Man in the Mirror

Roar of the Water Dragon

2012-01-23T01:39:00.003+08:00

The title has no relevance to whatever I am about to write whatsoever. I was looking for a dramatic title for the post, keyed in the words "dragon" and "roar" into Google and picked out the first item it coughed out. Pretty apt I'd say, bearing in mind that this is the year of the water dragon in particular. On hindsight however, I would like to think of the title as a promise of things to come.

The Rabbit year which has since past was a year of ups and downs. The most significant event perhaps was the passing of our pet dog, Sumo, on May 17th 2011. It was a traumatic event for my family, seeing someone who's become an integral part of the family leave just like that. Words simply do not express the sense of lost I felt and still feel right till this day. That aside, the two car crashes I got involved in would too count towards the downs I've experienced this past year.

Fortunately, the Rabbit year brought with it more ups then downs. My sister made good on her promise to get herself accepted into UBC and I've done better this academic year than I've ever done... since... well... god knows when. Most importantly, as we sat down for our reunion dinner this year, we realized that the greatest happiness that we've got this year is knowing that regardless of what happens in the cold harsh world out there, the 4 of us have got each other to turn to. Not many people out there have that... and one doesn't need to look too far to realize that. No amount of money can buy one the above, just like how any amount of wealth cannot buy someone dignity and class. Losing Sumo thought us an important lesson in life and that is that life is short and unpredictable, and that one shouldn't waste in on insignificant events and individuals. I am glad that the bitching, rumour-mongering, cup-smashing (a classic moment if I might add), groveling for red packets in accordance with Lunar New Year traditions that I believe were not started by the Han people and other assorted theatrics that I've come to associate with the passing of the Lunar New Year are now a thing of the past. Things have been looking up somewhat for me and I hope that they will continue to do so this coming New Year.

Having said that, I'll take my leave and go back to my tea and readings. Happy Lunar New Year Everyone!!! :)

New Year Resolutions

2011-12-27T15:11:00.001+08:00

Time to start blogging again :)

Reflections on the 2011 Presidential Elections

2011-08-26T03:39:00.003+08:00

The last two weeks have been pretty hectic for me. With both of my parents out of town and my sis settling in into her new life in Vancouver, I’ve been occupying my time with school, training and the household chores. The Presidential elections are just around the corner and truth be told there hasn’t been as much coverage online about it in comparison with the General Elections a couple of months back. What is even more intriguing perhaps is the lack of knowledge a significant number of Singaporeans have on the presidential candidates and more importantly the duties of what the elected presidency encompasses, despite the 2001 Presidential elections being an unprecedented event with 4 contenders vying for the top job.

I started this note with the intention of (re)introducing the 4 presidential hopefuls and listing out the pros and cons of each individual candidate and what I feel about them and who I believe should occupy the hot seat. However, as I learned about the candidates, and more importantly what the people thought about the presidential elections, the more I realized how severe the ramifications of having an apathetic and “uneducated” electorate were. As I browsed through the couple of popular online forums, I realized that a significant number online didn’t really know just exactly what the duties of the president were and what were his limitations.

Before I go any further, I just like to add in a short disclaimer. This note is not an academic essay. I have cut and paste huge large parts of it (2 big parts to be specific). What I hope to achieve at the end of this entry is to leave you with enough information to understand what you’re voting for come polling day (roles and duties of the president) and have a better understanding on the dynamics of this upcoming PE (I am linking Catherine Lim’s blog post here). We live in a very busy society and it is perfectly understandable how a ridiculous number of people will be going to the polls with no idea just who they’re voting for. Perfectly understandable indeed. Let us begin with the roles and duties of the elected Presidency.

From Annex D: Statement by the Minister of Law on the Elected President, 10th June 2011

Singapore has a Parliamentary system of government, not a Presidential one. The President is the Head of State, not the Head of Government. The Prime Minister is the Head of Government and has the authority and responsibility to govern Singapore. The Constitution clearly defines the role and scope of the President. He has custodial powers, not executive powers. In other words, he can veto or block Government actions in specified areas, but he has no role to advance his own policy agenda. National policies and running the Government are the responsibility of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. This is so for all policies, whether they concern security and defence, immigration and population, or housing and social safety nets. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are accountable to Parliament, where policies are debated and endorsed, and ultimately to voters, who decide every five years who to elect to Parliament and to govern Singapore.

The President’s veto powers over the Government are limited to specific areas:

Protection of past reserves, i.e. reserves accumulated during previous terms of office of Government;
Appointment of key personnel; and
ISA detentions, CPIB investigations and any restraining order in connection with the maintenance of religious harmony.

On all other matters, under the Constitution the President must act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet. In addition, the President is required to consult the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) when exercising his veto powers in connection with reserves and appointments.

The President’s veto powers are an important check against a profligate government squandering the nation’s reserves, or undermining the integrity of the public service. That is why the people directly elect the President: to have the mandate to carry out his custodial role, and the moral authority to say no if necessary to the elected government.

Protection of Past Reserves

The Constitution protects the past reserves of the Government and key statutory boards and government companies (‘5th Schedule’ entities) like the CPF Board, MAS, HDB, GIC and Temasek. The reserves include physical assets like land and buildings as well as financial assets like cash, securities and bonds. The Government of the day can only spend past reserves with the approval of the President.

However, the President does not direct the operations of these statutory boards and government companies. In particular, he is not empowered to direct the investment strategies of GIC and Temasek. The investment strategies of GIC and Temasek are the responsibility of their respective Boards and managements. The Government’s role is to appoint suitable and qualified individuals to the two Boards. The President’s role is to approve Board appointments proposed by the Government. The President also receives the audited annual accounts of GIC and Temasek, and has access to any of the information that is available to their boards. This system of governance has allowed the GIC and Temasek to operate professionally and to achieve good returns over time, comparable to other reputable global investors.

Appointment of key personnel

To safeguard the integrity of the Public Service, the President has the discretion to refuse the appointment of a person to certain key positions in the public service. He can also refuse to concur with the removal of persons from these key positions. These include the Attorney General, Chairman and members of the Public Service Commission, the Auditor-General, and the chiefs of the Armed Forces and Police. The President has similar veto powers over the appointment of the Chief Justice and Judges, and board members and CEOs of the 5th Schedule entities.

ISA detentions, CPIB investigations and restraining orders in connection with the maintenance of religious harmony

The President’s concurrence is required for further detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) if Cabinet disagrees with the ISA advisory board’s advice that the detainee should be released. His concurrence also allows the Director of the Corrupt Practice Investigation Bureau to continue with investigations even if the Prime Minister has refused permission to conduct the investigations. The President can cancel, vary or confirm any restraining order made under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, if the decision of Cabinet is against the recommendations of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.

In summary, the President is all but perhaps a signatory authorizing the usage of Singapore savings and can only veto it upon consultation with the presidential council. Though Presidential approval is needed when appointing the top people of the public service, he can only consider and approve names handed to him and not pick his own people. Invoking the ICA, pardoning criminals etc, all that can only be done upon consultation with the Presidential council. Though the 1991 amendment has given the President additional powers, he is still largely expected to dance to the tune of the ruling government. Having settled question of what the roles and duties of the president are, the next question some might ask is… why an elected presidency?

When the PAP government failed to make a clear sweep of all the seats in parliament for the first time in the 1984 elections and the subsequent 1988 elections, the general consensus amongst the ruling party was that these seats were lost as a result of the people “experimenting” with their votes and wanting to have their voices heard in parliament. It was then decided that there was a need for another, to hold a second key to the cabinet, that other being the elected president of Singapore. Prior to the amendments in the 1991 constitution, the role of the president was largely ceremonial. After the amendments, the role of the president was largely custodial. It is important to realize that the president’s main duties are to safeguard our financial reserves and of the integrity of our public service. The president was and is not a counter-balance to the government and that role remains exclusively the duty of the opposition.

Perhaps it’s best if I leave you with the following blog entry that so elegantly pens down the very essence of what I intended to write about the dynamics and ground sentiment of this upcoming PE if I weren’t so busy sweeping the garden and catching up with my ever growing pile of readings. ☺

The Elected Presidency: More Of The Same Or A Whole New Game?

When in 1991, the People’s Action Party (PAP) leaders decided to change the system of a government-appointed President of Singapore to that of a popularly elected one, they could never have foreseen the electoral chaos their decision would cause twenty years later.

For at that time, the amendments in the constitution, by all accounts, fitted in well with the government’s purpose. Firstly, the setting up of a president with a popular mandate to check the excesses of an administration grown incompetent or corrupt, had all the laudable marks of a healthily functioning democracy, that would surely go down well with the people.

Secondly, the veto powers of the president would by no means make him a source of annoyance to a PAP government used to having its own way, because of two cautionary provisions built into the constitution. The first was his prior clearance, before he could stand for election, by a government-appointed body that would see to it that he was acceptable, in the first place, to the government itself, in terms of his experience, intellectual acumen, moral character, personality, etc. The second and more important provision in the constitution, was his being subjected, after his election as president, to precisely stipulated limits of his custodial role as to its scope and demeanour, to ensure that the government would always have the final say.

Thirdly, the newly invested presidential power which would not likely be used on a PAP leadership that had always prided itself on its competence and incorruptibility, would nevertheless be a strong safeguard against any future government inclined towards excess, and especially against any rogue opposition party coming into power and ready to squander the nation’s vast reserves in populist schemes to curry favour with the people.

In short, the amendments in the constitution for an Elected President (EP) would greatly enhance the traditional role of the president, and increase its usefulness. Thus, in addition to being the ceremonial head of a nation, a symbol of democratic processes at work, a focus for national pride and emotional outpouring, and the nation’s proud representative abroad in the illustrious company of royalty and dignitaries, he would also be the moral conscience of the government, albeit a discreetly quiet one. The EP would thus be a luminous star in a continuing tripartite, president-government-people relationship of unity and harmony.

But the General Election of 2011 (GE 2011) has burst asunder all the smooth lines of this pattern and reduced it to a chaos of disunities and disjunctions that, in the present run-up to the Presidential Election on 27 August, continue to confuse and vex voters. These fall broadly into the pro-PAP group, the 60% who voted for the party in GE 2011, and the anti-PAP group, the 40% who gave their vote to the opposition, both groups being now expected to give their support, accordingly, to the presidential candidate who is either associated with the PAP, or distanced from and independent of it.

The four contenders, as they go about canvassing for votes, are clearly lined along an ideological spectrum, with the strongest PAP associate at one end, and the strongest PAP critic at the other. All the highly-charged, hotly debated issues of the campaign seem to devolve into one common, fundamental question: Exactly what is the role of the EP?

It is a reflection of the latent contradictions of the constitution, only now emerging, that the very same sacrosanct document is quoted by both opposing sides to support their standpoints. Thus, the pro-PAP voters, backing the presidential hopeful who has been publicly endorsed by the government and the various pro-establishment unions and organizations, are saying: ‘The constitution stipulates the president’s custodial role very clearly, which means that he must work closely and harmoniously with the government for the common good.’ The anti-PAP voters, supporting those presidential hopefuls who they perceive will act independently, even adversarially, are saying with equal confidence, ‘The popular mandate of the president, for which the constitution was changed in the first place, would make no sense if he did not represent the people who had voted directly for him. Therefore, he must be the voice of the people and stand up against the government, if necessary, to protect their interests.’

The dilemma for voters boils down to a choice between two situations that could not be more contrasted: to keep the status quo and thus ensure continuity and stability, or to opt for change without which there can be no progress. So: stay on the terra firma of the known, or venture into the terra incognita of the unknown? Have more of the same, or go for a whole new game?

Ironically, the same constitution is perceived as providing equal logical, legal and moral backing for either of these two diametrically opposed stances. Even more ironically, the constitution which places the EP above politics, has caused him to be the centre of the most divisive political contest seen in Singapore. It would be difficult, after such an election, to see the new President of Singapore in an aura of magisterial bearing, dignified detachment and inspirational benevolence. For he would have been permanently tainted by the mean-spiritedness and low-mindedness that are an inevitable part of the hype and hoopla of a political campaign.

Among the anti-PAP group, there is a specially vocal, bold, single-minded band which, though in the minority, warrants special attention, because they have, through their persistent, assiduous and skilful exploitation of the power of the social media, successfully channeled the discontent and anger of GE 2011 into the Presidential election. Their rallying cry which must have great resonance for large numbers of disaffected Singaporeans is: No more of the same PAP dominance, no more of the same PAP arrogance and insensitivity to the needs of the people! We need a whole new game, with the rules re-written by ourselves, to serve the people’s interests, not theirs! We can do this through the EP because we gave him our vote!

There are three special kinds of emotional appeal that this anti-PAP group has adroitly crafted out of the outcomes of GE 2011:

urging the people to replicate their astonishing triumph and spectacular gains in GE 2011, by reminding them that, for the first time in electoral history, they were able to make the powerful PAP government buckle to their demands for changes in unpopular policies, including the hated ministerial salaries; convincing them that the coming Presidential Election represents their best possible chance to reinforce and extend these gains, a chance that moreover, may never come again, at least not for another five years.
emphasizing to the people the sheer unfairness of a system by which the unprecedented 40% vote which they had given the opposition had converted into a paltry six seats in Parliament; assuring them that this gross disproportion could be redressed by an actively independent EP.
pointing out to the people that despite the avowals for change, the PAP administration is still very much mired in its old mindset, and so far seems to be more interested in making personnel rather than policy changes; that despite his resignation from the cabinet, the former, long-feared Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew is still very much around, judging by the public comments and pronouncements he is still making, including his recent one reiterating the necessity of bringing in foreign talent, which had been a contentious GE 2011 issue.

The increasingly bolder anti-PAP camp, whose vociferousness and hence very palpable presence makes them a more effective force for change than the silent majority, is a new species of political animal that was created by the shock events of GE 2011. It has tasted freedom and smelt blood. It can no longer be muzzled. Indeed, it seems by now to be unstoppable and may well prove to be the most intractable force for the PAP government to deal with in the future. The EP who might have been savaged by this feral creature during the hustings, will have no choice but to placate and make peace with it.

The coming Presidential Election on 27 August will be watched like no other, because the political landscape that has changed so amazingly after GE 2011, may well see a second transformation.

- Catherine Lim

That marks the end of this what I hope has been a rather meaningful read. Happy voting!!

PS: Before I truly conclude however, I would just like to draw your attention to just one of the many contentious issues brought up over the past week.

In the Presidential Elections Act, it is stated that a candidate must have for a period of not less than three years held office as a as chairman of the board of directors or CEO of a company incorporated or registered under the Companies Act with a paid-up capital of at least $100 million or its equivalent in foreign currency or in any other similar or comparable position of seniority and responsibility in any other organization or department of equivalent size or complexity in the public or private sector which has given him such experience and ability in administering and managing financial affairs as to enable him to carry out effectively the functions and duties of the office of President. Mr Tony Tan retired as the Executive Director of GIC only on the 23rd of June 2011… Either GIC doesn’t cut it as a department of “equivalent size or complexity” Food for thought eh...

Courtesy.

2011-07-29T00:59:00.002+08:00

Bringing a baby no more than 4 years old out for a 9.45 pm movie doesn't say much about your parenting skills. Letting the baby scream his head off in the cinema for a good 5 minutes doesn't say much about your civic mindedness. Screaming back at the many voices hollering for you to take the baby out of the cinema simply shows how stubborn you are. At least you lot have the brains to leave the cinema as soon as the credits started rolling...

Heartache

2011-07-27T01:30:00.003+08:00

I kinda broke down thinking of you today. Sigh... the heartache doesn't seem to go away.

Catching up

2011-07-10T02:37:00.001+08:00

And all it took was a BBQ :) It was really great catching up with all of you. Till the next meet up...

Goodbye and Hello

2011-06-18T08:16:00.001+08:00

Trip's ending in a couple of days time... :( But its been a good though undeserving rest for me... Will be looking forward to shaking things up when I get back :)

Silence

2011-06-15T06:55:00.003+08:00

Doubts and uncertainty. Walking in circles in the middle of a crossroad. Regrets... tons of it. Embarrassment. Feeling like a bum.

Too much of a good thing can be depressing at times.

Goodbye Old Friend

2011-05-23T06:55:00.008+08:00

When Sumo was diagnosed with Brain Tumors about 2 weeks ago, I started a blog with the intention of chronicling his last days with us. Unfortunately, the site which hosts the blog crashed and the blog kinda got wiped out. Sadly, Sumo didn't last past the 9th day and left us on the 17th of May 2009. It’s been 6 days since Sumo passed on. The last couple of days have been quite the emotional roller coaster ride for my family and I. In just nine short days, we saw what was, on the surface anyway, a loved one succumb to a crippling disease and pass on. This wasn’t my first encounter with brain tumors and cancer. My tuition teacher, who tutored me from K1 to Secondary 3, suffered from brain cancer too and passed on shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. It seemed Sumo had, by some cruel twist of fate suffered a similar end. I’ve been meaning to write a short entry about his passing but the last 2 days was packed and I didn’t really have much time to write much about it.

Sumo resting 4 days before his passing

Following his seizures on the 13^th of May, we were told by the veterinary surgeon that the following 48 hours would be a good indicator if he would pull through. If he pulled through the next 48 hours without any medical emergencies or seizures, there would be a high chance that he might be able to get through a couple more weeks or even months. My family, my dad especially, watched him like a hawk over the next 48 hours which passed, thankfully, without any incident.

Mum and Dad attending to Sumo

On the 16^th of May, we brought Sumo in for what we hope would be the first of his many routine check ups. Nothing seemed amiss and the vet was very happy with the physical condition he was in. The analysis of his MRI from the Veterinary Clinic in Australia seemed rather vague about what he was suffering from and in short, was inconclusive as to the cause of his cancer. However, there was no doubt that he was suffering from multiple tumors in the head which affected his neurological functions. How those tumors came about… I guess we'll never know. We had Sumo's IV needle removed and left soon after paying the bills. We brought Sumo to the small patch of grass outside the carpark and watched happily on as he walked and sniffed around almost as if nothing was wrong. After returning home, my dad went to sleep and I was left to watch him for a short while. During my watch, Sumo got up twice and I carried him out to the little grass patch across the road for him to relieve himself. Even in such sickeness, Sumo made a conscious effort to alert us as to when he needed to relieve himself so that we could take him out. Once outside however, Sumo would walk and look up frequently at me in a daze as if he couldn’t remember what to do next.

During the night, I checked on Sumo twice and both times I found him fast asleep in the corner of his cage. However, at about 6 am in the morning, it became apparent that his condition was worsening significantly and as he started to loosing control of his bowel movements. Maria and my dad cleaned him up and then my dad took him out for what would be his last walk, cradling him in his arms. It became apparent that his condition was continuing to worsen. My dad rushed back into the house and brought him up to the second floor. He woke my mum up, who in turn rushed to wake us up. We rushed out and gathered around him. It was very evident then that the time to say goodbye had finally arrived. We whispered our final goodbyes and as my mum, the last amongst the 4 of us to do so, bent down to kiss him goodbye on his head, he let out a loud sigh and took his last breath.

Sumo lying down after dinner

Regardless of what anyone says about saying goodbye, and how time will heal all wounds, it simply isn’t as easy as it looks. After hearing about the tumors and all on Mother's day, not to mention those seizures and near misses throughout the nine days that followed, I made an effort to prepare myself mentally for that fateful day. However, when it finally came, regardless of how ready I thought I was, I couldn’t bring myself to actually say goodbye. Though I managed to compose myself and all, I broke down pretty badly when the time came to finally let him go. The only consolation I had then was that he wasn't in pain anymore. He was in quite a bit of discomfort and in death he seemed to be at peace. It seemed almost as if he had drifted into a deep slumber, just like he used to do in my bedroom and appeared as if he would awake any time.

Sumo, my Sis and I on my 23rd Birthday

Sumo's time with us wasn't very long, but in those 10 years... My family and I have learnt so much more about ourselves and about life in general from him. Its amazing how Sumo, a mere mutt, thought us so much about responsibility, unconditional love, loyalty and eventually death. Truth be told, words don't do justice to how I felt and am feeling for Sumo. Every time I see a pooch trotting down the street here in Berlin, memories of the good times Sumo and I had together come flooding back in. I am going to miss him so very much :)

Sumo in bed with me... everyday for the last 10 years.

Love ya always :)

Heart Break

2011-05-13T00:02:00.000+08:00

"Ever has it been that love know not its own depth until the hour of separation."

- Kahil Gibran

Final Note before polling day!

2011-05-06T23:17:00.004+08:00

With polling day less than 24 hours away, I am sure that many Singaporeans, like me, have made the effort to see, hear and gather as much information as they can for themselves so that they can make the best possible decision come D-Day tomorrow. I would have loved to attend more rallies but alas, I was only able to make it down to 2 days of rallies as my papers ended on the 4th of May. Thankfully, Todaydigital provided a rather comprehensive collection of most of the election rallies on their YouTube channel. Granted that the PAP has been leading this country for the last couple of decades and have shown their worth through their tenure, I decided to head down to the opposition rallies instead to see what the folks on the other side of the fence had to say and offer.

I managed to catch the WP’s rally at Ubi on the 4th of May and the SDP’s final rally at Woodlands on the 5th of May. Having watched most of the rallies online and actually listening to the above two in person, I thought that I’d share my thoughts on the elections and how it would actually affect Singaporeans.

At the rallies, it was humbling and heartening to see the large number of people who turned up despite the less than stellar conditions. Though the field that the WP organized their election rally in on the 4th of May was waterlogged and muddy, the immense crowd, which showed up, reflected a cross section of Singaporean society. The old, the young (dragged around in prams) and individuals from every racial and strata of society stood ankle deep in the mud cheering and listening to what the opposition members had to say. The stunning turnout at the rallies and the huge buzz in online forums and various networking sites proved to many that Singaporeans were genuinely interested in the political future of our country and not the politically apathetic fools as many claim.

The intention of my note today is to hopefully highlight the importance of voting for the right team tomorrow. From what I gathered from the speeches and articles on the mainstream media, I believe that the PAP has been encouraging the people to vote for the party with an established track record. The incumbents have repeatedly criticized the opposition on its plans for Singapore should it get elected into power and repeatedly appeals to the rationality of an enlightened people not to “ruin a good thing” by “rocking the boat.”

First and foremost, I believe a political party’s performance in rallies during its electoral campaign is an excellent indicator of just how seriously the party is taking this election. This is especially true in Singapore’s context given that the oppositions have only this period to communicate their plans and vision to Singaporeans. I was an ardent supporter of the PAP, having myself served with the YPAP in Kaki Bukit before, but I feel that the party has lost focus on what it means to be members of parliaments and representatives of the people. I also believe that for the Opposition to be effective there needed to be an acceptance on the part of both the Government and the wider society of the essentials of parliamentary democracy and an agreement reached on the ‘rules of the game’. Essentially, all-round acceptance that the Opposition has an important role to play must be present before an Opposition can take charge here.

As a result of the GRC system, the people of Singapore have only two important considerations to make before heading to the polls. We as voters, do not only have to consider what is best for the country as a whole but we also need to decide what is best for the constituency which we reside in. I, like many others, take issue with this system but debating about it at this juncture in time isn’t very different from the incumbents apologizing for their high handedness 48 hours before polling day. So that brings us to the million-dollar question at hand how should we vote this coming Saturday?

In the world we live in today, opinion and feedback polls are crucial sources of information that gets analyzed and listened too by politicians. In Singapore, the politicians obtain their feedback through REACH and MPS but also through informal GRC gatherings and the ever popular block visits, neighborhood walks. The political leadership in Singapore today cannot live in a vacuum between elections but must engage in constant dialogue with the electorate. Many fervent PAP supporters out there believe that the stability and security that a dominant party system offers is far more beneficial to the vibrancy of a multi-party system. In fact, a significant number of MPs have raised this issue up during their rally speeches and many talked about how the party will listen more and better represent the diversity of Singaporean society should they be elected into power. I however would beg to differ.

As I have written previously in my earlier notes, there remains a strong distinction between the party, the parliament and the bureaucracy. The PAP is a political party and it is important that despite its size and experience it still has its own agenda and policies that might not include all the voices in Singapore. I believe that a single party cannot fully represent the voices of all Singaporeans and that the PAP has too, not proven itself the exception. PAP MP Tan Soo Khoon was rebuffed by the then-PM Goh when he called for fellow ‘backbenchers’ in parliament to be given more freedom to vote. PM Goh was quoted as saying, “If you sing Jailhouse Rock with your electric guitar when others are playing Beethoven, you are out of order. The whip must be used on you (Straits Times, April 6, 2002).” Party whips are party 'enforcers', who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy. How then can we expect the PAP MPs to voice the concerns of the general population especially those pertaining to unfavorable government policies if they’re expected to be subordinate to party lines?

Without an effective opposition, good decisions and resolutions on difficult or controversial matters are almost impossible. (Just like the IRs, you’ll get an efficient means of reaching a consensus but I’ve always felt that the ends do not justify the means and more rigorous debate on national policy should always be welcome.) In the end arrogance and ignorance will dominate if the only voices heard are those of Yes-men. Singapore has in place a first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system. FPTP often favors larger parties where the distance between members on the parties' right and left wings may be significant, which in turn can easily lead to internal conflict against the official party view when certain issues are voted on. The cracks within the PAP have started to show, and it became evident during the rallies that there was a lack of coherence and unity within the party. Can the PAP be entrusted with the full responsibility of leading the country? What then can the opposition provide which is so vital and lacking in a PAP dominated parliament?

It is highly unlikely (again a personal opinion), that the opposition occupies the necessary numbers to collectively amend or block a PAP bill in parliament but it can still suggest changes. Indeed the majority often sounds out the opposition whilst preparing a bill to minimize resistance on presentation to the house. (Obviously I am not sure how much effect 2 opposition members would have on the rest of the men/women in white over the past 5 years…) The role of the opposition is hence crucial in the legislation process as an opposition, in contrast to checks within the party, is better able to provide for more detailed and rigorous discussions when planning/debating the proposed bill. Again, I must reiterate the point which was made that mechanisms to promote accountability and exposure will only be effective if the general ‘culture of accountability’ and commitment that the opposition is campaigning for is also embraced by the incumbents. There is a consensus amongst the people that all aspects of administration must be subject to scrutiny and it is only through acceptance of such a “culture of accountability” will the overall effectiveness of the parliamentary system be realized. My case for more opposition members within the parliament is further strengthen by the somewhat diminishing effect of the mechanisms available to the Opposition to hold the Executive to account. A notable example as such is the reduction of time allocated to the MPs to make their speeches or to ask questions. Assuming everyone in the parliament is given a chance to talk, the time for the oppositions to actually present cases or to debate in parliament is merely a fraction of the time allocated to the PAP representatives in parliament. Assuming the opposition takes only 2 seats in parliament, that’s 40 minutes in total of speaking time, down from an already miserable one hour…

I must also point out here that the choice isn’t always simply between national and party interest. From the electoral campaign, it seems that the Opposition parties intend on representing important minority interests too. By having more opposition members in the parliament, the people will be able to ensure that governing parties, specifically those making up the majority party in parliament, do not exploit their majority force-reach agreements made in the interests of consensus and ‘the national interest’.

Former US ambassador to Singapore, Franklin Lavin was quoted to have described “Singapore’s 20th-century political model” as being inadequate for the 21st century, warning that the government “will pay an increasing price for not allowing full participation of its citizens.” I have heard the opposition speakers and I have heard the PAP members make their case. Whilst the PAP rhetoric reeks of arrogance and a strong sense of entitlement, I believe that the Opposition members we have running for a seat in the parliament are equally deserving of that seat. Whilst the PAP has been doing a decent job thus far in running the country, I believe that the PAP has had the chance to prove themselves over the past 10 years. They have done a good job, but it is clear that an additional perspective is necessary if we’re going to get it. I believe that having an having a sizable opposition in the parliament will not only rejuvenate Singaporean’s interest in political matters, as observed during the electoral campaigning period, but it will also help whip the PAP which has gotten complacent and disengaged from the population back into shape.

Paul Wellstone once said, “Politics isn’t about big money or power games; it’s about the improvement of people’s lives.” I believe in change and I believe that it is possible to realize a better Singapore than what we have right now. Make your vote count.

Note to you

2011-05-03T10:51:00.002+08:00

Contrary to what you think Fudgy, no one's putting your miserable existence under any form of surveillance. It's good to see that you're actually using spellcheck for once... a pity you haven't tried the grammar-check function yet. I am glad that you're happy how your life's turning out too cause in all honesty that was something I didn't expect, given the rather "physical relationship" you seem to sustain with your "loved ones" :)

About that confrontation you so seek, I doubt its ever going to happen dear. Unlike you, I have much better things to do in life than to reenact your Korean Soap Opera fantasies with you, and trust me I know for certain too there's nothing you seem to hold sacred. I mean... if you can slam your own mother and sister online with such expletives I believe anything else is possible. It seems you have to right to er... do a lot of things in your life... things it seems any other decent girl I know wouldn't do like get drunk at a void deck...

Let's just set the record straight here, you corpulent sow (No hard feelings here, I ran your face through this Google App face recognition software and that's what came up...). You could be lying piss drunk in your own vomit and piss outside some random lup-sup bar (which you so like to frequent) and I would just walk over you without doubling back... That's how much I actually give a damn about you.

So whilst you express your right to... how should I put it... do whatever you want to do on the internet, recognize too that anyone can do the same. Just because we haven't chosen to engage doesn't mean we won't. Go back to tweeting and blogging about your rather overrated existence and keep to that or take a leaf out of your sibling's book and block off all external contact to your entries if you can't keep your stupid opinions about others to yourself. And when we do bite back Ms. Coccydynia, don't go whining about it to... your.. "loved ones". :)

Peace out.

Family Round 2

2011-05-02T12:20:00.004+08:00

I hope this message reaches you. The invitation was a courtesy call. Its for us to invite and for you to decline. There's no need to get all bitchy and sensitive over the invite. Besides the invite was between my mother and her sibling. It most definitely wasn't extended to you two sad retards exclusively.

I've always practice restraint in dealing with sensitive issues as such but this time round I am going to make an exception. The invitation was from my parents to your parents. If we had a say about it, I wouldn't even let you near the spot where my dog defecates and pisses. Being associated with you (and your siblings) disgusts me. Your crassness and lack of humility is absolutely disgusting. I have always believed in some form in civility when dealing when family issues, since the lot of you can't seem to control your mouths and actions. The internet is a free place. That doesn't mean you don't practice any self restraint.

So watch what you write on the internet my little potty mouth relative. The walls have ears and the hedges have eyes, don't say you haven't been warned.

PS: If you're going to comment, do it in Chinese you uneducated prick since I can barely decipher whatever it is you type in English.

Happily Ever After...

2011-04-29T22:08:00.001+08:00

Fairytales ending do come true...

Election Fever

2011-04-29T11:57:00.004+08:00

With polling day just round the corner, one cannot help but notice the surge in activity online. This increase in “elections-related” activity online, especially over Facebook (which is the only social networking site I am on aside from the dying twitter account which I hardly pay attention too…) has been rather interesting and has been a welcome relief to many, including me, during the exam period. I have left a comment or two on friends’ walls about how I thoughts on certain individuals and policies. Amongst the many videos and commentaries that have been posted online, there are a few notable pictures, articles and interviews that have stood out from the others. TPL’s reflections on Razor TV, MG Chan’s 5 or 100 year speech and Nicole’s Introductory address, just to name a few. Despite the heavy coverage by the mainstream medias, it seems that the bulk of the discussion and “exchange of information” is taking place over the Internet. It also seems that the PAP (its candidates and policies) are drawing the heaviest fire online. Despite a number of notable and constructive criticisms made, it seems to be that a great many of the arguments for and against the incumbents seems to be rather superficial.

Like many out there, I feel strongly about a whole slew of issues which have been raised this elections. The rising cost of living in Singapore, the latest property cooling measures that were in put in place last year, immigration issues, the potential rise in GST, ministerial pay… the list is long and non-exhaustive. I believe that there has been a lot of debate online and amongst the candidates themselves and I believe that that hails as a promising start to this upcoming elections.

This week marks the start of my examinations and as much I’d love to go on about how I feel about the candidates and all, I must keep this entry short and get back to my books.

The emergence of social media has altered the way the elections will play out tremendously. Inexpensive, easily accessible, fast and most importantly anonymous, new media has replaced traditional media as mainstream this elections. The PAP has been serving as the ruling party for the past few decades and has been credited with having great foresight when dealing with issues related to Singapore. However, it seems that the incumbents might have underestimated the utility of social media in their election campaign.

When the campaigning first started, I won’t deny that I was only too happy to start throwing comment after comment, shooting off criticism after criticism on the YouTube videos and articles on the PAP. There is no doubt that they were crass, arrogant and utterly tactless in dealing with the questions that were posed to them and the issues that were raised. The way Mr. Lui handled a meet & greet session with a resident, TPL’s frivolous replies to questions posed to her on that infamous video and Mr. Chan’s brutish ways when speaking on stage… honestly what’s there to love? Conversely, the opposition parties were eloquent and extremely responsive in dealing with the general public both during public forums and online, across the various social networking tools, which they have fully exploited to their benefit. I was immensely irritated by the incumbents’ arrogance and was adamant about voting for the opposition come May 7th. This changed however when my good friend, G, wrote in a reply to one of my comments that “he didn’t care about well a politician speaks but how well they governed.” It was only then did I realize that I might have been assessing the candidates rather superficially too.

In this upcoming election, especially in Singapore granted that we’re operating under the parliamentary system, it's the party's policies and goals that matter more than the individual’s promises. As G mentioned, MPs have very little room to demonstrate or voice their own views until they become more established (And by established one means becoming a minister in the cabinet). Unlike in the US, where a politician is given much more leeway in pushing his beliefs and stands, the MPs in Singapore (from one party that is) will tend to “blend in together like sheep”. At this point in time, TPL, Mr Chan, Nicole and all the other new faces are simply starting out on their political journey and it really is too early to tell how far they’ll go in their political careers (or maybe not…lol…).

Having said all that, the only sure thing is that there are many new faces this coming election, a significant portion of whom have had no or little previous experience in politics. All we have to go on is the manner in which they conduct themselves during rallies and walkabouts, their credentials and their electoral promises. As a result of the elections rules, the rallies and pre-elections speeches will be the only avenues for these candidates to discuss issues that they intend on tackling if they get voted in. The only ones with any experience in governing a country are the incumbents. The PAP has been the government since independence and in all honesty truth we don't exactly have a benchmark/gauge to measure them up against. (Unless we count the Japanese Occupation and the British Colonial Rule) I believe that the PAP has done a decent job thus far. There is definitely room for improvement and I do believe that they are capable of bringing about positive change in time to come. However, the new faces dressed in white on white, who like most members of the opposition team, are greenhorns seem entirely indifferent to the changing political climate of this country. I believe it is this ignorance, arrogance and this aura of entitlement, which these fresh PAP candidates have, which is irksome. This election will be a watershed for all Singaporeans in so many ways and it is imperative that we all sit up and make the right choice when polling day comes.

Photo by Suhaimi Abdullah/Getty Images AsiaPac

Photo by David Ng

Nuisance

2011-03-24T17:27:00.002+08:00

You know the feeling one gets when one sits idly at the computer and surfs randomly for hours... browsing through random Facebook profile pages, reading through blogposts belonging to total strangers and deciphering 140 character coded messages on Twitter... yeah that feeling... I tend to get that quite a bit these days. On hindsight, the "hangover" from that mindless surfing leaves one reeling from extreme lethargy and a strange numbness in the brain. However, every dark cloud has its silver lining, and this mindless surfing on the net is no exception too. What one looses in terms of academic productivity, one reaps, multifold I must add, in what I would describe as "social knowledge". The latest gossip on who's dating who, who's got laid, who's popped out of the closet... my my... :) Its also fascinating to watch how individuals try so be someone else on the internet. The socially awkward becomes Mr Popular, the retards who can't converse in simple English (OR Mandarin for that matter...) start blogging in French and the silent start becoming opinionated anonymously... There's no crime in doing all that I guess but just so YOU know... I think its sad... :)

Happy Family

2011-02-01T13:26:00.003+08:00

I have thought long and hard about the recent developments observed within my extended family (despite the growing mountain of work that's piling up on my desk) and I have come to realize that the best thing to do is to write about it. It is most unfortunate that the people that this article is directed at will most probably not read the post for what it is and there's a high probability that the blog post will probably end up getting lost in translation or totally misinterpreted but hey... that really isn't my problem right? Before we proceed to the main issue (or issues) at hand, I think its best I state my intentions and what I hope to achieve by publishing this post. Honestly... I hope it gets read by the right people in the right frame of mind, who's prepared to tackle the following issues in a mature and sensible manner. I believe that KNOWING and FULLY COMPREHENDING both sides to the story is the first step to resolving any conflict. All this talk about not needing/wanting to know about the other side... or not wanting to listen to what one of parties involved has to say prior to tackling the issue... just indicates how "serious" the mediator is on resolving the problem. Now with that out of the way... let me just slip in one more disclaimer. This is a blog post. It isn't a written assignment, an essay, nor is it a thesis paper. This is merely a note in which I am going to just write in as cohesive a manner as I possibly can about what I feel about what's going on around me (with respects to familial ties...)over the last few days. I will attempt to make this post as objective as possible though it is pretty darn obvious just what some of my prejudices are. (I will also be writing in ENGLISH... if you're not familiar with the sentence structure or vocabulary used... consult a dictionary OR a thesaurus [use the dictionary to find out what a thesaurus is...]. It doesn't matter if you're uneducated or possess a Masters in whatever-it-is-you-studied-in-uni...)

First and foremost, everyone needs to come to a decision on one fundamental issue. That would be just how much does this extended family mean to them. If everybody is in it just for the money or some other form of personal gain, than we needn't proceed further with the resolution process. However, if these familial ties aren't just about self gratification or some other menial, outstanding vendetta that needs to be shoved into each other's face then I'd say we're on the right track. Now assuming that everybody now is on the same page I am... we shall continue...

We will attempt to resolve this conflict from the base unit up. Beginning with the individual, followed by the respective family unit then the different generational tiers and lastly the whole family (from the Grandparents to the kids...) as a single entity.

The Individual

Its important to realize that everyone is different. Some are born arseholes, others grow to become arseholes :) Regardless, everyone has the right to be different. However, that right to be different has its limits. Acknowledging the fact that we are of Asian descent and hold strongly (or so we believe...) to our Asian roots, there are certain traditions/ practices that we still should (as I believe...)... these would include... filial piety, respect for elders, humility etc. For example, one should not curse or use expletives on ones parents on the internet. One shouldn't scream at an elder over the phone or say... wrestle with an aunt in public.... When giving out red packets, one shouldn't start behaving like an absolute retard by obnoxiously prancing around and declaring to the whole world that she wasn't stinging on red packets... One shouldn't smash a cup in another's face during Chinese New Year etc... the list goes on... and on... and on... Now, from the individual's perspective, if he or she could have better control over his or her actions/words (REGARDLESS of one's level of education or upbringing, though I must recognize that for some, the lack of an education AND a proper upbringing seems to be an achievement and excuse for every stupid action or gibberish said) there will without a doubt be much less conflict present.

The Family Unit

The family unit, as recognized by MM Lee and Confucius, is the most important unit in society. More so than the individual too if I might add. I will redefine the family unit as one which comprises a man, his wife (not the one who files documents for you at work nor the one who receives you when you arrive at some random Chinese airport... we're talking about the one the MAN swore and oath too... for better or for worse till death do them part) and their issue. Any conflicts within the family unit... gets settled within that family unit. External assistance is always welcome if it facilitates in resolving the conflict and adheres to the 1st rule of thumb stated above (comprehending and understanding both sides of the story and possessing a genuine interest in resolving the conflict in a fair and just manner). However, sadly unbiased assistance doesn't come by that often and in MOST cases, external interference seems to be a more appropriate term to use. Anything or anyone that threatens the stability of the singular family unit should be viewed as a pain in the arse and dealt with appropriately. (Brawling about it could be seen as a way of dealing with the situation appropriately but I would much rather recommend an open discussion or worse comes to worse... the cold shoulder.)

However, this trend of thought presents itself with a number of complications (Most of which can be easily resolved). Some family units believe that with seniority and a bit of cash, they have the right to superiority over the other branches of the family tree. This argument, sadly, is quite flawed. It is important to understand that each family unit is its own authority. The unit creates its own problems... the unit solves its own problems. When one unit goes renegade and starts antagonizing another unit within the same entity, both units become involved not just a the women, or the man of the unit. It is only by reaching a consensus between both entire units can the matter be considered resolved.

The Generational Tier

The younger generation should not interfere with the issues plaguing the older generation, unless that issues critically affects how the base unit (family unit, which involves both the older and the younger generation) in a negative way. The older generation should also be mature enough to keep their quarrels and arguments to themselves. Again, the lack of a decent education NOR a proper upbringing should be an excuse for failing to abide by the above.

The Family as an Entity

Assuming that everyone still believes that familial ties are sacred. Everyone should have the happiness of the family as his or her main objective. Sometimes that happiness can only be achieved with a little bit of compromise and a great dose of humility.

With the mantra-bit out of the way, I think I should write a bit about my sentiments. I always believe that blood runs thicker than water and it is without a doubt that theses familial ties do mean a lot to me. However, having said that, there is one thing that I will rank above the preservation of those familial ties and that would be the well being of my own family unit. I will and do not tolerate any form of prejudice against any member of my family unit. The hypocrisy and double standards which are strongly prevalent in the große familie will rip the family to bits unless its members are enlightened enough to recognize that their own selfish, petty agendas are standing in the way of what could be a blessed, joyous and loving family.

2011

2010-12-28T23:09:00.003+08:00

2010 hasn't been what I would consider a great year. Sure, there were tons of good times but... just not great. I travelled up to Scandinavia for the first time, had tons of fun in NUS with the Aquathlon and the Swim teams, moved into my new place and had the opportunity to design and do up my own room... many things indeed and for that I feel blessed and happy. However, as mentioned previously, there were stuff that happened that kinda put a dampener on this otherwise wonderful year. My lousy grades (which will impact how 2011 turns out significantly...), my dismal performance in swimming and triathlon (which hit an all time low this year...) and my overall lack of enthusiasm and focus in life... these have been quite the dampeners in my life thus far. It was about a year ago when I wrote this entry as my last post for the 2009:

Its hard to believe that just 10 years ago, without Sumo or this lappy to keep me company, I was getting all excited as I marked the end of a good 1999. Excellent PSLE grades, entry into RI... the sky seemed like the limit then and I was invincible. As the years went by, I got lazy and stopped working hard to bring myself to new limits and reality... through gravity... sent me crashing back down to earth. So here I stand, somewhat battered and bruised, my ego shattered upon the dusty floor, looking skywards where my mates are now soaring high above enjoying the fruits of their labour. Stung with envy and ravaged by self pity, I have cried, screamed in rage and in the terminology of the 21st century, emo-ed about the state I was and am in countless times. However, I have also learnt from my mistakes and realized what I must do next to get back up in the sky where I know I belong. The next ten years are going to come and go twice as fast, as what others who have made that journey all say, and I don't intend on taking a backseat this time around. So with that I say farewell to 2009 and hello to a new start in 2010:)

It is most unfortunate that after typing that entry, I left it rot in the archives and didn't pay heed to any of it. I knew what would happen if I slacked and strayed... and did it anyway. In short, as a teammate so wholly put it as I confided in him, I had it coming. I will be 24 next year. Things aren't looking too good at the moment but I hope I can leave a much better end-note for 2011. I realized that what I needed wasn't a Zukerberg moment but a Rockefeller or Gardner moment. I need to get real and start fighting for what I want. Goodnight world.

Is it possible?

2010-12-14T14:11:00.001+08:00

Is it possible to make billions of dollars... like by 28?

Quotable Quotes :)

2010-12-13T11:22:00.002+08:00

At the end of the day, when it comes down to it, all we really want is to be close to somebody. So this thing where we all keep our distance and pretend not to care about each other, it’s usually a load of bull. So we pick and choose who we want to remain close to, and once we’ve chosen those people, we tend to stick close by. No matter how much we hurt them. The people that are still with you at the end of the day, those are the ones worth keeping. And sure, sometimes close can be too close. But sometimes, that invasion of personal space, it can be exactly what you need.

– Meredith Grey, Grey’s Anatomy

Obnoxious People

2010-12-12T19:45:00.003+08:00

People who cannot stop showing off EVEN on Facebook. Yes we know you're a rich, self made gay man but seriously... why the snide comments about someone shopping in Giordano? Geez. If only Facebook had a SLAP HIM function. What an obnoxious prick. I bet modesty isn't registered as a word in his dictionary.

Ranting is fun. I am going to do more of it.

PS: It seems Zoukout didn't turn out to be that fun after all... judging from the tweets and online comments on Facebook. Haha. Told you so.

Trip to the Museum

2010-12-11T23:04:00.001+08:00

I think I take pretty pictures :)

Phuket Trip

2010-12-11T14:54:00.016+08:00

Its been a while since I last posted something up here. What better way to end the drought with a post on my latest trip up to Phuket :). Great company, beautiful country, wonderful people... really isn't much anyone can ask for :). Enjoy the photos!

The End :(

Sentiments

2010-11-05T07:39:00.002+08:00

I look at the photos and I often find myself asking yet again, why the rush to grow up. As fun as it may be, the pretentiousness of it all is just a teeny bit too overwhelming for me. Is it something worth working towards? Yes. Is it something worth rushing towards? No. Most definitely not. There's so much more work that needs to be done internally. So many things to fix, before I can safely progress to the next stage in life.

I have heard time and time again how you will be often be judged on the company you keep. I think I am making the right choices thus far. Everybody has his price, and I'd like to think that my self worth is significantly higher than certain individuals I see out there.

Back to that damn essay.

Having the cake and eating it at the same time...

2010-10-23T13:43:00.003+08:00

"Gamblers in our midst: Unmasking the Singapore punter", a special report published in today's edition of the Straits Times, discusses the observations of a couple of ST journalists over their 5 day outings at both our casinos. I must admit that the article proved to be throughly insightful as it provided a glimpse into the lives of those individuals affected, be it positively or negatively, by the launching of these 2 IRs on our shores. I read through all the mini-articles and loved the way they categorized/stereotyped the assortment of punters who pass through the doors of both Casinos.

After reading all the articles + the recommendations at the end, I got a sense (no prizes or surprises there too...) that aside from the extra income and revenue from the casino levies and regional publicity generated by the opening of these two casinos, nothing good has come out from the establishment of these two casinos. "Technician Jerry Lee, 38, misses the celebratory dinner his mother had cooked at home...", "The last straw came when he (Mr Khoo) gambled away the last bit of money meant to settle the family's utility bill","Gambling is now his dirty little secret..." etc., the list of stories goes on and on. Personally, the negative externalities incurred by our society as a whole, far outweigh whatever profit we're generating from these two casinos. In fact, I believe that none of these social ills can be compensated by any amount of money.

Singapore isn't a state stuck in some random desert away from the rest of civilization, neither is it an island isolated from the main population reachable only by a couple hours of flying or ship. We're a small city state with our people as our only resource. Proximity makes a helluva a difference and we're starting to see the impacts of these two casinos on our society. One family broken as result of poor self restraint on the part of the gambler is one family too much. There was a report (if my memory doesn't fail me...) written a couple of years back about the feasibility of establishing these two casinos a while back and the report concluded that the casinos should NOT have been built.

Now that both casinos have been completed and opened for business, we start to see hear more and more "true" stories of individuals and families getting burnt by their escapades emerging from the shadows of these two glitzy new buildings. The broken family, the youth who started gambling merely out of curiosity, the terminally ill individual who chooses to shut himself up in a casino wasting his days away... its almost painful to carry on. Did the relevant authorities factor this into their calculations before OK-ing the casino despite strong protest from Singaporeans? I highly doubt so.

What's hilarious perhaps is the list of recommendations published after the main article. 10 seemingly well thought out and carefully planned recommendations on how to reduce the social ills emerging as a result of these two casinos. Some seem workable but others such as having social workers prowl the casino floors to spot potential gambling addicts? seriously? You can't have the damn cake and consume it at the same time I say. I seriously need to get back to my essays but yeah... go read both articles and reflect on it... Here's a quote for those out there who haven't made up their minds about gambling yet.

"The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your POCKET."

- Kin Hubbard

Logical Reasoning

2010-10-17T18:45:00.002+08:00

I made a decision a long time ago with regards how I was going to handle some of the friendships I have established over the years. There are some which just keep going on because... the friendship itself was an end in its own right and there were those that fizzled out because the friendship took too much out of one party of the other. There are some friendship that seem to flicker about like a candle in the wind but still stay firm at the end of the day and there are those that blossom like a Mexican Petunia, only to die before the next sunrise. A friend once talked to me about the importance of sustaining a friendship, the need to make an effort to groom and nurture that friendship. The friend continued to mention that the lack of enthusiasm on my part was detrimental to the sustenance of that friendship.

I see all human relationships, when stripped to its bare essence, a simple transaction of emotion between two individuals. One must have something the other needs and vice versa for that transaction to go through or that relationship to occur. The lack of enthusiasm perhaps is a result of me realizing my inability to provide you with what you seek and you not being able to do the same :) Simple and good analogy, I would say.

Passion

2010-10-11T10:11:00.002+08:00

Never had it, never will. I wish there was an ejection lever I could pull :(

Introduction of the century :)

2010-09-22T12:57:00.001+08:00

Evey: Who are you?

V. : Who? Who is but the form following the function of what and what I am is a man in a mask.

Evey: Well I can see that.

V. : Of course you can, I’m not questioning your powers of observation, I’m merely remarking upon the paradox of asking a masked man who he is.

Evey: Oh, right.

V. : But on this most auspicious of nights, permit me then, in lieu of the more commonplace soubriquet, to suggest the character of this dramatis persona. Voila! In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate. This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished. However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it’s my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.

Evey: Are you like a crazy person?

V. : I’m quite sure they will say so.

Remember, remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I know of no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot…

A change indeed

2010-09-04T11:06:00.002+08:00

I think the company truly does make the man... Indeed I have become a much happier man... swimming, biathlon and school :)

Zanny Quotes

2010-08-31T23:19:00.002+08:00

You will tend to behave and adopt traits of the people you hang around. Its very important that you surround yourself with people you'd like to emulate... its only human nature...

Scrutiny

2010-08-28T13:09:00.002+08:00

We live in a time and age where we need to be extra vigilante about the choice of words and expressions we use. I believe that there is nothing wrong with having an opinion but... it pays to be mindful of just how one expresses that opinion. Vague, sweeping statements of frustration and angst gets nobody anywhere... except a trip to the neighborhood police post. Its so easy to just dislike something for the sake of disliking it... but sometimes that isn't enough. If you can't substantiate or clarify what you mean online... don't even attempt to start anything. Its just going to backfire and blow up in your face as poor Abdul Malak has now realized. His choice of words, which went somewhere along the lines of "It's time to burn the minister and the PAP for this incident" was taken way out of context and became a cause of concern for the authorities. I empathize with Mr Malak. It wasn't too long ago when I found myself in a similar predicament as Mr Malak.

Having lost my temper with a fellow team-mate in Junior College over some ridiculously mundane issue, I stomped over to her lecture and gave her a piece of my mind. Somewhere in between that exchange, I told her in a menacing tone that, "if she continued to play with fire, she was going to get burnt". She went back and told her mum that I was going to set her alight or something and the next day, I found myself sitting in the principal's office with her mum, her and MY mum having tea with both the principal and the discipline master. At that juncture, I felt really pissed off with everyone involved for blowing up what I felt was a ridiculously childish issue. On hindsight, I now understand what Mr Hodge and my mum were trying to get at. That ancient chinese saying... about how its ok to "any-how" eat rice but it isn't right to "any-how" say stuff... certainly carries a helluva lot more weight than previously thought. So to Mr Malak... I say just take it as a lesson well learnt and be more careful with your opinions henceforth.

To the relevant authorities who made the arrest... I don't think arresting Mr Malak has helped much in the quest to clam down on those seeking to "incite public disorder and violence". Have a bit more faith in online community. Just as Mr Malak was able to find support for his anger and angst against the YOG organizing committee, I am pretty sure that giving those who felt contrary to how Mr Malak felt a chance to have their say against him on the internet, instead of throwing weight of judiciary against him, might have made a more positive impact on the public.

Life Stages

2010-08-27T00:52:00.002+08:00

Everybody has issues. Some have academic issues which needs to be monitored 24/7 in some random library, others have issues pertaining to "god-knows-what" which can be rectified by downing 12 shots of "whatever-random-alcohol". Some, however, have issues which can only be solved after deep thought/reflection in a "conducive-environment". I found that "conducive-environment" today and realized that I had to be traveling at approximately 33-36 km/h along a straight and quiet road for this self-analysis mood/mode to kick in.

I have and always believed that age is merely a number. You're never too young or too old to see or do something. However, I believe that a life can be divided into stages, which isn't confined to any numerical perimeters; and that in each stage... you'll tend to be inclined to do certain stuff which you might not do or might not have done before. It wasn't too long ago when I was at that point in my life where I just wanted to do everything, be everywhere and so on and so forth. I wanted to be the best tri-athlete I could ever be... yet on the other hand I wanted to be up there, partying with the big boys; breezing past the long queues at clubs and chilling out with the who's who in whatever club I was in. I started to loose focus of what I really wanted in life and the goals I had set out for myself 2 years ago upon the completion of my national service. Indeed, I had forgotten the very vows I made to myself 4 years ago when I received my A level transcripts back in RJC. As I cycled past the airport, past ECP on my way to catch the final celebration of what seemed to be quite a successful inaugural YOG, I realized that I had lost control of where I wanted to go in life.

So there, as the last of the fireworks sizzled out and faded into the night sky, I decided that I have been set adrift long enough. Its not enough to just sit back and hate the world for the cards life has dealt me. Its time, I think, for me to up the ante and to start walking the talk :)

Answers

2010-08-25T16:45:00.003+08:00

I finally asked the question. I sure as hell almost didn't but I am glad I did. I can't say that I wasn't expecting anything but I am really glad it turned out alright. :)

Question

2010-08-24T00:59:00.001+08:00

I've got a question for you...

Inspired

2010-08-20T00:23:00.002+08:00

I was watching the Youth Olympic Games on TV earlier in the day, and the day before... and the day before for that for all the wrong reasons... and I can safely conclude that... I am now inspired and ready to give it my all from now till the end of my swim and biathlon season :)

Islamic and Indian Political Thought

2010-08-16T11:27:00.002+08:00

I am seriously enjoying this module. I like how my prof speaks and gestures like a super zen master.... AWESOME :)

Moving on

2010-08-16T07:25:00.006+08:00

At some point in time, we need to let go. We need to let go of whatever emotional baggage we might be holding on to so we can get on with life. I think that's some seriously awesome advice that I am going to listen to :) As highlighted by a close friend on a recent twitter update, Carrie Bradshaw once said,‎ "You can't get to your future if your past is present." :)

And I kinda like the picture below... Credits go to Mr Chang Zhi Quan... Thanks dude :)

NUS Rag 2009/2010

2010-08-06T22:20:00.002+08:00

After Wednesday's swim training, the whole lot of us (the old group that is...) chugged down to West Coast Mac's for dinner. There, we reminisced about the summer holiday that had just gone by and "introduced" a new team-mate to the intricacies of NUS... the real NUS. One thing let to another and it wasn't long before we broached on the topic of Rag and Flag. I couldn't help myself. I have never been a fan... of anything... well NUS-branded. SO there I was, sitting in front of my team-mates going on and on about why Rag was not only a waste of personal time but a waste of school resources too. The rest of the guys weren't as vehemently against the entire concept of rag as I was and to their credit (Yes Bryan...) they did put up a good defense for Rag. There was little doubt that the cons outweighed the pros a great deal but that little debate we had at Mac's did got me thinking... who was I to bitch and moan about rag when I myself have never bothered to even involve myself in one. So I decided to check out this year's rag myself.

Now 5 hours after returning from NUS... I can safely conclude that Rag is a hot, crowded, sweaty... but altogether fulfilling experience. I for one will most probably never sacrifice any of my holidays to do this but... to those who did... I must say that it was a job well done :)

That aside... the other question that remains... is should I... or more specifically... HOW should I follow my heart :)

Emotional Baggage

2010-08-02T02:02:00.003+08:00

The grass is always greener on the other side. Some patches anyway. I still question the path I took; the decisions I've made. To be what I am or to be what I should be... Answers which only lead to more questions are all I have to rely on :(

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-23T14:48:00.001+08:00

And just like that... after 20 years... I now belong to another GRC :)

I know things you don't...

2010-07-17T01:07:00.002+08:00

I know something about you that you probably don't think I already do. I would like to ask you a question about that something about you but I don't think you'd like me to. Questions with answers that will only lead, inevitably, to more questions :)

My ICT

2010-07-16T20:23:00.003+08:00

When I received the letter of notification with regards to my annual ICT late last year, I must admit that I was a teeny bit thrilled to be fortunate enough to be called back as a PTI again. It wasn't going to my first time back and I kinda knew what to expect. I must admit however that now sitting at my comp, two weeks after I first reported for camp, this year's ICT turned out to be one helluva ride :)

I enjoyed single bit of this ICT... the random sing-a-long sessions with the most random people I've ever met, the gym sessions, the chess matches, the late night suppers and even the clubbing sessions :) It was freaking awesome that I got recalled this time with my coursemate and I can safely say that we're both going to miss reporting to Bedok :(

It was great seeing the 91st batch one more time before they ORD-ed; the gym-obsessed 92nd and the ridiculously diverse 93rd batch. I hope all of you will have as marvelous an experience I had as a PTI in the armed forces and stay funky always

Moving on to more pressing concerns

2010-07-12T08:34:00.003+08:00

Now that we've got the damn World Cup out of the way, I believe that some some semblance of normalcy can be returned to our daily routine and attention be paid to more pertinent issues at hand. I am now one week into my annual ICT and am thoroughly enjoying it. I had the fortune of returning the Bedok camp with a course mate and meeting some really cool people in camp. As I laze about in the morning waiting for the day to start (Life in the FCCs is somewhat different...), I had the chance to sit back and ponder over a couple of issues that have been bugging me over the past week. In no particular order, the list is as follows:

The standard of the Straits Times
The plight of Mr Ang Jun Heng Jarius
The accuracy of Paul the mollusk
The severe insecurity/superiority complexes of certain individuals in my life
The lack of good shopping venues in our little island
NUS (almost everything about this damn institution irks me...)
And this just in 2 minutes ago... people who don't know when to shut up...

As much as I am really peeved about a number of the issues I brought up earlier, I really don't think I can be bothered to "stand up and make that change" or at least rectify them. Blame it on the apathetic, "I-am-just-going-to-mind-my-own-business" or the hectic schedule of everyday life in Singapore, I am simply don't think I want to be bothered with these little inconveniences in my life. Lest 1.

It was reported in today's papers that the only local victim in the slash-and-rob spree 6 weeks ago has just been discharged from the hospital. The victim, 19 year old Jarius Ang, was set upon by a bunch of thoughtless, merciless thugs on his way home from the MRT station. Hacking wildly at the poor lad, the bunch of robbers were relentless in their assault. I will not elaborate too much on the incident here as most of you would probably have read it (go read it if you haven't... its probably the only story worth following in today's newspaper anyway...). Jarius was left with severe slash wounds to his neck arms and hands whilst the 7 murderous bastards got away (then...) with a hundred over dollars and his freaking mobile phone.

The deed is already done and there's nothing anyone can do to give Mr Ang back the full use of his hand or remove the emotional scarring that his family and him have gone through. It is at times like these when I wished we lived in a world where the saying "what you do unto others will be in turn be done unto you" holds true. Unfortunately, you and I both know that just is just wishful thinking. I sincerely hope that these 7 individuals be persecuted to the fullest extent of the law... OUR laws. Hang 2 of them on charges of 1st degree murder and lock up the rest for manslaughter. No appeals should be considered, no deals made and most definitely no sympathy be shown... they showed none too as they hacked their 5 innocent victims that fateful night.

To Jarius, what you went through that fateful night, I can only imagine just how damn scary it must have been. I hope you come out of this stronger then ever before and seek comfort in the fact that there are many around who feel for you and fume at the senseless attack on you and the other victims. Stay strong and hold the course... there's a light at the end of every tunnel and I am almost certain that that light for you will come sooner than you think :)

PS: To NParks, MOE or whoever owns that stretch of pathway between the station and the residential area... I think its high time you start erecting some MORE lampposts.

Drought

2010-06-30T19:18:00.003+08:00

My blog doesn't sound too intelligent. That worries me. It seems that this little thinking space has successfully mirrored the author behind this page. I have spent the last 4 consecutive nights browsing through tons of photographs of the recently concluded Milan Fashion week. Some of the clothes didn't look too user friendly but the rest were just simply awesome. Packing has been quite the chore and I do not look forward to the "big move" scheduled in just... 6 more days. Anyway, all clouds do have a silver lining and at least I have that "seal-skin-rug-covered-parquet-floor" to look forward too.

Dreams

2010-06-29T00:19:00.002+08:00

I live in a dream. A dream not many, including me, would want to wake up from... Alas, all good things do come to an end, and I know I must arise from this blissful slumber and make my mark in this cold harsh world.

Lessons

2010-06-27T17:27:00.003+08:00

The world is not a forgiving place. In school, they teach us how "it is alright to make mistakes" and how "every mistake or setback only prepares you for greater success in time to come." Its all bullshit I'd say. We live in a world which simply permit you to keep hitting the restart button. I learnt it the hard way and if I could turn back the clock I'd most definitely have done things differently. Sadly, for me and the zillion people out there who screwed up, things don't work that way. All that can be done is to, stop crying, wipe up that puddle of milk on the floor and carry on. Learn at the expense of others, its not only pain-free but also equally effective. Thats how things are going to go over at my place from this day on.

Top 10: Reasons To Support The Seal Hunt

2010-06-25T02:55:00.004+08:00

This article kinda reflects my current sentiments on the seal hunt :) There are numerous points for contention here but I guess its always good to sit back and listen, at times, to the story of the "bad guys". Enjoy :)

Next time somebody goes off about seal hunt atrocities, retaliate with some solid reasons why these cute creatures should be clubbed.

Opposition to the seal hunt is fueled by a lot of myth and misinformation. For the most part, reaction against the Canadian harp seal hunt is based on emotion, not reason. There’s a stigma out there that savage poachers are viciously and relentlessly hunting down adorable baby seals for fun and profit, but that’s not actually the case. The truth is that there are lots of good reasons to support the seal hunt, and here’s a list of the top 10.

In the past, we’ve posted point/counterpoint articles on issues like whether you should or shouldn’t tell your girlfriend you cheated, or whether to love or hate Tiger Woods. In this case, we figured you’ve heard all about the opposition to the seal hunt. So, we thought we’d balance the scales with a fresh perspective.

Now let’s be clear: If you’re a vegetarian or vegan who is opposed to the killing, eating or processing of any and all animals, then this article isn’t going to convince you that hunting seals is OK. This article is directed at the guy who eats meat and wears leather; it’s aimed at an audience that believes it’s OK to hunt animals for food as long as they are killed humanely and with an eye toward environmental sustainability. After reading our top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt, you’ll see that hunting harp seals is no different from fishing, farming cattle, trapping lobster, or hunting deer.

Reason 1: Harp seals are not an endangered species

With all the hysteria surrounding the Canadian seal hunt, you’d think seals were on the brink of extermination. Not true. The harp seal population is nearly triple what it was in the 1970s, currently estimated at 5.6 million. By contrast, in 2000, the number of right whales thought to be living in the North Atlantic was estimated at 300. Eastern wolverine populations might already be extinct. One of the reasons to support the seal hunt is that unnecessary efforts to protect harp seals actually distract us from more important conservation efforts.

Reason 2: Clubbing is humane

The club, or hakapik, is actually an extremely humane way to kill a seal. Animal rights groups sometimes deride the use of clubs and guns as unnecessarily violent. However, seal hunters are actually compelled to use guns and hakapiks by the Government of Canada precisely because they are the quickest and most humane ways of killing the seals.

Clubbing or shooting a seal may sound or look brutal, but perception is not always reality. The hakapik is at least as humane as (if not more humane than) the means used to process beef in a typical slaughterhouse.

Reason 3: Wildlife experts support the hunt

In 2002, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association found that 98% of all seals were killed “in an acceptably humane manner.” Similarly, a 2005 report funded by the World Wildlife Fund concluded that, “the Canadian harp seal hunt is professional and highly regulated by comparison with seal hunts in Greenland and the North Atlantic. It has the potential to serve as a model to improve humane practice and reduce seal suffering within the other hunts.”

Reason 4: It's illegal to hunt baby seals

It’s illegal to hunt white-coat baby seals. It has been since 1987. That’s another of the top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt. Any website or organization that uses an image of a white-coated baby seal to convince you to oppose the seal hunt is manipulating you. They’re appealing to your emotions instead of your reason.

Reason 5: Hunting helps control seal populations

Overpopulation of the seal herd could result in many seals dying of starvation. If the population were to go unchecked, harp seal food sources would likely become threatened and many seals could suffer slow, painful deaths. Residents of Newfoundland and Labrador have already reported seeing seals roaming outside of their typical habitats, in shallower waters, searching for food.

Reason 6: Economic and cultural importance

The seal hunt is an economically viable industry, employing over 6,000 people per year on a part-time basis. Some sealers estimate that the harp seal harvest represents as much as 35% of their household income. Moreover, the communities most dependent on the seal hunt have unemployment rates 30% higher than the national average.

Opponents to the seal hunt are essentially asking people who live in some of Canada’s poorest regions to give up as much as one-third of their incomes.

Another of our reasons to support the seal hunt is that it’s been part of Canada’s cultural fabric for hundreds of years. Coastal populations have survived by eating seal meat, much as urban populations survive on the beef, chicken and fish that are killed and processed in other parts of the country.

Reason 7: Seals are a source of Omega-3s

Doctors have been trumpeting the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids a lot recently. Omega-3 fatty acids can be used in the prevention of arthritis, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and many other ailments.

Canadian harp seals are an excellent source of omega-3s. Seals aren’t just hunted for their meat and their pelts, but also for seal oil and its many health benefits.

Reason 8: Total opposition distracts from real industry problems

We’ve been making the case that seals, just like cows or chickens, are a legitimate source of food and other useful products. Harp seals aren’t endangered, and the vast majority of seals are killed humanely. Nevertheless, like any industry, the commercial seal hunt isn’t perfect. Some hunters are guilty of abuses and some seals suffer unnecessarily. However, this is just another reason to support the seal hunt. We should be working to correct problems within the industry, rather than shutting the industry down altogether. Instead of helping to solve specific problems, those wholly against the seal hunt suggest we condemn the many for the sins of the few.

Reason 9: The seal hunt is carefully regulated

Careful government regulation is another one of the top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans determines how many harp seals can be harvested every year; they use aerial monitoring, satellite tracking, dockside inspections, and a number of other protocols to ensure that regulations are being followed. By doing this, the Canadian government ensures that the seal hunt remains economically viable and environmentally sustainable.

Reason 10: The opposition is not always credible

Question the source of your information when opposing the seal hunt. Are you getting your information from scientists, or musicians? Is your data coming from the people living in eastern and northern Canada, or people living in Europe and Los Angeles? Paris Hilton and Paul McCartney are opposed to the seal hunt.

Meanwhile, renowned ecologist and conservationist Jacques Cousteau once said, “The harp seal question is entirely emotional. We have to be logical. We have to aim our activity first to the endangered species. Those who are moved by the plight of the harp seal could also be moved by the plight of the pig . . . We have to be logical. If we are sentimental about harp seals, which are not endangered because they are partially protected, then we have to also be emotional about pigs.”

If you can’t stand the thought of any animal being killed, fine -- that’s understandable. But if you can eat a pig, we think you should be convinced by our top 10 reasons to support the seal hunt.

By Andrew Moore, Entertainment CorrespondentAdapted from http://ca.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-reasons-to-support-the-seal-hunt_10.html

Club Etiquette

2010-06-24T04:24:00.003+08:00

I might not be in the best of positions to critique or chastise anyone but I sincerely believe that one needs to be fully aware of how to behave and carry himself before engaging in any social activity, including clubbing, so as to risk being a hazard to others and an embarrassment to him/herself. I won't elaborate further but the night at Zouk earlier was certainly an eye-opener.

Europe Trip 2010 - Munich Part 1

2010-06-22T17:36:00.008+08:00

I mentioned previously that I would write about my Europe Trip in greater detail... so here it is. Before I go into the trip experience proper, I'd like to just mention briefly how this trip came about. I knew that this summer break would probably be the worse time to go on any long holiday as there were numerous commitments that I had back home. But anyway this and that happened and before anyone could realize what was going on, the air tickets were booked and the planning for the trip was underway.

The highlight of the trip for the group was to be the 2 week tour/stay in the Scandinavian countries: Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The group comprising 8 of us would link up in Copenhagen and part ways in Norway. My sister and I would stop in Munich before heading up to Scandinavia and then ending the trip in London. The rest would be coming in from Milan and Amsterdam.

My sister and I departed on the 19th of May and after a 4 hour transit in Dubai, arrived in Munich. When we touched down in Munich, we were both caught off guard by the rather low temperatures. We were expecting 16 degrees - 19 degrees celsius but were hit instead by an unusually low 9 degrees Munich evening. We made our way to the hotel and spent the rest of the day exploring the German city of Munich :) There were a couple of things I wanted to cover in Munich and I am glad I managed to do most of it during those 5 wonderful days there :)

Final Departure Picture with Dad

Final Departure picture with Mum

Transiting in Dubai

On the plane to Munich

Camwhoring before dinner

All the beers I vowed (and succeeded) in downing in Munich

Cold weather at the train station

Sis in Train

Munich :)

Augustine Keller :)

Sausages and Mash potato - a must try!!

Statue outside the wildlife museum of Munich

I will be uploading all the pictures of my trip on Facebook according to destination :) I'll just stick to the writing here! This is the first part and I'll upload the rest of my stay in Munich soon!!

Back in Singapore!

2010-06-19T00:36:00.006+08:00

I am back and I think I am going to start blogging again... simply because I need to keep my rather dull mind active during this long term break. The next few weeks will be pretty packed with the house move and all so I do hope I can log in a couple of good entries. I'll be writing about my trip too.For now I'll just re-decorate the blog for the summer holidays :)

I just succeeded in getting myself a flickr account! That was a random snippet of information but an important one nonetheless in time to come :)

Livre dans la biblioteque :)

2010-04-08T21:22:00.003+08:00

J'ai décide écrire le paragraphe court avant je sorti l'université. Aujourd'hui, je ne travail pas beaucoup. Mon ami me demande si je veux faire de vélo avec eux ce soir. Mais, je n'ai pas moi vélo parce que je ne conduis pas. Parce que je ne vais pas faire de vélo, je reste dans la bibliothèque pendant entier jour. Quelquefois, je pense études est plus difficile que faire de natation ou faire de vélo. Alors, mon ami, Johnson me dit que la bibliothèque fermait bientôt... Au revoir!!

One more FTW :)

2010-04-04T18:43:00.000+08:00

Thanks Lala... :) Will pay up soon :)

Save your pumping for the pedal!

2010-04-03T17:06:00.001+08:00

Overdoing it

2010-04-01T13:22:00.002+08:00

I think I might have busted a shoulder during one of my I-wish-I put-in-more-effort-during-season-self-punishment workouts... hurts like a bitch... :( On a lighter note... the plans for May, June and July seem to coming along pretty nicely :)

The Charge of the Light Brigade

2010-03-30T18:43:00.002+08:00

Half a league, half a league,

Half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!

Charge for the guns' he said:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'

Was there a man dismay'd?

Not tho' the soldiers knew

Some one had blunder'd:

Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die:

Into the valley of Death

Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them

Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

Boldly they rode and well,

Into the jaws of Death,

Into the mouth of Hell

Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,

Flash'd as they turned in air

Sabring the gunners there,

Charging an army while

All the world wonder'd:

Plunged in the battery-smoke

Right thro' the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian

Reel'd from the sabre-stroke

Shatter'd and sunder'd.

Then they rode back, but not

Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,

Cannon to left of them,

Cannon behind them

Volley'd and thunder'd;

Storm'd at with shot and shell,

While horse and hero fell,

They that had fought so well

Came thro' the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of Hell,

All that was left of them,

Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?

O the wild charge they made!

All the world wonder'd.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade,

Noble six hundred!

Lord Tennyson Alfred

And all that needs to be said has been said

2010-03-30T16:48:00.002+08:00

I have swallowed my humble pie... and now all we can do it wait. Schadenfreude. Today, me. Tomorrow...

Lessons in Life

2010-03-28T12:51:00.003+08:00

I screwed up big time today. After a light run in the evening to warm up the legs and packing everything for my sprint biathlon the next day, I worked a short while more on my essay before hitting the sack. Alas the one thing I did not do, which was to set the alarm, would change everything as I'd known in just the blink of an eye.

I woke up at 7.10 and upon realizing the horror of what had just happened... rushed to grab my trunks, goggles and car keys before rushing to school. I got there in time to explain myself to the organizing committee and getting myself slotted into the 4th wave.

After a somewhat dismal swim, I headed out on the run course totally unprepared... I didn't manage to warm up and the hustle and bustle from the morning had really screwed up whatever I had left for the race. I had wanted to make up for my really bad performance during this race but I guess I let the race got the better of me and failed to redeem myself in anyway whatsoever.

I don't believe in excuses and I don't believe in not taking responsibilities for ones' actions. I screwed up/ have been screwing up for the longest time ever and it seems as if I am on a one way path down to "god knows where". I am loosing interest in almost everything I do and all I seem to be good at these days is wiping up after spilt milk in record time. I learnt a lot today. It was a humbling experience in every sense of the word. Those disappointed eyes gazing upon me as I arrived back at the pool... the way most just looked and walked pass without uttering a word... it really really hurt... I knew I screwed up big time... and I didn't know what else to say.

We live in a realist world and unless you have something to give back to the society you belong to... you're nothing. I hope things don't get any worse than it is cause... I don't think there's much left in here for me to tear down anymore.

Derelict

2010-03-28T10:37:00.001+08:00

Its scary how when you look up... nothing seems like its going how it's meant to be...

Collection thus far :)

2010-03-26T21:29:00.001+08:00

Absolut Disco Case

Absolut Tropics

Absolut No Labels

Never... Never be the same again...

2010-03-25T00:07:00.003+08:00

I think... I need to take my life a bit more seriously. At the end of the day, when I am dead or dying... I want to be able to say that... "those were my finest moments and I didn't waste a single bit of it." Its scary how when you suddenly sit down and run through that 3 year old to do list and that "supposed" list of achievements... you come to realize that there's still much left to do and nothing really to your name... disappointment... and buckets full of regret's what I am experiencing now... it was expected I guess but sucky nonetheless... I wish I could just disappear for a while...

Solitude: Part II

2010-03-15T12:56:00.003+08:00

Life as we (I) know it can be pretty chaotic and messy at times and its no surprising just how easy it is to loose oneself in the nooks and crannies of it. Everyone gets lost at point in time... its the length of time taken by the individual to regain his bearings that separates him from the lost souls around. I made a little vow a while back to turn things around by sometime at the start of this year but that doesn't seem to have gone too well. Taking into consideration the effort that my parents have put in into raisin me up thus far... I haven't have had much to show for it. As painful as it might be to sit back, and analyze the whole predicament I am in... it was absolutely necessary sit back and try and figure out just exactly what went wrong. I have identified a couple of issues and have taken steps to rectify those problems. I believe some of the changes I made a couple of months back have done me some good but that nagging fear to commit to these changes... thats what seems to have held me back from the ideal progress I should have been making. I don't like the way I am going to turn out in a year's time let alone when I graduate... so... tough as it might be... some things will have to change. I am going to climb my "五台山" and descend a better man... warrior... student... triathlete... :)

That's what friends are for...

2010-03-13T15:34:00.002+08:00

In all honesty, I never saw it that way before but I am glad you guys came up to me... I'll put in some serious effort the next time I wear those running shoes.

Repost: Why Just 1% of Alumni Donate to NUS by Sanctuary

2010-03-12T00:59:00.004+08:00

Quoted of: http://meyanze.blogspot.com/2006/10/why-just-1-of-alumni-donate-to-nus.html

I have totally given up on the Straits Times. I have long known that the Straits Times has too many ties with the Singapore Government (read: PAP) to give Singaporeans an unbiased report of the news in Singapore and all over the world. But recent articles that have come to my attention in the newspaper have just led me to believe that the journalists for the Straits Times don't really know how to write very well. I shall talk about that at another time though.

On the front page of today's Straits Times, it is reported that 'Just 1% of alumni donate to NUS', and that

'Only 1,452 alumni, or one in 100 graduates, responded to the university's first call for donations last year.'

This does not surprise me at all. When I was an undergraduate in NUS, I did not feel special, and I definitely did not feel that NUS had given me a competitive edge over anyone else. NUS did not make much of a provision for me because I was a Singaporean. I got to pay only $5K+/year in school fees, a mere 1K less than foreigners, and this was because of the MOE subsidy which was also extended to foreigners (hence the relatively cheap school fees for them). The only 'catch' for foreigners accepting this aid from MOE was that they had to work in Singapore for a stipulated period of time after they had graduated. However, they were not bonded to a specific company. Apparently (from what my foreigner friends told me) all they had to do was work in Singapore (and pay income tax to the Singapore governement I guess).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those who didn't make it to go overseas to study because of my grades, or because of financial problems, who is just lashing out at the Singapore government because I feel it is not doing enough for the average Singaporean. I did get a PSC scholarship to study my subject choice (Biology and Mathematics) in either a US or UK university (my choice), but I had to turn that down because of my parents. Not going to discuss that here.

So basically what I felt of NUS at that time was that Singaporeans were not really given an advantage by studying in their own country, while NUS was really trying to attract foreigners to study there. Nothing much to say about that, because that is basically what the Singapore government is trying to do - attract foreign talent. But what this meant to me was that I didn't feel much for NUS. NUS didn't make me feel important. It was just a place for me to get my degree. I didn't bond with NUS, didn't feel much about the school name. And now that I've graduated, I don't really feel proud of saying I'm an NUS grad the way people would happily announce they are Harvard graduates. Nothing to do with the standard of education in NUS here, it's just that I've never really felt like part of the NUS community.

There was also this point that in USA/UK Universities, most people get their Honours degree in 3 years, and their Masters in their 4th year. This is almost impossible to do in NUS. NUS degrees are very structured. To graduate with Honours, some enormous number of modules have to be completed within 4 years. Yes, 4. This means that if you wanted to do something bizarre like major in Maths and Biology, you'd have to take at least 6 modules/semester, while doing 7-8 modules in some semesters. There used to be a module cap of 5 modules/semester (not sure if there still is), and you were only allowed to do 6 if you had a CAP of 3.8/5.0 or more, which I agree should probably the case if you wanted to take 6 modules. If you wanted to take 7 or more modules you had to specially apply to do so. With the workload required to graduate with a single major (I'm talking about majors here because usually faculties with no majors have fixed timetables across the 4 years needed to graduate, e.g. law and engineering, and you can't really choose to graduate in 3 years or less) with honours, you'd not only have to have advanced placement for some of the first year modules (if not all 4-5 of them) to be able to complete these your course with honours in 3 years or less, you'd have to take 6 or more modules/semester to accomplish this. So basically, most people who want to graduate with honours have to stay in NUS for 4 years, while as an exchange student from UK put it 'Everyone in my university at home gets honours after 3 years, unless they were constantly flunking their modules throughout their stay in the university.'

I shall take this paragraph to laud my friend, Jialu, who actually managed to graduate from NUS Science faculty in 3 years, with double honours in Chemistry and Computing. She is truly amazing, and she could only get advanced placement for the Chemistry modules. She took 8-9 modules per semester, and did 2 honours year projects in her 3rd year. Jialu, I shall always be in awe of you =P.

But for the rest of the not-so-elite NUS students, honours in 3 years is really very hard to obtain. In fact, in my year, because the cutoff for entry into the Honours year was a CAP of 3.8 (for Science faculty that is), more than 1/2 of my Microbiology class didn't qualify for Honours (this CAP has been lowered to 3.5). Which means (to me at least) that just by getting Honours, I'd have graduated in the top 1/2 of my class. Sadly, this is not reflected in the government payscale, which views degrees held by graduates from overseas Universities (ok at least the 'good' ones) in the same light as degrees held by graduates from NUS. This payscale doesn't take into account that overseas, practically everyone graduates with Honours (at least in my field), while in NUS, only the top 1/2 do. At the point of time of my graduation, I roughly estimated that an overseas student graduating with a 2nd Upper would be about the same as an NUS student graduating with a 2nd lower. How good this estimate is, I really can't say. But my point of view was that since almost everyone there will get an honours degree, the top 50 percentile would be getting a 2nd Upper or better, but since only about 50% of NUS students qualify for Honours, and the cummulative CAP of 3.8 for entrance into the Honours year practically ensures that noone doing honours gets less than a 2nd lower, the 2nd Upper from overseas universities is roughly equivalent to those getting 2nd lower from NUS.

When I was applying for University in JC, the tuition fees for Universities in the USA were very different for International and Local students. I ran a check for the fees for the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan, and as Gideon had pointed out to me recently, they are now the same for both International and Local (US) students. Either this or I am really incapabale of finding information using the internet now. However, I remember being rather unhappy that Singapore didn't really 'protect' it's locals by offering (comparitively) lower fees to Singapore students. In my honours year, I was relatively interested in studying post-grad medicine, thanks to my fellow Microbiology honours year student, Huiwen, so I went to look up on the costs. In Australia, the fees for International students were once again much higher than that for locals (have no idea if this is still the case). Hence, the idea that NUS doesn't really cater to Singaporeans (other than actually being in Singapore itself) crossed my mind.

Thus, people who get to study overseas, whether on scholarships or because their parents can afford it, are generally able to come back and start work 1 year earlier than their Singaporean counterparts who choose to do their Honours year. So Singaporeans getting their degrees from NUS have to

1. Study that extra year just to get the same pay as those who got to study overseas

2. Work their ass off in NUS for 3 years to get the same pay at the same time as those who studied overseas

3. Study that extra year, get the same percentile (top 50) as those who studied overseas, and get paid less

4. Not study their honours year and get paid less than both those who studied overseas and those who chose to do their honours year in NUS.

All not very attractive options, I must say.

The Straits Times also makes a very bizarre comparison in it's article.

'The 1per cent response rate pales in comparison to the relative generosity of American university alumni - four in 10 graduates from private universities such as Harvard and Yale open their chequebooks.'

Ok yes this 1% pales in comparison. So how about the public/government universities in USA? How much do THEIR alumni contribute? The Straits Times gives no statistics on this. o.O? NUS is not a private university. Why should this make a difference, you may ask. Well, for starters, the quote there names Harvard and Yale, which are very high ranked universities not only in the USA, but around the globe. University education in the USA isn't as cheap as that in Singapore, and private university education even more so. I would say that if during my stay in NUS, I entered through scholarly merit, and I got 5 digits of financial aid in US dollars per year to make it through my university education, I would probably feel some indebted to the school in some way or another, and would try to contribute back to my alumni. If I was rich and hence able to pay for my 5 digit school fees/year and enter a private university in the US, I might also be inclined to donate to my alumni so that more needy students could benefit from this. If I graduated from Harvard or Yale, and just by writing that name on my resume people would actually take notice, I might (might being the keyword here) feel obliged to donate some money to my university. But NUS offered no such thing to me. In fact, it appears that I should donate to MOE instead because of the tution grant >.<. Perhaps the Straits Times was trying to highlight the fact that universities such as Yale and Harvard are getting donations from their alumni, but NUS is not yet in that league, so I don't really see a comparison there. And the word private already implies that the rich, i.e. those with the money to donate, are the likely ones to study in that school. Doesn't matter that 'private' includes top schools such as Yale and Harvard, where they practice 'need-blind' admittance. Doesn't matter that many of the students from Yale and Harvard could be on financial aid when studying in those schools. There has to be a reason why the Straits Times didn't publish the statistics from public US universities.

NUS Alumni Mr Adrian Seet, 36, made a point that I don't totally agree with.

'The business graduate, who is running a family travel business, said: ''I feel strongly that the Government should pay for the fees and the extras of the needy students. After all, these are the elite of Singapore.'' '

Heehee. The elite of Singapore don't study in NUS lah. They go overseas and graduate with ease with honours in 3 years or less, get their postgraduate in the time NUS students take to get their honours, and come back and get high pays (or break their bonds because they are so elite and companies overseas are also looking for foreign talent). But once again, NUS is not a private institute. That is why there is the tuition grant from MOE. Hence also the idea that the government should take care of needy NUS students.

Let's face it. NUS doesn't really instill in most of its students a sense of belonging. If you see NUS students wearing/using things with the NUS logo, it's most likely because these things are free. People from Harvard would pay to buy their school sweater to wear. Students from NUS clamour over the free windbreakers that are given out to those who represent NUS, but I doubt any of them would actually PAY for one if they were asked to. I have paid for a windbreaker and socks from my secondary school, but I don't think I'd pay for anything with the NUS logo for the sake of the logo. Possibly the only thing I've bought with the NUS logo (other than my degree and transcripts) is that bear from my graduation, and that's only because Ernie wanted to wear a graduation gown too.

Come to think of it, if Microbiology still existed (it is now under LS), and they started a fund for needy Microbiology students, I'd probably contribute, because the Microbiology community was, indeed, a community where I actually felt part of. But of NUS as a whole, I really never felt the sense of belonging. I feel attached to my primary school, even though it is not a 'branded' one. If it accomplishes something, I'd actually be proud to say I came from there, and I would be truly happy that they managed to achieve something. My secondary school and JC are 'branded' and 'elite' in the eyes of most Singaporeans, and although them winning something is probably 'expected', I feel the pain when those in the school do something to blemish the school name, because I do feel like part of that community. However, if NUS wins anything international, I'd tend to see it as Singapore winning something, rather than NUS itself, and perhaps this is why I do not feel obliged to donate to NUS. I feel that I have gotten myself a Singaporean degree, but not really a degree from NUS.

I think the article was very heartfelt and representative of how I feel... I'll prob post something up on my sentiments on this later in the week :) Anyway this article was written 4 years back but I still think its relevant today... shows how much the system has changed huh :)

NUS Cycling 2010-2011... in the making?

2010-03-11T00:27:00.002+08:00

New Challenges Await!

2010-03-02T20:07:00.002+08:00

I think I have taken a long enough hiatus from everything... time to get things moving along again :)

Conversations of the shaft... a lift shaft that is...

2010-03-01T13:02:00.002+08:00

Having ended my French Class at about 11.45 pm, I decided to make my way to YIH to grab some of that good cheap chinese food. Being the lazy triathlete that I am, I decided to take the lift up to the canteen.

After a 1-2 minute wait, the lift arrived. I, together with a bunch of other famished souls entered the lift. I pressed the button to the 3rd floor and took a step back. Now for the interesting part.

As the lift door was closing, a student from the back lunged forward, past the group gathered at the door and tried to reach for the control panel. As he lurged forward, he made a series of yelping sounds as he shoved and jumped forward, tripping all over the place in the process. The rest of us just looked on in shock as this student threw himself towards the control panel and pushed his way forward. He missed the control panel and slammed into the lift wall instead and watched on in horror as the door shut in his face. He then turned around and looked disapprovingly at me.

"There was someone outside the lift you know?" he muttered rather disappointedly at me.

I burst out laughing and replied, "Dude, I am pretty sure this lift will go down again. That aside, you need to get a grip on yourself. That was some serious over-reaction you had going on that... You could have just shouted out to us to hold the lift instead of throwing out the theatrics..."

A wave of giggles came over most of the passengers in the lift. After what seemed like an eternity, the lift finally reached the third floor and the group of us, after taking a final look at the enthusiastic samaritan, trickled out and went about on our own ways :) What a journey.

The Science Behind Pirates... (the ones behind the CPU... not the water bound ones...)

2010-02-28T23:43:00.001+08:00

Dignity.

2010-02-25T21:24:00.003+08:00

Rational behavior seems to be something we're short off in this current day and age. The ability to think in a systematic and logical manner coupled with the willingness to behave in a dignified classy manner seems to have died out... for some members of... the human race. God didn't link the mouth, or more specifically the ability to talk, to the peripheral nervous system for no good reason. Shooting your mouth off isn't a reflex action people... so try and use that 3 pound (for some, it might be lighter or could be composed of an entire different material altogether... think... by products...) before deciding to make (for example...) the lobby of a hospital OR a library your personal Karaoke lounge/ Getai stage (whatever floats your boat...)... Because as the old saying goes... you reap what you sow... and you'll never know what might come flying back at you (figuratively speaking... no pun intended)

Peace out!

The Things Money Can't Buy

2010-02-23T22:57:00.003+08:00

List as follows:

Class
Discipline
Upbringing
Humility
EQ
A Rational Mind
Happiness
Personality (Well money could probably help fake one... if you know where to shop)

Purely factual and merely an observation. A 23 year observation that is :). For everything else... there's VISA, MasterCard and the whole schbang :)

Forkroads

2010-02-22T01:25:00.002+08:00

I never expected the night to end the way it did. It frightens me how life can be so cruel at times... throwing you curveballs when one least expects it. One moment I was sitting around with my team mates enjoying supper after an awesome gathering... the next second I am huddled with my family awaiting the prognosis of my grand-dad's medical condition. This Chinese New Year has been a rather eventful one... perhaps a tinge too eventful for my liking. What's said has been said and what's done cannot be undone. I wished things had turned out differently but I realized that the events leading up to the status quo has its roots embedded in some not too distant past... far beyond my sphere of influence. There isn't much I can do or say that can change what has been done and there sure as hell isn't anything I can do to alter the course of this flow of events. What I can change and control however is how my life moves on from here on... seeing my grand-dad lying there reminded me just how much I have been taking my own good health, life and my loved ones for granted. Marcus Aurelius once said, "Live not one's life as though one had a thousand years, but live each day as the last." Its time to start living and to stop sitting by watching it idly slip by.

Tomorrow's the op and I am praying hard that all will go well and fine. Goodnight World :)

Regrets: Part 2

2010-02-11T10:55:00.003+08:00

Continuing from the last post.

After posting the last entry and jumping back into bed to sleep the pangs of regret away, Mum came by and had a little chat with me. She wanted to find out which camera I wanted to use in school, you know, to catch snippets of my life in NUS. I told her I wouldn't be needing either one.

Mum: "But you wouldn't have photos to remember your NUS life by? What are we going to do if we do a montage of your life in time to come? Are we going to skip the entirety of your University life... its going to be incomplete"

Me: "There's nothing I want to remember about my University life... perhaps only Biathlon and races and events I participate in... nothing else."

Mum: "When did you start feeling like that? ... "

Me: "Since I matriculated. I kinda despise what I am doing and I can't wait for it to end. I feel left behind... I wished I'd worked harder... argh... Mum... Its a dark chapter in my life I hope I never ever have to go through again..."

Mum: "Sigh... Goodnight."

Me: "Goodnight."

Its good to get stuff of your chest and out of your mind. :)

Regrets

2010-02-11T00:46:00.004+08:00

Life isn't about second chances. Its about getting things right the first time around. I have been screwing things up pretty badly for the last 4 years... and I sadly do not see an end in sight... Discipline is something I am clearly lacking. Its hard to do put your soul into something when your heart isn't there...

There are those who with nothing, work hard and achieve everything that is humanly possible before their time is up. And on the other end there are those, not very much unlike me, who squander everything little thing they do have and eventually die an unhappy dissatisfied man only to be forgotten before even the body gets laid to rest.

It could be the durians... it could be the happy posts I see on my FB wall of my peers doing lovely things in lovely places... Beneath this happy-go-lucky exterior, lies the heart of a broken man drowning in an endless cesspool of regret and bitterness, with no one to blame but himself.

Friendships

2010-02-07T09:46:00.002+08:00

I had a rather interesting exchange with a good friend a couple nights back. The long and short of that conversation (Alas a MSN one...) was that he felt I wasn't investing as much effort as he was in keeping the friendship going... that I was just way too engrossed in my own life to bother about anything else. I appreciate the subtle picture (and message...) he left me on Facebook and the quick yet meaningful conversation which soon ensued.

I did some reflecting and I do have my own take on this "friendship" discussion. I believe that any relationship, be it blood ties, colleagues at work, church mates or good friends need some form of foundation to be built upon. The strongest of these foundations is obviously those built/ forged during one's formative years or under the pressures of some form of hardship. (Childhood friends/Army Mates) Next comes those who share a common passion, a common interest... those perhaps who are in the same chapter of their lives as you... individuals you can confide in and relate to. Thats followed by the category "Friends With Benefits" (Not coined by me rest assured...) which I think is rather self explanatory. Everything else comes soon after. Obviously, in my case, family ties are something that I wouldn't even throw into a ranking category... Family ties (Especially immediate family...) in my case take precedence over ... more or less everything else.

Now when the foundation that friendship is built upon gets removed, take for example clubbing buddies, it becomes extremely challenging to keep that friendship alive. The friendship has to evolve, it has to be re-categorized elsewhere or run the risk of becoming stagnant. Once that stage of stagnancy is reached, it becomes increasingly easier to let that friendship dwindle into nothingness.

There's a lot more that needs to be said but I'll just leave it as this for now :)

Dreams do come true!

2010-02-04T10:33:00.001+08:00

Boredom

2010-01-28T13:32:00.002+08:00

I have about 20 minutes till the next lecture, so what I decided to do was to grab a seat along the FASS corridor, chow on some papayas and start working on my French homework... NOT :) I took the short break to finish up with the latest episode of Leverage... which I must add is an awesome show and the season premiere of Human Target... which isn't I must add isn't is good as Nic told me it was :P There's a couple of things I do wanna write about... Singapore Drivers, Ambition and Reality's take on it, Relationships... etc. The FASS corridor isn't the best place to sit down and write about such heavy stuff... So I guess I'll probably do up a nice "reflection piece" on these topics later. Oh and I forgot to bring my running shoes... So I'll be using Jon's shoes... woohoo!!

Bliss

2010-01-26T09:29:00.003+08:00

I had almost forgotten entirely about blogging till I chanced upon a somewhat random yet altogether encouraging e-mail in my mailbox alerting me to a comment left on my previous post. That, coupled with the somewhat frequent updates from my friends, has spurred me to at least post a quick update here. University life is just about starting after a slow... slow... 1st 2 weeks. (And yes I was not referring to the law, engineering and what-have-you-not students in NUS but those in the semi-hippy school of Arts) Tutorials are just about beginning, so is the training... I realized the need to be more opinionated in my classes this semester hence I will try to write more about what I feel on some current affairs... On a slightly more himbotic note... I really want to catch Legion and Daybreakers... Back to my stoning before the noon class :)

Day 1

2010-01-11T13:11:00.003+08:00

So here I am, once more, sitting in the student lounge in the school library, stoning... waiting for my second lecture, or should I say first... , lecture to start. French starts on the 18th not 11th as I found out with 4 others earlier in the day. Lousy school food, conclaves of foreign students yelping at their top of their voices in the libraries, overbooked canteen seats... everything going according to expectations I guess. Unfortunately, I can't seem to take a quick nap OR stay awake. I am just... stoning... stoning this glorious 11th of January afternoon away :/ Let's hope things start looking up as the day goes by...

Fatigue :)

2010-01-09T01:58:00.002+08:00

Bonsoir mon amis!! Je suis tres fatigue et je dois coche seulement!! Je dois revaille pour cinq heures et demie plus tard dans la matin... :(

Français

2010-01-07T12:06:00.007+08:00

Hier semestre, je commence apprentissage d'une langue français. Je peux choisir entre français ou allemande... je veux apprentissage deux langue mais parce que je n'ai pas temps, je peux apprentissage seul français. Malgré combien je aime français (I need to correct this...), je n'ai pas bon grade pour mon examen français :( Je dois practique mon français seulement!! Je voudrai blogue en français tous les trois et quatre jours...

Last Entry of the Year

2009-12-31T16:09:00.002+08:00

And just like that, it comes to an end. The coming of 2010 in approximately 10 hours time will not only mark the end of 2009, a terrible year, academically, for me nonetheless, but also come to symbolize the passing of a decade. Its hard to believe that just 10 years ago, without Sumo or this lappy to keep me company, I was getting all excited as I marked the end of a good 1999. Excellent PSLE grades, entry into RI... the sky seemed like the limit then and I was invincible. As the years went by, I got lazy and stopped working hard to bring myself to new limits and reality... through gravity... sent me crashing back down to earth. So here I stand, somewhat battered and bruised, my ego shattered upon the dusty floor, looking skywards where my mates are now soaring high above enjoying the fruits of their labour. Stung with envy and ravaged by self pity, I have cried, screamed in rage and in the terminology of the 21st century, emo-ed about the state I was and am in countless times. However, I have also learnt from my mistakes and realized what I must do next to get back up in the sky where I know I belong. The next ten years are going to come and go twice as fast, as what others who have made that journey all say, and I don't intend on taking a backseat this time around. So with that I say farewell to 2009 and hello to a new start in 2010:)

2010

2009-12-22T15:02:00.002+08:00

My mum decided to shift the full length mirror to the corner of my room. I took the opportunity to throw out some of my junk. I got back my rather dismal results this morning and realized that my results this semester just used up my final lifeline. After a brief and frantic calculation... I realized that the situation CAN still be salvaged but it will require serious and hard work for the next 2 and a half years. I love what I am doing but I really dread the predicament I am in. Going on exchange is out of the picture for the rest of my academic career in NUS already. Its that bad. I guess I shouldn't have enjoyed myself TOO much during the academic year. I don't believe in crying over spilled milk so I doubt I am going to sob or bitch and whine over what has been done. I had a good time and I guess this is the price you pay for having a good time in Singapore. Everyone just surges ahead. I was complacent. Terribly complacent. I underestimated the competition in NUS and took things a tinge too easy. But then again lesson learnt. Painful as it is, it was a good lesson. Just as I had underestimated the competition, I overestimated the comfort I thought I'd have and the happiness I thought I'd get in other aspects of my NUS career, be it my sporting pursuits or my hall life. I was looking in all the wrong places. I realized I had my priorities the wrong way around all the time. One should be able to appreciate life BUT not at the cost of the very determinant of that quality of life in time to come. My foray into economics last semester proved to be an extremely costly experiment, with the devastating results impacting even my CAP this semester. Damage Control. That will be the central theme of 2010. Damage Control. Be it Armageddon, Deep Impact, 2012 or even AVATAR... upon the onset of some impending disaster, a hero will come forth and engage in some form of damage control and in so doing save the day in 2.5 hours. I've got about 2.5 years to salvage this mess and its high time that knight in shinning armor within me to save what's left of my tertiary academic career.

Clearance Sale

2009-12-21T09:51:00.002+08:00

In preparation for the big move up ahead... I will be clearing tons of clothes, toys and random articles from my room... Garage Sale style haha :)

Celebration

2009-12-20T11:43:00.002+08:00

Nothing much to celebrate this year end... BUT what the heck anyway :) Trading in those biking shoes for biking shoes and morning training sessions for late night clubbing escapades!!! Woohoo!!

Solitude

2009-12-19T12:21:00.003+08:00

Firstly, many thanks to Terry for introducing that brilliant article to me. It is a rather heavy read but I'll try and figure my way around it soon enough. I am now in week 4 (I think...) of my retreat from the world and I must conclude that it has been rather therapeutic thus far. I have met up with a good number of old friends whom I seem to have lost touch with in the course of my life and it was great reconnecting with them. The weather has kinda ruined much of my training plans but I guess gyms and indoor training programs were developed for that very reason. After my rather public outburst last November, I learnt a great many lessons about myself. I learnt that simply wanting something isn't going to get you anywhere anytime soon. Life, sadly, does involve a bit of work and just because I've had it easy in the past doesn't mean the good things in life will be handed to me on a silver/ gold platter. So with those thoughts and lessons in mind, I have decided that I shall not be caught up in the frivolous rat race. Unfortunately, it was I who fell victim to the very "syndrome" I have been preaching about. I let what others thought of me got the better of me and succumbed to all that negativity that I thought would not affect me. Anyway, the last 4 weeks most certainly gave me more than enough time to think about all that has happened in the last 2 months and the direction my life has been thinking ever since I entered University.

Since my matriculation into NUS, I have been bitching about the living conditions, the people, the work atmosphere etc... I never once looked in the mirror and wondered if the problem laid within me instead. Sure... I might have had a falling out with my team-mates, the single most unmotivated sporting liaison officer I have ever had in my life, the worse administrative staff and the worse possible food in hall... the list goes on but again some of these conflicts/ situations were in some way perpetuated by me. So... I guess with the new year comes new resolutions... let's see if I can hold my course during that long winding journey up ahead :)

On a somewhat lighter and much more trivial note, I strongly discourage anyone from watching Storm Warriors, which I can safely say is the worse show I have watched in years. B- CGI coupled with a rather superficial storyline and ridiculous one liners... it was like watching 6 dollars burn in slow-mo over 2 hours... argh.

The Good Life

2009-12-17T11:40:00.002+08:00

Solitude it seems is the best cure whatever it is I am undergoing. Coffee @ Starbucks, Gym @ SSC, Window Shopping in Town, Tea Sessions @ Home... thats how things are rolling as of late. Well let's hope things start looking up with the start of the New Year :)

Service

2009-12-17T09:52:00.002+08:00

Another pet peeve of mine is bad service. Terrible, sub-standard service. I purchased my latest bike from a bike shop in the west... let's call that bike shop P1. Now don't get me wrong, the only reason why I actually bought a bike from P1 was because I did warm up to the owner and believed that P1 was the most convenient and best place to purchase the bike. And that I did, despite the saga and politicking which went on behind the scene at my expense between P1, the distributor of the frame of the bike I was looking at and another bike shop, let's call that shop "Galaxy" which was owned by a cunning, rather ambitious man. That however is another story for another blog post.

Anyway, the bike was purchased and I rode the bike for my Zurich race, the last Singapore 70.3 and the 70.3 race in Clearwater. All this time, the bike performed up to expectation, mine anyway. However, the rear derailleur was making weird clicking noises and the gear shifting simply wasn't as smooth as I had hoped it would be. I brought the bike back to P1 and all I was told was that thats how carbon bikes were, all I needed to do was to tweak the gears a bit as I rode to ensure a smooth transition between a higher to lower gear and vice versa. I took their word for it and continued riding.

After returning from my US trip and the end of year examinations, I decided to bring my bike to the shop I used to frequent before I moved to hall, SW, for servicing. There I told them about the problems I encountered whilst cycling and engaging in gear changing and all. They serviced the bike within a day and called to inform me about the cause of the weird noises. Apparently, brake cables, which is different from the other type of sheathing, was used to protect ALL my cables and that resulted in the irregular noises and poor gear engagement.

Aside from the brake cable incident, there were many other instances that left me ticked off too. The ridiculous amount of time they take to service a bike, the technician's dismissive attitude at times and most pissing of them all... the poor servicing. The last servicing I sent my bike to... let's just say I wouldn't exactly consider it a servicing at all. The gears weren't cleaned, the bike wasn't done up to expectation too. Well... Let's just say that'll be the last servicing I ever do at P1.

Its harder than it looks

2009-12-13T11:00:00.002+08:00

I must add that it has been a rather satisfying first week :)

Reality Checked: Part 2

2009-12-11T01:42:00.003+08:00

Its official. My application to France for a semester has been rejected. The bad news just doesn't stop coming so it seems. So where does this latest piece of news leave me? Well, I have always championed the fact that if you've got the guts to talk the talk, make sure when the time comes to walk the talk... you're willing to take that first step and more. I haven't been focused as of late and I guess my results took a beating as a result of the rather enjoyable time I have had as of late. My nonchalant attitude towards my academic pursuits have finally caught up with me and here I am left all alone in this boring island I call home whilst my peers go off to greener pastures to experience life as it is across borders. So here I am, bearing the consequences of my frivolous lifestyle, bitter and terribly upset at having been denied the opportunity of traveling overseas. Well I must reconcile with the fact that I have had a rather easy life thus far with me getting almost anything I want rather easily... and this without a doubt has quenched that hunger for more and left me too contented and way too complacent with myself and my capabilities. Now that I have re conciliated with harsh reality of my rather sorry state... what next?

Well, it seems that ever since my Clearwater race/trip, its been one reality check after the other for me, all of them harsh reality checks indeed. The truth hurts and I'll probably be thankful for feeling the pinch in time to come but right now... I am just bitter and pissed. I realized too that being nice and popular counts for shit when push comes to shove and ultimately... its the results that matter the most. So as of now, it is with great sadness that I announce that the Singapore education system has now claimed its latest victim... Me. I just buried the old me in the abandoned field beside my grass-run-route. No fanfare, no tears... just a blank face staring emotionlessly into silence and stillness of the night. Its been fun while it lasted I must say... and Thank you... Thank you very much for the memories.

Plan B

2009-12-10T16:51:00.001+08:00

Now that its been confirmed that I won't be flying off anytime soon next next semester... where does that leave me... I guess there's always plan B :)

Defying Gravity

2009-12-07T19:33:00.003+08:00

Inspirational Songs are hard to find? Try this for Size :) Watched Wicked in London last July and this song... man... Amazing :) Which reminds me... I am going to audition for some random role should this musical EVER make it here :)

PS: Do mute the player on the right before listening to this... make sure u do it before u even start listening!!!!!

Defying Gravity

GLINDA
(spoken) Elphaba - why couldn't you have stayed calm for
once, instead of flying off the handle!
(sung) I hope you're happy!
I hope you're happy now
I hope you're happy how you
Hurt your cause forever
I hope you think you're clever!

ELPHABA
I hope you're happy
I hope you're happy, too
I hope you're proud how you
Would grovel in submission
To feed your own ambition

BOTH
So though I can't imagine how
I hope you're happy right now

GLINDA
(spoken) Elphie, listen to me. Just say you're sorry:
(sung) You can still be with the Wizard
What you've worked and waited for
You can have all you ever wanted:

ELPHABA
(spoken) I know:
(sung) But I don't want it -
No - I can't want it
Anymore:

Something has changed within me
Something is not the same
I'm through with playing by the rules
Of someone else's game
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes: and leap!

It's time to try
Defying gravity
I think I'll try
Defying gravity
And you can't pull me down!

GLINDA
Can't I make you understand?
You're having delusions of grandeur:

ELPHABA
I'm through accepting limits
''cause someone says they're so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I'll never know!
Too long I've been afraid of
Losing love I guess I've lost
Well, if that's love
It comes at much too high a cost!
I'd sooner buy
Defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye
I'm defying gravity
And you can't pull me down:
(spoken) Glinda - come with me. Think of what we could
do: together.

(sung) Unlimited
Together we're unlimited
Together we'll be the greatest team
There's ever been
Glinda -
Dreams, the way we planned 'em

GLINDA
If we work in tandem:

BOTH
There's no fight we cannot win
Just you and I
Defying gravity
With you and I
Defying gravity

ELPHABA
They'll never bring us down!
(spoken) Well? Are you coming?

GLINDA
I hope you're happy
Now that you're choosing this

ELPHABA
(spoken) You too
(sung) I hope it brings you bliss

BOTH
I really hope you get it
And you don't live to regret it
I hope you're happy in the end
I hope you're happy, my friend:

ELPHABA So if you care to find me
Look to the western sky!
As someone told me lately:
"Ev'ryone deserves the chance to fly!"
And if I'm flying solo
At least I'm flying free
To those who'd ground me
Take a message back from me
Tell them how I am
Defying gravity
I'm flying high
Defying gravity
And soon I'll match them in renown
And nobody in all of Oz
No Wizard that there is or was
Is ever gonna bring me down!

GLINDA
I hope you're happy!

CITIZENS OF OZ
Look at her, she's wicked!
Get her!

ELPHABA
:Bring me down!

CITIZENS OF OZ
No one mourns the wicked
So we've got to bring her

ELPHABA
Ahhh!

CITIZENS OF OZ
Down!

Random Updates

2009-12-07T17:34:00.002+08:00

The number of Mark Zukerberg moments/ ideas in my life is increasing significantly. Even Lemin thinks so.

I now understand why I'll never... ever... move to Jurong... Despite the gorgeous new mall located beside Boon Lay interchange.

Some people make it big... Some don't. Why that happens... is pretty evident to me right now. However that doesn't mean that success is going to come easily either.

The importance of choosing ones battles... wasn't obvious at first but after some chicken rice and a couple of glasses of champagne... its just like missing the North Star on a cloudless night.

Friends... and why one can't do without them.

Principled and Ruthlessness... there is a difference.

Choices

2009-12-07T00:32:00.003+08:00

Photo Courtesy of Whelan :)

Two contrasting experiences in two days.

Champagne, Loud Music, Cologne and Flashing Disco Lights all night long marked the first

100 Plus, Deafening Cheers, Sweat and Flashing Camera Lights all through the morning marked the second.

I am so glad it wasn't much of a choice :)

To those that ran the Standard Charted Marathon today, Congrats on a Marathon/Half-Marathon well-done :) Mok, Ashley and Mr Liu... the three of you (plus any others I might have missed out...) are without doubt a force to be reckon with and my hope is that I be strong enough to sustain that discipline and self restraint in time to come :)

Going it alone

2009-12-04T09:49:00.002+08:00

I wrote on this empty space once about limits. About the boundaries established in the mind just with regards to how much shit an individual can take be it physically or emotionally. I must admit that I am tittering on the edge of that boundary of mine. I have come to realize the truth about camerade amongst friends and my relationship with my school. Some of it is real, sincere and genuine others... well they might mean well but they just don't get it. I realized last night that I most probably failed to secure my exchange slot to Paris and that event set in motion a whole roller coaster ride of sentiments which saw me unloading on certain individuals last night. I got pissed then fuming mad then just terribly upset with the whole situation as the night went on. Initially what had set out to be a night of unloading and "getting things off my chest" turned into a night of discovery too. I learnt about the varying degree of friendships that I have. There were those who have totally no opinion or backbone whatsoever... those who keep paraphrasing my questions without providing any comfort or useful/ constructive support. There were those who were more concern about the end-state of the dynamics of the team instead of the feelings of the individual... and thankfully there were those who understood that sometimes all I need to hear are just words of support and comfort about the stuff that happened. Ever since my outburst in mid-novemember, I have detached myself pretty much from just about everything around me. Schadenfreude seems evident everywhere I look and I guess its affecting my rather fragile mental state at this juncture in time. Useless sports directors, tactless overly competitive individuals who'd rather remove you as a friend then attempt some form of reconciliation and friends who just don't care are going to be a thing of the past for me. I used to believe in the unconditionality of friendships but alas now I realize just how foolish I was. The lies, deceit and bullshit that surrounds us all... Its time to break out and start walking my own road.

Thursday

2009-12-03T09:09:00.003+08:00

Everything has a start and an end. Even MSN conversations... It irks me immensely to have someone start a conversation with me but not end it. Anyway that little peeve aside, I have been enjoying myself tremendously nua-ing around at home. I was supposed to head out last night but this really cool travel & living food documentary got the better of me and I ended up chilling with my parents over great cappuccino reminiscing about our little Europe adventure about 5 months back. I talk a lot to my parents and I guess its because they provide really good insight into the real world out there. Be it abortion issues, gay rights in China, US politics or the future of natural gas in this rapidly globalizing world... we kinda enjoy sitting around sipping coffee and talking about everything and anything under the sun. I have decided that I shan't continue boarding in school anymore for reasons which I shan't disclose here. I am going to start moving my stuff back home and I'll be giving up some of the furniture in hall to those interested in taking over them. I'll be embarking on an extensive room-cleaning session in preparation for the major moving in (from hall) and moving out (to my new place) in time to come. Training thus far seems to be on track and I am pretty satisfied with the gym sessions I have initiated. With that, I am off to clean up my laser before heading off for Tim Sum with my parents :) Woohoo!!

S$2.70 Dinner

2009-12-02T07:58:00.001+08:00

S$2.70 can get you a non-stop supply of soft drinks. Take that and add good company... voila! You get one hell of a talk cock session after a good run :)

Freedom

2009-12-01T10:14:00.003+08:00

Alright... I haven't been taking this Year End Examinations as seriously as I had intended to at the start of this Semester. The week-long trip across the Pacific didn't help much either but I most definitely had fun. I was supposed to head out for a swim of sorts today but I decided I'll just stay home and update my blog and engage in a bit of retail therapy... Online retail therapy. Under the guidance of guru lim.jj and his associates guru welzl and guru ma, I have come to realize that it is possible to save quite a bit by shopping or at least doing some research online before hitting the stores... So... with the pics still being uploaded on to FB, I shall proceed to work on my Clearwater/Orlando Posts :)

Mark Zukerberg

2009-11-26T17:42:00.002+08:00

After the morning Bak Chor Mee and Kopi-O with Daddy, We both headed home to finish up with the laundry. Whilst I was folding the clothes, I switched on the TV to the sound of Oprah and Gale laughing with this geek sitting in between them. The geek with the title of being the world's youngest billionaire and CEO of the one site that has millions around the world hooked on it. The geek that got me thinking about the bigger picture in life. The geek that made stellar GPA's and sporting excellence look bad... :) Now to find that million dollar idea of mine :)

Morning Call

2009-11-25T05:47:00.002+08:00

Woke up at 4 a.m. Downed a cup of cappuccino and two cream puffs before stumbling upon this beautiful song. Listened it a number of times... decided to post it here before heading back to my final prep for the PS2237 paper this afternoon :)

enjoy :)

PS: I decided the make the song play everytime someone logs on here!! Woohoo!!!

Exams

2009-11-24T14:42:00.001+08:00

I think I am having way way too much fun...

Lunch

2009-11-21T13:36:00.004+08:00

I just got back from Lunch with Dad. My dad loves his Bak Chor Mee... so do I. So we both went Bak Chor Mee hunting. I should probably get down to some serious work right now... Will try and head out in the evening... Oh wait... I think I'll blog on my trip later in the day... On a happier note... I think my jet lag is gone! Again I shall post a series of entries on what I have been up to the last 1 week... I am starting to enjoy this life of solitude a bit too much... hahaha

PS: I just realized how himbotic my post sounded. I'll try and salvage it when I get back to this page later in the evening :)