Daily Lessons from Life 03-08 November 2013 - Catch Up after Great Firewall of China!

Yes. Was in China the last days and could not access the blog. Just learned from a friend that there is a software that functions like VPN and allow access to Facebook, Blogger space, etc. Will try on my next trip there! :-)

Some some catch up of the last few days notable news:

1. The CCP government is fairly serious about catching corrupt officials resulting in a few industries that relied on 'handsome gifts' suffering in its wake! e.g. the hairy crab's prices had plunged, expensive 'famous' local alcoholic drink makers are sufferring, quite a few up-market and luxurious eating places have closed, etc.

It is a good sign as far as I am concerned as many of these consupmtions are unethical and a big waste of public money!

Many citizens of China hope that this is for real. For me, it is quite real as the CCP leadership realizes that if corruption is not curbed to a 'tolerable' level, it WILL threaten the existing of CCP!

2. One of my Chinese friends told me that it is the most polluted day in Shanghai when I left! At the Puxi area I did not really feel it though I did expereience an acid rain burn last year when I was in the Pudong industrial park area!

Many citizens are saying the 'progress of China' is at the expense of 'future generation' as the air is polluted, the water is polluted, the foods are unsafe, the mediciens are unsafe, the infamous baby milk are unsafe, etc. While many questioned the heavy price the society seems to have to pay for the so-called 'economic progress and prosperity', not many are going to stop the convenient consumption in the cities! A reflection of the irony of life, I guessed.

The 'Immigration Industry' is booming as many middle class Chinese are trying to get out. China is a place for them to make money and, just in case, they need a place to 'escape' to when the unsustainable situation finally give in! When? It is anyone's guess though the 'power-that-be' will definitely want to keep it going for as long as possible. Yet, if the progress is 'unsusatinable', it is a matter of when it will break rather than will it break!

3. Someone apparently has declared a digital war on Singapore recently. I am not sure what is going on but I do want our digital space to be free of 'any war'. Let the digital space be a place where people can express themselves responsibly and not through technical superiority threathened others with 'hacking' or 'occupation by force' tactics.

It is another week gone and I look forward to the weekend to rest and reflect and re-energised for another new week ahead!