But this flow and flux means we will never acquire advanced skills because almost every worker is a temporary worker. You make money quick using the cheap labor, catch the wave, take the money than look for the next ripple to ride on. Great for the businessman class but if you are a worker in this economy, you have to be a foreign worker otherwise it is a nightmare.

Foreign workers can come here, work cheap can still make some small fortune to go back home — but Singaporeans cannot. It is El Dorado for foreign workers and our economy is designed for foreign workers. The Singaporean cannot be part of this transient flow — he is stuck in Singapore, he needs a home if he gets married, he is here when he is young, he is still here when he is old.

But the economy is not designed for people who needs a stable job, it is not designed to take care of you when you're old. It is cheaper to operate with instant mix humans who are here only to work and go back home before they turn old — economically this is most efficient, no baggage for our society, win-win between local business and the foreign worker.

In this economic flow and flux, Singaporeans become a liability. They get old, they get sick, they cannot be discarded away easily. As this flux grows and the El Dorado nature of the economy starts to encapsulate more of the economy, the Singaporean needs to discard himself.

If he is old, he and his walking stick has to go to Malsysia because Singapore just cannot keep him — it is economically inefficient to do so. If he is sick, it is better he die faster so that it cost everyone less money — he can always be replaced by the thousands willing to come here. There is no need for him to procreate, in fact he should have the common sense not to do it and burden himself.

If there is a demand for workers, Singapore Inc can always tap from this mobile flux of dynamic young workers educated and young.

In this system, the Singaporean becomes irrelevant. He is not important. He jolly well learns to integrate with this flux because he has no choice. The Singaporean numbers can shrink and nobody cares from an economic standpoint.

The only reason left to want Singaporeans is for defence — their willingness to be trained and die for the country. Mercenaries are too expensive and foreigners won't do it because they are here temporarily.

But once the Singaporean thinks hard about it why should he die for a system that works to diminish his kind. He soon concludes it is better to get out than to hang on to his place here and wait for his own discarding.

Every year thousands leave while they are young or when they make enough... it is a logical choice. The emotive bonds that keep us here keep getting eroded.

One fine day we will reach the tipping point that this country is no longer a nation but a mega-globalised city — every Singaporeans' nightmare because such mega-cities exist only within big countries where the transients have the same citizenship and the old can retire to the countryside or suburban in their own country; where the mega-city population is constantly refreshed by the higher fertility in the suburban rural parts of the country.

A nation that is one mega-city cannot exist in isolation — it cannot be both. It has to choose one or the other. We have chosen to be a mega-city and our nationhood will be in decline. The flag and pledge will slowly lose its meaning, the human flux will grow to overwhelm us all.

Don't wait to be discarded. Do something!

Madam Lee, a resident and housewife in her 50s, told the paper, "Their sons even said, 'old man still want to fight with us,' and I told them to make sure they don't grow old."

All four men in the ugly brawl have since been arrested by police.

Frustration, anger, rage, incivility -- increasingly, these are the ugly emotions bubbling forth, online and offline, as an increasingly fractious Singapore copes with its burgeoning 5.1 million population.

The current Singapore Kindness Movement campaign to inculcate social graces among all living on this island is proving to be an uphill battle.

Just last month, a spat caught on video between a young lady and an auntie -- both Singaporean -- over an MRT seat went viral. A few days later, two uncles were caught on tape again in a vicious public brawl on a bus.

Is this the kind of Singapore we want our kids to grow up in?

Latest statistics from SBS Transit revealed that disputes between passengers on SBS buses have risen by 68 per cent in the last two years.

In a thought-provoking opinion piece back in May, Straits Times editor Warren Fernandez challenged the government and public policy-makers to come out and say just how many people it thought can live on this island.

6.5 million? Or how about 8 million?

And he is right.

Because no matter how many open spaces or sprawling "green gardens" you plant, Singapore will always be limited by its size.

Build and reclaim all you want, but that fact cannot be changed.

Singapore's infrastructure -- roads, public and private housing, public transport, education system -- is already straining under the current load. Just how many more people can we afford to have cramped into this island?

Add to that the growing divide between the haves and the have-nots, and I fear for Singapore.

For unless a solution is found quickly and our course altered, this little red dot is going to be an uglier, nastier place in time to come.

However, these loans come with conditions. 'This type of loan is applicable to private residential and HDB loans only,' said Ms Chia Siew Cheng, UOB's head of secured loans and personal financial services. As well, borrowers above a certain age are not eligible, but UOB declined to say what the cut-off age is.

And if the property is leasehold, it needs to have at least 35 years left on the lease at the end of the 50-year loan.

Ms Chia noted that the loan has its pros and cons. Having a longer term 'will result in a smaller monthly loan instalment and will be easier on monthly cashflows. However a longer repayment period also means that more interest will be payable'.

Financial adviser Damian Pang warned that by taking on such a long-term loan, the homeowner will be servicing the loan long into his retirement years.

A quick check with other banks here found that the longest loan term was 40 years.

At OCBC, for example, the maximum loan period for private and HDB homes is 40 years, or up to the age of 75 years, whichever is earlier.

At HSBC, customers with at least $200,000 with the bank can get loans of up to 40 years. Others can receive loans of up to 35 years, at the most.

Even then, most customers opt for loans of just 30 years, said Mr Harmander Mahal, HSBC Singapore's head of customer value management. Only about 1 per cent of customers take up the 40-year loans.

Longer term loans require the borrower to pay a smaller sum each month. This gives consumers the confidence to purchase new homes, and could help to keep prices buoyant, said Mr Ku Swee Yong, the chief executive of International Property Advisor. 'It improves affordability, which means it is good for the housing market in general, not just developers.'

Homeowner Edward Ti, 28, said he would certainly take up a 50-year loan for an investment property. 'I would take a 50-year loan if interest rates are low. I would think that it is more efficient to use the money saved from the monthly mortgages to do something else.'

If a borrower takes out a 50-year loan for $1 million at an interest rate of 1.7 per cent, he would have to pay about $2,475 monthly for his mortgage, compared with $3,548 if the loan ran for 30 years.

This is assuming a period of low interest rates. However, if interest rates rose, say to 3 per cent, the $1 million 50-year loan would mean monthly repayments of $3,220.

A daily entry levy of $100 and annual entry levy of $2,000 is imposed on Singaporeans and permanent residents seeking to enter the casinos.

Speaking at Parliament in response to a question over casino levies and taxes, Teo said the amount channelled by the government specifically to tackle gambling social ills has increased from $3.8 million in 2009 to $9 million last year.

Teo also indicated that profitable casino-resorts in Singapore have provided a bonanza in tax revenues to the Singapore government in the past two years.

The minister disclosed that tax revenues from the integrated resorts experienced a net increase of $900 million in 2010 and $1.1 billion last year.

"Through these (tax revenues) the government is able to provide support and care to many Singaporeans," she said.

Marina Bay Sands, operated by Las Vegas Sands Corp, and Resorts World Sentosa, run by Genting Singapore, opened in 2010 and have been raking in hundreds of millions in revenues per quarter.

Mr Stephen Santhanaraj, 65, moved to East Ledang estate in Nusajaya, located west of Johor Baru, four months ago after he sold the family's 1,600 sq ft semi-detached house in Sembawang Park.

He declined reveal how much he sold it for.

For now, he and his wife, Madam Patricia Prathibha, who is in her 40s, call a rented two-storey, four-bedroom corner terrace house in the gated community home.

But soon, the couple will move into a five-bedroom, 6,500 sq ft bungalow in the same area, bought for RM1.3 million ($521,000).

They are part of the influx of Singaporeans after the Iskandar Malaysia project - which aims to make Johor into an economic powerhouse - was mooted six years ago, said two property agents here.

They had previously been contracted by Malaysian developers to market the homes to Singaporeans.

"I see more Singaporeans buying houses in Johor Baru compared to five years ago," says Mr Anuar Mohd Saad, 48, a sales manager with Broswell Property Consultant.

"Previously, many Singaporeans were not keen to buy homes in Johor Baru because of the perceived crime situation and property resale value."

But the Iskandar project seems to have changed perceptions about the state, said Mr Anuar.

Now, more Singaporean families have gone to live in and commute from estates like East Ledang, Ledang Heights and Horizon Hills, all located within Nusajaya.

Prices for these big houses range from RM500,000 for a terrace house to RM1 million for a semi-detached one.

"These prices are attractive because those earning middle-class incomes can afford landed properties," says Mr Anuar.

But the main pull for these Singaporeans, observes Ms Charmian Chelvam - a sales manager with property firm DTZ - is the fact that these estates are located just 20 minutes from the Tuas checkpoint.

She says: "The developments in Nusajaya area are also different from most of the homes in Johor Baru.

"The quality of the houses are good and the security systems are sufficiently effective, and because of this, more Singaporeans are looking to buy property in the area."

Mr Santhanaraj is also comforted by the fact that of all the foreigners in his estate, 80 per cent are Singaporeans.

"To be honest, having Singaporeans around was not a consideration when I bought a house here," said the management consultant at Shepherd's Sphere.

"But (now) the added bonus is that I have at least four other Singaporean families living on my street and all of us are very close," said Mr Santhanaraj.

He and his wife, who have been married for 14 years, have no children and they share their home with his 83-year-old mother.

Access to Singapore is never a problem, he says.

"It takes me about an hour to drive to my office in Kay Siang Road, so my new home is not really as far as people think it is."

But he is quick to point out that he has not abandoned Singapore.

"I volunteer with the Sembawang GRC grassroots, so my life is still in Singapore," he says with a smile.

Kids can't wait to go home to JB

It's the best decision he and his family ever made.

Mr Hussain Sayeed, 49, an assistant account director with Hewlett-Packard in Singapore, bought a four-bedroom, 4,200 sq ft semi-detached house in East Ledang, Nusajaya, in west Johor, for RM1.7 million (S$680,000) recently.

For the last five months, his family has been living in a rented four-bedroom, 2,600 sq ft terrace house there for RM5,000 a month.

"We wanted to try out living here and I am just happy with the quality of life here — life moves slowly and the open spaces are something my children enjoy," he said.

The family still has a condominium unit in Pasir Ris, which has been rented out for $3,000 a month.

"I don't feel life in Nusajaya is any different from life in Singapore," said Mr Hussain, who shares the home with wife Sharmin Sayeed, 40, and two children, both of whom are studying in Singapore. "I moved to Nusajaya because I can get a bigger space for less money as it is cheaper than landed property in Singapore."

"It is not exactly cheap, but it is the quality of life that attracts me." he adds.

His family, he says, loves their new surroundings.

"My children love it here and can't wait to get home every day," says Mr Hussain, a Bangladeshi who came to Singapore in 1989 and became a Singapore citizen in 1997.

He said that neither he nor his children mind the hour-long commute to Singapore each day.

Being surrounded by neighbours who are Singaporeans and expatriates who work in Singapore is also very comforting, he says.

Mr Hussain says: "The cost of living here is lower and that is another bonus, but being surrounded by Singaporeans, I also feel right at home."

S'poreans form JB group

Some Singaporeans living in Johor Baru have formed the Johor-Singapore Community Care Association (JSCA).

Started earlier this year, it is headed by former People's Action Party Member of Parliament Wan Hussin Zoohri.

The association, which is registered in Johor, is starting its membership drive.

Out of the 200 or so applications it has received so far, "five to 10 percent are from Singaporeans," says Mr Wan Hussin.

Membership costs RM100 (S$40) a year.

Besides organising social events for Singaporeans living in Johor, the JSCA also plans to speak on their behalf in case of emergencies, says Mr Wan Hussin.

"Many of the Singaporeans living in Johor are happy where they are. They also know that crime, while unexpected, is also not rampant," he says.

"One of our objectives, however, is to act as a voice, to speak to the authorities there whenever there are security concerns."

Those interested in joining the association can e-mail contact@johor-singapore.com

Unfazed by car break-in

Mr Fahmi Rais, 45, who lives closer to Johor Baru, is not worried about crime.

His 4,000 sq ft home - which he bought 18 months ago for RM550,000 - sits in the suburb of Taman Daya, a 20-minute drive from the Woodlands checkpoint.

The managing director of communications company Raistar Media sold his condominium unit in Geylang for $820,000 last year after his family fell in love with the Taman Daya house.

He now lives in the sprawling Johor house with wife Sulaimah Abdul Kadir, 36, and their four children, three of whom are studying in schools in the eastern part of Singapore.

Commuting to Singapore each day is not a problem for the family, he says.

Says Mr Fahmi, who was the vice-president of Malay TV channel Suria until 2007: "I love my home, even if my place is not guarded or gated."

He says: "We have alarm systems installed so I can sleep in peace but my car was broken into recently."

Still, he adds: "Honestly, I have only myself to blame for that break-in because I parked my car outside my house.

"As long you don't create an environment for criminals, you don't have to worry about living here."

At a press conference on Sunday, Johor police chief Deputy Commissioner Mohd Mokhtar Mohd Shariff told reporters that in the first half of this year, there were 216 crime cases committed against Singaporeans.

Last year, there were 400 such cases, he added.

But he pointed out that there are about 2 million Singaporean visitors to Johor Baru each month and these cases affected only a small fraction of the visitors.

"Traditionally, the loan quantum goes up with the car price for our brand, that is to say, the average loan quantum was about $10,000 lower three months ago," he explained.

For a loan of $100,000 repayable over 10 years, the rough guide is that a $10,000 increase in loan quantum translates into an extra $100 in monthly instalments.

"It's not that painful when it is spread out over 10 years as it only costs slightly more each month," he explained. "Most Singaporeans are not getting richer, so they have to survive by taking bigger loans."

But the sales manager of a mass-market make says that the hire-purchase situation over the past half year has not changed for his so-called bread-and-butter models, the majority of which have 1,600 cc engines or smaller. "Most of them are still applying for 100 per cent loans over 10 years," he says.

Over at a big luxury brand, however, a senior manager said that his company's "loan penetration rate" has climbed in the last three months.

"Our average quantum has gone up by about $20K to $180,000 in the last quarter," he revealed. "And the number of people requiring vehicle financing has increased by 3 or 4 per cent."

Today, about eight out of 10 customers take a car loan.

A manager at a sports car dealership also affirms the rising trend for financing but offers a different view of things.

"It is true that in the last three to six months, our loan business has increased by 15 to 20 per cent," he says. "One year ago, about 30 to 40 per cent of my customers took up a loan. Now, it's 50 to 60 per cent."

But he says the real reason is not the increase in car prices.

"A $20,000 to $30,000 difference in COE premium is not significant for my customer profile," he said, pointing to his line-up of models, which range from about $300,000 to $800,000, including COE. "Rather, it is because the cost of borrowing is at an all-time low of 1.88 per cent."

According to him, the interest rate a couple of years ago used to be 2.5 per cent or higher.

As for the increase in loan quantum, he said that bank promotions with attractive rebates have been instrumental in getting more of his customers to sign up for financing. "They probably want to keep more cash for investments," he added.

The SEC gave its blessing to Facebook's approach, which was then copied by two other buzzy startups, Zynga (ZNGA) and Twitter. The maneuver helped Facebook postpone its IPO date until now. Twitter has yet to file for an IPO. (Zynga went public in December.)

But the new stock units have created an unusual side effect: Thousands of current and former Facebook employees will have their shares vest in a tight window, about five to six months after Facebook's IPO. In that one-month span, Facebook plans to issue around 277 million shares to settle its RSU obligations.

If Facebook's shares at that point are trading around $35 — the high point of its proposed IPO price range — that stock bonanza would be worth around $9.7 billion.

Facebook's earliest employees will get the biggest equity payoff. A typical package for a software engineer joining the company in late 2009 included around 10,000 RSUs, according to a discussion thread on Silicon Valley chatter nexus Quora. Thanks to a 5-for-1 stock split in late 2010, that engineer would now be holding a marker for 50,000 shares, worth $1.8 million at the high end of Facebook's range.

Here's the kicker: The IRS taxes RSUs as ordinary income on their full market value when they vest. The logic is, "Hey, the company's giving you valuable stock. That's part of your regular compensation and you should pay taxes on it when you get the shares, not when you sell them."

That means that Facebook employees will owe federal and state taxes this year on their full windfall, even if they choose to hang on to most of their shares.

"With stock options, there's a lot of planning you can do around taxes — exercise some, hold some, spread out the timing," says Ray Thornson, a San Francisco-based managing director of tax firm WTAS. "With RSUs, there's absolutely nothing that you can do about it."

Like most companies that issue RSUs, Facebook is handling the tax logistics for its employees. It plans to withhold a big chunk of its employees' shares — 122 million — and sell them on the open market to cover the tax hit.

So if a Facebook employee is set to receive 10,000 shares and falls into the 45% tax bracket (including both state and federal charges), the employee will actually receive 5,500 shares and Facebook will sell off the other 4,500.

Facebook's latest estimate on its employees' total tax liability is $4 billion, but that figure will easily rise if Facebook's shares price in the mid-$30 range or higher.

Cash-starved California, which has a top personal income tax rate of 10.3%, will get a dramatic lift when Facebook employees come into their equity. A preliminary analysis by California's Legislative Analyst's Office estimated the state's Facebook-related personal income tax revenue for the upcoming fiscal year (which begins July 1) at $1.5 billion — almost 3% of California's total personal income tax haul for the year.

Forking over nearly half of your paper gains to pay taxes — even if you don't sell a single one of your remaining shares — can be painful, but most Silicon Valley employees who hold RSUs consult with advisors about them in advance and aren't surprised by the process when they vest, says Thornson, who counts several Facebook employees among his clients.

It's an issue for a growing number of tech workers. Restricted stock is replacing stock options as the industry's equity currency of choice, according to several Bay Area financial planners. For startups trying to stay private, the flexibility to use them to delay an IPO makes them especially attractive.

"We're dealing with them with several Twitter people," says Stan Pollock, a San Francisco accountant. "They're becoming way more common."

...

Other social media company stocks declined as well.

Shares of Facebook Inc. dropped $1.88, or 6.4 percent, to close at $27.72. That's down 27 percent from its IPO price of $38.

Shares of online game maker Zynga Inc. slid 25 cents, or 4 percent, to $6.01. LinkedIn Corp., the online social network for professionals, fell $4.59, or 4.8 percent, to $91.51.

Online reviews site Yelp Inc., meanwhile, fell $1.02, or 6.1 percent, to $15.69.