Saw this very interesting article in TODAY newspaper today, 13th July 2006 issue. Tiny Vanuatu is the happiest country in the world, Singapore the unhappiest in Asia, says new report

LONDON - Vanuatu, a tiny South Pacific Ocean archipelago with a population of around 200,000, is the happiest country on Earth, while Zimbabwe is the unhappiest, according to a study published yesterday measuring people’s wellbeing and their impact on the environment. Among the Asian nations Vietnam came highest at number 12 and Singapore was ranked lowest at 131, said the 178-country Happy Planet Index, compiled by the British think-tank New Economics Foundation (NEF).

Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica and Panama completed the top five in the world, it said. African countries along with Zimbabwe made up seven of the bottom 10. The Group of Eight industrial powers meet in Russia this weekend but have not much to smile about, according to the index.

Italy came out best in 66th place, ahead of Germany (81), Japan (95), Britain (108), Canada (111), France (129), the United States (150) and Russia, in lowly 172nd place. The index attempts to measure how well countries use their resources to deliver longer lives, greater physical well-being and satisfaction.

Mr Andrew Simms, NEF’s policy director,said the index addresses the relative success or failure of countries in givingtheir citizens a good life while respecting the environmental resource limits on which all our lives depend.

So what is Vanuatu’s secret?

Don’t tell too many people, please, said Mr Marke Lowen of Vanuatu Online, the island republic’s online newspaper. People are generally happy here because they are very satisfied with very little, he told The Guardian. This is not a consumer-driven society. Life here is about community and family and goodwill to other people. It’s a place where you don’t worry too much. The only things we fear are cyclones or earthquakes.



Selected others:
17. Philippines;
23. Indonesia;
31. China;
32. Thailand;
44. Malaysia;
62. India;
64. Iceland;
70. Netherlands;
87. Spain;
88. Hong Kong;
89. Saudi Arabia;
99. Denmark;
112. Pakistan;
115. Norway;
119. Sweden;
123. Finland;
139. Australia;
154. UAE;
156. South Africa;
159. Kuwait;
166. Qatar.

The full Happy Planet Index is available at www.happyplanetindex.org.






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Xiaoqiang: " Wah Uncle, now taxi fare go up. you all shiok lah."

Taxi Driver: " Shiok your head. Now don't know got business anot?"

Xiaoqiang: " I not your 1st customer rite~...Why leh, now increase fare you all got more money mah."

Taxi Driver: " Ya we got more money, but people now see fare increase, all siam( avoid in hokkien context) taxi like siam the auntie at kopitiam with shio zui( hot water in hokkien context)." All cramped at bus stop. I see liao also sian."

Xiaoqiang: " Hahaha... Lai Shio..Shio Zui ah...Shio."

Taxi Driver: " Correct mah, they say increase then increase.. must be those who never take taxi one say increase.. ho mia( well-to-do in hokkien context) got people drive here, drive there or drive their own car. Like smoking ban in July like that.. also those who never smoke then ban smoking at kopitiam. #$%^*&! Now i cannot bang sim( rest my heart in hokkien context) smoke and lim kopi( drink coffee in hokkien context)."

Xiaoqiang: " that one i don't know. Aiya.. people also because of your health mah. smoke less lah. The most put a yellow box at one corner to smoke lah, no cigarettes can buy from the mama shop at the corner. Hahahah... Now Mama shop must be good business."

Taxi Driver:" Ah di, no racist joke ah. You in my cab, you don't racist ah. We lacial(racial) harmony country, ok. National Day coming liao, you don't anyhow say ah."

Xiaoqiang: " I apologised. ayy.. uncle, people say we are the most unhappy people in asia leh."

Taxi Driver:" Of cos lah, you when wake up neber worry??? Gin na( Children in hokkien context) worry about their studies, spelling. Your lao pek lao bu( mum and dad in hokkien context) worry about water bills, electrcity bills. you worry about this bloody traffic jam how long and my meter diam diam tiao( keep going up in hokkien context). Where got happy??"

Xiaoqiang: " Wah lao... Meter tiao again."