I came across 2 letters in TNP today-dated 25th Sept, page 17.
One was a suggestion that they move that "Monkey God" tree in Jurong West to a temple opposite where the mythical tree is situated. That involves some taxpayers' money, but the writer feels that an "amicable agreement" can be reached for the good of her fellow Singaporeans.
Firstly, the image on the damn tree is formed by a natural process called callusing. The devotees ie. devoted to 4D, Toto, en bloc sales etc, are foolishly choosing to believe that it's a divine apparition and trying to make a fast buck out of it.
Secondly, what makes the writer think that they'd try to save a tree with no significant value (save maybe for shade) compared to, in recent memory, the 80 yr old Angsana tree at Braddell Road, which they chopped down unceremoniously.
A case of missing the forest for the trees?
The 2nd letter made me do a double take actually. At first I thought it was another letter to highlight the robotic/inflexible service that is (still) common in modern Singapore.
After reading it again though, I started laughing. It seems that the writer has highlighted his own stupidity by wrapping it in service jargon.
Instead of admitting that he forgot to take his cashcard out of the IU unit; thus avoiding being charged for parking that had already been reimbursed to him, he went on to complain how the staff couldn't refund said charge on the spot; thus highlighting his own stupidity to other people instead.
The customer is always right- except when their brains are missing from the heads.
Sigh... lang gong bo yo yee ( there's no medication for stupidity).
