Grand Old Dame of 100 Collecting Cardboards from Toa Payoh Lorong 8 to Potong Pasir

I saw her struggling to push her trolley of cardboards up the ramp at block 113 of Potong Pasir and moved to help her. In a jiff, she was rummaging through the dustbin behind the pillar in the void deck.

I squatted next to her as she was about to empty the contents of a paper box. I asked why she was collecting cardboxes. Her reply was that she needed to support herself. She lives alone in Punggol but collects cardboxes and old clothes from Lorong 8 Toa Payoh to Potong Pasir every day from morning 6am to night 9pm. When I asked her for her age, I could not believe her answer. She is 99 and turning 100 next April. She is undoubtedly the oldest collector of carboards in Singapore.

Her eyesight and hearing are still good but her body is permanently arched as a result of constantly bending down to collect cardboards. She has been doing this for many, many years. Her 3 children have left her and are no longer in touch with her. She has a grandson, abandoned by his parents and cared by her since young, who is in national service.

She makes about $20 a day, and sells about 150 kg of cardboards for a meagre $9. She is not receiving any financial help from the government as she finds it troublesome. She shares a one-room flat with a flatmate and pays her half share of the monthly rent which works out to about $200.

I shuddered at the thought that someone who is almost 100 years old, has to be collecting cardboards for a living and has not received any public assistance. My heart sank at the sight of her wrinkled hands and rugged fingers.

I asked for her permission to wheel her trolley around to get a feel of the weight of her trolley which was fully laden. When I pushed it back to her and asked where she will be wheeling it to, her answer startled me. She was going to wheel it to Lorong 8 in Toa Payoh and said that it will take her half an hour to do so.

Life has been really harsh to this grand old dame but she displays a resilience that puts everyone to shame. When she turns 100 in April, let's celebrate with her. Granny Chung Siew Ching. Meanwhile, if you get to see her around Lorong 8 Toa Payoh and Potong Pasir, do buy her drink and food. Thank you.

10 Reasons Why I Should Not Be Asked Not To Contest In Potong Pasir SMC

There are voices in the social media calling on DPP and me to give way to Mrs. Lina Chiam to have a straight fight with Mr. Sitoh Yih Ping in the coming elections. Now that DPP has agreed to withdraw from its contest, I can only anticipate that these dissenting voices will get louder as I am considered the only intervening party standing in the way. 

I have heard all the dissenting voices and their reasons and emotional outbursts. I have also heard the voices of many, many more who ask me to come to Potong Pasir to give them a chance to vote for me. For those who are against me contesting, please allow me to respectfully give you 10 reasons why I should not be asked to step away from contesting in Potong Pasir SMC: 

1. If the idea behind avoiding "multi-corner fights" is intended to show that unity to topple the ruling party at all costs, I am afraid I do not subscribe to the idea of toppling the government and opposing for the sake of opposing. This is not a debate but politics that concern our people and the nation. Although the ruling party is imperfect and has many areas where they fall short, there are still ways for us to help them improve and become better in taking care of our people's needs. What we need is to increase the number of good parliamentarians, regardless of party affiliation, to work together to ensure better governance. Maybe, there will be a coalition government one day but for now we have to act rationally, responsibly and reasonably so as not to compromise our nation's progress, stability and security. 

2. If we are fighting for a level playing field for politics, the landscape that I observe on my side is itself not level. There is no "opposition unity" to speak of and some parties are apparently more equal than others. Political parties ride roughshod over independent candidates and only those contesting against the ruling party under a party banner are invited to discussions on the GE. 

3. If we feel it is wrong for the ruling party to demand that an individual must enter the political arena to comment regularly on politics, why should it be right to deny an individual who decides not to join any political party, his rightful place to participate in the political arena as an independent candidate? 

4. I am a lawful citizen of this country. Besides my freedom of speech and other rights, I have the right to vote, be voted for as a candidate in an election and to choose where to stand. Is it democratic to infringe upon my right to stand as a candidate in my chosen constituency in the coming elections? 

5. If we are pressing for greater democracy, why do we continue to engage in the undemocratic act of horse-trading discussions to deter other parties from presenting their candidates for election which practically deprives the electorate of a real choice like what happens in our presidential elections? Are the political parties acting in the interest of the electorate in doing so? 

6. If we believe in greater democracy, why do we engage in the unsavoury practice of giving priority to a political party or candidate by virtue of their earlier participation. Carried to its logical conclusion, where does that leave future parties or candidates to stand for election if all the wards are "choped" (using colloquial parlance) like "choping" seats in a hawker centre by those who came earlier? 

7. It takes a lot of courage for one to become an independent candidate. It is easy to become an arm-chair critic and make snide remarks. But how many of our keyboard warriors have the courage to walk the talk and to make a difference that really matters? I do not have the luxury of hiding behind the facade of a party. Why is my courage to stand as an independent candidate not celebrated and encouraged but frowned upon instead?

8. I have walked the ground and spoken to many residents at random. There are residents who regret that their ward has been lost to the ruling party after 27 long years. There are also those who expressed that Mrs Lina Chiam may not get any more sympathy votes this time round and it pains them to see old and frail Mr. Chiam struggling in her walkabouts. When I hear all these feelings, am I supposed to simply ignore them and pretend that I did not hear them? With these feedback, my assessment is that if I do not contest in Potong Pasir SMC in the coming elections, it will continue to remain a ruling party ward. So, why should I not step in to offer my candidacy if it will help to win back Potong Pasir SMC? 

9. I have been doing voluntary work for a long, long time. Voluntary work finally led me into politics and I do each of my walkabouts and house visits diligently. I put in my utmost sincerity in whatever I do for people and they feel for me as much as I feel for them. I stand on my own two feet with strong backing from my team of dedicated supporters who give of their time and resources. I expect no sympathy votes and do not wish to win on hate votes against anyone. I would like people to vote for me because they believe in me and trust me, Why should I not run in Potong Pasir SMC when I firmly believe that I could do a better job than anyone else? 

10. There are potential candidates out there with strong credentials who do not wish to join any of the existing parties. As an independent candidate, it is my dream to make a breakthrough to encourage those people with talent to step forward and not be afraid to stand as independent candidates to fulfil their hidden desires to serve our people. I believe Potong Pair SMC, more than any others, is ready to help me make this dream come true. If I succeed, imagine what it will do for Singapore politics. Even if I do not, at least I dared to live my dream to do what I thought was best for the people I care for. Wouldn't you teach your children to do the same thing? 

If you are interested to understand more about my political ideology, which I term as "Peolitics", you may wish to visit my page.

The Accidental Actor - For the love of Mandarin

The story behind how I ended up with acting as a hobby began with my search to improve my Mandarin. I came from an English school. In the early 90's when Singaporeans were beginning to explore business opportunities in China, a client requested me to travel with him to Guangzhou to negotiate a property deal. This was my second trip to China, my first being a study tour of a few major cities to understand the Chinese legal system.

My Mandarin proficiency in those days was below average and this second visit to China was like a Mandarin language immersion programme. Every document that I had to read and explain to my client was written in Mandarin. After the trip, I felt a strong need to improve my Mandarin, especially since my social circle has come to include more and more Mandarin speaking friends. I forced myself to read more Chinese texts and joined a Mandarin toastmasters' club. But I needed to upgrade myself further. I was looking for another learning pathway when I saw a television commercial that led me onto an unusual way of raising my Mandarin proficiency.

Mediacorp was conducting a drama class for those in the middle age group and I thought this might train me in good diction. Surprisingly, I graduated from the course with high grades. Soon acting assignments from Channel 8 came pouring in. Reading the scripts for Chinese dramas helped me improve my Mandarin and it was this desire to keep improving my Mandarin that I accepted the acting assignments. Eventually, acting became a hobby and I took up assignments from Channel 5, movie producers and production houses as well.

Acting gave me an insight into the working  lives of artistes and an understanding of how the entertainment industry works. I saw good and bad acting, professionalism and unprofessionalism and what it takes to produce a television drama and movie. The challenges that an actor or actress face cannot be described in mere words. You need to be on the set, face the entire filming crew and the constraints of time to understand the pressures of acting. And of course there is the anticipation of how viewers will respond to your performance.

I have always encouraged those who wish to have a taste of acting to go for the experience. It is not something that money can buy unless of course you are rich enough to produce a drama or movie yourself. Acting brought me a new dimension. So if you think you like to try, take the opportunity when it comes.