Sunday, January 31, 2021

S M Ong: Let’s cancel Chinese New Year



Let’s cancel Chinese New Year
PHOTO: Let’s cancel Chinese New Year
Many will not accept the cancellation of Chinese New Year, but I suspect some may actually be relieved.
Picture posted by iFly KLM Magazine

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga3hvMedPs1hrkZa9-nnB7JPqyo6X2otImqCzbC3Q4LQwfugdavzT6xibscd59SqZW2NtEupT4px5XAs0Chyphenhyphen91J7JdlPiXY1CBoUuFfjQUysrF3j8GgK3VH83oaptO4CR5x9fUn3Mf2DU/s1679/ChineseNewYear_header_v1_1st_frame-1547118235.jpg
https://ifly-selections-axaxzmkc.netdna-ssl.com/10301486-klm-selections/content/image/_f_large/ChineseNewYear_header_v1_1st_frame-1547118235.jpg
https://www.iflymagazine.com/en/magazines/festivals/spot-on-chinese-new-year



Dear Mr Lawrence Wong,

Remember me?


We met when you were campaigning in Yew Tee Square during last year's election.

I was the joker who asked you whether you were going to cry in Parliament again.

You said no.

I didn't get the chance to thank you for not having me arrested for harassment.

Good times.

Don't worry. I'm not writing to you about your Ministry of Education's response to a transgender student's claim that the ministry interfered with her hormonal therapy.

I'm writing to you about something way less controversial.

I want you to cancel Chinese New Year.

But there's a good reason for it and not just because I hate giving out hongbao.


I want you to cancel Chinese New Year. But there's a good reason for it and not just because I hate giving out hongbao.
PHOTO: I want you to cancel Chinese New Year. But there's a good reason for it and not just because I hate giving out hongbao.
Picture posted by Time Out Singapore editors on Monday, 20 January 2020
Photograph: Shutterstock/Aslysun

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioe5h4lWzOwbPUlshagj8isIytZfW56CVtkjlO9W5F_EEA5Wgjs8JeiImuvldRhyphenhyphenh48cBSy_hQK5N_AIjn-6b_4c-YxbpAwQSwzB3mOLbH9EtT-WGA9zOSP4dAFH4wKx19eoLfpa6Uwr8/s630/cny_image.jpg

https://www.timeout.com/singapore/city-guide/chinese-new-year-greeting-cheat-sheet


As you may be aware, there's a pandemic going on.

Remember last year, after Singapore had one confirmed case of the "Wuhan virus", we still carried on with Chinese New Year festivities like nothing happened?

How did that turn out?

We have had almost 60,000 cases and 29 deaths since then.

Businesses shut down. People lost their jobs. The Black Widow movie was delayed.

Even though we lohei-ed like we did every year, it clearly didn't work. Why do we keep doing it?

Don't you wish you could go back in time and start the circuit breaker before last Chinese New Year? How many cases could have been prevented?

On Friday, you announced that each household will be limited to eight visitors per day starting tomorrow, well ahead of Chinese New Year on Feb 12.


Each household will be limited to eight visitors per day starting tomorrow, well ahead of Chinese New Year on Feb 12.
PHOTO: Each household will be limited to eight visitors per day starting tomorrow, well ahead of Chinese New Year on Feb 12.
Picture posted by Dreamstime

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkQVlZr4RNCgQ58H9rczF6zctsSLsIXeq11RviniQTblxDlMsfbDrKb2Axw9OktjL_lD-IbvRkHxFV-wJsw9Q2E0lwNiCabQ5p_ANn2LkHKbvHbxBhCDH1igmT3byseo1inbv1bKWj39o/s900/131808668.jpg
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/asian-woman-looks-happy-congratulating-you-to-chinese-new-year-isolated-white-background-asian-woman-congratulates-you-to-131808668.jpg
https://www.dreamstime.com/asian-woman-looks-happy-congratulating-you-to-chinese-new-year-isolated-white-background-asian-woman-congratulates-you-to-image131808668



Did you decide on eight because it's a lucky number? How ox-picious of you.

But in light of the numerous breaches of safety measuresfrom the start, it's a given that covidiots will break the rules.

Some are already joking about gathering on the MRT where there's apparently no limit to the number of people.

COMPLACENCY
With the worrying increase of community cases recently, you warned of growing complacency and said: "For every rule we set, please do not try and optimise your maximum gain around the rule as though this is something that you could, you know, gain some additional benefit out of."

But you know people are gonna.

You said there would be random spot checks, but how would the checkers know whether the eight visitors in the afternoon are the same from the eight visitors earlier in the day or later at night?

Will the checkers monitor households for 24 hours?


COMPLACENCY
PHOTO: COMPLACENCY
With the worrying increase of community cases recently, you warned of growing complacency and said:
"For every rule we set, please do not try and optimise your maximum gain around the rule as though this is something that you could, you know, gain some additional benefit out of."
Picture saved by Jessia Lee to Chinese Red Dress
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDcvICvvK4QfMAQokQ9sXgJK5oKK0_aMhNrsN8c1ygksFKgrspEpm1xo7Varh6m-cFym6tJkyIZiWavuvFE-CbwW2z9m_Gh5xS2lkRerAk0jm6ggzQpC_AKcwMnx8wIV1Sf5Lf530bhu0/s850/bd7e468cad597bb8266fd02a94f11847.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/bd/7e/46/bd7e468cad597bb8266fd02a94f11847.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/459437599455505540/



Or will you just access everyone's TraceTogether data?

At best, you can catch people breaking the rules only after the fact. By then, the damage would have been done.

A post-Chinese New Year coronavirus spike is almost inevitable.

And that's why you should just cancel Chinese New Year.

That is, no visiting allowed at all. It would be so much easier to enforce. No counting required. At any time of the day, zero visitors per household.

Neighbours would snitch on each other. And knowing your neighbour would snitch on you, you'd be afraid to sneak in any visitors. Ownself check ownself.

Drastic times call for drastic measures.

Yes, I understand that many will not accept the cancellation of Chinese New Year, but I suspect some may actually be relieved.

No more annoying questions from relatives you see once a year about when you're going to get married or have children. (I'm married with kids, so I'm not talking about myself.)


Drastic times call for drastic measures.
PHOTO: Drastic times call for drastic measures.
No more annoying questions from relatives you see once a year about when you're going to get married or have children.
Picture posted by Chulalongkorn University on 20 January 2020

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCcO4_cTTAFpRfjz4fkZwdfc5Y0FD976l0PMAuEqrnAdvT99LP6Kddwufe-_35a51Rttn0P04V6jN_YpVbxTN_Vht7zUH8DZTKH9YvmqvcIMyBqIhH_bQxcvjoV7uOZMfu1Lq6khuf6JQ/s1536/shutterstock_1287048736-1536x1017.jpg
https://www.chula.ac.th/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/shutterstock_1287048736-1536x1017.jpg
https://www.chula.ac.th/en/news/26671/



You can save money on new clothes and hongbao. You don't have to stock up on snacks for visitors. Maybe just for yourself.

It could be the most stress-free Chinese New Year ever.

All this plus preventing the spread of a deadly virus?

I mean, how could you not cancel Chinese New Year?

And the great thing is that even if you cancel it, there'll be another one next year.

The annoying relatives will probably still be there too.


How could you not cancel Chinese New Year?
PHOTO: How could you not cancel Chinese New Year?
The annoying relatives will probably still be there too.
Picture posted by Trustedeal@Trustedealcos on 03 September 2020 at 11:04 pm - Final Fantasy VII Remake
https://twitter.com/trustedealcos/status/1301536430066294784


As co-chair of the Covid-19 task force, you know what to do.

I await your announcement at the next virtual press conference, which will be soon, I hope.

We all want the pandemic to be over as quickly as possible.

We don't want it to end with tears in Parliament again, do you?


We all want the pandemic to be over as quickly as possible.
PHOTO: We all want the pandemic to be over as quickly as possible.
Picture posted by Time Out Singapore editors on Monday, 20 January 2020
Photograph: Shutterstock/Aslysun

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHETUvAgcyu5C30jsLPVf6UE4NN7T6zUV9TwBn_CDavVaLkyhzSIN7VF4toEp9loJKOQvh12LV6z-OJGMMakvxhBiujOPY8dZCy6Kt4Us3oChEISkXUgoclxWQGNZ5aM0G6HvkgnOY84/s750/cny_image_1.jpg
By S M Ong, smong@sph.com.sg, The New Paper, 25 January 2021 at 06:00 am
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now


More from  S M Ong

S M Ong: The real reason that e-scooters are banned from footpaths?, posted on Sunday, 17 November 2019
S M Ong: The real reason that e-scooters are banned from footpaths?, posted on Sunday, 17 November 2019
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S M Ong - Confusion over 50-cent teh deal at Foodfare, posted on Monday, 20 May 2019
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S M Ong: ERP, auto-lock jokes and a ‘hostage’ situation, posted on Monday, 25 February 2019
S M Ong: ERP, auto-lock jokes and a ‘hostage’ situation, posted on Monday, 25 February 2019
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S M Ong: Dear tank top woman in ATM queue at Somerset , I support you, posted on Saturday, 23 February 2019
S M Ong: Dear tank top woman in ATM queue at Somerset , I support you, posted on Saturday, 23 February 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/02/s-m-ong-dear-tank-top-woman-in-atm.html


Woman's skimpy outfit while queueing for ATM at Somerset MRT station, posted on Tuesday, 12 February  2019
Woman's skimpy outfit while queueing for ATM at Somerset MRT station, posted on Tuesday, 12 February  2019
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I'll never eat luncheon meat again thanks to S-hook lady, posted on Monday, 01 October 2018
I'll never eat luncheon meat again thanks to S-hook lady, posted on Monday, 01 October 2018
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Reference
[1] S M Ong, smong@sph.com.sg, Columnist, Humour, Let’s cancel Chinese New Year, posted on 25 January 2021 at 06:00 am, https://www.tnp.sg/lifestyle/others/lets-cancel-chinese-new-year?utm_source=Taboola&utm_medium=CPC&utm_campaign=TNP_Lifestyle_D&T&tblci=GiDTlzUKXosSu3BnvD7pNV5g3Kq1tfOk-EBQpuuQao28cyDjjkIo47D27qDqudGQAQ#tblciGiDTlzUKXosSu3BnvD7pNV5g3Kq1tfOk-EBQpuuQao28cyDjjkIo47D27qDqudGQAQ



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