Happy 43 Singapore!!!

This year's national day theme is "Celebrating the Singapore Spirit". But what is the 'Singapore Spirit'?
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The Singapore Spirit encompasses the following five domains:

Unity. Singaporeans have a sense of community and are firmly rooted to the nation. Despite our diversity of ancestry and religions, our solidarity has allowed us to live in harmony during good times, and stay cohesive during times of adversity.

Determination. Singaporeans are resilient and have the will to succeed in every endeavour. Our ‘Can Do’ attitude, tenacity, discipline and perseverance in pursuit of our hopes and dreams, are at the root of our success as a nation.

Confidence. Singaporeans are prepared and optimistic. Our competitiveness and vitality has helped us to strive towards doing our best and forging ahead to build a brighter future for our next generation.

Dynamism. Singaporeans are creative and versatile. Our ability to accept change and adapt to new challenges allows us to excel in the global environment. It also cultivates the urge to explore new niche areas and build competitive advantages for continued successes.

Compassion. Singaporeans are gracious and caring. As we move ahead, we also reach out to those in need and collectively build a home for all.

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Can we do all these and more? As we compete globally in an 'flatter' world, people will get displaced from their jobs as companies seek out lower cost workers. We can only thrive by finding our niche. However, the very idea of niche would mean that a large part of the population will not participate in this growth in the niche sector (think bio-tech, nano-tech, wealth management services for Ultra HNWI (High Net Worth Individual).

Perhaps the best path to increase competitiveness is still via education. However, it is not simply the regurgitate and pass with flying colours type of education. But one that rewards risk taking and an ability to think across dicipline. For instance, if the Einstein quiz that was posted in July is given as a exam question, how many students would you think will question the question? How many bio students would also apply punctuated equilibrium to the study of technological innovation?

I also find it rather sad that many of us will think that "its a pity" that a uni grad goes into something like running a coffee stall in a hawker centre. I think that it will be a pity if a street smart risk taker is confined to a office cubicle pushing papers.

Increase our human capital, find something that we are passionate about and something good will hopefully come out of it.

In the following video, the world's richest man and second richest man share their views with some undergraduate students.
-The best piece of advice they've ever got
-The importance of habits
-Globalisation and its impact on small business