Society's best kept Secrets

On insurance

2009-11-28T00:26:00.000-08:00

I cannot stress how important insurance is.

Had a friend coming to me the other day telling me that his company sells the best Whole of Life (WOL) insurance product. For your information there are others such as Investment Linked Policies (ILP), Term Plan, Savings Plan etc.

That said, there are no "best", so to speak, products. Products change all the time and the pay-out values you signed for will eventually be outdated. Just make sure to update your insurance plan regularly with your insurance agent.

Simple one on how much is enough

Minimum $300,000 on critical illness. A dead person does not burden his family as much.

Rationale: $100,000 to settle immediate medical bills and short-term subsistence. Remaining $200,000 into investments.

Explaining the $200,000:

At a conservative 3% annual interest on your investment, you get $500.00 monthly for lifetime. Most definitely sufficient for subsistence. Furthermore, between investing $10,000 and $200,000, don't you think you are in a better position to ask for discounts on your investments?

Lastly, the above is for singles like me. A breadwinner's problems has different dimensions. Prioritize accordingly and determine what you need based on simple calculations. You do not need an insurance agent to do that.

I repeat, minimum $300,000 on critical illness.

Same exam questions as past years'.

2009-11-25T18:14:00.001-08:00

"The professor has set the exact same questions over the last four years"

If I were the professor, I will probably do the same thing because realistically speaking, it is impossible to fully learn one subject matter within half a year. This is not to mention we have five modules, not one.

Set this against our Junior College and Secondary school system. We are used to studying materials that are 10-20 times more difficult than what the A and O level syllabus will ever be. It is different in University because our purpose of studying is no longer about getting the fixed "syllabus" done right. On the contrary, it is open ended. Therefore, rather than wandering about, it would be better for students to streamline their efforts into strengthening their foundations.

That said, competition will be intense.

Concept of fashion as a relation of power

2009-11-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

My friend told me about a couple of months back that my belt buckles look ugly, and I told him that I'll kick his ass for saying that. We both laughed it off lol. Here's a little discourse on the concept of fashion. Fashion, or what is beautiful, is power-relative.

Case study: Take a belt buckle from Armani Exchange, remove the brand and show it to people. Perhaps, that's as far as beauty goes.

That said, there are reasons why Armani Exchange is where it is. Positive associations.

Armed firstly with leather, and secondly, it is the Italians and Japanese who designed the buckles we purchased. You can't go wrong. No, I should say you go right. Get your belt from me. Hee.

Putu Mayam: Best business model in the world

2009-11-23T07:12:00.001-08:00

I love the putu mayam near my house. The Indian auntie selling it starts work at 9am and ends shortly after 12 noon. I suppose she goes home and tend to her kids after that.

I've decided that selling putu mayam is the best business model in the world. At $0.70 per piece, I usually order two, making it $1.40. However, most customers order at least $2.00 worth of food from this auntie. That said, I can't help but do a little calculation here. Assuming in the three hours that she works per day, she has 100 customers buying $2.00 worth of putu mayam:

1 day = $200.00

30 days = $6,000.00

I'm blown away.

It honestly isn't far fetched because there are other kinds of food such as apom to supplement the putu mayam diet. Compensating the balance between the $2.00 and 100 customers, the auntie has to make $5,000.00 at least. In fact, I'm pretty sure she makes more than $8,000 per month. Take away the rent she has to pay. For a stall that small, as you can reasonably imagine, I leave the rest up to your imagination.

Lastly, what will really sweep you off your feet is the effort it takes to serve putu mayam. It is almost zero. It comes ready-made in packets of 10 thereabout. Next thing to do is to throw brown sugar on it tada!

Three hours a day. $200.00 a day. $6,000 a month. Zero work. *thumbs up*

Singapore brain drain

2009-11-16T00:38:00.000-08:00

In a simple manner, I thought about the Arab St, Haji Lane area and the Arab fabric trade:

What are they doing here? Why do they last so long? They are experts on the subject matter and it most certainly has something to do with their culture spanning centuries.

I can't help but compare Arabs with Singaporeans whose young culture is quite deeply rooted in bureaucracy, rules and regulations. We make the best bureaucrats and we best serve the function of plugging bureaucracy (not bureaucratic) problems. Now think Multi-National Corporations. They boom everywhere outside of Singapore while there is only so much prospect in Singapore itself. Therefore, it is not surprising when Singaporeans fulfill their "destinies" and solve their own (economic) problems by solving bureaucracy (not bureaucratic) problems outside their country.

Singapore faces a brain drain problem because Singaporeans can do best what others outside of Singapore can't do, just as how Singaporeans can't do what the Arabs best do.

Something Different

2009-11-10T01:33:00.000-08:00

Almost all potential corporate customers ask me if I can customize my leather laptop sleeves into A4 folders.

They say, "I want something different (emphasize)," in zest.

And I think, "Whoa." Honestly, I feel for their excitement.

However, the truth is that all corporate folders, leather or not, looks the same at the end of the day. The concept of something different in most cases are but situations of temporary empowerment of the decision maker. That is not to mention that this decision is but one in the many chores that must be done. The last I know of one of my querying corporate customers, who happens to be my friend (you know who you are hee), his something different ended up looking like it was copied from a competitor company. I didn't get the order, he didn't get his way (or feel as empowered) as he originally felt. Lose-lose situation.

If you want something different ladies and gentlemen, my dual function A4 folder, double as laptop sleeve, is it. Simple yet convincingly chic, not to mention you have not feel and smell it yet. Try convincing your boss or make the decision to put this in the to-buy list, despite knowing that it really does not look like other special corporate A4 folder. Now that is what makes "it", whatever it may be, something different for you and your colleagues.

PS: It works for any other products that you consciously know does not look like the corporate-item-next-door. But please be discerning, that product has to look atas still.

On Singlish

2009-03-21T21:38:00.000-07:00

I dedicate this post to Soh Ee.

I walked past the television in my living room some time last week and came across a program on Channel News Asia which my sister was watching. I paused to listen a little as I could recognise some Thai words being used, despite my sister telling me that the program is on Burma. (Yes Soh Ee, I may be mistaken yet again huh :D but... could be Thai-speaking Burmese or a dialect blending both because of language and cultural influences :D)

Regardless of the actual content of the program, be it on the Thais or on the Burmese, it reminded me of two things:

Bangkok-ian Thai
The conversation I had with my General Paper tutor in Junior College on the use of Singlish.

Pertaining to the former, there must a certain reason why there is a need for such distinction. Assuming Bangkok-centric, the variations of the Thai language are but dialects, possibly thought of as impure.

Moving on to the latter, I understood, or at least I thought I did, the ineffectiveness of Singlish when she brought out the popular sitcom Phua Chu Kang as an example. She ascertained my understanding of the effectiveness of language when I related that despite the lack of grammar in military lingo, or even the omission of verbal communication entirely, soldiers could understand each other by communicating via sign language.

Then I heard on Gold 90 fm, also some time last week, reporting Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew saying that Singaporeans should focus on learning Mandarin well. To that I argue, at least at face value that even in our state university, the National University of Singapore, most Chinese students' preference of language is Mandarin, or should I say Singlish that tends towards Mandarin. And I am sure. It is important to note that fluency in English does not equate it to being a language of preference. Sorry Sir, for most in Singapore, regardless of the race or ethnicity, our mother tongue is not English. But I get what you mean.

Putting the three scenarios above together, there is a recurring theme. Be it Bangkok-ian Thai, "perfect English", Beijing Mandarin or "bu tong hua", or whichever variation is perceived by relevant authorities to be the "standard" Mandarin, they point towards the notion of official business language. It suddenly occurred to me that Singlish and variations of Thai are but "dialects" that have perhaps not yet gained sufficient importance to be the official business language. Singlish may be ineffective elsewhere but it really is effective on Singapore soil.

Singapore in sum, is important on the global platform today. Coupled with our endless hunger to be the best in the world, let us just sit back and wait for our time to come.

Statistical anomaly

2008-11-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

I dedicate this post to Mei Ching, Terry and Ms Pong (Shimin).

It has been a rough ride this weekend, albeit a cunningly enjoyable one. You guys are the icing on the weekend cake for dropping by to say hello all together in one night. Seems like a little conspiracy to me. I appreciate your little gestures, my friends.

Yours with Love,
Ke Ching

Eye power

2008-10-23T01:30:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Yio Janice.

Janice and I had a mini break from 4pm to 4.30pm today at the business canteen. Having bought herself a bottle of milk after we were done with our desserts, she had troubles poking a hole through the foil, which covers the bottle mouth, with the straw. In the end, she used her nails to scratch the foil open while I did my best to assist her by using eye power.

Janice: "Whatever."

A parallel we subsequently drew from this incident is a joke poking fun at management levels in organizations. Simply put, they use eye power to get things done. Jokes aside, things do indeed get done.

Something better to do

2008-10-11T20:14:00.000-07:00

I dedicate this post to Roger, Deon, Derek and Jun Wei.

Roger: When we were in JC, we were not cool, we were not rich, we had no car, and we had nothing better to do. Now we are cool, we are rich, we have cars, but we still have nothing better to do.

That was funny. I agree, however, to the extent that this is the case only when I am with my best friends from Junior College, ie, them. I thoroughly enjoy our value conversations pertaining to life, career, family, as they keep my friends and I looking out for each other's backs.

However, this expectation of doing something together, firmly locked into this particular group dynamics, is unhealthy. This is especially so when first of all, we have indeed nothing better to do, and secondly, we end up engaging in activities, if any, for the purpose of enjoying each other's companies but with an unfortunate skew towards the mere occupying of time.

In Junior College, my friends and I used to play LAN, xbox and watch movies. The only value I can sieve from these activities is the friendship and the bonding. However, it is to be expected that a certain stagnation will occur, when we finally know each other inside out. In the end, we still end up looking for something better to do.

There was one other activity, however, that I thoroughly enjoyed and that was playing basketball together. Consciously or unconsciously, our purpose was to challenge each other to a good and fair game. Our purpose was also to hone our individual skills. Our purpose was further to engage in team work which inherently led to further bonding. Our purpose was not to occupy time.

In fact, I knew that I wanted to dance last night, and I can, and I would teach them if they were willing. It really does not matter whether they liked it or not but I do know it will be fun for all of us simply because we will be shifting our current expectations for each other to something with greater value.

Lastly, alcohol, girls and clubbing are not the solutions. Do not get lost in the system. We do have something better to do, provided you are willing. Till we meet again, my friends.

CORS Bidding: An insight

2008-08-06T11:42:00.000-07:00

Unsure about the rest of the students in NUS, I know I experience the full dynamism of the CORS bidding system as an Arts student.

A friend shared that as an intern with a particular fund management company, his role was to punt on the stock market with company funds. Paraphrasing his boss' words, my friend said to the effect that his boss does not require the interns to explain their choices of purchases and sales, because the transactions suffice to reveal the characters of the interns.

Inspired by this sharing, if I were an employer, transcripts, grades and interviews are still a must, but I will very much like to see the CORS transaction histories of prospective employees too.

Passivity

2008-07-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Kitt because she messaged to say, "hello !" for no reason. I appreciate it, thank you Kitt.

The internet is boring; I check all my three emails and I am done. Yet I remain on MSN endlessly; rarely initiating chats.

Such is one particular value that I obviously attach to MSN, unconsciously till just now. There is this passive waiting in the hope that some things good might happen. Yet in all functional, effective and efficient sense, I am just wasting time which could otherwise be put to good use. I do still read my book at the same time while waiting, though.

I ought to do something about it.

The spirit

2008-06-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

I dedicate this post to the ARTS spirit, as I seek to build the SnB spirit. I also dedicate this post to SnB.

Jack says:
tot u were involved in arts camp as well

Ke Ching says:
Hmmm. That's a good question. I've decided that it's time I moved on. Certain things are best kept as memories.

Jack says:
true

Ke Ching says:
In fact I was quite emo and disorientated last Sunday when I stayed over with them, (in deciding) whether to stay or not to stay (on Monday). But I realised, since there is a continuity in the whole Arts organisation, and there is no fear of a lack of replacement and succession, I can and should move on. I'll rather and should focus my energy on the Performance Team where it is at the initial start up to ensure that there is that kind of renewal energy as in Arts. Then can we say that SnB really exists.

Ke Ching says:
A spirit of SnB.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ke Ching says:
And I believe Jack is also pretty active in teaching too right?

Daniel says:
yeah he is
but we all learn from each other bah
______'s basic is a little poor cuz she skipped like 2 weeks of classes or something

Ke Ching says:
What you're saying is one of the reasons why we are likely to stay.

Daniel says:
what u mean?

Ke Ching says:
People come in and people go. But there will always be those who remain. It is because they ever found friendship on the dancefloor, and still have, and are continuously learning from each other.

On the contrary, for those who disappear and leave, it is because they either could not fuel their passion for dance via friendship (or new friendship when old friends have left), or they have decided that what they wanted are individual pursuits and have left their friends behind, ie overly competitive, that they probably lost sight of a major essence of any activity, ie the friendship.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

A simple correlation between spirit and continuity: If there is spirit, there is continuity. If there is no spirit, there is no continuity, and the organisation remains a mere interest group that rises and subsequently dies off.

And when there is continuity and succession, it inherently points to the assimilation of new blood. There must a be a force that ensures this, and this force is the spirit of forging new friendships and the subsequent passing on of accumulated knowledge.

Back to SnB. I was sharing with Angela that we see seniors back on the dancefloor in all elementary classes of the week, ie Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. In fact, I shared this with the seniors themselves too, that I see them physically returning to help the new comers. However, there is a sense of disjointedness and scatteredness, ie there is a lack of a certain binding force, keeping them together in the spiritual sense. Dance is a passion to them, that the dancefloor has become their home. Yet it is not just any dancefloor because it has to be a dancefloor that is filled with SnB people. This is a preliminary sign of what constitutes the SnB spirit. The SnB spirit is there, albeit vaguely defined. However, there is still a sense of loss in this home and I believe the answer to be in the friendship that they must, but have yet to forge on the dancefloor.

I am the captain of our Performance Team, and I will do my best to build a team that assimilates all who find themselves returning to the SnB dancefloor repeatedly. Above all else, it shall be a team that embodies the SnB spirit, which is built on a foundation of forging new friendships.

A reminder

2008-06-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

My parents and my brother are at the hospital now. My brother apparently fell down yesterday, while in camp, and hurt his head. He felt faint half an hour ago and felt a little numbness in his upper body. I'm worried.

Certain experiences will mould the lenses through which you see the world and what you perceive of it. At least for this short period of time, while I am reminded once again that the human body and relationships are fragile, I type this post, for I know that once the sun rises, it will be another brand new day, a day which I may once again take my relationships for granted. I want to document this experience for my future reference, to constantly remind myself of the purpose of my existence.

My grandfather just came out of his room. That my brother is in hospital with my parents right now, it opened my lenses wider beyond the usual scope and I look at my grandfather's eyes. It is very much contrary to the usual through-the-slant-of-the-eyes acknowledgement of his presence, being selfish, going about my usual business. He asked for my sister, to which I promptly replied that she's asleep. He said, smiling, that he had not notice her coming back home. A beautiful smile, with a missing tooth :)

A grandfather who stays at home everyday looking after it, I wonder what his youth was like. But I believe that he must have been an ambitious man, not unlike the average youth, with all their drive. I believe I am who he was and I wonder where I am headed. Ambitious, driven and strong-headed, and in my friend's words "You are likely to offend people." Yet, if I may say, I love my family and I love my friends, alot, alot.

Singaporeans are not poor

2008-04-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Nat: Singaporeans are not poor (because most are from the middle class)

Ke Ching: Yup, they aren't poor. Most are only indebted for life.

Touching lives

2008-04-17T19:59:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Ming Guang, Shi Min, Wei Jie and Xin Yu.

This semester, I test a new strict study-rest pattern of 45 mins readings followed by 30 mins to keep my rate of absorption maintained throughout the day. Just today, 10.45am to 11.15am was my time for sleep and have decided to forego it to write this post, because I received an SMS from Shi Min at 10.49am, in which this is the content: "ker ching! last lect must come~".

1. This isn't the first time Shi Min has showered me her care and concern. On at least 3 occasions throughout the semester, she has asked why I had not turn up for lectures and that I have seemingly disappeared. And in return, I only have thank you, thank you and more thank yous, which is increasingly laden with guilt with each thanks I return her. In fact, this is concern that she has no obligations to shower me with, and still she does. She cares for my welfare and my future. Am happy to have the opportunity to share with her my story in Central Library last Tuesday, and this story can be found here. Therefore, Shi Min, my promise to you is that for every grade that I fall in, it is because I have channelled my resources to other constructive means that ensures my survivability and welfare, which you care for. Thank you : )

2. I stayed over in school on Wednesday night to complete the Architecture competition that Yan Liong, Poh Liang and I took part in. We worked till 6.30am and I finally got the chance to sleep at 7.00am in Arts Club room till 8.00am. Some time in between, I was woken up, only to find Xin Yu covering me with one of the sleeping bags in the club room. Xin Yu, I was at a loss for words. Thinking back, I can't quite remember how I got acquainted with you but at this moment now, I am glad to realise in time how close I am to taking you for granted. All the help you've given me including allowing me the opportunity to watch movies in the club room with a lady I love, I thank you : )

3. I also received another SMS at 10.00am today from Wei Jie: "Hey KC just rem something. Wanted to tell you maybe when you address the pef team everytime, you'd tend to talk to only the few of us. Probably it'd be better to give more attention to probably _____ or _____ or _____ by mentioning their names too. Can make them feel more part of the team." Wei Jie was even thinking about the Performance Team when on the move. No, I should say that Wei Jie was thinking about the Family we have in the Performance Team. I'll like to think that I am showering my care and concern for everyone, but Wei Jie has reminded me that, on the contrary, I am far from doing that. Sometimes it is impossible as I focus on the larger goals for the Performance Team to the extent that I do not realise that I have neglected what really matters, ie the Family. Wei Jie, I thank you for pointing out this flaw of mine of wanting to eagerly move on all the time and forgetting to look back. I also want to thank you for taking ownership of this Family and to look after our friends. Thank you : )

4. Ming Guang has always been there for me, consistently. I am really a tech-noob, and a can't be-bothered-about-institutional-systems person. But this is one of the most basic yet important aspect I have to keep up with in order to stay afloat minimally in the NUS school system. Thank you for keeping me updated about the bidding periods, the surveys that will yield me some Program points and everything else pertaining to school. My promise to you, like my promise to Shi Min, Xin Yu and Wei Jie is that I will take the initiative to depart onto the less beaten routes in order that I will grow myself to be able to serve you one day, like how you are concerned about me today.

Life is worth living and relationships is home.

Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

2008-04-07T02:04:00.000-07:00

Had a great lunch with my client and his girlfriend on the 11th October 2007. The three of us major in Sociology. What dominated the bulk of the lunch session is the topic below:

I honestly haven't got an idea what kinds of classes, perceived to exist, are out there in the working world. "Blue collar", "White collar", "Middle", "Lower", "Upper" seems common enough. However, as far as I see it, there are only two classes in society that really matters. They are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

The society's view of classes appears to be as such:

Upper / Elite
Middle
Lower

This is how I view it:

Bourgeoisie:

Upper / Elite

Proletariat:

Middle
Lower

We will now take a look at the middle class, which forms the majority of society. It matters because the majority of the cream of the crop of our schooling system, ie University students, are fighting to enter this class. Examples of vocations or jobs in this class are Teachers, Engineers, Doctors etc. They are indeed a cut above toilet janitors, hawker centre cleaners, construction workers etc. However, I put forth to you the fact that middle class workers have to turn up for work the following day, from 8am to 5pm or 9am to 6pm or any other figures, anyway. This question follows: Have these people the autonomy or freedom of choice to stop working?

In a world where the medium of exchange for goods and services is money, I present to you the following scenario: I swim often. And I swim often enough to imagine money entering my pocket even as I am swimming or taking a dip in the pool. Dear reader, replace the activity with any that is of particular passion/ interest to you. Can you stop working? With money entering your pocket while pursuing your passion, definitely, you can stop working.

Let me now draw my line that marks the difference between the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. The line is The Freedom of Choice, in the most general sense.

The phrase "Middle class" is merely a phrase constructed, perhaps socially or politically, with the sole purpose of giving hope and pseudo-status to poly graduates, ITE graduates, any other graduates and ironically, University graduates. Why have our cream got to fight with the supposed lower classes for exactly the same status?

The Middle class is merely an illusion. I reiterate that the only two classes that matters are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

Bourgeoisie has freedom of choice.

Proletariat does not have freedom of choice.

Lastly, there is no point engaging in such academia work if it does not apply to you, my reader. The only way to enter the Bourgeoisie class is to have automatic-income-generating business or investments, which allows you to live the simple scenario as presented above.

I do what I do because I am able to pull my friends and family from the Proletariat into the Bourgeoisie. It is possible to become a Bourgeoisie. You can too.

Singapore, creation of a deviant class: The Rich and Successful

2008-03-28T10:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I post the latest project I submitted which is for my Sociology of Deviance module. Enjoy, my friends.

Abstract

Most in Singapore subscribe to what it means to be rich and successful in society and hence aspire to join the class of the elites’. With the majority of the Singapore community aspiring towards this local cultural goal by way of the institution of the school, many do not doubt their inability to attain that status. The argument of this paper is that it takes a certain level of deviance to enter the elite class and this deviance is due to the structural conditions present in the society, coupled with the economic opportunities present in the Singapore economy. This unique class of deviants, ie the rich and successful, is thus created. Recognized literature on Sociology of Deviance is used to substantiate the above argument.

Introduction

Who wants to be a millionaire? Most in Singapore want to be. Leaving aside survivability issues such as rising costs of living, terms that beckons Singaporeans to work hard for the purposes of status and prestige are rife. An infamous example is the phrase "5Cs" which stands for Cash, Condominium, Car, Country Club and Credit Card. It is representative of the class-consciousness and materialist culture of the Singapore people. It is not only about getting there, it is about getting there quick, when one is young in his twenties and thirties. In fact, industries such as Multi-Level Marketing (MLM), Financial Advisory, teen-oriented push-cart stalls were all the craze be it at some points in time in the past, or at present. The most recent is the rise in online blog shops, also known as spree shops, and these are examples that suggest and support the presence of a very strong culture of aspiration towards success. Further, the implications of these economic opportunities do not end here because they represent alternative routes to success and they essentially challenge the institution of schools in the country.

In a country where paper qualifications are of paramount importance, most families will ultimately want to send their children to the University, the highest level of the institution of schools. In the process, it is a growing trend to send children to private pre-schools such as Eton House and from the late pre-teen to the teen years, to the independent and elite schools such as Raffles, Anglo-Chinese and the list continues. In the event of inability to enter any of the local schools or Universities, education in foreign schools are a must have alternative, as long as parents possess the resources to afford it.

We compare between the entire schooling system in Singapore and direct modes of wealth accumulation such as businesses in this paper and it is evident that there is a realization, whether obvious or not to those who embark on these businesses, that one has to be deviant from the norm in order to attain the success that most can only dream of.

Literature Review and Research Method

The basis for the observation as stated in the abstract and introduction comes from covert qualitative conversations geared in the direction towards the subject matter of career and materialism. These conversations are mostly with undergraduates and post-graduates of the National University of Singapore. Elites of the society such as CEOs and senior management are spoken to as well, albeit extremely limited. To make up for the shortfall, materials such as autobiographies and written materials on world reknowned elites such as Robert T. Kiyosaki and Ralph Roberts as well as locals such as Ngiam Tong Dow are examined. Self-improvement books such as those by John. C. Maxwell are examined as well.

Further, major literature on Deviance is reviewed and observations made through the qualitative conversations are assessed within these Deviance literature frameworks.

Durkheim: Functionalism, Deviance and Control

The functions of Crime and Deviance are to maintain social solidarity and collective conscience as well as to produce social change and progress through innovation.

Robert K. Merton: Strain theory

The root causes of deviance lies in the structure of society and not in the individuals engaging in the acts of deviance. Merton compares two elements of social and cultural structures of immediate importance, the first being the culturally defined goals and the second being the acceptable modes of reaching out for these goals. The gap between these two elements provides the strain to deviance.

Sutherland and Cressey: Differential Association

Sutherland and Cressey argues that crime is a learned behavior not unlike any ordinary behavior. It is learned through communication from intimate associates.

Albert K. Cohen: A general theory of Subcultures

Lower-working class experiences pressure in conforming to middle class values in its institution. This results in status problems. The negotiation of this problem and the seeking of solutions to win power back to themselves result in subcultures.

Characteristics of the Rich and Successful

"If you want to be rich, do what the rich does". There are many books written on how to become rich and successful, and they include autobiographies, self-improvement books and collections of success stories. These books are revealing as they share with the world the traits, characteristics, personalities and lifestyle of the elite class and some of the most commonly named attributes are hard work, persistence, determination, humility, communication, leadership qualities and so on. Everyone knows that these are the qualities they need to possess. In fact, they do, however many do not doubt the possibility that they will never attain the wealth and success they aspire towards.

Institution of school in Singapore

The schooling system in Singapore is among the most influential institution in Singapore having been internalized as a necessity by the Singapore community to the extent that there is an overemphasis on paper qualifications. Its various levels and academic scope are catered for the various strata of society, by age, gender, wealth, intellectual and academic capacities and other variables. For example, the Institute of Technological Education (ITE) is associated with the lower-working class and to a certain extent the ethnic minorities. The negative connotation associated with it is to the extent that ITE has come to mean "It's the End". On the other hand, the three main local Universities are for a privileged group of students who have proven themselves in the education system.

With the presence of both local and foreign schooling institutions such as United World College, it is not surprising that the bulk of the Singapore community has an opportunity in the schooling system, to keep pace with the local cultural goal of success.

Creation of a deviant class: the Rich and Successful

It is important to note at this point that while the Singapore schooling system absorbs most of the Singapore community into the system, it is inevitable that deviants will be produced. Most conform to the local cultural goal and remain in school, and this is an indicator of the belief that the institution of the school is the mode to that cultural goal. However, on the other hand there are some who do not or are unable to, resulting in delinquency or in my paper's argument, becoming part of the elites, the Rich and Successful. This non-conformity by the elite class is split into two categories. The first is non-conformity as a result of realization that the schooling system is insufficient to meet the cultural goal, and the second is a drop out from school as a result of being unable to keep up with the demands of the school.

There have been many research into deviance in the direction of crime and lower-working class deviance as a result of structural conditions present. However, this paper provides an alternative. Instead of looking downwards at the delinquents, the paper looks upwards at the elite class. The process of creating these elites is not unlike the process of the creating the lower-class deviants.

Becoming Rich and Successful: schooling system determined to be inadequate

First of all, many University undergraduates are found not to be engaging solely in school work, but are holding jobs and businesses concurrently. These include private tuition, week-end part-time jobs, and for the more adventurous and ambitious, they engage in business models such as MLM, financial advisory and blog shops as mentioned earlier. When conversing with these undergraduates, there is a certain fear among them that the school system does not guarantee their success and future. They face a strain. There is a realization that the schooling system may after all be a false promise. This is a significant finding as if University graduates are unable to attain the cultural goal, there is no one else in the society who are able to do so since University graduates are socially considered to be part of the elites of the society.

Following, in engaging in these business models, some of which are stigmatizing such as the insurance and the MLM industry, they experiment, explore in the hope of associating with "like-minded people". Further, through these associations, they form communities where they learn the tricks of the trade in order to become successful.

However, there is an undeniably high attrition rate for these inspired youths. For those who do not make the mark, they fall back into their safety net, ie their degrees and paper qualifications. However, for those who do succeed, of which the clearest indicator is the amount of profits made and wealth accumulated, they continue to associate upwards. Therefore, a function of this deviance is to prevent too many from entering the elite class.

Becoming Rich and Successful: Inability to keep up with demands of the school

Inability to keep up with demands of the school occurs at all levels of the schooling system. University undergraduates do face stress and pressures in daily school life and some even drop out of school. However, it is clear that it does not necessarily spell the end for them. In fact, due to forced circumstances, many have to abandon the institutionalized means of success, and in this paper the school. They are forced to innovate. Comes neatly is the economic opportunities that the Singapore economy present to them, which are already mentioned. It is not unlike the Chinese Secret Societies who absorb the delinquents to keep them off the streets. The difference is that the former is legitimate and the latter, illegitimate.

Lastly, whether these deviants eventually move upwards or downwards on the social ladder generally depends on the cultural and social capital they are in contact with, possess or acquire when in school. This explains why parents send their children to elite schools at all costs, to acquire these important capitals, whether they consciously realize or not.

Conclusion

Caught in a cultural and structural situation that most in the Singapore society are unable to divorce themselves from, many subscribe to the Singaporean cultural goal of being rich and successful. Yet many are unable to attain it despite identifying and possessing many attributes of the successful.

Firstly, University students who are part of the elites in the Singapore society have proven that the institution of the school is insufficient to attain the desired status. Secondly, inability to cope with the school system is inevitable at all levels. Therefore, it is in these that the structural conditions produce the deviants who dare to venture into opportunities located within the Singapore economy which, important to note, is legitimate. The deviant class of the Rich and Successful is thus created as a legitimate and privileged subculture.

In conclusion, while deviance is required to ensure there’s a renewal of elites who will spear head the economy and lead the country politically, it is a delicate choice between having low levels of deviance to prevent too many falling into the lower-class deviance, and having high levels of deviance yet ensuring that majority of these deviants have mobility in the social ladder. Therefore, public policy may be drawn to assist the less privileged class in acquiring the relevant capitals that will at least allow them social mobility into legitimate opportunities structure present, whether inside or outside of the school and paper qualifications system, in the Singapore economy.

Bourgeoisie-created institutions

2008-03-21T10:03:00.000-07:00

Completed a project for my "Social Thoughts and Theories" module by working on the topic of "The fallacy of the middle class". I was inspired to return to this pet topic of mine when my lecturer himself set this question in our tutorial homework: "Singapore is sometimes known as a middle class country. Marx says that there is no middle class. How do you reconcile the two?"

I agree that there is no middle class in Singapore as in my article "Bourgeoisie and Proletariat" dated 11th October 2007. As an elaboration, I illustrate using two examples which my lecturer brought up to challenge Marx (this is not to suggest whether my lecturer agrees or disagrees with Marx):

1. Presence of the appointments of CEO and Senior Management:
He clearly has a remuneration package that well exceeds the average worker and has only labour to offer. That makes him half Bourgeoisie and half Proletariat.

2. Presence of citizens in possession of 5Cs:
- Cash
- Condominium
- Car
- Country Club
- Credit Card

Hence, it is argued that yes, Middle class does exist. Briefly, to determine if there is a case for the middle class in these two examples, let us assess if resources are flowing into or out of the individual.

In the CEO & Management example, the exact nature of this remuneration package is seldom known to the average public. It is not all just cash, but rather a combination of cash and the company's assets. They are Bourgeoisie as they are part owners of companies. Further, is it possible that they know nothing about investments**?

In the 5Cs example, of the five, already three of them requires individuals to take up loans to upkeep which are potentially disastrous to them, financially. Result is a net outflow of resources. Proletariat.

An executive or engineer who earns $2000 is middle class. A doctor and a lawyer who earns much more can also be known as middle class. Either way, it is possible for individuals in both categories to fall into the loans trap. Hence, the phrase "Middle Class" makes no sense economically. At best, it can be interpreted only as a political tool of appeasement by way of its supposed prestige, if any, to prevent the uprising by the so-called "Middle class". Therefore we quickly end this part of tonight's discussion here and move on into the next, which is the more important.

It was a revelation when I could finally put an issue into words, ie the presence of financial institutions such as the stock market and banks in our society and why people get into trouble with them. The reason is simple. There is a complete mis-interpretation by these people, of the uses of these Bourgeoisie-created institutions.

Since the industrial age, when factories were built in cities and workers concentrated in them, money was created to compensate them. 80/20 (eighty-twenty) rule. What was created by the minority, ie money, had such power to the extent that the majority were sucked into their game. Bourgeoisie accumulate wealth and hence accumulated money. This simple system of wealth accumulation then evolved to what we know today as banks, the stock market and other financial insitutions.

Simply put, these financial institutions are Bourgeoisie-created institutions to which there is only one end: Wealth Accumulation. Hence, the only way to interprete these institutions is through the eyes of the Bourgeoisie.

Yet, there is a perversion in the use of these institutions by:

1. not fully understanding the essence of its uses (one can have in-depth knowledge of all the financial instruments in the world and still not understand the essence of their uses, ie I repeat, Wealth Accumulation)

2. or worse, adding ingredients of "thrill" into the equation in the case of stock markets, and "consumerism", "materialism" in the case of banks

While Bourgeoisie invests in the stock market with a focus on being assets and capital owners, the Proletariat "invests" in the stock market for the capital gains itself with no clear focus. While Bourgeoisie borrow from banks to set up business and other institutions of wealth accumulation, the Proletariat borrows for consumption and materialism which does not help in wealth accumulation.

Therefore, my dear readers, be a Bourgeoisie because you can. Please read my article "Bourgeoisie and Proletariat" again. Financial institutions are created and evolved by the elites, therefore understand these institutions from only the elites' perspectives. There is no other way. I round off with an admittedly bad analogy but the best that I can think of at this time of the night. Drive your car with a focus of taking you from place to place, and not drive it for the thrill of speed and egotism.

**I reiterate that It is important to note that acquiring assets for strategic long term purposes and speculation are two different things. The latter is gambling. The former is what should be done, ie through discipline, system and consistency.

Dedicated to all my friends.

2008-02-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Still with minimal responsibilities, School Life is potentially the last few best years of your Life. With minimal external restrictions, you choose the way you want to live. However, ironically, this freedom is interpreted not as a platform to endless rest and relaxation but rather, as an opportunity to embrace more responsibilities. As a student, you have the responsibility of studying hard. More importantly, you have the responsibility to play hard. Yet how many truly understand the essence of this statement? You have to play hard because, simply, it is You, the person that your family and friends want you to be. Yet playing hard comes on the condition of having fulfilled your basic duty of studying hard. Essentially it means double effort. And when you see yourself going somewhere with this effort, satisfaction and overall well being follows. MM Lee says that no man is equal and they will never be equal. I agree because every man has the capacity and potential to grow beyond that of everyone else, so long as you fulfill your responsibility, and right now, as a student. Fret not over Life after graduation, as it is an exciting new chapter with maximum responsibilities. Your embracing your responsibilities as a student right now will serve you well then. But for now, please enjoy your Life in school, my friend. Love, Ke Ching.

Calibration Part 1

2008-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Ms J.Y. She has declined to be named, but has kindly allowed me to share her "Targets for Year 2007" with my readers.

I was shocked when I saw her targets for 2008 attached to the white board, where it is conspicuous from every angle, in her room. It was my privilege to have seen this latest.

Her goals are well categorised in a broad, simple manner, encompassing every area in her life. Further, there are definite timelines. The annual renewal and updating of these targets calibrates her mind, fine-tunes it and keeps her Life goals in clear sight. The continual visual exposure of these goals feeds her subconscious mind with nutrition, which eventually leads to positive habits that need no conscious effort on her part. This explains her drive and that fire in her eyes.

My dear readers, food for thought for the Chinese New Year. Have a great year ahead.

The winning deviant

2008-01-31T01:42:00.000-08:00

I sat through my first tutorial for Sociology of Deviance today. Our tutor is brilliant. I appreciate her passion. She speaks with such vigor that it is impossible to stray from her lesson. Yet when I wanted to participate, I could not. I desired badly to speak up and I needed to get that issue off my chest, yet I could not find my argument.

What does it mean to be deviant? Among some of the examples given, they are picking your nose in public, being queer in terms of mannerisms and behaviours and in worser cases, to break the law and be a criminal deviant.

One of the basic principles: the ones who hold power are the ones who decide what it means to be mainstream and what it means to be a deviant.

I am in Sociology to seek out the variables that will guarantee my success, as well as my family's and friends'. Why this overwhelming concern? Firstly, I need to feed myself in order to survive. I don't have land, and therefore I need money. Further, I need to feed myself for life. It is best that I am able to do so regardless of whether I can work or not, diseased or not. That is success.

Most in society have ascribed to what it means to be successful, and it does not stray far from my definition. Many argue that money is not everything, but if I may share, my only principle for defining success is: Don't cheat yourself. And therefore, most are mainstream. Or should I say, "mainstream."

This was precisely what I wanted to point out during tutorial. What is socially constructed to be deviant does not necessarily equate to what is actually deviant. What is socially constructed to be mainstream does not necessarily equate to what is actually mainstream.

Let's take the social construct of what it means to be successful. You crave success, you want to be wealthy in order that you can feed yourself and your family for life (and possibly because you want to show the world that you have done it). You want to be respected and you want to have built a career that is challenging, fulfilling and not monotonous. Yet, if you look around you, most realise that they have no ideas and clues as to how to go about being successful. There is a strain. There is something wrong.

We'll use the variable "rich" to illustrate this mismatch. If you want to be rich, it would be reasonable to suggest that you engage in what the rich does. Yet when faced with the answers, most find that they are unable to do as prescribed. Why not? One good example. It is inherent that successful people are outspoken and communicate their ideas across. More importantly, they do so with an intention to create values (be it monetary or intangibles), without which it is difficult for transactions to take place. Yet, most shun conversations that are skewed towards pragmatism. Some claim it to be "sensitive as we are Asian", others I do not know. Therefore, it does take a certain level of deviance to associate yourself with the successful, as you are, and you have to go against social norms. This is but just one example.

Therefore, my dear readers, this illustrates how artificial the world is (I have mentioned it in my article titled "A beautiful world" dated 15th November 2007). On one hand, you seem to be following the mainstream route to success by schooling and by finding a high prospect career, yet on the other, what you know to be mainstream is possibly the largest-scaled scam ever created by the most successful deviants; one that is so deeply rooted in our lives as we all depend on money for mere survival, let alone success.

The economy is driven by the elites and the powerful. What courses that are available in schools and Universities are also determined by the elites and the powerful. May I ask if it has occurred to you that these two groups of elites might be the same people, and that essentially reduces schools to be factories that merely produces workers to run the economy with their labour.

Lastly, regardless of whether the world is artificial and whether the majority of us are caught in the race, it is nobody's fault. This is the way the world runs and there's no stopping "them", the deviants, especially with globalisation (a big word thought too minutely by most). My dear readers, if I may point it explicitly out to you, with this little bit of awareness, you have to and you can, join the ranks of the successful. Please refer to my article "Bourgeoisie and Proletariat" dated 11th October 2007.

Synergy

2008-01-06T00:33:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Tiong Lee.

keching says:
Yo.

tiong lee says:
yoyo

keching says:
How's your new year?

tiong lee says:
ehhh as usual. starting sch tml haha

keching says:
I can't wait for school to start.

tiong lee says:
me too haha

keching says:
Whah. No kidding.

tiong lee says:
yeah cant wait to get better result. another chance haha

keching says:
Zai. Same. What was your GPA for the last sem?

tiong lee says:
3.2. one C pull down. this sem no C.. B and above

keching says:
As in GPA for the individual sem last sem. Not overall.

tiong lee says:
around there also

keching says:
I see. I am fired up too.

tiong lee says:
u lei

keching says:
Been visualising what I am going to make of this whole new semester.

keching says:
1. Get grades better than 3.8
2. Get 3.8 by studying lesser (ie improve upon the efficiency with which I study)
3. Continue to build relationships
4. Continue my business
5. Continue the chase

tiong lee says:
haha can de

keching says:
Yes I think so too.

tiong lee says:
last sem 3.8 ar

keching says:
Yes. And I got it not by chance. I put in the effort to talk to my lecturers, my tutors, my A-grade friends to learn how to study. Got it. And I was working during exam time too. What's not to have.

tiong lee says:
haha cool

keching says:
I want to have another shot at this semester to prove to myself can wan.

tiong lee says:
yeah. haha i realise engin subj muz understand not keep on doing question. that will b e guide for the new sem

keching says:
FANTASTIC LAH! Same for me. Hey can I put our conversation on my blog?

tiong lee says:
up to u

keching says:
I will. Dedicated to you. Lol.

tiong lee says:
haha

Now this is what I call Keeping In Touch. Even though it is over the lack-of-emotions internet, it is not just small talk. Tiong spurred me on, and I believe I did so too. Our relationship will be taken to new heights if we consciously come together to spur each other on, and not only by chance, as in this conversation. Nevertheless, this is conversation from the bottom of his heart and the value created by him in me is infinite. I look forward to building more of such positive relationships, and surrounding myself with people who have such drive and passion for life and challenges. Thank you Tiong.

My dear readers, the lesson here is association. Tiong Lee has taught me that people like him exist, and that it is only a matter of attitude. The choice is not only mine, but yours as well, to associate yourself with friends who hold such positive attitudes towards life. In time, I am sure you will be able to grow in thoughts and actions to be worthy of these wonderful friends, and in turn be a positive influence in others' lives, yourselves.

A simple comment

2007-12-29T19:38:00.000-08:00

I sat through my "Sociology of Education" lecture on the 16th October 2007, and the topic was on Sports Education. My lecturer gave an example about how a sportsperson representing Singapore would receive $1 million from the state if he/she became a Gold medallist in the Olympics. Rounding off this example, she said, "$1 million from the state. It is alot. But (how about) over Life?" Most students laughed. It was a smart joke, or was it not?

I probably left the lecture with less than what I should on Sports Education. However, I left the lecture theatre with a few important lessons from the particular example stated above. These are the issues that arise as a result from the lecturer making a statement such as above:

1. The lecturer has an authority over students in terms of knowledge pertaining to her expertise, which is Education and its impacts on society. There is a problem when this authority spills over into areas beyond her expertise, and in this case on wealth management. She is clearly wrong and I will demonstrate why later.

2. The lecturer has indirectly sent out the message that even "striking a windfall" is of no use. This further implies that one has to work for the rest of his/her life, in vain. It has an air of pessimism.

3. Subtle messages such as those above are subconsciously accepted by the students.

4. This is another example of how powerful the school serves as an institution that restricts social mobility and reinforces inequality.

I believe why my lecturer thinks that $1 million is unable to last a lifetime is because of economic problems such as that of inflation. She probably hints a little about an alteration of lifestyle to that of luxury, I do not know. However, I beg to differ. Consider this simple scenario:

I put the $1 million into a well diversified portfolio** which yields an annual return of 5%. This is a figure that is sustainable in the long term.

$1,000,000 X 0.05 = $50,000/yr = $4167/mth

This is monthly income for no work done. Note also that the $1 million is still present.

Clearly, my lecturer speaks from the point of view of a spender, rather than a money-saavy investor. Without an intention to mislead, my lecturer's simple and seemingly harmless comment is that capable of reinforcing wrong perceptions about investments. What about statements such as these:

1. I just lost $______.

2. Investments is risky.

3. I am not interested in such things.

These are rife. Instead of engaging in such a topic with people whose vocabulary on investments are as such, seek those out who are financially literate and a whole new world of possibilities will open up before you. If there are financially illiterate people, there must be those who can take you to wealth you never knew you had.

Finally, a simple comment as above is capable of reinforcing a whole audience's social positions, unless their conscious attentions are brought to this problem. My dear reader, please do remember that words are this powerful, and be consciously selective of what you digest.

**It is important to note that acquiring assets for strategic long term purposes and speculation are two different things. The latter is gambling. The former is what should be done, ie through discipline, system and consistency.

Mapping yourself into statistics

2007-12-19T17:16:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Fang Ling.

Fang Ling did the DISC personality test for me about one month ago. She was so sweet, having typed out every single question for me in order that I can do it conveniently on my computer.

These are the four personality constructs:

D - Dominant/Driver
I - Influencing/Inspiring
S - Stable/Steady
C - Compliant/Correct

Turns out that I am an I/D (I followed by D).

Some other interesting results:

Full D's forms only 3% of the population. Hitler is one of them.
Full I's forms 11%
Full S's forms 67%.
And Full C's forms 19%.
(The percentages may not be accurate, however the proportions sufficiently illustrate the point I will make in the following paragraphs.)

It is interesting to take such tests. I love my results. However, in mapping the statistics, this is precisely one of the reasons why the majority of the world are proletariats (See my article "Bourgeoisie and Proletariat" dated 12th December 2007).

Further, was in the library with Scott and Janice. I can't remember how we got onto the topic but Scott mentioned that most of us are effectively bilingual. This brings to mind questions such as what it does mean to be effectively bilingual. Does it mean that we must be fluent in both English and Mother Tongue? Does it mean that our use of the languages are considered effective so long as we use it in the Singapore society where most people do not practise precision language? Rather than argue the definition of "effectively bilingual", let us turn our attention to the English educated. English educated, English educated, English educated. It is undisputed that so far, they remain the Bourgeoisies (ie. elites) of the society. Makes for easy reference point. Map the statistics. Matches nicely.

This is not to suggest that being Stable/Compliant or bilingual (which is supposed to aid in your mobility to success) are the direct factors that impedes your growth. Being bilingual is supposed to be a good thing, so what is wrong? The underlying factor, I guess it is up to you, my readers to draw the connection.

In conclusion, while we are proud to be who we are, it is important to have just a little bit more self-awareness and match that little awareness to your surroundings. Act on that little bit, and it will help alot.

Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

2007-12-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Had a great lunch with Venka who is my client and his girlfriend on the 11th October 2007. The three of us major in Sociology. What dominated the bulk of the lunch session is the topic below:

I honestly haven't got an idea what kinds of classes, perceived to exist, are out there in the working world. "Blue collar", "White collar", "Middle", "Lower", "Upper" seems common enough. However, as far as I see it, there are only two classes in society that really matters. They are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

The society's view of classes appears to be as such:

- Upper / Elite
- Middle
- Lower

This is how I view it:

Bourgeoisie:
- Upper / Elite
Proletariat:
- Middle
- Lower

We will now take a look at the middle class, which forms the majority of society. It matters because the majority of the cream of the crop of our schooling system, ie University students, are fighting to enter this class. Examples of vocations or jobs in this class are Teachers, Engineers, Doctors etc. They are indeed a cut above toilet janitors, hawker centre cleaners, construction workers etc. However, I put forth to you the fact that middle class workers have to turn up for work the following day, from 8am to 5pm or 9am to 6pm or any other figures, anyway. This question follows: Have these people the autonomy or freedom of choice to stop working?

In a world where the medium of exchange for goods and services is money, I present to you the following scenario: I swim often. And I swim often enough to imagine money entering my pocket even as I am swimming or taking a dip in the pool. Dear reader, replace the activity with any that is of particular passion/ interest to you. Can you stop working? With money entering your pocket while pursuing your passion, definitely, you can stop working.

Let me now draw my line that marks the difference between the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. The line is The Freedom of Choice, in the most general sense.

The phrase "Middle class" is merely a phrase constructed, perhaps socially or politically, with the sole purpose of giving hope and pseudo-status to poly graduates, ITE graduates, any other graduates and ironically, University graduates. Why have our cream got to fight with the supposed lower classes for exactly the same status?

The Middle class is merely an illusion. I reiterate that the only two classes that matters are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

Bourgeoisie has freedom of choice.
Proletariat does not have freedom of choice.

Lastly, there is no point engaging in such academia work if it does not apply to you, my reader.The only way to enter the Bourgeoisie class is to have automatic-income-generating business or investments, which allows you to live the simple scenario as presented above.

I do what I do because I am able to pull my friends and family from the Proletariat into the Bourgeoisie. It is possible to become a Bourgeoisie. You can too.

To be educated

2007-12-03T16:24:00.000-08:00

It is the end of my examinations and I self reflect once again what I have learnt this semester. This post is dedicated to Emerson who is my dear tutee, as well as Samuel Chee. Wrote this in Emerson's notebook on 4th November 2007, and I am reproducing it in full:

Education ==> Educated
What does it mean to be educated?
Life is made up of extensive problem solving.*
If education does not teach you to solve problems, what does it do?
To solve problems = Finding solutions
Therefore, you are adequately educated if you have the means to find solutions.

At Secondary 4 level, you are able to
- Read and Write
- Mathematics
- Minimal exposure to humanities (Which means more is required as at this moment you only memorise what is scripted. You need to critically ponder over what is said in the textbooks)

There are many ways to solve problems. They are:
- Read up by yourself; You can read and write
- Ask people with the relevant knowledge; Communication skills are important here
- Pay others to provide you with the relevant expertise; Something overlooked but may be relevant to you one day

In conclusion, always expect problems to surface. Always expect problems to be of different natures. It is not surprising. Therefore are you capable of sourcing out solutions to solve these problems?

*Samuel Chee, who is one of my best friends in Primary school, said this back then. This statement surfaces to ring in my ears when the going gets tough. Such wisdom.

A beautiful world

2007-11-14T08:19:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Ming Guang, for he understood.

I had my Bahasa Indonesia oral examination today. The sky is dark, gloomy and heavy with moist. Occasional thunderclaps nagged at my subconscious mind, bringing my attention to the impending rain or rather, my impending gloomy mood. However, taking a deep breath of the heavy air, there is a certain peace within me. I relax.

This brings to mind a story I cannot remember who wrote, nor the exact storyline. Nevertheless, I try:
There was an Art painting competition themed "Peace". While most other paintings depicted scenes of nature, greenery and calm rivers, one painting depicted an aeroplane in a thunderstorm. Through a window, a baby sleeps peacefully in its mother's arms.

I take a deep breath again. This is a beautiful world. It is amazing and wonderful. It is powerful. It is artificial.

I write about relationships today, having witnessed another incident where previous friends have split into rival cliques.

I do my best to connect at a simple level, with anyone at all. Simple yet daunting. This simple connection is best illustrated by two best of friends isolated from the rest of society. They will interact mutually without regard for each other's flaws, instead choosing to laugh it away. Person to person; man to man; human to human.

However, Life is never that simple. Consider two groups, each with their own opposing identities created by the group members, themselves. Two individuals, each from the opposing group may have a mutual liking for each other. However, the adherence to the identities creates a strain within these two individuals. Drained of energy, a side is taken, influenced by the identities. Identities are brought to life, not unlike a Man and his thoughts.

The gap between the rich and the poor is widening. I wonder if the day may come when the divide is so great to the extent that the poor refuses money and returns to barter trading. Keeping the scenario simple, a new currency may be created for the poor, by the poor. Money, this inanimate object holds value because it is valued. It is created by Man, and controls Man. Money and Economics are brought to life, not unlike a Man and his thoughts.

A new statute is written by Man, after a man is trialed, having committed an offence unprecedented. Future offenders of the same offence are trialed under the statute. Law is written by Man to control Man. Law is alive.

Bureaucratic redtapes are written by Man to enforce a certain order or efficiency, and tell Man his course of actions. Redtapes is alive.

Political ideology is created by Man. In turn, the ideology tells Man his course of action. Politics is alive.

My dear readers, these powerful "beings" are "real". To challenge them head-on proves impossible. However, they cease to exist when their presence are disregarded. It is a pity when simple and true relationships are destroyed, or prevented from forming, due to barriers created by unnecessary identities.

I take a final deep breath. The only things real are the air I breathe in and the cool breeze on my face; so are my simple connections with my friends and acquaintances.

You create your destiny

2007-11-08T23:20:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to Wanzi, Terry and Alvin.

I had a wonderful Standard Dance partnership with Wanzi. It was perfect. This post traces events backwards to recall how we became partners. I have to do this because I do not understand why most other events in my Life do not turn out as great. More importantly, I am that close to taking this relationship for granted since I cannot even recall how we became partners. Thank you Wanzi :)

It was about 10 months back when I took my first Standard dance class, the Foxtrot. The first lesson was miserable. I was alone and had to borrow someone else's fixed partner. It was extremely awkward. Soon, I found myself a partner for the second and third lesson, after which, due to other commitments she could not continue lessons with me.

I was desperate as I wanted to continue with Foxtrot. Therefore, on the day before the fourth lesson, I literally scampered around the Business canteen for a good 15 minutes looking for Fel, whom I thought might be interested. Running into Ed, he told me I needed to ask Fel's boyfriend. "Heck," I thought, "nothing's going to stop me from getting myself a partner and I am going to at least ask Fel."

And then, I ran into Wanzi.

Just like that.

Two Saturdays back, during lunch, Alvin asked me whether Man can control his destiny, or can't. My answer to him is an affirmative. It is clearly demonstrated by my partnership with Wanzi. I did not merely partner someone. I partnered a dancer who had a background in ballet, who is already highly commended by our Latin dance instructors, and who subsequently is highly commended by our Standard dance instructors.

For the majority, Life is a statistics as it is. Holding a passive role in society, most are controlled by it. How many times have we heard phrases such as "Life's just like that" or "Life sucks"? (By the way, my dear readers, unless your conscious attention has been brought to this problem, your mind is socially constructed by society to think in this manner. Time to start thinking otherwise.)

Here's another incident:

I was rushing off to class one day when I ran into Terry. He is a stranger except that I recognised him from my "Childhood and Youth" tutorial. Thinking that he probably recognised me as well, I decided to greet him with a smile. The smile was reciprocated.

In lecture today, we finally introduced ourselves proper and I was surprised when he mentioned about the greeting which I have long forgotten. It was significant to him because he thought that I was one of the few people who wears a smile, in the sea of indifferent faces in school. We had a great conversation today and I appreciate it lots. I have a new friend in him, just like that, simply because of a positive "misunderstanding". Thank you Terry :)

Of course, I am not active in my own Life to the other extreme, yet, that I am able to tell you whether despite all active actions taken, I am still controlled by fate. In my "Einstein's Universe and Quantum Weirdness" module, I learnt that because I actively chose to do, maybe somewhere else in another Universe, my counterpart, "I", have passively chosen not to do. I cannot imagine the consequences I face now if I had not spent the 15 minutes of extra effort to look for my partner.

Therefore, playing a passive role for too long, I am sure that if you, my dear readers, take an action out of the norm right now, you take the first step to steering your directions in Life. You create your destiny, my friend.

Action

2007-11-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Wilfred. Coincidentally, on the day I decided to write about an sms he sent me on the 31st July 2007, he sent me another of the same positive nature, today. Amazing is the power of fate. Rushed this out to due Wilfred my respect for him.

Waking up on the 31st July 2007, I was pleasantly greeted with an SMS from Wilfred. I have not deleted it. Thank you Wilfred for the SMS :) It is important to me.

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them." - Henry Thoreau

These wise words by Henry Thoreau hold the essence as in:
1. "Begin with the end in mind" by Stephen R. Covey, as well as
2. "Dare to dream", and most importantly
3. Action

These wise words are coined by, followed and practised with fervour by the elites at the top of the hierarchy, wherever the hierarchy may be rooted. Trickling from the top downwards, the quotes are often repeated verbally by the masses. However, they are seldom grasped nor practised with their originality. When results do not match the promises in these quotes, they are dismissed as cliche.

Knowledge is rampant. As per all other hierarchies, great knowledge is few and at the tip of the triangle. Further, in another hierarchy, effective users of knowledge also remain at the top. It is with the unity between great knowledge and action that dreams come true.

I share the quote that Wilfred shared with me because it speaks about action and is great knowledge that I believe in. Your action on this great knowledge about action, my dear readers, will unlock the secret in these open secrets of these successful men, and you will succeed too :)

Beyond statistics

2007-10-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Sunflower.

Thank you Sunflower for sharing your problems with me :) Thank you for sharing the youtube video titled "Bastards bullying Singapore senior citizen" too.

Before my course on Sociology, my reaction would naturally be that of anger against the "bastards". However, now that I have learnt that most people are a product of their environments, it puts me in a dilemma as to who I should side: The old trishaw rider or the caucasians.

Conversely, I can choose to dismiss it as being mere statistics, something that happens all the time and is probably constantly recorded in Sociology class-power relationships etc, research statistics. Likewise, Sunflower, you my readers and I are the same to a stranger: Mere statistics. However, it ceases to be when we look at ourselves from our own perspectives, as well as from our family and friends'. This is because there is enough love vested in us. Vice versa.

You are statistics to a stranger, but to your loved ones and yourselves, you are not. Therefore, lift your family and friends from being mere statistics because you are special and you have the power to intervene.

Don't tell me who isn't coming. Tell me who is!

2007-10-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to Mei Ching.

I appreciate the wonderful dinner we had. I appreciate your messaging me the moment you came back for good, from your overseas studies. Thank you Mei Ching :)

I also appreciate that you shared about your friendship experiences with me. Would like to share this with my family, friends and my readers. Please do remember to look at who is always there for you and not at those who is never there for you. Put yourself into your friends' shoes; your friends who care. If you do not focus on them, the table is now turned on them. They will be looking at you as one of those who never cared, even though you did not intend for it to be so.

Whenever you organise anything, never look out for who isn't coming. Look out for who is!

Love,
Ke Ching

Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

2007-10-26T02:44:00.000-07:00

Had a great lunch with my client and his girlfriend on the 11th October 2007. The three of us major in Sociology. What dominated the bulk of the lunch session is the topic below:

I honestly haven't got an idea what kinds of classes, perceived to exist, are out there in the working world. "Blue collar", "White collar", "Middle", "Lower", "Upper" seems common enough. However, as far as I see it, there are only two classes in society that really matters. They are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

The society's view of classes appears to be as such:

- Upper / Elite
- Middle
- Lower

This is how I view it:

Bourgeoisie:
- Upper / Elite
Proletariat:
- Middle
- Lower

We will now take a look at the middle class, which forms the majority of society. It matters because the majority of the cream of the crop of our schooling system, ie University students, are fighting to enter this class. Examples of vocations or jobs in this class are Teachers, Engineers, Doctors etc. They are indeed a cut above toilet janitors, hawker centre cleaners, construction workers etc. However, I put forth to you the fact that middle class workers have to turn up for work the following day, from 8am to 5pm or 9am to 6pm or any other figures, anyway. This question follows: Have these people the autonomy or freedom of choice to stop working?

In a world where the medium of exchange for goods and services is money, I present to you the following scenario: I swim often. And I swim often enough to imagine money entering my pocket even as I am swimming or taking a dip in the pool. Dear reader, replace the activity with any that is of particular passion/ interest to you. Can you stop working? With money entering your pocket while pursuing your passion, definitely, you can stop working.

Let me now draw my line that marks the difference between the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. The line is The Freedom of Choice, in the most general sense.

The phrase "Middle class" is merely a phrase constructed, perhaps socially or politically, with the sole purpose of giving hope and pseudo-status to poly graduates, ITE graduates, any other graduates and ironically, University graduates. Why have our cream got to fight with the supposed lower classes for exactly the same status?

The Middle class is merely an illusion. I reiterate that the only two classes that matters are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

Bourgeoisie has freedom of choice.
Proletariat does not have freedom of choice.

Lastly, there is no point engaging in such academia work if it does not apply to you, my reader.The only way to enter the Bourgeoisie class is to have automatic-income-generating business or investments, which allows you to live the simple scenario as presented above.

I do what I do because I am able to pull my friends and family from the Proletariat into the Bourgeoisie. It is possible to become a Bourgeoisie. You can too.

Already part of the elites

2007-10-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

Had a joke with Bright tonight that freshies should be getting used to C's in NUS. "Noooooo!!!" he exclaimed.

There is no need for frustration over the inability to score consistent A+'s and A's because University undergraduates and graduates are already part of the elites of society. Being average in University is being the best in society. Therefore, a job is guaranteed for the most average University undergraduates, except in times of harsh economy where most everyone is affected.

Exceeding average-ness, it reveals a particular talent for a particular field. Referring to my earlier post titled "Hardwork", dated 20th October 2007, innate in everyone is a unique ability that can be developed and honed to perfection. For example, a consistent A-taker in the Social Sciences should probably consider a career in the area of Academic research. This is because it is a unique skill, not unlike that of a sniper or dancer. A certain amount of talent is required. Therefore, it is perfectly alright being average in grades, for one is a distinction elsewhere.

In conclusion, while grades are important, they are not everything. My dear readers, please do follow your heart and passion, for you can :)

Having said all these, it is crucial to realise that there are many non-University graduates who succeed and many University graduates who do not. Clear and plain fact. It goes back down to the accumulation of assets**.

** Please refer to my article on "Bourgeoisie and Proletariat", dated 11th October 2007.

Time flies

2007-10-21T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sunday after Sunday. Issue after issue of Fortune magazines. Book after book from Catherine Lim to Frankenstein. From National Service to University.

Tests after tests. Exams after exams from Secondary Two streaming to Prelims. Semester reports after semester reports. Parents' signature; one after another.

Today marks the end of the two and a half years with my tutee. His O Level examination starts tomorrow.

It has been a pleasant experience with him. Six years junior to me in age, he is like another younger brother to me. In fact, I spend more time with him than with some of my best friends.

I wish you all the best, Emerson :)

Hardwork

2007-10-19T23:17:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to my brother and Ai Fung.

When my brother was streamed into Normal (Academic), it was the first time I pondered about the word "hardwork". It is unfair to him to say that:

1. He has failed, because

2. He is lazy.

Looking at my brother's achievement in the Scouting movement till the present day, his position in the committee of his interest group in Temasek Polytechnic, I know my brother is due for success. He stands for everything that takes to become successful: hardwork, determination, perseverance, open mind, the continual honing of leadership skills.

Today, for the first time in a long while, I came head-on with my weaknesses. To reveal that I get B-'s and C's for my Sociology essays hurts, but only a little because I am immediately placed in my brother's shoes. It took me 22 years to experience what my brother experienced at age 15: The social stigma associated with poor grades. He must have suffered alot, being only 15. However, having pulled through and is still in continuous search for himself, I am proud of you my dear brother :)

While there are indeed lazy students in school, lazy people in the society, they only form a minority. It is in my personal belief that most people would love to give of their best, and they do. Singaporeans are by no measure lazy people. What remains is the direction towards which the hardwork should be channelled.

Innate in each and every one of us is a unique skill that we can hone to wonderous perfection. World class footballers and their tricks, sportspersons, military snipers with such amazing accuracy, dancers who make people go, "Wow!", even brilliant academics and scholars with marvelous grades are but only a few examples. My brother will be a great leader. My dear readers, what about you?

Dear Karen

2007-10-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

This is a post dedicated to Karen.

Attended my "Sociology of Education" tutorial today. The discussion was fantastic, with Eunice, someone and I dominating the discussion. I was in a dilemma on what to focus on for this post until I read my best friends E & S's blog. Karen wrote about having to face the working world in a mere two years. Yet she remains directionless at this point in time. Coincidentally, this was something I voiced out about in tutorial today:

In order to illustrate better the "Achievement Ideology", my tutor picked five random students from the ground and asked them what their directions were in life. One replied that she wanted to be an Astronaut (whether it was a joke or not I honestly do not know), and the other four said that they did not know. It is reasonable to believe that of the 25 students in class, at least two-thirds of them are directionless.

Karen, you are not alone :)

However, the problem remains. The number of directionless University undergraduates is alarming. With this many directionless students all around, it makes it simpler for an individual to shrug the problem off without further consideration when his/her peers say, "You are not alone :)". The students remain contented to say, "I don't know." The immediate consequence is that such self-fulfilling prophecy and social reinforcement of such negative ideas reinforces social inequality.

Therefore, during tutorial, I argued that with so many fellow students directionless sitting in my class there and then, it only takes me to be sure of my path and goals to be a cut above the rest. Whether it incurred everyone's wrath I do not know. Let us keep the argument simple. The social hierarchy is such that it has a small triangular point at the top consisting of the elites. If the majority says, "I don't know," then the minorities must be saying, "I know."

Realising where the line is, it is possible Karen and you, my dear readers, to enter the equal side of inequality. Cliche as it may sound, I draw my line of equality for you: Dare to Dream! And as atrociously as possible. Negative actions begins with negative thoughts. Positive actions follow positive thoughts. A fair analogy would be writing an essay. In order to determine a direction, you must throw in as many ideas onto the paper as possible. Some are dumb, some are stupid, some are worthless. So you think. Upon looking back, they may be great ideas after all. Ideas out of the box. Upon determining a direction, begin with your end in mind.

Dear Karen, you are capable of growing so fast in thought and in action that allows you to comfort our peers, and create values in their lives, beyond that of merely saying, "You are not alone :)" And you are capable too, my dear readers.

Karen, in the same shoes as you, I would like to be as free as possible. And I see my future self swimming, still with money entering my pocket as I swim, as free from worries as an undergraduate now. My end is that simple, and am working my way there. You can too :)

Love,
Ke Ching

A simple comment

2007-10-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

I sat through my "Sociology of Education" lecture today, and the topic was on Sports Education. My lecturer gave an example about how a sportsperson representing Singapore would receive $1 million from the state if he/she became a Gold medallist in the Olympics. Rounding off this example, she said, "$1 million from the state. It is alot. But (how about) over Life?" Most students laughed. It was a smart joke, or was it not?

I probably left the lecture with less than what I should on Sports Education. However, I left the lecture theatre with a few important lessons from the particular example stated above. These are the issues that arise as a result from the lecturer making a statement such as above:

1. The lecturer has an authority over students in terms of knowledge pertaining to her expertise, which is Education and its impacts on society. There is a problem when this authority spills over into areas beyond her expertise, and in this case on wealth management. She is clearly wrong and I will demonstrate why later.

2. The lecturer has indirectly sent out the message that even "striking a windfall" is of no use. This further implies that one has to work for the rest of his/her life, in vain. It has an air of pessimism.

3. Subtle messages such as those above are subconsciously accepted by the students.

4. This is another example of how powerful the school serves as an institution that restricts social mobility and reinforces inequality.

I believe why my lecturer thinks that $1 million is unable to last a lifetime is because of economic problems such as that of inflation. She probably hints a little about an alteration of lifestyle to that of luxury, I do not know. However, I beg to differ. Consider this simple scenario:

I put the $1 million into a well diversified portfolio** which yields an annual return of 5%. This is a figure that is sustainable in the long term.

$1,000,000 X 0.05 = $50,000/yr = $4167/mth

This is monthly income for no work done. Note also that the $1 million is still present.

Clearly, my lecturer speaks from the point of view of a spender, rather than a money-saavy investor. Without an intention to mislead, my lecturer's simple and seemingly harmless comment is that capable of reinforcing wrong perceptions about investments. What about statements such as these:

1. I just lost $______.

2. Investments is risky.

3. I am not interested in such things.

These are rife. Instead of engaging in such a topic with people whose vocabulary on investments are as such, seek those out who are financially literate and a whole new world of possibilities will open up before you. If there are financially illiterate people, there must be those who can take you to wealth you never knew you had.

Finally, a simple comment as above is capable of reinforcing a whole audience's social positions, unless their conscious attentions are brought to this problem. My dear reader, please do remember that words are this powerful, and be consciously selective of what you digest.

**It is important to note that acquiring assets for strategic long term purposes and speculation are two different things. The latter is gambling. The former is what should be done, ie through discipline, system and consistency.

Dear Sharon

2007-10-12T22:14:00.000-07:00

I agree with you that most people are nice, except certain conditions prevent others from interacting at that simple level. I also agree with Alicia : )

alicia: anyway, nice post on human r/ships (: so totally agree with you. especially the last line too! hahaha!

Most certainly hope it was just a short, low period in your life that sparked you off into your post. There are times when we doubt ourselves and our genuine-ness, but with regards to whether you should hate yourself or not, there isn't a need to. No one should hate you too.

1. It takes a crook to catch a crook.

2. In Arts training, in order to arrive at the "truth", you have to read widely from differing points of view, both "negative" and "positive".

Lastly, I quote from King James Bible (John 8:7)
3. "So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

In order to know what is "correct", sometimes you need to know what is "wrong". I believe you hold knowledge to both sides of the fence and you do your best to remain in the "correct" side. If at any point in time you did something that was not quite you because you weren't in a condition to act rationally, please don't blame yourself. Any normal person can identify with you. Smile!

Love,
Ke Ching

Speaking Good English

2007-10-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

I recall an interesting lecture from my "Sociology of Education" module. I learnt that there are a few kinds of capitals that each person possess. They are: Economic Capital, Cultural Capital and Social Capital.

Economic Capital, we will leave aside for the time being. It quite literally means money and all income generating assets. At present moment, you either have it, or you don't. We touch on this later.

There was a particular 10-mins period during the lecture when we were given a juxtaposition between English and Singlish. It was hilarious! This is one particular example that was the most impressionable and the only one that I can remember, goes something like that:

Scenario: There are many people in front of you and you have to walk through the crowd.

British: Excuse me Sir/Ma'am. I would like to get across, could you make way for me please?

Singlish: Paiseh / Sorry / Siam! / SKIUS!

Laugh! The whole lecture burst out in laughter! However, before we get drowned in the fun, we have to sober ourselves and think of the lesson behind it. This is a module on Education, and Education is a topic that is intrinsically linked to the word "success". This is an example of Cultural Capital. English educated, English educated, English educated. We have heard this phrase a gazillion times. The issue in our refusal, or inability, to use "proper English" is not about compromising the closeness between us Singaporeans. The issue lies in our lack of possession of the Cultural Capital that enables us to move up the socio-economic ladder.

I believe each of us have our own experiences of being able to form close friendships with some, and merely be acquainted with others. "Birds of the same feathers flock together". How about rephrasing it "People of the same Cultural Capital come together". This leads us to Social Capital.

Social Capital is the social network that you possess, ie who you hang out with. Pageant competitors, models and celebrities dominantly hang around with each other precisely because they possess similar cultural capital. An example would be the similarity in the level of attention they receive from the public. How about "nerds"? Scholars? Businessmen who have a similar thirst for the risks and excitement involved in business? What is the Cultural Capital that you possess? Look around you. "You are who your friends are".

Economic capital is the most obvious capital. It matters to most people and ranges from basic subsistence to a lifestyle of luxury. Once again, you either have it or you don't.

I have a friend who commented upon seeing one of our fellow students drive off in his Mini Cooper from the school carpark, "Basket, our school has so many Ah Seah Kia (rich kids)."

I replied, "You always look at the car and not the reason why they can afford to."

His reply was, "The reason, you will know the moment you are born."

Most definitely, I had to correct my reply by asking him to look at how the Ah Seah Kia's dads or grand-dads became prosperous.

Looking around you, are you in the company of the rich or people living from paycheck to paycheck? You may or may not be rich even though in the company of the rich (Let us be more specific. It is easier to understand when I mean self-made rich and not those born with a silver spoon in the mouth). Now, I put forth to you that if you already are, you possess the qualities that will take you to prosperity, just like how it took your peers to it. The question now lies in whether your conscious attention has been brought to these qualities that will allow you to do something about it.

Economic Capital, Cultural Capital and Social Capital are closely linked with each other. Too closely. There is no saying which capital will lead to the further development of the next capital. The causality can be in all directions. Personally, I do not possess the Economic Capital. Therefore, my strategy is to explore and acquire qualities that will allow myself to associate with the successful and great men.

Success I will attain one day. When I do, and when people ask why, the best indicator will be the Great people around me, themselves. And why am I able to surround myself with these Great people? It lies in the positive habits I seek to form today. This most definitely includes eliminating the "ahs" and "lahs" from my conversations. What are the positive habits you will form today?

Bourgeoisie and Proletariat

2007-10-11T07:55:00.000-07:00

Had a great lunch with my client and his girlfriend this afternoon. The three of us major in Sociology. What dominated the bulk of the lunch session is the topic below:

I honestly haven't got an idea what kinds of classes, perceived to exist, are out there in the working world. "Blue collar", "White collar", "Middle", "Lower", "Upper" seems common enough. However, as far as I see it, there are only two classes in society that really matters. They are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

The society's view of classes appears to be as such:

- Upper / Elite
- Middle
- Lower

This is how I view it:

Bourgeoisie:
- Upper / Elite
Proletariat:
- Middle
- Lower

We will now take a look at the middle class, which forms the majority of society. It matters because the majority of the cream of the crop of our schooling system, ie University students, are fighting to enter this class. Examples of vocations or jobs in this class are Teachers, Engineers, Doctors etc. They are indeed a cut above toilet janitors, hawker centre cleaners, construction workers etc. However, I put forth to you the fact that middle class workers have to turn up for work the following day, from 8am to 5pm or 9am to 6pm or any other figures, anyway. This question follows: Have these people the autonomy or freedom of choice to stop working?

In a world where the medium of exchange for goods and services is money, I present to you the following scenario: I swim often. And I swim often enough to imagine money entering my pocket even as I am swimming or taking a dip in the pool. Dear reader, replace the activity with any that is of particular passion/ interest to you. Can you stop working? With money entering your pocket while pursuing your passion, definitely, you can stop working.

Let me now draw my line that marks the difference between the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat. The line is The Freedom of Choice, in the most general sense.

The phrase "Middle class" is merely a phrase constructed, perhaps socially or politically, with the sole purpose of giving hope and pseudo-status to poly graduates, ITE graduates, any other graduates and ironically, University graduates. Why have our cream got to fight with the supposed lower classes for exactly the same status?

The Middle class is merely an illusion. I reiterate that the only two classes that matters are the Bourgeoisie and Proletariat.

Bourgeoisie has freedom of choice.
Proletariat does not have freedom of choice.

Lastly, there is no point engaging in such academia work if it does not apply to you, my reader.
The only way to enter the Bourgeoisie class is to have automatic-income-generating business or investments, which allows you to live the simple scenario as presented above.

I do what I do because I am able to pull my friends and family from the Proletariat into the Bourgeoisie. It is possible to become a Bourgeoisie. You can too.