The Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s concert on Thursday night (27Jul23) was, as it always is, a treat beyond compare. The simple and crystal clear violin playing by Chloe Chua is a treat of truth not always exhibited by other great players. A minor, trivial event took place. If the story seems somewhat self-laudatory please forgive me.…
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Roughly half the messages we receive about life suggest that we should think more carefully about ourselves. The other half say that we will feel fulfilled and happy only if we think primarily about other people. Is either true? Well, obviously, up to a point, both are. We are born with a survival instinct which,…
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Nobody should be alone, ever. In our lifetimes many of us will feel lonely, often briefly, sometimes frequently, occasionally always. There are nearly 10bn people on earth, so the concept of loneliness is theoretically absurd. Those who feel lonely know what it means to them, usually cannot express it, employ the feeling to dig into…
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No apologies for coming back to this disastrous episode in Britain’s poor international record of the last few years. Britain was an empire. It no longer is. The days of empire may have been glorious or they may have been shabby. In fact, they were both. But they are over. They have been over since…
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You don’t need me to explain to you that some things you ought to do are really difficult to start – and even harder to finish. Preparing for events that you don’t look forward to by making a will, getting your piles of rubbish in order (means, throwing away) to allow for redecoration, making an…
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I am grateful for additional thoughts by Eliza Quek It is impossible to avoid taking sides in the Russia-Ukraine war. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not in dispute but some people think that Ukraine’s separation from the USSR and her plea to join NATO constituted a provocation worthy of military action. The – now wearisome…
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No this is not the latest Hoppy-Comms App. It is a concern that uneducated comms leadto fakes – even ‘fake fakes’ – and dangerously distorted emotions, generated by excess. Peoplewho want to do you harm excite your anxieties, making you unguarded and vulnerable. Trumpuses the technique all the time and looks like an idiot for…
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Dedicated to the memory of APAC’s Founder Mr Foo See Luan By Eliza Quek, Co-Founder, Terrific Mentors International Pte Ltd Former Chair, Research and First Vice President APAC You cannot read any journal, newspaper or google without coming across AI in the age of IOT (Internet of Things). Generative AI and the speed of technological…
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Dear Cousins and your offspring, friends and neighbours – too many to name each… Your generosity to our family in Britain during WWII was only the first sign of a loving, delightful group of relations in Minnesota, United States. My American mother, Agnes, died at thirty-four, when I was fifteen months old and my sister,…
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The Chinese Premier, Li Qiang, criticised “the politicisation of economic issues” at the Summer Davos. He is right to raise the subject. Economics, in a world where global trade is vital to any semblance of stability, should not become the weapons of cold wars. Starvation is as wicked as nuclear destruction and can become even…
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