Because we have been taught to not make negative remarks during joyous occasions, such as birthdays, weddings, Chinese New Year etc, most of us just end up being rather awkward and/or become liars.

I remember it's someone's baby's full month a long time ago... You know... Sharing with food with the baby's face printed on cardboard boxes?
The usual crowd was making the ooohs and the aaahhs, especially those 'nice' people.

When I caught a glimpse of the baby's pic, I just couldn't bring myself to join in. It just didn't look 'cute' at all. In fact, I thought it looked quite ugly.

But somehow, because everyone was taking turns to exclaim in the most exaggerated manner, when it came to my turn, with the new parent and everyone else eagerly waiting for the next compliment, I managed to say with a rather straight face,

"Cute toes."


I don't like to lie.
Neither do I wanna become Public Enemy.

Life sux. =_=

Not sure if many people have caught the International Intervarsity Debate 2007 organised by Mediacorp and CCTV. It will be great if CNA runs it again... And market it more aggressively.

Group B debates, aka the non-native speakers group, are especially intriguing. Every time I watch an episode, I feel bad about my grasp of the Chinese Language. Even after 11 years of formal Chinese Language Education (as 1st language and the child of 2 Chinese language teachers somemore... =_=), I doubt I can out-speak any of the non-native debators... Korean, American or British... It's damn cute to watch non-native speakers attempt the Beijing accent and idioms.

My favourite team, Yale University, emerged as the Group B winner!!

Check out Harry Potter (second from the left)!!!
These guys are witty and mischievous! Plus they speak Mandarin with a weird accent! Hee Hee Hee... It's really quite entertaining...

I love it when the Korean chick from Ewha Women University (she's damn chio and I fail to find a pic of her) teased the left most Yale guy about professing her feelings for him! Hee Hee Hee!!
Ahhhh... The beauty of youth!!

I miss the innocent varsity days...
...........................................................

I was never in any debating team back in school, because I was a rather shy child. But I have enjoyed watching the Chinese debates for years. And I believe that debates provide a useful and sheltered platform to bring different perspectives on specific issues to light in an ostensibly non-offensive manner.

Once the abovementioned principle is understood, one realises that debates can be especially significant in a conservative environment, because they can be considered as 'artificial arguments'. This reassures the sensitive/insecure while allowing differing opinion to be heard. It becomes a gentleman's wrestling match.

Remember him??


I never knew his name, MORPH, but I loved him very much! He was always there keeping my company on stale weekday afternoons after I get back from school and lounging in front of the TV in my school uniform and socks.



If you think about it, he is like a Teletubby.

CLICK HERE.

If you don't already know, the U.S. is looking for her new leader, and these two appear to be leading in the race.


Here and there one reads about the race, and is amazed at the amount of coverage and analysis on the phenomenon.
Some say coloured people who want to vote for Mrs Clinton will feel guilty, whilst females will feel bad if they don't eventually vote for Mrs Clinton.
Even I, halfway round the Earth, can feel their dilemma.

What's even more amazing is how vocal these 2 candidates' spouses are. It's like you are getting 2 for the price of 1.

So far, it seems this is a decision between 'Change' and 'Prudence'.
(Don't kill me if I am getting this wrong... I am, after all, halfway round the Earth...)

And of course, 'Change' always sounds sexier to dissatisfied people (the farmers, the young ones, the alienated...). 'Change' can go many ways...
The problem with 'Prudence' is that it's just not sexy. However, 'Prudence' can also be fashionable, especially after a crisis or before an imminent one...

If Singaporeans could vote for the next President of the United States, who will we vote for?

I was awakened this morning by the urgent buzz of the intercom. The delivery men were here!! I shook 'Good Fren' violently and he literally jumped out of bed.
HAHA!!!

In about 10 minutes, our balcony was all dressed up.


We are so happy with our balcony furniture, and promptly ordered McDees for breakfast. It's great to be able to read in the breezy comfort of the balcony.
We is HAPPEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!
............................................................

On totally separate note, I was having a discussion with a certain someone last evening when I mentioned that I feel burdened by my body.
'Body' as in the flesh self (including the head, that is). In other words, the stuff you leave behind once your consciousness is dead.

The body is a burden because it requires maintenance, and also it distracts the mind. E.g. #1 if the body is ill/tired/dying, the mind cannot function properly. E.g. #2, because thoughts are relatively invisible, the mind tends to jump to conclusion with only the body in sight.

If only the mind could exist in isolation, i.e. without a body. I wonder about this quite a bit.

The certain someone said that the body is in fact complementary to the mind, because without the body's requirement to rest, the mind will just keep going on and on.
Hence, in a sense, the body 'contains' the mind in more ways than one.

Think about it.

The body probably prolongs the existence of the mind because the former forces the latter to slow down (not stop because it's not possible) on a almost daily basis!

Damn... I guess I'm stuck with taking care of the body... Cannot sulk about it too much. =_=

A related thought...
I wonder about people who spend all/most of their time thinking about their bodies, e.g. how their bodies look, how to improve/enhance their bodies etc.

Which ought to take precedence?

(A) Using the body as a conducive environment for the mind to operate within?

Or

(B) Using the mind to host and enhance the body?

'Good Fren' and I walked past a florist in Ngee Ann City where he spotted one of those gardening signs which said,


It's crazy!! =)))
The originator must have been really frustrated and cottage-y. Painfully Annoying Children!!

I got home and googled it.
Apparently, it's quite a common saying.

I'm sure some parents would just blame it on the duck.

Ok, some of you have asked for the 'template' for the 春 cut-out thing I stick on the oranges every Chinese New Year.


Like I said earlier, there is no template.
I've been cutting these since I was a kid.
It's like learning how to cycle.
Trial and Error, and you will remember forever.

CNY 2007
CNY 2006
..............................................

'Good Fren' has been really busy. He came home rather late last night, and found me cutting the red paper, sticking them on the oranges, and ribboning them.

I was exclaiming out loud when the ribbon ran out, and 'Good Fren', strewn all over the sofa, made a most useful comment.

BM: Aiyah... No more ribbon... *makes the erh.... sound*
GF: I know how to solve your problem!
BM: How?
GF: I'll EAT the oranges without the ribbons.
BM: RRRRRROOOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!! I wanna kill you!!

Did you manage to catch this on Arts Central tonight?!
Something about the 4 panels of Berlin Wall to be installed at Bedok Reservoir.

Check out the contrast!
Kumar in PAP garb and long pony tail vs Minister Yeo in the standard garb and hair. Kumar even wore a pair of white frames!!!

THE SEGMENT WAS HILARIOUS!!!

Kumar is DAMN FARNEE!!!
I thought Minister Yeo looked a little awkward. I would be too... Coz you never know what Kumar might do to you!!
And before you know it, it's over!!

My favourite bit of this interview was this...

Kumar: How old are you?
Yeo: I'm... erm... 53 this year...
Kumar: Oh... Still cannot take out CPF...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!
Kumar is DAMN FARNEE!!!



Seriously... I think Kumar ought to get Conservation Status or something. Must be immortalised.

I think hor... If you really want Arts Central to replay this segment, just kpkb a lot (email them and stuff) and they will probably accede to your request. Can tell from the ads (or the lack of) that they lack viewership.

Btw, I've been switching over to what used to be Channel 12 quite a bit. It's a really weird channel eh? It's like a MINORITY channel.
In the day, it's for children, then in the afternoon and evening, it's for the Tamil-speaking audience, and at night, it's for the artsy farts.

Front is trying to be an artsy version of what Kim Ng, Bryan Wong, Sharon Au and Huang Su Fang used to do for City Beat in the late 1990s.

But not all of the Front Crew is funny. Kumar and Hossan are given farnees, but not the guy in the middle and Miss NMP.
I like the other chick though. She has this sparkle in her flirty eyes. I think I will add her to my imaginary harem which currently includes Shu Qi, Gong Li and other chicks I've known from school. =O

Random pic of the evening...
There is a black cat in my box of oranges!!!

A couple of weeks ago, a young reader invited me over to her place for tea. Apparently, her mother and her are fans of good food, pastry and probably good humour. Just look at these creations, especially those at the bottom left-hand corner.

So, we set a date and time.

On the day we were supposed to meet up, this article appears on the papers.

Basically, it says you cannot make food at home, then sell to strangers. 2 such food bloggers have been fined. The crossing of the rules occur at 2 points, i.e. no license to sell food (hygiene problem etc) and use of a residential premise for business. But somewhere in the article, it says it's ok to make the stuff at home and sell to friends aka non-strangers. The definition of 'friend' has not been explicated. So are 'Facebook friends' considered as friends?

Regardless... With the message of the article in mind, we made our way to the reader's home. Are they trying to get me to 'sell' their stuff for them? If I blog about them, am I abetting? Will NEA catch them, me, us etc?? *GASP*

We met Berenice at the gate to her house. She is a smiley 21 yr old dental student, currently in her final year, in Australia. She's back for her holidays and will be going back to Australia in a week's time. After the usual greeting at the gate, she quickly brought us into her house and introduced us to her mother, grandmother and elder sister. It's like going to a classmate's house to 'do project'.

Then... while seated at the dining table with them... The gush of hospitality started with a slice of homemade yam cake and tea/coffee.

Apart from the fact that yam cake was really yummy, I couldn't stop admiring the crockery. I mean... Seriously... It's really fine, isn't it?
The daughters told us they didn't know her mother had these... And in their recent family party, they had used disposables. I was very touched by the mother's gesture.

The grandmother is an energetic old lady who speaks mainly Teochew and a sprinkling of Mandarin and English. I totally couldn't handle the Teochew, but it's 'Good Fren's forte, and Ah Mah was so happy about it.

So, imagine this... There were 6 people at the table. At the head of the table was Ah Mah, on her left, were 'Good Fren' and me, and on her right were her daughter-in-law, and the 2 granddaughters. The conversation would be carried out in a mix of English, Mandarin and Teochew, of which, I would require 'Good Fren' to translate, and I would reply to Ah Mah in Mandarin.

Ah Mah and 'Good Fren' hit it off very well. He's so good with the elderly.

While we were talking, Ah Mah insisted that we ought to try all of the following homemade goodies. And she even remembered which ones I hadn't tried. She's not as forgetful as she claims to be!! =)))


These are the standard pineapple tarts. Auntie makes them with less butter than usual. A refreshing change.


Almond cookies (crunchy almond bits!) and Kueh Bangkit.


These are my favourites!
Oatmeal cookies and Green Pea cookies (an innovation by Auntie)!!

These are actually very savory and small. About 2-3cm in diameter. We just popped them in our mouths and washed them down with tea and coffee.

Berenice made this banana cake earlier in the day.
Banana-sweet and moist.

At this point, 'Good Fren' and Ah Mah were talking about I-dunno-what in Teochew on my right, while the mother-daughter duo across the table was having this discussion about how much more sugar could be cut and how much more banana could go into the mix.
It felt really quite surreal sitting there.

It got even more surreal when Berenice's boyfriend entered the house, then followed by his brother. I felt so totally like an intruder. It's their regular Sunday get together, and there I was munching away on cookies and sipping tea from rarely-used crockery.

Through the conversations, I realised that Auntie is a widow. Uncle passed away a couple of years ago, and Auntie has taken upon herself the role of supporting the family, i.e. 3 grandparents (her father and her in-laws), 3 children and herself, by taking over the reins of her husband's business.

And baking is her passion, not her trade... Not yet...
Auntie says some day she will like to open a cafe to sell her creations. For now, she refines her recipes and figures out the economics of operating such a business.

Meanwhile, from a slightly different perspective, it seems the daughter, Berenice, is trying to help keep her mother occupied through baking, especially in her absence (i.e. when she's back in Australia). Together, they have baked for relatives, neighbours, the elder daughter's colleagues etc.

Daughter cares for mother, and mother cares for mother-in-law, mother-in-law declares her happiness with all. Perhaps you gotta be present to feel it. It's heartening to feel the vibes amongst the 3-generations under that roof. It's subtle, yet clear.

Then Auntie said it was time for a demonstration!
(I'm putting the video together... Gimme some time!)


Objective: To make pineapple tarts in the shape of tangerines!


This is a 3G creation. You will see why in the video.


TA-DAH!!! These are simply yummy!!!

Auntie was telling me that they would be better if smaller. I thought these were small enough. They are like only 3cm in diameter, and the pastry is thin!

Ok, while I was videoing Auntie's creative process, guess what 'Good Fren' was doing?
He was having a great time with Berenice's boyfriend and his brother. Playing some farnee Olympics games on the Wii?!!
He really got on very well with them eh?!
I suspect we are gonna have to buy a Wii set soon. =_=

At about 5.30pm, Auntie had to send Berenice's boyfriend to catch a bus to KL, so we left the house together.

I feel this family has been most generous and trusting to share an afternoon with us in their home. This is definitely more bizarre than meeting up with Marcus aka Mooiness for the first time. I love my blog. It has brought me much joy by hooking up with great people from everywhere.

You can read more about this family's creations (pastry and party food) at this blog:


Can't wait for Auntie to set up her cafe!!

Through Tomorrow.Sg, I read about how some parents and students have disagreed with the tone a principal used when she told some Secondary 5 students to apply for the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) instead of doing the O levels, and how Minister of State for Education Lui Tuck Yew said that the message was one that had to be delivered.

Then proceeded to read up on the angry reactions of dissenters. One of them even quoted Aristotle and Einstein etc on their take on education and the young. This blogger has hit the nail on its head... well... at least partially.

Just because Aristotle calls something 'Education' doesn't mean that when the same term is used in the modern context that its philosophy, objectives, implementation etc are the same. This means that Aristotle's 'Education' and what we know today as 'Education' may be entirely different.
Hence, quoting and comparing are rather... futile.
鸡同鸭讲

As far as I can see, back in a few hundred years B.C., 'Education' is an elitist activity, where only the fortunate few can afford to pursue, whilst their slaves (unpaid coerced labour) created economic value and took care of their everyday needs. Back then, the 'Pursuit of Education' probably meant gaining tutelage under a learned master and/or getting into a school (whether there was a physical school to go to depended on whether the learned master was supported by kings and/or rich powers).

Now 'Education' these days, at least at entry levels and within Singapore, is NOT an elitist activity. Regardless, the ability to progress up the education ladder successfully is a separate issue. But this entry is not about this.
The philosophy/objectives of today's education are starkly different from that of the above era.
Today, in general, one pursues education to exchange for employment opportunities. In the past, employment opportunities may only be a by-product of being well-read/educated.

Now, this difference has to affect the implementation of Modern Education. In a sense, Modern Education is more like industry training, and less of exploring the wonders of knowledge.
And an education system guided by norms and measurement framework adopted from the business world will inevitably watch its bottomline and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). I would think 'grades', 'passing rates', 'percentage of enrollment at the next level' etc are such measurements. I shall not go into the limits of such frameworks.

Now...

1. Is it 'wrong' to measure and pursue these outcomes in the Education context?
2. Can Modern Education achieve the objectives or follow the philosophy of Education x hundred years B.C.?
3. Do you want an education that may not guarantee you improved opportunities to jobs?

The last question may sound a little counter-intuitive to us, the modern men. Yes, it is possible to pursue certain types of education and not become more employable upon its completion. This is because industry-required skills and knowledge are mutually exclusive. It is possible to be tertiary-educated unit of labour which specialises in the titration of certain chemicals compounds whilst not knowing anything else.

So it this the 'fault' of the system or the individual?
Both.

When I was a kid, my mother told me something which I will never forget. She said...

读书，读了是自己的。

I've never asked her to explain it.
Maybe she meant skills... Coz Knowledge may not increase my employability and afford me an independent life.

My interpretation of it was that Knowledge acquired is yours and yours alone. People can take away your property, your loved ones, and even your life, but Knowledge is probably the only thing in the world that after you have acquired it, no one can rob you of it. (Unless they do something to your brain. But by then you probably do not know anymore and hence cease to exist and/or worry, so it's ok.)

And because no one can take it away, Knowledge ought to be shared freely. (I shan't discuss whether sharing Knowledge freely is cruel.)

MM is a really powerful spokesperson for any local cause!
Regardless of whether people agree with him, his recently featured views on retirement have definitely raised awareness of our aging ones. Hence, in a sense, he is definitely worth his salt.
He's a SINGAPOREAN SUPERSTAR!!

I digress…

So far, according to what I have come across, the retirement message seems to move within the boundary as follows:

“Retirement is no good because (i) it is a luxury (due to high costs of living) and (ii) it means Death.”

FWAH… Let’s compare the above with the conventional constructs of retirement which are roughly as follows:

• No longer need to work for a living
• Enjoy life (Fruits of labour for past 2-3 decades, e.g. travel, offspring etc.)
• Waiting for death to take over.

Hence, the current “retirement is no good” message is largely different from the conventional constructs of retirement. The current message is painted as a negative scenario, while most have been hanging onto the more positive and relaxing constructs.

Do the views on retirement have to be binary, i.e. either 'Good' or 'Bad'?

I believe the key is to Keep Active... Keep going…
I agree that if one shuts down, one ceases to exist. For some, it may render the body to stop functioning.
However, 'Keep Active' doesn’t equate to 'Keep Working'.

If keep active = work, it means there is a part of the equation you don’t see.
Although if energy is converted to work, it is definitely more productive and beneficial for society as a whole.

So, what is ‘keep active’?
And is it POSSIBLE to keep active?

Men die a few years earlier than women, but have fewer years of morbidity, i.e. more years free of illnesses/disabilities. This means men are likely to have more productive years, as opposed to women who have longer lives but spend a higher percentage being sick and/or unable to perform certain simple tasks.


In terms of mental health, I dunno which gender does worse, because while the suicide rate is higher amongst men around the age (post-retirement), women may get depressed once they fall within the morbidity zone.

Hence, while some claim that retirement is a luxury and that it may lead to a premature death, I think the very ability to continue keeping active and/or working after retirement is the ultimate luxury.

Nuanced Differences.
Can you tell?

Last night, 'Good Fren' and I chanced upon this book called "The Story of Philosophy" by Dr William James Durant.
By lunchtime today, I called 'Good Fren' to announce that Plato had died peacefully in his sleep again.

Apart from the usual delightful surprises supplied by Old Wisdom, 2 things hit me by Pg 82 (out of almost 700 pages in total).

(A) The 4th printed page of the book says:

"TO MY WIFE

Grow Strong, my comrade... that you may stand
Unshaken when I fall; that I may know
The shattered fragments of my song will come
At last to finer melody in you;
That I may tell my heart that you begin
Where passing I leave off, and fathom more."


(B) In Pg 64, Dr Durant wrote about Plato and Aristotle:

"One would like to imagine these as very happy years; a brilliant pupil guided by an incomparable teacher, walking like Greek lovers in the gardens of philosophy."


"Such beautiful words," I mumbled to the imaginary 'Good Fren' at the cafe while sipping on some rather strange (burnt) tasting Earl Grey at Raffles Place.
I am convinced that Dr Durant must either had been really wise and/or steeped in some very powerful and real love.

When I got home, I wikipedia-ed for Dr Durant and found that he married his student, Ariel, 13 years his junior. This couple co-wrote "The Story of Civilization". Though it was never finished, the couple was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Literature for the 10th volume, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Ford.



And when Ariel passed away on 25 Oct 1981, Will followed within 2 weeks.

RRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!
*sheds a drop of tear*

It's beautiful and enviable.
Such is the shite we ought to be jealous of.

The perfect love is not about its form, e.g. the perfect wedding, or height compatibility.
Instead, it is about the journey and its strife.
To become a mighty whole.

May you understand this and find such a partner this lifetime.


And the book I'm reading now?
Dr Durant wrote it as part of an immensely popular series of educational pamphlets, meant for workers, called Little Blue Books. These books were considered as threats by the FBI in the 1940s, i.e. after WWII.

Who says Philosophy is only meant for the selected few?

The sad fact now is while people have better access to such knowledge, few people are reading it.
=_=

I can't wait to finish the book, and get my hands on his other works!

I'm so excited!
Yet another reader has approached me to check out her little business. So, we are going to meet up with her (and her camera-shy mother) this Sunday!!
WOO HOO!!! I love meeting new people!
Look out for its entry!!


If you have a tiny business and like BM to check it out, please email me and we'll work out something.
This is PRO BONO, i.e. I do not charge any fees, but you have to convince me with your intentions and products & services.

Who knows... The entry on your tiny business may be picked up by some local newspaper/magazine journalist and get featured in mainstream media.
Breadbar is one such example. It was featured on I-Weekly and the Straits Times less than a month after its mention on this blog!!
The journalist said she read about Breadbar off this blog!! =)))

I have at least 10 requests for my cleaning lady's contact hor! This is crazy!!

I cannot give it to only one of you, neither can I give it to all of you. How like that? Very difficult leh!!
Moral Dilemma on a Monday Night?!!
WAH LAU... Cannot take it...

Hmmm... I guess hiring a cleaning lady is definitely an issue of trust! And I have just become the agent of trust.
Win oredi...

I shall attempt to find a solution for you guys... Think one of my JC classmates has set up a cleaning agency. I'll try to contact him, then get back to you, ok?!

Everybody! 'Good Fren' and I are super happy today!!
WOO HOO!!! =)))

Because our part-time helper came by today and cleaned up the apartment way way waaaaaaaaaay better than'Good Fren' and I could ever manage... All in 3 hours!!
She even ironed the crinkly shirts, including one which I had attempted unsuccessfully earlier! WOO HOO!!!

Check out the shiny reflective floor!

I mean... This is the first time that the bathroom is actually dried after its washing. Obviously, the earlier cleaner (aka 'Good Fren') didn't see the need to dry it properly!

The cleaner lady is amazing. She did everything so effortlessly!
She was chatting with us while doing her thing, and before she came over, she was cleaning up at someone else's place hokay!
Usually, 'Good Fren' and I would be super deflated by the time we were done with half of what she has cleaned.

Why didn't we think of this earlier?
Coz we were convinced that we needed the exercise and nobody could clean our place like we do.
Yeah... No shite... HO HO HO!!!

And something funny happened halfway through.
She was cleaning the windows (I told her no need coz we dun care about the windows, but she insisted) when the thing she was using unscrewed itself and hit the guy sunbathing downstairs.
Luckily it only hit him on the leg... not anywhere else. =P

I couldn't stop laughing!!
Imagine this... You are sunbathing... In your shorts... And talking on the mobile... When suddenly and out of nowhere, this unidentified object wrapped in damp cloth falls from the above, hits your thigh and bounces off?!

After the cleaning lady left, we made our way to Gillman Village to buy some teak furniture. We didn't know it was a 60% off sale! (I hope they didn't jack up the prices for the sale.) In any case, we bought some furniture for our balcony which we have been spending quite a lot of time in, especially 'Good Fren' who likes to check his emails there.

It will look different by next weekend! WOO HOO!!

Since we were at Gillman Village, we had our dinner at Villa Bali.
The Balinese Platter is good.

These are so-so...

We love Villa Bali, but the mozzies problem can get a little irritating.

And so, we are back... in our clean clean apartment... I am blogging in the living room, while 'Good Fren' is checking his emails at the balcony.

=)))

Compare this with the MDA video.



Cameos in the order of appearance as follows:

1. Brian Williams
2. Steve Ballmer
3. Matthew McConaughey
4. Jay-Z
5. Bono
   
6. Steven Spielberg
7. George Clooney
8. Jon Stewart
9. Hillary Rodham Clinton
10. Barack Obama
11. Al Gore

I cannot decide which cameo bit is funnier.

Bono: Oh for fuck's sake! *ahem* Bill... We've... erm... We've talked about this before... Erm... We're... We're full up in the band, Bill... All... All positions are filled... Ah ha ha... I know... I know... But I can't just replace Edge because you've got a high score on Guitar Hero, Bill.

Al Gore: Oh hey Bill! No... It's not an inconvenient time... Yeah, I... I get it... That's a good one...
...........................................

Of course, we can tell ourselves...


And we don't have these resources?
Are we very sure we don't have?
Or just that we don't know how to make use of them in a witty and humorous manner?

...........................................

*W tells me that Bill Clinton made a video for his last few days as the President of the United States at the turn of the millenium.

Here it is...


See? No need to look like a fool.
Just Wit and Good Sense of Humour.

Watch this video.
Reuters sums up online social networking.



The main advantage is that millions of people can side-step monopolised mainstream media and broadcast their own messages to the world.
That is... If anyone is listening.

It's amazing how the UK and the US have advanced the whole online social networking phenomenon to the next level, meshing conventional drama/sitcoms with consumer interaction in a way that is not as cheesy as smsing your 100-letter thoughts which will appear as streaming ticker tapes at the bottom of tv screens.
Is there really a difference in the quality of minds between us and them? This question never ceases to amaze me.

I am not sure whether this is representative, but I observe that my friends who have been educated abroad (namely in the UK and US... Not so much Down Under) are more likely to restrict access to their Facebook profiles.
Perhaps they get their values influenced by their few years with Americans and Brits.
When one is less aware of concepts such as 'rights', they make less of a fuss about whether Facebook allows your friends to know when you last logged on, who you have just befriended etc.

I was just email-chatting with Mr Athena Chu Fan a few days ago, and complaining to him about how he doesn't have an online identity, i.e. no blog, no facebook etc. That, if so, he doesn't exist in the minds of those who only exist in the cyber. He then reminded me that he had an online presence and blogging long before any of these blogging/facebook pop shite, i.e. he had a Athena Chu fansite with a tediously updated online journal.

That was when I realised the most important thing about identity. That an identity requires sustenance.
Ever having some of form identity does not mean one will continue to exist. It doesn't even guarantee the knowledge that one has ever existed, because this knowledge needs to be sustained by others. E.g. We would know of famous dead people if other people hadn't pass on the fact (through word of mouth, etchings on the wall, books etc) that the former had ever existed. Guess this is why people are taught to pray to their ancestors. Because it gives the not-so-famous folks a chance to continue to exist... in the memories of some people for as long as possible.

Hence, you exist because you keep working at sustaining your existence, and/or someone else is doing it on your behalf.
Even the statue of some dead man erected in the middle of the city square gets attention from birds shitting all over it.

When both stop, then that's the end.

Do you know who he is?

This man is Alain de Botton.
He is a Swiss-born writer and TV producer and is famous for writing, in a philosophical style, on the everyday life issues. He has a Masters in Philosophy from King's College London, but it is not clear whether he has completed his PhD. He is 39 yrs old.

He has written quite a few immensely popular books, one of which I have been reading, i.e. The Consolations of Philosophy.

In this book, he attempts to explain the works of famous (and dead) philosophers/thinkers, ranging from Plato to Epicurus to Montaigne to Nietzsche... (You get the drift) in the context of the everyday life. Hence the book chapters are called 'Consolation for XYZ', e.g. Consolation for Difficulties, Consolation for Not Having Enough Money etc.

He doesn't only write, he also expresses his writings in the form of TV programmes on topics of interests such as Architecture, Literature, Love etc. Check out samples at his website.

Picking up his book was probably a result of a combination of factors. This includes the location of the book in Kinokuniya, boredom, need for answers etc. But I picked up other books too, so why the special mention?

Because as I have been watching quite a bit of TV for the past week, I chanced upon this lady's communist-like delivery of her interpretation of Confucius, which made me stop to listen amidst a vehement bout of channel-switching.

Her name is Yu Dan.
A Chinese-born PhD holder and media scholar with Beijing Normal University. She appears on TV, standing behind a lectern... no less..., and delivers lectures to the camera, which is then broadcasted to many in China, and around the world.

In her lectures, she interprets Confucius' 'the Analects' for the masses and illustrates with everyday examples. And now, her lectures have been condensed into a book, which she has been traveling the whole of China to sign for her many many fans. She is in her early 40s.

This phenomenon of (A) modern intellectuals (B) interpreting (C) old wisdom (D) for the masses interests me.

If you think about it, at any point in the history of the modern man, groups of people have always gathered around a few enlightened 'messengers' to listen to their explanation of the 'truths'.
And the place of this lecture has evolved from under a tree, to the public square, to the place of worship, to the portable and virtual common grounds (media) such as a book, TV, and now... the Internet.

We are such a curious bunch, aren't we?
And this formula is a sure hit.

Some thoughts:

1. Because so much time has been spent on curating and delivering the knowledge, I wonder how much of the knowledge has been digested and has aided in the progress of mankind.
2. Whether Yu Dan's lectures are considered as sermons, because the line between Confucius as a scholar and as a deity is not clear in certain parts of the world.
   
3. That if Marx thought religion was opium for the masses, whether such modern interpretations of old wisdom are helping us cope with the everyday life in the same manner, i.e. it doesn't remove the cause, but numbs the sense.
   
4. What the dead thinkers would think of these modern 'interpretors' of their works? Apparently, some modern folks think Confucius and his disciple will be mad at Yu Dan.
   
5. What Alain de Botton and Yu Dan think of each other?
6. And if Singapore has such a high percentage of tertiary-educated individuals, why no one has successfully become an Alain de Botton or Yu Dan? Maybe some people have tried, but no one is listening?
   

I read that Zhang Hai Jie, aka Helen Cheung, will be reading news again! WOO HOO!!!
(She has been away for so long that I cannot even find a pic of her to upload here!)

I'm not exactly a 'newscaster fan', but I must say, after watching Chinese news for at least 2 decades, the better contemporary newscasters are Helen Cheung and Wang Yan Qing.

I do not think it's only about diction and accents.
These 2 ladies are simply convincing.
Ms Cheung has that 'Don't mess with me' look, while Ms Wang has that 'I may be gentle, but I know wtf I'm reading' look.

If I were to have a female life partner, I'd have a hard time choosing between them.
(Ok, I know this is random, but you get what I mean... Smart and Good-looking beings who look female are rare.)

Back when I was a kid, I remember watching this guy called Wang Lian San. He ain't a stud, but I always listened intently whenever he was on TV. Simply because he looked very serious.
Cannot forget how the audience would be prompted to feel relaxed whenever the newscaster gave a rare smile, e.g. during Chinese New Year.
It's really like... "Spring is here! This is cause for celebration!"

I think the last thing any broadcasting station should do is to put a flirty-looking person in-charge of reading the news. The local stations (English and Chinese) have been guilty of that in the recent years.
Considering the number of local tv stations there are in Singapore, it is unnecessary to resort to this.

In terms of accents, for Mandarin News, I prefer the neutral Chinese accent to that of the Taiwanese, coz the latter is too 'deh' and ought to be kept within the realms of entertain, not information. E.g. Shu Qi cannot be reading the news. Too distracting.
(Btw, if I were to have a wife, I would choose Shu Qi. But she cannot read news for me.)

I digress...

For English news, it will be refreshing to put on an English accent for a change. The American accent is already all over the sitcoms.

Since we are on the topic of news... I think 'The Noose' hosted by Gurmit Singh and Michelle I-dunno-what is quite farnee. Though I am unable to recall anything they have reported, but that's not really the point, right?!
=)))

Taking a break is good.
I actually get to use the TV on a daily basis.

'Good Fren' went for a uni mate's wedding dinner last evening. Because of this wedding, a couple of his non-Singaporean uni mates are in town, including his Japanese ex (the one I bought the wedding gift for?)
And because it is rare that his PRC friend and Japanese ex are in town at the same time, he decided to invite them over to our apartment after the wedding dinner. His decision was made like 30 minutes before he left for the wedding dinner.

BM: Har? *does quick recap of whether Package A will be available* Can... but we don't have that much food. But in any case, it'll be after the wedding dinner so food is not important. We have loads of wine!! =))
GF: Ok, see you later!

So I was at home... Preparing half of the usual Package A, then msning W while waiting for them to drop by.

When they (PRC guy + his PRC wife, Japanese ex, 2 Singaporeans + 'Good Fren' (also Singaporean)) got here, and their dialogue and accents reverberated within our tiny apartment, and I started feeling really surreal. Even before I had anything to drink.

The PRC guy is apparently some child prodigy, who took his 'A' levels at the age of 14 and got sponsored by some rich Hong Konger to study in the UK. He graduated at the age of 20.
The Japanese Ex, also super smart (Dean's list of some private uni in Tokyo), got a scholarship to do her masters in the same UK uni.
Then you have the Singaporeans who, from what I gather: are smarter than them academically speaking, got sponsorships from the Singapore Government to study in the same uni.

Asians, from Japan, China and Singapore, met not in Asia, but in the UK, and converse not in any Asian languages, but in English.
Think about that.
Sitting in the middle of our tiny living room, I did think aloud about that. I must have stunned the guests a little coz there was like a 2-sec silence.

But seriously... Think about it.
The direct and indirect policies, decisions, history that have been made before these few individuals from different parts of the world can understand and speak the same language, and end up in the same university?
It has got to take revolutions!

In any case, the PRC guy said when he first met the Singaporean group, he couldn't understand their Mandarin. And apparently, when the Singaporeans went over to Beijing for his wedding recently, his relatives thought the Singaporeans were speaking in English, when they were in fact conversing in Mandarin, at least by our definition. So cute.

And guess what? The PRC guy enjoys watching Phua Chu Kang?! And so does the Japanese ex?!
I was like... HUH?!

The most 'awakening' observation was that the PRC guy's wife probably looks more Singaporean than I do. I reckon this is due to the fact that I is cheena-kong-looking and that she's dressed rather 'happeningly'.
You cannot tell people apart from 'looks' or demeanor anymore!

With alcohol in my system (as Li Bai would...), I started to suspect that the effects of globalisation hits a certain tier of people more directly than others. Not those at the very top, and of course not those at the very bottom. It hits this class of highly educated and mobile individuals who compare similar measures of success using American terms such as USD.

These are the people who will become more dissimilar with their townsmen, and become more like one another. For lack of a better term, they are the 'Cosmo Class'. I suspect citizenship is not a big deal for this class. It's more like a membership to the best communities in the universe.

And somehow, half a decade upon graduation, the middle-class Singaporeans who managed to get to the same university are not in the Cosmo Class, unlike their middle-class East Asian uni mates. The difference, really, is that they are 'bonded' to the Singapore Government. Despite being just as, if not more, brilliant than their East Asian uni mates, they are not earning in those wads of USD and so are not renting SGD6,800 apartments.

Nobody twitched when I made the observation in 2000 (when I first joined the Public Service) that the scholarship system produced some confused individuals torn between their parents' lack of resources (social class) and their own validated but unrealised potential.
You show a bunch of bright middle class kids the bright lights and big cities at the age of 18, then a few years later tell them sternly,"Ok, you need to come back now... Coz you owe it to your country."

The conundrum is impossible for the conscious to handle.
Without the State, the middle-class Singaporean kid would not have been able to see the bright lights and big cities, and then feel the urge to break away.
Without the bright lights and big cities, the bright Singaporean kid would still have been the Singaporean, who is simply not good enough for the State.

So, in reaction to the gap in expectations, the State creates a milieu that lavishes titles and rewards for the bright Singaporean kid. Titles and rewards which are relatively and significantly more than the next Singaporean in order to bluntly distinguish between the bright and not so bright.

But to the conscious bright Singaporean kid, this fragile and inevitably transparent glass jar is not as promising as the bigger and glossier universal crystal cases in which his East Asian uni mates are maneuvering within. Simply because the bright Singaporean kid has learnt to say,

Went to IKEA at Alexandra this afternoon to replace Blinky and Tiger's scratching... thing.

See?? Before and After.


MINE! MINE!!! *scratch scratch scratch*


Who wants the old scratched up one?!
It ain't no provide no resistance no more... *pui*


In about another 6 months, we will have to replace it with a new one. But we figured this is the best scratching thing for them ever.

And obviously, they love it... to bits... =)))


Oh oh... We saw an arguing couple at IKEA.
The air between them was so tensed that any attempt to walk through that column of air would probably cause one to be repelled. *BOING*

The guy said rather loudly to the frowning girl with a trolley half-full of stuff,


And he walked off.

I wanted to go up to them and say,


But was too chicken to.

Not sure if many or anybody thinks about the bicycling issue in the Singaporean context.
I only started thinking about it while driving a few days ago.

It was the evening peak hour and I went to fetch 'Good Fren' from his office. As we drove through the main streets within the CBD for about 15 minutes, there were at least 5 bicyclists zipping through the evening traffic.
Last time, bicycles would stay on the left most lane and would not cut through traffic diagonally.
These days, bicyclists seem to have death wishes, weaving in-between buses and cars.
And most of the time, they are not visible as the sun sets because bicycles are small and seldom lit.



Was chatting with W aka "Hiro's Friend-cheater Starscream-Skoda". He is of the view that bicycles ought to stay on the roads, rather than go onto pedestrian paths, because they can hurt pedestrians.

Ok, so it's about the metal bicycle parts and difference in velocity.

My take is entirely different.
In my universe, there are 2 separate user-networks as follows:

(A) The licensed roads
(B) The free-for-all paths

Making it mandatory to acquire a license (validated knowledge and the attendant means of enforcement) to use (A) simply means that those without a license ought to stay away from (A).
If not, the use of (A) will be rudely disrupted, and the legitimacy of the license is ridiculed.

Hence, if bicyclists were to be allowed on the roads, the problem lies in 3 factors as follows:

1. Heavy metal part powered by engine vs skimpy metal parts powered by legs (wow! this is new!)
   
2. Difference in velocity (wow! this is new!)
3. Knowledge of road traffic rules (wow! this is new!)
   

Now, as W has highlighted, just because bicycles are not welcomed on (B) either, please don't give me the 'we can educate the bicyclists to use (A) more responsibly' load of crap, simply because those bicyclists I had seen zipping around the CBD are mostly not locals.
Any educating campaign, if any good in substance, will reach out to transients neither efficiently nor effectively.

I think it is... crap... to wait till a couple of bicyclists find themselves seriously injured or dead before mitigating the situation. If this reason is too dramatic, then look from the driver's perspective, no one enjoys having cycling surprises in almost perfect Brownian Motion on the roads.

This is not to say 'BAN ALL BICYCLES' in the Singapore lah!
I'm sure there are responsible and skilful bicyclists.
So give them the legitimacy to ride in peace and harmony.
A license! Take a test in our usual meritocratic manner.
This also allows all errant riders can be dealt with... legitimately... Just make sure the licensing fee isn't too high for the poor(er) but just as able to manage with.

Or how about a bicycling zone/lane?
Oh... on second thoughts... this potentially sounds real condescending to some though...


Singapore is growing up to be a world city. Its already urbanised face will continue to be urbanised many times over. With it comes frustrations for its actors, for there are many different types of actors trying to influence and shape the same time and space.
Let's try our best to mitigate.

For the greater good, right?

If you spend part (about 8%) of your leave searching for the perfect wedding gift for your partner's ex's wedding, does it mean

(A) You are all-grown up and confident now, and probably loves your partner a little too much?


(B) You are actually quite bored?


(C) So that you are in control of choosing the suckiest gift to smother any latent feelings between the partner and the ex?
(I'm KIDDING!!! =))))


Hey... I is nice hokay...
Check out the nice wrapping paper I bought!


And the cute card?!

Coz they are a Japanese couple lah...

You know those Facebook and/or online quizzes that determine which cartoon character, fairy, smurf, animal, toilet bowl etc, you are?
My friend and I had a really hilarious MSN discussion about it.

It started because somehow...
I is Micah Sanders on the Facebook application?!


(if you dunno who micah sanders is, check him out in this picture... he's the shortest. =_=)


W: u are mica sanders?
BM: yesh... i also dun understand why
W: I was Hiro's friend.... even sadder
BM: AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAH!! hiro's FRIEND!?! is that even an option?!!
W: seriously... I'm all these shitty characters in the which *** are u quizzes
BM: You are making me laugh out loud!!!
W: yeah! I didn't even know u can be him
BM: HAHAHHAHAAHHAHAHA!! it's damn farnee!!! micah sanders is so lame
W: like which transformer are u, some ppl get megatron and optimuss prime.... I am some dunno what shhit robot I haven't even heard b4... I had to cheat to become starscream
BM: AHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!
this conversation is hilarious!!! we have to blog it!
W: and starscream is like the most loser suck up decepticon
BM: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!
W: sad sad sad.... and the stupid what car are u app... I'm a skoda!!!! KNS!!!!

'Good Fren' and I were at our favourite laksa stall along East Coast Road on New Year's Day, when we witnessed a condescending act.

This bespectacled fair-faced guy, probably late 30s - early 40s with his 6-7 year old son in tow, was ordering laksa at the stall.
Apparently, he pointed at one of the photographs on the wall (you know those of stall people and famous people) and asked the stall attendant,


The stall attendant totally ignored him.

You may think that the stall attendant was being condescending, but I beg to differ.
The middle-aged guy was the condescending one.

It may be a little difficult to explain through text, but I am sure you have, at some point in your life, witnessed upper middle-class people trying to 'be with the heartlanders'.
Or did so yourself. *gasp*
(Bah... I doubt the upper class read my measly blog anyway.)

Back to trying to 'be with the heartlanders'...
You know, make small talk in ang moh-sounding dialect/mandarin, pretending to care about their livelihood when they really dun give a shite.

I was trying to explain this to 'Good Fren' that it was all a 'Shiok-Sendiri' aka self-gratifying act by these upper middle class people, especially in front of their offspring to demonstrate 'what a great guy your dad is!', and speculated that the middle-aged guy probably drove a BMW and lived in a fancy condo/landed housing in the East.

Then, the man and kid walked towards a golden BMW illegally parked at the junction of Ceylon Road and East Coast Road as follows: