Escape

Everyone in Singapore is on the lookout for the escapee who has been on the run for 3 days already. Posters of the escaped terrorist Mas Selamat Kastari are appearing everywhere. The police are searching every nook and cranny for the JI Militant who once plotted to crash a hijacked plane onto Changi Airport and bomb several American establishments in Singapore.

How he managed to slip out of prison and elude a massive manhunt remains a big question mark. We now know that he hates being locked up in his cell. Well, the pastures are definitely greener anywhere else beyond the lock-up.

We don't need to be a prisoner to know that. CH's best friend just returned from Korea after spending the last 3 months there with his Korean wife. He's going back there again for another 3 months. Perhaps life is better there but we're losing another talent. The government calls it brain drain.

Several years ago, my uncle sent his wife and two young kids to live in Adelaide in Australia. They have since settled nicely there. While my uncle continues to run his business here, his wife and kids live in a lovely house in the picturesque countryside, with a stream flowing nearby. His kids ride their bikes to the school nearby and his wife is now running a flourishing flower business.

My Malaysian partner has been in Melbourne, Australia since the beginning of this year to set up house and settle his kids into college. He's already so used to the tranquil life there, he's not looking forward to coming back to Malaysia next week to tend to his business. It's understandable really. The Aussie lifestyle is many folds better than in his hometown in Klang where crime rate is soaring and the currency is weakening.

One of my other trading partners based in Australia is not even an Aussie. He's a British who fell in love with the country and stayed behind, setting up a business and family. He loves the Sunshine Coast where he now lives and looks like an Aussie surfer boy. I don't think he'll ever get used to the dreary English weather again.

Our Sunday papers ran a story today about the lure of staying and working overseas. One young architect who's based in Australia exclaimed when asked if he would return to work in his homeland, Singapore, "You've got to be joking! I easily make 6 times as much here!"

He probably doesn't have to slog as hard too. Houses are more affordable, the air is fresh, produce is cheap and organic food is easily available. From what I've heard, the nightlife is rather exciting for the younger folks too. The lifestyle is simply unbeatable.

My dear friend Mother Hen moved to Oregon two years ago. Sure, she misses our local food and me (heh heh), but other than that, she's very happy to be away from our stressful environment, the allergens (her allergy kicks in whenever she's exposed to our dust and smog) and high cost of living. In her little quiet town in Bend, she wakes up to a scenic view of the snow covered peaks every morning. How cool is that?