Sunday, April 30, 2006
5:26 PM
This blog observes with interest how prescient Malcolm Gladwell's arguments are. Every so often, people simply follow what someone else is doing because they are too indifferent, ignorant or simply lazy to decide to do what they really want or believe in. Witness the obsession with 'feng shui' and its geomancy counterparts. It seems weird that you need a complete stranger to advise you on how to decorate your house and improve your well-being. But then, at times feng shui provides a peace of mind that we are on the right path and the future is can be better and promises of a better life.
On a separate note, the elections are quickly becoming a farce, nothing less and sadly nothing more. A first world opposition that asks where are the life upgrading once every five years is will not give this blog confidence to vote them instead of the incumbents. Where are the important questions? NKF is becoming a side-show, while discussions about security and foreign policy are practically non-existent. Power for the sake of power is what the opposition is fighting for, not a good motive to fight for office. What are the policies from the opposition? Nulling present policies is a possible choice, but in the end do not prove to be coherent as a policy package and ineffective in the governance of this country. The incessant broadcasts of ugly faces shouting horrible English on muddy fields is more entertainment than serious debate on national issues. On this count, this blog will depart from its usual stand against the PAP and will chide the opposition in its lack of ability.
On a final note, http://www.presidentgeorgebush.blogspot.com/ is a exceedingly funny blog.
4:59 PM
Friday, April 21, 2006
This blog is slightly disturbed by the news coverage of the Tammy incident and the odd case of a JC student jumping to his death. While both are disparate issues and should not be mentioned in the same sentence, the fact is that the media coverage of both incidents are unforgiving and frankly insensitive. Both issues are really personal matter that invited the attention of the media which then exploited and effective blew the whole issue out of proportion.
While it maybe understandable that the newspapers devote some articles to tabloid style articles that pander to the reader interests, to give something as personal as the lost of a phone as much coverage as it received is simply uncouth. Indeed, while there is legal protection for minors, and other legal rights to ensure privacy, apparently Tammy is not entitled to it, as everyone is trying to get a view of her private affairs on the internet. There can be no justification for the revealing of all the lucid details in the papers. For no fault of hers, she will now have to live with this scar for the rest of her life, not withstanding the negative effects on her studies, and beyond that her career.
The case of the JC student who committed suicide is also an unfortunate circumstance that filled a full half page, with a title that is completely derogatory and insulting. Perhaps a question that the editors should ask is how will be parents and family feel? The lost a precious son and followed by a full spread in the newspapers. Perhaps more importance than anything else, the media must realize that its bottomline is neither profits, nor printing what people want to read. It should be about what people should read. Perhaps it will be a better policy to treat such cases with more respect.
2:57 AM
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
The topic of the election and whether the opposition is capable or otherwise is here to haunt Singapore again. While this blog has posted several articles on the political system of Singapore (or rather the lack of one), this particular post will attempt to critique opposition in Singapore, analyzing the need for one and the ineffectiveness of the opposition.
Is there is a need for oppositions in Singapore? In a governmental context, the use of an opposition is for a check and balance in the governance of a country. Just as a clockwise and an anti-clockwise moment can bring about equilibrium in a dynamic motion, thus a ruling party and an opposition can aide in bringing a country to its equilibrium. Take the various policies that the ruling party has produced. It reeks of a tendency to pander to the big employing firms, at the expense of the workers and citizens. How many countries can claim to be able to reduce the wages of the entire nation without so much as a protest or demonstration? Well this in itself may not be totally detrimental; the question is how far the ruling party will squeeze the lemon. And to ask the question, we need an opposition in the parliament. Because while we can write into the forum pages and we can go to the Speakers Corner, such questions simply will not be answered effectively unless asked at the right places at the right time.
The justification for an opposition not however, entail that the ruling party will automatically adjust for a opposition candidates to enter into parliament. In this weird pseudo democracy that we live in, there are people who are fortunate enough to live their whole lives without needing to be responsible for the next government and the leadership of the nation. The number of walkovers is simply astounding and the whole idea of elections warped and deformed. On one hand the ruling party wants creative, entrepreneurial Singaporeans, but on the other, we have no right to speak up and when we do, we are told that we cannot for the good of the nation. This is all tinged with a lot of double talk and sadly, there is nothing we can do about it.
Proactive or otherwise, its not that everyone is satisfied. We have just learnt to live with what we have. In a nation that is supposed to have a low inflation level, the cost of education is raising very quickly. How will a University Cultural Centre that have of no apparent educational value help in teaching the next batch of undergraduates? On the same note, how will advertising improve the education standards of the university? The deadweight lost of such project will eventually be borne by a graduating population that will enter the workforce in debt and work for half a decade before being able to pay of the debt. And this is but a same minority of the population. In a nation that is trying to move towards high-end services and technology, Singapore is still strangely trying to retrain experienced middle age workers to clean hotel rooms and sweep the floor. Where is the technological advances that is supposed to allow us to work from home and make a million a year?
Such questions remain unanswered. There maybe an answer, but the real reason why there is no reply is the fact that there is no opposition to ask such questions. But then maybe that is still not the real issue. If we need to have housing quotas and GRCs to ensure that we are cohesive as a nation, then maybe its really asking too much for the people to form even one opposition party that can ask these questions.
12:29 AM
Monday, April 10, 2006
In this month of Qing Ming, let use reflect on this fundamental question. 'Why should we remember the dead and departed members of our family, friends and loved ones?' As far as this blog is informed, there is no other complex mammal that has this practice of funerals and remembrance years after the death of a relative. Of course this blog will not suggest nor insinuate that such a practice is incorrect or otherwise unimportant. Quite on the contrary, this blog believes that such practices are not only of the utmost importance and respect and reveres these practice, but for a different reason relative to what is normally argued.
A common notion about the dead is that by remembering them it helps to relieve their suffering, by giving them a great funeral, it ensure eternal bliss. This is of course plausible, but in reality, much of such practices are not for the dead but for the living. The son who see that his father is buried in a grand tomb that is taken care of year after year hope that his son will reciprocate and follow in his footsteps. It relieves some of the sadness and guilt that will inevitably pile up over the long years of life.
This blog however asserts that a more important aspect of remembering the depart is to enforce a form of 'soft' check on society. This is basically the same result why we must be filial to our parents, respect our teachers, and serve the community. It gives us a reason to live and do good. Because then we will do our parents, teachers and communities proud. In the same way, remembering our ancestors will push us to do good, acting as a check to prevent the fabric of society from falling apart. As compared to the 'hard' check of the judicial system, this blog asserts that the soft check has as much influence on the society as the police and the courts of law. Albeit this is a difficult link to make since it is not easily measured, and cannot be practically tested, however, it seems logical to assume that such a check exist, since it is not possible for the law enforcement agencies to be present all the time at all the places when there is possible crime.
In sum, this blog applauds the wisdom of the elders. While Qing Ming may put the souls of the departed at ease, of far more importance is the lifes of the living that will be changed by this simple ritual.
11:47 PM
Sunday, April 09, 2006
It really seems surreal, the feeling of closure, of ending another chapter of my life, just like that. Of course this blog is reflecting on the fact that next Tuesday is ORD. When many will celebrate, some will feel lost, one thing that many will not feel is indifference. But then this blog seems to be an exception. Nothing has changed, or has it? Two year in the order of things is but a drop in an ocean, a fiftieth of your life if u live to a hundred, roughly the time that one will spend in a JC. After all the hate, the anger, the sadness, the doubts, the tears, the blood, the sweat, what has changed?
It will be greatly disingenuous if this blog were to suggest that the years spent at a camp in a remote corner of a remote island at a remote part of the world is completely useless and valueless. However, the fact is that it is difficult to find the patriotism and the motivation to forgo precious weekends to walk around in camp, or to believe that we are protecting the nation by carrying overweight handphones around. Of course, these are experiences that are really once in a life-time, but some will argue that these are also experiences that we can do without.
Whatever the conclusion on the whether NS is really beneficial, it is always important to remember to keep the whole argument in perspective. The whole issue is not a matter of choice nor decision on our part. It was with alot of intimidation and strong arming that we are all serving NS, and we are all leaving, just like that, with out so much as a blip in the general order of things. Thus, indifferance is the eventual feeling that this blog feels. Which is sad, considering the enormous amount of money that is spent on the defense budget.
1:00 AM
