I Passed my IPPT

It's the time of the year again for guys - IPPT (for those of you ladies or foreigners who are not too literate in Singaporean acronyms, it stands for Individual Physical Proficiency Test, a test that all local guys with National Service liabilities have to pass every year before their next birthday).

Just missed a point to qualify for the $100 incentive award! Damn, if only my abdominal muscles have been more enterprising at the sit-up station (Needed 39 sit-ups to qualify for 5 pts, I did 37 and ended up with 4 pts). Overall, I am pretty satisfied that I had cleared this obstacle for the year, eradicating any fears of being "awarded" the time-consuming RT (Remedial Training). :P

Sigh.... gone were the days when I could run 2.4km within 11 mins. Now I can only clock 12 mins 18 secs albeit with consistent pacing. Those of you who have known me since JC or army days would have noticed the decline in my physical fitness with a lateral increase in my physical shape. :P I had intended to train for Gold this year, but I am still pleased that I managed to pull through this test with eleventh hour training. I will try to qualify for at least a Silver award next year, though. :-) You readers be witnesses to my word!

Bayfront Integrated Resort set at S$1.2b

The Singapore Gahmen has just priced the initial bid offering of the IR project at Marina Bay for a hefty S$1.2b. Bidders alert!

When the IR proposal was inducted earlier this year, the casino compartment sparked off a series of controversial debates over concerns of moral leadership, religious indignity and social afflictions. Religious groups, in particular, the local Christians and Muslims, voiced their abhorrence towards gambling - often depicted as an active denial of God's material plans for His people. There was also a sizeable population of our folks in favor of the project, citing it as a propulsion engine for the future of our economy. The Gahmen elected to approve of the proposal and reiterated their assurance that it would implement measures to prevent our garden city from a progressive meltdown into a degenerated betting hub.

My initial stance on this IR proposal was that it was detrimental to our society, which emphasized strong ethics and collective unity. Wouldn't the presence of casinos be contrarian to the utopia that we had been attempting to build over the past forty years? Besides, it is no secret that gambling has resulted in the destruction of family units through history. Profitability and economic incentives should not be uprooting our ethics.

On hindsight, however, I also realized that I was being naively idealistic to have borne such sentiments. Suppose Singapore had eventually opted to scrap the casino proposal, great, we'll probably have stoppered a potential inlet for habitual gambling. Religious groups would be appeased, and social normity would resume.

However, what if other cosmopolitan cities such as KL, Shanghai and even Bangkok decided that they would relish a chunk of the global casino pie? This could result in a decline in our charisma and tourism arena, as Singapore would be no better described as a mundane skyscraper city with two 'durians', a beautiful airport (who cares?) and an overwhelming presence of HDB pigeonholes? I may be stretching it, but what if the absence of a casino industry really hits us in the long run? Livelihood may be impacted to a certain extent, and we may even experience a gradual recession since tourism contributes a significant proportion to our GDP. I guess this is where we have to strike a balance between pragmatism and moralism. :-)