Critical Smoking session in session

Today I was struck by the simplicity of a statement made by one of the great minds of the past.

I encountered the readings of French sociologist Jean Baudrillard while studying postmodernism in advertising in the UK, and I have to admit that back then there was so much stuff to read I just kind of skimmed his works. But today an artist I met shared this quote from one of his books, "Simulcra and Simulations".

"We live in a world where there is more and more information, and less and less meaning."

I'm sure if we actually pause to think about this statement, we will start to realise that there is so much information out there these days that we struggle to comprehend all of it. He talks about how information actually starts to devour its own content because of how it is staged. There is so much information fighting for our attention that it loses its inherent meaning.

I went online to read more about his works. Then the irony is, there was so much information out there, I actually stopped reading because I got overwhelmed.

Sorry readers, if you were expecting a long discourse on postmodernism and the state of being, I have to admit I just enjoy messing with your minds. However, as a consolation, I have left you with a good quote you can use to smoke less learned people.

When the bottom line may not always be the most obvious solution.

While reading Channel NewsAsia, I saw this article that was posted on the 23rd of January. link

It was about how Minister in PMO Mrs Lim Hwee Hua suggested that Medisave be used for breast cancer screening. However, while speaking at a breast screening event on Saturday, Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan disagreed with the suggestion.

He said "My general rule of thumb is this - anything less than S$100 - S$20, S$30 - please pay out of your own pocket.

"I think Medisave should be reserved for big bills. So let's don't abuse Medisave. This is not to say I'm against (using) Medisave for screening, because some screenings can be very expensive."

His feedback is from this article here. link

I do understand Mr Khaw's logic. He is afraid that people will abuse the system. However, I personally think it is very unlikely that women will abuse the system in this case because really, how many times would women want to get a mammogram. I don't think it's very comfortable, and like a dental checkup, you don't exactly need it everyday. Plus I think they have better things to do.

However, I'm really surprised at how no one has voiced any strong feedback on how they might disagree with Mr Khaw's view. I think it is the result of having sat back and assuming that the government gets everything right for too long. Singaporeans are now like Chew Chor Meng in the following picture.

But I digress.

I actually think that it's a good idea that Medisave be used for this, because it would actually encourage all women to come forward and get screened, especially those from poorer families. This will eventually lead to cost savings for the government, because cancers would be caught earlier. A mammogram costs $25-50 when subsidised, and the cost of treatment from cancer is easily a thousand times that.

What happens when people get cancer and don't realise it is they wipe out their life savings and Medishield trying to treat it, and because it's discovered too late, it's futile and sad. And the most tragic part of it all is, it is often the poor and their surviving kin who are hit hardest in such a situation.

And when that happens, we also end up paying more in taxes because they also use more Medishield and Medisave to cover the costs of their treatment.

I personally think that in looking too hard at the bottom line in this case, the Health Ministry has missed the bigger picture entirely. It would be abuse if the government allowed people to use Medisave for paying for treatment for the cough or flu, but in the case of cancer screenings it is definitely worth the money because the payoff and number of lives saved more than makes it money well spent.

This is probably why ministers are sometimes accused of being in their own ivory towers. And soon, I will probably be asked this question.

Another ranty service related post.

I went to eat at Ishi Mura @ Pomo, which is this japanese themed food court place that sells lots of japanese food together in a food court setting. The decorations were pretty tastefully done, and I had a really good impression of the place. I had to admit that the choice of japanese food there was not bad either.

I placed an order with a stall that sold bento and some other stuff, and went to one of the seats to wait for my order.

Minutes later, my friend who had placed an order at that same store came up to me to tell me that I'd better check on my order because there was a bento set sitting there and no one was claiming it. I was quite shocked upon hearing that, and I rushed up to check, only to find that it was indeed what I'd ordered.

Now, when you're in such a situation you know the food is most probably yours, but it just doesn't feel right to take it away without asking the stall owner. So that was what I did. Despite shouting at him and waving, he seemed totally oblivious to everything except flipping meat and making preparations for the next dish.

After awhile I was like whatever even if its not mine I'm taking it anyway. I was really pissed because first of all, the guy didn't even take the initiative to call me to collect my meal, and he just left it there like it was none of his business whether I ate the food or not since I'd already paid.

Another friend of mine then came back from another stall similarly complaning about their service staff. Apparently, he had ordered a bowl of ramen, but the stall he was collecting the food from had no chopsticks for some strange reason. Instead of helping him procure a set, the staff just said "There, see the next stall got chopsticks. Go and take it yourself."

It was really a pity because the food was actually not bad for its price. It was then I noticed how empty the place was. With service like that, it's hardly surprising.

You have to thank the Internet though. I went to their website and sent a feedback form recommending they fire their service staff.