Finally, the parents are back. Mom got up this morning without much of an appetite. Largely because of the jet lag from the 12-hour flight. 12 hours of travelling must be pretty brutal i imagine. Dad was good to go for breakfast though, typically him. The best loot they brought back was definitely those from DFS. I like the absolut vodka apple they bought me. That's one more bottle to the collection. Nice. Havn't had a chance to carefully look through the photos they took all over Europe, but from their stories I gather they had a great time. One thing's for sure, they seem really glad that Singapore's home. Lower crime rates, lower income tax, lower cost of public transportation, lower cost of food, lower cost of necessities - indeed, there's no place like home.
Think about it. Singapore has one of the lowest income tax in the world. Our corruption rates are one of the lowest worldwide. Our crime rates are one of the lowest in the world. We are rated one of the most business-conducive cities in the world. We have one of the highest standard of living in the world. We have one of the best education systems in the world. We have one of the best healthcare system in the world. We have one of the most comprehensive public transportation network in the world. Our average life span is one of the highest in the world. Our international airport use to be second to none. Internet penetration rates are high. We've got a strong currency and stable economy. If the government didn't get a few things right, i don't know who did.
I personally find Singaporeans overly critical of our government. Our representation in parliament may be somewhat askew, but looking at how well we're performing on all fronts, it's really nothing to fuss over. Everyone's complaining about the government and most are simply opposing for the sake of opposing. I mean people overseas are looking up to us, aspiring to be like us. But here we are dissatisfied, calling for "change". If our government were really that bad, the previous paragraph would've been way shorter for the lack of thing to brag about. Surely, our government has to be getting quite a number of things right for us to be where we are today - a small but globally recognized and respected state.
There are of course some things that I wish were tweaked for the better. But so does everyone else around the world. We can't have everything, it's basic social contract. You lose some, you gain some. In our case, I dare say we gain more than what we give. Singaporeans have much to learn when it comes to contentment.
3:31 AM