Guess what! When the renewal notice came up again this year, I took a really good look and asked myself why in the world have I been paying for the DPS for 20 good years of my life?
First, any CPF money which is usually tied up in our HDB asset, already comes with a nomination. If you don't nominate, it gets distributed according to the law of intestacy anyway.
So why is there this additional DPS coverage and is it necessary? It stops once you reach 60 and that to me is a critical year. This is the time you need it more than ever but somehow, this has eluded our policy-makers.
With these thoughts in mind, I decided to terminate my DPS there and then on the spot.
The Singapore Flyer
Not bad. It offered quite a unique experience. But of course , I soon learnt from a Chinese friend that they already have this ferris wheel back home in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China, god-knows-back-when.
However, I thought that as it stands now, the Singapore Flyer wasn't very accessible especially to people who do not drive or wanna take the shuttle bus. I had to get off the City Hall MRT station, exit the Esplanade gateway and walk all the way to the Singapore Flyer. Past concrete pavement and construction works-in-progress.
It was much like the Marina Barrage, a beautifully completed piece of sculpture but stranded out in no-man's land with all the surrounding dust, dirt, fumes and noise from construction works-in-progress.
There were more dining places here at the Singapore Flyer than there were retail shops. So there really wasn't very much to do except to eat save for the branded eye-wear and crocodile skin shops.
The gift shop was excellent. It had a colorful facade that attracted me from far and I was drawn to visit it at first sight because it was lighted up at night with various assorted colors. The gifts and souvenirs sold were also very uniquely us and the Singapore Flyer attraction.
I am sure in the day, the Flyer offers a good view of the deep blue sea and the surrounding skyline save for that blob of soil that is the Marina South Gardens By The Bay.
But in the night, it was one dark black blob and one black waterway. The view fronting the Marina Centre was of course a delight with all the city lights such as The Fullerton, the durianed Esplanade and the domed former Supreme Court now dubbed the Arts House.
As it rained earlier, some glass panels gathered mist and I wasn't able to look out through them. True, once the Flyer hit its peak, it was certainly a "Top Of The World" feeling (lyrics of a song popularised by The Carpenters) and I almost broke out into the song at that moment.
However boarding and alighting the Flyer while it was inching its way forward was a tad dangerous I thought though there were safety nets.
With the Flyer already in operation since March 2008, I am sure this night view can be further improved and enhanced with more city lights or street lights and lights lighting up the beautiful waterways.
Or do we still have to wait some more?
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