Sty-le;

In Memory

2011-08-06T19:34:00.007+08:00

“Unfortunately, the clock is ticking, the hours are going by. The past increases, the future recedes. Possibilities decreasing, regrets mounting”

~ Haruki Murakami, Dance Dance Dance

Death permeates the air during the seventh lunar month. There seems to be no avoiding of it. You are constantly reminded of death wherever you go. Its crude in-your-face reminder seems to be mocking the living - poor fools who think that they have all the time, only to regret not spending enough of it with the people who matters.

And the finitude of life becomes even more cutting when it occurs to the young. Like a celebration that is abruptly cancelled...

You'll Never Walk Alone
The news reports gave rather factual accounts of what happened on Tuesday. Junsheng was "found to be unconscious at about 5.11 pm on 2 Aug 2011 while participating in a navigation exercise at Ama Keng Training Area at Lim Chu Kang." The news articles then went on to state the various timings of the medic's arrival, of the two evacuations first, from the training ground to the air base medical centre where an SAF doctor attended to him, and then to the National University Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

What was unreported was that he was sent out on the navigation exercise in a group of four, and was only discovered to be missing at some point in time. The members retraced their route and found him unconscious approximately 10 minutes later (presumably at about 5.11 pm). Junsheng must have been alone for that duration of their retracing at the very least, possibly longer! And that delay would have drastically lowered his chance of survival even with CPR administered immediately after they found him! How long had he been alone? Why didn't they notice his disappearance? How alone he must have felt then... They walked without him... An irony, indeed, for a person whose favourite football team spots the motto "You'll Never Walk Alone."

But all these questions were left unanswered. Answers not for apportioning the blame, but for his loved ones to know exactly what happened, just so we can, if nothing else, share Junsheng’s pain, his fears, his thoughts, and his grief at those very moments...

"俊陞，今天是我的生日 [Junsheng, it's my birthday today]"
This weekend was supposed to be the 21st birthday celebration for one of Junsheng’s best friends. We observed the occasion with a simple cake-cutting at the wake. No birthday song, no laughter, no celebration - just a simple cutting of the cake in his presence. Because we know that he would have wanted to be there.

That juxtaposition of life and death, of joy and grief, of past and present… It felt like my mind was being overwhelmed by the deluges of thoughts and emotions, questions and answers, which led to more questions. Thoughts that couldn’t be processed before the next bolt of emotions crashed them...

To the SAF,
Please witness our loss, our tears, our sorrows and our pain, and not let this happen again. You lost a soldier. We lost a friend. His father lost a son. In truth, we all lost something. We all lost Junsheng. But that lost is definitely harder to bear for some.

The onus is upon you to look after your soldiers, our friends, and the parents’ sons. It’s not on the parents who have kept their sons safe all these while.

To those who were there with Junsheng for his final walk,
He will never walk alone again.

To Junsheng’s family,
Please be strong.

To Junsheng,
Please be happy wherever you are, and leave the grieving to us. We may never recover from this heartache, but we will always be thankful to you for all the sweet memories.

Setting the Agenda

2011-05-03T17:33:00.009+08:00

Note: This is not a comprehensive analysis of the media coverage during this Singapore Election 2011. But these are some of my observations.

In communication studies, there are two theories that are quite prominent. They're called Media Framing and Agenda-Setting. The two theories are often conflated as one, perhaps rightly so, since it is often difficult to distinguish the two. Agenda-setting theory posits the ability of the media to set the agenda for public consideration; the media may not be able to tell us what to think, but they can tell us what to think about. Besides setting the agenda, the media may also frame the topic in such a way that may influence the way we think about it.

Now what has that got to do with this election? Quite a lot, IMO. Needless to say, all the election candidates will be looking to set the agenda and frame the issues that they are championing, in ways that are beneficial to them. And I will highlight this using the examples of Minister George Yeo, and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.

Yeo is a smart politician. He understands the major concerns that voters may have. In fact, the huge turnout at the oppositions' rallies suggest that many are concerned with national issues such as overpopulation due to the increase in the numbers of foreign talents, the lack of jobs and public housings, rising cost of living and health care cost, etc. And indeed, these are the issues that the opposition candidates are trying to set on the agenda for public consideration as we head to the polls.

Given that many of these policies are put in place by the ruling party, Yeo is only wise not to let the oppositions set the agenda. Instead, he played up the GRC-Nation split in his speech. Not surprisingly, the media and supporters of the ruling party also caught on with this. By giving prominence to the issues concerning the GRC, they managed to "focus our attention and influence our perceptions of what [is] the most important issue" in this election i.e. set the agenda for public consideration; the welfare of the constituency is now of salience.

Similarly, Goh also played up this GRC-Nation split - a strategy that I suppose is worth pursuing considering the sentiments on the ground? In the news article, "SM Goh: I can’t get feel of younger voters," he was quoted that

[voters should not] go on the basis of what you hear over the elections. The day after elections what will happen? Who will look after the estate?

He added that

"[we should not] talk about national issues, just talk about the estate."

But the interesting observation is not the fact that they tried to set the agenda as such; certainly, the ruling party has often dangled the "upgrading carrot" during election. It is the way Yeo and Goh use the issues of estate maintenance and upgrading as a frame for the broader national issues that intrigues me. I'll paste the whole quote for you to read:

“Don’t talk about national issues, just talk about the estate. So, for Marine Parade, on 8 May, who is going to attend to the problem of the old folks, the livelihood issues, the jobs and so on. you (sic) see" (Goh, 2011).

Crafty you. ;) Attempting to pull a sleight of hand on us. By first setting the constituency on the agenda, Goh then uses the estate as a frame for national issues; he first created a GRC-Nation split (a false dichotomy in fact), and then conflate the two again so that we might interpret national issues through the constituency frame. And indeed, their ability to manage the country is now framed within their ability to manage the GRC.

Similarly, that was what Yeo did. In the news article, "GE: "Specify your plans", George Yeo tells WP," Yeo attempted to set the agenda back to the GRC by asking the opposition for their local plans. And the opposition fell for it - Pritam Singh opened up a can of worms by saying, in his May 1 rally speech, that

"the Workers Party has one important rule that [they] strictly abide by - [they] will not play politics with the residents of Aljunied GRC by making empty promises to them"

By saying that, the WP candidate has unwittingly admitted that they have no plan yet for the GRC. Not that it matters if he was being truthful in admitting that they do not wish to over promise and under deliver, which is a huge taboo in public relations. Not that it matters that not having a plan yet, does not mean that they will not have a plan in future. Not that it matters that any proposed plan now will possibly be half-truth or half-lie (depending on whether you’re a glass half-full or half-empty person), given the history of withholding public resources from oppositions' wards. It will just be treated as such - the Workers Party has NO PLAN AT ALL for Aljunied GRC.

Of course, Yeo went further having set the agenda. By framing this issue as one of planning (or the lack thereof), it draws our interpretation to that of the Workers Party being disorganized and unready¹. By framing this issue as one of asking the voters to vote for them without any promises in return (or in Yeo's words, "asking for a blank cheque"), it wants us to read the opposition as potentially deceptive or as having hidden agendas. An irony given the opposition's honesty.

Going full circle, Yeo is then able to cue the voters back to the national issues, this time with the glow of the GRC halo. Indeed, he reminded the voters

"[not to be] made use of. You don't have to carry the burden of the whole of Singapore.

You carry your own burden. The burden of your families, your daily livelihoods. The people of Aljunied GRC are beginning to ask, 'well ok, fine, there're national issues which are important but what does it mean for me?'

And it's my job and those of my colleagues' to bring them back to what their interest, their hopes, their concerns, their worries (are), and also what this means for the country."

Well played Ministers. Well played. =) I am now filled with awed-inspiration to become a better communicator.

¹Indeed, that was what Ms Janice Huang from my previous post wrote in her comment. She felt that Low, the leader of the WP was disoriented.

A Reply to Ms Janice Huang

2011-04-30T17:10:00.024+08:00

Read this note titled "Why non-Aljunied GRC residents need to stop telling Aljunied GRC residents to vote the WP" by Ms Janice Huang. And I thought I'll add my views to it. But before I start, I will like to add some qualifiers like she did.

I am an ex-Aljunied GRC resident. I voted in Aljunied GRC in 2006, for the ruling party no less, because I really thought that Minister George Yeo's team was the better team overall despite some rather negative personal experience with a particular member of his team. But it was a GRC (and still is), and I had to consider the team instead of the individuals. But I digressed.

I will also add that I have been under three different GRCs, as far as I can remember, even though my address remains unchanged for almost 20 years. I suppose it is my blessing that I am relieved of this burden to make the tough decision of choosing between two highly qualified teams in this coming election.

Now before Ms Huang accuses me of telling her who to vote for, I will state categorically that I am not. In fact, I have no doubt that even if I do, she will not be pressured into doing so since she has demonstrated her free agency by writing the note, still in support of the incumbents despite the supposed calls by others to vote for the opposition. But I suspect she suffers from the well known third-person bias in communication research; she probably thinks that other Aljunied residents, unlike her, will be prone to such social calls to vote for the opposition. I will like to assure Ms Huang that her worries are probably unfounded. At the end of the day, voters will still have to make their own decision. We will cast our vote ourselves. No one else can or will cast it for us.

Cognitive bias aside, let's address some of the issues Ms Huang has raised in her note.

1. The battle for Aljunied GRC is NOT the battle for "Singapore's future".

Ms Huang wrote that the battle for Aljunied GRC is a battle for the welfare of the Aljunied GRC residents. I agree. But I believe that is only partially correct, for the lack of a better word. In fact, I believe the battle for Aljunied GRC is a battle for the welfare of the Aljunied GRC residents, AND a battle for "Singapore's future." I think it is myopic of Ms Huang to see it purely from a constituent perspective. In fact, every battle should be a battle for the constituency and (ultimately) the country. Doesn't matter if it's Aljunied GRC or Ang Mo Kio GRC. Even PM Lee says that we should vote for the ruling party to secure our country's future, not just for our constituency's future.

With that in mind, it becomes a question of moral value. More specifically, it is a question of what each voter values. And we know that the values we hold can be, and often are in conflict. It is therefore, for each voter to decide (for themselves of course) the value that holds a higher priority over other values. Ms Huang has obviously stated her priorities. It is now incumbent on the other voters to decide their own. Without stating who to vote for, I will like to remind everyone, especially Ms Huang, of what ex-Major General now-MP Chan Chun Sing (yay!) said in his introductory video. And I quote,

"先有国，后有家。 First, there must be country before family. And by extension, there must be family before self."

I suppose the constituency comes somewhere in between the country and the family. ;)

And Ms Huang continued that

"the truth is: Aljunied GRC residents should have the freedom to vote for themselves, and not bear the responsibility for “Singapore’s future” (emphasis hers).

To all the people who do not live in Aljunied GRC, but who are pressuring Aljunied GRC residents to vote WP:
If you really want opposition members in Parliament that badly, go vote the opposition at your own wards.
Even if you do vote the opposition in your own wards, it still doesn't give you a right to tell residents from other GRCs or SMCs who to vote.
And if you are one of those people who are voting PAP in your own wards, but are aggressively pressuring others in Aljunied GRC to vote WP... then you are about one of the most selfish Singaporeans out there."

I would, in principle, agree with Ms Huang that every resident should have the freedom to vote for themselves. But as I've stated above, we already do.

Moving on to her first bullet point, I think she is actually pointing to a more fundamental problem within any democracy. We all want the best people who can represent us. But unfortunately, not everyone who steps up is the best (assuming that we can objectively measure who are the best candidates). And this problem is exacerbated by the fact that our country is divided into constituencies, both group and single member. Indeed, this was the problem I faced during the 2006 election; I had to choose the best team instead of the best individuals.

But even if we abolish the GRCs, the problem remains. It becomes a case of strategically fielding candidates to maximize the chance of winning. For example, if all the constituencies are single member constituencies, we may still end up with a battle between an average member of the ruling party and a mediocre member of the opposition in one SMC, and a battle between a very good member of the ruling party and an equally good member of the opposition in another SMC. In that case, the average member of the ruling party will, rationally, still enter the parliament while the very good member of the opposition may still be denied the place. Unfortunately, I have no solution to that. Philosophically, it reminds me of Foucault's critique of the institutionalization of popular justice. In his article, "On Popular Justice: A Discussion with Maoists," he asked,

"Is not the setting up of a neutral institution standing between the people and its enemies, capable of establishing the dividing line between the true and the false, the guilty and the innocent, the just and the unjust, is this not a way of resisting popular justice? A way of disarming it in the struggle it is conducting in reality in favour of an arbitration in the realm of the ideal? This is why I am wondering whether the court is not a form of popular justice but rather its first deformation" (2).

Similarly, I wonder whether any institutionalization of democracy is not a form of democracy but rather its first deformation. And this deformation is perhaps relevant to Ms Huang's second and third bullet points.

More on Ms Huang's second bullet point, I believe that her underlying principle is that we do not have the right to force people to vote according to our wishes. Of course we do not. But not having the right to force others does not equate to not having the right to tell others who they could/ should vote for; there is a not-so-fine line between telling and forcing. Unfortunately, Ms Huang conflated the two in her argument.

In contrast, I actually do advocate sharing personal viewpoints and perspectives. That way, we can have more varied perspectives, and then think calmly before we make our own decision. As Sir Isaac Newton famously said,

"If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants."

Surely Ms Huang does not believe that one is capable of knowing everything on one's own.

On Ms Huang's third bullet point, I believe it is an amalgamation of the issues I have stated above. We can't vote for the best candidates because the current system means that we can only choose between those who are contesting in our constituency. But that doesn't mean we can't discuss, hypothetically, who we will vote for if we are in a certain constituency. In fact, if we do, it is because we care for Singapore, as Singaporeans. As such, I do not agree with Ms Huang's ad hominem attack on whom she perceived as "selfish Singaporeans." In fact, if we define selfishness, according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, as "[being] concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself, seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others," Ms Huang's concern with her own welfare as an Aljunied GRC resident, as opposed to the nation's welfare, may more likely be seen as selfish than not. But alas, it is not selfishness on Ms Huang's part, but only the difference in the priorities we have placed for the different moral values we hold. As such, I believe it is as much Ms Huang's right to write about why we should not tell others who to vote for, as it is her right to decide for herself if she's more concerned about her own GRC or the nation in which her GRC resides. Then again, the latter is but a false dichotomy. Perhaps what is best for the nation IS what is best for the GRC. =)

2. The WP is only ensuring its OWN survival, not the survival of the opposition.

On the second main point of Ms Huang's note, she argued that the opposition needs to convince residents of Aljunied GRC of their potential contribution to the GRC instead of just championing the "broader national concerns." This is not unexpected given Ms Huang's priorities. And we should not expect Ms Huang to be alone in this. Thus, I fully agree with her on this front. The opposition needs to tell the residents of the GRC what they can do for them!

However, I take issue with her claim that "very few residents in Aljunied GRC have the honour of claiming that you visited them, because the truth is, you've hardly stepped into Aljunied GRC the last five years. That is, apart from making token appearances at certain market places." As an empirical social scientist, I call upon Ms Huang to substantiate her claim of truth. If she is using herself as anecdotal evidence, I'm sorry to say, the singular of "data" is not "anecdote" (it is "datum" by the way). I have resided in Aljunied GRC for the past 5 years (my area is no longer under Aljunied GRC for this election, but it was for the past 5 years!), and not once I've seen the MPs whom I've voted for. Not even token appearances at certain market places (not face-to-face that is, I see them on TV. And we won't expect the mainstream media to cover walkabout by non-elected opposition members will we?). But I will not recklessly conclude that the truth is, they've hardly stepped into Aljunied GRC. If Ms Huang is unable to substantiate her claim, it will be in the question of her integrity that she produces a retraction.

On her bullet point on the People's Association, I do not think it is fair to fully blame the opposition for not working with PA; PA needs to take some responsibility for not working with the elected member of parliament too. As civil servants, employees of PA should be non-partisan. It is unfortunate that the grassroots advisor in opposition ward, is not the elected member, but the candidate of the ruling party who lost in the previous election. Having said that, I do not discount the contribution made by the organization.

As for the remaining of her bullet points, I will acknowledge that she has made valid arguments (even though some of her arguments can be applied to the candidates offered by the ruling party as well, but we're comparing within the GRC, so I'll leave it as that).

At the heart of the issue, whether or not non-Aljunied GRC residents need to stop telling Aljunied GRC residents who to vote for (the opposition or the ruling party), is a question of whether one believes in the freedom of expression as a fundamental human right. Ms Huang must realize that by her writing to tell others to stop telling so, she is exercising her freedom of expression right to attempt a removal of the same right for these others.

Edited: I also want to reply to a comment by Mr Chris Chen on Ms Huang's note. Chen asked "if you vote oppo... why should i spend PAP resources on you??? Sure PAP will take care of you.... just get to the back of the queue."

The resources do not belong to the party. It belongs to the people. The government, which is formed by the ruling party, is entrusted to manage it by virtue of the mandate, for the best interest of the people. I have less issue with the queuing part though, as long as all Singaporeans get what they should ultimately.

Reference List:

Foucault, Michel. "On Popular Justice: A Discussion with Maoists." Power/knowledge: selected interviews and other writings, 1972-1977. Ed. Colin Gordon. New York: Pantheon Books, 1980. 1-36. Print.

"Selfishness." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2011. Merriam-Webster Online. 30 April 2011 <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/selfishness>.

Religions and Representation 2

2011-04-20T05:57:00.007+08:00

Alex Au's article pointed me to the religions of the new candidates of the ruling party. Similar to the now-dissolved parliament, a "hugely disproportionate number of [the new] PAP candidates declare themselves to be Christian." And since I have the data of the religions of the now-ex Members of Parliament, I decided to compile them together to get a breakdown of the religions of the candidates that the ruling party will field for this upcoming election. The breakdown is as follow:

The new candidates who stated “无” (defined as "-less; not to have; no; none; not; to lack; un-" according to the Chinese-English Dictionary) as their religion in their ZaoBao Profile are listed as "Free Thinker/ No Religion."

As for the re-running candidates, those who listed themselves as "Free Thinker," and who listed their religion as "NIL" in the Parliament of Singapore's website are assumed to have on religion.

For those who did not specify their religion, I googled them up (Google has the answer to everything! Well, almost), and try to get the most credible sources (speeches, news article, videos, and in only one case Wikipedia) I can find. The spreadsheet with the candidates' names, religions, and the reference links is here. And so I managed to reduce the number of unspecified to 12.

And as per the previous post, the candidates are then further grouped into the following categories - Buddhism/Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Other Religions, No Religion. And a chi-square distribution test is then calculated to test the goodness of fit between the observed distribution of religions among the candidates, and the actual distribution of religions among the resident population according to Census 2010.

Perhaps not unexpectedly, there is a significant difference (X² (5)= 58.573, P < .01) between the observed distribution of religions among the candidates, and the actual distribution of religions among the resident population.

And while I will still note that the candidates are selected based on their merits, the distribution does raise a few questions.

1. Are the Buddhists and/or Taoists not as capable? If they are not as capable, why?
2. If they are equally capable, why are they not as well-represented? Is there something that is stopping them from stepping forward to serve the nation?

Unfortunately, I have no answers to these questions.

Secularism and Religion

2011-04-19T01:50:00.012+08:00

It all started with this article by Dr Tan Seow Hon, in which she argued for more room for religion in public discourse.

Dr Tan proposed a rough guideline on "how should religion feature in public discourse." This is what she proposed:

First, treating a particular religion as authoritative without consideration of anything else is out.

Fair enough. I'd agree with her on this. But as far as my publicly accessible reasons can tell, this is the only guideline proposed; the rest are more arguments on "why" we should allow religion to feature in public discourse rather than "how." She continued:

Second, excluding religious persons cuts off the majority of Singaporeans who regard themselves as religious. Unless a state is anti-religion, why should having a religion bar one from public discourse?

I'll concede that this is a reasonable argument, except that a secular ideology does not bar religious people from public discourse. It bars public discourse from being religiously influenced. A secular ideology allows Dr Tan to partake in public discourse regardless of her religion; it bars her from using the "because my God says so" argument. And I supposed Dr Tan recognizes that that was just a straw man she set up because she went on to say that,

"denying someone the right to participate in public discourse if she is religiously motivated or influenced does not make sense. We reasonably expect people to treat their religions more seriously than hobbies.

Furthermore, as Columbia Law School professor Kent Greenawalt suggests, it is hard to determine how a religious person would decide an issue if she only refers to publicly accessible reasons and personal non-religious bases and detaches her religious bases from the analysis."

Okay. But just because a person treats what his/ her god(s) (say)s more seriously than hobbies doesn't mean that what the god(s) (say)s is reasonable; I certainly don't think it's reasonable to stone non-virgins to death, or to expect Dr Tan to shut up and sit down in church as the law also says even though I take my religion very seriously!

And yes I will agree (to a certain extent) that it is difficult to tell if a person's viewpoint is religiously based or not (and this is the same argument repeated by Sanjay Perera in his article, "Secularism in its extreme can be intolerant"), but I must add that it is utterly self-defeatist to allow religious viewpoint simply because it is hard to tell a religious based discourse from a secular one. And while "none of us is immune to the values of our upbringing, culture, traditions, or spiritual beliefs" (Perera), a secular state strives to ensure that our public discourses are constantly updated by empirical facts and (social) scientific evidence rather than being graved in some tablets of stone. But I guess Dr Tan and Sanjay disagree. Anyway, Dr Tan continued that,

"we might think those who are religiously motivated are unlikely to change their minds on an issue, whereas those who begin with personal non-religious motivations are open to reason. Prof Greenawalt notes that this distinction is "overblown", as the latter might not be open to arguments to the contrary while the former might be.

The late Harvard professor John Rawls suggests we refrain from deciding basic questions of justice by comprehensive doctrines of truth, which include conceptions of what is of value in human life. Examples include religious worldviews and secular doctrines such as John Mill's ideal of individuality.

Instead, rely on "public reason". Offer fair terms of cooperation to others. Propose what is most reasonable to us. We must also think the proposed terms are at least reasonable for others as free and equal citizens to accept.

But how does one know what is "reasonable" or "fair" without reference to standards of truth in comprehensive doctrines? Oxford professor John Finnis thinks Prof Rawls's approach results in basic questions being remitted to hunches, as one is not allowed to resolve them by reference to what is true."

So Prof Greenawalt thinks that non-religious people might just be as closed to reasonable contrary arguments as religious people, and I agree. But that should mean that the solution is therefore to promote openness to reason, rather than the acceptance of personal beliefs as "reason." And that brings us to the contested definition of "public reason" in which Dr Tan, Perera, and Zhou (who wrote a reply to Dr Tan's article) seem to have problems agreeing upon, but more on that later.

As for the point on requiring certain standards of truth to determine what is "reasonable" or "fair," let's just say that standards can be set based on precedence, and updated by empirical facts rather than an airy-fairy reference.

Dr Tan then went on to give the example of abortion.

She wrote that,

"Prof Finnis suggests that medical science shows the difference between the unborn and the newborn to be no more and no less than the difference between being inside and outside the mother's body. He thinks it is arbitrary to deny the unborn the rights of free and equal citizens - rights accorded to newborns - by allowing women to abort them. Following from Prof Finnis's view, it is not true that the only reasons for restrictive abortion laws are religious in nature."

Now, I cannot begin to sufficiently emphasize the duh-ness I felt when I read this paragraph, but I'll try. And I must admit that I am not medically trained, and hence, am not in the position to support or refute Prof Finnis's suggestion; I will go with his suggestion there is no difference between the unborn and the newborn except being inside and outside of the mother's body. But even if I accept that medical "truth," the following argument is still duh. Because of that medical truth, Prof Finnis thinks that it is arbitrary to deny the unborn the rights of free and equal citizens. Of course it is arbitrary! It is as arbitrary as the law denying the "kids" below 21 the rights to vote in the upcoming election! But whatever.

Dr Tan went on to infer from Prof Finnis's view that not all reasons for restrictive abortion laws are religious in nature. So does that mean that Dr Tan therefore agree that medical scientific reasons supersede religious beliefs in the debate on abortion laws? I'm confused. I thought she was arguing for allowing religion in public discourse?

Dr Tan must have anticipated the potential confusion, and so provided Prof Greenawalt as a countering example. She wrote that,

"Prof Greenawalt, on the other hand, thinks that science can trace the growth of the unborn, but does not resolve its moral status. Permissive abortion laws settle the metaphysical question of the moral status of the unborn by deciding that an unborn is not worthy of the same protection as a newborn. Such metaphysical questions are in fact answered differently by different religious and non-religious convictions, by reference to reasons that are not necessarily publicly accessible."

Unfortunately, this argument is tautological; it is a useless repetition of the statement that the law is arbitrarily settled! The only difference between Prof Finnis's and Prof Greenawalt's thinking, from what I can gather from Dr Tan's writing, is that for Prof Finnis, the medical science shows no difference between an unborn and a newborn, whereas for Prof Greenawalt, the science can trace a difference (differences in fact since it's a growth process involving different stages). Not that the science matters anyway, since Dr Tan's article is about allowing religion in public discourse.

The next few paragraphs are perhaps the most telling about what Dr Tan thinks constitute "public reasons." She wrote that,

Prof Greenawalt thinks that if publicly accessible reasons and shared premises can't resolve such issues, the religious and the non-religious are both reaching beyond such grounds in law-making. All may rely upon their convictions while committed to a secular democracy, although realistically, laws would be changed only with substantial support.

Allowing religious citizens to participate according to their religious convictions in such situations may be as sensible as allowing non-religious citizens to participate according to their personal convictions. After all, what grounds democracy and the very belief that we should not impose on others is a metaphysical belief in equal moral worth.

Religious or not, we may share these premises, which may well be quite beyond the realm of publicly accessible reasons."

Ahhh. Now it becomes obvious that Dr Tan's "public reasons" is grounded in our "metaphysical belief in equal moral worth." In contrast, Zhou's "public reasons" is defined as "what is reasonable and fair by availing ourselves of empirical data which reveals, say, that a certain policy is impractical for reasons such as a lack of resources." And not forgetting Perera who defines "public reason" as "a view that puts forward the good of everyone without bias against others." It seems then, that this whole debate on allowing more room for religion in public discourse hinges on how one defines "public reason."

In summary then, Dr Tan's argument is that 1.) it doesn't matter what the science says (even if there's scientific consensus?), 2.) the law is arbitrary defined and 3.) its definition should be based on our metaphysical moral beliefs, and 4.) the majority wins ultimately! And that brings us to the next argument on the tyranny of the majority....

Edited: "There is a slippery slope between being just a foetus and being a person; it doesn’t follow that foetuses are persons, or that to abort a foetus is to commit a homicide" (Fodor, 2009)

Reference List:

Fodor, J. (2009). "Where is my mind?" London Review of Books, 31(3), 13-15.

Religions and Representation

2011-04-18T05:15:00.018+08:00

Existing studies suggest that there may be a link between religions and politics (see Here). And while Singapore advocates a separation between the state and religions, the separation is a tenuous one (see Here). Hence, it is of interest that we study the issue of political representation (see Here) and religions in the context of the Singapore parliament.

For a start, the religions of the members of parliament (non-inclusive of non-constituency member [NCMP], and nominated members of parliaments [NMP]) are tabulated from their CVs listed on the Parliament of Singapore's website (http://www.parliament.gov.sg/list-of-current-mps). There are a total of 82 members of parliament, and the breakdown of their religions is as follow:It is important to note that a large percentage of them (26%) did not specify their religious affiliation. For those who did specify, they are then further grouped into the following categories - Buddhism/Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Other Religions, No Religion. These categories are the same as the ones used in Census 2010. The Free-Thinkers and those who listed their religion as "NIL" are assumed to have on religion. This is so since "nil" is defined as "nothing, zero" according to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (see http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nil).
After excluding those who did not specify their religions, a chi-square distribution test is then calculated to test the goodness of fit between the observed distribution of religions among the members of parliaments, and the actual distribution of religions among the resident population according to Census 2010 (See below).

(Source: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/pubn/popn/c2010sr1/cop2010sr1.pdf)
The results are as follow:
What it shows is that there is a significant difference (X² (5)= 31.152, P < .01) between the observed distribution of religions among the members of parliament, and the actual distribution of religions among the resident population.

Take particular note of the residual, which is the difference between the observed value and the expected value. It is therefore apparent that the Buddhists/ Taoists are underrepresented, while the Christians are overrepresented.

A few limitations must be noted however. The first limitation lies in the fact that a large percentage of the members of parliament does not specify their religion. As such, it may be that the distribution of religion among the members of parliament may fit the actual distribution once we have the full data set.

Second, those who listed their religion as "nil" and as "free-thinker" are assumed to have no religion. This assumption might not reflect the reality.

Thirdly, the use of the census 2010 statistics may not be so appropriate given that the current parliament was voted in in 2006. The distribution of religions among the resident population then may be different. The decision to use the census 2010 statistics is one of convenience.

Lastly, given the sensitive nature of topics on religions in Singapore, it must be noted that the members of parliament are selected based on a meritocratic system without any regard for their religious affiliation. Furthermore, the members of parliament are voted in by the public, and should therefore be seen as having the mandate of the public to represent them. Also, this statistical representation does not say anything about their decision-making processes with regards to the state's affairs.

P/s: It should also be noted that the current parliament may be dissolved soon, in anticipation of the upcoming election. Hence, the above statistics will be out-dated in a matter of weeks or, at the most, months.

Edited: The current parliament is dissolved, which means that the above statistics are already out-dated. Future research recommended.

About Chow: Yes time will tell

2011-04-14T17:42:00.001+08:00

Read a funny forum article by Benjamin Chow, in which Chow questioned the motives of Chen Show Mao for returning to Singapore now to join the opposition. Chow is "wary of those who choose to return when the pickings are ripe."

The funny thing is, I didn't know that the time is ripe for one to join the oppositions. It suggests that joining the oppositions now will yield some kind of benefits. But what benefits? Unfortunately, Chow did not elaborate.

So I'll have to venture a guess that perhaps joining the opposition now increases Chen's chance of being voted into the parliament, and hence, increases his chance of earning the million dollars ministerial pay.

But if the oppositions stand a higher chance of being voted in now, it must therefore suggest that the ground, whatever or whoever that means, is getting bored/ impatient/ frustrated with the existing policies. Is that the case?

Perhaps Chow knows better than I do. ;)

"God died. Let's Celebrate"

2011-04-08T23:59:00.003+08:00

Saw this sponsored ad on my Facebook sidebar. The Nietzschean in me decided to click on it. Unfortunately, it leads to the following message:

"Not Found
Apologies, but the page you requested could not be found. Perhaps searching will help."
(Source: http://www.rhc.org.sg/goodfriday.html)

I supposed the party is off then.

Schubert Impromptu op. 142 No.3 B flat major

2011-04-04T23:38:00.001+08:00

We need a national hobby!

2011-03-13T02:56:00.007+08:00

More safeguards to be introduced to curb gambling addiction if needed: Dr Balakrishnan

[...]

Senior Minister Goh felt that older people have a different problem.

"Not because they have money but because they are bored...you go to the casinos to pass time the root cause is people who do not have interests in their lives," said Mr Goh.

[...]

Mr Goh said a long term solution is to ensure that the younger generation of today develop interests which stand them in good stead when they age. He added that there is also a need for Singaporeans to be more self reliant.

Mr Goh said: "How many of you followed the latest tragic events in Japan with the tsunami...and then put into context our floods in Singapore against that kind of disaster.

"I am not saying we shouldn't do anything about the flood. But the amount of noise you made with just sporadic flood compared to the Japanese. I saw them on TV. Very stoic looking. You don't see them crying. This has happened, just get on, that's the kind of spirit you want to have and you call it nation building."

So this news article is basically about problem gambling in Singapore, and SM Goh tried to put things in context for us Singaporeans who are famous for being out of context every time because we are such non-contextual people. For instance, we like to shit where we eat. But that's beside the point.

The point is that our dear SM seems to have narrowly missed the solution to this supposed lack of interest in our lives that is causing us to become problem gamblers. Then again, it's ~~almost~~ definitely impossible for him to miss it. After all, if I can see the solution, he would have noticed it way before given his intelligence. Maybe the timing is just not right for him to say it openly now in case he needs to stand corrected in the future.

So what exactly is the solution then? Well, as SM already pointed out, complaining IS our national interest! It may not be the kind of stoic spirit the Japanese have, but it's definitely the Singapore spirit (not unlike the Singapore Sling since many Singaporeans do get high from complaining!). So there you go. What we need is possibly more avenues for Singaporeans, especially the older folks, to complain! And I would venture a wild hypothesis that there is a relationship between rising coffee prices and the increasing lack of avenues to complain, which in turn leads to problem gambling. And this may be significantly harder-hitting for the older generation given their lack of access to online kopi tiam (coffee shop) like Sam's alfresco coffee to engage in their favorite pastime i.e. complaining. If my hypothesis is proven, I suggest we open a few more kopi tiam and/or lower the price of my kopi-si peng! Or we can teach the older folks to go online and complain away! =)

On a side note, the typing of this post took up so much time that could have been spent at MBS gambling! So that's definitely a good anecdotal evidence of my hypothesis. Now, we just need some stats to generalize my observation. Then again, stats aren't that trustworthy, and anecdotal evidence seems very much preferred these days.

Vegetarian Restaurant!

2011-02-14T17:10:00.005+08:00

Once upon a time, there was a famous restaurant called Teh-O Si on a red little sunny tropical island. Many people loved to patronize the restaurant because of the alternative cuisines the restaurant offered.

One day, however, the Kia-Su Restaurant Association decided to gazette Teh-O Si as a vegetarian restaurant. This action baffled the regulars of Teh-O Si for it may potentially limit the kind of cuisine Teh-O Si can offer, and lead to a loss of revenue from the meat-loving population.

So the people decided to ask what the main considerations are for Kia-Su's decision. And Kia-Su replied:

Teh-O Si is not just a venue that simply hosts dinners and galas by individuals, says Kia-Su.

He adds that All Good Chefs has advised the Restaurant Association that Teh-O Si is a vegetarian restaurant within the meaning of the provisions of the Cooking Guide.

[...]

Kia-Su explained that the restaurant offers lunch and dinner for dinning in, and also do catering for external parties.

Kia-Su assured everyone that declaring Teh-O Si as a vegetarian restaurant will not impede its freedom to cook food.

Kia-Su said: "It has no impact on any activity Teh-O Si wishes to do and that is critical. So whatever diners may think, look at what the consequences are. The consequences are.....Teh-O Si cannot serve foreign customers and receive anonymous tips of over S$5."

Unfortunately, the question remains, and the customers never really know why Teh-O Si is considered a vegetarian restaurant.

National Service and Gender Equality

2011-01-05T18:21:00.012+08:00

Read an interesting forum letter on Straits Times today.

"Wrong to equate gender inequality with national service" by Edmund Lo

CONTRARY to Mr Xavier Lur's view ('Narrow the gender gap'; Dec 28), Singaporean women have not been privileged in any substantial way compared to men.

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2010, Singapore ranks in the bottom half in terms of gender equality among high-income states. There is a long way to go.

...

Excluding women from national service is hardly a security threat. The literal gender equality that Mr Lur advocates is limiting, questionable and un-feminist.

Now I wouldn't disagree with Lo's point that Singapore indeed ranks poorly in terms of gender equality according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2010.

But I do think that he's missing Lur's point here. Lur wasn't saying that there's no inequality. There is. What Lur was pointing out is the fact that Singaporean men are disadvantaged in some areas while Singaporean women are disadvantaged in others. Whether or not the disadvantages balance out is besides the point; Lur's point was to eliminate all gendered (dis)advantages.

Moving on to the Global Gender Gap Report. What Lo did was to look at the overall ranking of Singapore vis-a-vis other nations. But if we look at Singapore's statistics on its own (pp. 266-267), it's not hard to notice that the area Singapore is lacking most in terms of gender equality is Political Empowerment.
(Source: Global Gender Gap Report 2010)

I do not wish to jump the gun and claim to know the cause of such low political empowerment, but I wish to highlight one study done on Military Service and Latino political participation. The study found that "military service serves to stimulate electoral and nonelectoral political participation by Latinos," and that the impact is stronger for draftees than volunteers.

I know there's a difference between political participation and empowerment, but it's not hyperbole to say the two are interrelated; empowerment drives participation and vice versa.

Maybe someone can do a similar study in the context of Singapore.

Edited: It doesn't mean that not serving NS is the cause of low political participation and hence low political empowerment within females in Singapore. It means that NS MAY be one of the many factors influencing both. And if that's the case, perhaps making NS compulsory for females may actually help to raise the level of gender equality in terms of political empowerment in Singapore.

QoS Standards and their measurements

2010-10-22T22:04:00.006+08:00

The news came yesterday (or is it today?) that the Public Transport Council is 'satisfied' with public transport operators

"The Public Transport Council (PTC) said yesterday it was satisfied with the service standards of public transport operators over a six-month period ending in May.

The PTC said SBS Transit maintained its performance and complied with all the standards.

SMRT Buses met the standards on service provision, bus breakdown, scheduled trips operated, loading and safety. But in three instances, it did not adhere to scheduled timings for buses leaving from interchanges and must pay a penalty of $300."

Source: Today Online

I was intrigued and decided to look around online to see if I can find out how and what they measure. Now the PTC website does provide a nice and dandy breakdown of what the Quality of Service (QoS) standards cover. But it doesn't tell me how they measure those standards. For example, "bus service should adhere to not more than 5 minutes of its scheduled headway (frequency) upon departure at the bus interchanges and terminals not less than 85% daily." This is the measures that the public transport operators failed in 3 instances according to the news article. Seems easy to measure on paper, but it can be quite problematic to operationalize. Do you send independent auditor to all the bus interchanges and terminals to keep track of all the buses departure? I doubt. I can't find any information online on how they managed to get such data, but one possible way that comes to my mind is that they get the data from the public transport operator (I see bus drivers tapping in and out of the interchanges/ terminals), which raises the question of credibility.

This reminds of me the time when I used IRIS (Intelligent Route Information System) to check on the next bus arrival timing at a bus stop that is 2 stops away from the interchange, which minimizes the possibility of traffic jam. At first, the IRIS showed me that the next bus will arrive in 5 minutes. 10 minutes later, I checked it again and it said that the bus will arrive in 15 minutes. In the end, I waited for slightly less than 30 minutes in total. It raises the possibility that buses are scheduled to depart (with the drivers tapping out) but didn't. I'll give them the benefit of doubts though, as this is just my conspiracy theory.

Another way they could have measured that is to do random sampling, but that would make their statement that only 3 instances were found to have failed the standard an over stretching of the findings; probabilistic sampling gives you probabilistic data, so 3 instances of n sample population will mean that 3/n percent failed to meet the standard. How then do you justify the penalty since the penalty framework seems to deal with discrete measures rather than ratios.

So how exactly do they get/ measure their data?

Picture and Words

2010-09-20T02:30:00.008+08:00

I remember posting it before, but I can't seem to find the post. So here I go again, trying to prove if a picture is indeed worth a thousand words.

I shall make my argument using Tolkien's Lord of the Ring trilogy.

The total number of words in LoTR is approximately 561,792 (Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_words_are_in_The_Lord_of_the_Rings)

That translates to about 562 pictures (561792/1000).

Consider now the movies. The extended edition lasted 683 minutes (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_film_trilogy). Consider that there is 24fps. That translates to 983520 pictures (24 fps x 60sec x 683min).

Comparing the movie and the book then, it should be clear that the movie is worth more words than the book. And yet many fans of the books have pointed out that the movies do not do the book justice.

"I find both of the Jackson films to be travesties as adaptations... faithful only on a basic level of plot... Cut and compress as necessary, yes, but don't change or add new material without very good reason... In the moments in which the films succeed, they do so by staying close to what Tolkien so carefully wrote; where they fail, it tends to be where they diverge from him, most seriously in the area of characterization. Most of the characters in the films are mere shadows of those in the book, weak and diminished (notably Frodo) or insulting caricatures (Pippin, Merry, and Gimli)... [T]he filmmakers sacrifice the richness of Tolkien's story and characters, not to mention common sense, for violence, cheap humor, and cheaper thrills... [S]o many of its reviewers have praised it as faithful to the book, or even superior to it, all of which adds insult to injury and is demonstrably wrong.."
(Source: http://is.gd/filam)

So there you go, I present my argument that a picture is not worth a thousand words. =)

Edited: There is a logical fallacy in my argument. Simply because a picture is worth a thousand words does not mean that the reverse is also true. So a more appropriate comparison should be between the number of words rather than the number of pictures. In that sense, the movies are (supposedly) worth a total 983520000 words. Still more than the book. But it says less than the book. So it is safe to assume that each picture does not speak a 1000 words.

A Tall Tale on Objectivity

2010-06-10T16:45:00.004+08:00

Reading "A tall tale on objectivity" by TheOnlineCitizen reminds me of the posts I've written during media writing class many semesters ago. It remained my most disliked module simply because of its pretentiousness; the pretentiousness of objectivity. (And the fact that it remains my only C+ on the transcript! LOL)

"A tall tale on objectivity" is ironic in the sense that objectivity is indeed a tall tale. And any pretension of it merely betrays its own identity. My postmodernist bias claims that objective reporting (in the broadest sense of the word objective) can only be achieved through engaging dialogue. And while some objectivity are more objective than others (thanks Orwell!), true objectivity can never be achieved. That is why further dialogue is always encouraged. And further researched is always recommended.

What's Wrong With University?

2010-06-06T23:03:00.004+08:00

"The most essential problem with university today is that it has become, or at least it pretends to be, the answer to absolutely everyone’s success in life. Of course every student wants to be “successful,” but it must be obvious that we all have different goals. When this one institution becomes the answer to everyone’s everything, disappointment is inevitable. I’ll go further than “disappointment” and say that many students are downright miserable. Many are angry. Many feel betrayed."
~ Jeff Ryback (Source: http://jeffrybak.ca/?page_id=8)

This, to me, serves as an apt reminder to many of us, especially those who are graduating/ have graduated, and are looking to be successful in their next stage in life that perhaps it is crucial we reexamine our purpose of pursuing education in the first place. Some sort of AAR to determine if we have reached our goals and objectives.

Interestingly, still, the rates of return to an additional year of schooling (by regions) are among the highest for South Asia and East Asia (Source: http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/5058). One can possibly take the average of the two to determine a very rough gauge, and I mean very ROUGH gauge of the ROI for South East Asia.

It's not that bad eh? =) Hopefully that's good enough news for those of us who are still searching for success. All the best with the job hunt!

Am I getting my money worth?

2010-03-29T22:34:00.002+08:00

Didn't read today's newspaper until now. And I don't need to go beyond the cover page of today's Today to reach a facepalm situation.

The article Coming to the end of the long route: Existing cross-country bus routes to be reviewed, no new ones will be added by Teo Xuanwei quoted Second Transport Minister Lim Hwee Hua saying "there is 'really strong' correlation between unreliable bus arrival timings and long bus service routes" and that "the longer the service, the more there will be uncertainty because of traffic conditions along the way."

First thing first, correlation does not equal to causation. Statistics 101 would have taught her so. Or maybe she hasn't any stats background.

And removing long bus service routes to improve reliability is like me removing my door to prevent it from slamming. Surely, the increase presence of doors correlates with increase number of door slams. But no, removing the door will not remove the cause of door slamming.

If that's not enough, she managed to slap herself by pointing out that it is not longer service route per se but the traffic conditions along the way that's impacting the reliability.

Well done Minister. Well done. Now that you've had the cause figured out, maybe you want to rethink how to solve the problem.

Freedom's Our Defence

2010-03-11T03:54:00.003+08:00

Pratap Bhanu Mehta in The Indian Express: Freedom's Our Defence

"A lot of representations of religion are needlessly gratuitous. But if we legitimise the taking of offence there will be more provocations, not less. The law should send a clear message that we live in a world where people cannot be protected from assorted things like Danish cartoons, Husain paintings, burqa lampoons or speculative novels on godly love. And religious believers commit the ultimate blasphemy by thinking that they need to protect their gods rather than their gods protecting them."

Singdarin

2009-12-19T13:47:00.004+08:00

Singlish has been much discussed but somehow Singapore Mandarin has not quite gotten the same attention. Even with the "acknowledgment" by our beloved MM on the failure of the bilingual education policy, and the already-implemented practice of teaching Chinese using English, there seem to be a lack of attention given to the language that will supposedly help us enter the rising Chinese market.

And even though I am not as adept in the Chinese language (due to the lack of use after the Os), I must say that there are indeed cases of (the use of) Singapore Mandarin that I can easily identify when I tune in to the local Chinese channels or read the local Chinese papers. Even as I type this post, 周崇庆　is on the TV describing the food as “没有什莫好看”　rather than saying “卖相不好”.

Another case of Singdarin that I have identified over the past few years is the use of direct English translations, especially for numbers above the thousand. We tend to say “一百千” rather than “十万”.

Other more nuanced cases include the (mis)use of “给予” (jǐ yǔ) vis-à-vis “给与” (gěi yǔ) commonly heard during thank-you speeches by our local artistes at the annual Star Awards. I guess the lack of attention can be attributed to the higher social value we have placed on the English language.

Now I am not asking that we start policing the use of Chinese, but rather we start recognizing these cultural instances that make us neither English nor Chinese, but Singaporeans.

Other interesting links:
http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/ ~ Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK
http://www.marksimpson.com/ ~ Brit author and journalist Mark Simpson [who] is credited/blamed for ‘fathering’ the metrosexual in the UK’s Independent newspaper in 1994.

Contemplating my Life

2009-11-21T03:53:00.005+08:00

I'm done with my undergrad life... Finally, some of you might say. At my age, many people are already working full time, carving a career, married (or getting married - Yes Jeffrey!! I'm looking forward =)). I have plans to carry on studying. That doesn't bode well for my family though, considering the financial burden. But I guess I'm selfish. Well, if I weren't given the choice of which family to be born into, I should at least get to choose how I want live my life no? Maybe not.

Education - 7 semesters, 3 years and one half. Unlike some of us who feel that we have only been taught the hows and not the whys (wrong module choices perhaps), my personal experience has been one of constantly asking and being asked why (Yes, even for writing, and design modules). It translates to good grades for some modules, but not for others. Yet, even these other modules do present opportunities for you to question so. It's just perhaps that the lecturers and tutors themselves don't have the answers as well. Rightly so I believe.

So have I gained any knowledge? I don't know? I don't even know what defines knowing? What is the fundamental being of knowledge? How do I know that I know? I can't tell what's right or what's wrong now. If there's anything that I got out of this education, it is the (need for) tolerance of diversity. Whatever floats your boat - that's what Yao Zong always says. Relativism to the extreme, as if there is a real dichotomy, a clear split between relativism and absolutism. (Un)Fortunately, that's not how the society functions.

So what's next? Hmm... I wonder...

(En)Framed Feminism

2009-11-09T03:41:00.002+08:00

Finally done with my thesis. Not in the completely completed sense, but rather the the-deadline-has-arrived sense. In any case, it is my personal belief that no research can ever claim to be completed. The completion is only momentous; the completion is moot without the moment.

Have I written something that I am proud of? I don't know. Is it something that will make the grade? I don't care. Or at least not now. Not until the result is out.

The process was endearing. I learned more about myself than about the topic I was researching on.

The process was treacherous. My thoughts swung like a pendulum from the extremes of optimism to extremes of pessimism.

And falling sick did not help. Vomited twice in the midst of writing. If only the words came out as flowing as the vomit.

But I will not give up anything to change it. For the process is now mine to hold.

And now, I shall start working on the ethics of biblioclasm. Maybe I will burn my thesis after this. Hahaha.

On Ris Low

2009-10-05T17:40:00.002+08:00

I don't understand why people are so against her as if she has done some heinous deed. Often it shows their lack of criticality in their smear campaign against anything and everything about her.

I reiterate my point that dark green and leopard print can be a stylistically fashionable combination. The case in point:

(Source: http://www.celebrity-gossip.net/celebrity_gallery/image_full/157845/)

Female Specimen of the K9 Species

2009-09-14T16:22:00.002+08:00

Fang says (4:14 PM):
u there?
or outside alr?
Wy? out reading says (4:16 PM):
at home
why
Fang says (4:17 PM):
ur nick says out reading
Wy? out reading says (4:17 PM):
wanted to go out
but
i'm unwillingly drawn towards the comp
and fb
Fang says (4:19 PM):
oh no
u need to start running on the wheel
Wy? out reading says (4:19 PM):
?
Fang says (4:20 PM):
if not *name censored* wont b pleased when she check her hamsters cages

I have been defeated... orz... blardy hell bitch me.

The Fear

2009-08-17T02:25:00.002+08:00

2.27 in the morning. There is always this fear that I will not measure up to it. This fear that I will falter once again in quest of something that is perhaps never meant to be. This fear that is becoming so fearsome that I am fearing it even more. This fear that is consuming me from inside.

I fear this fear.

Camera Obscura of the Internet

2009-08-01T23:34:00.005+08:00

The owner claims that the online era is overstated and that what we are really seeing (literally) is the era of camwhoring, in every etymological sense of the conjoined word. One must realize that one of the primary reasons why people are connected to the virtual camera obscura is to exchange information (Ridings & Gefen, 2004) - information that is individual and holds only by the sharer, whether perceived or real. Further, the implicitness of information, knowledge and (the egocentric) solipsism renders it plausible for the aforementioned claim to be justified. Indeed, we are all whoring a part of ourselves when we plug in to the darkened chamber called the Internet!

To plagiarize William Shakespeare - All the internet's a camera obscura. And all the men and women merely whores.

Camwhoring Rulz!!!

Nietzsche explains why...

2009-07-28T15:04:00.001+08:00

... i'm close friend with Fang, Adel, and ST. hahahha.

"A woman may very well form a friendship with a man, but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy."
(Nietzsche, N.d.)

Growth and Beer

2009-07-21T16:34:00.002+08:00

Q: Why do people consume more beer (and wine and spirits) when there's economic growth?

A: Because beer provides the temporal respite we so increasingly need in this so-called civilisation lah! Duhz.

Drinking session anyone? hahha. Can be together with KTV.

Back...

2009-07-10T18:43:00.005+08:00

...from the land of smiles where I had a surprise birthday celebration by the hotel's pool.
...from the world of imagination where young communications and new media undergrads-to-be (hopefully) had a good start to their university life.

With that, I completed my grand slam of attending all three NM camps during the three summer breaks of my undergrad life. Three years ago, I attended the very camp with Chen Guo and Sim Teng, and met Fang, Mabel and Yao Zong (and many others but these are the few who became close friends). Three of them are my business partners now (can't believe I'm saying this).

One more semester to go. Three more modules to clear. I will survive! That I can be sure of with all these friends around.

Ironies of life

2009-07-07T01:49:00.005+08:00

I have been advised by PSD not to attend the closing ceremony of my Civil Service Internship tomorrow (later actually) because I just got back from Thailand, and risked contracting H1N1.

The funny thing is, Thailand felt safer than Republic Polytechnic where I served my internship. I was placed in a small air-conditioned enclosed area, probably smaller than the size of my bedroom. It's a student-initiated shop (although I don't see students running the shop). But yes, students and staff alike walk in and out of the shop regardless of their health condition. In fact, I've seen students sneezing, coughing, and sniffing without donning any mask entering the shop on numerous occasions. And the school's admin centre was a bit reluctant to issue me a mask when I requested for it because I wasn't an official staff/ student, and they can't trace my record in the system.

And I was down with flu 3 days before my Thailand trip. But my PPC-readied doctor cleared me of H1N1 by asking a few questions even though I told him that I was doing my internship at RP. Fortunately, I recovered and am free from any flu-like symptoms (except for my morning sinus overdrive).

Oh well. But since she (the PSD staff) has requested, I will be more than glad to stay away from the presentation. I'm not getting paid anyway.

The ironies of life.

The arthor wonders...

2009-06-30T09:14:00.003+08:00

who will foot his medical bill if he's down with the dreaded H1N1 since his employer (ir)responsibly demands that he works in a shop (read high human traffic) located within the largest H1N1 cluster in Singapore.

And they expect me to continue working for free

2009-06-29T17:46:00.004+08:00

The last day of my internship is officially brought forward to 01 July 2009, which is this Wednesday, due to the fact that I will be traveling to Thailand from 02 July, until 05 July 2009. But my supervisor expects me to still submit the 10 poster templates they just tasked me to do (it was one, but became 10 today).

And as much as I do not wish to take advantage of the system to quarantine myself and not turn up for work, I do not wish to be taken advantage of by the system as well to work for free. And while I fully agree with my supervisor that being an educator is a noble calling that should demand no returns, I must nevertheless, point to Minister Mentor Lee’s interview with NY Times that “Those are admirable sentiment, but we live in a real world.”

Believe me when I say that I have volunteered to carry on working ex gratia before, even after my last day of employment. In fact, I got a resounding testimony from my previous employer stating that. But that was different. I enjoyed working there. I learned a lot, and I made some really cool friends.

But it's a different case here. And I undoubtedly feel exploited. There were days when I had to work more than eight-and-a-half hours but I told myself to suck it up. But it's not as if I'm learning anything new here. Please. I man an f-ing shop for God's sake. I've done sales before at F.J Benjamin! Nothing new. I do posters and other marketing collaterals. I've done that before too - for NUS ODAC, for Race 5. Nothing new!

I'm pissed. The only 'motivating' factor for actually turning up for work is the meagre $4.20 per hour I got for giving up $10 per hour at my previous employer's. I will not work for free!

Edited: Damn it. Have to folk out my own money because the amount in the cashier does not tally with the POS system. Arrgh.

I'm angry.

2009-06-19T14:41:00.015+08:00

"Of course we should name and shame them!"

~ A fellow civil service intern on the H1N1 incident

Such haughtiness. Such elitism. Such... *insert whatever noun you deem fit*.

If this is the kind of future civil servant we have, I'm... I don't even know what I'm going to do.

And I started my civil service internship approximately 6 weeks ago at a tertiary education institute. With all the talks about unpaid internship, I shouldn't complain about it right? What's more it's civil servitude we're talking about here; it is about returning a service to the community no? Not if you're living in the REAL world I guess. But then again, it's probably just Singaporean me making unreasonable complaints.

I've previously complained about my job scope. But given the generic nature of the descriptions, and the slippery meaning of words, it must nevertheless be subjected to further (re)interpretations.

Project Description: The intern will be attached to the Entrepreneurship Development group of the department. Specifically, the intern will be involved in the review¹ and enhancement² ³ of a real life entrepreneurship retail learning platform⁴ for students.

¹Check and list down the broken parts of the pushcarts (all 21 of them)
²Get the contractor to come down and fix them. Repeat 1 everyday while the contractor and his workers are there
³Clean the pushcarts
⁴The pushcarts, duhz! Those that you see outside NLB

Cleaning the pushcarts

What's so bad about cleaning pushcarts you might ask? And that's something I asked myself too, not wanting to be elitist (like some of my fellow interns). And cleaning pushcarts would have been fine by mine standards (we've been through worse during NS no?) if not for a 'stupid' remark by my supervisor.

I suggested getting students to help clean the pushcarts and award them CCA points (NUS does that all the time. What's the big issue?). And my supervisor mindlessly remarked that it's an "idea but the school takes such activities seriously and will not award points for activities that has NO LEARNING OBJECTIVES (emphasis mine)for students". Hell yeah.

If cleaning pushcarts has no learning value(s) for diploma students, what learning value(s) has it got for university student/ intern? Damn, I'm being elitist. But I certainly didn't give up $10/ hr offered by my previous employer for $750/ mth to clean pushcarts (I don't come from a rich family. So every dollar matters! $_$ haha)

So back to the point on internship. Internship is good for building your portfolio. But how often do you get good employers who are really willing to let you handle meaty (read: portfolio-worthy) projects? I've been to three different internships and really get to do 'real' work in only one of them. Oh well. I shouldn't be a Singaporean (I'm still deciding between not being an unreasonable complainant and being an emigrant).

Oh guess what? The 2009 Civil Service Internship Programme Supervisor Handbook guides my supervisor to Assign intern with challenging project(s) that :
- Be-fit a graduate
- can realistically be completed within the internship period
- have clear project deliverables
- involve interactions with colleagues

Yup. Cleaning pushcarts sure fits these requirements, which brings me to my next point - the cleaning aunties/ uncles get less pay than me!!! Minimum wage people! Minimum wage. It should apply to interns too.

Given my (lack of) financial resources, I have to think twice about visiting the doctor and taking medical leave even when I fall sick. How do you expect people to self-quarantine when they are required to take personal/ hospitalization leave to offset the period? My fellow intern certainly didn't think (about it) when she made that comment. Elites. They're so overrated.

Get out of my (anti-)elites uncaring face... *sigh* I need to sleep. I have IPPT later (note to self: it's a source of income!)

Edited: Civil service internship is fantastic. Everybody should join it! Please don't charge/ detain me under some ~~draconian~~ Acts.

Blardy PR Practitioners!!!

2009-06-10T16:55:00.007+08:00

Project Description: The intern will be attached to the Entrepreneurship Development group of the department. Specifically, the intern will be involved in the review¹ and enhancement² of a real life entrepreneurship retail learning platform³ for students. He/she will be involved in the review⁴ of the current operational process, marketing, merchandizing aspect of this platform. He/she will be required to devise and implement various strategies⁵ to improve the current learning platform for students.⁶ ⁷ ⁸

Footnote:
¹Look after the shop (includes cashiering, stock-checks, maintaining store displays, etc)
²Sell more things i.e. increase sales
³The shop
⁴Write a 5 page report.
⁵Come out with promotional posters
⁶ ⁷ ⁸Checking pushcarts, cleaning pushcarts, helping out with random ad hoc filing, printing, photocopying duties...

Q: Why can't we just call a spade?
A: Branding helps to sell spades better.

I miss military band. hahaha.

The Grass is Greener...

2009-06-09T13:50:00.004+08:00

人往往总是坐这山，望那山；那山要比这山明，那山要比这山绿。但山虽不一，人却依旧。能让山变明变绿的，只有坐在山上的人。

... because of me.

And they managed to slap themselves by trying to slap others.

2009-05-22T11:24:00.005+08:00

EDUCATION Minister Ng Eng Hen had strong words on Thursday for the parties in the recent Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) leadership tussle.

He said that as both sides went at each other, 'schools were dragged into this melee, and could have become the proxy arena for competing ideologies'.

(Source: Straits Time)

If that's the case, why was FOTF allowed teach sex education in schools when FOTF is clearly non-secular, and religiously motivated even though the local branch seems to maintain a secular facade without any mention of religion in their "About Us".

Psychos and Demigod

2009-05-19T14:57:00.002+08:00

Wy? is bored at RP... chat me up! hahaha =) says:
-- if god really loves us. why didn't he come down personally?

daogei-.-I think you have no one to blame-.- daogei.blogspot.com/daogeishoots.blogspot.com says:
-- o yeah
-- why din he come down?
-- the second assistant is supposed to be doing it
-- but until He decides that we're not total psychos
-- the sons (sic) gets the lovely task of coming down

I swear everything can be turned into Devil Wears Prada.

Irony

2009-05-19T00:08:00.003+08:00

"As responsible members of our society, we must continue to be courageously and consistently concerned about the
direction and trends of our nation, especially those which are ideologically driven by non-Asian values [...]"

Indeed, we must be wary of directions and trends of our nation that are ideologically driven by non-Asian values. Why is the message written in English anyway? The language itself is so laden with non-Asian ideologies and values. Be concerned. Be very concerned about the language.

Me too...

2009-05-18T14:48:00.003+08:00

Lily Allen - The Fear

Stop Killing...

2009-05-08T20:19:00.007+08:00

The recent debate on AWARE's CSE, homosexuality, reparative therapy, etc, only reminds me of my stand that discrimination is a form of killing

And it doesn't take a psychiatrist/ psychologist to understand why people are forced to attempt/ commit suicide because they faced too much socio-religio rejection, even by their loved ones. Ironically, the loved ones are usually the ones who cause the most pain.

Religious Tolerance estimates that churches can be conservatively assigned indirect responsibility for about 496 youth gay/lesbian suicides per year in the United States. But still, that doesn't stop the people from perpetuating this irrational fear and hatred for something they (and really everyone else) don't even understand what causes it. It does not matter to them anyway; if anyone is to die, it's better them not us - that's their mentality. That's what their actions say.

Now I am not asking for a promotion of homosexuality. Neither am I asking for a rejection of all reparative therapies, cures, or beliefs that homosexuality is inherently bad or sinned. I'm only asking for people to not discriminate whatever your beliefs might be. Unfortunately, that seems too much to ask for. Maybe God is right to flood the world (and possibly again through global warming) not because of homosexuality or abortion, but because of people's intolerance and hatred for diversities.

The irony here of course is that instead of teaching people tolerance for diversity, we push for conformity so that there is no diversity to speak of in the first place. Hahaha.

Norms and Normalcy

2009-05-07T11:50:00.005+08:00

"Nevertheless, MOE will remind school leaders and teachers to exercise greater professional discretion in guiding their students when such topics are discussed. They should also adhere to social norms and values of our mainstream society."
(Source: Straits Times Forum)

Clear example of not having academic freedom in Singapore.

Einstein did not come out with epic discoveries because he adhered to social norms or values of the mainstream society then. He was considered mad or eccentric by most count.

Descartes did not become a great philosopher because he adhered to social norms or values of the mainstream society then. He was and is still considered crazy for doubting everything, and I really mean everything.

The list goes on...

Normal education produces normal students who excel in doing normal things. It's depressing being a student in Singapore. Unfortunately, it's even more depressing being an economic unit in Singapore.

The Devil wears Prada in the Ark

2009-04-29T16:43:00.003+08:00

Wy? - http://www.we-are-aware.sg/ says (4:36 PM):
- so he's flooding the world.... again...
daogei-.-I wanna go overseas!!!!!-.-daogei.blogspot.com/daogeishoots.blogspot.com says (4:36 PM):
- he won't flood teh (sic) world la
Wy? - http://www.we-are-aware.sg/ says (4:36 PM):
- he is lor
- he is already flooding!
Wy? - http://www.we-are-aware.sg/ says (4:37 PM):
- *in the way Miranda talked to Andrea*... through global warming
daogei-.-I wanna go overseas!!!!!-.-daogei.blogspot.com/daogeishoots.blogspot.com says (4:37 PM):
- no.. no.. that was different.. He didn't have a choice
Wy? - http://www.we-are-aware.sg/ says (4:38 PM):
- oh yes. he did..
- he chose to get ahead..
- if he wants this life..those choices are necessary

We should have been in Theatre! TS is so much more fun.

AWARE's EGM

2009-04-29T16:19:00.002+08:00

Turn up if you have a stake in this. It doesn't matter if you're for the old or new guards. Turn up.

And you think that sex education by the chuch will be better...

2009-04-28T02:23:00.002+08:00

Sex sermons may get church kicked out of school
Associated Press - 4/27/2009 9:45:00 AM
MELBOURNE, FL - A Florida church giving sermons about sex may have to find a new home.

The Brevard Public School District's risk-management department has threatened to boot New Hope Church out of Sherwood Elementary because of a worship series titled "Great Sex for You."

Church leaders mailed 25,000 fliers, asking residents "Is Your Sex Life A Bore?" The three-week program kicked off inside the school auditorium. Pastor Bruce Cadle had said the Christian church has been "shamefully silent" on the taboo topic.

Mark Langdorf, the director of risk management, says the mailers generated complaints, were not appropriate for elementary school children, and shouldn't be used to advertise the sermon in the school.

Langdorf says the church's lease contract is under review.

(Source: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Church/Default.aspx?id=505830)

And here's the polling result:
What's your reaction to the possibility that a church may get booted from its meeting place (a public school) over a sermon series?
The church is being unfairly persecuted - 32.30%

The school should have no say in what the church teaches - 31.10%

The church should have been more sensitive to how the school would be perceived - 15.30%

This is a poor testimony for the church in that community - 15.66%

Other - 5.64%

4112 responses

(Source: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Poll.aspx?ekfrm=505846)

Who's that?

2009-04-26T01:39:00.005+08:00

wy: (just as randomly) do I smell freesia?
yz: what
me: no you do not smell freesia
wy: if I see freesia, I'm going to be very disappointed
yz: see who?
wy: freesia
yz: who's that

(Taken from Oku-sama)

In MSN:

YZ < Yes lah~ Found travel agent that travels to the land of Kim Jong Il > says (1:39 AM):
  i need to stay further away from the mike
  its too loud
Wy? - http://www.we-are-aware.sg/ says (1:42 AM):
  yea
  u need to stay away from mike
  he's already with someone
YZ < Yes lah~ Found travel agent that travels to the land of Kim Jong Il > says (1:42 AM):
  too loud man
  too loud
  -_-'''

Flawed Logic

2009-04-16T05:01:00.005+08:00

"The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action." - Frank Herbert (Taken from Agagooga)

Weiye,

Thanks for sharing your experience. Of course there are dysfunctional families. However, I would like to stress that it is the breakdown of family values that cause the mayhem in the first place ? not the family unit itself. If a father goes gambling and does not feed his family, that is asking for trouble. If a mother goes binging and leaves her children, that is asking for trouble too. That is why there has to be roles played by both parents.

The traditional family unit has proven to be THE unifying block for centuries. It is the breakdown of the family unit that causes today’s ills. Today we have unwedded mums, fatherless children, etc. Is not society losing its values?

I like your last sentence: "I would appeal that more emphasis be placed directly on the children's needs rather than indirectly through the promotion of a traditional family unit"

Yes, the goal should be the CHILDREN's welfare rather than systems. However, if not for the traditional family (husband, wife, kids), what system do you suggest? Fostered homes? Orphanages? Maids and/or nannies to look after children?

Isn’t the responsibility of looking after children the parents?? If parents are not made responsible to look after their own children, who is responsible? AWARE? Feminists? The government? It still boils down to the fact that parents have to be responsible for the upbringing of their own children, isn’t it?

That being the case, do you now see the importance of upholding the family unit ? ie father, mother, children - and both parents MUST know their responsibilities, while the children must know their place in the family unit?

Isn’t that the traditional family? Now why would we want to destroy that time tested and time proven traditional family, which is so important as a building block of society?

Is it possible to separate the family values from the family unit? What happens when the family values of a particular family unit go haywire? I personally encouraged my mum to seek divorce because enough is enough. Unfortunately, her religious values against divorces might have outweigh her (and our) sufferings. Why do I want to destroy the (my) traditional family unit? Because it's not working.

Why am I so selfish that I can't consider my mum's perspective? Because she has (had) a choice. Many choices! Who to marry, who to bear kids with, whether or not to give birth to me, whether to continue suffering or get a divorce, etc. I don't. I can't divorce my father. I didn't even choose to be born into this world. But I just have to live with it.

I do not have one system to solve the problem. I don't believe in The Final Solution. That's why I ask for greater acceptance, plurality of voices, agreeable disagreements. You have your say, I have mine. If they don't match, so be it. Unfortunately, not everyone thinks so. And this is what we see in this case; the argument that the traditional family unit is the ONLY way to go for the children. But do the children really want to preserve this traditional family unit? It depends. So why is there only one solution?

On the case of AWARE, surely I agree that the new ex-co are entitled to their own beliefs, values, opinions. But what happens when these values, beliefs, and opinions are used to justify the oppression of others? And while some people might retort that it is the liberals who are stifling the voices of the conservatives here (and I agree to a certain extent having read some of the arguments against the new ex-co), I do feel that the majority of dissenting voices are not against them having negative views on the LGBTQ community. But rather, how these views might translate into tangible actions that may harm them. And 377A is one such tangible action.

For that reason, I am against 377A. By all means, take your own stand. What you want to do to yourself because of your stand, is up to you. I won't interfere. But please do not let your stand becomes the action of hurt for others.

Agreeable disagreements. That's all I have.

40 Hours

2009-04-15T04:45:00.000+08:00

I've been awake for 40 hours since 12.45pm on Monday, 13th April, 2009.

Why the "Think Family" Campaign failed

2009-04-08T01:55:00.002+08:00

Originally posted on my Communication for Social Change module forum

I think the campaign is interesting and highly emotive (I admit I was moved by the TV ads although probably for other reasons). Which brings me to my point. Not everyone comes from a nuclear family with parents and siblings who aren't always agreeable but nevertheless still loving.

Some people hate their fathers to the core for ditching the family, for gambling away the family assets, for ignoring the family while being involved with a foreign mistress (or perhaps mistresses), for everything else other than that a supposed 'father' should be, whatever that means in the first place anyway. While 'family' is a respite to many people (as we've seen in today's presentation how young innocent kids love their families), it's more hellish for others.

And I can't help but feel sorry for the latter group, especially when they are made to watch such videos on how beautiful that imperfect family is. Because even though this family is imperfect, it aspires to be. And such aspiration may be compromised, weathered, or even absented in other 'families' (although one could argue that these aren't necessary defined as family in the first place - but not to the latter group, for that's the kind of 'family' they grew up in while being constantly bombarded with images of that seemingly imperfect perfect family.

I teared while watching the TV ad on TV Mobile. Not because it reminds me of the family that I have. But more so because it reminds me of the (socially prescribed) family that I do not have.

But I would argue still that my family, albeit possibly slightly more battered than others', is still my family. And for that, I will hope to see efforts to widen the definition of family to become more encompassing. So that people belonging to the latter group that do not belong to a(n) (socially prescribed) imperfect family that aspires to be perfect, can still be proud and happy of their own imperfect 'family'.

In this case, I think Lilo & Stitch did it better. So I shall leave you all with a short clip from the animation.

If you seek amy!

2009-03-17T02:24:00.002+08:00

Britney rox! She's the best! =P~

Michael will be proud

2009-03-11T23:45:00.001+08:00

Stop discrimination now!

For thoughts.

2009-02-24T02:16:00.013+08:00

Their desire to restrict academic freedom is abominable. The purpose of the university is to educate, not to propagate; to inculcate critical thinking, not to indoctrinate imprudent (ir)rationalism. The university cannot forcibly maintain certain values and beliefs without getting the students to critically engage them. The purpose of expecting the universities to uphold values and beliefs of a specific religion only serves to maintain the power and control of that particular religion.

Mind & Body

2009-02-20T04:31:00.002+08:00

The privileging of mind over body (Descartes) is but a symbolic exchange (Baudrillard); the mind cannot (pre)exist without the body.

I'm killing myself (body) by giving in to the whims and fancies of myself (mind).

My heart aches, and chest pains. I need to sleep without dreaming.

L'Amoureuse

2009-02-07T17:33:00.004+08:00

Carla Bruni Clip "L'amoureuse"
Uploaded by naiverecords

Other than the fact that I'm obsessed with everything romantique and Dior (the songs were used for Dior Couture Spring/Summer 2009). It's February, the month d'amour. =) Fall in love everyone (even though romantisme is very much socially constructed).

(^-^*)/ｺﾝﾁｬ!

2009-01-31T19:14:00.003+08:00

Nore-chan bought us cute Kaomoji-kun from Japan's original Otaku street, Akihabara. And Kaomoji-kun is really kawaii! Hahaha.

I've got a back space key, don't know what it means but it's geeky enough to get me excited! Coz I'm a nerd (and a virgin too - that's for Britney! Whoo). Yz got a koge Kaomoji-kun carrying a kamera, while Cg... oh I'm sorry, what is it that you got? (in Devil Wears Prada style). Haha.

(Source:http://www.notcot.com/archives/2007/12/yujin_kaomoji.php)

ｍ（．＿．）ｍアリガト Nore-chan.

Check out the cute promo video for Kaomoji-kun!

Enlightenment

2009-01-21T03:26:00.002+08:00

I resist being a lesser mortal and I believe that's why I'm attending the institute of enlightenment so hopefully I'll forget about our world, our society, our environment, and earn peanuts for me to become god-like. Jesus must be the richest of the rich (in terms of monetary wealth that is). That explains why we need to load the houses of God with greenbacks or Sing dollars. Heck, any currency will do.

Just how enlightened is enlightenment? Am I enlightened yet? I can't see you Fang! It's too smoky in here...

专访国大管理学院新院长杨贤教授 - 金融海啸后需教育反思

2009-01-19T02:02:00.002+08:00

赵琬仪 (2009-01-05)

新加坡国立大学管理学院新任院长杨贤教授念大学，只花四年便考获工商管理硕士（MBA）和博士学位，35岁左右就获加拿大的大学终生聘书。

永远无法满足的求知欲以及强烈的社会使命感，使他先后从加拿大到美国，从密歇根大学到纽约大学，最后“落户”新加坡。

　　他接受本报专访时说：“我这个人很不习惯安逸的生活，一安逸就会觉得浑身不舒服，就会觉得懒散。”

　　杨教授每天治学写文章至深夜，但他不忘抽空为太太和女儿做饭，一家聚餐，共享天伦之乐。他受访时畅谈2008年金融海啸所带来的教育省思，反映了他上任后将为国大管理学院设立的大学之道——除了教授服务市场的经济学问之外，也要确实关怀社会。

　　刚在去年（2008年）6月出任新加坡国立大学管理学院院长的杨贤教授，在发给新闻媒体的个人简介中，有这么一句开场白：香港“生产”、美国与加拿大“再造”、中国“原料”的台湾女婿。

　　他作风开放坦率，初次见本地媒体便毫不讳言自己也受雷曼兄弟倒闭所累，是苦主之一，自嘲所蒙受的损失“等于接下来几年是白做了”。

　　从小便展露敏锐观察力及强烈社会关怀意识的他认为，金融海啸带来的沉痛教训不在于金钱上的损失，而是让他再次感悟金融管理教育须建立在扎实的社会科学知识基础上。

　　他说：“虽然我是经济学者，却也因为疏忽而受到金融海啸的波及，更何况是缺乏经济学识的民众。作为学者，我们有义务帮助民众了解，金融海啸为什么会发生。作为教育工作者，我们要为学经济的学生，提供更扎实的教育基础。”

　　他最近接受本报专访时说，导致金融海啸的其中一个因素是，售卖投资产品的金融顾问虽然是优秀的销售员，但产品知识贫乏以致无法帮助投资者认识投资所面对的风险。而要纠正一些金融从业员专注兜售技巧，却忽视学识和社会责任的市场歪风，他认为教育扮演了举足轻重的作用。

　　这些年来，金融课程的受欢迎程度和金融业的薪金不断提高成正比。许多受访的金融课程学生承认，选修经济和金融管理，其中一大吸引力来自这一领域的优渥报酬。

　　杨教授说：“如果一个立志要成为银行家的学生，择业原因是因为薪酬优渥，那么他会是一个优秀的银行家吗？他对自己做什么都不晓得；为什么自己能够赚取优厚薪金也不晓得。”

　　他强调，“商科并不是不好的学问，但我们不应该过于强调表面的东西——赚钱。我们应该把很重要的社会科学理论传授给学生，激发他们积极发掘问题、了解这个世界。”

　　在他看来，从事金融业者如果能掌握扎实的学问，对专业领域有深透的认识，自然能赚取优厚酬劳，学生不应本末倒置，让利欲熏心。他希望在国大管理学院推动社会科学知识，让学生先有了学问，才能把所学的应用在商学管理学上。

　　金融海啸发生后，国大管理学院举办了金融海啸论坛（Riding the Financial Tsunami of 2008），帮助学生和校友更好地理解这轮金融风暴对金融和就业市场所带来的冲击。院方也在去年11月开办的“金融危机2008”课程上，针对当前的经济局势引导学生深入了解这次被视为继1930年经济大萧条后最严重的经济危机。

　　这些讲座和课程正是国大管理学院尝试帮助学生活学活用金融管理学的努力。有关课程特别谈到造成这次经济灾难的历史因素。在第一堂课的导论中，杨贤教授提到这次的金融危机可以追溯到千禧年之后美国信贷利息偏低，鼓励消费以刺激经济增长；与此同时,在美国政府鼓励人民拥屋的政策下，房屋贷款条例宽松，借款人无须经过严谨的审核，酿成日后银行坏账高筑。而习惯储蓄的中国和其他亚洲国家则把资金投入美国经济，供外国人借贷。

　　认识造成经济灾难的历史因素，有助梳理问题的症结，避免重蹈覆辙，因此杨贤教授特别强调社会科学学者对历史的尊重。

　　他说：“我们要尊重过去所犯的毛病——过去我摔了一跤，那我要知道为什么会摔这一跤，要怎么避免，从错误中成长。”

　　为加强学生对历史的认识，他提出要推行经济史课程，同时也要点燃学生追求知性的好奇心。他说：“新加坡是怎么创造财富的？新加坡一直有很强的危机感，这是好的，因为有了危机感，我们才会讨论社会所创造的价值，而不是谈论个人赚了多少钱？如果我们尊重新加坡历史，就不会去强调个人赚了多少钱。”

新加坡大学的特殊现象

　　来新加坡之前，杨教授曾出任纽约大学中国研究所主任，也是北京大学光华管理学院战略系名誉教授、上海华东师范大学顾问教授。他以欧美一流大学的收生要求为例，指出新加坡大专学府近年招生的特殊现象。

　　他说：“新加坡的三所大学，发表文告时报告各自毕业生所得到的工资有多高，强调所培育出来的学生多有创意、多能言善道。我会反问：教育的基本在哪里？我在美国看到世界一流的学校，从来不强调这些东西，从来不卖广告，也不说自己的学生有多能言善道。他们强调的是他们的学术风气。”

　　“我在纽约评估大学课程，经常会寻思的一个问题是，我们给予学生的是不是真正的教育？我们是否有为他们打下坚固的基础，使他们站得高站得挺？”

打破砂锅问到底

　　杨教授推崇的好奇心属于香港人所说的“打破砂锅问到底”，锲而不舍的好问精神。他指导学生，会不断地问学生问题，刺激他们思考，思考自己和他人的思想是否有冲突。

　　他说：“有的话就有疑问，有疑问就有好奇。你看看历史上最出名的学问，例如牛顿看到苹果从树上掉下来，别人会一口咬下去，他却自问：宇宙间既然有无穷无尽的角度，为什么苹果掉下来却是直线的角度。这就是好奇心。”

　　他认为学生首先需要能问问题，好奇心才得以产生。“要能够创造一个问题，才有好奇心。学生第一样要学的是怎么创造一个问题。”

　　针对和西方学生比较，亚洲学生经常被视为并不好问。杨教授马上回应：“我是亚洲人，我一直问很多问题。我们不要把自己定型。我们不要妄自菲薄，不能觉得自己不行。我觉得，早晚有一天，你会看到亚洲人得诺贝尔奖。”

亚洲复兴　需要自己的经济理论

　　杨贤教授初上任，与本地记者会面，提出了“亚洲复兴”的概念，并指出随着中国、印度的崛起，亚洲需要属于自己的经济理论去为亚洲市场服务。

　　他受访时说：“亚洲经济的兴起只是起点，将来有很多事情要做，但我们没有亚洲的理论为我们的市场服务。”

　　他指出，从前亚洲的经济中心在中国、印度，在19世纪开始之前，亚洲经济活动占了全球一半。后来的许多改变以及别的国家冒起，但中国、印度没有提升反而下降。现在中国、印度经济快速增长，背后的推动力来自劳动人口的剧增。国家人口增长，劳动人口增加，人们有了工作便开始有累积财富的能力，也开始有了消费能力。

亚洲也潜伏着许多毛病

　　亚洲目前虽然在享受增长，但是潜伏着许多毛病，有待社会科学家研究改善。

　　杨教授说：“日本人口老化是从1992年开始，日本经济衰退也是在那个时候开始。人口老化时会面对经济停滞。这时候，你希望个人的积蓄能发挥效用，保障你的晚年，这就牵涉到社会医疗体制是否健全。”

　　“中国和亚洲一些地区的环境污染问题严重，这意味着将来患上慢性疾病的人会很多。如果医疗保健不健全、经济市场不稳定，人口一旦老化，社会将停滞不前，我们就需要一个健全的制度以维持经济市场持续性的增长。”

　　经济学者的作用便在于帮助社会保持经济市场的持续增长。然而，欧美在市场成熟时所建立的经济理论未必适用于正在成长中的亚洲。

　　他说：“美国、欧洲的理论只适用于市场成熟阶段，不是现在的亚洲。西方商学理论是在国家富有了，商学院成立了才实现。也就是说，这些理论是二三十年前才开始的。他们的经济是以市场为导向的经济。美国的资本市场拥有信息含量，亚洲则没有。我们要思考，怎么让亚洲市场有信息含量？”

一件捡来的冬衣

　　杨贤教授在十七八岁便认定，经济学所包含的学问与智慧能克服人类的贫穷与饥饿的问题。

　　他祖籍中国广东南海，1953年在香港出生，童年在香港廉租房度过。小时家境清贫，“一家七口住两张床位的房子”。青年时期自费到加拿大留学，尝过苦学生的滋味，期间曾在街边捡别人丢弃的冬衣取暖。那件冬衣一直保留至今，现在传给了儿子。（杨贤教授提供）

杨贤教授简介

　　■在加拿大西安大略大学考获经济和数学学位，在芝加哥大学获颁工商管理硕士和博士学位。

　　■研究领域包括国家企业金融、企业战略、外国直接投资，以及制度、经济发展和公司行为间的关系。

　　■现任《国际商业研究杂志》顾问编辑、《管理学会评论》编辑委员会委员、《管理科学》副编辑，并被选为国际商务学会研究员。

　　■2007年在“北京论坛”的“企业社会责任”论坛上，发表了一篇题为《中国的产品安全：问题与行动》的报告，引起专家关注。

(Source: http://www.zaobao.com/special/face2face/pages1/face2face090105a.shtml)

Quoting the short excerpt that I bold in the article, iWeekly (2009, January 15) has this short comment on it:

　　　人受教育是因为要明白这个世界，而不是以赚钱视为最终目标。新加坡国立大学管理学院新任院长杨贤教授有感而发。教的人都给错了信息，我们还有理由责备满身铜臭味的莘莘学子吗？

Indeed. Understanding the world, our society, our environment is secondary. Our (future) pay is of utmost importance. That explains why we need to pay top dollars for top brains too! :)

Random Photos

2009-01-08T18:01:00.006+08:00

Rainbow seems to follow me wherever I go recently. Hahahah.Ok I'm just being self-deluded. But hey, I think I saw more rainbows in 2008/2009 than I did for the past 18 years in Singapore. Saw this rainbow on Tuesday. Perhaps my rainbow aura is getting stronger?! I'm straight by the way. Hahaha. Now where is that pot of gold?

Oh. And I also found some old photos residing inside my mobile phone. All of them were taken in last semester; the after school dinner with Yz, who promotes melamine-contaminated strawberry milk, the Darn Big Mouth weekly 'meeting' and the week we did the frame to remind Mr Andrew who we are (I'm sorry I missed the meeting today! So I'm helping to promote the group here okay? Anyone who thinks that his/her mouth is big(er) than ours, please come and challenge Cg), and of course a shot of myself cam-whoring as "whrain". Oh, and the oh-so-yummy ice cream desert we had on two separate dinners after school at Holland V.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

Auld Lang Syne.

Wishing everyone a happy 2009! And with that I shall start my final year in university as an undergrad.

My individual resolution for 2009 is to enjoy my final year as an undergrad, enjoy learning, enjoy my books and notes, enjoy my friends, enjoy my lectures and lecturers, tutorials and tutors. Enjoy! That is the key word. =)

I pray for world peace, and good health to one and all.

千年之恋 - 信乐团;戴爱玲

2008-12-28T04:10:00.001+08:00

Prop 8 - The Musical

2008-12-27T22:09:00.004+08:00

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

Why I love my mum

2008-12-26T15:50:00.003+08:00

Me: 妈妈，成绩出了。
Mum: 考得好吗？
Me:考得很好。
Mum:考得再好，出来要会做工才有用。

She's never too concerned about the results even though she pushes me to study. I love my mum.

Outing with Bernard & Ryan (Finally)

2008-12-24T01:45:00.006+08:00

After sooo long, I finally managed to meet up with the two of them. =) The sky was beautiful after a short drizzle. We wanted to cycle from McDonald's to Changi Village, but stopped halfway near Changi Beach (I guess) - the road is just long and endless. And we decided to turn back. We were thirsty but fortunate because we saw the RedBull Mini Cooper, and the Red Bull Girls gave us a can of Red Bull each to boost our energy level! Red Bull gave us wings and I finally managed to cycle handsfree (for quite a long distance)! Hahaha.

And after returning the bikes, washing up, we went to Ma Maison for dinner.

At the Airport

2008-12-23T18:59:00.002+08:00

Went to the airport last friday? to send Mabel off to the land of rising sun. Ok that's more an excuse. We went there to eat really. Hahah. And here are the photos.

Workaholic

2008-12-19T01:58:00.002+08:00

"Find a job you love. And you won't have to work a day."

But if the job is making you hate what you loved before, does that mean that you don't love it enough?

OldSty-le;

2008-12-17T01:04:00.002+08:00

Check out my new OldSty-le! It's paradoxical but hey, old is the new new! My new OldSty-le is at http://OldSty-le.blogspot.com/.

*Warning; Airhead Post Ahead

2008-12-14T19:11:00.005+08:00

This is an airhead post about an airhead car driven by an airhead. And the airhead car happens to be my favorite Mini Cooper!!! Ahhhh...

The car is soo glitzy, ditzy, glamorous, blonde, cool, awesome, whoo! Happy birthday to me. The car is so airhead! hahahaha.

Covert Sexism/ Homophobia

2008-12-13T00:19:00.002+08:00

Now I understand that sexism and homophobia are two rather different issues but the underlying ideology is basically that of (male) heteronormativity that seeks to maintain the power relations bestowed upon the (heterosexual) men and opposes any form of subaltern activities/ voices that challenge the legitimacy of their power.

The question then is whether overt or covert sexism/ homophobia is more problematic?

I'm reminded of the article on Glass-Castle about Everyday Sexism. That people who claims to believe in equality may actually not really believe in so.

I do think that covert discrimination is in fact more problematic simply because we do not realize it until someone points it out; I can be discriminating against the females/ gays, or for that matter any other forms of discriminations, for the whole of my life without me thinking that I am doing so. It's so naturalized in us anyway to discriminate against the others.

Besides, the thing about overt discrimination is that they are, more often, so outrageous and ridiculous it's easy for observers to recognize the absurdity. This as compared to the (un)naturalness of covert discrimination, which renders it harder to detect and therefore easier to spread.

The key, I suppose, is to be self-reflexive about our actions and thoughts. And hopefully attempt to change ourselves to make this society a more tolerant and non-discriminatory one.

I love Madonna!

2008-12-12T02:23:00.006+08:00

Madonna loves me so much she decided to wear my face on her tee! I love her too! You go girl! Come'on Vogue! Let your body move to the music!

Oh. And CG dreamed of his wedding with Jude? Or Law? Or Jude + Law? Whatever. It'll be amazing if the groom does not become a runaway.

And Edmund looks sad to be in his predicament. Cheer up edm! It's not that bad. =)

P/s: All the above photos are created at http://www.photofunia.com.

My Book Shelf

2008-12-11T02:57:00.002+08:00

Yay! I've added a nice little book shelf from Shelfari on my side bar. It'll display what I'm currently reading.

If there are any books that you think might be of interest to me, please do go ahead and recommend them. I read all kinds of stuff if they catch my interest, and when time permits. That's the reason why I spent my last summer holidays reading random journal articles. OMG. I'm such a geek. But hey I'm a 陽光宅男 :)

What is Right and What is Wrong?

2008-12-08T00:02:00.002+08:00

"No, no, you chose!"
~ Miranda Priestly, 2006

It all depends on perspective. But is your perspective your own? Or are you just following whatever people say? Can you then blame it on them for feeding you with the 'wrong' information when you are in front of God?

You can't! You are responsible for your own decisions even if it means to follow others blindly.

Carmen for VSFS2008

2008-12-07T00:55:00.002+08:00

Carmen Kass rocked the show! No pretentious pointing of finger. No cheesy blowing of kisses. No porny I-am-a-virgin-come-get-me posing at the end of the runway. Why can't they just walk like a model? Walk! You don't have to sell sex to be sexy.

Is this for real?!

2008-12-05T19:31:00.002+08:00

Read something very disturbing at YawningBread.ORG regarding the plight of China workers in Singapore.

I wonder about the authenticity of the account by the workers. If it is true, is there any thing we can do about it? If it is true, I am ashamed to be part of this barbaric country.

Mobile Blogging; Exam's Over!

2008-12-04T00:39:00.003+08:00

It's time to start mugging! Catch me at Central Library. :)

Questions With(out) Answers

2008-12-02T04:04:00.003+08:00

"Whereas the artillery sergeant will never see the face of his victims,

the infantry man will see the terrible contortions of their victims’ faces

and hear their pitiful screams

as a bullet rips through the inner lining of their stomach

and all intestinal acid seeps onto the rest of their organs."

Dictionary.COM defines kill as to deprive of life in any manner; cause the death of; slay, and killer as a person or thing that kills. I choose not to use the word murder because murder is defined by the law; a soldier does not murder his enemies because it is legal for him to kill. Killing is therefore a more generic term without any moral/ righteous undertone.

Without this judgment however, it opens up the possibility for us to question any forms of killing, why and whether or not they are acceptable. And we (Chen Guo and I, and Yao Zong too) started our usual after-dinner conversations on this light(hearted) debate after our equally lighthearted dinner. Of course, we just had to link this issue back to religion given our religious fervency.

The argument put forth by Chen Guo (and Yao Zong agreed with him) was that the Ku Klux Klan was wrong to kill (and murder but we'll leave the legal considerations aside for now) the African Americans in their preaching of white supremacist ideology. But a certain Christian ministry is not wrong to (indirectly) kill the homosexuals in their preaching of heteronormative ideology. By indirectly, we were referring to gay suicides due to (socio-religio) rejections. I argued that the distinction is artificial and non-present.

Perhaps the crux of this issue is whether or not the (in)directness of the act can justify non-blame in the killing. I opine that it does not, even though it seemingly reduces the degree of blame. This is somewhat similar to the Hiroshima-bombing debate in which the late General Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr, the bomber pilot who dropped the atomic bomb, expressed no regrets in his action (BBC News, 2007). The justification is that it ended the war, saving lives. In the same vein, the justification of killing the gays is social morality, saving li(v)es. And just because the pilot never witnessed the sufferings of his victims close-up does not mean that he did not commit the atrocities.

What has the gays done to you. Nothing. Just as the 140,000 innocent Japanese civilians who were killed by the bombing has not done anything other than being citizens of a country at the wrong time.

Reference:
BBC News. (2007, November 1). Hiroshima bomb pilot dies aged 92. BBC news. Retrieved December 2, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7073441.stm

Dirty Hands Clean

2008-11-29T05:52:00.002+08:00

I'm falling in love with this song by Two of Cups.

Suit yourself so to speak
You got your lifestyle keeping you awake at night
.....

Prove yourself to the mediocrity
To the people who don't give a damn
So that you feel special

How apt during this period with the incessant cramming of knowledge as if people will still remember them in years to come. As if it's all that matters. As if the A+ is a validation of me being smarter. As if it will make me a great person or leader. Lehman Brothers still collapsed with arguably many of the world's smartest brains. Eugenics is still being promoted by some of the world's leaders. Discriminations are still perpetuated by many religious leaders...

It's time to get our dirty hands clean!

No to DBS! No to FOTF!

2008-11-29T00:30:00.005+08:00

Helping to spread the news! Please boycott the use of DBS Card during this Christmas season!

Wednesday, 26 November 2008

Update on DBS and FOTF

(by Jolene)

By way of update on yesterday's blog post on DBS and FTOF: Ovidia Yu has written to DBS and received a response, including the worrying information that other corporations such as Far East and Mediacorp also sponsor them.

Glass Castle reader mark d also points us to a Yawning Bread piece containing more information on anti-gay Liberty League.

---------------

POSTED BY GLASS CASTLE AT 21:04 0 comments
Tuesday, 25 November 2008

DBS: Don't Support Focus on the Family

(by Jolene)

(Via Sayoni.) DBS has pledged to give money to Christian evangelical group Focus on the Family (FOTF) whenever someone spends $300 on a DBS card at The Cathay, Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, Great World City and Tanglin Mall: see their website for details of the promotion.

The website for the Singapore branch of FOTF is not explicit about the evangelical character of the organisation, but it describes itself as founded by Dr. James Dobson (who heads the American chapter) and as part of the international Focus on the Family group. The website for the American FOTF is less coy. It states that “Focus on the Family's primary reason for existence is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a practical outreach to homes”.

Some of the activities of FOTF include:

Spreading disinformation about health. The American FOTF supports “abstinence-only” sex education, which discourages condom use. This has been shown to be ineffective in its stated aims and in some places in the world, like Uganda, has contributed to the spread of HIV by hindering the spread of accurate information about the use of contraceptives.

Limiting women’s reproductive health choices. The American FOTF also campaigns for the disastrous “Global Gag Rule” which ties American assistance to health NGOs to conditons (the NGOs must not perform abortions except in cases of rape, incest or danger to a woman’s life, provide counselling or referrals to abortion services, or lobby for access to abortion: even if these activities are funded by other sources). In countries like Kenya this has jeopardised contraceptive supplies and HIV prevention education, and in the Dominican Republic it has impeded much-needed reforms which would reduce deaths from illegal abortions.

Promoting homophobia. FOTF in Singapore promoted the activities of Liberty League, which describes queer sexuality with terms like “sexual brokenness” and “addiction and abuse”.
DBS has a diverse customer base and a diverse workforce, which include people of varying religions and sexualities. Should they be making donations to a divisive and discriminatory organisation such as FOTF, on behalf of their customers?

If you think not, and especially if you are a customer, please contact them by phone, website or mail. Let them know what FOTF represents and if you are considering moving your business away from them, make sure they are aware of that as well.

(Source: http://www.glass-castle.org/)

Just look at DBS's irresponsible replies posted here by Ovidia Yu.

Coupled with their recent layout off workers without consulting the union. Bad corporate citizenship! Shows their lack of corporate social responsibility.

Marriage

2008-11-28T03:08:00.006+08:00

And I wonder. Marriage as a failed social institute. Marriage as the everlasting vows that are only everlasting till divorce. Marriage as the binding love between two who may have irreconcilable differences in times to come. Marriage as the union of A and B and then A and C, and B and D. Marriage that is fiercely guarded by overzealous religious folks as not just heteronormative but also (most preferably) only between members with the same religious beliefs (religion is one of the most frequent cited reasons for causing divorce).

Is marriage really that sacred?

Here are some frequently cited reasons for causing divorce:

Lack of commitment to the marriage

Lack of communication between spouses

Infidelity

Abandonment

Alcohol Addiction

Substance Abuse

Physical Abuse

Sexual Abuse

Emotional Abuse

Inability to manage or resolve conflict

Personality Differences or ‘irreconcilable differences’

Differences in personal and career goals

Financial problems

Different expectations about household tasks

Different expectations about having or rearing children

Interference from parents or in-laws

Lack of maturity

Intellectual Incompatibility

Sexual Incompatibility

Insistence of sticking to traditional roles and not allowing room for personal growth

Falling out of love

Religious conversion or religious beliefs

Cultural and lifestyle differences

Inability to deal with each other’s petty idiosyncrasies

Mental Instability or Mental Illness

Criminal behavior and incarceration for crime

(Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/common-causes-and-reasons-for-divorce.html)

Human Dichotomy

2008-11-26T18:42:00.003+08:00

There's only two types of students in the world; the ones that's CPK (read: Chao Pia Kia i.e. mugger), and the ones that's clever.

There's only two types of guys out there; the ones that's gay, and the ones that's closeted.

There's only two types of people in the world; the ones that's alive, and the ones that's dead.

Circus by Britney Spears

There’s only two types of people in the world
The ones that entertain, and the ones that observe
Well baby I’m a put-on-a-show kinda girl
Don’t like the backseat, gotta be first
I’m like the ringleader
I call the shots
I’m like a firecracker
I make it hot
then I put on a show

I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins
Spotlight on me and I’m ready to break
I’m like a performer, the dancefloor is my stage
Better be ready, hope that ya feel the same

All the eyes on me in the center of the ring
Just like a circus
When I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip
Just like a circus
Don’t stand there watching me, follow me
Show me what you can do
Everybody let go, we can make a dancefloor
Just like a circus

There’s only two types of guys out there,
Ones that can hang with me, and ones that are scared
So baby I hope that you came prepared
I run a tight ship so, beware
I’m like the ringleader
I call the shots
I’m like a firecracker
I make it hot
then I put on a show

I feel the adrenaline moving through my veins
Spotlight on me and I’m ready to break
I’m like a performer, the dancefloor is my stage
Better be ready, hope that ya feel the same

All the eyes on me in the center of the ring
Just like a circus
When I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip
Just like a circus
Don’t stand there watching me, follow me
Show me what you can do
Everybody let go, we can make a dancefloor
Just like a circus

Let's go.
Let me see what you can do.
I'm runnin' this (like like like like a circus)
Yeah.
Like a what? (like like like like a circus)

All the eyes on me in the center of the ring
Just like a circus
When I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip
Just like a circus
Don’t stand there watching me, follow me
Show me what you can do
Everybody let go, we can make a dancefloor
Just like a circus

All the eyes on me in the center of the ring
Just like a circus
When I crack that whip, everybody gon' trip
Just like a circus
Don’t stand there watching me, follow me
Show me what you can do
Everybody let go, we can make a dancefloor
Just like a circus

It's a Circus!

2008-11-25T19:15:00.002+08:00

Crazy. Exhilarating. Breadth-taking. Awe-inspiring. Frightening. Oh and did I mentioned crazy? Like fucking crazy crazy! It's so crazy it's brilliant! It's Britney, bitch!

Go listen to her upcoming album HERE.

Whoo! I love Circus, Mannequin, Shattered Glass, and My Baby. Now where's Quicksand?

I Saw a Rainbow by Yours Truly

2008-11-22T19:31:00.001+08:00

I saw a rainbow,
Outside my window.
It came in a time,
when life is a slime.
I study for knowledge,
or study for grade.
The difference is subtle,
the difference is great.
I yearn for a meadow,
to roam and be free.
That's why I look out the window,
And saw a pot of gold.
I saw a beautiful rainbow,
It's there for all to see.

P/s: The photo is taken using my mobile phone so it's rather pixelated and unclear.

Breathe by Two of Cups

2008-10-26T03:30:00.001+08:00

Yeah, i know sometimes it's real hard,
I know sometimes you want to bend,
Ohh, but if you do, it all comes back,
In the end, just breathe breathe
Just breathe, breathe
We tend to forget that we're all the same,
We all have joy, we all have pain,
Ohh, but if we won't remember,
How beautiful it would be if we breathe, breathe,
Believe, believe,
We tend to forget we're all the same,
We all have joy, we all have pain,
Breathe, breathe,
Oooh, if we would only remember to breathe
How beautiful, how beautiful,
Just breathe, breathe,
Oooooahhh,
Breathe, breathe,

You can listen to the song at my space.

Down with Fever

2008-10-25T22:45:00.004+08:00

I can't believe I was (and am still) down with fever during this crucial period of the semester. I took my medications, slept till around 7pm today from around 6pm yesterday, waking up in between for more medications, water, and toilet breaks. This sux. But it serves to remind me that life is not just about attending lectures, studying, scoring good grades, which reminds me of Thursday morning when I missed 1/2 hour of lecture because some drivers apparently decided to knock themselves out at the entrance of NUS near Singapore Polytechnic; it took me 2 hours 45 minutes to travel from home to school. I guess I don't live in Singapore then since according to our great leader "the maximum time to reach any corner of Singapore is 20 minutes as traffic is not allowed to flood the roads" (Gangan, 2007).

My first reaction was cursing and swearing that he/she caused the traffic jam and in turn made me miss part of my lecture. But the self-reflexive and critical me criticized myself for having such immoral and socially undesirable thoughts. We're talking about the potential lost of lives here due to the accident. And yet the most important issue to me there and then was the missing of lecture. I ponder. It reminded me of the article on The Straits Times many years ago about how Singaporean children fear failing examinations more than of their parents dying (Mathi, 2000). I wonder if this is the kind of individuals (myself inclusive) and society our education aims to inculcate.

Gangan, S. (2007, October 31). City influx shocks Singapore panel. DNA - Daily News & Analysis. Retrieved 25 October, 2008, from Factiva database.
Mathi, B. (2000, November 21). Most children worry about failing exams. The Straits Times. Retrieved, 25 October, 2008, from Factiva database.

Equality

2008-10-24T02:46:00.002+08:00

(Gender) Equality is like a tug-of-war; both sides need to maintain equal strength to keep the middle mark in center. Exert more strength, the rope will swing to one side. It's a constant struggle until perhaps when one party gives up. But that will mean that the other party will fall as well (Newton's Third Law). The win-win situation may therefore be that when gender is not longer regarded as dichotomously categorical; when we realize that we are both male and female and yet neither male nor female (Deconstructive Feminism). Then, perhaps, we can throw away the rope and all sit down to chill and relax. We are all different yet similar.

The ills of capitalism

2008-10-17T01:37:00.003+08:00

Rather random, but this is just something I think about sometimes that perhaps we are indeed moving back towards communism as Marx has predicted.

As democracy flourishes and people becomes more aware of their status within the capitalistic society, they tend to group together and form rather powerful social voices e.g. protestations etc to counter the hegemony. This is not unlike what Marx postulated regarding the proletariat becoming aware of their alienation and then overthrowing the bourgeoisie although it actually takes a longer period of time (than predicted) with many other new factors coming in along the way.

We see feminists fighting for equal rights, gays (or I'd prefer to call tangentially straight people 'cause everyone is straight in many different directions) are fighting for equal rights, people and even international charities (see below) are trying to close the income/ knowledge/ technology/ third-world-first-world/ whatever gaps. Isn't equality the fundamental ideology of communism?

In a way, we are moving towards communism. But perhaps it is a different type of communism in that everyone is equal but yet different, unlike the communism we have been socialized to know that is represented by North Korea or olden China.

Unlike Marx though, I doubt that will be the ending destination even if it does happen for there will always be a struggle between powers within the society (even in Heaven, some "people" are still more equal than others). Perhaps then, we will just be swaying between capitalism and communism throughout time and space?

Agence France-Presse - 10/16/2008 10:49 AM GMT
Charities criticise rich nations over bailouts
Five global charities on Thursday criticised rich nations for quickly bailing out the world's ailing financial sector while "foot-dragging" on aid, climate change and poverty.

In a joint statement, the heads of Amnesty International, World Vision, Oxfam, Greenpeace and Plan International warned of dire consequences if wealthy states used the crisis to cut aid and trade.

"The urgency shown by rich countries to tackle the financial meltdown stands in stark contrast to their foot-dragging and broken promises over aid and poverty alleviation, human rights and climate change," they said.

"Rich countries will be following a myopic and self-defeating strategy if they ignore the most pressing challenges of our times and focus solely on narrow financial interests."

The 123-billion US dollar lifeline thrown by the US government to American insurance giant AIG was 18 billion dollars more than its annual aid package for poor countries, they said.

It was also twice the amount needed to achieve an internationally-agreed goal to reduce poverty by 2015, the organisations added.

The 37 billion pounds (47 billion euro, 64 billion US) the British government is spending to help recapitalise its banking sector is "roughly what's needed for poor countries to adapt to climate change each year," they added.

"For millions of the world's poorest citizens, it is literally a matter of life and death," the statement said, referring to a possible drying up of international aid.

There is also a risk of increasing human rights violations and rising social tensions, they warned.

"As the economy shrinks and countries tighten their belts, migrants and refugees could be pushed back to untenable situations," they said.

"Social tensions could increase, leading nervous governments to clamp down on dissent and impose tough public security policies curbing civil liberties.

"Already fragile states could be further weakened by the current crisis and slide back into instability."

Economic crises historically led to reduced aid and trade, the groups recalled.

During the 1972/73 recession, global aid spending declined by 15 percent. An economic crisis in the early 1990s led aid donors to slash spending, while help for people hit by natural disasters and conflict also fell sharply, they said.

Following the 1929 Wall Street crash and global recession, countries turned protectionist and world trade tumbled by two-thirds, they said.

"This is not just about money. It is about sustained attention, international collaboration and clear political will to tackle big issues," the groups said.

The statement was signed by Irene Khan, secretary general of human rights watchdog Amnesty International, Jeremy Hobbs, executive director of Oxfam International and Dean Hirsch, chief executive of World Vision.

Tom Miller, chief executive of Plan International and Gerd Leipold, international executive director of Greenpeace, also signed the statement.

I'm Not Perfect, Yet.

2008-10-01T04:06:00.004+08:00

I don't think I'm smart, but I really want to learn. There are so much out there to learn about. Knowledge thrills me. And research excites me. But I wonder if I will be able to pursue them further.

I don't think I'm good looking, but I am trying to be content. There are so many good looking people around to ogle at. Symmetry mesmerizes me. Youthfulness enthralls me. But I wonder if I can still be young as I grow older.

I don't think I'm rich, but I have sufficient. There are so many rich people out there to be envied. Luxury subjugates me. Brands consume me. But I wonder if I can still remain true to myself without being corrupted when I start working.

过去的批评嘲讽 (Let it go Let it go)
过去的轻蔑冷落 (Let it go Let it go)
有些人口不饶人却忘了瞧瞧自己又有什么资格

时刻都善良待人 (Let's move on Let's move on)
时刻都做好本分 (Let's move on Let's move on)
有些人心思浅薄绝不是宽容自暴自弃的理由

也许确实也受过言语打击
也许从来也没什么好际遇
千万别将勇气深锁在阴影里
我们又不会妨碍这世界继续美丽

我知道我变漂亮了
我知道我被注意了
曾难过曾失落
微笑一下就过
外在的美貌容易戳破
内在的美好细水长流

我知道我变漂亮了
我知道我也豁达了
不自卑不埋怨
就算还差一点点
用内涵弥补一切缺陷
内在的美迷住每个人的眼

Feminism? Or Egalitarianism?

2008-09-29T02:02:00.007+08:00

Seems like the feminists amongst us are stepping up the game in their quests for gender equality. The first article is by Constance Singam of AWARE:

MEN IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Men have to do tothe boys what womenhave done to the girls
Weekend • September 27, 2008
Constance Singam

A RECENT survey in this newspaper highlighted the problem men here are facing. It found that one of the reasons Singapore is seeing fewer marriages is because men here lack confidence — that they are shy and lonely.

There is a need, urgently I think, to figure out what it means to be a man in the 21st Century.

Unfortunately the men — and more importantly, their sons—are not getting much help from the larger culture or from their government. Consider the most recent rejection of the call for paternity leave for fathers!

A friend who has a teenage son told me, rather angrily, that so much attention is being given to girls to empower them that the boys are suffering, confused and disempowered. I would argue that instead of feeling threatened by the gains girls have made, society needs to study the women’s movement, its strategies and use them as a model for raising boys.

Firstly, discussions of masculinity revolve around women’s equality, either as a curse or boon to men. Where some argue that the women’s movement has freed men from the straitjacket of traditional roles, others blame it for depriving them of their identity.

Yet, the greatest threat to modern manhood may lie elsewhere — in the denial about women’s and men’s changing roles and obligations, in the public images, in the lack of life skills education for boys.

Secondly, all the messages, and indeed education, focuses on meeting the needs of the economy. Even, I suspect, the debate on falling marriage and fertility rates is driven by economic concerns.

Instead, public policies and education itself should be framed to take into consideration the overall quality of life, the balance of the society itself. Political discourse and public policy have failed the men. Issues of work-life balance, marriage and fertility rate areaddressed to women.

I remember a young man, well-educated and charming, who told me that he would consider the use of a match-making agency to find him a bride from Vietnam. All he has to do, he said, is to pay the agency $10,000, choose a bride from a selection of photographs and appear at the wedding. The agency would make all the arrangements. Men like things made simple, easy and arranged for them.

Fundamentally, the men of today are no different to the men of previous generations. But they do have to change. Societal demands have changed.

After generations of advocacy on the part of the women’s movement, girls have learnt that they are capable of success in a man’s world, that anything is possible if they make up their minds about it. The girls got the message. But the boys are confused.

Men have to do the same with boys as the women’s movement has done for the girls. As it is now, men don’t even have the language to discuss what it means to be male. They rarely address the consequences of living in a culture where marriage and parenting — the basic processes that form the foundation of all societies — are constructed as the responsibility of women and where men are left out.

Finally, since it is the men who are making the decisions, men have to be willing to care about the way boys are being brought up and advocate for them. They should provide good role models: Men must be in the schools — at the parent-teacher conferences, not just in school boards, in classes teaching or just talking about their jobs, relationships, marriage and parenthood.

Young men must take a stake and volunteer to coach, to counsel, to read to kids. Fathers and community leaders must mentor a new generation of boys.

Our culture has to celebrate men who embrace their roles as fathers and husbands. Women may still bear the greater burden of domestic work, but there are men today who do more at home than their fathers did, and are happy doing it.

According to an American Families and Work Institute study, the percentage of college-educated men who said they wanted to move into jobs with more responsibility fell from 68 per cent to52 per cent between 1992 and 2002.

A Radcliffe Public Policy Centre report released in 2000 found that70 per cent of men between the ages of 21 and 39 were willing to sacrifice pay and promotions in exchange for a work schedule that allowed them to spend more time with their families.

Times have changed and are changing. Boys need empowering and education to live successfully and happily in the 21st Century. Shy, lonely men lacking in confidence is not good news for either men or women.

This is a call for action for gender equity.

The writer is a civil society activist who is concerned about gender equity.

(Source: http://www.todayonline.com)

And this second article, which is republished for ContraDiction IV this year, is by Adrianna Tan:

Why I Am Still A Feminist
March 15th, 2006 | Published in glbt | 63 Comments

I am still a feminist because I am no longer ashamed of saying I am one. I have grown tired for apologizing for so many of the things I am: for being liberal, lesbian, anti-Bush and anti-war, a Christian that hates the fundamentalists. Anymore to apologize for, and I may have to apologize for being Chinese.

I was feminist before I was lesbian. I was feminist before I was liberal. I was feminist before I knew feminism had become synonymous with ‘bra burning’ and ‘aggressive’ (I like my bras too much, and I prefer to be passive-aggressive). I was feminist the moment I was acutely aware that being a girl meant there were many things I could not do, and so much more I was expected to.

The first feminist I knew was my father, who taught me I must never bow to the demands of any man, and must never let any man suppress my intellect or free will. He must have known I was a feminist from the time I was 4, when, I did not believe the distribution of potato chips was fair and equal, and demanded he demonstrate by bringing out actual weighing scales, that I had as much as my male brothers and cousins.

In primary school, I was an avid soccer player. About as good as the boys, the boys told me. I played every recess time and after school, every day. I was the midfielder with stamina, who was fast as well and was everywhere and anywhere on the pitch at all times. Good enough, that the boys thought nothing of inserting me into their ambitious tournament plans for the next few years: we were a team. I started the first match in the tournament with the brand new soccer boots I paid for myself. At half time, the referee — his name was Mr Azman — said I couldn’t play, ever again. Even though this was an informal tournament in school, with no rulebook or precedents, he said that’s just the way it is: no girls allowed.

By the time I was 18, I thought I already had a pretty good grip on the “girl” issue. During one class debate, a member of the opposition made a disparaging remark about how sometimes rape victims “were just asking for it”. Livid, I made a comment which led him to say: “Let’s go outside, I’ll show you how good it is to be raped.” This same person is on his way to becoming a lawyer, and I fear.

I’m turning 21 this year and while I don’t play soccer anymore, as a photographer I’m told “they want guys, because they look more like photographers”, as a Mac Evangelist in retail I’m told they “want to consult the guys”, even though I know as much. Guys still hit on my girlfriend in front of me because I evidently don’t count and I’m not the real thing; if I’m opinionated, I’m being either aggressive or emotional, and if I’m stoic, I’m heartless.

As a member of the majority race and male, you may not believe it when I say that sexism is alive and well, because you have never encountered it. You see female managers and female CEOs, females in positions above you, and you fear for your male superiority. What you don’t see is the sacrifice only women are made to make when they choose career, how they could be similarly qualified and similarly excellent or better leaders, yet climb slower and earn less, how if they are assertive they are aggressive female bosses, how if they are not then they are ineffectual leaders and submissive. What you don’t see is how she had to fight hard for most things that come easily to you.

As a member of the majority race and male, you sat next to me in school today at the library cafe, talking about how your girlfriend is not as loud as pornstars when you “fuck her”, wondering if that’s because “she doesn’t know how to express her pleasure”, then your friends all started talking about blowjobs and said in no unclear terms, that the world revolves around “your cocks”.

I will continue to be a feminist until the day my classmates are not seen as objects, whose pleasure is necessarily held up against porn industry ideals, until the day their pleasure is not dictated by the selfish dicks they date.

As a member of the majority race and male, you fathered one of my closest friends. When your daughter complained to you that she used to be touched inappropriately by your friend’s son, when your daughter discussed with you the topic of male infidelity, you laughed and said, “We’re men, we’re like that.”

I will continue to be a feminist until the day every father stands up for their daughter’s rights, the way my father does.

As a member of the majority race and male, everything you might be culpable for is “because she asked for it.” Can’t have children? She must be infertile. Want to use condoms? Only if she pays for it. She doesn’t seem to like sex with you? There must be something wrong with her. Pregnant? She sleeps around. Sex video spreads on the internet? It’s her morals. Lesbian? They haven’t met the right man, and you just might be the one.

I will continue to be a feminist until the day my friends’ fathers stop explaining away their affairs based upon what their wives supposedly lack.

So when you say, those feminists, in the same breath as those nazis, those communists, those crazy bra burning women, you need to know that the object of our hatred is never men — it is what some men do to us.

I will continue to be a feminist until the day my uncle in the flesh and blood stops being an asshole, and his immigrant wife is not afraid to divorce him and press charges.

I will continue to be a feminist until it is realized that while it is best for every child to have his mother and father, if the father is a dangerous man he has to be kept away from her beautiful young children before he does any permanent damage.

I will continue to be a feminist until it is realized the existence of many good men does not mean it is irrelevant to be a feminist. They are our fathers, our boyfriends and husbands, our sons. All it takes is just one man, that isn’t good, to destroy the lives of too many women around the world, and among us now.

This is why I will remain a feminist, I’m not apologetic for it, I won’t burn my bra, I don’t hate you, and no, you can’t watch either.

Addendum Now if there were more mothers of boys like this I might be a bit more optimistic.

(Source: http://popagandhi.com/826/contradiction-iv/)

In all respects, both articles are very well written and intended in their quest for equality. My only problem with them is that they still see gender as dichotomous - females versus males, masculinity versus femininity, etc. And with this dichotomy, they skewed towards the socially constructed 'women' and push the blames (in a way) to the socially constructed 'men'. They talk about how 'men' should do things for 'men' or how one bad 'man' is enough to ruin the basket. They failed to realize or chose to ignore that the 'women' also play a huge part.

How do you expect the 'men' to be confident about approaching 'women' when 'women expects 'men' to carry their bags, foot their bills, hold their doors etc? How do you expect people not to say those feminists in the same breadth as those nazis when what those feminists want seems to be more equality in Orwellian term for 'women' than true equality?

Equality exists only when the fulcrum is in the center and there are equal weights on both sides. Equality does not exist when the fulcrum is nearer to one side and the weights are not equal. Yes, there may still be balance in the latter scenario but no, that is not equality! Equality will only arrive when we understand that sex, especially the dichotomous categorization, is just as socially constructed as gender in Sociology. There is really no difference between you and I, male or female, young or old. We are just the same minute insignificant beings walking this land, rampaging it by the (non)-justification of human supremacy. And that's another issue for another day.

I do what I like, and I like it!

2008-09-17T17:15:00.001+08:00

Go Britney! Haha. Her new album titled "Circus" is expected to be out on December 2, 2008.

I'm Feeling Naughty & Sexy

2008-09-14T19:20:00.000+08:00

I Think Therefore I Am A Rhubarb Tart

2008-09-14T17:27:00.001+08:00

"Call Natalie at Glorious Foods, tell her no for the 40th time. No, I don't want dacquoise. I want tortes filled with warm rhubarb compote." ~ Miranda Priestly

Yes We Can Can

2008-08-18T01:03:00.002+08:00

Now's the time for all good men
to get together with one another.
We got to iron out our problems
and iron out our quarrels
and try to live as brothers.
And try to find a piece of land
without stepping on one another.
And do respect the women of the world.
Remember you all have mothers.
We got to make this land a better land
than the world in which we live.
And we got to help each man be a better man
with the kindness that we give.
I know we can make it.
I know darn well we can work it out.
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
Yes we can can, why can't we?
If we wanna get together we can work it out.

And we gotta take care of all the children,
the little children of the world.
'cause they're our strongest hope for the future,
the little bitty boys and girls.

We got to make this land a better land
than the world in which we live.
And we got to help each man be a better man
with the kindness that we give.
I know we can make it.
I know darn well we can work it out.
Oh yes we can, I know we can can
yes we can can, why can't we?
If we wanna, yes we can can.

Talent You Can't Deny

2008-08-10T17:18:00.003+08:00

Have you seen my Childhood?
I'm searching for the world that I come from
'Cause I've been looking around
In the lost and found of my heart...
No one understands me
They view it as such strange eccentricities...
'Cause I keep kidding around
Like a child, but pardon me...

People say I'm not okay
'Cause I love such elementary things...
It's been my fate to compensate,
for the Childhood I've never known...

Have you seen my Childhood?
I'm searching for that wonder in my youth
Like pirates and adventurous dreams,
Of conquest and kings on the throne...

Before you judge me, try hard to love me,
Look within your heart then ask,
Have you seen my Childhood?
People say I'm strange that way
'Cause I love such elementary things,
It's been my fate to compensate,
For the Childhood I've never known...

Have you seen my Childhood?
I'm searching for that wonder in my youth
Like fantastical stories to share
The dreams I would dare, watch me fly...

Before you judge me, try hard to love me.
The painful youth I've had

Have you seen my Childhood...

This is what many kids in Singapore will grow up to feel.

Paris for President

2008-08-06T13:38:00.001+08:00

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

Shorts, Global Warming, and Gender Equality

2008-08-05T18:57:00.005+08:00

We are seriously way behind time when it comes to fashion and style. I was working as a temporary surveyor for a government ministry in the June holidays that just passed and we were required to go for training before the actual work commences.

I turned up on training day wearing a collared T-shirt, Bermuda-length suit pants and white canvas shoes, and was blithely told by one of the supervisors that my dressing is too casual and inappropriate.

To make things worse, the supervisor herself was wearing a neon-green pants, and non-matching sleeveless floral top (those type that my octogenarian ah ma likes to tailor-make at her friendly seamstress neighbour's), showing off her flabby 蝴蝶臂 (translates: butterfly arms). She simply has no sense of style or fashion.

I couldn’t help but think to myself that I was more immaculately put together than she was. Talk about being too casual and inappropriate.

Besides, with global warming rising the temperature, shouldn’t we rethink about how we dress for work? After all, overheated bodies result in lower productivity isn’t it?

And with the other government ministry trying to create a younger image by rapping on YouTube, it might be better if they start off by working on the dress codes of their employees. No way will I see my ah ma’s blouse as hip and cool without some serious deconstruction by Alexander McQueen or Yohji Yamamoto.

More than being stylish and practical about what we wear, it is also about the ideals of gender equality enshrined. Allowing women but not the men to wear such shorts suits to work is discriminatory to both the sexes. The men suffered by having to endure the heat while the women ‘suffered’ by having to endure the lusty glares of dirty old men. The allowance for women to show skin underlies the hidden sexual connotations that may be derogatory in the presence of sexual perverts.

After all, gender equality is not just about the women burning their brasseries; it is also about the men wearing them if they so want to. To support their man boobs perhaps.

Shorts Crack the Code
By GUY TREBAY, July 31, 2008, The New York Times

FIRST came Casual Fridays, that dread episode in the history of fashion, with their invitation for men to trade in suits for Dockers and to swap a proper shirt and tie for an open neck and a daring flash of masculine décolletage.

Then the bare ankle migrated from country-club Saturdays to meeting-room Mondays and suddenly men, whether shod in wingtips or loafers, were widely seen without socks. Now it appears that, after some stops and starts in recent seasons, the men of the white collar work force are marching into the office in shorts.

It was no more than a moment ago, in the sartorial long view, that a guy who came to work wearing short pants would have been shown the door — or anyway, given the address for human resources at U.P.S. All that appears to be changing.

Consider that an advertising agency in Salt Lake City this summer introduced a no-long-trousers policy. Consider the octogenarian New York lawyer who ditched his seersucker suit for jaunty camouflage shorts on the job. Consider the pack of stylish young men on the streets of Manhattan who find it not only sensible, in thermometer terms, to beat the heat by wearing shorts but also, in style terms, cool.

“We try to have a little bit of fun around here on a regular basis,” said Dave Newbold, the president of Richter7, the Salt Lake City ad agency in question, whose clients include Medtronic and the Chamber of Commerce of Park City, Utah, where wearing long pants outside of ski season is practically a violation of the law.

When the hockey star Sean Avery took an internship at Vogue earlier this summer, the work uniform that the fashion-besotted left wing chose included a shorts suit that showcased his athletic calves.

“Why go to work and be hot?” he asked last week, adding that there was no compelling business reason to look modest and dull on the job. “You can look good and not have that boring-type look,” said Mr. Avery, who signed with the Dallas Stars this summer after several seasons with the Rangers. “Why are women allowed to do it and not men?”

The willingness of men to expand the amount of skin they are inclined to display can be gauged by the short-sleeved shirts Senator Barack Obama has lately favored; the muscle T-shirts Anderson Cooper wears on CNN assignment; and the Armani billboard in which David Beckham, the soccer star, appears nearly nude.

Not a few designers are pushing men to expose more of the bodies that they have spent so much time perfecting at the gym. “We have all these self-imposed restrictions” about our dress, said Ben Clawson, the sales director for the designer Michael Bastian. “As men’s wear continues to evolve and becomes a little more casual without becoming grungy, it’s not impossible anymore to be dressed up in shorts.”

While Mr. Bastian is a designer of what essentially amounts to updates on preppy classics, even he has pushed for greater latitude in exposing men’s bodies to view.

“Michael is a big fan of the third button,” said Mr. Clawson, referring to the neckline plunge that has somehow evolved beyond its cheesier Tom Ford (by way of Tom Jones) associations. “For women, legs are a sex symbol, where for men legs are more private.”

Yet for Mr. Avery, a man in a shorts suit is no more startling than a woman in a miniskirt. “Women have the option of wearing a dress,” he said with the assurance of someone who can hip-check those who fail to share his opinion.

“I haven’t asked them, but I’m sure women like looking at a man’s calves, or if a man has them, nice ankles,” Mr. Avery said.

That may be. Yet none of the New York City banks, law firms, stock brokerages or hospitals contacted by a reporter last week considered shorts an acceptable part of a work uniform, and for reasons that varied from the need to preserve institutional decorum to hygiene (imagine a hairy leg in an O.R.)

Still, it is probably worth remembering that there was a time when politicians were seldom seen, even out of the office, without their decorous suit coats, and never in short pants (Nixon famously wore shoes on the beach). And it was only a short while ago that news anchors who ventured out on combat assignment did so in more protective khaki than a Victorian ornithologist braving the wilds of Borneo.

Is Mr. Cooper more or less serious because he chooses to showcase the pneumatic biceps so obviously a part of his appeal? Are the folks behind Calvin Klein yet again on to some cultural shift with the underwear campaign that made its debut this week, featuring the model Garrett Neff bunching his unworn skivvies in front of his crotch?

“The idea of being threatened by the objectified male body has gone, the process is complete,” explained Aaron Hicklin, the editor in chief of Out magazine. “Men are the same as women now.”

Perhaps it is simpler than that. A relaxed approach to sexual display played a role in the policy at Richter7, the Salt Lake City agency, but so did a long stretch of days when temperatures routinely closed in on 100 degrees. “It’s so hot here in mid-July and August that we wanted to combine the two issues” of comfort and fashion, Mr. Newbold said. For client meetings, he pointed out, account executives are expected to “dress to the level of presentation that looks credible and respectable.”

A question arises, though, of what respectability looks like when underwear is routinely worn as outerwear and people travel in get-ups that look like onesies and the combined effects of a cosmetic surgery boom and an epidemic of obesity have given us all an uncommon level of intimacy with the contours of one another’s bodies.

Fifteen years ago, when Hyman Gross, a real estate lawyer in Manhattan, proposed wearing shorts in summer, his boss responded that the firm was not a beach club.

“It’s a pretty strait-laced office, and I quickly retreated from that position,” said Mr. Gross, who is in his ninth decade. Last year, though, looking at office workers of both sexes disporting themselves seminaked on the streets of the city, he concluded it was time for shorts. “It seems so strange on an over-90-degree day to subject yourself to sartorial rigidity,” he said.

And so there was Mr. Gross taking a break at Bryant Park, nattily attired in a black polo shirt from Target, a pair of sandy-colored camouflage shorts he bought in a shop in a subway arcade and a Panama topper from Arnold Hatters.

“I travel to and fro in shorts,” said Mr. Gross, who also wears his short pants to the ballet and the opera. “No one has ever spoken to me about it. And if anyone decides they don’t like it or they won’t take me, it’s their loss.”

Increasingly, said Andrew Bolton of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the “zones in which this kind of exposure is accepted are permeable.”

Seminudity, of the sort proposed by Miuccia Prada or Dsquared in the recent men’s collections, holds little appeal for someone like Kwesi Blair, a branding adviser whose shorts and blazer look became a wardrobe default during a recent sweltering spell.

Wearing a shorts suit, Mr. Blair explained, is not only more comfortable than the alternative, but a way to road test your own self-invention.

“I get a lot of looks and remarks,” said Mr. Blair, whose wardrobe runs to conservative labels — a Polo blazer, shirt and tie, a pair of J. Crew shorts. “On the street, people are like, ‘That’s a bold move.’ But, honestly, I’m just tapping into my own sense of style and sensibility and putting it out there. It’s not like I’m looking for acceptance.”

(Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/fashion/31shorts.html?_r=1&oref=slogin)

Fare Hike, Wage Inflation, and CSR

2008-08-04T22:31:00.005+08:00

I guess by now, most people who are active on the blogosphere will be aware of the public transport fare hike and the recent caution by Labour Chief Lim Swee Say against upping the wages of workers to cope with inflation, aka wage inflation. Lucky Tan managed to juxtapose the conflicting logic behind the arguments for both cases.

Mulling over his points, I am somehow reminded of an essay I have written two semesters ago regarding Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR]. Here is it:

The world’s 100 largest economies in the year 2000 are made up of 51 global corporations and a lesser remaining 49 being countries (Anderson & Cavanagh, 2000). Such is the effect of globalization. It is therefore not difficult to infer that corporations, especially the major global players, have huge roles to play within the societies.

In capitalism, however, problems arise as corporations are often treated as juristic persons under the law (Sociology Index, n.d.; Capitalism, n.d.; Angliss, 2007). Corporations are bestowed the same rights and duties of an individual albeit being infinitely more impactful; businesses are not obligated to give back to the society although they may wield more power than most governments. With responsibility being the price of freedom as quoted by Elbert Hubbard, this disparity between freer international trade and little or no obligations to the countries and/or communities the companies operate in may result in worrying problems.

The destruction of local cultures is one problem. As the world converges, we are becoming increasingly attuned to the global monoculture propelled by a few global brands; people around the world are consuming more global brands like Nike, McDonald, MTV, etc, losing their own cultures (Barlow, 2001).

Greater inequality also arises with the growth of multinational corporations. More often than not, this inequality stems from the exploitation of the human as well as physical resources. One such example is Nike whereby factory workers in Indonesia are paid only 14 cents per hour and work as much as 6 hours overtime daily (as cited in Brym & Lie, 2007, p. 253-254).

Corporations may cause social and environmental issues as well. These occur when corporations seek to move their operations to countries with fewer restrictions, cheaper labours, etc. without regards for the destruction of livelihoods, cultures and environments (Roddick, 2002, p.7-8).

Taking awareness of these problems, businesses should be more actively involved in the societies that they operate in. And active participation should take the form of corporate social responsibility.

Fortunately, the rise in non-governmental organizations [NGOs] such as Greenpeace and Amnesty International are helping us to monitor the problems (Roddick, 2002, p.6-7). Instead of fearing and hating these NGOs, businesses should engage them as a bridge between the various stakeholders e.g. politicians, campaigners, consumers, etc. By establishing dialogues, organizations and stakeholders can compromise and reach a consensus that allows for sustainable developments. It is only when businesses operate with conscience that the pursuit of wealth can be continuous.

Without conscience and a sense of social responsibility, corporations often fail to realize that their growth will not be sustainable. A company like IKEA Group that sells predominantly wooden furniture may one day not be able to do so with excessive deforestation. It is little wonder why IKEA supports numerous forestry projects such as the mapping of intact natural forests, and rainforests rehabilitation in Borneo (IKEA Group, 2006).

Corporations should also seek to improve the standard of living and eliminate poverty in the countries they operate in. It is crucial to note that free trade does not mean unequal trade. As seen in the case of Nike cited above, the separation of high-wage jobs in the United States and other advanced countries, and low-wage jobs in developing countries (Fröbel, Heinrichs, & Kreye, 1980) meant that inequality will always ensue. Besides the primary public relations tactics of paying the legally stated minimum wage and maintaining a safe working environment to eliminate sweatshops, companies should also increase their effort to train and educate the workers to allow for greater social mobility, and hence, reduce inequality. Other possible tactics include sponsoring public education and building schools etc. After all, teaching a man to fish is more beneficial than just giving him a fish.

Undoubtedly, such endeavours will garner dissidents as witnessed in the case of The Body Shop (TBS). To promote the social causes and give back to the communities, TBS products have to be charged at a premium. People doubted that TBS will survive under the immerse competitions from other brands selling similar products at much cheaper prices. The acquisition of TBS by L’Oreal in 2006 also drew concerns as people doubted L’Oreal’s commitment to TBS’s operation philosophies (Pitman, 2006). Despite these dissents, TBS survived well and even L’Oreal’s takeover is paying off (Bauerova, 2007).

While there have been reports of TBS not adhering to the corporate social responsibilities it espouses (Jack, 1994; Entine, 2002; Entine, 2007), and people may argue that TBS’s success has less to do with their championing of social causes but rather their unethical lies (of behaving ethically), the amount of support that people award to organizations that promote (or say that they promote) social responsibilities is enough to prove the feasibility of such business practices. After all, human beings are intelligent social creatures capable of emotion and rationalization to decide what is the best for the individual, the community, the society, the country, and the world.

Reference List:
Anderson, S., & Cavanagh, J. (2000). Top 200: The rise of corporate global power. Institute of Policy Studies. Retrieved October 12, 2007, from http://www.ips-dc.org/downloads/Top_200.pdf

Agliss, B. (2007, April 26). Money, speech, and corporate personhood. Retrieved October 12, 2007, from http://scholarsandrogues.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/money-speech-and-corporate-personhood/

Barlow, M. (2001). The global monoculture: ‘Free trade’ versus culture and democracy. Global Policy. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.globalpolicy.org/globaliz/cultural/2001/1001mono.htm

Bauerova, L. (2007, October). L’Oreal’s purchase of Body Shop is paying off. International Herald Tribune. Retrieved October 16, 2007, from http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/03/bloomberg/bxatm.php

Brym, R. J., & Lie, J. (2007). Globalization, inequality, and development. In R. Jucha, S. Murphy, E. Smith, & C. Cha (Eds.), Sociology: Your compass for a new world (pp. 253-254). United States: Wadsworth.

Capitalism. (n.d.). Corporation. Capitalism. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.capitalism.org/faq/corporation.htm

Entine, J. (2002, May). Body flop: Anita Roddick proclaimed that business could be caring as well as capitalist. Today The Body Shop is struggling on both counts. Report on Business Magazine. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.jonentine.com/articles/bodyflop.htm

Entine, J. (2007, September). The myth of the green queen. National Post. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=41bea314-6b01-4697-83c1-593f4a22d0c1

Fröbel, F. Heinrichs, J., & Kreye, O. (1980). The new international division of labour: Structural unemployment in industrialized countries and industrialization in developing countries. (P. Burgess, Trans.) New York: Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1978).

IKEA Group. (2006). Our responsibility: Projects we support. IKEA Group. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from http://www.ikea-group.ikea.com/corporate/responsible/projects.html

Jack, A. (1994, September). UK company news – Franklin defends Body Shop stance. Financial Times. Retrieved October 10, 2007, from Factiva database.

Pitman, S. (2006, March). L’Oreal’s Body Shop acquisition meets with mixed reaction. Cosmetics Design. Retrieved October 14, 2007, from http://www.cosmeticsdesign.com/news/ng.asp?id=66584-l-oreal-the-body-shop-takeover-ethical

Roddick, A. (2002). Business as unusual: The journey of Anita Roddick. London: Thorsons.

Sociology Index. (n.d.). Juristic person. Sociology Index. Retrieved October 12, 2007, from http://sociologyindex.com/juristic_person.htm

The push for fare hike while being against wage increment underlies the greater social problem of unchecked capitalism and the lack of proper democracy.

As I have argued in my essay, treating corporations as juristic persons results in many problems. These problems are further aggrieved when corporations are awarded greater importance than the people. This is akin to treating corporations as first-class citizens while treating the real people as second-class and even lower depending on their citizenship.

Unfortunately, this seems to be the case in Singapore whereby economics is our first and foremost concern. Hence, we willingly sacrifice the wellbeing of people for the profitability of corporations, a case best exemplified by the non-implementation of minimum wage requirement (EnterpriseOne, 2008). This is the problem of unchecked capitalism, which leads me to my second point on the lack of proper democracy.

As the late Dame Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop has argued in her book cited in my essay, the rise of NGOs helped to act as a check on irresponsible organizations. Irresponsibility here refers to the lack of accountability to the community in which the organizations operate. However, for the NGOs to perform the function effectively, freedom of expression must be allowed.

The restrictions on freedom of expression meant that NGOs will not be able to generate the awareness of the problems in the people, and subsequently galvanize them to speak out against erroneous organizations; even if the awareness is there, the expression of discontent by the people is denied by the lack of freedom of expression.

Since the normal people are not awarded the rights to counter these corporations, they can only rely solely on the government to serve and protect their welfares.

Reference list:
EnterpriseOne. (2008). Singapore’s Flexible Wage System. Government of Singapore. Retrieved 04 August, 2008, from http://www.business.gov.sg/

The Opening...

2008-08-01T22:42:00.004+08:00

... of Hell's gate. As everyone has noticed, the Lunar Seventh Month is here again, marked by the sudden increase in incense and candles burning everywhere.

Often during this period, you will find the local TV stations broadcasting repeats of horror films that are no longer scary after watching them for the third time onwards.

Often during this period, you will also find cinemas screening new horror flicks repeating similar plots, although once in a while you may get a breakthrough a la "The Ring" when it first came out.

But no, I am not here to comment about the shows. Neither am I here to comment about the burning of the offerings. I am here to discuss about the rights of those who aren't in Hell.

As we all know, the deceased may move on to one of the three realms depending on the deeds they have done throughout their lifetime. I am not sure how they judge stillborns or babies who died prematurely though. By how often they create 'troubles' for their caretakers perhaps; incessant crying or kicking in the mum's womb? But that's another topic. So the concern here is about those who made it to heaven. When will the Pearly Gates be opened for them to roam amongst their surviving friends and relatives again?

Now I know that Heaven is considered a better place than the living realm and it would not be much of a holiday for them to tour the earth again. It's like asking me to go on a holiday in Singapore when I am having the helluva time (no pun intended) in oh-I-don't-know, maybe the Maldives perhaps. But it's not just about them. It's about giving the living (it rhymes!) a chance to offer their loves and yearning for the Heaven-dwellers as well. It is like the fight for equal rights; it is better for both the males and females.

But then again, they already have everything that they need up there, so they wouldn't need any offerings from the living. This brings me to another point. Why is it that Hell seems to operate on capitalism (with the Hell notes and such) while Heaven seems to run on communism? Why is it then that we are championing capitalism while disparaging communism? Perhaps because communism is a superior social system that only works when everyone is selfless?

I see selfish people. They are everywhere.

P/s: The author neither promotes communism nor sympathizes with the communists, and has no wish whatsoever to be charged under the sedition act although he feels that the act is archaic and anti-human rights. In short, the author is a selfish individual who wants the best for himself as well.

East Coast Park

2008-07-24T03:22:00.004+08:00

And I had dinner with Ryan at Curry Favour. The spicy vegetables curry is yummy and the beef yaki is sedap. The price is really reasonable as well. I would recommend it. Mabel? Yz? Haha.

Back in Secondary

2008-07-21T15:38:00.006+08:00

Yesterday, I performed with my secondary school band as a secondary 13 student for the Shell-MOE Band Fiesta at the Botanic Garden. And damn I felt old playing with kids who are a (Chinese) zodiac cycle younger. But it was fun nevertheless with the weather being rather kind to us; light humidifier-like drizzle with beautiful cumulus clouds puffering up the Columbia blue sky, and warm evening sun to give the performers a healthy looking glow.

Beautiful weather

Queuing up for our turn on the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage

Five bands performed including 2 primary schools, 2 secondary schools and 1 junior college. I enjoyed the performance by a primary 4 girl singing Mariah's Without You, accompanied by the band. Boy can she scream! The Marist boys were entertaining enough too with their selections of music. Meridian (JC) was a tad boring, lacking the oomph in their music although the program pamphlet provided us with a Page Six-worthy revelation of who's the man in the S-C (no it's not that SC relationship that Jude and Kaiz share) relationship. The alumni members then went off for steamboat dinner at Prinsep Place.

Come On Over

2008-07-18T16:56:00.002+08:00

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She's pretty decent as a country singer. Haha. Looks like somebody may give Ms Underwood a run for her money.

1800 CALL GOD

2008-07-08T15:44:00.003+08:00

I've already said my piece. If you still can't decide what you want, then stop fucking disturb me with your problems. Go consult your God!

祝我生日快樂

2008-07-05T01:04:00.005+08:00

Not that I'm celebrating birthday alone. But... EMO IS HOT NOW! Haha.

Scam Alert

2008-07-03T20:55:00.003+08:00

I received the following email from Mr Song (sghgbkhk31@yahoo.com.hk).

Good Day Friend,

My name is Mr. Song Lile, I am the credit officerin Hang Seng Bank, Hong Kong. I have a businessproposal in the tune of $19.5m to be transferredto an offshore account with your assistance.

After the successful transfer, we shall share inratio of 30% for you and 70% for me. Should you beinterested, please respond to my letter immediately,so we can commence all arrangements and I will giveyou more information on the project and how we wouldhandle it. Please treat this business with utmostconfidentiality.

You can contact me on my private email:( sglile147hangseng07@yahoo.com.hk ) and send me thefollowing information for documentation purpose:

(1)Full names:
(2)private phone number:
(3)current residential address:
(4)Occupation:
(5)Age and Sex:

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,
Mr. Song Lile.

Well, I guess Mr Song should change his name or scam method 'cause it's so overly publicized on the internet. Just google his name or e-mail address and you'll get countless hits. Lamer.

And here's my reply:

Good day Mr Song,

You're a liar, a cheat, a scum, a parasite,...

You've brought shame to yourself, your family, your friends, your society, your country, and everyone else. YOU OUGHT TO BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF! In fact, you should just find a high building and jump down.

Warmest Regards,
Your friend NOT