the cost is still hardly crippling. Would the nice government think about it? Cheers. :D

Happy 42nd birthday Singapore!

Sing Singapore. Dance Singapore. Clap Singapore. Write Singapore. Run Singapore. Fly Singapore. Drink Singapore. Eat Singapore. Rejoice Singapore. Rock Singapore. Blaze Singapore. Live Singapore. Lick Singapore. Taste Singapore. Smell Singapore. Hear Singapore. Learn Singapore. Grow Singapore. Be Singapore. Happy 42nd birthday Singapore!

SMRT, please allow non-sitting rate for train fares?

From time to time when I am bored, I will check out the STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) website. Let it be known that I subscribe to the Straits Times and Lianhe Wanbao. I read 2 papers daily, am hooked on to dozens of RSS feeds and search online occasionally for interesting news I have not yet come across. STOMP, in my humble opinion, is like the English version of Wanbao. Waobao compared with the Straits Times/Zaobao is like the busybody nosey parker compared with the well-read intellectual. Of course, this pair of analogies is not 100% correct but you get the point that Wanbao contains relatively frivolous news. Pretty much like STOMP. Almost every time I look at "Singapore Seen", I will see news related to transport. Not transport as in whether the stock of ComfortDelGro is bullish or bearish, but transport as in people eating or making a nuisance on trains/buses, or people not considerate enough to give up seats. Just a while back, I even chance upon a ridiculous incident where a girl wearing shoes with 3-inch heels was upset over not being given a seat. Just because she was "extraordinarily adorned", she felt snubbed when the guy in front of her did not act gentlemanly by giving up his seat to her. I know I am starting to get carried away here but let me just say that we are already in the age where there is equality between the sexes. Whether you are male, female or amoeba, I believe you pay the same fare on trains and buses, ceteris paribus and assuming age = adult. If you are sick, pregnant, elderly or inconvenienced somewhat, those who are considerate may offer you their seats *if* they notice you. Though it is true that some people will start to look or act busy when such opportunities for volunteering seats appear, there are also others who genuinely do *not* use Eveready batteries and keep looking out for new friends on board. If you are *not* sick, pregnant, elderly or inconvenienced somewhat, belonging to the fairer sex does not automatically entitle you to any consideration from others. It does not matter even if you are a drop-dead gorgeous babe. At least for me, the maximum respect I would accord you is what I would give to a fellow human being. In case you start getting defensive and want to brand me as being ungentlemanly, please do not. That is either unlady-like or piggishly chauvinistic. There is one exception I can think of though - if you are on a date with me, it is arguably proper for me to be traditionally gentlemanly. There is a time for everything and the circumstance must be reviewed on a case by case basis. ;-) Hmm.. looks like I got carried away nevertheless. :P Allow me to address the subject topic proper. SMRT, please allow a non-sitting rate for train fares. You see, I no longer feel safe in Singapore. It used to be that I believed I was sheltered and protected by the Singapore government. However, ever since the STOMP website was set up, I began to see pictures of fellow human beings (not to mention dogs, cats, monkeys, snakes, roaches, etc) being put up. Most, if not all, were taken and broadcast via STOMP without the express permission of those featured. I feel NAKED and EXPOSED. Everywhere I go, I suspect someone is snapping a picture of me with her mobile phone camera. If I walk fast enough, at least the picture will be blur and I might not be recognized. The worst part though is when I travel on trains. It is a huge area in the carriage, yet an enclosed one. Everyone can see one another in the same compartment and I need to look left, right, center at all times to ensure I am not captured on disk. What happened to privacy laws in Singapore? Were those people featured even asked whether their photos can be placed online? It doesn't even matter whether they were truly in the wrong or that they just happened to be next to someone being highlighted. The point is what happened to our privacy rights? Given a choice, I wouldn't want to find myself on STOMP! Thank goodness I have been wearing my invisibility cloak each time I ventured out. But I digress again. So why should SMRT allow a non-sitting rate for train fares? Because I no longer dare to sit on any seat. I know I used to offer my seats to the elderly and needy. I know I do not eat on trains. I know I do not blast music like a disc jockey. But still? What happens if I happen to fall asleep on my seat? Will someone accuse me of closing my eyes just when a pregnant lady materializes? What happens if I get too engrossed reading my book? Will someone accuse me of not giving up my seat to the 90 year-old man looking down at me? What happens if I happen to open my legs a little wider for just a fraction of a second when someone decides to go trigger-happy? Will I be accused of taking up 2 seats when I am paying only as much as the next guy? So you see, to make certain that I will not get free publicity at STOMP, I have been STANDING just to play safe. And so, since standing will be less comfortable than sitting, SMRT, may I request that I pay half price when I travel on your trains? If you want to, you can always observe me through your surveillance cameras and confirm that I am a good boy. With the GST increase and how various companies and businesses are cashing in on this, I think the cents saved each journey will definitely come in handy. Thank you SMRT for considering this! Cheers. :D