In August and July 2007, I was asked several questions on Facebook. Here are some of those questions and my answers.
Virtual Recruitment: Is this the next big thing for recruiters?
In my last job, I was recruited virtually. Everything was conducted and concluded by e-mail!
What role would you play in an adventuring band?
I'd be the non-musician turned adventurer!
Best place you have ever visited?
Mount Cook, New Zealand.
Would you kiss on a 1st date?
The lawyerly reply would be - it depends!
What is one thing you always carry with you?
Mobile phone.
Lee Kuan Yew - man, metaphor or hologram?
None of the above! Son of God because at the 1988 Singapore National Day Rally, Lee said, "Even from my sick bed, even if you are going to lower me into the grave and I feel something is going wrong, I will get up.”
Who should pay on the first date?
Three ways to do it:
a. The one who asks for the bill.
b. The one who asks for the date.
c. Split it if you don't want to see the other person again!
What is the one thing I should always carry with me?
A mask!
What is the point of God?
Then, you don't get the point.
How can it be any other way?
Because that's what having a choice is all about!
Happiness
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Friday, October 05, 2007
More Time For Public Response
The Ministry of Trade & Industry, Singapore, has responded to my letter concerning the short period of consultation for the proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act through The Straits Times.
It has extended the period of consultation. Its response is below.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
******
(Source: The Straits Times Forum, 5 October 2007)
Public consultation extended to Oct 26
We refer to the letter, 'Why only 10 working days for feedback?' (ST, Oct 3).
The proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act and subsidiary legislation arose from the taskforce that reviewed the Act. The taskforce had considered inputs from various sources in the course of its work. At the same time, we have broached the proposed amendments with consumer and industry organisations when developing the taskforce's recommendations.
Notwithstanding this, we will extend the period of public consultation to Oct 26 in order to give more parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed amendments.
We thank the writer for his feedback.
Lim Bee Khim (Ms)
Director
Corporate Communications
for Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
It has extended the period of consultation. Its response is below.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
******
(Source: The Straits Times Forum, 5 October 2007)
Public consultation extended to Oct 26
We refer to the letter, 'Why only 10 working days for feedback?' (ST, Oct 3).
The proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act and subsidiary legislation arose from the taskforce that reviewed the Act. The taskforce had considered inputs from various sources in the course of its work. At the same time, we have broached the proposed amendments with consumer and industry organisations when developing the taskforce's recommendations.
Notwithstanding this, we will extend the period of public consultation to Oct 26 in order to give more parties the opportunity to comment on the proposed amendments.
We thank the writer for his feedback.
Lim Bee Khim (Ms)
Director
Corporate Communications
for Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Trade and Industry
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
Monday, October 01, 2007
Dealing with errant library members
LETTER SENT TO THE STRAITS TIMES (SINGAPORE), THE NEW PAPER(SINGAPORE) AND TODAY (SINGAPORE) ON 1 OCTOBER 2007
The National Library Board (NLB) in Singapore has implemented a programme to recover more than $5 million in overdue fines from some 800,000 library members.
This has prompted varied reactions from such errants users.
In some cases, the overdue fines relate to books borrowed several years ago.
Plus, some $3.5 million have been written off "for amounts greater than $6 that have been outstanding for more than five years belonging to library members who were not contactable, for foreigners who have left the country and for users who have since died".
The NLB can learn from this and put in place measures to swiftly recover such debts.
Where debts are written off or users fail to pay despite repeated reminders, the NLB should not hesitate to list such users on the databases of credit bureaus. This will affect the credit standing of those live users who seek access to credit facilities and may encourage them to clear their debts with NLB.
Separately, in other cases, "the cost of recovering the money (postage and printing charges) is a lot more than what" is owed by the user. The National Library Board has said that the estimated operating cost of this recovery exercise is "less than 1 per cent of the amount to be recovered".
By not returning the books promptly, these errant users are doing a great disservice to others who equally deserve the benefit of such public services. They are being absolutely selfish by depriving others of the gift of knowledge.
For these reasons, one can perhaps question why the National Library Board should even bear the estimated operating cost of this recovery exercise. In fact, this cost should be charged to and recovered from such users who fail to pay on time, either in the form of a late payment fee or interest charged for late payment of fines.
I welcome the steps taken by NLB to recover the amounts owed by members of the library. I hope it will take up some of my ideas and that the amounts recovered will be used to improve library services in Singapore.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
The National Library Board (NLB) in Singapore has implemented a programme to recover more than $5 million in overdue fines from some 800,000 library members.
This has prompted varied reactions from such errants users.
In some cases, the overdue fines relate to books borrowed several years ago.
Plus, some $3.5 million have been written off "for amounts greater than $6 that have been outstanding for more than five years belonging to library members who were not contactable, for foreigners who have left the country and for users who have since died".
The NLB can learn from this and put in place measures to swiftly recover such debts.
Where debts are written off or users fail to pay despite repeated reminders, the NLB should not hesitate to list such users on the databases of credit bureaus. This will affect the credit standing of those live users who seek access to credit facilities and may encourage them to clear their debts with NLB.
Separately, in other cases, "the cost of recovering the money (postage and printing charges) is a lot more than what" is owed by the user. The National Library Board has said that the estimated operating cost of this recovery exercise is "less than 1 per cent of the amount to be recovered".
By not returning the books promptly, these errant users are doing a great disservice to others who equally deserve the benefit of such public services. They are being absolutely selfish by depriving others of the gift of knowledge.
For these reasons, one can perhaps question why the National Library Board should even bear the estimated operating cost of this recovery exercise. In fact, this cost should be charged to and recovered from such users who fail to pay on time, either in the form of a late payment fee or interest charged for late payment of fines.
I welcome the steps taken by NLB to recover the amounts owed by members of the library. I hope it will take up some of my ideas and that the amounts recovered will be used to improve library services in Singapore.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Why so little time for consumer protection public consultation?
LETTER SENT TO THE STRAITS TIMES (SINGAPORE) AND THE BUSINESS TIMES (SINGAPORE) ON 30 SEPTEMBER 2007
A public consultation was launched for proposed amendments to consumer protection legislation last Friday.
If the amendments eventually make it into legislation, the changes will affect millions of consumers in Singapore. One can reasonably argue that it will be a step forward for human rights in Singapore since the consumer will now enjoy wider protection.
At the same time, compliance with the legislation may mean higher expenses for consumer-centric businesses in Singapore, especially the financial services sector that will be affected uniquely by these changes.
Yet, for such an important piece of legislation, the Ministry of Trade & Industry has only permitted a mere 10 working days for members of the public, including interest groups, businesses and others affected by the legislation, to respond to the changes.
This leads one to question the sincerity of this exercise. How serious is the relevant law-maker about incorporating public feedback into the exercise?
And even if one can justify the law-maker is serious, the short time period is extraordinary and appears irrational.
Most public consultations - especially those that impact millions of Singaporeans - are held over at least one whole month. If the changes are controversial, such as the one we are seeing in the case of the longevity insurance scheme, a longer time period for public consulation is given.
The Ministry of Trade & Industry should extend the period of public consultation. If not, it should provide compelling reasons to support the exceptionally short time period of public consultation.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
A public consultation was launched for proposed amendments to consumer protection legislation last Friday.
If the amendments eventually make it into legislation, the changes will affect millions of consumers in Singapore. One can reasonably argue that it will be a step forward for human rights in Singapore since the consumer will now enjoy wider protection.
At the same time, compliance with the legislation may mean higher expenses for consumer-centric businesses in Singapore, especially the financial services sector that will be affected uniquely by these changes.
Yet, for such an important piece of legislation, the Ministry of Trade & Industry has only permitted a mere 10 working days for members of the public, including interest groups, businesses and others affected by the legislation, to respond to the changes.
This leads one to question the sincerity of this exercise. How serious is the relevant law-maker about incorporating public feedback into the exercise?
And even if one can justify the law-maker is serious, the short time period is extraordinary and appears irrational.
Most public consultations - especially those that impact millions of Singaporeans - are held over at least one whole month. If the changes are controversial, such as the one we are seeing in the case of the longevity insurance scheme, a longer time period for public consulation is given.
The Ministry of Trade & Industry should extend the period of public consultation. If not, it should provide compelling reasons to support the exceptionally short time period of public consultation.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Book Review: From Leonard To Leona
Over the years, women I have encountered in the course of my life have told me that child-bearing is the most intense experience that a woman will ever have - it inflicts extreme pain and its fruit is immensely satisfying.
For the transsexual, that same experience is the journey from manhood from womanhood (or vice versa).
Indeed, most of us know a lot about motherhood but very little about the life of being a daughter without the capacity to ever really be a mother.
It was this desire to learn more that prompted me to invest in a copy of Leona Lo's book, From Leonard to Leona: a Singapore transsexual's journey to womanhood.
But I was totally unpreprared for the emotional roller-coaster that I'd be going on.
While it is possible to read this book in one sitting, the sheer amount of emotions and personalities running through this book immobilised me such that I had to read this book over three sittings, with a day's break in between each.
There is the student who never finds a place among friends. There is the Christian search for truth. There is the child sexually abused. There is the grandson, nephew brother and son that never was. There is also the patient that undergoes an invasive life-threatening surgery.
There are the incomplete lovers. There are the cynical cold public servants. There are the sucky systems of society.
Simply put, there was just too much to swallow!
In spite of all these, the character that is Leona prevails or perhaps, more appropriately, unveils herself in her unique blend of humour and horror.
Leonard Lo's journey to be Leona Lo is a landmark contribution to the understanding of a lesser-known community in Singapore; a class of people within a class that the armed forces of this country has bastardised as "302".
Its premise has a familiar famishness that many a minority will relate to. Its ending has a sweet success that many a freedom fighter will relish.
From Leonard To Leona is a soulful story of hope and promise that should be read.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
For the transsexual, that same experience is the journey from manhood from womanhood (or vice versa).
Indeed, most of us know a lot about motherhood but very little about the life of being a daughter without the capacity to ever really be a mother.
It was this desire to learn more that prompted me to invest in a copy of Leona Lo's book, From Leonard to Leona: a Singapore transsexual's journey to womanhood.
But I was totally unpreprared for the emotional roller-coaster that I'd be going on.
While it is possible to read this book in one sitting, the sheer amount of emotions and personalities running through this book immobilised me such that I had to read this book over three sittings, with a day's break in between each.
There is the student who never finds a place among friends. There is the Christian search for truth. There is the child sexually abused. There is the grandson, nephew brother and son that never was. There is also the patient that undergoes an invasive life-threatening surgery.
There are the incomplete lovers. There are the cynical cold public servants. There are the sucky systems of society.
Simply put, there was just too much to swallow!
In spite of all these, the character that is Leona prevails or perhaps, more appropriately, unveils herself in her unique blend of humour and horror.
Leonard Lo's journey to be Leona Lo is a landmark contribution to the understanding of a lesser-known community in Singapore; a class of people within a class that the armed forces of this country has bastardised as "302".
Its premise has a familiar famishness that many a minority will relate to. Its ending has a sweet success that many a freedom fighter will relish.
From Leonard To Leona is a soulful story of hope and promise that should be read.
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Doing The Impossible
Walt Disney once said, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible."
To those who have been wondering why this blog has been at a standstill for a few weeks now, that's exactly what I have been up to!
I am now back in school (since mid-August). I am pursuing a mandatory postgraduate diploma at a Singapore university. This is a course for legally-trained persons desiring Singapore court access rights.
The experience at the Singapore university is proving to be a uniquely Singapore experience, and I will certainly write more about this in time to come. But just to give an indication of what it's like -- three weeks into term, I had to get ready for an exam! It just ended a couple of days back and holidays are next week, so I can afford to take a breather.
In addition to the opportunites in school, I am working about 2 days a week. And amidst all these, I have had to make time for loved ones. So it is no surprise that I have had to minimise what I can share on this blog.
Nevertheless, the opportunity not to write here has been great, it's given me lots of time to reflect about the future of this blog, even with all these "happenings". Don't worry, I am not about to kill this blog. I still think this is an important space for developing one's thoughts and, it remains at least to me, a positive avenue for learning!
I was told of a trend that people are closing down their blogs but I guess that happens with all new things - once its novelty appears to wane, it is only normal for people to abandon certain preferences for other more exciting stuff.
To me, this only shows how impossible it is becoming to upkeep a blog and, yes, as someone once said, "it's kind of fun to do the impossible"!
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
To those who have been wondering why this blog has been at a standstill for a few weeks now, that's exactly what I have been up to!
I am now back in school (since mid-August). I am pursuing a mandatory postgraduate diploma at a Singapore university. This is a course for legally-trained persons desiring Singapore court access rights.
The experience at the Singapore university is proving to be a uniquely Singapore experience, and I will certainly write more about this in time to come. But just to give an indication of what it's like -- three weeks into term, I had to get ready for an exam! It just ended a couple of days back and holidays are next week, so I can afford to take a breather.
In addition to the opportunites in school, I am working about 2 days a week. And amidst all these, I have had to make time for loved ones. So it is no surprise that I have had to minimise what I can share on this blog.
Nevertheless, the opportunity not to write here has been great, it's given me lots of time to reflect about the future of this blog, even with all these "happenings". Don't worry, I am not about to kill this blog. I still think this is an important space for developing one's thoughts and, it remains at least to me, a positive avenue for learning!
I was told of a trend that people are closing down their blogs but I guess that happens with all new things - once its novelty appears to wane, it is only normal for people to abandon certain preferences for other more exciting stuff.
To me, this only shows how impossible it is becoming to upkeep a blog and, yes, as someone once said, "it's kind of fun to do the impossible"!
Happiness,
Dharmendra Yadav
Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)