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tangerine taste
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04A5 Alson.Guang Hui.Alastair.Rong Rong.Evon.Marvin.Qian Zi.Isaac.Hwee Pin.Han Zhi.Feng Ji.Jeremy.Clarence.Racheal.Zhiyang.Yi Sheng.Yong Cheng.Pey Shan.Junni.Sally.Alvin.Jian Lin.Xin Hui.Eng Yeow. How Many Special People Change? Tagboard |
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Well,here are some pics and vids of the light-hearted moments(and drunk as well) we had yesterday with a special guest,Mr Lawrence.Enjoy!  Satan loves you!  Make it 6(1 missing here)!Gentleman,take your mark....      The 6 brave souls,satan loves you deep deep!(borrow a little of your quote,alson,hah)  Well,someone's running away from the action,but u can NV hide!  Going...  Going....  Going.....      GONE!!The truth reveals itself when one is drunk,check out those cutsy pose and the intimate moments together...aha The FINALE!! by ~me~ at 9:23 PM ©
I must admit, i've never been one who's particularly interested in local politics. Indeed, i am not the only one guilty of such a charge, political apathy in singapore affects not only the young, but the general working and ageing population as well. Perhaps one may argue that as long as the basic needs of the people are met(meaning food, shelter), the status quo maintained(referring to the standard of living here e.g GDP per Capita), people generally do not have reasons to be dissatisfied with our government. And i am inclined to agree. As the saying goes, "if it ain't broken, don't fix it". It is true that the PAP-led government has done a fantastic job - so far. Standard of living is the highest in the region, and amongst the top few in the world, economic growth is strong, with social stability in place. The conditions in which our government has led us to the state we're now in since independence only serves to highlight the remarkable job the PAP-government has accomplished. Any prospective batches of leaders have much to learn if we are to continue our success. However, looking into the 21st century, we must question the validity of the status quo. While a strong paternalistic style of governance has worked well in the past, we cannot be sure that it will work well in the future; in an environment that brings about a whole new set of challenges that requires a paradigm shift in how we tackle such challenges. Let us not take away the credit of the government-led initiative to encourage more participation from the bottom up. But the fact remains that we ARE still led by paternalistic governance. Nothing has changed. We can hold as many youth forums we want, but we are not going to achieve the desired result of a mature democratic mandate if we are not going to change the way we educate the young, the way we stifle any form of political opposition, the way the general populace is left to be content with political apathy. I am not a dreamy idealist urging superficial calls for democratic reform such as freedom of the press or freedom of speech. In such prevailing political apathy, freedom of speech hasn't flourished even though the avenues are already opened; nevermind the fact that you have to apply for a license and disclose your intended speech content to the police before you can stand upon a podium in the speaker's corner in front an audience of mynahs. Rather, i urge a critical re-evaluation of how socio-politics is being viewed, and ultimately ignored, by our leaders and ultimately, our generation. And it is not difficult to see why people couldn't care less about local politics. High standard of living aside, we must understand that local politics has thus far been a joke. Just take a look at our democratic process. Just exactly what voting rights do we have, who exactly are we voting for? Members of parliament? Who can do what? Debate in parliament? Has anyone actually turned on the tv and listen to parliamentary debates? I did. And it was awful. Our elected MPs are talking about gender inequality, simply because if we calculate the overall payouts handed to women, as compared to men, in their life-time, women would be given a staggering S$60 lesser per month than their male counterparts! Shocking isn't it?! And it sure was entertaining watching the bemusement that was so evident on the faces of other MPs. Our democratic process has been a joke, not because it has been a fallacy, no, But because we have voted Members of Parliament who can't even propose policies in clear concise english without reading off their script, because those who can goes on to debate about S$60 difference in CPF hand-outs, because the carrot dangling at the end of the stick on election day is the promise to install lifts on every HDB storey in Hougang, to promise S$100 000 to renovation works in potong pasir, because we only have the power to vote for representation over S$60, and not to decide who ultimately will lead our country, meaning the prime minister. No, that process would be left to the infinite wisdom of the Current prime-minister *sic* and his hand-picked cabinet of ministers. While we may consider ourselves lucky that we have had two remarkable men at the helm, we cannot assume and take for granted that there will continue to be capable men to lead the country. History has shown us time and again, that it is not the wisdom of an elite few who will prevail, rather, it is the decision and consensus of the masses that will bring us forward. While it may not have been applicable when we first gained independence, it is time we believe in the notion that ultimately, 'the people knows best'. It is time we seriously consider a bottom-up initiative instead of just talking about it; It is time we allow the room for political maturity instead of just calling for it, it is time we breed the conditions necessary for social maturity instead of propagating socio-political stagnation. I do not propose dreams of grandeur, rallying calls of 'yes we can!', let's leave those antics to the Americans. Instead, let us be pragmatic, understand that while we're having it good now, we must be proactive so that we will continue to have it good in our future, in our children's future, and ultimately, their children's future. Change doesn't have to come at the price of conflict, if only we allow change to begin at the first place. Allow political opposition to run their campaign, even though their attempts may be better received on comedy-night, do not crush them with legal injunctions, do not threaten to 'fix the opposition'. Let the people learn to discern the good from the bad, right from wrong, let us learn to distinguish logic from reason, stability from pragmatism, continuity from caution. Political awareness is still in its infancy in Singapore, and it will continue to do so unless something is done about it. -Alvin by ~me~ at 10:08 PM ©
alright. for those who have 20 minutes to spare and have an interest in the education system. do look at this. quite good actually, his idea. once you get used to his english. cant seem to embed the bloody thing on the blog. http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/66 alson by ~me~ at 11:51 AM ©
Alright, Back to my bumming days. On the contrary to what some may think, I have been looking for jobs ok. Haha. but never mind that. somewhat related, i have been given so much free time to start reading up and stuff again. so it's not all wasted time. halfway through a book dealing with the Somalian incident in 1993. sad, really. portrayed a really bleak picture of the UN and US, despite me trying not to judge them. Essentially, what i came to a private conclusion is that i do not think that the institutions are badly flawed. it just takes the few people at the top to make stupid decisions. of course, we only see the depth of stupidity in hindsight. sigh. A simple child, That lightly draws its breath ... What should it know of death ? ~william wordsworth coincidentally, i finished reading a few other books dealing with the Iraq war. similarities: people who are innocent getting drawn into stupid, meaningless conflicts. sigh. i cant even be angry. the sense of weariness and hopelessness that pervades this world. ironic, that the world seems so fucked up while i am sitting at home in front of my com with a mug of coffee on the table. sometimes, i wish i dont care. whats the point of caring and not lifting a finger. hell, i cant even do anything in this small country of 4 million. even in singapore we have our own set of problems. only that we dont really care about those now, who cares as long as we live in relative comfort and prosperity right. kudos to the government for keeping us wrapped in this stage. always also the question of who is to blame. saddam, bush, rumsfield or bremer in Iraq ? Snr bush, Aidid, Boutros-Ghali or Howe for Somalia ? is it the mass or the media ? or the governments ? or UN ? sigh. what the hell. alson by ~me~ at 1:13 PM ©
Tobacco could kill more than one billion this century: report Tobacco use could kill more than one billion people around the world this century unless governments and civil society act to reverse the epidemic, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released Thursday. "One hundred million deaths were caused by tobacco in the 20th century," said the report unveiled by WHO Director General Margaret Chan at a joint press conference with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "If current trends continue, there will be up to one billion deaths in the 21st century," the report said. "Unchecked, tobacco-related deaths will increase to more than eight million a year by 2030, and 80 percent of those deaths will occur in the developing world." The study, which provides key data on tobacco use and control for countries representing more than 99 percent of the world's population, recommends a six-pronged approach to combat the scourge. The strategies involve monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies, protecting people from tobacco smoke, offering help to quit tobacco use, warning about the dangers of tobacco, enforcing bans on tobacco advertising and promotion and raising taxes on tobacco. "While efforts to combat tobacco are gaining momentum, virtually all countries need to do more," Chan said. "These six strategies are within the reach of every country and, when combined as a package, they offer us the best chance of reversing this growing epidemic. Agence France-Presse - 2/8/2008 2:04 AM by ~me~ at 11:06 PM ©
Why don't you ask the kids at Tiananmen Square Was fashion the reason why they were there? They disguise it, hypnotize it Television made you buy it I'm just sitting in my car And waiting for my She's scared that I will take her away from there Her dreams and her country left with no one there Mezmerize the simple minded Propaganda leaves us blinded I'm just sitting in my car And waiting for my girl I'm just sitting in my car And waiting for my girl I'm just sitting in my car And waiting for my girl I'm just sitting in my car And waiting for my girl System of a down - Hypnotise by ~me~ at 9:26 PM ©
The following is an excerpt from Hillary Clinton's super-tuesday victory speech: "It's the ideal inscribed on the base of the Statute of Liberty in this great city that has overlooked our harbor through wars and depression and the dark days of September 11, the words we all know that give voice to America's embrace — Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free — a constant reminder that here in America, we face our challenges and we embrace all of our people. So today we say with one voice — give us the child who wants to learn, give us the people in need of work, give us the veterans who need our care. We say give us this economy to rebuild and this war to end. Give us this nation to heal, this world to lead, this moment to seize." You gotta hand it to her, she gave a helluva speech.. -Alvin by ~me~ at 10:54 PM ©
by ~me~ at 10:54 PM ©
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