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Every now and then, we share some thoughts on what’s happening in Singapore.
It could be the latest viral video, or some social media spat, or an incident that rekindles our hope in humanity. These incidents don’t have to big, but the impact they leave aren’t exactly small either.
Whatever the case, people are talking about it. And we don’t want you to miss it.
So, here’s a kind take on what’s happening in Singapore in the week leading up to Feb 7.
What would you do?
Healthcare workers help patients, right? That’s their job, isn’t it?
So why would someone quote unquote “feel the spirit of humanity” that prompted her to post a heartwarming video of almost 40 KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) medical staff rushing to help an unnamed woman outside the hospital premises on Feb 3?
I mean, would you post a video of an SCDF firefighter in action or a policeman catching a thief?
Actually, hmm, now that you mention it… yes, yes I would.
But there is more to this than just curious rubbernecking at some drama happening near you.
Anyone doing their duty, especially when that responsibility is to make our society a better, safer place, is a good thing.
But it is doing it with verve and a sense of purpose that takes it to the next level.
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We all have jobs, but there’s a difference between doing the bare minimum and going above and beyond the call of duty.
I believe that we are drawn to these incidents because they fan the spark of heroism in us. When the time comes, we all want to do the right thing. It is at that moment of crisis that our instinctive response shows our inherent character.
These KKH healthcare workers were rushing to help a stranger. That makes them heroes in my book. If in a similar situation, what would you do?
An argument against scalping
The scalpers are back.
As international music acts and large-scale events return in our post-pandemic recovery economy, resellers are snapping up tickets to gigs and hawking them at exorbitant prices to unsuspecting or more often, desperate fans.
Apparently, it is normal, say experts, because resale serves an “important economic purpose of getting the price right and distributing the good or service to the party that values it the most”.
Whether it is K-pop girl group Blackpink tickets or entry passes to esports events like Dota 2’s The International, fans are willing to pay top dollar to see their stars in action.
You snooze, you lose, right? If you want it bad enough, you better make sure your fingers are the fastest, else cough up the moolah to buy out those who beat you to the punch. Sorry darling, don’t hate the player, hate the game.
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But is it fair? Why can’t we change the game then?
Unlike some other countries, Singapore does not have any laws to limit profit margins for ticket resales, according to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).
Educate the buyer, and let the market determine the price, seems to be the approach.
But is it fair to genuine fans if professional resellers, especially ones that employ bots and what not for an unfair advantage, snap up tickets the moment they go online?
Getting tickets to see your favourite band or sporting event should be a joyous occasion, not one tinged with buyer’s regret.
I believe there’s no simple solution to this, but as governments overseas have shown, there are ways to approach it that ensures consumer fairness while maintaining market flexibility.
Let’s explore that.
Chinese New Year highs and lows
Chinese New Year has just passed, and amid the usual videos of feasting with friends and family (yay to the first year of no pandemic restrictions!), there were some clips that caught our attention.
There’s that one about a young woman who called out a retail outlet to be more size-inclusive after the clothes that she bought without trying didn’t fit her. On one hand, I understand her frustration; on the other, whose responsibility is it to ensure that clothes fit the wearer?
Nevertheless, it’s an indication about the world that we live in that a consumer can get such a quick reply to her concerns – just post a video. Forget feedback forms, this is the fastest way to get a response from a brand!
@retroridersg Every Chinese new year whenever I miss my late grandma, I would come to google map and she will be there. miss you grandma. #fyp #foryoupage #coldplayyellow #cny2023 #grandma ♬ original sound – Lariexxx
But the video that really hit me in the feels was this clip posted by a TikTok user retroridersg, who wrote that every time he missed their late grandma, he would search for “840 Hougang Central” and get the Google Street View of a kindly looking elderly woman standing by the roadside, waiting to cross the road with her plastic bags of groceries.
Not going to lie, I watched that 14 second clip more times than I normally would have.
Festive periods are occasions to celebrate with friends and family, and these are times of great cheer. But we’ve all lost people too, and memories of these loved ones lurk in the middle of these special moments. These thoughts sneak up on us out of nowhere. Suddenly, you get hit by a dull ache in your heart, sometimes even while the music is going on, and it is an oddly familiar sensation – sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter – but always painful.
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Maybe that’s why that’s the clip that stayed with me through the 15 days of CNY festivities.
It’s a reminder for me to appreciate those still in my life. And not wait to depend on photographs, videos or even a Google Street View image to try to hold on to a vestige of a memory.
Something to remember him by
Feb 4 is World Cancer Day and Assisi Hospice shared a touching story of 76-year-old Michael Lee, who has pancreatic cancer.
After joining Assisi’s daycare programme and learning how to craft leather items, he decided to make a leather totebag for his wife of 48 years, because “she would just grab a plastic bag for carrying things when she went out, so I wanted to make her something that is attractive, durable and practical”.
He worked on the bag for two to three times a week for two months, measuring and cutting the leather, punching holes and stitching the bag together, just in time to give it to her for Christmas.
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It was his simple comment that got me: “You need a lot of strength to pull tight when you hand stitch the bag, so that it will be durable. I may not have strength to make another one. I hope that she can keep this bag as a remembrance.”
Working through pain and hospital visits, to make his wife something nice that she can use, and so that she can remember him when he is gone.
Now if that’s not an example of love for all of us to emulate, I don’t know what is.
What do you think of these stories? Do you have your own hot take on something that happened to you, or around you? If you have any stories of kindness, or thoughts to share, tell us, we would love to hear them!
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