Saturday, January 14, 2006
Realized i have not really blogged about the trip to China. Maybe next time.
7:05 PM
This blog wonders what do the rest of Singapore think about the whole 'Super" phenomena that is currently sweeping the island. It is this blog's opinion that the whole idea of a get famous and rich quick scheme is one of extreme foolishness and sadly one that is a reflection of Singaporean society today.
In a society which is obsessed with records and being the best in everything under the sun, the 'Super' culture seems to encapsulate this obsession and promises a fast-track to success. Of course nothing is that simple. A typical competition will involve at least a thousand contestants, who will be judged, ridiculed, applauded, and in the end dropped from the running. In a typical show, of the initial thousand perhaps only 20 will reach the final stage and get proper attention from the camera. Of this only one will win. One in a thousand, literally. And the saddest thing is so many believe that they can be the one, that they can do it.
While it can be argued that it is after only entertainment and should be seen only as that, a distraction from reality, for the thousands who take part in each competition it is very real indeed. Indeed, its reality by the masses for the masses, and when it come to the crunch, the biggest losers are the contestants who think they can throw everything down and have a shot and stardom and fall straight back down to earth. The blow to their confidence is immense and may affect their lives consciously or subconsciously. Singapore simply cannot afford for this to happen, to have 999 people doubt their capabilities every time there is a competition.
the fact of the matter is we need a system that is far more forgiving and far less competitive in nature. The dog eat dog world maybe reality at work but we do not need to emphasize it and put it on the tube for everyone to gloat about it. Unfortunately the sponsors and Mediacorp think its a very good profit making scheme and thus expect more Supers this coming season.
12:15 AM
Friday, January 13, 2006
$1,000,000,000 for the poor this year. This sounds may like a very sound government and fiscal policy on the surface. It generates good-will in the people, seeing that the government is making an attempt to better the lot of the poor, while at the same time re-distributing wealth and thus closing the rich-poor gap. At the same time since the marginal propensity to spend for lower income groups is higher, this will lead to greater spending on the part of the people, pushing the economy towards full employment, while a 20% of that amount will automatically be placed into Medisave, thus contributing to savings.
A perfect policy? Perhaps so, but only on a very superficial level. The main problem in Singapore today is no longer the very poor. Although their plight is a cause for concern, their size have been reduced considerably since the 1960-70s. The main problem today is a lack of jobs for the young professionals. Fresh out of university, many of today's graduates find it increasingly hard to find job, and of those that are employed, they are employed on a contractual basis that is open to review every 5-10 years. When this is meant to encourage efficiency, it pushes the limits of employees, hindering investments such as property and cars that will take commits up to 20 years to honor their debt. This is a problem that is very real and has not met with any response as yet from the government. When a generation is unable to be gainfully employed at the junior management level, it will mean that a bottleneck will form and no capable senior management to take over when the current generation retires.
Any simplistic answer to this problem is simply incorrect. The numerous replacement of the syllabus is testament to that. Without a radical shift away from the examination system of assessment, piecemeal renaming of courses and 10% allocation of project work is simply not enough. On the other hand, it is difficult for the MOE to teach creativity and life-skills to students. So its a tight-rope to walk between teaching the fundamentals and educating the students on the skills required. And education is not the only problem. Work-place environment, pay schemes, working hours, have all led to an increasingly competitive environment. To keep expecting more from the citizens is simply not the answer, neither is the constant reminder to work even harder to 'catch up' with the neighbors.
Of course this policy maybe a foundation for further improvement in the Singaporean society to motivate it work harder. However, the question is no longer whether Singaporeans are working hard, but rather how much harder can they work.
11:40 PM
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
This blog follow with interest the odd case of Korean scientist and his elaborate hoax. While this will undoubtedly affect the genetic research scene for a couple of years, Hwang Woo Suk's case do have a couple of lesson on the checks and balance that are currently the norm and what is lacking in them.
First, it is important to note that the scam is neither recent nor was the amount involved small by any rate. That no external auditing was called in until nearly 2 year into scam and even then its by a whistle-blower within the team is a real cause for concern. In a research area with as much implication in terms of ethics and in the field of medicine, that he can get away with as much as he did for as long as he did not only underlines the problems intrinsic with the governing bodies, it also highlights how a scientist word is taken without checking for the facts.
While there is no doubt Hwang will be dealt with justly, the problem will be the damage done to the genetic research. Of course it can be argued that the research is not severely hampered in the long run and that building on the experience this incident have given the industry, the probability of a recurrence is very much reduced. However, the damage is still done. In a field that is so close to our hearts (both figuratively and literally), it is of utmost importance that we trust the procedure and the technology. While this blog do not suggest that people will refuse treatment on account of this fraud, however, suspicions will still arise and may hamper future procedures.
In the end, this will all pass and there will be future advances with more checks in place to ensure that it based on facts and not a figment of imagination. However, from now till then, its another spanner in the works for research on embryos.
2:07 PM
Sunday, January 08, 2006
A New Year, another 365 days have gone by and another 101 days to ORD. Long? Perhaps, but the worst is over (supposedly) and there should not be much to do(hopefully). I guess i should take a stock-take of all the nonsense this year and make a couple of resolutions for the next! So here...
Things Achieved in 2005
Jan
Walked with the CDOs
Did 100HRS servicing for the Broncos
Went for Bronco course
Feb
SOC!
Called Armour safety hotline
Walked with GFAC in 42 SAR ATEC
March
CDO ATEC in ROC
April
Officially took over PA
May-July
Crazy guard duty
Crazy PA
August
Went and Failed Bike Course
Amber Manning
September
Organized AHM
October
Packing for Wallaby
Commander CoC
November
Wallaby
December
SLACK!!
Now for the resolutions...
1) Pass LSE Exams
2) Do well in NUS, hopefully can keep USP
3) Learn driving if time permits
4) Get into some shape (except round)
5) Be cheerful, more often than now
Simple goals, lofty targets.
Wishing everyone and everything Good Luck in this 2006.
1:03 AM
