Are you happy?!?
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singapore ranks low on the 'happy' index among asian nations. how can we be happy when innocent humour is seen as a politcial challenge........
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Singaporeans the least happy people in Asia
Jul 13, 2006
The Straits Times
LONDON - OF ALL the countries in the Asean region, Vietnam has the most to smile about and Singapore the least, according to a list of the happiest countries on the planet.
A new study published yesterday ranked the small South-east Asian country as 12th on a list of 178 nations, beating big-economy behemoths such as Britain and the United States in a survey that measured people's well-being and their impact on the environment.
Singapore, on the other hand, fared the worst of all the Asean and Asian nations ranked, coming in at 131st.
Compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF), the Happy Planet Index painted a different order of world wealth.
Abandoning what it termed 'crude ratings' of countries according to economic indicators like gross domestic product, the NEF intended the new index to strip life back to the basics - measuring life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental impact.
Island nations did well in the rankings, with the tiny South Pacific nation of Vanuatu topping the list. 'People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little,' said Mr Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
Industrial countries, perhaps unsurprisingly, fared badly on the index - Britain came in at 108th while the US ranked 150th. Most of the bottom 10 countries were African nations, with Zimbabwe coming in last.
'The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policymakers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world,' said NEF's policy director Andrew Simms. -- AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS -
We hve to work more than 12 hours a day to make a living including my doctor son who earn $3k per month.Originally posted by countdracula:singapore ranks low on the 'happy' index among asian nations. how can we be happy when innocent humour is seen as a politcial challenge........
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Singaporeans the least happy people in Asia
Jul 13, 2006
The Straits Times
LONDON - OF ALL the countries in the Asean region, Vietnam has the most to smile about and Singapore the least, according to a list of the happiest countries on the planet.
A new study published yesterday ranked the small South-east Asian country as 12th on a list of 178 nations, beating big-economy behemoths such as Britain and the United States in a survey that measured people's well-being and their impact on the environment.
Singapore, on the other hand, fared the worst of all the Asean and Asian nations ranked, coming in at 131st.
Compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF), the Happy Planet Index painted a different order of world wealth.
Abandoning what it termed 'crude ratings' of countries according to economic indicators like gross domestic product, the NEF intended the new index to strip life back to the basics - measuring life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental impact.
Island nations did well in the rankings, with the tiny South Pacific nation of Vanuatu topping the list. 'People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little,' said Mr Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
Industrial countries, perhaps unsurprisingly, fared badly on the index - Britain came in at 108th while the US ranked 150th. Most of the bottom 10 countries were African nations, with Zimbabwe coming in last.
'The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policymakers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world,' said NEF's policy director Andrew Simms. -- AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS
My grandpa and grandma at the age of 73 working in McDonald to keep them indepentance on their ownselves and not cause or add pressure to our family financial strain.
How to be happy leh with such a big burden on us!!!
Once we open our house door to work, we hve to bear ERP and car park charges etc amounting to at least S$20 excluding food etc.We need at least $5k to keep afloat in S'pore climate.
Nevertheless,fortunatly for us, we wil leave S'pore after 6 yrs after my son had served his bond with the S'pore gov. -
happy? ya happy. why? not in sg
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did they survey the top 10% of the population?
the results will be very different!!!
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hav been 'tightening my belt' for many yrs liao
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if they did the result will be the same. do you think they're happy if they can't even laugh at satire?Originally posted by dragg:did they survey the top 10% of the population?
the results will be very different!!! -
Originally posted by countdracula:singapore ranks low on the 'happy' index among asian nations. how can we be happy when innocent humour is seen as a politcial challenge........
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Singaporeans the least happy people in Asia
Jul 13, 2006
The Straits Times
LONDON - OF ALL the countries in the Asean region, Vietnam has the most to smile about and Singapore the least, according to a list of the happiest countries on the planet.
A new study published yesterday ranked the small South-east Asian country as 12th on a list of 178 nations, beating big-economy behemoths such as Britain and the United States in a survey that measured people's well-being and their impact on the environment.
Singapore, on the other hand, fared the worst of all the Asean and Asian nations ranked, coming in at 131st.
Compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF), the Happy Planet Index painted a different order of world wealth.
Abandoning what it termed 'crude ratings' of countries according to economic indicators like gross domestic product, the NEF intended the new index to strip life back to the basics - measuring life satisfaction, life expectancy and environmental impact.
Island nations did well in the rankings, with the tiny South Pacific nation of Vanuatu topping the list. 'People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little,' said Mr Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the republic's online newspaper.
Industrial countries, perhaps unsurprisingly, fared badly on the index - Britain came in at 108th while the US ranked 150th. Most of the bottom 10 countries were African nations, with Zimbabwe coming in last.
'The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policymakers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world,' said NEF's policy director Andrew Simms. -- AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS -
Migrating to another country?Originally posted by zzzdidi:We hve to work more than 12 hours a day to make a living including my doctor son who earn $3k per month.
My grandpa and grandma at the age of 73 working in McDonald to keep them indepentance on their ownselves and not cause or add pressure to our family financial strain.
How to be happy leh with such a big burden on us!!!
Once we open our house door to work, we hve to bear ERP and car park charges etc amounting to at least S$20 excluding food etc.We need at least $5k to keep afloat in S'pore climate.
Nevertheless,fortunatly for us, we wil leave S'pore after 6 yrs after my son had served his bond with the S'pore gov. -
a very obvious finding:
"The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policymakers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world."
however, the people in power will never admit it.. because in admission, they would lose their hold on power... and the very reason for their existence would disappear...
we can allow the things around us to be tools to advance our own humanity, and increase our happiness by our using them,
OR
we can allow the things around us to become our masters, we effectively become slaves to material "wealth", thereby decreasing our happiness...
and why is singapore "unhappy" ?
we have allowed people to become secondary to the pursuit of economic "wealth" ... herein, our gabrament has surrendered the collective humanity of our nation in the mad, relentless and pathological pursuit of monetary profit.. damn the people, damn humanity, damn everything, so long as we have a nice figure in the bank account and have things around us...
oh.. we can be happy
i'm happy.. almost chronically happy... because i've not allowed material things to become my master...
there is a very simple example... i drive a cheapo car.. it's pretty new, only about a year old.. while in a traffic jam, when i was stationary, a motorcyclist skidded, lost control of his bike and hit my car..
the people who were less happy immediately asked me: "what happened to your car? was it damaged? "
the people who are happy immediately asked me: "were you injured? was the motorcyclist hurt? "
think about it
even the motorcyclist... he was more concerned that my car was all right than the gravel rash he had... i wanted to make sure he was all right and wanted to bring him to the hospital but he warbled on about the car...
have the majority of us bought into the lie of "pursuit of economic wealth = pursuit of happiness" ?
i've never bought into that...
have you? -
i will be happy when i dun have to work for money and spend my days by the beach and go diving when i feel like it
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Me too!!!Originally posted by neutral_onliner:hav been 'tightening my belt' for many yrs liao 
I have been tightening my belt since 1999. Farking pap -
I guess most don't even know that even though they are unhappy, they have the power to make themselves happy. -
I am 50 years old now,my son is a trainee doc,my 2nd son is in JC and my last daughter is in Sec 1.Originally posted by the Bear:a very obvious finding:
"The order of nations that emerges may seem counter-intuitive. But this is because policymakers have been led astray by abstract mathematical models of the economy that bear little relation to the real world."
however, the people in power will never admit it.. because in admission, they would lose their hold on power... and the very reason for their existence would disappear...
we can allow the things around us to be tools to advance our own humanity, and increase our happiness by our using them,
OR
we can allow the things around us to become our masters, we effectively become slaves to material "wealth", thereby decreasing our happiness...
and why is singapore "unhappy" ?
we have allowed people to become secondary to the pursuit of economic "wealth" ... herein, our gabrament has surrendered the collective humanity of our nation in the mad, relentless and pathological pursuit of monetary profit.. damn the people, damn humanity, damn everything, so long as we have a nice figure in the bank account and have things around us...
oh.. we can be happy
i'm happy.. almost chronically happy... because i've not allowed material things to become my master...
there is a very simple example... i drive a cheapo car.. it's pretty new, only about a year old.. while in a traffic jam, when i was stationary, a motorcyclist skidded, lost control of his bike and hit my car..
the people who were less happy immediately asked me: "what happened to your car? was it damaged? "
the people who are happy immediately asked me: "were you injured? was the motorcyclist hurt? "
think about it
even the motorcyclist... he was more concerned that my car was all right than the gravel rash he had... i wanted to make sure he was all right and wanted to bring him to the hospital but he warbled on about the car...
have the majority of us bought into the lie of "pursuit of economic wealth = pursuit of happiness" ?
i've never bought into that...
have you?
My school fee in NUS is S$2500 in 1980 p.a and now is S$8000p.a but my salary is only S$1500 now as compare with S$8000 I drawn in 1996.
The recent graduate is earning about S$1,500 same as i earened in 1983/84 but their expenses are 3 times higher as compare with in the year of 1980.
In order to bring up this family,my dad n mom hve to work, my wife and me hve also need to work including my eldest son. we see each others only after 11pm daily. We cant stop work orelse we will die due to the high cost of living here.
You may be retire now and earned eough $ but the average s'poreeans cant even make ends meet. but we consider ourselves are lucky just to survive only!!!
Are u happy when u r hungry ??? -
what are your other expenses?
btw, have you seen some of the folk in the Garbage Mountains?
if they, with moldering piles of garbage for a neighbourhood, picking up scraps to sell for a living, living a tin hut made from refuse and bits scrabbled together, can manage smiles, laughter, hope and happiness... why can't we?
if they, living in a place where hunger is the only thing they know, grime is the only condition they experienced, poverty is the only world they have seen, dare to find happiness, and manage a smile, we cannot?
think about it...
i think about my condition in life and am glad every day...
your children will be educated.. you have clean place to live in... you will NOT starve to death...
go out and find your own happiness!Originally posted by zzzdidi:I am 50 years old now,my son is a trainee doc,my 2nd son is in JC and my last daughter is in Sec 1.
My school fee in NUS is S$2500 in 1980 p.a and now is S$8000p.a but my salary is only S$1500 now as compare with S$8000 I drawn in 1996.
The recent graduate is earning about S$1,500 same as i earened in 1983/84 but their expenses are 3 times higher as compare with in the year of 1980.
In order to bring up this family,my dad n mom hve to work, my wife and me hve also need to work including my eldest son. we see each others only after 11pm daily. We cant stop work orelse we will die due to the high cost of living here.
You may be retire now and earned eough $ but the average s'poreeans cant even make ends meet. but we consider ourselves are lucky just to survive only!!!
Are u happy when u r hungry ??? -
Yes , humanity .
Appreciate the life and the real people and look at their faces and smiles.
Television and Movies does not teach us Humanity. -
I think it is quite a waste of virtual-breath posting anything in here, as there are too many pro-PAP individuals in and about these forums.
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and also, too many rabid anti-PAP people around too
always degenerates into a mess
btw, give credit where it is due.. and vilification where it is due too -
How u define happiness?Originally posted by the Bear:what are your other expenses?
btw, have you seen some of the folk in the Garbage Mountains?
if they, with moldering piles of garbage for a neighbourhood, picking up scraps to sell for a living, living a tin hut made from refuse and bits scrabbled together, can manage smiles, laughter, hope and happiness... why can't we?
if they, living in a place where hunger is the only thing they know, grime is the only condition they experienced, poverty is the only world they have seen, dare to find happiness, and manage a smile, we cannot?
think about it...
i think about my condition in life and am glad every day...
your children will be educated.. you have clean place to live in... you will NOT starve to death...
go out and find your own happiness!
I think we must hve the necessity things as average people hve in the first world country to make us happy. orelse,we are not compare apple with apple.
We do not hve a happy retirement but to work till we drop,are we happy then?
YOU MUST NOT LIVE IN AN IVORY TOWER AND DRAW A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY'S SITUATIONA TO MAKE A COMPARISION . -
That's precisely put.Originally posted by zzzdidi:How u define happiness?
I think we must hve the necessity things as average people hve in the first world country to make us happy. orelse,we are not compare apple with apple.
We do not hve a happy retirement but to work till we drop,are we happy then?
YOU MUST NOT LIVE IN AN IVORY TOWER AND DRAW A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY'S SITUATIONA TO MAKE A COMPARISION .
How to be happy, when they say one thing, but does things another way?
Here are articles from SDP's website:
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Wrong crystal ball 17 Feb 06
The Rhetoric
"Ours should be a future of opportunity and promise. We should have a prospering economy, creating good jobs for all."
- PM Lee Hsien Loong, National Day Rally 2004
The Reality
"Nearly 300,000 Singaporean workers earn $1,200 or less in gross monthly income. Half of them, or one in 10 workers, earn even less - $900. They are the group most vulnerable to retrenchments and fallout from economic restructuring. Many already struggle to make ends meet and have little or nothing for their medical and retirement needs."
- Straits Times, July 1, 2005
Please make up your mind: Are we digits or not? 20 Jan 06
The Rhetoric
“We must remember that workers are not simply factors of production or economic digits."
- ex-DPM Tony Tan, Straits Times, Aug 4 2003
The Reality
"At the end of the day, we are so many digits in the machine. The point is – are these digits stronger than the competitors' digits?"
- MM Lee Kuan Yew on Singapore workers, History of Singapore, 2005
Your CPF is *ahem* sound 27 Dec 05
The Rhetoric
"Our CPF system based on individual savings is sound. The CPF will provide a basic retirement pension for most Singaporeans."
- PM Lee Hsien Loong, May 1, 2005
The Reality
"As of last year, only about 40 per cent of active CPF members who turned 55 meet the CPF minimum sum of $84,500. Of these, slightly more than half had set aside no more than $40,000 and had to pledge their properties to make up for the shortfall. The CPF Board estimates that 10 economically active persons are supporting one elderly person. By 2030, only 3.5 persons will be supporting one elderly person."
- Straits Times, Dec 18, 2004
Economy growing? 11 Dec 05
The Rhetoric
"We are growing our economy, creating more jobs, and providing Singaporeans the skills and opportunities to look after themselves and their families."
- PM Lee Hsien Loong, May 1, 2005
The Reality
"...the spiraling numbers of applications for the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund to help needy children. The number needing help tripled from 3,735 in 2001 to 10,419 in 2003. According to CDC figures, those needing financial aid swelled from 14,300 to 22,500 in 2002, and 31,570 in 2003."
- Straits Times, Jan 29, 2005
Land of opportunity for whom? 8 Nov 05
The Rhetoric
"We want to make sure that all Singaporeans benefit from our success. As we forged ahead, nobody should be left behind...This will be a land of opportunity for all."
- PM Lee Hsien Loong, Straits Times, Feb 19, 2005
The Reality
"Monthly incomes for households in the bottom 20 per cent fell 3.2 per cent a year, from $933 in 1998 to $795 in 2003."
- Straits Times citing the household expenditure survey, Jun 18, 2005
"Seven in 10 polled were not aware of any financial assistance schemes, although more than half of them said they had faced financial hardship in the past year. Almost 16 per cent of the respondents, all living in one and two-room flats, had family members who often went hungry."
- Straits Times citing a poverty survey conducted by Social Development Feedback Group, Jan 29, 2005
Backtracking over Taiwan and South Korea 17 Oct 05
The Rhetoric
“If in 10 years, Philippines, Taiwan and South Korea were better societies because they adopted the US model (of democracy), Singapore would hurry to catch."
- PM Goh Chok Tong, National Day Rally, 1995
The Reality
"Singapore is an improbable nation and therefore cannot be compared to such places as South Korea and TaiwanÂ…I think in 20 years our society will change. But I do not see a Western model...as the target we want to aim for."
- PM Lee Hsien Loong's speech at the Foreign Correspondents Association, Oct 6 2005
Which hospital is that again, Mr Lee? 27 Sep 2005
The Rhetoric
"We run a (healthcare) system where you have to co-pay...but you get the attention…In Singapore, within half-an-hour, you would be in SGH (Singapore General Hospital), TTSH (Tan Tock Seng Hospital)...and within one-and-a-half to two hours flat, you'd know what went wrong.”
- MM Lee Kuan Yew on the state of Singapore hospitals after his wife was flown home from London after suffering a stroke there, Today, Nov 3, 2003
The Reality
My dad was sent to the A&E department three times in two months because of stroke and, each time, my family had to wait at least six hours before he was pushed to a wardÂ…When my dad finally got to the ward, it was past 2am. And we had arrived at the A&E department about 7pm; it took more than six hours before my dad was seen by a neurologist. If my dad had been taken to the ward earlier and been treated by a neurologist, his chances of living might be higherÂ…The neurologist told us that my dad had the worst kind of stroke anyone could get. Sadly, he was pronounced brain dead the next day.
- Ms Tan Tze Yee, author of the above letter, Straits Times Forum, Aug 18, 2005
Recently, my father, who is in his late 70s and has multiple illnesses and end-stage renal failure, had to wait seven hours for a bed at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH). We were told that as no bed was available, he would be placed in the observation ward first. This had happened many times before and we were prepared to wait for one to two hours for a bed for himÂ…However, it was not until seven hours later that he was wheeled into the ward. During this time, no doctor came to see him.
- Ms Rodziah Shaari, author of the above letter, Straits Times Forum, Aug 13, 2005
The future is ours (the PAP's) to make 19 Aug 2005
The Rhetoric
"Our prospects are brighter than before. Our economy is growing strongly again. The future is ours to make."
- PM Lee Hsien Loong, Inauguration Speech, Aug 12, 2004
The Reality
"4,190 people were made bankrupt in the first 11 months of last year - the highest in 19 years."
- Straits Times, Jan 15, 2005
"More and more Singaporeans are working past the age of 65 as they lack retirement funds. As of June last year, 35,727 Singaporeans aged 65 and over were still employed, up from 22,699 a decade ago (1993), according to MOM statistics. The majority, or 35.7 per cent, worked as cleaners and in other related menial jobs. This means their incomes will fade with their strengths."
- Straits Times, Dec 18, 2004
All the spinning is giving us a headache 10 Aug 2005
The Rhetoric
"Job prospects look rosy for Singapore"
"Outlook for job creation is good"
"Job market at its best in three years"
"Brighter prospects in job market"
- Straits Times headlines in the months of Aug, Sept and Oct 2004 (NB. PM Lee Hsien Loong was inaugurated on Aug 12).
The Reality
"Job creation has dipped. Between January and March, 16,900 jobs were added - around half the 32,700 jobs gains in the last quarter.”
- Straits Times, June 16, 2005
Pay us top dollar: Goh 2 Aug 2005
The Rhetoric
"The price of good government is $34 million a year - or the cost of five plates of char kway teow per citizen. Has the performance of my Government justified its wage? Has my Government given you safe homes, stable jobs and fuel to dream of all the tomorrows?"
- (Then) PM Goh Chok Tong urging Singaporeans to accept pay increases for Ministers and political office holders, July 1, 2000
The Reality
"Unemployment rate among the working population living in HDB flats had increased from 4.9 per cent in 1998 to 7.8 per cent in 2003."
- Straits Times citing a HDB survey, Jun 21, 2005
"More and more Singaporeans are working past the age of 65 as they lack retirement funds. A survey of 1,140 people aged 40 to 59 years showed only one in three felt they had enough to retire on. Another one in three planned to downgrade to a smaller home to make up for their shortfall in retirement funds. Frighteningly, almost four in 10 said they were counting on luck, in the form of a Toto or 4D windfall, to bankroll their retirement."
- Straits Times, Dec 18 2004
Best quality of life...for whom? 26 Jun 2005
The Rhetoric
Singapore offers best quality of life in Asia for expatriates.
- Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, March 2002
The Reality
Two thousand Singaporean families are so poor they cannot afford to send their children to school.
- Reuters, March 2002 -
Maybe they did the survey on the wrong group of people.
Those anti-government ones.
Cheers.
C.K -
We are not anti-gov in actual fact my son has a bond with the gov for six yearsOriginally posted by CKeer:Maybe they did the survey on the wrong group of people.
Those anti-government ones.
Cheers.
C.K
which saved us S$500k for his study in NUS Med.
The issue here are we happy in such a climate in S'pore where cost of living is so high and we hve to work like crazy just to make ends meet,how can we be happy ??? We are lucky for we hve work to do in order just to survive!!!!How about those umemployed citizens who hve to sleep in the dark and worried about the next meals.
poor S'pore!!! -
You mean poor Singaporeans?Originally posted by zzzdidi:We are not anti-gov in actual fact my son has a bond with the gov for six years
which saved us S$500k for his study in NUS Med.
The issue here are we happy in such a climate in S'pore where cost of living is so high and we hve to work like crazy just to make ends meet,how can we be happy ??? We are lucky for we hve work to do in order just to survive!!!!How about those umemployed citizens who hve to sleep in the dark and worried about the next meals.
poor S'pore!!! -
S'poreans are unhappy how the country S'pore claimed it is great!!! but poor lohOriginally posted by Devil1976:You mean poor Singaporeans? -
sigh...Originally posted by zzzdidi:S'poreans are unhappy how the country S'pore claimed it is great!!! but poor loh
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what are necessary things?
today, at breakfast, one of the lady colleagues said that her condo, car and a whole lot of other things are "necessities"
to me, if i have a roof over my head, something simple and yummy for meals, friends to chat with, i'm happy..
do i live in an ivory tower?
or do i just have simple needs?Originally posted by zzzdidi:How u define happiness?
I think we must hve the necessity things as average people hve in the first world country to make us happy. orelse,we are not compare apple with apple.
We do not hve a happy retirement but to work till we drop,are we happy then?
YOU MUST NOT LIVE IN AN IVORY TOWER AND DRAW A THIRD WORLD COUNTRY'S SITUATIONA TO MAKE A COMPARISION .