Time flies, but it also drags. We've had some qualified good news in that Lin's white blood cells have recovered sufficiently for us to pack our bags.
But we're still in limbo because he's now scheduled for a consult with the endoscopy specialist (this coming Monday) and until he's had his colonoscopy his feet are still nailed to the floor here in Singapore.
Thus far I have made some flight bookings and the ETD from Hong Kong is March 30th, 2011, with arrival in Ponte Vedra early April! Unless something untoward happens we should be able to make that deadline. It's the Singapore-HKG leg that is the moveable feast.
Prof. Wong is quite pleased that Lin has put on some weight. Unfortunately for me, I too have put on some weight - about 4 kilos since September last year! Must be the stress and keeping him company coaxing him to eat!
I have not been good about keeping all of you posted in recent weeks and I have wondered why. Is this experience starting to become tiresome? Yes, somewhat. Look at it this way, sometimes pushing a rock uphill calls for short rests!
But it is probably more about battling health insurance bureaucracy, in this case BUPA HK and the beady-eyed bods in their Claims Department.
After a hectic few months I settled down enough to put together the bits of paper we had accumulated from hospitals and such and sent them off for reimbursement. And that marked the beginning of a long and tedious trek to fulfill their requirements; the list of supporting documents looks innocuous enough at first glance. But be forewarned - or as we learn the hard way, get yourself a decent insurance broker.
Their claims forms are confusing (starting with trying to decide WHICH form is the correct form) and belie the amount of information that is needed - we have spent months shuffling from pillar to post to satisfy the Claims tartars.
Now I believe it when I read that doctors in some countries have quit practicing because of the amount of red tape they have to deal with in between treating the sick. That and the malpractice insurance premiums, no doubt.
In Hong Kong (and even in the USA) some doctors refuse to accept any form of health insurance - it's strictly cash, cheque, VISA or Mastercard. Or any combination of the foregoing. And I don't blame them having tried to walk the walk with the paperwork.
This saga began in September (about the time I started to put on weight so that puts the kibosh on me being fat when happy!). We had to appeal to have some claims accepted for review because some of our earlier bills missed the 90 day deadline for filing.
It seems most unfair that when one is least prepared to tackle (and has the least time for assembling and submitting) health insurance reimbursements is the time they must be in the clutches of the Claims Department. 90 days is too short a time when the family is dealing with a major illness or injury.
Anyway, getting hold of the same person at the end of the phone is like being in pursuit of the holy grail and Lin wasted much time recounting the situation to successive customer service personnel. In the end we managed (through divine intervention?) to transition to corresponding by email with the same person and that has been a help in recent months. What a relief!
I also discovered (who checks out these things when all is well?) that Lin's health insurance policy was being handled directly by one of Bupa HK's office sales staff with whom we had not exchanged a word with all this time, so long story short we switched to using an insurance broker recommended by a friend.
The only time we heard from this individual was when he emailed us to confirm whether if was Lin's intention to switch to a broker.
By the time that the switch was confirmed by Bupa the bulk of our claims were already in the pipeline so I continued rolling the rock uphill.
The system at the hospital means that we routinely obtained tax invoices and credit card charge slips. Having paid by Medisave and our credit card, we did not know to ask for the official receipts. Bupa would not accept the tax invoices accompanied by the credit card slips; they demanded receipts too.
And if we forgot or did not obtain an invoice when we left the hospital, we could ask for and were issued duplicate tax invoices at the next visit. These were not acceptable (Bupa seems to think that the presence of the word 'duplicate' means that their clients have tendered the originals to another insurance company!).
In the last month, the customer relations officer we have been liasing with at Bupa managed to contact the central finance and administration office at NUH and asked for receipts - that's how I learned where to go for them. What a revelation - it was the key log in easing that logjam!
Then, unknown to us, the Claims Department - a law unto itself - kept sending letters by snail mail to our Hong Kong address to ask for more details (despite us having spoken and written to Bupa to contact us in Singapore). These demands required that the submission be made within a month; not exactly easy when we do not receive our HK mail here in Singapore.
Anyway, another piece of mindless bureaucracy is the requirement that each claim must be accompanied by a letter from the doctor stating the diagnosis and the treatment! Surely any human being with a modicum of commonsense would accept that the diagnosis was made in April when the cancer was first detected - and had not changed.
As for treatment, surely that was obvious from the invoices and receipts which stated what was done. But no, the doctors have to provide covering letters.
In the end Prof. Wong wrote a letter summarising what had happened between May 24 and December, which he kindly provided. Thank goodness the Prof. has been most understanding.
Since then we have periodically submitted lists (signed by the Prof.) headed with the description of the condition followed by the dates and treatment or diagnostic tests ordered (all this merely repeated what the other bits of paper had to say).
The 'war' is not over yet.
We appear to have surpassed the annual or other limits for some of the claims. Again it doesn't make sense because the benefit limit for diagnostics is really rather low so that when one has more than two or three scans and various tests, including blood tests, the budget's blown.
So how's the doctor going to monitor the progress of the treatment and to see if anything else is brewing?
If it's been boring and exhausting to read this, you can well imagine what it's been like to live it, all 4 kilos worth.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Saturday, March 12, 2011
What Can I Say?
The BBC recently released a four-part series "What Can I Say?" which explores freedom of speech and democracy in South East Asia. Presenter Gary Bryson travelled to Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and Singapore to meet people who are trying to find a voice for their village, their culture or their nation. You can listen to the podcast here:
Listen and make up your own mind.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Continuing my sex education - in Singapore
We've been in Singapore since the end of May and except for a few trips to Hong Kong that I sneaked in to alleviate "rock fever", this is by far the longest stretch of time I have spent in my home country since the mid-80's. A lot has changed, both for better and for worse.
Yesterday, I had curry lunch with two of my cousins and it proved to be an eye opener for me.
While munching our way through a hot and spicy lunch, we carried on a conversation about - what else - but food. Discussing where to get good noodles and seafood without paying an arm and a leg, Geylang and Katong cropped up as places to find decent food at reasonable prices.
For those of you who have not visited and/or do not know Singapore, Geylang is an area famous for its eating places; and almost equally infamous for its brothels (according to web pages I looked at last night, prostitution is legal here but pimping and operating a house of ill repute are not).
As if on cue, one of my cousins fished his cellphone out of his pocket and muttered, "I don't know how they got hold of my cellphone number but I get messages like this everyday", showing me a screen that was identical to the one below, except for the date which is today's date (easily explained).
When, later, I asked him to forward me the message, he said he'd already deleted it but would send this morning's to me, which he did:
There is more, but this screenshot suffices to capture the essence of the message he received. It contained attachments featuring photographs of the girls, accompanied by their professional names, nationality, vital statistics and - need I say it - titillating descriptions of the girls and their services.
I am far from being a prude and consider myself reasonably worldy, but I have to say that some of the acronyms are beyond my ken! And I shall have to have lunch with my cousins again, if only to ask them for a much needed lesson in the glossary of sex services available here.
As I was writing this, I recalled an incident a few months earlier; we had dinner with friends, one of whom was visiting from Hong Kong. After dinner and a long chat we all walked her 'home' to her hotel on Tanglin Road.
On our way there, we had to pass Orchard Towers which is often referred to in conversation and on the web as the "four floors of whores" for its many massage parlours, KTV lounges and bars.
As I often walk past or into the two buildings that comprise Orchard Towers (they do have legitimate businesses there and I believe in supporting local businesses), the sight of scantily clad women of all ages, nationalities, shapes and sizes in that vicinity seems quite normal to me.
Outside, they stroll on the sidewalk, lean against railings and pose on the the steps of the buildings along the road although they are less evident in the daylight hours.
However, our friend from HK was caught unawares by their obvious presence in the 'tony' Orchard Road area and remarked that in Wanchai the 'working girls' stayed close to the entrances of their bars and clubs.
What made it remarkable for her is that this happens In 'squeaky clean' Singapore. It made her mind boggle.
It just goes to show that life is not starkly black and white, but various shades of grey. And this is a surprise in Singapore only because of the image that the government tries to project.
Given that people - all over the world - have had greater exposure (thanks to visitors and immigrants, to studying, working and travelling abroad, and are better educated than before) there is case for dropping pretences and calling a spade a spade?
In the meantime, I am eagerly awaiting my next family lunch when I can learn even more about the Singapore that I do not know!
Yesterday, I had curry lunch with two of my cousins and it proved to be an eye opener for me.
While munching our way through a hot and spicy lunch, we carried on a conversation about - what else - but food. Discussing where to get good noodles and seafood without paying an arm and a leg, Geylang and Katong cropped up as places to find decent food at reasonable prices.
For those of you who have not visited and/or do not know Singapore, Geylang is an area famous for its eating places; and almost equally infamous for its brothels (according to web pages I looked at last night, prostitution is legal here but pimping and operating a house of ill repute are not).
As if on cue, one of my cousins fished his cellphone out of his pocket and muttered, "I don't know how they got hold of my cellphone number but I get messages like this everyday", showing me a screen that was identical to the one below, except for the date which is today's date (easily explained).
When, later, I asked him to forward me the message, he said he'd already deleted it but would send this morning's to me, which he did:
There is more, but this screenshot suffices to capture the essence of the message he received. It contained attachments featuring photographs of the girls, accompanied by their professional names, nationality, vital statistics and - need I say it - titillating descriptions of the girls and their services.
I am far from being a prude and consider myself reasonably worldy, but I have to say that some of the acronyms are beyond my ken! And I shall have to have lunch with my cousins again, if only to ask them for a much needed lesson in the glossary of sex services available here.
As I was writing this, I recalled an incident a few months earlier; we had dinner with friends, one of whom was visiting from Hong Kong. After dinner and a long chat we all walked her 'home' to her hotel on Tanglin Road.
On our way there, we had to pass Orchard Towers which is often referred to in conversation and on the web as the "four floors of whores" for its many massage parlours, KTV lounges and bars.
As I often walk past or into the two buildings that comprise Orchard Towers (they do have legitimate businesses there and I believe in supporting local businesses), the sight of scantily clad women of all ages, nationalities, shapes and sizes in that vicinity seems quite normal to me.
Outside, they stroll on the sidewalk, lean against railings and pose on the the steps of the buildings along the road although they are less evident in the daylight hours.
However, our friend from HK was caught unawares by their obvious presence in the 'tony' Orchard Road area and remarked that in Wanchai the 'working girls' stayed close to the entrances of their bars and clubs.
What made it remarkable for her is that this happens In 'squeaky clean' Singapore. It made her mind boggle.
It just goes to show that life is not starkly black and white, but various shades of grey. And this is a surprise in Singapore only because of the image that the government tries to project.
Given that people - all over the world - have had greater exposure (thanks to visitors and immigrants, to studying, working and travelling abroad, and are better educated than before) there is case for dropping pretences and calling a spade a spade?
In the meantime, I am eagerly awaiting my next family lunch when I can learn even more about the Singapore that I do not know!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Cleaning up the news in more ways than one
In the UK newspapers are taking a well deserved beating for the extreme measures journalists have been using in order to come up with "the goods" on their targets. But I still enjoy reading a good English newspaper, especially the weekend editions.
In the USA circulations emulate the housing market; not much interest and no one's doing much buying. However Rupert Murdoch is about to launch a newspaper for the iPad. Let's see if he can monetise digital journalism.
When we are in the USA we take the New York Times (much to the chagrin of our neighbours who consider it rather liberal!) and the Wall Street Journal. We gave up on the local papers and USA Today a long time ago.
In Hong Kong the "gow chai" (Hong Kong's answer to investigative journalism) have been besieging gambling kingpin Stanley Ho's homes to get the latest scoop on the tug-of-war that has his 1.3 billion or so fortune as its prize.
As I pass one of his homes on my way in and out, I get a sense of the prevailing amount of activity by the number of vehicles, journalists and paparazzi camped outside the gate.
There was some added excitement two days in a row when some hapless journo got his or her foot run over by one of the Ho fleet (you'd think they would have learnt that you cannot stop a vehicle with a planted foot).
There was a flock of them (not half the world's press as his lawyer claimed in one of the videos) until the weekend when less people were hanging around. And then normality returned this morning. Everyone and everything was gone, including the litter and cigarette butts.
But this evening his lawyer issued a statement saying "game on" again and posted three videos on YOUTUBE. This means I can expect to see a mass of shivering people as I go down the hill and head for the golf course early tomorrow morning - or maybe not as he's sought refuge in a hospital.
In the USA circulations emulate the housing market; not much interest and no one's doing much buying. However Rupert Murdoch is about to launch a newspaper for the iPad. Let's see if he can monetise digital journalism.
When we are in the USA we take the New York Times (much to the chagrin of our neighbours who consider it rather liberal!) and the Wall Street Journal. We gave up on the local papers and USA Today a long time ago.
In Hong Kong the "gow chai" (Hong Kong's answer to investigative journalism) have been besieging gambling kingpin Stanley Ho's homes to get the latest scoop on the tug-of-war that has his 1.3 billion or so fortune as its prize.
As I pass one of his homes on my way in and out, I get a sense of the prevailing amount of activity by the number of vehicles, journalists and paparazzi camped outside the gate.
There was some added excitement two days in a row when some hapless journo got his or her foot run over by one of the Ho fleet (you'd think they would have learnt that you cannot stop a vehicle with a planted foot).
There was a flock of them (not half the world's press as his lawyer claimed in one of the videos) until the weekend when less people were hanging around. And then normality returned this morning. Everyone and everything was gone, including the litter and cigarette butts.
But this evening his lawyer issued a statement saying "game on" again and posted three videos on YOUTUBE. This means I can expect to see a mass of shivering people as I go down the hill and head for the golf course early tomorrow morning - or maybe not as he's sought refuge in a hospital.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uwz0nTeKyjo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT6Wth-v5kE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1yZxB4RUus
They're repetitious and not particularly riveting. However, I enjoyed the part when his lawyer remarked that it would be on his bill, a clue to the amount of money that might be spent on legal fees if this saga continues and 16 children and three wives gird themselves with legal representation.
That should feed many Hong Kong lawyers for years - and it's not as if they don't have other juicy fare to feast upon.
Other legal actions that are keeping the legal fraternity well fed: the Nina Wang will, the Kwoks of Sun Hung Kai (eldest son Walter versus mother and brothers), and the Kams of Yung Kee (better known for their goose). There are probably more as I am not au fait with all the Hong Kong goings-on and certainly not up to date with the court calendar.
While it's pretty sad that this man is not getting much peace and happiness in his old age, his days surrounded by warring family, one could say that it was of his own doing - not just the family but the pickle he now finds himself in.
In the meantime, until this gets into the courts, imagine being pestered and nagged several times a day - as and when he makes his rounds of his homes and wives!
If this had happened in Singapore the Straits Times would not have needed to spend the money, ink and paper running a huge subscription promotion like they did towards the end of 2010!
Unfortunately, they should have started by fixing the product - I have to wash my hands after turning the pages of my morning newspaper because the ink comes off on my fingers.
You'd think a newspaper that spends so much on other stuff would get some decent paper and ink. Maybe that's why readers prefer to watch or listen to the news; there's no ink transfer from the computer keyboard, Starhub or MIO remote controls or radio buttons.
The South China Morning Post was given invaluable free plugs in Stanley Ho's YouTube appearances. It was the newspaper of choice for Stanley Ho and his English lawyer when it came to declaring war on his dissident family members.
Maybe he did not know that in Hong Kong, the Chinese papers have far bigger circulations than the English language newspapers. On the other hand, the SCMP has a long established reputation and still enjoys being considered the premier English language newspaper.
However it is far from the fat cash cow that it used to be when Rupert Murdoch owned it. It was a real door stopper especially, I think, Saturdays when it carried sections upon section of recruitment advertising.
When the economy tanked during the SARS crisis, advertising revenue fell steeply especially recruitment advertisements. The Asian economic crisis which followed didn't help either.
But a revolving door of management, editorial and marketing people has not resuscitated its fortunes.
Some days I wonder if it could get any slimmer, but thanks to Mr Ho there's more to read in the mornings while I enjoy my cuppa.
Alas, there aren't that many in predominantly Chinese Hong Kong who read the SCMP as their main paper. Mind you, it does have a franchise that could be revived. Time will tell and - just to mix metaphors - time waits for no man.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
About talking but NOT communicating. Successive senior moments!
Today, I found out for myself how two friends can talk and yet not communicate!
I got it into my head last night that I was meeting an old friend for lunch today (it was written down in my BusyCal diary). In fact, I sent her an email last night about today's lunch, asking her to choose the venue.
As I had not heard from her this morning, I called her at about 11:30am. She said lunch was next week, Friday 28th January because she had a 2:00pm appointment today. Then she went on to say that that we could have lunch today anyway.
We chatted some more and she said she would see if she could get a 1:00pm reservation at a sushi restaurant and get back to me.
I wondered to myself if this place was that hard to get into, but also thought that we might as well make the arrangements today.
She called me back and told me the reservation was for 1:00pm and asked if I knew how to get there; that sort of conversation.
After I hung up, I thought to myself "great, now I can do some stuff around the flat and see if another friend (who was leaving for Singapore) could bring some stuff back for me".
So I pottered around, delivered the foodstuff that was going to Singapore, bought some fruit from Happy Valley market and filled the car with petrol. When I returned to Parkview, I left my fruit in the car and went to the Park n Shop to get some groceries.
After that I collected my fruit from the car and arrived home. As I was putting away my purchases, my cellphone rang. It was my friend asking me whether I was lost; and, where was I?
"At home", I said.
"Oh, I am here at the restaurant waiting for you". It was my first inkling that I had got things absolutely wrong!
It turned out that I had been thinking about next Friday when she had been thinking about today.
Our mental paths briefly crossed at the point where it was established and agreed that the appointment was for next Friday, then I went to next week - and my friend into this week.
I also had another "brain fart" this morning when another friend asked (via SMS) about getting a lift to the restaurant tomorrow night. I called and left a voicemail and also sent an SMS saying it was fine with me; and at the same time asking if I could get a ride to tonight's dinner.
Only after that did I realise that the dinner I had in mind is next Friday night! Tonight, I am going to my sister's and brother-in-law's.
Obviously I confused my friend who replied to my SMS saying that she was going to a movie* tonight and had no idea of my dinner plans. (*A movie I had declined because I was going to my sister's for dinner!)
The saving grace is that I had realised my mixup before she SMS'd me; but then if I had not, her SMS would have rung some alarm bells!
As I was writing this I received an SMS about giving another friend a lift on Saturday. Taking no chances I asked which Saturday - although I had a fair idea of the date in question! Whew!
You may well ask about my iPhone calendar. Well, my computer guru, "Clever Clogs" turned off syncing my iCal stuff via iTunes (I cannot recall why).
So now I have turned it back on. "CC" if you are reading this tell me what I need to do in case I am going to have clashing data!
In the meantime, I can see ALL my calendar information!
I wonder if there's an app (Mac or iPhone) which can organise me so that I don't do this again? Send me your suggestions, please.
I got it into my head last night that I was meeting an old friend for lunch today (it was written down in my BusyCal diary). In fact, I sent her an email last night about today's lunch, asking her to choose the venue.
As I had not heard from her this morning, I called her at about 11:30am. She said lunch was next week, Friday 28th January because she had a 2:00pm appointment today. Then she went on to say that that we could have lunch today anyway.
We chatted some more and she said she would see if she could get a 1:00pm reservation at a sushi restaurant and get back to me.
I wondered to myself if this place was that hard to get into, but also thought that we might as well make the arrangements today.
She called me back and told me the reservation was for 1:00pm and asked if I knew how to get there; that sort of conversation.
After I hung up, I thought to myself "great, now I can do some stuff around the flat and see if another friend (who was leaving for Singapore) could bring some stuff back for me".
So I pottered around, delivered the foodstuff that was going to Singapore, bought some fruit from Happy Valley market and filled the car with petrol. When I returned to Parkview, I left my fruit in the car and went to the Park n Shop to get some groceries.
After that I collected my fruit from the car and arrived home. As I was putting away my purchases, my cellphone rang. It was my friend asking me whether I was lost; and, where was I?
"At home", I said.
"Oh, I am here at the restaurant waiting for you". It was my first inkling that I had got things absolutely wrong!
It turned out that I had been thinking about next Friday when she had been thinking about today.
Our mental paths briefly crossed at the point where it was established and agreed that the appointment was for next Friday, then I went to next week - and my friend into this week.
I also had another "brain fart" this morning when another friend asked (via SMS) about getting a lift to the restaurant tomorrow night. I called and left a voicemail and also sent an SMS saying it was fine with me; and at the same time asking if I could get a ride to tonight's dinner.
Only after that did I realise that the dinner I had in mind is next Friday night! Tonight, I am going to my sister's and brother-in-law's.
Obviously I confused my friend who replied to my SMS saying that she was going to a movie* tonight and had no idea of my dinner plans. (*A movie I had declined because I was going to my sister's for dinner!)
The saving grace is that I had realised my mixup before she SMS'd me; but then if I had not, her SMS would have rung some alarm bells!
As I was writing this I received an SMS about giving another friend a lift on Saturday. Taking no chances I asked which Saturday - although I had a fair idea of the date in question! Whew!
You may well ask about my iPhone calendar. Well, my computer guru, "Clever Clogs" turned off syncing my iCal stuff via iTunes (I cannot recall why).
So now I have turned it back on. "CC" if you are reading this tell me what I need to do in case I am going to have clashing data!
In the meantime, I can see ALL my calendar information!
I wonder if there's an app (Mac or iPhone) which can organise me so that I don't do this again? Send me your suggestions, please.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Mount Singapore Traffic Police on Beemers
I arrived in Hong Kong and almost immediately had a row with a taxi driver. He had pulled up at the Central Airport Express station stand, opened his door and then open his trunk - and slammed it shut again. Meanwhile I was loading my two pieces of hand luggage into the back seat.
When I noticed that my duffle was still on the trolley and he'd resumed his seat, I asked why he did not help me with my duffle. His retort was that I'd told him not to load my bag.
They say travelling is stress, well I lit into him to relieve my stress and even found the right Cantonese words (minus the epithets) to say (loud enough for the people in the queue behind me to hear and smile) that he must be hard of hearing because I did not ask him not to load my duffle. So he reluctantly got out of the taxi and did so while I stood, waiting. After all, he might have been nuts enough to drive off with me and the hand luggage and leave my duffle!
Once he got back behind the wheel he asked where we were going, so I told him our destination - loudly - and asked if he could hear! He kept quiet, quite a feat for a HK taxi driver. Then he thought he'd get his own back by testing me. He asked, "which route". I snapped back, "Kennedy Road", hoping my Cantonese pronunciation of the name was correct. It established that I knew the way home and therefore was not a visitor.
We got home in one piece and he helped unload my duffle.
So, yes, not all the recalcitrant taxi "uncles" are located in Singapore! But there will be more of them in Singapore if the government gets its way and has more companies amassing bigger fleets.
This seems to be the way we go about solving problems nowadays - based on expediency and the line of least resistance. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating but I suspect it will be yet another ill thought out measure (prime example: the hastily enacted scheme to license real estate agents which placed burdens on an organisation that was not ready).
But then we'll just concoct another scheme to deal with the problems thrown up by the first!
When taxis drivers complained that they weren't making a decent living, prize-winning brains devised a convoluted set of surcharges to tack on to the fare for getting from A to B. Now if you want a taxi shortly before a surcharge kicks in, you wait around - or pay a fee to make a booking.
Is there a shortage of taxis or is there a shortage of taxi drivers wanting to do a decent day's work? I've heard it said that the taxi companies cannot find enough drivers. I've also heard of taxi drivers who ply their trade during the day, sub their vehicles out at night and drive their families around at weekends. Not a bad gig if you can get it.
When the government wanted to control the number of vehicles on the roads brilliant minds were put to work and came up with a scheme whereby every month car buyers make a bids for certificates which will entitle them to buy a car.
Recently the highest bid was something in the region of USD$58,000 - the successful bidders for this Open Category pay that amount for the right to buy and put a car on the roads for 10 years (before import duties, etc which tack more than 200% on the landed cost of the car).
Needless to say, Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world to buy and own a car, if not the most expensive.
As I recall, when the government first imposed a PARF/ARF (Preferential Additional Registration Fee / Additional Registration Fee) it was meant to be only the first step in regulating the ownership if vehicles and would be reduced as other measures were brought in.
Nowadays, we have several measures to regulate the number of new vehicles and to manage traffic, all of them lucrative.
None of them has helped reduce car owners' financial obligations in scope or in monetary terms. Yet, going by the ever-rising COE bids, there is no reduction in the demand to put new vehicles on the roads.
Any sensible person would expect public transportation to be front and centre of our transport policies, yet we still lag behind demand (we have increased our population by leaps and bounds to about 5 million) when it comes to affordable, efficient public transport.
It's not that all Singaporeans have money to drop on cars; the problem is limited public transport and a climate that is not kind if you go by Shanks' pony or take Bus number 11 (in other words, walk).
So why all these big and little irritations? Have they to do with Lee Kuan Yew (MM or Minister Mentor) taking in the big picture rather than occupying himself with the minutiae of making things run?
It was interesting reading excerpts of a series of interviews with Lee Kuan Yew (MM or Minister Mentor). Among the things reported:
"While he was less in command of the specific details of domestic policies, he was more than familiar with their general thrust."
On the other hand is pride and the psyche of the Singaporean bureaucrat holding us back? Even though we are almost 50 years into nationhood, I hear people blame things on the British colonialists - as if we are incapable of making mistakes by ourselves.
We are reluctant to borrow and adapt what others do; we seem to insist on re-inventing the wheel and learning (one hopes) from the same mistakes others have made before us. The NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome is alive and well even though it might slow down progress.
However, there are many things Singapore can learn, adapt to our own use and even improve upon.
We could nip bad driving in the bud by imposing certain conditions on newly-minted drivers.
Surprisingly, drivers in Hong Kong are more considerate - they are accustomed to merging lanes according to the 1 from each lane, 'live and let live' system. In Singapore no one wants to give way.
I guess it's because I think of Hong Kongers as being on steroids and 'pushy', 'go-getting' types, always wanting to get to the front. But then in Singapore 'kiasus' (being afraid to lose out) are kings. And Kings always expect to have their way whereas 'go-getters' will do whatever it takes to get there.
We honour or VIPs and VIP visitors with motorcycle outriders (they seem partial to the motorised convoys that one usually connects with US Presidents, the Pope, Royal Weddings, the third world and 'tin pot' dictators) but do not deploy them to patrol our roads.
Is it because we don't have enough motorcycle policemen to do both adequately? Why can't we attract enough?
Back in the early 80's I had a colleague who was once a motorcycle cop and if he could he would have continued to ride a TP bike in his uniform, such was the buzz and swagger attached to being a mounted cop in a crisp and smart uniform.
I suppose it is like comparing National Service in the old days (among other things: instructors who had seen action) and today (catered meals and virtually easy-care uniforms).
I have been admiring the mounts of the HK motorcycle cops; there are lots of opportunities to do so as they seem to be everywhere. And they ride very handsome machines.
If the SCDF have their sporting Red Rhinos to rush to fires, maybe the Traffic Police could provide equally nice toys for our TP boys?
You can see what a Hong Kong motorcycle cop rides (spot the BWM logo?):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darylchapman/4902585451/
Flickr didn't have many photos of the Singapore TP's mounts, this is one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudebarutel/473154934/
Which would you fancy?
When I noticed that my duffle was still on the trolley and he'd resumed his seat, I asked why he did not help me with my duffle. His retort was that I'd told him not to load my bag.
They say travelling is stress, well I lit into him to relieve my stress and even found the right Cantonese words (minus the epithets) to say (loud enough for the people in the queue behind me to hear and smile) that he must be hard of hearing because I did not ask him not to load my duffle. So he reluctantly got out of the taxi and did so while I stood, waiting. After all, he might have been nuts enough to drive off with me and the hand luggage and leave my duffle!
Once he got back behind the wheel he asked where we were going, so I told him our destination - loudly - and asked if he could hear! He kept quiet, quite a feat for a HK taxi driver. Then he thought he'd get his own back by testing me. He asked, "which route". I snapped back, "Kennedy Road", hoping my Cantonese pronunciation of the name was correct. It established that I knew the way home and therefore was not a visitor.
We got home in one piece and he helped unload my duffle.
So, yes, not all the recalcitrant taxi "uncles" are located in Singapore! But there will be more of them in Singapore if the government gets its way and has more companies amassing bigger fleets.
This seems to be the way we go about solving problems nowadays - based on expediency and the line of least resistance. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating but I suspect it will be yet another ill thought out measure (prime example: the hastily enacted scheme to license real estate agents which placed burdens on an organisation that was not ready).
But then we'll just concoct another scheme to deal with the problems thrown up by the first!
When taxis drivers complained that they weren't making a decent living, prize-winning brains devised a convoluted set of surcharges to tack on to the fare for getting from A to B. Now if you want a taxi shortly before a surcharge kicks in, you wait around - or pay a fee to make a booking.
Is there a shortage of taxis or is there a shortage of taxi drivers wanting to do a decent day's work? I've heard it said that the taxi companies cannot find enough drivers. I've also heard of taxi drivers who ply their trade during the day, sub their vehicles out at night and drive their families around at weekends. Not a bad gig if you can get it.
By not tackling the root and systemic problems of the "shortage" of taxis at certain times and in certain situations, we are just basing the new policies on the same unstable, shifting foundations. And painting ourselves into a corner with each new diabolical 'brainchild' of scholarly minds.
Maybe there is an amnesic element in our Newater (the water Singaporeans use and drink, recycled from our sewers) which helps us forget what was decreed several months or even a few years before? And maybe it does not work on all Singaporeans?
When the government wanted to control the number of vehicles on the roads brilliant minds were put to work and came up with a scheme whereby every month car buyers make a bids for certificates which will entitle them to buy a car.
Recently the highest bid was something in the region of USD$58,000 - the successful bidders for this Open Category pay that amount for the right to buy and put a car on the roads for 10 years (before import duties, etc which tack more than 200% on the landed cost of the car).
Needless to say, Singapore is one of the most expensive places in the world to buy and own a car, if not the most expensive.
As I recall, when the government first imposed a PARF/ARF (Preferential Additional Registration Fee / Additional Registration Fee) it was meant to be only the first step in regulating the ownership if vehicles and would be reduced as other measures were brought in.
Nowadays, we have several measures to regulate the number of new vehicles and to manage traffic, all of them lucrative.
None of them has helped reduce car owners' financial obligations in scope or in monetary terms. Yet, going by the ever-rising COE bids, there is no reduction in the demand to put new vehicles on the roads.
Any sensible person would expect public transportation to be front and centre of our transport policies, yet we still lag behind demand (we have increased our population by leaps and bounds to about 5 million) when it comes to affordable, efficient public transport.
It's not that all Singaporeans have money to drop on cars; the problem is limited public transport and a climate that is not kind if you go by Shanks' pony or take Bus number 11 (in other words, walk).
So why all these big and little irritations? Have they to do with Lee Kuan Yew (MM or Minister Mentor) taking in the big picture rather than occupying himself with the minutiae of making things run?
It was interesting reading excerpts of a series of interviews with Lee Kuan Yew (MM or Minister Mentor). Among the things reported:
"While he was less in command of the specific details of domestic policies, he was more than familiar with their general thrust."
On the other hand is pride and the psyche of the Singaporean bureaucrat holding us back? Even though we are almost 50 years into nationhood, I hear people blame things on the British colonialists - as if we are incapable of making mistakes by ourselves.
We are reluctant to borrow and adapt what others do; we seem to insist on re-inventing the wheel and learning (one hopes) from the same mistakes others have made before us. The NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome is alive and well even though it might slow down progress.
However, there are many things Singapore can learn, adapt to our own use and even improve upon.
We could nip bad driving in the bud by imposing certain conditions on newly-minted drivers.
Surprisingly, drivers in Hong Kong are more considerate - they are accustomed to merging lanes according to the 1 from each lane, 'live and let live' system. In Singapore no one wants to give way.
I guess it's because I think of Hong Kongers as being on steroids and 'pushy', 'go-getting' types, always wanting to get to the front. But then in Singapore 'kiasus' (being afraid to lose out) are kings. And Kings always expect to have their way whereas 'go-getters' will do whatever it takes to get there.
We honour or VIPs and VIP visitors with motorcycle outriders (they seem partial to the motorised convoys that one usually connects with US Presidents, the Pope, Royal Weddings, the third world and 'tin pot' dictators) but do not deploy them to patrol our roads.
Is it because we don't have enough motorcycle policemen to do both adequately? Why can't we attract enough?
Back in the early 80's I had a colleague who was once a motorcycle cop and if he could he would have continued to ride a TP bike in his uniform, such was the buzz and swagger attached to being a mounted cop in a crisp and smart uniform.
I suppose it is like comparing National Service in the old days (among other things: instructors who had seen action) and today (catered meals and virtually easy-care uniforms).
I have been admiring the mounts of the HK motorcycle cops; there are lots of opportunities to do so as they seem to be everywhere. And they ride very handsome machines.
If the SCDF have their sporting Red Rhinos to rush to fires, maybe the Traffic Police could provide equally nice toys for our TP boys?
You can see what a Hong Kong motorcycle cop rides (spot the BWM logo?):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darylchapman/4902585451/
Flickr didn't have many photos of the Singapore TP's mounts, this is one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/claudebarutel/473154934/
Which would you fancy?
Friday, December 31, 2010
Drivers In Singapore Take the Cake!
I used to think it was me getting old and fussy, but now feel vindicated after reading news reports and letters of complaint to the Letters pages of our local newspapers in Singapore.
It is apparent that ignorance and selfishness is universal: young and old, men and women, people of all races, shapes and sizes.
As with many things here, form is, at least as important, if not more, than substance. As a "new" driver you spend time waiting for your Basic then Advanced Theory tests. In between (provided that you have passed your Basic theory) test you then get in a queue for a series of driving lessons.
Then you sit for your Advanced Theory and Driving tests. This system is formulaic and has given rise to its own little niche - multi-language books and lessons that help one cram for the theory tests and driver teaching schools.
After one passes all the tests and is issued a licence, one must display - for one year - a fluorescent triangle on a plain background at the front and rear of one's vehicle to denote a new driver. But I have yet to see these signs inhibit whoever is behind the wheel!
Never mind the sales of these signs, the government could improve road safety and manners by being strict with young or inexperienced drivers (anyone who has been issued a licence for less than 3 years, including an 'exchange' licence from another country).
This should translate into giving them higher demerit points for traffic offences.
And why ever not? Insurance companies know that drivers under 26 years of age or inexperienced drivers are involved in more accidents than others, hence they bear higher premiums and excess.
In the absence of visible enforcement efforts (which writers to the newspapers also have complained about) we obviously need other means to ensure law and order on our roads.
Now that our Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been given the task of enforcement in cases of illegal parking, their 'flying' squads (blue uniforms with 'Enforcement' on the back) patrol various areas.
However they cannot be in all places at all times. And touring traffic and parking 'hotspots' on their motorcycles needs to be planned so that they can be at these 'hotspots' when traffic is at their worst.
They should also ticket government vehicles that break the laws by waiting or parking in no waiting or parking areas. There should not be one law for the everyday man and woman and a different one for popularly elected officials.
Here we have a car, with its "new" driver sign (top right or rear screen) at the Tiong Bahru car park at 9:38am on 28th Dec 2010 - in a parking space designated for vehicles that are loading and unloading.
I was leaving the car park when I saw a couple park the car and proceed to the lift, at a time when many people visit the Food Centre at the market for breakfast.
While I appreciate that our Police force is busy keeping terrorists from within and without from blowing us up, lack of uniformed policemen and women has a detrimental effect on road users who park as they please.
This is another common sight, sometimes driverless sometimes with someone in the driving seat.
Taken at 12:54pm on 29 December 2010 when it was blocking access to our driveway and adding to the traffic jam along Claymore Road and Claymore Hill because vehicle had to form a single line to get by!
As those who live in the UK and USA can see, the meaning of some of these road markings are different to those captioned in the above.
But whichever way one interprets stopping, waiting and parking in Singapore, it is a terrible waste of taxpayers money to erect signs and paint our roads because few drivers pay any attention to them.
And unfortunately the parking wardens and enforcement officers are stretched too thin to be around when offences are committed.
Our government is preparing for what has been termed the "silver tsunami" when the demographic bulge will consist of baby boomers like me.
Much has been mooted for staying relevant and working past 60 and I would suggest they recruit people with clean driving records to patrol their neighbourhoods and take photographs so that illegal parking and other traffic offenses can be ticketed.
Many people are sick and tried of not being able to access or exit their homes safely because vehicles obscure their view. Or even worse, block their driveways. They'd be more than happy to perform their civic duty!
Besides, local residents KNOW when traffic will be bad, unlike planners in air-conditioned offices.
Recently, I discovered how irrelevant the Automobile Association of Singapore is to my car and to me. I rejoined when we returned and bought our car and have scarcely had to use any of its members benefits.
But when I was trying to make sense about the timing of the amber lights at so-called "red light" junctions, I copied their President who never even acknowledged my email.
My point then - and remains - that the size of the junctions (hence the distance the vehicle must travel) should dictate the timing for the amber lights. But the Traffic Police and LTA are adamant it should stay at a flat 3 seconds for ALL junctions.
Anyone with a little commonsense can see that as the population gets older, Singapore's Traffic Police and Land Transport boffins should allow for slower reactions.
After all it costs 12 points (out of the 24 allowed for a period of 2 years) to be caught beating the lights as my soon to be 82 year old husband found out to his cost.
(A young man in a Ferrari can beat the lights easily unless intoxicated and unwary, 3 seconds is plenty of time in such a car)
The corollary to this is that I had to copy my request for the timing to my Members of Parliament before it would be released to me - as if it were a matter of national security.
It just shows how we are too fixated on the macro details and miss the bigger picture. Or is it just the bureaucratic mindset?
More recently, my attention was drawn to car insurance by a girlfriend who had noticed, when reading the fine print, that her insurer imposed a high excess ($3000) for claims incurred by young and inexperienced drivers AND drivers 65 and over.
As she is going to be 65 in a few years she thought it most unfair that experienced drivers like her were being unfairly penalised when most accidents are caused by young and experienced drivers.
She delegated the task of looking at car insurance to me and while I was looking through my own papers I discovered that, through AAS my car was insured by the same company and the same excess clause applied!
So I did a bit of looking around, especially as car (or motor) insurance can now be purchased online.
Eventually I purchased my policy from Aviva because I could tailor my requirements and see the quotation change on the web page, in real time - instead of waiting a few days until someone responded.
Aviva was also the policy that offered the best value. And even though I tacked on one or two supplementary options, I still saved about $200 on my car insurance.
So much for the AAS being for motorists! My membership is up in April and you can bet that I am not going to renew it.
Maybe Singapore should have questions like these in the Theory parts of the Driving Test:
http://www.chinacartimes.com/quiz/
It is apparent that ignorance and selfishness is universal: young and old, men and women, people of all races, shapes and sizes.
As with many things here, form is, at least as important, if not more, than substance. As a "new" driver you spend time waiting for your Basic then Advanced Theory tests. In between (provided that you have passed your Basic theory) test you then get in a queue for a series of driving lessons.
Then you sit for your Advanced Theory and Driving tests. This system is formulaic and has given rise to its own little niche - multi-language books and lessons that help one cram for the theory tests and driver teaching schools.
After one passes all the tests and is issued a licence, one must display - for one year - a fluorescent triangle on a plain background at the front and rear of one's vehicle to denote a new driver. But I have yet to see these signs inhibit whoever is behind the wheel!
Never mind the sales of these signs, the government could improve road safety and manners by being strict with young or inexperienced drivers (anyone who has been issued a licence for less than 3 years, including an 'exchange' licence from another country).
This should translate into giving them higher demerit points for traffic offences.
And why ever not? Insurance companies know that drivers under 26 years of age or inexperienced drivers are involved in more accidents than others, hence they bear higher premiums and excess.
In the absence of visible enforcement efforts (which writers to the newspapers also have complained about) we obviously need other means to ensure law and order on our roads.
Now that our Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been given the task of enforcement in cases of illegal parking, their 'flying' squads (blue uniforms with 'Enforcement' on the back) patrol various areas.
However they cannot be in all places at all times. And touring traffic and parking 'hotspots' on their motorcycles needs to be planned so that they can be at these 'hotspots' when traffic is at their worst.
They should also ticket government vehicles that break the laws by waiting or parking in no waiting or parking areas. There should not be one law for the everyday man and woman and a different one for popularly elected officials.
Here we have a car, with its "new" driver sign (top right or rear screen) at the Tiong Bahru car park at 9:38am on 28th Dec 2010 - in a parking space designated for vehicles that are loading and unloading.
I was leaving the car park when I saw a couple park the car and proceed to the lift, at a time when many people visit the Food Centre at the market for breakfast.
While I appreciate that our Police force is busy keeping terrorists from within and without from blowing us up, lack of uniformed policemen and women has a detrimental effect on road users who park as they please.
This is another common sight, sometimes driverless sometimes with someone in the driving seat.
Taken at 12:54pm on 29 December 2010 when it was blocking access to our driveway and adding to the traffic jam along Claymore Road and Claymore Hill because vehicle had to form a single line to get by!
As those who live in the UK and USA can see, the meaning of some of these road markings are different to those captioned in the above.
But whichever way one interprets stopping, waiting and parking in Singapore, it is a terrible waste of taxpayers money to erect signs and paint our roads because few drivers pay any attention to them.
And unfortunately the parking wardens and enforcement officers are stretched too thin to be around when offences are committed.
Our government is preparing for what has been termed the "silver tsunami" when the demographic bulge will consist of baby boomers like me.
Much has been mooted for staying relevant and working past 60 and I would suggest they recruit people with clean driving records to patrol their neighbourhoods and take photographs so that illegal parking and other traffic offenses can be ticketed.
Many people are sick and tried of not being able to access or exit their homes safely because vehicles obscure their view. Or even worse, block their driveways. They'd be more than happy to perform their civic duty!
Besides, local residents KNOW when traffic will be bad, unlike planners in air-conditioned offices.
Recently, I discovered how irrelevant the Automobile Association of Singapore is to my car and to me. I rejoined when we returned and bought our car and have scarcely had to use any of its members benefits.
But when I was trying to make sense about the timing of the amber lights at so-called "red light" junctions, I copied their President who never even acknowledged my email.
My point then - and remains - that the size of the junctions (hence the distance the vehicle must travel) should dictate the timing for the amber lights. But the Traffic Police and LTA are adamant it should stay at a flat 3 seconds for ALL junctions.
Extract from Wikipedia:
Light timing length
The length of amber lights can differ, for example in many places the length of an amber light is usually 5 seconds, but elsewhere it may be as little as 3 seconds considerably reducing the time for reaction. It is typical for these times to vary according to the set speed limit, with longer times for higher limits. In the state of Georgia, United States, an amber light must be lit one second for every 10 mph of posted speed limit. In this situation, a 45 mph posted speed limit would have a 4.5 second amber light. For intersections with red light cameras, 1 extra second must be added. In Colorado Springs, Colorado, green lights at numerous intersections have been noted with durations of approximately two seconds. (Wikipedia does NOT give the size of any junctions)
The time from when a red light is displayed and when a cross street is given a green light is usually based on the physical size of the intersection. This intervening period is called the all-red time. A typical all-red time is 3 seconds to allow cars to clear the intersection. In a wider intersection, such as 4 lane road or highway intersection, the all-red time may be as much as 5 seconds, allowing drivers who could not or would not stop at the amber light enough time to clear the intersection without causing a collision.
Anyone with a little commonsense can see that as the population gets older, Singapore's Traffic Police and Land Transport boffins should allow for slower reactions.
After all it costs 12 points (out of the 24 allowed for a period of 2 years) to be caught beating the lights as my soon to be 82 year old husband found out to his cost.
(A young man in a Ferrari can beat the lights easily unless intoxicated and unwary, 3 seconds is plenty of time in such a car)
The corollary to this is that I had to copy my request for the timing to my Members of Parliament before it would be released to me - as if it were a matter of national security.
It just shows how we are too fixated on the macro details and miss the bigger picture. Or is it just the bureaucratic mindset?
More recently, my attention was drawn to car insurance by a girlfriend who had noticed, when reading the fine print, that her insurer imposed a high excess ($3000) for claims incurred by young and inexperienced drivers AND drivers 65 and over.
As she is going to be 65 in a few years she thought it most unfair that experienced drivers like her were being unfairly penalised when most accidents are caused by young and experienced drivers.
She delegated the task of looking at car insurance to me and while I was looking through my own papers I discovered that, through AAS my car was insured by the same company and the same excess clause applied!
So I did a bit of looking around, especially as car (or motor) insurance can now be purchased online.
Eventually I purchased my policy from Aviva because I could tailor my requirements and see the quotation change on the web page, in real time - instead of waiting a few days until someone responded.
Aviva was also the policy that offered the best value. And even though I tacked on one or two supplementary options, I still saved about $200 on my car insurance.
So much for the AAS being for motorists! My membership is up in April and you can bet that I am not going to renew it.
Maybe Singapore should have questions like these in the Theory parts of the Driving Test:
http://www.chinacartimes.com/quiz/
Chinese Driving Test |
| So you've heard all of the jokes about Asian drivers, you think Chinese are bad drivers? You think you're a good driver? Why not try the official English theory exam for foreigners who want to obtain their Chinese driving license - mandatory if you wish to drive in China. The test is surprisingly hard. The exam questions are translated into English from the Chinese language exam, the translation is not 100% exact (we didn't translate them!). Chinese people who are studying for the theory test have a book containing 1000 questions and answers - only 100 of these questions will be in the exam. It is somewhat easier for foreigners to obtain their Chinese license in China - they only have to learn a 100 questions, which are the exam questions. Remember, to get your Chinese license you need obtain more than 90% on the exam. Can you do it? NOTE: in China they drive on the RIGHT (same side as Europe and the USA) Here are two samples of their test questions and multiple choice answers:   |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)