receive another news of a person passing on.. a relative of a person whom ive known for years.. haiz.. at least he lived till a ripe old age..
im still in somewhat disbelief that there are increasing num of ppl i know who passed away at a age younger than my mum's.. kinda rings e alarm that actually i shdnt take living till ripe old age for granted and perhaps its time to spend more time and show more concern to my parents tho i dun really know how to go about carrying out since im not close to them since young.. one more thought coming out from this is perhaps ppl shd start setting up family at a younger age so that at least if sth bad happens to their health when they are still in middle age and subsequently claim their lives, their child(ren) are already adults or at the very least somewhat able to take care of themselves.. 至少走也走得安心點。。。
不曾经拥有，也就没所谓的放弃, first heard sth along the line in the movie Love! initially i find that it can be a good food for thought.. but i now find it to be a rather passive thinking..
i know that the author is referring to material possession, but even in this regard, i still find that it can be a good thing to have the hunger/desire for better things. jus tt where do you draw the line and prevent it from becoming obsessive.. plus also e ability to differentiate needs and wants and training up your resistance to succumb to wants
for larger aspects, can having this mindset hampers human from progressing?? one example will be improvement to welfare of human being, i will be e first to shudder thinking tt if Edison Thomson had this mindset and hence did not invent e lightbulb etc
e one tt really caught everyone by surprise is e expulsion of WP Hougang MP the WP has indeed taken a bold decision in a bid to save its reputation.. personally i believe that MP has a right to his/her own private life and that at times e best thing to do in terms of a rumour is to keep quiet, cuz at times it can really 越描越黑， 反正清者自清嘛
but i thought Mr Yaw would at least explain to WP about things as its in a way, his job to do so.. i didnt realise he will MIA just like that.. kinda irresponsible I will say..
one thing tt i dont really get it is why e rumour is so persistent?? issit cuz he is a political figure or issit cuz Singaporeans are a super conservative bunch??
As for the WP decision, I certainly hope that this move can restore ppl's confidence level in them and go on to win e by-election. we really need more opposition members right now the debates are so much more interesting.. =D
another news that got me thinking is e sudden rise of Jeremy Lin
i must agree when i read a report tt somehow Chinese 很喜歡認親戚, like to say 'oh we are of the same dialect grp/share e same ancestory' i recognise that China, being such a huge and populous country, its a joy to see someone else sharing e same language/food habits etc as you but as with anything, once it goes towards e extreme, its not good
just like in this case, the china media is emphasising his china roots by playing up e fact tt his maternal grandma is staying in zhejiang province but hello, he is born in Taiwan and bred in Taiwan + USA he probably hasnt even been to China!!
& i also thought chinese only look at e male side and disregard e female side?? contradicting...
personally this episode reminds me of what Dear dear told me before, that Americans work very hard as they believe in the American dream. Never give up and you can or even will achieve it one day.. ppl are generally supportive of one chasing his/her own dream..
Jeremy Lin is a HARVARD grad which means he sure got tons of choices but even when he is just a nobody in NBA, he persevered and push through.. not sure if there are naysayers putting him down though.. but it is this spirit that now brings him success
that is one thing which i think Asians need to learn from.. a wider definition of success, forming an encouraging society for the young to pursue their dreams.. & even perhaps the view that upon graduation, the child must take over the financial responsibility of the family (esp to e eldest child) and they can dont work liao.. yes, reality can be harsh but never be too quick to put one down and telling others to give up.. cuz you only live once!! you never know until you try & success can be just a step away when u decide to give up!
last one will be the govt budget as expected, its uninteresting as its not a election year budget.. has alr tamed my expectations =P can see e efforts of gahmen to help e more needy..
but at times i cant help think that e gahmen can actually do more than current.. eg buy more buses and help fund the operating cost for e next 10 years but din guarantee tt transport fares will not increase..
next thing is e GST voucher.. seriously i personally find it kinda stupid that u charge GST and then give rebate to the less well off why dont in e first place, charge a lower rate?? esp since GST is a regressive tax tt burdens e lower income grp e most? why e hassle and extra admin work??
just like housing.. increase price of flats and give more subsidies to e more needy grp *duh* since there are alr measures in place to prevent abuse right from e start (eg only couples earning below 10k per mth can buy new flat), why dont just directly lower e prices?? why make life difficult for everyone??
back to topic, the silver housing bonus scheme also raises qn.. my personal view on this issue is that finallly e govt recognises tt quite a num of Singaporeans are asset rich and cash poor.. but right now what they did doesn't try to prevent this situation from happening among the next generation of Singaporeans.. A reactive policy coming from a govt who claims to be proactive.. & com'on e bonus amt is max 15k cash..& after one pledges to deposit sales proceed into CPF acct.. if wanna give carrot, in e first place, make it bigger and also comes with less T&C!!! makes me wonder if they are really sincere in helping
hmm shd i stop critisizing and do more tangible stuff to help??
highly recommended the movie Love!! one of e best chinese movie i have watched!! cant remember how many times i have laughed my heads off and at e same time feel very touched at other scenes.. kept thinking of Dear dear during e movie and relishing our sweet memories =) im really fortunate to have him & his love make me cherish our relationship even more after this movie
看官读到此处，也许已不耐烦：本文题为“妹妹发烧”，妹妹直到现在还不出场，岂不离题万丈？原来“妹妹发烧”是笔者为西班牙词语muy muy fácil（意思为“十分容易”）所作粤语注音。每当上课学生觉得西语某些地方很困难时，我们那位可爱的老师就会摇摇头，面带笑容地说“发烧，发烧，妹妹发烧！”
于我来说，无论学什么语言，如果心中有爱，加上持之有恒，总有一天都会变得“妹妹发烧”。
轉載自聯合早報
haha, was just talking about e difficulty of learning French with my frens during a gathering yesterday and we were joking tt perhaps Dear shd focus his efforts and learn Mandarin from me since it doesnt have complicated verbs/adjectives as well as simpler grammar rules..
now this article gives me second thoughts about learning Spanish.. ;p
tt said, learning any language is hard.. & it doesnt help when some of the rules of languages are weird/illogical plus e fact tt ppl tend learn one language while using another language as a base and therein comes e comparison..
personally i do think that languages are actually quite fair there are certainly some parts which are difficult/tough/challenging to learn but it is being 'compensated' by other aspects which are simpler/easier.. Eg the Mandarin characters can be a nightmare to remember and to write but Mandarin does not have complicated grammar rules as seen in European languages
hence i feel that it is really one's attitude/willingness towards learning a language tt determines the outcome
& one shd really start learning a language as early as possible.. just read one article recently tt kids who know more than 2 languages perform better in some experiments and that the golden age of learning is before 6.. so i really hope Sg parents can stop speaking Singlish to their kids.. it will only do more harm than good.. might as well speak the language you are most proficient at..
the shocking news of corruption involving 2 ex high level/senior civil servants (who are also govt scholars so does scholars = 人才??) has just barely died down, another wave cant wait to take over to continue hogging the headlines...
this time round, it involves prostitution and a ex principal of a famous school.. >.<
im quite surprised to learn tt these ppl were being invited to drink coffee cuz e police busted some online prostitution groups and among the evidences are lists of customers' names.. call me naive but i thought prostitution process is e guy gives e girl money, perform e act and go off?? since when there is 'registration'?!? & even with registration, some guys are willing to be registered?!? isnt that akin to leaving ur NRIC behind e crime scene after commiting a crime??!! even if it is not a criminal offence to visit prostitute, isn't it also a concrete evidence of infidelity?? all i can say is either they are too naive/confident or they were registered unknowingly
back to e ex principal.. on moral grounds, this ex principal who is supposed to be a role model for the younger generation ought to be reprimanded/sanctioned.. esp when he is a married man..
however instead of just punishing/criticising the guy, it is can actually be interesting to look at things from another aspect.. this topic was briefly brought up by a fren during a gathering some time back and tho it can be controversial, it did shed some light from another angle
since prostitution is a grey issue in sg (sg didnt legally ban it and there is e famous red-light district call Geylang), is it wrong (other than morally wrong) to get paid sex??
if a guy's partner doesn't like sex/have low sex drive etc, is it wrong for a guy to go for paid sex??
before all e moralist condemn me, i think it is impt to look at some facts..
for females, sex is an emotional need (some wld argue it is a 'want' rather than a 'need').. it is a outcome/result of love.. that's why most females will only mate with someone she has romantic feelings for hence put it very simply, females can live without sex
for males, sex is a physical need. like it or not, due to e higher testosterone level in males, it means males usu hav a stronger need of sex than females. hence males can/are able to separate sex from love though they can control e sexual urge, it takes quite a fair bit of discipline so i believe quite a num cant do it successfully DISCLAIMER: im not a guy so do correct me if e above view is incorrect
this is where e disparities lies in and hence why prostitution is one of the oldest 'industry' and still surviving
back to the qns, my personal view is that much as i want guys to be loyal (both mental and physical) to their partners, i can close one eye on guys going for paid sex IF the guy's partner is 性冷感 + other forms of sex can't satisfy him + he can't control e sexual urge anymore
notice that it is quite a num of conditions put into an 'IF' and it only applies to attached/married guys..
for those single and available guys, i wont condone sex whether paid or free.. just as single and available girls are expected to behave, i expect e same for the single and available guys..
not a one-night-stand/sex-in-e-name-of-fun-or-thrill supporter
i believe that sex is best enjoyed between couples, so for those without a partner, be more patient.. only when experiencing it with your partner can e greatest satisfaction be derived.
with that, it brings me to another taboo qn..
what are the reasons behind some females' low sex drive besides biological reason?
somehow i believe that e notion that sex is solely for reproduction purpose and that sex is a dirty/shameful act plays a big role..
for e first notion, i will say it depends on how one looks at things.. if one feel anything to be a chore, one wont be interested to do it mah.. isn't it?? think positive!!
for e next perception, it really puzzles me.. all of us are products of sex so if one feels shameful of sex, why isnt e same person shameful of himself/herself and/or his/her presence in this world?? sex is a normal part of life!! yes, we dont need to glamourise sex.. BUT on the other hand, do we need to penalise sex/put sex in such a bad light?? & i hate it all e more when this perception is enforced by parents to just the daughters only & not e sons!!! so unfair!!
probably enough discussion on e topic of sex.. lets move on to more '正經' matter
this episode makes me wonder if the civil service/govt as clean/upright as it claims??
is it pure coincidence that all these negative news regarding civil servants were reported within a short span of time?? or are there more serious underlying problems??
moving forward, is there any reflection and/or rethinking done by e relevant authorities?? have they thought of how to restore e now-tarnished reputation??
hmm is it very easy to get pregnant? after knowing some who got pregnant within 2 mths of marriage, right now a good fren is also 'following their footsteps'.. wow..
can it be due to the girls' relatively younger age??
or both e couple are in good health??
& this year is indeed a hot year for giving birth, must brace myself for e 2nd wave of invites (baby shower).. & of course, not forgetting e 1st wave red bomb aka wedding invite
i read with interest with regard to the Economist article on the row between HK-ers and PRCs.. tt the editors found it of significance to report it..
cuz from a Singaporean point of view, it is no surprise really.. essentially HK & SG are areas heavily influenced by e west hence most ppl, esp e younger generations are pretty much westernised so cfm there is culture clash.. just like how Sg ppl like to complain about e uncivilised behaviour of PRCs, Indian nationals etc
& HK is jus like SG, suffering from overcrowding so e pent up anger is certainly there..
but i must say im a little taken aback by e wordings used as i think its overboard.. i feel that no matter how displeased/angry a person is, name calling shd be e last resort as it has e most damaging consequence & e editors of e newspaper allow such wording to be published and distributed nationwide... freedom of speech or abuse of freedom??
hmm i think i have become more and more open/receptive to new things/thinking since I've been with Dear
positive thing right?
tho nt sure if learning how to horse bet is desirable.. lolz & horse betting is as addictive as soccer betting.. with many different versions to bet too.. no wonder horse betting is another big 'industry'
okay, i must learn from to resist after tasting a little win on my side.. 見好就收
cuz im e one who doesnt believe that one can win really big cuz e probability is jus too low.. jus like e 10 mil Toto today.. winning e top prize is one in 500,000 & i didnt win anything which is no surprise cuz Toto is not easy to win.. hence i was a little shocked when i saw ppl buying as if it dun cost a cent to bet.. ppl, think of e opportunity cost =D
& think i do have a little luck here and there.. cuz my slight disappointment of not winning anything in Toto is compensated by winning some MBS vouchers.. =) *happy happy*
though i can be a critic of the PAP, i express full gratitude to the founding members cuz they are the ones that really went through all the ups and down to bring Singapore to where is it today..
should i be surprised to read about the recent comments about top CEOs regarding that Sg students lack the drive and unwilling to get out of their comfort zone?
isn't this the reality for years and isn't it too late for the Education Minister to realise it only now??
& who can blame the students for behaving and thinking this way when the society is still rather intolerant of failure, conformist/too law abidding, too focused on tangible results eg academic achievement and uses material possession as a important or in fact, only measurement of success??
not sure about now, but what has been drilled inside the Gen Y minds is that go into a good school, get good results, then get a job that paid well and from there you can lead a comfy life..
looks like it didn't deviate too much right now if what i see among my ex-students are representative of the Gen Z in general..
so isn't the gahmen being too slow to get to know this reality??
& they wonder why Singaporeans are not reproducing enough... okay, they somehow get it by saying during CNY that the govt is looking beyond financial measures/incentives to boast the fertility rate
but to be frank, im not sure how these deep rooted attitudes can be changed overnight and how they are going about to change esp since they are all for incremental change rather than drastic change..
this also brings me to the whole debate of western vs asian education system.. if there is ever a 'flaw', it is precisely what the Edu Minister is worried about & i must admit finding the right balance is never easy...
