Intellectual Snob's comments

She is lucky enough to have the means and opportunity to study abroad. However, that does not give her the perogative to condescend the local students here. Education and knowledge are not granted to cause arrogance, but to be used for the patient welfare of others. Let us give her the benefit of the doubt. There could be local graduates who fit her portrayal, but not every one does.

I have a friend who was educated in top schools in Singapore as well. However, she chose to study here even though she could go abroad. She has turned out to be nothing like how Intellectual Snob portrays the locals as. She is extremely smart, civilized, stylish, cultured, artistic, intelligent, well-travelled, knowledgeable, educated and well-liked. Hah, beat that, Intellectual Snob!

It is not wrong to be opinionated about the world we live in, but we must respect people's feelings in the process of doing so!

Wash and Win Promotion

This campaign was implemented by Tan Tock Seng Hospital. There are prizes offered in this promotion, including a car and a TV.

Though it is a good incentive to encourage Singaporeans to practise more stringent personal hygiene in this time of the H1N1 virus, I wonder if it is because Singaporeans are naturally nonchalant and too relaxed even in time of crises, such that they are not bothered to take precautions in this time. Charity shows also offered prizes as incentives to encourage Singaporeans to donate money. It seems such a sad state of affairs that Singaporeans need motivation to do what is right and good.

My student feels that Singaporeans are aware of the importance of taking up preventive meaures in this time. She gave an example where they actually wore masks during the flight she was on.

Family tragedy

A 7-year-old boy was killed by his dad on Father's Day, the climax to 2 months of abuse. He lay brain dead and eventually, he was taken off life support. What a summer for the boy! Instead of having a fun holiday, he was subjected to repeated abuse and then killed.

The father's girlfriend too, just stood by, and did nothing to stop the abuse and murder. Obviously, she does not love children. The mother of the boy was terribly upset and angry with the father. She is divorced from her husband. He had been given custody of the boy for the summer and instead, he became a monster to the boy. What kind of a father is he?

Students sporting tattoos

Reading some of the thoughts on this subject in the New Paper causes me to lament the perceptions of teenage girls towards love. Dion thinks that "boys like girls with tattoos". Those who do judge by appearance but it is the character that will determine a person's worth and that will last. She feels more sexy and attractive due to her tattoo. True sexiness and attraction are not based on your appearance.

A 15-year-old is of the opinion that tattoos reflect strength. He may be using them to counter his insecurities, as a 30-year-old secondary school teacher and a tertiary level teacher in her 40s imply. Thomas feels that they help him look tough. He is probably trying to evade potential bullies but it just shows that he is using tattoos to conceal his inner fear. Sometimes, facing problems head-on permanently eradicates them. Dylan Nah thinks that getting one will not kill him.

Really, to be a strong person is to believe in yourself, to have courage to face life's challenges and to come out of them a better person. A tattoo is a mere decoration on your skin. It would only offer superficial strength at the most. A person needs lasting strength to live. At the same time, its impression of strength may deter people from getting to know you, as they may become afraid of you. Also, when such teenagers like Thomas and Dylan go out into the working force in future, they may be shunned or avoided due to some others' pre-determined assumptions of such people, that they are ex-offenders. Their intentions will then have back-- fired and their spirits will be killed, that is, if they cannot get on with life as result.

Brendan Chia got one out of peer pressure and also to feel belonged to his clique of friends. Now they do not keep in contact with him. What is the point of ruining your body just to keep your friends? Should true friendship not be based on appearance but on bonding and genuine feelings?

Another Thomas now regrets that he had considered getting a tattoo as it did not turn out to his expectations. After all, his friend was the one who did it for him. Who else can he blame? Amateurs do not always produce consistent results. He also fears his parents finding it. Then why did he even consider it in the first place? It is too late for regrets.

This is my personal opinion. I feel that tattoos taint the body; God's temple. However, I am not surprised if these teenagers have been influenced by the programmes Miami Ink or LA Ink, which portray tattoos as artistic , meaningful and trendy.

My student feels that having a tattoo is not necessary and not 'cool'. The pain at erasing it should the decision arise will be intense, and this is what she will use to dissuade her friends from getting one. She feels that it is not good for the skin too.

Random observations.

I was waiting for a friend at the bus stop when I saw this irritating couple deliberately delay traffic. One of them was alighting from a cab and the other was bidding him farewell. They kissed as a gesture of farewell. As they were obstructing the traffic flow, drivers started blasting their car horns. They retaliated by extending the duration of their kiss without bothering about the reactions of people around them. That was clearly an act of pettiness and revenge. It was so immature. The people around me were commenting on their selfish act and now that I think about it, I should have snapped a photograph of them. *evil laughter*

I used to think that Singaporeans are generally self-absorbed but this lady proved my assumption wrong. My dad and I were trying to look for a place and she heard us as we spoke. She clarified our doubt without any qualms. This is what initiative is about. It can be shown in the simple things around us; by making a person's day.

The Hot Index(June 19th 2009)

A property agent sending rude messages to clients only goes to show how unprofessional and immature he is. Even if they opted out of doing business with him, it is their right and he should respect it. Instead, he shows how petty he is by this gesture. His firm has issued him warnings but he is continuing to send them. Sooner or later, he will be sacked and have no customers due to his attitude.

A cosplay event requires people to dress up in costumes of various characters. An example is females dressing like Lolitas, ie. making themselves up to look like little girls. A man wore a military uniform for this purpose. It is an inappropriate choice of dressing because it belittles the actual definition of an army personnel: integrity, loyalty to the country and bravery. To wear an army unform is to insinuate that the army is insignificant enough to be used for such an event, making fun of it in the process. A girl wore the top half of an army uniform, which is worse. Was she using it to pose in a provocative manner? That is such an insult to the army!

Residents were irate at a wedding held on early Sunday morning, as the blasting of the car's horn had disrupted their sleep. I suspect one of the families involved in the celebration was Teochew. Teochews have to wake up at the crack of dawn as part of the wedding customs. It may have been disruptive for the residents but at the same time, they could have realised that this was the reason for it, and tried to practise some forebearance.

A pet as an unjust scapegoat.

I was heartbroken to read about this family who alienated their pet dog just because a doctor identified it as the cause of the grandchild's allergy. They used to love it before the incident. Now they don't even bathe it, walk it, carry it or even pat it! They leave it confined in a corner. Re-reading the article really breaks my heart, even as I type about it now.

As a dog-lover, it deeply affects me. This is pure selfishness on the part of the family. Just because a doctor identified the dog as the cause of the allergy, the dog is now relegated to a non-existent nature. What about all the love and joy it had given to the family before that?? The irony is that the dog doesn't stop yearning for affection and love. It still gets excited when there are visitors. I would have given up on humanity long ago, if I were the dog. The family seems to be no better than beasts, in the way they treat the dog. Even this doctor who wrote the letter states that it should not be treated as such, being the cause of the allergy. He labels the treatment as inhumane and says that it is innocent. The dog did not purposely cause the allergy on the child. Why should it be punished in the first place?!

Also, when asked to give it up for adoption, they claim that they can't bear to let it go. If they really love the dog, they should at least take care of it, or let someone more deserving do so. Can someone please do something before the dog suffers any further?! The family should be fined or imprisoned, like how America does to owners who neglect their animals.

MOH hygiene poster

I first saw it at Serangoon MRT station(Circle line entrance) and was intrigued by how it effectively brought the message of washing our hands to people. It may look repulsive with the hand depicted in a horrifying way, but fear can be a source of motivation to do what should be done.

A reader wrote in to question the fact that it had been placed near a primary school, and that it would be too frightening for the children who see it. I beg to differ. The visual would make them afraid of what would happen to them, should they refrain from washing their hands. It is an effective and excellent way to educate them, with the H1N1 virus so dominant. The present generation of children learn better with visuals. Then again, the advertisement may not appeal to all youths. My student feels that it will not make a difference to her hygiene practices.

Imposed blindness, we Singaporeans

Upon reading "A Pitiful Passerby", whose headline was obviously laced with approved sarcasm, I must say that the lady who asked for directions to the mosque was too engrossed in her own affairs. Where is the community spirit? Would it have hurt to ask if an ambulance had been called, at the very least? She may have been late for her appointment but if so, then it would have been for a good reason. I am reminded of the story of the Good Samaritan.

If there was already a crowd helping the injured man, then by not helping, she would be refraining from adding to the chaos already caused. However, with just 2 helpers, another would not hurt.

Recycling in SIngapore

I recycle things on a regular basis and am so committed to it that when I did not receive a plastic bag for this purpose, I actually wrote to the organization about it. Thus, when I read an article on the type of things found for recycling purposes, I was repulsed at what people threw into the bins.

Decomposed and leftover food is definitely NOT meant to be recycled. Do the culprits know the meaning of "recycled" in the first place?! It also contaminates the other things that CAN be recycled, thus making them useless. They are another type of environmentally destructive citizens.

At the same time, Britain had sent its recycled rubbish to Brazil and some of the things that were discovered were used condoms, syringes and diapers. Obviously, Brazil sent them back to Britain. What does this show about Britain? It is supposed to be civilized, and in the early 20th Century, it sought to civilise its colonies too. Its elitism has definitely deteriorated with such an act! How can it expect to gain respect in this way? It is also insulting Brazil by assuming that Brazil does not know the meaning of 'recycled plastic", besides showing that about itself.

No photography allowed

It does get annoying when I, a photography fanatic, am barred from taking pictures of window displays. It is purely for aesthetic value that I snap a picture of something that catches my attention. However, it is perhaps due to security issues that this is imposed, which is understandable, since terrorism is a prevalent problem in the world. It is ironic though, that I was able to do so in London.

Then I came across this article in New Paper, where shopkeepers explain that they are afraid of trade competitors planning to plagiarise their ideas, but allow tourists to take pictures. This explains why I was able to do so in London.

Never look down on manual jobs

A managing director of a firm wrote about how he became a gravedigger to fund his education. Though it may be a literally dirty and tiring, mundane job, it brought him to where he is now. In the process, he learnt to treasure humanity, even though he was dealing with corpses. He would safeguard the bodies from prying and leering eyes of the opposite sex, and those of children were especially poignant for him. Such a job taught him about life and death. It is the simple things that are the most profound.

A survey showed that Singaporeans shun manual and mundane jobs such as this. However, the fact remains that if every Singaporean were to have this attitude, life would not be so smooth for us. So kudos to the road sweepers, toilet cleaners and bus drivers, among other such people who make life so easy for us!

Horrible manners of MRT commuters

The newspaper articles that carry incidents on able-bodied commuters not giving up these reserved seats to those who really need them, ignites a sense of injustice and yet resignation within me. I may not be pregnant, elderly or disabled, but I have psoriatic arthritis in my knees, which causes me not to be able to stand or walk for too long a time. My youthful looks conceals this condition, I am aware, and seriously, I cannot be bothered to fight for these seats with such selfish commuters who do not bother about other needy people around them. With such attitudes, they will probably think I am lying, knowing the extremity of their attitudes, which cannot be eradicated by any methods the government may come up with.

When I was in London, the commuters readily gave up their seats to my father who is a senior citizen. The priority seats have actually been left empty, with the commuters preferring to stand! This is a practically non-existent occurrence in Singapore. We may think that people in the West lack basic manners and values, which include respecting one's elders, due to their liberal mindset. Well, this proves our assumption wrong!

I was appalled to read about this youth who told an elderly lady off for having asked him to give up his seat to her. What kind of education is he receiving? Aren't his parents and teachers doing their jobs? When a youth goes this awry in his mindset and attitudes, we can only blame the people in authority in his life. This is why Singapore has a long way to go in this area, as compared to even London.

Yet another youth, this time a girl, was reported to have snubbed this idea of giving seats up to the elderly. She blatantly ignored an old man's need to have her seat. She was sitting in a a seat meant for the needy. What is there left to say? I hope I don't have the misfortune to encounter such people when I am on the train, for I don't know how I will react to such inconsiderate and idiotic people.

There is a line between being protective towards your girlfriend and obeying the rules set by the government, as a citizen. A man was doing the right thing by telling a girl not to eat on the train, by pointing to a sign that emphasises it. Her stupid boyfriend challenged him to a fight as a result. What kind of citizen is he? I have so much to say about him but I shall control myself. If he really cares for his girlfriend, he would have stopped her instead of having to see her embarrassed. These type of guys are not fictional, mind you. I know people who would tell their friends their flaws with the very best of intentions. Unfortunately, they are not appreciated. The couple is obviously uncouth, uneducated, uncivilized and uncultured.

I note too that there was no mention of the other commuters stepping in to side with the man. Hmm. I am very sure though that he reacted to this challenge in a calm, civilized, cultured and collected manner(alliteration!)

I also feel repulsed at reading an article about this father who refused to give up his seat to someone who needed it more, despite being asked to by a fellow commuter other than the person in need. His son was next to him and that is indeed being a bad role model for his son. It is no wonder that Singapore has a long way to go in being a gracious society, with such parents who teach their children the wrong behaviour and values! Before deciding to be a parent, one must first be aware of his actions and behaviour towards others, so that he can inculcate the right values in his children! If he has to change himself as a result, then that is only necessary for the ultimate goal of being a good role model!

Now even just a simple gesture like moving farther into the cabin is scorned. Someone had done the socially responsible thing by asking the commuters blocking the entrance to move in, but his request was ignored. What is happening to society?! It has become so selfish!

Father protests against his son's exclusion from AYG

A father wrote to MCDYS about nominating another youth over his son for the 400m race. I wonder if his son knows about this move. It is rather embarrassing for his son. It may stem from love and belief, but is a unnecessary move, I feel. This is really the last resort but I have a feeling that the father did it out of impulse.

There are unseen reasons as to why MCDYS chose someone else. It may not be because his son was not as good as the other youth, but perhaps because MCDYS wanted to give him a chance, for example. The man's son is not the only runner that can meet the criteria for the selection. As a mature adult, the man should be able to understand this and counsel his son should the latter regard this news as a mark of his failure in life.

Singaporean accent, not Singlish

I am aware that we are known to be able to adapt to different ways of speaking according to our different audiences. That means we can revert to Mandarin whenever we speak to mainland Chinese who work here, or even Singlish whenever we speak to people who are not so good at speaking proper English. However, this compromises my ability to speak proper English. Now that I am going to London, I am an ambassador of my country and must project a positive image. This to me, means that I must brush up even more on my oral English skills. Sometimes, I do get irritated when I hear improper English being spoken by teachers and journalists.

I am not referring to our local accent but to our lack of speaking grammatically correct English. We can speak proper English in our local accent, as Lee Kwan Yew does in England. Singlish is a unique dialect of ours but its little expressions can render our oral English improper in its sounding. Ironically, I used to be ashamed of our accent and had tried to pick up the accents of the people in UK and US. However, London just had Singapore Day almost a month ago and somehow it made me develop a sense of pride in our local accent. The strange thing is that foreigners actually find our accent intriguing. Thus, as I leave for London tomorrow, I go with the thought that it is our accent that makes us Singaporeans but it is my proper English that should show how proud I am to have it as my first language.

Then again, the environment I am in has a great influence on the way I speak English. Once I came back to Singapore, I reverted to Singlish. When I am with Singaporeans, in another country, I do the same. It takes effort to speak proper English all the time, but for the sake of my students, I will try! I've taken the first step by watching more documentaries, so that I can listen to the narrators speak in their impeccable English :)

My student asked me how I feel when I hear Singaporeans speak Singlish. I feel as if I am with familiar people in a foreign country but at the same time, I feel ashamed of the improper way English is spoken.

Criticism about SG

Some of the comments featured in Sunday's Lifestyle have caused me to be indignant. They came from two foreign ministers, referring to our size. It is extremely unfair to have said what they said, but look how we have proven ourselves to them. Our port, airport and quality of life is world-class! They can't beat that. Hah!

Aware saga

At first, I didn't feel anything worth writing about with reference to this controversy but as the chronology of events was traced, I question the fact that the ousted committee headed by Josie Lau did not bring up their misgivings at the meetings, but rashly staged a coup. I am a Christian, and am against pre-marital sex and homosexuality too, but I feel they were ruled by their emotions, which caused them to do such an uncalled thing like this. Even Irene Ang, who is a member, told them that she was Christian but also opposed their move.

Aware is after all, a secular organization and Singapore, being a multi-racial society with high tolerance for its different cultures and set of beliefs, has alas such overenthusiastic people who were not rational and objective enough to realise the consequences of their action, though well-intentioned. They collaborated as fellow church-goers to overthrow the ruling committee because they strongly disagreed with the sexual education programme implemented for schools. Even their pastor attempted to garner support for them in his congregation. They overlooked the fact that they should not have imposed their religious views on a secular group, despite being members of it.

My further thoughts on the pastor are that his request for prayers for Josie Lau and her husband was a warm gesture but it could have been tweaked towards asking for strength for them to do the right thing. This would have made things more objective.

This move almost further tainted the seemingly negative impression people have of some Christians, as aggressive in converting people to be believers of Christ. However, the stands made by Christan churches of how religion should be kept out of secular affairs, reflect the fact that the ousted committee, made up of a majority of members from the same church, has drawn flak for its move to impose its dogma on a secular organization's dealings. It should have known better than to be such crusaders, which is an unnecessary decision in the first place. Even the other churches are not on its side, even though they are of the same faith. I hope it now understands that it was doing the wrong thing. Obviously, it did this on impulse, since its members weren't adequately prepared to answer questions thrown at them, and had to consult the legal advisers hired. Thank goodness the overwhelming cohort of members stepped in to set things right, and thus the ousted committee agreed to step down for the sake of much needed harmony in our civil society.

I don't know if my timid and passive nature has caused this relief towards this positive turn of events, as some people feel that their courage is to be lauded. The end doesn't actually justify the means though. Was the programme so unethical that a takeover was imminent, without first bringing their views up? The media's presentation of some clauses in the programme that the "feminist mentor" found extremely disturbing, enlightened my mind with the result that there was no such need to conduct such a violent move. It seems that the ousted committee did not trust the ruling committee enough to listen to their misgivings, and decided to immediately stage a coup as well as recruit new members for Aware instead.

Also, being a "feminist mentor" seems to undermine the Biblical teaching of how women should behave. As she is a Christian, she should know what it consists. Eve was to be a helper of Adam, not equal to him. This implies that feminism, which essentially fights for the equal rights of women, is against the teaching. To call herself that, even if it was to cater to the secular world's perception of women, is inappropriate, isn't it? This is my two cents' worth pertaining to such a terminology employed by Dr Thio.

I also deplore the fact that Josie Lau blatantly disregarded DBS's warning not to run for President. Now that she has been ousted, she can finally set out to concentrate on her Vice-president post in the bank, as she should have done instead of accepting the election as AWARE President. She did not want to comment on this public rebuke by her employer, perhaps nursing a guilty conscience? Now that she has been given a new post by DBS, is this the consequence of her earlier stubborn wilfulness?

The fact that she could not fathom why people are against a group of Christians from the same church taking over a secular organization to cause it to have the same belief as their church's, shows her lack of depth in understanding the full consequences of her action. She wanted to see only the result she aimed to achieve, which stemmed from her own set of beliefs, but not the other results like the move incurring the wrath of people and her disrespect for the secular nature of the organization, by imposing her faith's teachings on its agenda.

As AWARE strives to move on, via the leadership of Dana Lam, her committee has decided not to press charges against the ousted committee for spending $80K more than the amount the constitution allows them to. This is an act of graciousness and humility to the ousted committee. She gives them the benefit of the doubt by attributing their total expenses to the lack of experience and stress in running the group. Her committee has also managed to recover the expenses through donations, membership fees and discounts off the bills, earning a profit in the process. They can definitely run AWARE better and the ousted committee knows this. They have not offered to help in its programmes.

The present committee has also submitted some new rules for their constitution, so as to prevent another irreverent tussle of leadership. One of them is that members must have been in the organization for at least two years before running for election. It makes perfect sense.

Unprofessional operators

The operators who laughed at David for seeking help to be saved from his bushland surroundings have a lot to answer for. They caused his death as they did not take his pleas seriously enough. He had no way of telling them his exact location due to his condition, and they thought that he was playing a trick on them. It is understandable if they had previously encountered such incidents but the way the organization dealt with his death makes me gnash my teeth. A mere apology is barely enough for someone who lost his life. Granted, a statement to avoid similar responses to future calls was issued, but this, coupled with the apology, is not a proper response towards the death. They should offer some form of compensation or donation to the family too.

What is our country becoming?

The couple who walked down Holland Village without any clothes were obviously disregarding the laws governing our country. It disgusts me to know that the lady is a Singaporean. She may have been influenced by the liberal attitudes towards sexuality in Sweden where she studies, but being back in her homeland means that she should be aware of its laws unlike the man.

The teen who posted bedroom videos online was clearly obsessed with Pet Society. To flaunt her body for virtual gifts to be given to her virtual pet is appalling.It does not justify the end goal. She does not know how to respect and love her God-given body. The men who actually take on this exchange are also people who do not know how to respect women as they should be.

The group of students who irked Xu Huifong on the bus irk me too. She had "gently" reminded them to dispose of their bags but their response is truly unbecoming. The girl's chant especially, irks me to no end. She is daring enough to mock the civic-conscious commuter in an outright manner. I hope CCSS identifies her and she is severely dealt with. Counselling is not enough.

This is a clear disregard of fellow citizens. I'm heartened to know though that the boy retrieved his rubbish and disposed some of it, and that the commuter was eagle-eyed enough to note the school initials. It is so very ironic that the girls did not do anything about it. Girls are supposed to be more considerate. What nature is our society hurling towards?

The NS man who ranted against the army for ruining his future when he was discovered smuggling a drug into the camp is ridiculously unrepentant. He had already ruined it by committing this act, in case he did not know.
Probably if it had been undiscovered, he would have been smug about it. If that were the case, his character would have still remained tainted, which is the more important thing.

Miss USA finalist being mocked

She was asked a question on whether all the states should legalise gay marriages. She made a stand and said that marriage should be between a man and a woman. I sure hope that she was not labelled as stupid for this reason. I myself, believe in the same concept of marriage.

Her only fault was that she failed to answer the question. Besides stating her belief of what a marriage constitutes, she repeated the question via the options pertaining to marriage which are available for Americans. The suggested answer though, as given by the judge who asked her the question, smacks of political correctness. It is an evasion of the question for this ultimate goal. It implies that winning a pageant is dependent on diplomatic opinion, instead of sincere and convicted personal belief.