It goes both ways

A passenger was unhappy with the way an airline crew member had treated him when he had to use the restroom of the first-class section, due to overcrowded restrooms in his own Economy class section and a really urgent stomachache problem. He ran to the first-class section and on the way, the crew member did not say anything. It was only when he had finished using it that the crew member chided him and then stared after him, as he went back to his section.

Indeed, the crew member could have spoken to him more politely and not been so indiscreet towards him. I believe the crew member knew he was not feeling well as he had let the passenger use the restroom. At the same time, the passenger cannot really place the entire blame on the crew member as he had failed to explain his situation to the crew member at all.

Economic poverty versus wrong arrest

A Caucasian who had been probably driven to crime by financial deprivation(not that I am advocating it), decided to carry out his plan with ingenuous creativity. He put on a mask that made him look like a black man, so that he could escape arrest.

The public did fall for it. A man who matched the features of the mask was arrested at first and the mother of another black man thought at first that her son was the criminal, when she saw the mask on television. Thankfully, the Caucasian could not get away from his double crime: robbery and attempting to frame another for his own crime.

It is quite sad how poverty and perhaps greed too can drive people to more than crime. They have no qualms about making others their scapegoat as well. Sigh.

Butter Factory's promotional gimmick

This popular nightspot came up with a marketing strategy whereby patrons with condoms were granted free entry to a party. I do not condone the nature of it. The organiser claims it promotes safe sex and not pre-marital sex.

There is a deep flaw in this argument. It may promote safe sex and diminish the occurrence of Aids, but it does lead to more people having the opinion that there is no harm in having sex since they have condoms which advocate safe sex. This is the key. Thus, pre-marital sex is advocated, whether the organiser is sharp enough to realise this or not.

The manager of St James Holdings supports this gimmick with a similarly flawed opinion. He feels that the presence of a condom on a person is not equal to the person's desire for sex. It is certainly not true in usual circumstances but may be in this case, for the sake of gaining free entry. However, with the atmosphere of drinks, dancing and lights, people may fall prey to the seductive effect and engage in unconscious intimacy. Having a willing partner is not applicable here. It would be too late for regrets by the time they regain their wits the next morning.

Testimonial writing

This year-end task of schools has been highlighted in the news since an MOE scholar was convicted of downloading child pornography. It has been the usual perception that teachers write out the students' testimonials in their report books but it is true that students have the opportunity to contribute to their own testimonials too. One of my ex-students asked me how to go about doing his. However, I believe that the students' drafts are edited by the teachers before being entered into the school's database. Thus, the students are not the sole and final creators of their testimonials.

The content of the testimonials is a debatable issue. Should it exude objectivity in containing both the achievements and the offences of the students? The accepted notion is for only the former to be included. I personally feel both should be part of the testimonials, though the latter can be accompanied by the fact that conversion has occurred. The problem with the present notion is that lists of affirming phrases are given to the teachers as they edit the students' drafts and some teachers even attempt to give false impressions of delinquent students. I am not condemning the intention to give our youth a chance to go further in life. This must be done with truth and a clear conscience.

Chewing gum is a nuisance

Singapore is known for its ban on chewing gum. It is prohibited everywhere in the country. This is to reinforce the country's reputation for cleanliness. It is indeed an irritation to find that you have touched sticky chewing gum with your fingers or your shoe. It makes it even more repulsive to know that sticky gum means that it has been consumed and saliva is on it.

Spain is also facing the same problem. It had previously implemented fines on those who litter with used gum but this method did not reap the desired result. The latest idea is to make a change to the manufacturing process of chewing gum and to substitute some of the ingredients in it with less sticky substances. This however, may affect the authenticity of chewing gum.

Perhaps Spain should take its cue from us and impose a complete ban on chewing gum as well.

SG's IRs get blamed by JB

Our IRs have been accused of being the cause for his state's dire family situation. This is unjustified. The free daily packages promoted by our IRs may be a form of gaining more patrons but they aren't a form of coercion on anyone. People are free to sign up for them or otherwise.

If in signing up for them, other consequences occur, they are not due to the fact that our IRs came out with the packages. There is no logic in making such an assumption. How can the suggestion for our IRs to withdraw the packages be even thought of? It may be deemed as self-protection but it can border on egotism too.