tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070996627001358802024-02-21T03:12:23.028+08:00JT'S LIFE SNIPPETSHumdrum happenings in the life of a South East Asian Islander.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.comBlogger217125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-63767210881147245432010-10-17T16:45:00.002+08:002010-10-17T16:45:52.271+08:00SO LONG, FAREWELLThe time has come, I guess, to say goodbye. At least in the virtual sense. I will not be continuing this blog.<br />
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I have another blog project in hand, which requires all my spare time to keep up. Unfortunately, I cannot invite everyone who follows this blog over (if there <em>are</em> indeed any), as that particular blog requires the strictest anonymity to work. If you do stumble upon it one day, just pretend you don’t know me.<br />
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I won’t be taking down all the posts, not unless I am made to by some authority or something. I <em>have</em> enjoyed blogging here, but it is time to move on. Thanks all, for your support.<br />
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Auf Weidersehen, goodbye…..JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-83508042307071377932010-07-29T10:18:00.000+08:002010-07-29T10:18:10.201+08:00AN EXPENSIVE LESSONI had a call 10 minutes ago which almost gave me a heart attack. It was from my brokerage, informing me that I had done a “naked” short sell…..which is illegal in Singapore, and subject to a minimum penalty of $1000.<br />
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It turned out that I was careless. The stocks to be liquated were held in my CPF investment account. I forgot about the fact and sold it off without ticking the box which says “CPF”, making it a cash sell inadvertently.<br />
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Thankfully, it has all been resolved, although it cost me about $150 after all the transaction costs have been factored in and by the fact that I had to resell those CPF stocks at a slightly lower market price etc. I still ended up reasonably in the black overall, but that was $150 which did not have to be spent in the first place! My heart aches.<br />
My heart is still palpitating from the close call, and you can be sure I am NEVER, EVER, going to do my stock market transactions in a hurry from here out.<br />
I have no idea how those intra-day traders handle the stress, but I guess this means I’m not cut out for that kind of work. Anyway, I am going to go make myself some tea and calm myself down. There is no way I can make myself work for the next half an hour…..JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-65304940266877622962010-07-22T09:53:00.000+08:002010-07-22T09:53:44.226+08:00OPTThe financial world has coined the term OPM for the use of <strong>O</strong>ther <strong>P</strong>eople’s <strong>M</strong>oney as a form capital-less investing strategy. <br />
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Personally, I am more interested in the OPT scenario.<br />
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That is, <strong>O</strong>ther <strong>P</strong>eople’s <strong>T</strong>ime.<br />
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Now and then, I feel the urge to vent about OPT. I am fiercely protective of my time. It is one of the few things in life that I value more than money. In fact, the goal of having enough money is just a means to an end, the end being able to spend my time <strong>the way I want to</strong>.<br />
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And there-in lies the crux of the problem.<br />
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I have something against people who try to multitask (unsuccessfully) and end up spreading themselves too thin. For most part, I think it is due to a modern society ill, that of the need for instant gratification, the "I want it and I want it now" syndrome.<br />
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Kudos to the person who is able to juggle all their commitments successfully, without leveraging on OPT. But how about the ten others who invariably affect others with their time overreach?<br />
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Because it ends up affecting me via the following OPT ways:<br />
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1) Waiting for perpetual late-comer because of close appointments. Even I am occasionally late (thanks, Singapore traffic), but every time? And at least 30 mins each time?<br />
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2) Group events end up being individual events, because everyone realises too late that it is not possible to do 10 things in the time available for 5 things, so the other 5 things get shafted last minute.<br />
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3) Having to always adjust my schedule to suit others for committed activities. I remember joining a group boxing class with some friend, and quite a number of classes had to be re-arranged because some of the girls decided they rather go diving, mountain climbing and what not, even though those other plans had been made <strong>after we started our boxing classes</strong>.<br />
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4) Events turn into juggling parade. Ever been to a dinner, where everyone else is on the phone? I have. Refer to my vent on the <a href="http://jtlifesnippets.blogspot.com/2010/04/second-best.html">smart-phone phenomenon</a>. What am I, invisible? Maybe I should just whip out a PC and just work too?<br />
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5) End up being the one doing all the work for a joint effort, because everyone is <strong>too busy</strong>. So I am the slacker? Just because I consciously make a point of not over-committing myself to other activities in order to make time for this one, I am suddenly the sop who <strong>should </strong>do everything because I have no life.<br />
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6) Endure snipes about how I have no life, just because I have no wish to become someone who leverages on OPT. Worse, after that, having to listen to how <strong>stressed</strong> people are with their busy lives, when about half the activities in their lives could probably be curtailed with no apparent impact. Then again, who am I to say? I am just the girl who has no life.<br />
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Sometime ago, someone asked me if I was interested in playing for an alumni band which was having a performance soon. I was frankly interested to get back into playing, but I have had a lot of past OPT experiences when it comes to amateur setups like this. The majority of the players will invariably be:<br />
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1) Working stiffs who insist on keeping the same activity in their social lives even with this additional commitment.<br />
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2) Players who are simultaneously involved in several different groups, whose practice schedules will, guess what,<strong> fall in the same period</strong>.<br />
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3) Technically excellent players who think that they are entitled to miss practices because their levels of expertise are so much above the rest, and they should not waste their time.<br />
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I refuse to set myself up for practices where only three people turn up (and if we are lucky, one of them might just be the conductor). That’s <strong>my</strong> time, folks. So I didn’t join them.<br />
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Despite the frequent urge to vent about OPT, I seldom do so publicly. The OPT phenomenon appears acceptable to most people, because it allows <strong>them</strong> to use <strong>their</strong> time the way <strong>they </strong>want to. The end justifies the means, so sucks to you if you don’t join the game.<br />
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Anyway, the recognition that I don’t want OPT in my life has resulted in quite a bit of change to my life, namely, my social life has decreased immensely. I seldom go for group activities anymore, unless I have decided the level of OPT for the people and the activities involved will be at an acceptable level. <br />
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Sometimes I ask myself whether this insistence is worth it. I really lose out quite a bit in terms of the stuff I am able to participate in and accomplish by scheduling with so much buffer. The upside is that I seldom have to live with the anxiety of an over-committed life and the guilt that someone wasted their time because of me.<br />
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I guess I just answered my own question.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-11323148352339240952010-07-22T09:44:00.000+08:002010-07-22T09:44:01.549+08:00SOME HEALTH UPDATESI have been seeing a renal specialist lately for some baseline tests on my one and only kidney. Good news is that my one kidney is working fine, except – <br />
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(There is always an except, isn’t there? Doctors would not exist but for the “excepts”…)<br />
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1) There is some blood in my urine (has been for some time).<br />
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2) I have low levels of blood albumin.<br />
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According to the specialist, the first happens to some people sometimes, and there is nothing he or I can do about it. The bad news is that my insurance company has rejected a recent insurance proposal for this very reason. And it looks like there is nothing I can do about it.<br />
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Moral of the story: Go and get some medical insurance coverage when you are young and healthy. This should be the top priority after securing your first job. I thought I was invincible and wouldn’t need it – I was wrong.<br />
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The low blood albumin is puzzling. According to my own research, it could either be due to a) malnuitrition (me? Really?), b) liver diseases (uh-oh), c) kidney diseases (uh-uh-uh-oh) or d) it is just one of those things. On the kidney front I am cool, and I don’t appear jaundiced, so liver problems are unlikely. I could be malnutritioned of course, but it doesn’t seem to have done me a lot of good on the weight loss front if that’s the case, so the doctor thinks it might be “just one of those things”. <br />
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To be on the safe side, if my albumin levels are still low next time I see him (a year later!), he will send me to a gastro-specialist to check my liver. Since it was a gastro specialist who discovered my single kidney (and sent me to him) and tumour situation in the first place, I would have come full circle!<br />
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Back to square one after all these $$$ spent.<br />
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The ultrasounds last month has revealed some small growths in my left ovary. While they are too small to be of concern right now, I feel kind of suspended in limbo, wondering if this is a sign that “IT is all coming back to me now”. I wonder also if this is how people feel when they are in cancer remission, the fear that it might come back someday will always haunt one. <br />
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I am somewhat glad that children are not in my plans. With my crummy family health history and apparently crummy genes, I don’t think it will be a good idea anyway. <br />
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By the way, it really bugs me to visit SGH. It feels like the entire sick senior population in Singapore is congregated there, and it really disturbs me to see them, and be reminded that the day may come when I will be one of them, unable to walk properly, speak intelligibly, see and hear clearly. <br />
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Aging is scary, aging with ill health is worse.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-45004067470767809792010-07-19T10:04:00.000+08:002010-07-19T10:04:25.555+08:00WHEN THERE IS NO TIME TO SAY GOODBYEThis morning at the office, we received news of an ex-colleague’s passing from a cardiac arrest. He leaves behind an elderly wife, who is still having problems accepting the fact that he is not around anymore.<br />
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This is the second such news I have received in the last 2 months. Last month, SB’s young friend passed away from stomach cancer, one week after being diagnosed, without a chance to even say goodbye to his young wife due to situational issues.<br />
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I was, and still am very, very affected by these passings happening so close to home. Death by itself is already sad enough when one can see it coming, but when it happens without any warning, it enters the realm of the tragic. <br />
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I find it very hard to concentrate on work this morning, even though a crisis has arisen at work and needs my attention. Maybe I am particularly sensitive because we have experienced some of this in the family, though it has been some years. But such things don’t go away entirely. SB nearly had a nervous breakdown some weeks past because of all these fears, and while I have more stoic nerves and can handle it better, I am no less affected.<br />
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It is going to be another long, sad day.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-62418261648753433492010-06-12T23:51:00.002+08:002010-06-12T23:51:50.511+08:00WORK WHINES….ALREADY?!When I was first informed of my new assignment and new supervisor at work after I returned from my operation, I knew I was going to have problems sooner or later. I just hoped it would be later.<br />
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I like my work scope now, although I have been advised to be careful not to get stuck in a rut. Now that is fodder for another post. But in the meantime, I am enjoying the work that I have been given.<br />
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The only fly in the ointment is my current supervisor, whom I have had doubts about from the very beginning. Tis not that he is a bad guy, just that our innate characters conflict and there is some history that involves some other people. As a result, we are somewhat suspicious and wary of each other, and most of the time it feels like a wary truce between us, then an amicable working relationship.<br />
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He is what we call a “micro-manager”. He tends to nitpick and control the smallest thing (like document formatting mistakes etc) and leaves the big picture dangling. Now, if I were much lower down the ladder rung, it might not have been so bad. But I am used to a boss who gave me the big picture and allowed me free rein to accomplish that, but will chip in and support me whenever I ran into problems. So mostly, I feel totally directionless when it comes to what to do next, and yet totally constraint in those little tasks.<br />
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And I hate it that he has put me under surveillance. Since I am still supporting multiple bosses, my seating has not been changed, which means I am somewhat far away from him as our office is quite large. So he often just walks over to confirm for himself that I am at my desk working. Now my job involves quite a bit of information gathering, which means I have to go around talking to people. So I have taken it upon myself to inform him of every single movement I make so that he will not get the wrong idea. Gosh! I thought I was light years away from the days when I had to raise my hand to go to the toilet!<br />
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And it also means that I have cannot openly talk to my ex-ex-supervisor and former team mates, whom I am still very close to, because there is some bad blood between them. I got caught a few times and boy, was it awkward!<br />
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I am trying not to let it affect me very much, and am managing to keep quite zen. But I can feel the situation scrap away at me slowly, so I don’t know if I will keep the zen-ness after a few more months. I have another colleague who was transferred to the same supervisor a few weeks after me, and we have been commiserating with each other. He is considering taking up a posting to our new subsidiary on the Indian East Coast just to get out of this situation. I have not gone to that extreme yet. <br />
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The thing is all opportunities which will get me out from under my supervisor’s thumb will land me in the exact situation which made me so miserable few months ago – being my own boss (running my own project). So I am now between the devil and deep blue sea.<br />
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The employee appraisal is here again and the employee self appraisal and feedback form is on my table. What do I say this time?JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-20710899080912420652010-06-06T18:04:00.000+08:002010-06-06T18:04:03.249+08:00ME, MYSELF AND II have not been very prolific on the blog in the past few weeks, but then I have not been idle either. Contrary to that, this one month past has been one of the busiest and most productive months of my life.<br />
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It has been a month of a lot of introspection, reflection (watch out, the big words are flying) and planning. About where I am now, where I want to be, and how I hope to achieve that.<br />
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<u>Finance</u><br />
The initial frugality bit was only a start. As I started planning and budgeting, I started asking myself more questions, and forcing myself to look at things which I had been unconsciously avoiding and now I am in full fledge attack mode.<br />
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I sat down and asked myself what I really want on the financial front. After some soul searching, I defined my goal – to fully retire at 55 years old with enough to support myself and my parents comfortably.<br />
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That led to the how bit, and I added excel sheet after excel sheet to calculate and track everything I can think of. And came to the realization that my goal would be very, very difficult to achieve, but not entirely impossible. <br />
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I won’t bore anyone with details on the processes, but the gist of it is, I have a financial goal now, at 32 years old in life. A bit old to start, but hopefully never too late. <br />
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<u>Fitness and Health</u><br />
I mentioned to my coach the other day that my fitness goal is to fit into the wardrobe I acquired pre-surgery. Once there, maintenance would be my focus. I could tell he was quite disappointed. As he rightly pointed out, I <em>could </em>aim for more than that. <br />
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And therein lies the next part of what kept me so occupied last month. Figuring my priorities and working out some sort of balance. I am already well aware I don’t do so well with multi-tasking.<br />
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Back to my coach. Whittling myself down to a bikini worthy size 0 may be achievable yet, but the net ROI would not be worth the time and effort to achieve that. All I ask is that I don’t waste my wardrobe and be healthy. It also ties in majorly to my revelations about certain other parts of my life (which is another post in itself), but there you have it. There has to be some kind of balance between a whooping 81 kg and drool worthy 45 kg, and I think….this is it.<br />
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<u>Work</u><br />
My top priority is my goal of early retirement of course, but I don’t want life to pass by while I try to achieve that. To that end, I will work as hard and as much as I need to meet my goal, but I have no plans to climb the corporate ladder aggressively. I am sure everyone had enough of whiny work-related posts from me last year. I am half convinced that ovarian tumor was a result of stress accumulation during that one year. <br />
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<u>Social</u><br />
I am fortunate, or maybe some consider unfortunate, that I don’t have many friends and social obligations<br />
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There was a period of time in the past two years, when I thought I needed to get out more, meet more people and make more friends. Though it was alien to my nature, I forced myself to do exactly that. And ended up tired and fried, irritated and disappointed, and generally miserable, with a rapidly expanding Facebook friends list but not a lot of people I still talk to on a regular basis. <br />
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I don’t think I have grown any wiser since then, but I am certainly more honest with myself these days. While I can see the usefulness of a big social network in many aspect of life, it still does not mean much if I can’t live life the way I want it – left alone. I don’t need to spend a lot of time socializing to feel happy. In fact, too much of it irks me. I am happy enough to meet whatever friends I have for meal/drinks once a month. Somewhat “hermity” to be sure, but there needs to someone to balance the social butterflies out there.<br />
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And I intend to keep it this way.<br />
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<u>Education</u><br />
Finish my MSc. I can’t afford the 40K it would take otherwise if I want to retire by 55 years old.<br />
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What an about-face after my <a href="http://jtlifesnippets.blogspot.com/2010/03/quitter-bid-rejected.html">last whine</a>! But money talks! Really!<br />
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<u>Me</u><br />
This part was the easiest and most fun to plan!<br />
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• Go to the library, read good books, and think a lot.<br />
• Read the news, and think a lot<br />
• Go to the bookstore, read trashy novels and think, not so much though<br />
• Talk to smart people, and think a lot<br />
• Treat myself to KFC once a month<br />
• Sleep…and enjoy it<br />
• Spend time with my parents, but not too much (for all our sanity)<br />
• Travel once a year<br />
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In conclusion….<br />
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I feel like a computer which has undergone defragmentation. Various bits that have been tucked away in various spaces of my psyche have suddenly been pieced together and properly organized. As a result, I have a direction, I am more efficient, and more importantly….<br />
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I am contented.<br />
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And I can really, really ask for no more than that.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-82343303795013651072010-05-09T03:23:00.000+08:002010-05-09T03:23:36.321+08:00MORE THOUGHTS ON MOTHER-TONGUE EDUCATIONMy Filipino colleague was complaining to me about his kids and Mother-Tongue study in primary school. No Tagalog is taught in local schools, of course, and his kids had problems with Chinese and Malay, so he finally got permission to enroll them in private French classes.<br />
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I actually never stopped to think how the bilingual system affects the foreigners in local schools who are not of Chinese, Malay or Indian descent.<br />
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With the increasing number of foreigners and their kids in Singapore, I suppose it is really time to do away with the traditional bilingual platform in schools, as much as I hate to admit it.<br />
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Just like I had mentioned <a href="http://jtlifesnippets.blogspot.com/2009/11/great-chinese-education-debate-again.html">previously</a>, my Filipino colleague also suggested that schools do away with compulsory mother-tongue, and allow students to opt in to take classes at both examinable and non-examinable levels. In addition, he suggested that if the government wants to encourage take up of mother-tongue languages, the authorities in question should incentivise the takers, especially those who opt in for the examinable. Now that, I had not previously considered. Immediately, I thought of a few ways off the top of my head:<br />
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1) Priority in University enrolment provided all their other subjects meet the required standards. This way, the bright students who do not do well in mother-tongue are not penalized, but the students who do well in their normal subjects and mother-tongue studies are rewarded. Works kind of like those “Special” papers that we could take at “A” levels.<br />
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2) Special programs such as internships (leading to job offers if possible), exchange programs etc which are only open to students who completed, say, at least “AO” levels in mother-tongue languages.<br />
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3) Communities and companies who have vested interest in keeping mother-tongue languages alive to offer scholarships etc directed at students who take up and do well in mother-tongue languages.<br />
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I am sure more can be thought of. Actually I was mainly thinking of Chinese as I was writing because no other races seem to be having a problem with their mother-tongue education.<br />
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In fact, it made me wish that the above had been in place when I was a student, so I could profit from the system. Haha.<br />
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I think if the incentives are sufficiently attractive, the next thing that parents would be complaining about would be that there are not enough high level Chinese classes. Put a price on a previously free commodity, and the about-face reaction is astounding. Such is the psyche of a Singaporean.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-81760815090361306392010-05-09T03:15:00.000+08:002010-05-09T03:15:48.497+08:00A WORK ETHIC ISSUEThere is a newbie in the department upstairs, who is a scholar with the company. Which was kind of unusual as scholars were usually rotated around the production departments in their first two years to give them an idea of site work. <br />
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Turns out that Mummy called and requested for Junior to be given an office job, site work being too dangerous for her peace of mind. <br />
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This guy accepted a scholarship with an internationally known company in the heavy industry, for Christ’s sake. What did he and Mummy expect? Kid gloves and red carpet?<br />
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As a rookie engineer, I used to be sent out to site once every so often, even though my job was mainly office based. Even today, I am expected to man up and board a ship if my bosses needed me to. <br />
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So what, he thinks he should be privileged enough to get to choose to enjoy the same perks while other people risk their lives to support those very perks? In a way, he had even more of an obligation than normal employees did, since he had taken sponsorship from the company to finance his studies.<br />
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Some years ago, I was sent on an inspection trip to Timor Leste. It was supposed to be handled by another engineer, but her mother objected on grounds of potential danger, so I was sent instead. Naturally, there was no protest from this engineer or her mother when the next destination turned out to be Norway. <br />
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What, my mother doesn’t worry? Someone else gets all the shit while she enjoys the grand tour?<br />
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My mum confided some years back that she worried like any mother did when I was involved in any physical or offshore work. But it was my job; I was being paid to do it. There was no ethical reason for me to reject the task. So, she kept quiet and supported me as best as she could.<br />
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We are all someone’s children. If we all rejected the given tasks on the pure basis that it involved some potential danger, who would do the job? Where would our handsome bonuses come from?<br />
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If the risks are so unacceptable, then don’t work in this industry. Or, if you turn down the dirty work, go to the back of the queue when a silver bullet assignment turns up.<br />
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Back to this scholar guy. If I had been the HR department, I would demand the scholarship money back with interest, and kick this guy out. However, I don’t think he gets much respect from his peers and other people in his department anyway. I certainly don’t go out of my way to accommodate him.<br />
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It will be interesting to see how long he lasts in cold storage.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-17629312579876770542010-05-09T03:03:00.000+08:002010-05-09T03:03:56.245+08:00AUSTERITY DRIVEI can’t multi-task. I have one of those one-track minds that need to be done with one thing before I can go on to another. But it also means that when I am on that one thing, I am more or less 100% on that one thing.<br />
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About a year ago, that would be losing weight and keeping fit. Hence all the training stuff which bored a few people around me. That has languished for the last few months, and this month, I’m into…..the money stuff.<br />
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I tell you it is those “Get-Out-Of-Debt” and frugality blogs that I happen upon and been chasing down. They make really fantastic reading….and inspire me to pay more attention to my own money matters.<br />
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I have no debts, of course, but I was always aware that I was not exactly doing the best with my money that I ought. I have a budget that I never stick to and although I keep account of all my spending, much good it does, since I never bother to use the information to improve things. So I thought I should relook at my whole personal financial situation since I am in the mood anyway.<br />
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I did a net worth estimate tonight. I have been squirreling money away in several places religiously, but I thought it would be interesting to know where I stood. Well, if I liquidated all my assets today, I would be around 450K including CPF, which I did not think was too bad for a 32 year old. I have to admit though that most of it is due to luck – company share options (with extremely good market years) and extremely generous bonuses. <br />
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So, I already took steps in cutting down my spending and making my net position blacker than black. Cutting cabs was one, the rest such as food, shopping etc are falling into place quite easily for various reasons. I am optimistic that I’ll finally meet the budget this month.<br />
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I am spending extra effort to optimize other stuff too. I have 15 credit cards. It would take another post to explain why, but anyway, only one is being used on a frequent basis. I am not worried about CC interest rates and debts, but I am starting to think about the potential for CC fraud. So I am going to cancel a number of them. And I plan to optimize the remaining for best cash rebates options. <br />
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I think I also need to relook at my investment strategies, since most of it is in medium to high risk equities and mutual funds. Maybe I should look at some government bonds or something. Need to educate myself and put things in place while my mind is still on this subject. <br />
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The experts say it is good to work towards some goals, short and long term. I can’t say I have one other than to retire comfortably and as early as practicable, and since I consider myself quite low maintenance, I think it won’t take so much money. Of course I haven’t figured in health care costs after retirement, but that is why I am looking into euthanasia laws….haha. <br />
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But I’ll be honest. The whole reason why I am into this whole austerity drive now is nothing more than an academic exercise….because this happens to be the flavour of the month. And also because it makes me feel really grown-up and responsible. Haha.<br />
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There is one issue that I have been struggling with, though, and that is the balance between frugality and the quality of life. Like, going to a moderately up market hair salon compared to a neighbourhood salon at a fraction of the cost. Or using more specialized facial products over more generic products for my problematic complexion. <br />
<br />
If I were clearly in debt, or having problems meeting ends meet, the solution is clear - cut costs first. But what if I could fit everything into my budget, the only result being that I save less? I am still trying to decide on my priorities.<br />
<br />
So, this has been the journey so far. I wondered how long I could keep the interest up to achieve some really great stuff financially, but I decided to take it day by day. It would be interesting though, to see if I could cross the million dollar mark, net worth-wise, another 10 years down the road.<br />
<br />
Check back and we shall seeJThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-37888439970500402442010-04-28T15:27:00.000+08:002010-04-28T15:27:38.014+08:00SECURITY…OR PARANOIA?I am flying to Tasmania this evening for a two-day business trip.<br />
<br />
Packing was a little stressful as usual, since I was requested to pack light as my traveling companion did not want to check our luggage and waste time at the carousel later since we had to be at a meeting directly after landing. But then he is a man and packing light comes easy for him.<br />
<br />
Anyway, we were told to empty our laptops/netbooks of all personal content for the trip. The story going around is that someone got caught at the Australian airport security with nude photos of himself or something not very nice on his laptop computer. I don’t know what happened to him later, but it appeared to be nothing nice. <br />
<br />
I was kind of horrified, not so much because I have anything incriminating on my netbook, but because it occurred to me that in order to discover the nasty stuff on the PCs, the Australian airport security would actually have switch on and check all the laptops being brought on board. What kind of time is that going to take? What kind of paranoid security is that?<br />
<br />
I would actually understand if they were checking for some advanced software which would, I don’t know, activate something and take down buildings somewhere. But personal stuff?<br />
<br />
Even if I happen to have an entire porn website downloaded on my netbook, what business is it of the Australian authorities? My netbook is, after all, mine. What did they think would happen, that I would connect my netbook up to some broadcasting facility and manage to corrupt a whole city of Australians with pictures and videos of naked people? <br />
<br />
Someone kindly explain the whole logic to me.<br />
<br />
My incredulous reaction sparked a discussion of airport security in various places. My travelling companion is a Filipino, and he has plenty of stories to tell. Anyway, I had already come to the conclusion that the US of A is no-man’s land for the next decade unless the company decides to send me there for any reason. At least I would not have to pay from my own pockets to be deported at the airport because some immigration officer did not like my accent. Australia may have to be added to my list if trends show that their airport security is going to rival the States in terms of discrimination and paranoia, which my colleagues have assured me to be the case.<br />
<br />
Anyway, I am packed, and my netbook is clean. We will see if I come back this weekend with any further stories to tell.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-42542531781938746892010-04-28T15:25:00.002+08:002010-04-28T15:25:49.633+08:00BACK TO BUSESI have started taking buses in the mornings again.<br />
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<br />
Part of the reason is cost driven of course. Blame it on the slew of “Get out of debt” blogs that I fell into while surfing the internet last weekend. Not that I have any debt (that I know of). But saving more money (to spend on other useless stuff) is always good.<br />
<br />
The other part of the reason is that I am fed up with the cabbies. It used to be that I could step out of the house and be in a cab in two minutes. For some reason, the cabs started drying up in the area where I was waiting (at 6 am in the morning!!) in the last few weeks. Any rare cabs that pass by were either “Busy”, “Hired” or they simply just passed me by without stopping. After one morning wait of 20 minutes, I decided enough was enough. <br />
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If I had to stress myself so early in the morning with public transport either way, I would rather be paying three bucks than seventeen bucks doing it.<br />
<br />
So that was three days ago, and I am surviving. Sure I need deep breathing exercises every morning to keep a zen mind if the bus service happens not to be on time, but I am doing pretty well not stressing up. Thinking about the extra money in the bank helps a lot.<br />
<br />
On a side note, I notice that cabs are in abundance again on my street. The first law of life at work again: When you need something, it is never there. When you don’t need it…..sigh!JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-60695336499754109502010-04-25T14:12:00.000+08:002010-04-25T14:12:54.108+08:00YES, I AM BILINGUAL……?I am involved in a project at work for a Chinese client.<br />
<br />
Recently, news came filtering down from the top that the clients had requested for the project presentation to be done in Chinese during their upcoming visit. It is still not known if all other subsequent project documents such as the technical specifications will need to be translated to Chinese; or if all subsequent correspondences would be in Chinese should the project be awarded.<br />
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The presentation is normally done by the senior managers in the company. But this time, it would have to be delegated to more junior staff of my level, because the senior people either couldn’t speak Mandarin (for those who are Chinese) or were not of Chinese descent.<br />
<br />
All the people identified for the presentation, and any subsequent documentation work to be done in Chinese, are so far PRCs.<br />
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I am not so sure how I feel about this so far. Up till this moment, I am the only junior manager heavily involved in this project. The technical specifications in English are all prepared by me. I am a Singaporean Chinese, with a bilingual background, and I have shown on several occasions that I am reasonably fluent in spoken Mandarin at least. I have to ask why top management had not even <em>considered</em> me for these Chinese jobs.<br />
<br />
Of course, I have to admit that even though my spoken and written Chinese could be considered of above average levels among Singaporeans, there is still a rather large gap in standards between my PRC colleagues and myself. I am honest enough to acknowledge that I would have huge problems if all the Chinese work had been dumped on me, especially having to research all the technical jargon in Chinese. <br />
<br />
What bothers me though, is that top management had simply assumed that Singaporean Chinese like myself are unqualified to undertake this job, without giving us a chance to prove or disprove our Chinese/Mandarin competency. It goes to show the confidence that we Singaporeans have in our own bilingual education. It boggles the mind how society expects us to perform in China then, if we cannot even be expected to do so on our own home-ground.<br />
<br />
And then I read about the intention to reduce the mother-tongue weightage in local exams. No comments.<br />
<br />
For myself, I am now trying to decide if I should offer to take up part of the preparation work for the upcoming presentation and subsequent documentation. It will be a big challenge, and adding much to my increasing workload. But I think it needs to be done, if only to prove a point.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-45884077718703514462010-04-24T21:42:00.002+08:002010-04-24T21:42:49.023+08:00THE FRIENDLY ATHEISTI came across this particular <a href="http://friendlyatheist.com/">site</a> one day, and then continued on to another related <a href="http://www.otmatheist.com/">site</a>.<br />
<br />
Very, very interesting and thought provoking discussions.<br />
<br />
The postings are written by one Hemant Mehta, whose became sort of famous after he “sold his soul” on eBay. I won’t repeat the details as it is all on the linked sites.<br />
<br />
I had wanted to write down my thoughts on the whole atheist movement after reading parts of the writings and those of some commentors on his blog. But unfortunately, my thoughts are a jumbled mess, and well, the topic is kind of sensitive, so I need to do it right to avoid my own blog being a mess of arguments and troll comments. My posting may never see the light of day though…haha.<br />
<br />
But those interested, please have a good read.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-31542564936034710672010-04-24T21:28:00.001+08:002010-04-24T21:43:13.083+08:00BIG IS BEAUTIFUL….?All the plus sized ladies in Singapore are probably cheering at this <a href="http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Lifestyle/Story/STIStory_513036.html">news</a>.<br />
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<em>“Ms Beverly Tan, 29, founder of TKS and Sons, said she came up with a plus-size pageant to give big women a platform to show off their beauty.”</em><br />
<br />
I think the intention is good, but I am still somewhat skeptical about the whole message that this beauty contest is supposed to bring across.<br />
<br />
Beauty contests have always been very subjective affairs, and I believe that no one single judge will be able to define the criteria of beauty that is being used in each contest. Fair of face? Hot bods? Inner beauty? Intelligence? Confidence? <em>Je ne sais quoi</em>? All of the above? <br />
<br />
In my opinion, if we are to talk about a true beauty pageant that celebrates plus size acceptance, then it should be one that has a clearly defined criteria and which takes physical size out of the equation. It should be therefore be one that accepts women who meets or exceeds the set criteria, <em>regardless</em> of physical size. Simply put, plus sized, normal sized, undersized women should compete on the same stage. These women are considered beautiful because of X number of factors which do not include physical size.<br />
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A beauty pageant for plus size women only seem to say, “You are beautiful, <em>but only among the big babes</em>.”<br />
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Seems like not much of a compliment, after all.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-5540876891809172392010-04-24T21:01:00.000+08:002010-04-24T21:01:40.320+08:00GROWTH?I play quite a bit of SimCity 4. <br />
<br />
In my “travels” around the SimCity world online, I realised that there are two main types of players. The first type is obsessed with cramming as many virtual people into their cities as they can. Their cities are skyscraper dominated, their mass transit systems, healthcare, education are bursting at the seams, road traffic snarls and pollution rules. The other is concerned mainly with creating beauty, nice little suburbs with little bungalows, many green spaces, trees abound, empty roads etc.<br />
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Sometimes, I feel that the Singapore government is a lot like the former type of player.<br />
<br />
I understand the need of course. But it is still not easy to live with the impact. Sometimes, as I am squeezed up against the bus doors, desperately hanging on to the railings as the bus takes a sharp curve in the road, I wonder what the difference is between me and those people hanging out of the bus windows in one of those third world countries. Maybe only that we have no livestock on our buses, although, sometimes, today’s kids do not behave that much differently from livestock.<br />
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I remember a long time ago, when we would sit in front of our television sets and laugh at the “Big Hands” that they used to push Japanese train travellers onto the trains, because the trains were so overcrowded. Today, as I stand in front of the doors to a sardine packed train and more people coming down the escalators to board behind me, it doesn’t feel as funny any more.<br />
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Growth? Or otherwise? Sometimes it has become really hard to tell.<br />
<br />
Anyway, when I feel totally overwhelmed, I will retreat back to the relative quiet and emptiness that is my home, and indulge in an hour or two or SimCity 4. I like my nice flat suburb of 20,000 population, with the hilltop home for the Mayor – virtual me. It gives me a bit of breathing space when I think of my virtual self enjoying her space. <br />
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Talk about living vicariously.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-9854668005723914142010-04-24T21:00:00.000+08:002010-04-24T21:00:02.757+08:00SOME THOUGHTS ON EDUCATION DIRECTIONI walked past the newly completed School of the Arts when I was going for my facial last week. And thought how far Singapore has come in this area.<br />
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I remember many, many grouses from peers many years ago about lack of what I would call “minority degree programs” such as music, liberal arts etc. Some other friends were lamenting the lack of diversity in our University modules; in the States, they said, students could have modules like “Modern Dance” mixed into their engineering and business degree courses, thereby leading to a better rounded program. In Singapore, you were stuck with those boring basic engineering, law, business etc modules most of the time. If you didn’t like any of these, you were screwed. No modern dance for you.<br />
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Today’s kids have a lot more choices and can pursue their interests more freely, which is good. But I also caution Singapore against going the other extreme. A very good example would be the States now. From what I have been reading, the lack of trained professionals in engineering and science is seriously affecting their competitiveness, a result of too many years of too many students taking on “soft subjects” that have no immediate applications on the modern society. Unemployment is high there, but graduates are unable to take advantage of the available jobs in certain high tech sectors which require engineering and science majors. Meanwhile, everyone else goes hungry, because a society in recession cannot support the patronage required for these other non-technical professions, like your modern dancer. And the lack of these trained technical professionals, who will be the ones creating real growth on the ground, may prevent the society from rebounding from its recession as fast as it should.<br />
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I have also seen recent arguments made against too diverse a course structure, as per my modern dance example. Students in the US now face fee hikes and education budget cuts, and generally take longer than they used to complete their degrees. A reason for the time and cost incurred was the presence of too many non-relevant modules which ultimately had no real value add to their employability in their intended fields. So much for the value of a well rounded education.<br />
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I feel that we mirror the US closely in certain parts of our developmental path, and in this instance of education, we should really take warning, and not move our education base too much towards the left. What we have right now is quite a nice balance, and we should take care to keep it this way.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-21233780927943558872010-04-24T20:58:00.000+08:002010-04-24T20:58:20.825+08:00A QUICK RANT ABOUT THE ROMANIAN ACCIDENT SITUATION<em><strong>Note: This was written two weeks back. Things have apparently been moving, although I am wondering how much of it is only for show on the Romanian side. At any rate, I decided to publish my feelings at that point in time.</strong></em><br />
<br />
<br />
There are several things in the papers recently that make me rather indignant for various reasons. One is the whole situation regarding that Romanian Silviu Ionescu. There are a lot of epithets I want to attach before his name, but I shall refrain in the name of civilisation, something which seems to be quite unknown to him anyway. <br />
<br />
Then there is the reaction of the Romanian government and media. One would have thought that I should have gotten used to all the slights and indignations Singapore had been made to bear all these years by virtue of our small size, small market, and political insignificance in the international arena etc. This Romanian situation is but another one in a long list. But such things are not easy to swallow. It is fortunate that I do not run the foreign ministry, because my knee jerk reaction would have been to cut off all diplomatic relations <em>pronto</em>. It is not like there is anything to lose on our part anyway. <br />
<br />
But perhaps there is no need to do anything to avenge ourselves. Romania seems to be struggling within image issues already anyway, as evinced <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7038517.ece">here</a>. Good luck down the slippery slope. As for Mr Ionescu, there is no immunity to karma. Good luck too.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-78240396445875963702010-04-24T20:55:00.000+08:002010-04-24T20:55:36.574+08:00A DILEMMA OF SORTSI sometimes feel as if I am caught between my Chinese roots and the modern society.<br />
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Take a few Sundays back, when we had to make our offerings for Qing Ming at the columbarium. There was a regular bonfire going as every family took their turns to burn their offerings. As I watched the incense papers and fake paper currencies catch fire, the smoke and ashes flying around, no doubt bound for underworld banks, I had this strong moment of conflict.<br />
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It was just Earth Day the day before, and the very next day we were all there at the columbarium happily burning papers, emitting CO2 like there is no tomorrow (and there probably won’t be if things continue the way they are). I am no tree hugger, but it didn’t seem quite right that we were doing what we were doing when we were faced with environmental issues everywhere we turn. Yet I am cognizant of the need to ensure the Chinese traditions continue, because I am aware that it gives rise to a richer and more vibrant Chinese culture, and a sense of identity for me as a local Chinese. I had spoken to my younger mainland Chinese colleagues who, as a result of the Cultural Revolution, have totally no access to all these traditions and mores, and I can feel the difference it makes.<br />
<br />
And so, how do I justify one over the other?JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-63711173311320047472010-04-24T20:53:00.000+08:002010-04-24T20:53:41.976+08:00BACKLOGGED POSTSI have been in one of those “don’t want to connect to the world” funks again. That didn’t mean I stopped thinking and writing, just that I didn’t feel like logging on to post them. So what follows this post will kind of be like a post diarrhea. <br />
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Enjoy.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-63961991129583961662010-04-14T18:54:00.002+08:002010-04-14T18:54:48.807+08:00SECOND BESTLast Sunday, there was a column in the paper about people playing with their phones when they are supposed to be having a face to face conversation with someone.<br />
<br />
I can’t tell how many times I have been subjected to this. Some people ask me out for a meal, and spend the whole time SMSing, chatting on the phone with other people, and doing all sorts of what-not, while I have to sit there like a dummy. Or worse, doing those things when I am talking. I knew I lost weight, but I never thought I had become invisible in the process. With the proliferation of smart phones, it gets even worse. <br />
<br />
I don’t know what this people are thinking when they do this. But I know what I am thinking. I am thinking that I don’t like being just one of the tasks on the multi-task list. I resent being number two, three or four on the priority list when I have made somebody the top priority for that duration. I don’t play second fiddle to anyone, let alone an inanimate object. If you have got better things to do, then tell me, because, you know, so have I.<br />
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It is as bad as being out with a guy who never takes his eyes off other pretty girls the whole time he is with you. So tell me, will I be just as justified in throwing my glass of water in your face?JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-84696531533564236252010-04-10T01:15:00.001+08:002010-04-10T01:18:46.320+08:00ANDY WILLIAMS AND THE OSMOND BROTHERSSB had a video of Andy Williams and the Osmond Brothers on her latest blog post, which gave me goose pimples and made me cry a little.<br />
<br />
I have always loved Andy Williams. One of the last great crooner in the style of Sinatra. People wonder why I am so behind the times in my tastes in music. But when you listen to the singing of the 60's, somehow you don't want to move on. Someone commented on YouTube that they don't make songs, and singers, like this anymore. And I have to agree.<br />
<br />
Since SB put one on which made me cry, I am in turn embedding one which made me laugh. This one features the young Osmond brothers with Julie Andrews, another great favourite of mine. She both looks and sounds gorgeous. The world lost a great performer when she had to stop singing. And may I say that she looks just as beautiful and classy today as she did then. I only wish I could age as gracefully as she did when it gets to be my turn. She is the only person who inspires me to look forward to old age...<br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_b_6u6XmyFE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_b_6u6XmyFE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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Can we say....sexy? SB and I always thought there is nothing more sexy than a man who can sing. Multiply that a few times here. The Osmond brothers, with Andy Williams (mmm...) and <em>his</em> brothers. The families that sing together stay together. <br />
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<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/d87Ty2CldWc&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/d87Ty2CldWc&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object><br />
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I think I can go to bed tonight happy.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-82279558223154490052010-04-09T16:32:00.000+08:002010-04-09T16:32:19.125+08:00A MOMENT OF STUPIDITYMy internet died on me last Friday and try as I might, I could not resuscitate it, not even after a combined 1.5 hours spent with the technical help hotline. So I gave up and begged them to send a technician to the house to see what was happening.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now I admit that I am somewhat of a technology dinosaur, but I fancied that I was at least <em>not </em>one of those users who become stories that technicians trade during their off moments. So I was quite sure after lots of trying to get things to work that whatever that caused my internet to die was nothing to with me, and I had a ready-drafted email to my ISP about how lousy their service was, only after one month usage.<br />
<br />
So the technician came, he insouciantly saw, and he finally conquered. By plucking out the telephone line from the Data socket and re-plugging into the Phone socket. And he said, let there be light, and there was light, blinking all over the previously inert modem. And I saw the light, and it was good. I had my internet back, all in five minutes.<br />
<br />
And in the meantime, my jaw was hanging open, and I was pointing to the socket and stammering “But…but…but…I…I…I didn’t touch that at all….and it was working fine before this….” The sounds of a person still trying to avoid death by embarrassment.<br />
<br />
I am not sure exactly what shade of red I was the remaining time he spent filling out the completion form. And I can just imagine the conversation he will have with his colleagues when he gets back into the office. About that <em>stupid </em>woman who can’t tell her <em>phone</em> connection from her <em>data</em> point. Italics intended.<br />
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But anyway, I got my internet back. And it is good.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-73067287963335909152010-03-22T12:04:00.000+08:002010-03-22T12:04:30.697+08:00QUITTER BID REJECTEDMy bid for quitting the MSc course has been rejected by my HR manager. I'm basically back to the 'do or die' situation. Darn it, I can't even be a quitter with a clear conscience.<br />
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Anyway, I have emailed the University for an extension using workloads, health, whatever I can think of for an excuse. And if they agree, I need to wade through unfinished assignments and a dissertation in this whole coming year. And the question foremost in my mind: If I couldn't do it all these years past, what makes them think I could do it now?<br />
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This is so not going to be a fun year.JThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09550072847697759284noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3607099662700135880.post-24173051207063701202010-03-21T17:56:00.000+08:002010-03-21T17:56:56.415+08:00CHICKEN RICE OR RICE FOR THE CHICKENS?Language, both oral and written, is one of the key defining features of a culture’s identity. And identity, for Singaporeans, is a matter of utmost importance, as we struggle with the dilemma of wanting to be recognized in our own rights as an individual nation with individual characteristics, while at the same time, needing to be able to blend in with the other key players who hold such influence literally over our lives and deaths.<br />
<br />
There was an article some time back by Mr Janadas Devan regarding the meanings and proper use of certain words (“A Question of Great Enormity”, The Straits Times, Oct 12, 2009). A reader later wrote to the paper discussing the evolution of languages and words with common and colloquial use, technology and societal development etc and suggested that languages do move with the times, and when appropriate, the users must do so. I agree.<br />
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There was a very interesting article in today’s Lianhe Zaobao Weekly (早报周刊) by Mr He Luo Lang (河洛郎), regarding the use of the phrases 海南鸡饭 (Hainanese chicken rice) and 肉骨茶 (Bak kut teh – a rich broth made from pork ribs) respectively for Singapore’s best-known and best-beloved local dishes. <br />
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It appeared that a certain Chinese scholar had made the disparaging comment that 鸡饭 (Chicken rice) is an inappropriate phrase to use, as it refers to 鸡吃的饭 (Rice eaten by chickens) and instead should be more appropriately named 鸡肉饭 (Chicken meat rice), just like how we would call beef or mutton with rice 牛肉饭 and 羊肉饭 respectively and not 牛饭 or 羊饭.<br />
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The writer goes on to argue that in the first place, it is uncommon to refer to animal feed as 饭 (Rice). Instead the word 食 (Feed) is the word used, as in 猪食 (pig feed), 牛食(cow feed) instead of 猪饭 and牛饭. There is therefore extremely low likelihood that 鸡饭 would be misunderstood as referring to chicken feed instead of the chicken with rice that people eat. In addition, for small domestic animals such as chickens and ducks, and also seafood, it is typical not to use the word 肉 (meat) in the noun, as in 吃鱼, 吃虾, 吃鸭. Likewise, there is little possibility of misunderstand that local food such as 鱼粥 (Fish Porridge) or 虾面 (prawn noodles) will be misunderstood as 鱼吃的粥 (Porridge eaten by fish) or 虾吃的面 (noodles eaten by prawns) simply because the word 肉 (meat) is not used.<br />
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The writer then mentions that the phrase 海南鸡饭 is easier and smoother to pick up, compared with the more bulky 海南鸡肉饭, and has a certain kick that is missing in the latter. As such, 海南鸡饭 is more easily accepted at the layman level instead of 海南鸡肉饭. The evolution of the phrase 海南鸡饭 is therefore more colloquial and situational, rather than from any real scholastic reasoning of meaning and phrase structures.<br />
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The next example given of colloquial development of the vocabulary is 肉骨茶 (Bak kut teh). The question always asked: Where is the 茶 (tea) in 肉骨茶 (literally - meat bone tea)? <br />
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The dish consists of meaty pork ribs simmered in a complex broth of herbs and spices, introduced by early Hokkien and Teochew immigrants to boost their health. The dish was usually accompanied by 工夫茶 or Chinese “<em>gongfu</em>” tea to get rid the oiliness of the dish after consumption. As such, 肉骨茶 is actually formed from the abbreviation of two phrases 肉骨汤 (pork ribs broth) and 工夫茶,a Chinese acronym of sorts, if you will. <br />
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The moral of the story then (or as far as I can interpret), is that when it comes to words and phrases, there is really no absolute right or wrong. The use of 海南鸡饭 and 肉骨茶 does not necessarily point to a poor command of the Chinese language on Singaporeans’ parts if one considers the local development and colloquial context. China herself likewise abounds with abbreviated phrases that are totally meaningless and sometimes ridiculous if taken out of context.<br />
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Interestingly, not so long ago, some friends were discussing the use of the phrase “Bak kut teh” in Malaysia for their newly created halal version of the original dish, using chicken meat instead of pork ribs. Muslims in Malaysia objected to using the name as they inferred that the phrase “Bak kut” refers to pig bones and may give the impression that it is acceptable for muslims to partake in pork.<br />
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A friend felt that, strictly speaking, the words “Bak kut” or its Chinese equivalent 肉骨 (literally – meat bone) makes no reference to pork as being the meat source. It could therefore be interpreted that other sources of meat, such as chicken, could also be used for the dish without any change to the name, and hence there was no real reason for the objection.<br />
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However, if we consider the traditional use of the word 肉 (meat) in the context of Chinese cuisine, 肉 is almost synonymous with pork (肉圆, 肉脞面, 烧肉 etc). This can be explained by the fact that pork has traditionally been the main meat source for the Chinese race. This point was also observed in the Lianhe Zaobao article. If we consider the phrase 肉骨茶 or “bak kut teh” in this context, it appears that the Malaysian muslims may have a point, after all.<br />
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Anyway, the evolution of the names may not be academic in nature, but this discussion definitely is. In the meantime, whether it be chicken rice or rice for the chickens, I am sure the accuracy, or lack thereof, in the naming of our most famous dish will not prevent anyone, local or otherwise, from enjoying the dish for its own goodness.<br />
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