Daily Lessons from Life 30-31 March 2014 - Last Day of 1Q2014

Read about the cyclist who fell off his bike during the OCBC Bicycle Ride event on Sunday, which my brother also participated in, and is in critical condition due to injuries to his brain. Hope he will pull through and recover well.

I am surprised that the hotel I am staying in in China allows me to access my blog on Google! Wow! So I can complete the last 2 days of March 2014 as we close off 1Q2014. How time flies!! Faster and faster it seems for a person past 55 years old!! LOL.

A few news headlines to comment on:

1. Singapore Day in London

No controversy this time vs when it was held in Sydney, Australia the last time! PM Lee was reportedly mobbed by photo-seeking Singaporeans. That's good.

Yet, popularity is not what his dad seek.

For me, his dad's way was incomplete. When the politics are right i.e. explaining 'unpopular' policies without expecting the voters to 'just get it, it will take patient and humility to explain and in different manners until the voters see that the 'unpopular' policies are necessary and for the benefits of the majority.

This can be achieved by NOT assuming the listeners are not very bright. Just that they look at the issues from different angles that the power-that-be has not considered!;

2. OCBC Bike Ride Accident on Sunday 30 March 2014

Regret to read about the young rider who is in a critical condition following a bad accident at the OCBC Bike Ride event on Sunday 30 March 2014. An event that my brother took part it too. Hope that the young rider recover well after the brain surgeries.

Safety is always the ultimate goal of any sporting and social recreational events. When the accident happened, the organisers just have to take care of the accident victim(s) and their family members by extending every possible help. The next thing to do is to understand what exactly happened and see if they can be prevented for future events.

3. Taiwanese students occupying the Legislative Yuan and other public places to protest against the Service Trade Agreement between Taiwan (or R.O.C) and China (or PRC)

One of my dear Taiwanese friends became VERY ANGRY with the students for their behaviours as he felt that they have 'hijacked' the democratic system. He also believed that some political parties and personnel are using the students to create troubles and gain political mileage for 'shaded' reasons.

For me, having watched so many 'dramatic' so-called people's power marches and 'peaceful' occupation of public places or disruption of public orders incidents in the last few years, I believed this trend is unhealthy and had been hijacked!

Of course, it has to be analysed on a one-on-one basis since some of the past 'people's power uprising' have their merits.

In this case, my friend believes that the students and their political manipulators DO NOT represent he and his friends and business associates' voice and view. They are FOR the Service Trade Agreement knowing the pros and cons, the risks and rewards, and what risk management measures need to be implemented so that the PRC's money does not just destroy the many Taiwanese local SMEs!

I guess at the end of the day, Taiwan faces a choice that Singapore had already confronted: how to have continued GDP growth without destroying Singaporean companies and workers!

The Taiwanese can have the money but not the inflow of mainlanders. This can be achieved IF the Taiwanese human resources are GOOD enough or better than the mainlanders aka 'foreign imports'!

Keeping the balance will be tough but if you get the terms agreed at the start, you have a better ground to keep the inflow a controlled one! Unlike in Singapore?