Happy New Year!

Wed, 2 Jan 2013
3 min read
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Mincemeat tart (with dinosaur motif)
(image via)

Happy New Year everyone!

I didn’t post anything on Mon so you’ll get two posts today! Yes! All 25 of you, my regular readers.

Why?

I had a secret pre-New Year’s resolution (pre-New Year because I made it, like, at the start of Dec, I think): to post an entry each day so that I hone my craft by sharpening the saw.

(Except for weekends and public holidays, of course – I’m pro-work-life balance like that.)

However, I missed Mon’s deadline as I was busy making a set of Cards Against Humanity for a New Year’s Eve party.

(It’s really fun; I played it last Fri at a party and I was all, like: WHERE DO I GET A SET OF MY OWN?

It’s sold out, though, so I had to download a PDF file of the game, buy the card stock, print it out at a printer and cut the cards manually (couldn’t be arsed to use a huge-ass cutter).

It took me the better half of a day – “the perks of being self-employed”, according to Prem Vadiveloo, my new Chindian friend – but I certainly had fun playing the game on New Year’s Eve with my friends.)

New Year’s Eve aside, I want to be introspective and all because it was a briefly popular trend on New Year’s Eve, and you know how good I am at quickly adapting to new technologies.

So where do I start? I’ve to go back about five years, actually.

When I look back to when the previous phase of my life began, I’d say that:

  • 2008 was a year of success for me. I never had so many achievements in life come my way at one go, and I really felt blessed that year.

  • 2009 was a year of tumultuousness, and the year in which the decline began.

  • 2010 was a year of decay. I didn’t know where I was going; I just knew I was going downhill.

  • 2011 was a year of stagnation. I don’t think I progressed very much – I can hardly remember the happy moments of that year.

But 2012 was a year of realisation, renewal and a return to a state of normalcy and happiness.

I quit my job; I embarked on a new career.

I lost weight; I started living healthier again.

I stopped beating myself up; I started believing in myself again.

I reconnected with family and many old friends; I even made a new Chindian friend!

Sadly, I let go of a girl I should’ve stuck with – but I guess that paved the way for many interesting dates.

Most importantly, I’ve found most of the old me once more – and so far, it seems that this is what matters the most for now, in the grand scheme of things.

So on that note, I want to bid goodbye to 2012 in obituary form, because it deserves it.

In Memory of 2012

(1 Jan – 31 Dec 2012)

Thank you, 2012, for all that transpired.

You weren’t particularly brilliant, but you were necessary for me to move on with life.

So this ain’t a fond farewell, but neither is it a good riddance.

Here’s looking to an awesome 2013.

P.S. This is a longer-than-usual post, but it still counts for one post. Stay tuned for the other post and don’t worry – I won’t cheat you of the money you didn’t pay for reading this premium content!

Three Ps to solve problem of weekend caregivers

Sat, 29 Dec 2012
2 min read
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Dear Madam/Sir,

I refer to the letter “Rest day exception for caregiver domestic workers?” (Dec 20).

All employees – domestic workers or otherwise – deserve a weekly day off (or more) to recharge and recuperate.

However, this creates a conundrum: when caregiving domestic workers are given a day off, no one else will tend to their care-receiving charges, such as wheelchair users or frail seniors.

Instead of doggedly demanding that caregiving domestic workers carry on working on their off days, let’s tackle this problem creatively.

I propose a solution with these three Ps:

  1. Part-time employment.
    A job market is created for part-time skilled caregivers who are willing and able to tend to care-receivers on weekends – so long as the remuneration is commensurate with market wages.

    So as not to penalise families with the increased financial burden, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Social and Family Development can look into increasing the size and the scope of the monthly Foreign Domestic Worker Grant to cover this additional cost.

    Alternatively, affected families can be allowed to claim a Caregivers’ Relief.

    2.  

  2. Peer support.
    If there is a shortage of skilled care-givers, the Council for the Third Age can facilitate the provision of caregiver training to retirees.

    This allows actively aging seniors to be involved in taking care of their lesser-abled peers.

    3.  

  3. Pop-up weekend daycare centres for care-receivers.
    Temporary centralised facilities are set up in convenient locales around Singapore on weekends.

    Economies of scale will allow, say, three part-time caregivers to tend to about eight care-receivers. This also allows families to pay a lower caregiving fee since more families share the cost of paying for caregivers’ wages.

    The facilities can be located in void decks, for example, and be removed at the end of the day so that the spaces can be utilised for other purposes on weekdays.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Laremy LEE (Mr)

(Published as “Three-part solution for weekend caregiver issue” on 29 Dec 2012 in TODAY.)

Not say I want to say: “society”

Fri, 28 Dec 2012
2 min read
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Welcome to the first edition of “Not Say I Want To Say”!

Today’s “Not Say I Want To Say” word is “society”.

Example from a news report:

The status of women in the society is low and the public attitude of men towards women is not healthy.

 

From “Violence rampant in North East: Rights body”, my emphasis.

How has “society” been misused here?
The speaker is referring to “society” in terms of a community or a collective group of people living together for a particular purpose – in the case above, people living in the North-east in India.

Unless the speaker is using “society” as a proper noun e.g. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals – i.e. an actual club, association or body – s/he should not have included the definite article “the”.

How do we use “society” correctly?
Ask yourself: is a definite article (i.e. “a” or “the”) necessary for the purpose I intend?

E.g.

When referring to the companionship of a particular group:

  • I enjoy the society of women. (Correct)
  • I enjoy society of women. (Wrong)

 
When referring to an actual club, association or body:

 
When referring to a community or a collective group of people living together for a particular purpose (in the example below, Malaysians in Malaysia):

 
Efficiency of non-standard use: Low; can lead to confusion.

Potential for adoption: DO NOT adopt – unless you want the society to crumble and die. (See what I mean?)

Have a good weekend and see you back here on Monday!