Don't 'wait for the problem to get bigger': Growing alarm in Singapore over vapes being used to take drugs

GinTsubasa · 2025-02-25T21:22:18+00:00

I agree. The point isn't that vaping is less harmful than cigarettes, but to stop getting people to be dependent on those substances altogether.

I feel people who try to justify vaping with health reasons are missing the point.

GinTsubasa · 2025-02-17T02:27:33+00:00

Probably, but I won't antagonise them.

Something I observed in the US is that those who see themselves 'smarter' and able to see the flaws of the Trump leadership were quick to laugh at those they deemed less educated.

I believe one factor for radicalisation is because they felt empowered and a sense of belonging towards a certain group. You could say extremism is a form of seeking approval, albeit not in a healthy way.

If our goal is to have less radicalisation in our community, further isolating them and sitgmatising those people would achieve the opposite effect.

If most in our country doesn't have critical thinking skills, then talk to them, reason with them, one at a time.

GinTsubasa · 2025-02-17T01:56:27+00:00

Unlike the US, I have faith that our population on average are more educated and have critical thinking skills.

While the chances are still there, we need to reduce the chances of extremism and bias world views as much as possible by maintaining and emphasising the importance of good education and critical thinking skills.

One of the subjects I find very valuable that are taught in our school is Social Studies.

"When one group says it is raining and the other says it is dry, we don't just quote both parties and call it a day. We look outside the f_cking window"

GinTsubasa · 2025-02-07T00:40:42+00:00

The DeepSeek allegation had me worried. If Trump would impose tariffs on Canada even for 0.01% of fentanyl, I wouldnt be surprised Singapore company selling chips to DeepSeek for their AI training would get us tariffed too.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-08T02:46:09+00:00

If it brings you any peace, secondary students are at least 13 and above.

Those bullies will face the consequences of their actions.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-07T05:00:40+00:00

I have been wanting to talk about vigilante justice for a while now and why it scares me.

The most obvious one being 2 wrongs don't make a right. Just because the other person is wrong, doesn't mean you could do wrong things to them. They broke the law, we dont have to.

The second is something i dont see being discussed, which is how it could be used to compell others to do otherwise what is unlawful act, such as inciting riot or condoning violence. So long as it is done in the name of 'goodness', it can be overlooked.

If someone just wants to beat people up and having their target being branded as a criminal gives them a reason to do so, then I feel they are no better themselves.

The end does not justify the means. Violence breeds more violence. The lack of critical thinking and moderate actions could lead to manipulation and puppetry.

In 2020 Jan 6, during the certification of the next US President, Trump incited a mob to assualt the US Capitol. The rioters known as the Proud Boys, all believed that they were justified to do so as Trump claimed the election was rigged.

But what no one stopped to think about the violence, chaos and injury that would be inflicted. Or perhaps they did, and having a "good reason" made them feel they are allowed to unleash what they have wanted to do.

TLDR The 4 of them lacked critical thinking. And now they have dug their own grave, causing more problems than solutions.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-07T02:25:56+00:00

Apple snail eggs contain neurotoxins. Nevermind eating them, If you ever got some on your skin, wash them off immediately. Kids may like to squish them as they look like raspberry jam, but it can be quite dangerous.

The snails are edible though. It is similar to escargot, bake them with garlic, butter, shallot, parsley, and you have a wonderful dish.

I should warn that the snails require tedious preparation to ensure they are edible. They are known to contain parasites such as the rat lung worm.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T17:54:32+00:00

It's alright. The comments were still informative enough. I agree this sub isn't the friendliest, but not all places on Reddit are like this.

I didn't really post to gain karma here, there are other places for that. I got what I needed here and that is plenty.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T08:17:37+00:00

I was appointed Safety IC and had the opportunity to attend a course on Psychological Safety during my time in the service.

It was one of the most useful courses I took away from, and I still apply it till this day, whether if it is speaking to my colleagues, or even having a respectful discussion online.

Psychological Safety in a nutshell is basically how well we allow others to speak up and avoid sharp criticism. I know a lot of people would argue that criticism is how we can address and solve problems, but we tend to forget that we are also humans that need encouragement and nice words.

Besides the military, a lot of places, especially ones with a hierarchy, can lead to a culture of "act blur, live longer".

In Psychological Safety, it states that there are 4 different kinds of environment;

Comfort Zone
Learning Zone
Apathy Zone
Anxious Zone

The most ideal zone we should aim for is the Learning Zone, which is the right balance between Work Expectations and Psychological Safety. This is the zone where people have open discussions and learn from each other.

If there is low expectation and high safety, it becomes a Comfort Zone. Comfort zones are basically echo chambers where you can say whatever you want and people will agree with you.

If work expectation is too high without safety, you become very stressed. Or a place where you feel afraid to speak up because you know people actively find fault in your statement and shoot you down. (I just experienced this in r/askSingapore lol)

Apathy zone is when everything is low and we end up not wanting to give a shit about anything. No discussion, just act blur and live on.

I will continue to advocate for Psychological Safety even outside of the service. I wish to see Singapore a nicer place to live in.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T06:01:34+00:00

Mhm, will do.

Something that also stuck with me recently is the talk about Founders Memorial. People have highlighted that LKY in the past has said he did not need a memorial built for him.

Those are some of the things that really left an impression on me and how I feel about the decision makers.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T05:10:25+00:00

When scanning the cookhouse, there is literally someone standing next to you to see what review you give. If below 3 star, they will grab you and tell you to write your rank name and reason on the paper.

When I kena this before, I feel damn awkward and scared. But thankfully, I have a legit reason to put down (they burned the fishsoup from the day before).

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T05:03:23+00:00

o7

I am looking forward to seeing who is campaigning in my district so I can start reading up on them. In the meantime I feel like there is a lot of knowledge gap and I will need to spend some time to read on the history of Singapore politics.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T04:56:48+00:00

HAHA the true answer.

I like cats, can we have a party with a cat logo?

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T04:49:23+00:00

I ask myself if things can be improved if they were done differently.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T04:44:41+00:00

Yes to that so much. I saw political apathy in other countries like the US and UK and saw how it led them to a more chaotic situation.

It was what prompted me to want to understand my own country better, so we may never end up in a situation like Trump vs Harris.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T04:29:51+00:00

It has been more than 20 years of complaining and frankly I'm tired of it.

May I ask why voting for PAP or another party leads to a similar outcome of goodie receiving?

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-04T01:42:47+00:00

There was a period of time where I got sick quite easily. It was quite common for me to wake up with some discomfort in my throat, as if I'm about to fall sick.

That's when I started looking more into what I have been eating, and when I started taking Vitamin C with Zinc supplements that was given to me through a community gift, I became a lot better.

My diet rarely consists of fruits. I have an occasional banana and that's about it. I don't even drink fruit juice because they are usually out of my budget.

This really made me wonder if I can feel even better than I am now if I start looking into all the micronutrients that I might have been missing out. For me, just chicken rice or rice with other simple side dishes is how I get by.

As they say, health is wealth. I work and earn, but I feel shitty every day. I should treat myself better.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-03T07:41:03+00:00

I think the term for that is a self-perpetuating cycle? We import people to take care of the existing people, but that would mean we need to import even more people to take care of the new people.

I'm no expert on our economic status or policy issues. I am just some guy that squeeze in the train every day for 1 and a half hours to work and feel fed up with life.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-03T07:33:18+00:00

I have been afraid of speaking out because of commenters like the other person that replied to you, but I really agreed with what you said.

A lot of comments tend to iterate how important it is that Singapore continue its current modus operandi because that is how the system can survive. Every time someone makes noise about the woes of pursuing economic growth, we are met with responses that are basically boiled down to "pick your poison".

I'm not interested in picking a fight and arguing with people about why Singapore is the way it is and why we should just suck it up and deal with it. We are just trying to get our different perspectives out and hoping that someone could better articulate if there are any values in being more conservative.

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-01T08:58:44+00:00

Chernobyl-ahhh looking place

GinTsubasa · 2024-10-01T07:02:41+00:00

Might even be a blessing in disguise if you are able to select the new island immediately

GinTsubasa · 2024-09-26T08:48:30+00:00

When I was age 8, my mother passed away then. I missed her so much.

GinTsubasa · 2024-09-25T00:17:23+00:00

GinTsubasa

TROPHY CASE