Blog Posts

The Story Of A Piece Of Paper

24/11/2021

So Tom has a piece of paper. (Don't ask why, don't ask what's on it, it's not important.)
Jerry has $10,000.

Jerry offers to buy the piece of paper for $10k.
Tom is willing to sell.
So Jerry now has the piece of paper and Tom has $10k.

Sometime later, Tom wants the paper back.
Jerry doesn't want to sell. So Tom says, "Ok. I'll buy 1/2 the piece of paper for $10k."
Jerry is ok with this so Jerry cuts the paper and sells 1/2 to Tom.
So now, Jerry has $10k and 1/2 the paper, and Tom has 1/2 the paper.

Sometime later, Jerry regrets selling the 1/2 piece of paper and approaches Tom.
Tom doesn't want to sell. So Jerry says, "Ok. I'll buy 1/4 for $10k."
Tom is ok with this so Tom cuts the paper again and sells 1/4 to Jerry.
So now, Tom has $10k and 1/4 of the paper and Jerry has 3/4 of the paper.

Sometime later, Tom regrets selling the 1/4 piece of paper and approaches Tom.
Jerry doesn't want to sell. So Tom says, "Ok. I'll buy 1/8 the piece of paper for $10k."
Jerry is ok with this so Jerry cuts the paper and sells 1/8 to Tom.
So now, Jerry has $10k and 5/8 the paper, and Tom has 3/8 the paper.

Sometime later, Jerry regrets selling the 1/8 piece of paper and approaches Tom.
Tom doesn't want to sell. So Jerry says, "Ok. I'll buy a 1/80 for $10k."
Tom is ok with this so Tom cuts the paper again and sells the 1/80 to Jerry.
So now, Tom has $10k and 29/80 of the paper and Jerry has 51/80 of the paper.

Sometime later, Tom regrets selling the 1/80 piece of paper and approaches Tom.
Jerry doesn't want to sell. So Tom says, "Ok. I'll buy 1/800 the piece of paper for $10k."
Jerry is ok with this so Jerry cuts the paper and sells 1/800 to Tom.
So now, Jerry has $10k and 509/800 the paper, and Tom has 291/800 the paper.

Sometime later, Jerry regrets selling the 1/800 piece of paper and approaches Tom.
Tom doesn't want to sell. So Jerry says, "Ok. I'll buy a 1/8000 for $10k."
Tom is ok with this so Tom cuts the paper again and sells the 1/8000 to Jerry.
So now, Tom has $10k and 2909/8000 of the paper and Jerry has 5091/8000 of the paper.

Tom and Jerry tell their friends that they are now worth $29,100,000 and $50,910,000 respectively.

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Why Retirement Is Like Driving

26/10/2021

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The retirement journey, or even the investment journey...
Is typically made more complicated than it really is.
Investment advisers, financial planners, friends, relatives, newspapers, bloggers, etc...
We look around, we see someone else doing something else, someone else made more money via this investment, someone else did this, someone else did that...

And yet... when we really look at it...
Let's say... today you want to go to see the doctor.
You wake up, wash up, determine the time you need to leave, you get out of the house, get in your car, or Grab, or bus, or MRT, whatever.
Then you reach there and do whatever you want to do.

Not everyone is going to the doctor's today.
Those who are going to see the doctor will likely be seeing the doc for a different issue.
Not everyone will leave the homes at the same time. Some live closer, some live further. So they start out at different times.
Some are bringing their kids to see the doc, some might bring their partner or parents, etc.
Some will take car, or walk, or Grab, etc...

And most likely, you wouldn't care who else is going to the doc today. You wouldn't care how they got to the doc. You wouldn't care what time they left home, etc...

You'd probably just go see the doc, and do your thing, then just go home. The end.

And that's what/how the retirement journey is supposed to be.
We all start at different points in our lives. Some are born luckier, some have higher earning jobs, some want to retire earlier, some later, some want low risk returns, others want higher risk for more returns.
Some have kids to take care of, some have elderly parents, etc.
And most of the time, it's none of our business, and also it's none of their business how we each want to plan our retirement journey.

Most of the time, when we do our daily things, our daily journey, no one cares how, why we do what we do.
And yet, when it comes to retirement or financial planning, it seems so complicated. So many different kinds of experts, so many different opinions on what's the right way.
When we talk to friends and family, so many more comments about how this works, how this doesn't work, etc etc...

It's really not that hard...

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No Company Will Kill Its Golden Goose

24/10/2021

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I'm no fan of conspiracy theories.
But I do have suspicions. As in... I just keep in mind that there is a possibility of these things happening, but I don't let the idea consume my life.

If a cow is producing milk, do you kill it?
Same as no one should kill their goose laying the golden eggs.

So long time ago, Microsoft had their MS Office. We would buy the product and use it for years.
Now, it's on a subscription basis.
Cos... well, it's good income.

So this subscription model is really working out, Amazon, Netflix, Microsoft, Costco, etc...

And so....
Pfizer, Moderna, or any other pharma company...

Think about it... Why would they want to release a "true" vaccine? You know, those old types that really protect from the virus, you know, those polio vaccines, BCG, etc...

It's now a golden goose situation. They sell 2 shots for vaccination and every 8 months or so, they get to sell booster shots.

Ok, maybe ... it's not possible to make a "true" vaccine for COVID.
OR maybe, it is possible.
I don't know, and I think most of us won't ever know the truth.

But I do wonder about the possibility of it.

Did you know, there was an organization of light bulb makers who colluded to ensure that lightbulb lifespan didn't exceed 2000 hours?
Cos previously, every lightbulb maker was trying to outdo each other, trying to make lightbulbs last longer. And their business suffered, cos consumers got longer lasting lightbulbs and bought less.
They eventually got together and formed some kind of committee, and discussed and came to some form of conclusion that... yea, you get the picture.

There's no money to be made if you sell a product that lasts forever.

Don't kill the golden goose.

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Is Singapore A Fluke?

7/10/2021

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So I was watching this YouTube clip.
Some time back, LKY was asked a question about Sweden's IKEA and Finland's Nokia.

And his response to Nokia was that it was a fluke. With a population of 7-8 million, it would be hard to find talent, he did not expect Nokia to maintain it's success for for long with the rising competition from Korea and Japan. (And he would have probably added in China in this day and age.)

Now... what if we flip this line of thinking onto Singapore as a country?
Singapore was developing alongside the bulk of Asia in the 1960s. Most of the countries were under developed, or developing countries.
We had good leadership, Singapore played by a differently, we studied English, invited foreign investment into the country, etc.
And this direction taken was executed successfully, Singapore thrived during this period.

Now, let's use LKY's same words.
We have a population of under 6 million. Can we keep up with the competition? From Korea, from Japan, (from China), watch it in the long term. How many bright fellas have you got with inventive, creative minds?

As much as we say Nokia needs good leadership to thrive in the business environment, Singapore, as a country also needs good leadership to succeed as a country.

Which begs the question. Is Singapore a fluke? Just like Nokia?
A rare leader who made a difference. Right place, right time.

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Singapore COVID Situation (Part 2)

2/10/2021

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I haven't been on FB much.
And just today I was browsing FB and the comments of FB-ers on Straits Times about COVID.

99% of the comments on articles on COVID are about how bad the COVID situation is in SG and how the Gov should not have reopened/removed restrictions so soon.

I came to 2 conclusions.
1. These folks who want to keep SG closed/restricted are a minority but are very vocal.
2. These folks who want to keep SG closed/restricted are a majority and are representative of the SG feelings towards COVID and how the Gov is handling it.

I hope it is 1.
Cos conclusion 2 is concerning.
Cos these people are expecting the impossible.

Think about it.
Ok. Let's keep SG closed, reduce COVID numbers to under 100 per day. Only have food imports or exports but no real movement of people.
Then what? Are we going to keep SG closed for long term to maintain the low infection rate?
Remember. SG has a small market, there is very little domestic demand.
Ok, so let's do it for??? 6 months?
Then what? Reopen? Reopen to a world that will STILL bring COVID into SG eventually?
Or what? Keep SG closed forever? There is no way around it.

If SG closes borders or keeps restrictions up to have low spread, low death. No matter what, when it opens borders again, COVID WILL re-enter SG again.
So open in 1 month time, or open in 3 years time, the result is still going to be similar. Just as long as the hospitals don't overload.
COVID will come to Singapore, and will spread and people will get it, most will get well, some will die.
COVID is here to stay.
Else keep SG closed forever. And THAT, would be the end of Singapore.
In the long run, COVID won't destroy Singapore. Staying closed will.

I read commenters saying that COVID deaths can be prevented. That they are unnecessary deaths. The folks who die are someone's father, mother, g'mother, g'father, they helped build SG, etc.
Just don't open up.
Yes. That's true.
Singapore has 800 flu deaths every year.
That also can be prevented. Just close borders and keep everyone at home.
Flu deaths can also be prevented. They are also someone's father, mother, brother, sister, etc.
But no one talks about it right? Why? Cos everyone has gotten it before. It's "no big deal". And yet, there are many "preventable" deaths.

These people lack perspective. And I hope it's just a very vocal minority.

Just cos COVID-19 is a novel disease. Doesn't mean we ignore the statistics of it.
The fear and concern should be proportional to the data.
No one calls for restrictions when the death rate for flu is so "high".
Just cos it's headline news doesn't mean the statistics change.

Similarly, I had friends who told me to be careful of racism in the US.
Yes racism incidents rose 100% during the pandemic period.
But the numbers are something like 1,000 rising to 2,000. In a population of 300 million.
Yes. I know I still need to be careful. But that doesn't mean I need to be wary of everyone I meet on the streets.

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Singapore COVID Situation

1/10/2021

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Watching how Singapore is handling COVID from halfway across the world...
I feel it's concerning. How reactive the SG Gov is.

You see, in the US, COVID is pretty much... "over".
That's not to say people aren't getting sick. They are getting sick and some die.
It's part and parcel of all illnesses.
All illnesses have a death rate and the US has decided that it will live with it.
There is still a bit of wrangling about masks in schools, etc... but by and large, the direction is that COVID will be handled at the medical layer.

If people get COVID, they see a doctor, if they have mild symptoms, they stay at home and they get well.
If it turns serious, or if oxygen levels drop, they go to a hospital.
People expect to get well from COVID. it's not like some scary disease.

Just like people expect to get well from dengue, flu, chicken pox, etc.
It's no longer headline news.

When was the last time Singaporeans were concerned about dengue deaths?
How many dengue deaths are there in a day in SG?
How about flu?
The media never reports it. The data is available from MOH, but it's not reported.
Singaporeans don't care and don't need to be updated regularly.

When I hear friends/family say... "Oh so scary." or "I'm afraid to get COVID."
When was the last time you were afraid to get the flu or chicken pox?

I completed my vaccination in May 2021.
Since then, I haven't worn a mask when going out. Unless it's mandated by the location.
Since then, I've travelled to New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Grand Canyon, Orlando, Miami.

COVID really isn't some mass apocalypse event that people need to be afraid of.
And the Western world acknowledges this. Life needs to go on.

Base on my interactions with friends and family.
My data suggests that 70% of them are afraid, concerned or "very scary".
Of course no one wants to get COVID.
I don't even want to get flu, or dengue or chicken pox.
But since when were we afraid to get illnesses where the survival rate is 99+%?

From my view, I see the current task force as indecisive and reactive.
Do something, wait and see, then turn around and do something else.
It was months ago that Singapore decided to "live with the virus".
They aren't giving Singaporeans confidence to "live with the virus".
Not happening. Multiple restrictions are still in place to "protect the 200,000 unvaccinated".
Imagine, putting restrictions on 5 million people to protect the 200,000 willfully unvaccinated.
Punishing those who listened to the Gov, to protect those who didn't.

Now... In my opinion, this will pass. Be it 2 years or 5 years. It will pass.
BUT... where will Singapore be by then?
Will we be irrelevant to the world? Business needs to keep moving, the economy needs to keep moving. That's how this world functions. Singapore, as a small country, cannot be lagging behind. I've written about this before.
Singapore has an 82% vaccination rate, one of the highest in the world. Higher than all in the Asia region. We have a huge advantage to open up and push into the future. And I hope we do it soon. Else, we are no different from the other countries with low vaccination rates.

Next, comes to what I feel about the task force.
We're probably looking at one of the task force leaders as the future PM.
The current situation gives a picture of what they will be doing when in leadership position.
Do they give you confidence that Singapore will be ready for the future? Confidence that they know the way and will lead the country forward into the unknown?
Or do they give you the feeling that they also don't know what they are doing and are just as clueless as everyone else?

Now. I'm not saying they are clueless or don't know what they are going. Maybe they have lots of plans and data and statistics.
But politics and leadership is about presentation and impression. The people need to look towards their leader or future leader and feel confident that the leader knows what they are doing.
And truthfully, I'm not feeling it.

I'm thinking of 2 scenarios.
1. Singapore opens up. Business returns to a new normal. Less reporting of COVID. People get sick, most get well, some die, most Singaporeans won't know the numbers. Life goes on, 3 years later, most Singaporeans forget about COVID. Since life is back to normal, people continue to vote for the current Government.

2. Singapore remains closed, many restrictions are in place, normal life is disrupted. Continued reporting of COVID. People get sick, most get well, some die, but Singaporeans continue to know the numbers. Even though the numbers are low, Singaporeans feel afraid cos it's always a constant reminder in the media. 3 years later life has not gotten back to any form of new normal, COVID is still headline news. People are still wondering "what the hell is happening". I'm pretty sure the Gov will lose votes.

The sooner the Gov can create a new normal in relation to the next election, the more votes the Gov will retain. If they create a new normal now, and remove media coverage of COVID, people will forget about COVID by 2025.
If they drag this on and maybe create a new normal in 2024, then people will still remember about how long they had to live under restrictions and vote accordingly in 2025.

Nevertheless, I look forward to going home later this year and hopefully there will be some semblance of the Singapore that I left 2 years ago.

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Execution Is More Important Than Is Talked About

30/9/2021

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We don't talk about it much...
Execution.

In the show the Big Short, as referenced above, Michael Burry says, "I may have been early but I'm not wrong."

The response to that, by another character is... "It's the same thing."

You see, being early IS wrong, in the world of trading and investing.
If Michael Burry could not pay for his swaps, his swap positions could have been closed out before he made his money. And he was really close to being closed out.

I knew some people, who knew some people, who knew a group of people who got some info about an investment. Everyone got the same info. Everyone executed it differently. Some folks made a lot of money. Some folks lost a lot of money.
Some were too early, some believed the info but changed their minds halfway, some couldn't stomach the volatility, etc.

Or on a more personal note, I made an investment. It went up 60% and hit my price target. I got greedy, thought to myself. It has more room to run. Left it alone for a couple of months. Now that position is only up 20%.
So I was right, my expectations were met. It hit my price target. I should have sold.
But in the end I was wrong. I didn't follow through with my execution.

We talk about long term investments.
See table below.

I took Jan data for S&P500 in 1999 and 2019.
20 years.
Not all the dates coincide. Cos of weekends and such.
So I only took the dates that coincided with each other and removed the dates that didn't match 1:1.
Didn't want to pull data for 20/21 cos it's during COVID.

So from the data... we can see. If a person made a 20 year investment on 7 Jan 1999, he would end up with 100.81% return.
But if someone else made an investment on 25 Jan 1999, he would end up with 115.95%.
That's quite a large difference.

I mean... we all read about passive investment, hold long term, time in the market vs timing the market. DCA, trying to beat the S&P, trying to beat STI, tracking error, etc...

And yet... the difference could just be whether you choose to add to your portfolio on the 15th of the month instead of rebalancing at the end of the month.

When we try to benchmark against others... then there's no end to comparing. Might as well benchmark against our own performance but on different execution days.

In the end, investment is pretty simple.
Just make money. AND to hold on to it.

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Is The West More Open Minded

14/9/2021

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We hear it often.
Westerners are more open minded.
Is that true?

Well... based on my encounters...
It really depends.
First we need to realize that MANY westerners don't travel. They have large countries and they don't need to travel to Asia or other parts of the world.
So IF we meet a westerner in Asia, it's really anecdotal. Cos they are actually the outliers and likely more worldly than other folks in their country.

Next, we also need to see what country or cities we are looking at.
So if we look at the more modern cities, San Frans, New York, London, Paris... you know... the cities that are presented on TV and the big screen...
Well... then once again, the data is biased.

People from these cities tend to be more educated and are exposed to many other ideas and are also more accepting to different lifestyles and cultures.
HOWEVER, these cities are not reflective of the western population at large.

We might believe that certain lifestyles would be more acceptable in western society.
But really, that's not true.

For instance...
Early retirement... or homosexuality, or race issues, or sexism...
These issues still prevail in many western regions.

Even in the US, it's not easy being unemployed. People ask questions. What are you doing? Why are you not working? etc...
The idea that everyone must work is still very much alive.

When I was in Paris, there's still the expectation of male chivalry. Females are still treated as the fairer sex and males are expected to open doors and do the heavy work.

As much as homosexuals are accepted in major cities, there are many other cities and folks who are not as receptive of such an idea.
If it were so easy, then why do homosexuals have issues "coming out" to their friends and family?
Thing is... it isn't easy. Homosexuality is not as accepted as what it's portrayed to be.

It's like... scenery.
We look from afar at a snowy landscape or a forest scene.
And it always looks so beautiful. The view is so nice.
But when we actually go to the location when we're at the snowy location, it's typically wet and muddy.
The forest is dirty and filled with bugs and insects and overgrown plants.

When we see a westerner in Asia... there's this perception that they are so "free to live their own lives", and so independent, they don't have societal expectations, etc...
Well... you see, when you're halfway across the world, thousands of miles from your friends and family... it really is a lot easier to "live their own lives", and "not have any societal expectations", and it pretty much is necessary to be independent.

Similarly, if we leave Singapore, and move to a country, halfway across the world.
It's a lot easier to "be free to live our own lives" without having to care about what your friends and family think about you. The distance makes a lot of difference.

However, IF you are a westerner and grow up in the west, with friends and family all around you. You'll also have societal expectations.
People will comment when you're going to have a girlfriend/boyfriend, when you're going to get married, when you're going to have kids.
People will comment if you are unemployed, or have differing sexual orientation.

It's pretty much is similar. Same same but different...
So it really depends on how lucky one is, to be born in the right city, or the right family.
Cos in the end, it really is similar.
I don't find the local westerners any more open minded than many Singaporeans.

In fact, many Singaporeans are more worldly than most Westerners. Cos we live in a small country so we tend to HAVE to leave the country when we go on vacation.
Whereas many westerners don't even need to leave the country and they end up just travelling around their own country for most of their lives.

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Get Your Free Apple Share

13/9/2021

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This is an affiliate marketing post.

I'd really appreciate if readers would open an account under my referral.

So recently Tiger Brokers dropped me an email to write about them.
I've heard about Tiger Brokers before.
I was discussing new brokerage companies with my remiser and he mentioned that Tiger Brokers is like the new kid in town with some of the lowest fees.

So when Tiger Brokers sent me a note to write about them, I went to have a look at what they are offering.

Not too bad a deal.

Simply put, from now til 30 Sept 2021, if you open an account and deposit S$2,000 in one lump sum, they will give you an Apple share.
As at the time of writing, Apple share is around US$148, which equates to around S$200.

*Please take note, the S$2,000 deposit needs to be done in one lump sum.
As experienced by Mr15HWW, here, he didn't get a welcome bonus when he split up the initial deposit.

So the process is as per the above.
Download the Tiger Trade App and register an account.
Then you'll get the Account Opening rewards when the account is approved, and you'll have to click "collect" to get the rewards.
We're talking about the commission free trades at this point.

Then when you deposit S$2,000 as an initial deposit within the Promo period, which means 30 Sept 2021 in this case, then the free Apple Share will be added to your account in 7 business days.

(According to my correspondence with them, if the deposit is made after 30 Sept 2021, then the customer will get the promo which is available depending on when the deposit is made. It could be something of lower value depending on whatever promo is running during that period. )

However, if you look at the T&C, highlighted below, you "agree" to withdraw the funds only after making 10 trades.
I'm not sure how they are tracking this. ;)
BUT, since "you agree" to make 10 trades, then... well, I suppose it's necessary to make 10 trades.

And since there are 60 commission free trades to use, then there isn't much cost to making these 10 trades for the Apple share.
Potentially, one could make 5 buy & sell trades and incur the bid/ask as small transaction costs to withdraw the Apple share.
If the account holder immediately buys and immediately sells, it's possible to just lose less than a dollar per trade.
So, it's probably still worth it, considering that the Apple share is worth around S$200.

Take note, after claiming the commission free trades, they recommend waiting for at least 10 minutes for the rewards to take effect before making a trade.

Now... of course the next question would be, is Tiger Brokers really worth using on a regular basis...
If we look at it from a cost perspective, Tiger Brokers has some of the lowest rates.
Here's the cost for SG shares.
Cost of trading other exchanges can be found here.

Is Tiger Brokers safe?
Well, I'd say it's safe enough.
Tiger Brokers is listed on the Nasdaq (TIGR), and is licensed by the MAS to operate in Singapore.

Now...
Of course I'm still ERSG.
And y'all know how I work around credit card promos.
Some cards are good for the promos. Some cards are good for regular use.
You'll have to decide what's good for short term promos and what's good for long term use.

So similarly, recently, there has been a bunch of low commission brokerages coming into Singapore.
Always good to take up the promo at the start and try out the services.
Considering S$200 return on S$2,000 deposit is a 10% return. It's pretty worth it.
Better than jumping through hoops for some credit card promos or rebates.

Note that the promo is for the App. I'd strongly encourage following their required steps mentioned above cos based on Mr15HWW's experience, they aren't too flexible with their conditions. So might as well do one time good one to make sure the effort is worth it.

Anyway... here's my referral link.
Thank you in advance if you decide to sign up.
It is much appreciated as an encouragement to my writing.

*The usual disclaimers.
This is a referral post. ERSG get's some form of monetary incentive for full sign up. Meaning I only get something when someone opens an account and deposits S$2,000.
Investment is risky. So know the risks before you do any trading or investments.
This post is not intended to encourage investment into any particular stocks or products.
ERSG will not be held responsible for any losses incurred by anyone during the course of their interaction with Tiger Brokers, examples such as, but not limited to, opening the account or during the course of opening the account or any trading losses, etc.

Thank you.

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How Vulnerable is Singapore?

10/9/2021

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When I was younger, I didn't think much about this. Living in Singapore is normal to me.
Like everyone else living there. Life is just normal.

However, as I've travelled. My perspectives changed a lot.
You see... Singapore is just a city.
It really is very very small for a country.

Look at all the other cities. New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Detroit, Manila, Munich, the list keeps going.
Typically, there are so many cities within a country.
Imagine Singapore as just one of these cities. When the other countries have hundreds if not thousands of other cities that make up a country.

When you take a train out of Tokyo to Osaka... that's to another city within Japan.
When you drive a car 50 kilometers north, from Singapore, you end up in JB.

Houston is around the size of Singapore. The Mayor of Houston is the elected leader for the city...
Imagine... this is someone who has similar responsibilities to the Prime Minister in Singapore.
The Governor of Texas takes care of a State 943x the size of Singapore, with over 900 cities, each with a Mayor. Yes some cities are smaller some are larger.
Let's not even talk about the President of the US.

When a city has a downturn, like Detroit, where manufacturing has decreased, it's pretty much ok for the other cities within Michigan State, hardly affects other States and barely any impact on US as a country.

Compare that to Singapore...
There is only one Singapore. One small city.
No water, no resources, nothing.

One screw up. We're pretty much gone.
If we become irrelevant in the world... That's probably the end of Singapore.
We are in a risky position.

A lot of us don't think much about this. Well cos... life goes on. Daily life just goes on so nothing much to think about.
But when I experienced the sheer size of the places I've been to. Driving hours from one city to the next...
No... I, may think Singapore is pretty great. Cos it is our home.

But, it really is nothing compared to the scale of the rest of the world.

As much as many people don't know that there is a Singapore town in the State of Michigan, I'm not surprised that many people in the world do not know of Singapore as a country.
Are they really ignorant? Or are we just irrelevant to them?
How much do people in Asia know about Ohio State? Or Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in France?
As much as many people don't know much about the cities in these States, Western people also won't know of or hear of a small city country such as Singapore, unless they are from certain industries.
People living in big countries really don't need to care about knowledge about other countries. Cos they already have enough to learn about their own country.

People in France can learn about Paris, then learn more about other cities and States within France, or they learn about their neighbouring countries, like Germany, or Switzerland.
Whereas for Singapore, we learn about Singapore about our own history, then... well... that's it. So it's natural for us to travel a bit to learn about Malaysia, Indonesia, our own neighbouring countries.

The area around Singapore, obviously know about Singapore, cos we are a powerhouse in the area.
But as we go out further, towards Europe, US... less and less people know about us.

So how vulnerable are we?
Damn vulnerable. No other country cares about us. We have no demand, just a mere 6 million people. Hardly worth setting up an office to sell products to the people of Singapore.

We had to "create" our own water. Before we only had reservoirs, but now, we have desalination and NEWater.
We don't have our own food. We still rely a lot on Malaysia and other countries to supply us with food.
We don't have oil. Where are we going to get electricity from? We don't have large empty areas to set up solar panels or wind turbines.

Can you imagine, how or why Singapore was able to get so many vaccines? When other countries like Korea or Japan have such low vaccination rates? I suspect Singapore has lots of connections AND paid a lot of money to obtain the vaccines before other countries.
Can you imagine if we didn't have the money and/or connections? That's what's happening in the poorer countries.

The thing is, I've come to realize that Singapore is very fragile.
And I think... through the years, I have taken it for granted. And I didn't care to contemplate about how fragile it is. And I also think a lot of the younger folk also don't realize the progress that Singapore has gone through.
And I think we were lucky. Singapore started out along with many of our neighbours within an era when many other countries were shaking off their colonial pasts. Most of Asia were on a relatively even playing field.
LKY made the right decision for Singapore to be an international country with English as a common language with lots of foreign investment.

Now, every country is an international country.
If Malaysia gets it's act together, it could easily crush Singapore into irrelevance.

As much as I have a renewed respect and appreciation of what our past leaders did for Singapore... I also feel a sense of concern for our future.
Well... we really have to see what our current and next generation of Singapore can do to push Singapore forward.
It's not going to be easy, and it may even be harder than when we first started.
Cos when we first started, the competition wasn't that strong, the issues Singapore faced were of a different nature.
But now, the competition is fierce. Even IF the elected leaders make the best decisions. We might not be able to out beat the competition.

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