Blinded no more in a darkened world

Growing in the shadows,

My eyes behold the lighted path

Of a new life awaiting;

Follow your heart,

Look with your soul,

Trust your instincts,

Know what you think,

See what you say,

Let your intuition guide,

Be strong and not afraid.

Follow your heart,

Go the lighted path beyond Truth

To the end of the lights,

To the crossroads of time,

To new choices and decisions.

Open your heart,

Open your eyes,

Open your ears;

Bring the new life to the light,

With courage to grow your destinies,

No longer blinded by…

Today is his 98th Birthday.

I remember his 60th birthday gala dinner

Celebrated with 99 tables

At The Mandarin Hotel Singapore,

His favourite hotel.

I was among the many guests

Who loved him,

Together with millions of other Singaporeans

Whom he loved and gave his life, wisdom and all.

Few knew him face-to-face, mostly at a distance,

Many Singaporeans have seen him, heard his speeches,

In every general election, most have voted for him,

To lead us, our children, and theirs into a better tomorrow;

We were not disappointed.

In 1965, fifty-six years ago, Lee Kuan Yew wept for Singapore

When tossed out like a…

Hindsight is 20–20 vision. The 20-year Afghanistan War led by the United States (US) with NATO forces, among 39 participating countries, ended as abrupted on 30 August 2021 as its beginning on 7 October 2001.

20 years ago, on 11 September 2001 (often referred to as “911”) a total of 19 men hijacked 4 commercial US planes and crashed 2 of them into New York’s World Trade Center, destroying the towering buildings and sending plumes of debris shooting through the most populous US city. A 3rd aircraft struck the Pentagon just outside of Washington, DC, and a 4th plane crashed…

In President Biden’s address to the American people after the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, he devoted much of his speech to the reasons for ending the Afghanistan War, which was initiated by his predecessor Donald Trump. This was never the issue since nearly 70% of Americans no longer supported remaining. The withdrawal decision was not the problem.

Over a period of 15 days, 14–30 August 2021, the world witnessed the debacle of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. It was also a series of key lessons on inept, incompetent, and the lack of strategic leadership. The debacle that ensued from 14…

Tibet has progressed “from darkness to light, from backwardness to progress, from poverty to prosperity, from autocracy to democracy, from closure to opening up”, said the People’s Daily newspaper. On 19 August 2021, Tibet celebrated its 70th anniversary of peaceful liberation from slavery and serfdom by China and its newfound prosperity and social progress over the recent decades.

In 2020, the regional GDP in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) exceeded 190 billion yuan (about US$29.3 billion). The per capita disposable income of rural residents in the region was 14,598 yuan (US$2,252), representing double-digit growth for the past 18 years, while…

After nearly 20 years of foreign occupation led by the United States (US), Afghanistan has been liberated by the Taliban, an indigenous Afghani force that was defeated by US-led Allied forces in 2001. At the beginning of 2019, soldiers from 39 countries, including the US, occupied Afghanistan; there were about 14,000 US soldiers and 25,000 American private security contractors in Afghanistan. In August 2010, US forces were at their highest at 100,000, and through 2011, roughly 140,000 foreign troops were operating under ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) and US Command. …

Every National Day on 9 August, I recalled how Singaporeans had stood at the edge of a dark tomorrow and an even darker past.

It was worse than the worst of times. And the worst had yet to come. Our age of foolishness had passed. We woke up and realized we were alone, once more. It was the epoch of belief and hope. Summers were still hot, and the Winters warm and wet. The darkness grew thick and thicker, seemingly impenetrable by any light. Many thought we were all going direct to Hell, but we had already been there before…