My Online ST Forum Letter: Tackling loan-sharking means taking aim at gambling sources too (ST 20 Jan)

Posted by admin 19 January, 2010 (3) Comment

ST Forum

Home > ST Forum > Online Story

Jan 20, 2010

Tackling loan-sharking means taking aim at gambling sources too

I REFER to Monday’s commentary, ‘Misplaced sympathy for loan-shark borrowers?’

Indeed, those who approach loan sharks to feed their gambling addiction do not need our sympathy. We have read of how hardcore gamblers end up when the habit is chronic.

Loan sharks feed on the weakness of gamblers to entice them with their high-interest loans, and if we can tackle the addiction of our gamblers, we may have nipped the problem in the bud.

Related posts

Categories : Media Tags : ,

My Published Letter: Help borrowers find hope (Today 14 Jan)

Posted by admin 13 January, 2010 (1) Comment
Help borrowers find hope
05:55 AM Jan 14, 2010
by Gilbert Goh Keow Wah

I refer to the well-written report “Authorities armed to the teeth” (Jan 13).

The Government is to be applauded for providing the relevant authorities with more power to tackle the growing loan-sharking problem before the opening of the integrated resorts. Gambling and loan-sharking go hand in hand.

There was a serious recession last year, so illegal money lending grew as the unemployed searched for funds. There is only so much that a person can borrow from friends and relatives. For some, loan sharks might even be their first choice of lender as it saves them the embarrassment of approaching people they know.

Related posts

Categories : Media Tags : , , , , , , , ,

All is not well with the family in S’pore (ST 4 Jan)

Posted by admin 3 January, 2010 (0) Comment

dad with daughter laughing

Jan 4, 2010

All is not well with the family in S’pore

Rise in number of wayward teens show parents need to give them more than cash

By Serene Goh

 FOR three days last week, The Straits Times ran articles on teen criminals. But for every story we write on arson, theft or even rape committed by teens, counsellors have dozens more that are even harder to hear.

These stories of heartbreak concern youths deemed ‘Beyond Parental Control’ (BPC).The label covers not only complaints lodged against youth under 16 who aren’t old enough to be juvenile offenders, but also describes the state of their caregivers, who have thrown up their hands in abject defeat.

Related posts

Categories : Emotional Support Tags : , , , , ,

A Year Best Left Forgotten

Posted by admin 1 January, 2010 (0) Comment

2009 – a year best left forgotten

Written by: Gilbert Goh

Transitioning.org is happy to have celebrated this  year with our loyal readers.  Many have told me that 2009 is best left forgotten. Many also hope that the new year 2010 will be a better year for them. I couldn’t agree more.

This year also marked the death of our favourite pop icon Michael Jackson and more significantly America chose a black man as their President for the first time.

Related posts

Categories : Main Article Tags : , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Christmas Message 2009

Posted by admin 23 December, 2009 (1) Comment
Christmas present
Dear Friends in Transition,
 
Thanks for sharing your life with me this year as Singapore thumbed through a raging recession. I have benefitted from the time spent with some of you who took time to be with me or helped me with some of my  personal ventures. You know who you are out there.
 
Through your , I managed to achieve a few landmark highlights making this year one of the best that I have been through in my whole life. It brought to mind that when one does something for others, the person most blessed is often the giver himself. Ironically, in a year that many wanted to forget, 2009 has remained the best year of my life so far! I hope that next year will be even better.
 
1. First  Book Published – “How to survive unemployment” (Rank Books)
 
I wrote my first  book “How to survive unemployment” and it was published in March 09 by Rank Books. A book launch was subsequently launched and it was attended by well over 100 people. The book is also featured in the press.
 
The books were rather well received and a total of 700 copies were sold either through the public book stores or privately. Many were also bought up by well wishers for distribution to the jobless people in jobfairs. An electronic version of the book is being distributed free of charge to the jobless upon request. A Chinese version is now available too.
 christmas tree
2. A Blog site Launched – Transitioning.org
 
To help the many jobless people cope with unemployment this year, I launched a blogsite “Transitioning.org” in Jan 09. We provide online/face to face counselling and group activities free of charge. More than 100 people have approached us  for assistance so far.  We have also given small amount of cash to the chronic ones.  We also conducted bi-monthly networking sessions whereby the unemployed come together and network with one another. So far, six of such sessions were held and a total of fifty people have benefitted from such gathering.  Three series of group sessions were also conducted and they were attended by about thirty people. The blog is being featured in the local press, Channel News Asia, BBC, Readers Digest among others. We also received many letters from readers who were retrenched this year and some of the stories brought tears to my eyes.  I have, with their permission, published some on the blog for all to view. I am glad to annouce though that most of these readers whom I have tracked have found already. Congratulations to them!
 
We were also approached to give talks to the unemployed during jobfairs and other occasions. It was a good time for us to motivate many jobless people during such talks. I want to take this opportunity to thank all my volunteer counsellors for providing online and face to face counselling. Your services are most appreciated. Keep up the good !
 
3. Sydney
 
My family also stays in Sydney long term now as my wife is being posted overseas. It was a major shift for us as we miss friends and family members back home.
 
It was a tough time adjusting to a totally new environment for us though we revel in the blue sky and extensive space there. Having journeyed  home thrice this year, I realised that many people are rather unhappy with the overcrowdedness and the situation. It was indeed be a blessing in disguise for us.
 
Once again, I want to thank many out there who either lent me a helping hand or a listening ear. Being someone who cherishes friendship, I also want to be the person for you if you need a helping hand.
For those who are still jobless now, stay strong and be hopeful. Remember that all this is a transitional period – it never lasts forever. Do and enjoy the simple things in life. Never stop learning and upgrading to stay employable!
 
Thanks again and have a blessed Christmas all! We all will learn something from both the good and bad times of our life. Let us hope for a better 2010!
 
Regds
Gilbert

Related posts

Categories : Main Article Tags : , , , , , ,

Football gambling addict hangs himself (ST 23 Dec)

Posted by admin 22 December, 2009 (0) Comment

Dec 23, 2009

Football gambling addict hangs himself

Death of Liverpool fan ruled a suicide; he left a note admitting addiction

By Khushwant Singh

 IN THE suicide note to his wife, father and close friends, Mr Teo Kok Hun, 33, confessed his addiction to football gambling.

The 33-year-old driver, also known as Zhang Guohan, admitted that this was the main reason why he was always short of money.

His favourite football team was Liverpool and he was wearing the club’s red jersey when he hanged himself in the bathroom of his four-room flat in Tampines on Oct 26.

Related posts

Categories : Main Article Tags : , , , , ,

A Year of Trials and Triumphs (ST 19 Dec)

Posted by admin 18 December, 2009 (0) Comment

Dec 19, 2009

BATTLES OF 2009

A year of trials and triumphs

If you imagine the Singapore scene as a boxing ring, what would you say were the biggest matches to enthrall, excite and exasperate Singaporeans this year? Today, we review 2009 – in five bouts. Enjoy.

By Nur Dianah Suhaimi

 BOUT ONE

SINGAPORE VS RECESSION

NO DOUBT about it, this was the bout that hogged the headlines – Singapore pitted against Recession, the fearsome superheavyweight that threatened to deliver the sucker punch.

Related posts

Categories : Current Economic News Tags : , , , , , , , , , , ,

Premature ejaculation hits one in three Singaporean men (My paper 15 Dec)

Posted by admin 14 December, 2009 (0) Comment

Premature ejaculation hits one in three S’pore men

Condition can seriously affect a man’s relationship with his partner. -myp

Tue, Dec 15, 2009
my paper

By Cheryl Lim

AS MANY as one in three men in Singapore could be suffering from premature ejaculation (PE), according to a study.

PE, a devastating condition for a man, is defined as a lack of control on a man’s part during intercourse, resulting in ejaculation prior to or within one minute of penetration, said Associate Professor George Lee Eng Geap from the University of Malaya and Monash University.

Related posts

Categories : Main Article Tags : , ,

Singapore on list of degree mill countries (ST 26 Nov)

Posted by admin 25 November, 2009 (3) Comment

lee college

The Lee Community College office at the MND Complex in Maxwell Road. The popular CaseTrust-accredited school appears on a list compiled by officials in the US state of Oregon of six institutions here that are said to offer unaccredited qualifications. — ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

DEGREE mills that churn out ‘graduates’ at the drop of a hat are the sort of dodgy outfits we link with shadier parts of the world, but the problem is a lot closer to home and threatens to harm Singapore’s name as an education centre.

Related posts

Categories : Current Economic News Tags : , , , , ,

Introduction To My New Blog Steadymarriages.com

Posted by admin 19 November, 2009 (0) Comment

marriage picture

I started this blogsite with the intention to provide a platform for people in difficult marriages to network and hopefully  find rpossible esources to iron out their differences with their spouses.

One in three marriages in Singapore will eventually break up and at least 7000 families will end their relationship with each other yearly. Counting at least each family has one child each and we are looking at 21,000 people facing life without the warmth of a happy family. each year.

Related posts

Categories : Main Article Tags : , , , ,

Enquiry on credit card debts from a reader (25 Oct)

Posted by admin 25 October, 2009 (2) Comment

Credit_Cards_13740_1435486f

Hi Gilbert

Firstly, I would like to commend you on the website. It was a good read. :) I chanced upon it when I was googling for information.

Basically, I have some questions about the impact of bad credit rating and bankruptcy have on someone. My friend is presently unemployed since he decided not to renew his contract 5 months ago. I found out recently that his girlfriend has incurred a hefty sum of credit card debts with a few banks and she has just received a legal letter from a lawyer acting on behalf of one. Both my friend and his partner are also planning to get married.

Related posts

Categories : Email A Counsellor Tags : , , , , ,

The meaning of life after retirement (Today 10 Oct)

Posted by admin 23 October, 2009 (1) Comment

funny old man pic

The meaning of life after retirement
05:55 AM Oct 10, 2009
by Eveline Gan

WORN out by his former stressful and hectic life in the stockbroking industry, Mr See Chak Wah had initially looked forward to his retirement. But the novelty of being able to relax and take catnaps at whim wore off a few months after he retired at 55.

“After a while, I just started to feel that life was so meaningless. Because I was so used to being an ‘economic unit’, I felt so useless when I wasn’t out there making money,” the 60-year-old said candidly. At times, Mr See felt so depressed and disconnected with the rest of the world that he would “hide at home” and mope.

Related posts

Categories : Emotional Support Tags : , , , , , , , , , ,

Letter from a Jobless Lawyer in Penang (19 Oct)

Posted by admin 19 October, 2009 (1) Comment

lawyer-12_25

Dear Gilbert,

I just read your write-up on the prolonged unemployment subject and I believe I belonged to this group.

I am from Penang, Malaysia and has been out of for the past 2 years. I have decided to get back to by next year and i badly need counselling from an experienced counsellor. I hope you would counsel me in my job seeking journey.

Related posts

Categories : Email A Counsellor Tags : , , , , , , , ,

Hope for all, regardless of faith (Sunday Times 18 oct)

Posted by admin 17 October, 2009 (0) Comment

GCT pic

SM Goh speaking to some of the booth operators at the Paya Lebar Methodist Church job fair yesterday. About 1,500 were on offer from 20 employers from sectors such as health care, security and property. — ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

Former car mechanic Don Anil Rhuperth Kumanayake made his first-ever visit to a church yesterday – not to attend a service, but for a job fair.

The 53-year-old, who lost his job in June, was hoping to find a similar position or to sign up for a skills upgrading course to enter a new industry.

Related posts

Categories : Job Search Skills Tags : , , , , ,

Lost your job? Here’s what to do (Readers Digest Oct 09)

Posted by admin 15 October, 2009 (2) Comment

jobless men pic

(Our website www.transitioning.org was featured in this article below)

Lost Your Job?
Here’s what to do

by Chloë Bryan-Brown October 2009

Former hotel manager Simon Laurie joined a hotel and catering multinational when he was 25. “I travelled all over the world. I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else. But with the recession beginning to bite, my area of the company was no longer considered core.” So 17 years after he started, he was made redundant. He likens the pain to bereavement.

Related posts

Categories : Media Tags : , , , , , , , , , , , , ,