Just.

She walks to school with the lunch she packed
Nobody knows what she’s holdin’ back
Wearin the same dress she wore yesterday
She hides the bruises with linen and lace

The teacher wonders but she doesn’t ask
Its hard to see the pain behind the mask
Bearing the burden of a secret storm
Sometimes she wishes she was never born

Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can’t rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she’s loved
Concrete angel

Somebody cries in the middle of the night
The neighbors hear, but they turn out the lights
A fragile soul caught in the hands of fate
When morning comes it’ll be too late

Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can’t rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she’s loved
Concrete angel

A statue stands in a shaded place
An angel girl with an upturned face
A name is written on a polished rock
A broken heart that the world forgot

Through the wind and the rain
She stands hard as a stone
In a world that she can’t rise above
But her dreams give her wings
And she flies to a place where she’s loved
Concrete angel

Soaring prices – the poor cannot afford three basic meals.

I am reminded of a Professor Kishore Mahbubani who said,

“There are no homeless, destitute or starving people ..Poverty has been eradicated`

Incidentally, this is the same gentleman who slam our folks for thinking lesser of NUS and sending their kids to overseas universities – but surprise surprise, his own children are in overseas universities.

I am also reminded of a Dr Vivian Balakrishnan-

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I want to check with the Minister again when he said on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients. May I ask him what is his definition of “subsistence living”? Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on? Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?

Apparently, some can’t even afford three meals in a hawker centre.

And now, Mrs Yu Foo Yee Shoon is questioning as to how much is enough in the issue of aid for the poorest households in Singapore.

I am reminded of Wee Shu Min again. Elitist. Doesn’t know much about the lower income group and couldn’t care less. Unsympathetic. Uncaring.

At times like this, take heart that there are still good folks who know the meaning of empathy.

Rather hilarious. I think it’s good to laugh at ourselves a little sometimes.

After throwing a prima donna tantrum, Ms Lee Bee Wah later back-wheeled – “I didn’t say Antony and the coach will be sacked” and “I don’t want to be entangled in this whole issue”.

In my house, if my children were to pull such a stunt, there will be consequences. I love my children dearly but I will not accommodate lying and twisting of words – herein lies the issue of honesty, responsibility and integrity.

When contacted by ST last night, her first words were “I’m bruised”, which indicated a lack of remorse in her actions and a self righteous indulgence.

When asked if she would have done things differently in hindsight, she replied,

‘No, I don’t think there was anything wrong. Maybe the only thing is that I would not have talked to Peh Shing Huei. My intention was blown out of proportion.’

See, people, it’s all Peh Shing Huei’s fault. Of course.

I think she should zip it because the more she talks, the more she reveals the lack of integrity and responsibility.

This woman is not fit to be the president of the Pussycat Dolls Fan Club, much less our STTA and much less a MP. This is the same MP who talks about “pang sai” in parliament. How unbecoming and inappropriate, not to mention, extremely crass.

**

In a bid to stop the downward spiral of matters, Dr Balakrishnan, the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports said,

‘I’m very concerned about the way it seems to be spinning out of control because I don’t want a situation where people say things or do things which destroy relationships, relationships and partnerships which we need in order to keep Team Singapore intact and in order for us to perform at the highest level,’ he said.

I guess it is too late. ????. The trust, relationship, partnership, faith, goodwill and morale in question have already been destroyed. Given the trigger happy tendency to fire and replace people at a whim -  and these are people who are deemed to have performed – good luck to getting your next team for London.

Following the Prime Minister’s rally speech easing up (slightly) on political films, outdoor demonstrations are now allowed. It’s a baby step forward, but nevertheless, good news.

WHAT’S NEW

As usual, people will react differently. I append some of the reactions here:

EXPAND IF SUCCESSFUL

‘I’m glad that they (the Government) have put their money where their mouth is. But I wish to see public demonstrations extended to the rest of Singapore. If nothing bad happens in the next two or three years, they should start expanding it, incrementally, to the whole country.’

Activist Choo Zheng Xi, who runs the The Online Citizen blog

NOT A BIG DEAL

‘It’s no big deal. It is actually enshrined in our Constitution, the freedom of speech and expression. So it should have been there in the first place.’

Mr Yaw Shin Leong, organising secretary of the Workers’ Party

IT’S JUST A TOKEN GESTURE

‘The liberalisation to allow public demonstrations but confined to Speakers’ Corner is not meaningful. The details on the new rules are just icing on the cake. I do not intend to dignify the tokenism. Why should we be shunted to Speakers’ Corner? As citizens, we will do what we want, where we want. There are no excuses to shunt us into a quarantine.’

Gay rights activist Alex Au

I think it’s a good step forward (albeit a small step).Frankly, even if they don’t relax the rules on outdoor demos, it doesn’t matter, as seeing how people are actively engaging each other in online forums and blogs. So, it is a clever move on their part to “concede” a little. I hope, like Mr Choo, that the boundaries be extended wider. After all, like what Mr Yaw said, it should have been there in the first place.

I am somewhat apprehensive of what Mr Aw said – “as citizens, we will do what we want, where we want“. I am of the Durkheim school of thought that human beings had a built-in insatiability, one only restrained by social institutions. Individuals need groups and rules – in their absence you got egoism and anomie, linked in Durkheim’s study to higher suicide rates. The more choice and the more uncertainty, the more anomie, whether economic, religious or familial.

Also, for a nation not used to such unbridled freedom, a sudden lack of boundary might lead to a kneejerk reaction not entirely welcome.

Baby steps..

So, I think it is something that should have been there in the first place. But I do not agree that it is mere tokenism. It’s probably reached a point where we make noise when they don’t and it’s tokenism when they do. Let’s not become a nation of complainers, nitpickers and whiners.

After all, Speakers’ Corner could have remained a joke, you know. Let’s be happy for the little changes, and voice out for bigger ones.

A MAN is charged with a crime. After a trial, he is acquitted and goes free. Does that mean he is innocent?

Not necessarily.

Witnesses may have changed their evidence or a technicality may have got in the way. The end result: The prosecution is unable to convince the judge that the man had done the deed.

And once there is a reasonable doubt as to his guilt, duty requires that the judge acquit the man.

Said Law Minister K. Shanmugam in Parliament on Monday: ‘It is entirely possible for a person to have committed acts which amount to a crime and yet, there may be no conviction. No serious lawyer will question this possibility.”

He was responding to two lawyer-MPs, who wanted him to clarify the position of the Attorney-General on the subject of acquittals.

The issue of guilt and innocence has been in the air since mid-May when AG Walter Woon stated that an acquitted person may be ‘not guilty” in law, but guilty in fact.

Two months later, Appeal Court Judge V K Rajah weighed in on the issue, noting that such comments could undermine confidence in the courts’ verdicts and the criminal justice system which is predicated on the doctrine of ‘innocent until proven guilty”.

Not so, said Mr Shanmugam.

He described the presumption of innocence as an ‘important and fundamental principle” which the Government is ‘absolutely committed to upholding.”

‘There is no intention to question or qualify that principle in any way. I am surprised that any doubt should at all have arisen about this,” he said.

More here..

**

This is all very interesting. Which brings me to the point of something that had been niggling at the back of my mind since I read about it a few years ago.

JBJ was the first opposition party candidate to be elected a Member of Parliament (MP) in Singapore, 16 years after the country gained independence.

This was what the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council had to say on this episode when they delivered their judgment, allowing Jeyaretnam’s appeal against being struck off from the roll of Singapore lawyers:

“Their Lordships have to record their deep disquiet that by a series of misjudgments, the appellant and his co-accused Wong, have suffered a grievous injustice. They have been fined, imprisoned and publicly disgraced for offences of which they are not guilty. The appellant, in addition, has been deprived of his seat in Parliament and disqualified for a year from practising his profession. Their Lordships order restores him to the roll of advocates and solicitors of the Supreme Court of Singapore, but, because of the course taken by the criminal proceedings, their Lordships have no power to right the other wrongs which the appellant and Wong have suffered. Their only prospect of redress, their Lordships understand, will be by way of petition for pardon to the President of the Republic of Singapore.”

The right of appeal to the Privy Council was severely restricted by a change in the law the following year.

Very interesting.

1/3 cup oil
115g unsweetened baking chocolate
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 160C and line and grease 8-inch square metal baking pan.
Melt the butter and the chocolate together, stirring often until smooth. Stir in sugar, vanilla and salt. Add eggs one at a time, followed by flour. Stir until very smooth, about 1 minute.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake at 160C for 40 minutes.
When the brownies are done – and they will look a bit dry on top – take them immediately from the oven to cool.
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Makes about 12.

I was having a bite with the children at a local food court just now. There was a table of three adults and two kids beside us. The disparity between our children could not be more obvious. My children were alternating between speaking in conversational tones and eating quietly. Their kids were shouting “I don’t anything! I don’t anything!” at every ten-second intervals.

Their parents carried on with their own conversations as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. They were not bothered that their children were being public nuisances. In fact, their conversations took on a higher decibel and that was how we heard that they are primary school teachers.

School teachers! I looked at Big, he looked at me and I swear my jaw was touching the table. He knew I was thinking, if these were teachers and how they cultivate their children, what about the children in their respective classes?

I know some teachers are sensitive about having their characters scrutinized during and after school hours. They say, primarily it should be the education parents should be concerned about. We should not overload them with the burden of being a paragon of virtuous example for our children. The importance of good character, graciousness and integrity in a teacher seems almost unreasonable. I beg to differ. The teacher is one person that our children look up to, respect, obey and emulate. How can it be unreasonable that we, as parents, feel that the requisites should be good character, graciousness and integrity?

Why should there be a differentiation between school and after school hours? After all, you are what you are, regardless of time and place. It is worrying if the teacher puts on an act during school hours and is another person after school hours, is it not?

I knew this teacher who smokes, swears, drinks and leads a lifestyle of debauchery – the details of which I will not go into. Suffice it to say that the behaviour is such that we would not want our children to behave. Her lifestyle after school apart, we knew her to have very serious fundamental character flaws – one of which is a blatant disregard for truth. Another would be that she hates teaching.

Would it be unreasonable to say that we do not want people of dubious character and values to teach our children? Is there such a bad shortage of teachers that MOE would accept people of any calibre to guide the future of our next generation?

I know some very dedicated and outstanding teachers, whom I have great respect for. Teaching is not an easy vocation. But I also know some who made me shake my head in disbelief.

To play the devil’s advocate – the sole responsibility of upbringing lies on the parents and not the teacher. It is up to us, as parents, to cultivate the right values, principles and beliefs in our young (and impressionable) children. So, what does it matter if a teacher has questionable character and values?

What do you think?

Credit: Chua Chin Hon of ST

Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) president Lee Bee Wah told The Sunday Times yesterday that the services of team manager Antony Lee are not needed anymore.

The shock move, which some view as not only too rash but also harsh, is sure to put a dampener on the team’s scheduled celebrations when they arrive back in Singapore tomorrow. Mr Lee will return to the Singapore Sports Council, where he was seconded from.

Ms Lee, who took over as STTA president last month, her first foray into sports, said: ‘I have a new team and will have a new CEO and technical director. It is best that the manager is chosen by them. Antony is welcome to apply for the position when we ask for applications.’

But a clearly upset Mr Lee, 39, did not take kindly to the news.

‘I find it funny that after we achieved the greatest success in 48 years, I am no longer needed. It is baffling,’ he said, close to tears, yesterday.

The silver – won by the women’s team of Li Jiawei, Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei – was Singapore’s first since 1960.

‘I’m surprised she did not tell me directly. That would be the courteous thing to do. I have to hear this from third parties. After doing so much for Singapore, I deserve a little respect,’ he said.

Ms Lee, an engineer who is also an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, had said last Thursday that Mr Lee and the team’s head coach Liu Guodong should be responsible for the ‘Gao Ning incident’ at the Games.

Gao, Singapore’s top men’s table tennis player ranked 12th in the world, had to play without a coach on courtside. He crashed 0-4 to unheralded Tan Ruiwu of Croatia in the first round.

More here.

**

Someone screwed up and Gao Ning didn’t win. That is not acceptable, seeing how much we spent on buying bringing Gao Ning over. Of course, “someone will have to be accountable for this”. Of course. Otherwise, how does PAP account for all that money down the drain? Of course, there has to be a fall guy and you can be sure it is not the one who said that “our ministers are only drawing S$1.2 million.”

Who dares to say it is an honest mistake – let’s move on?!

No, of course not.

Accountability

As an MP and as the newly elected president of STTA, did she handle this matter well?

The lack of social grace and the PR gaffe is so appalling that Project 0812 chairman Ng Ser Miang said he was ‘shocked at the timing as well as the manner in which this decision had been made‘.

1. She didn’t even know how many accredited coaches were brought to the Olympics. It was 4 and she claimed there were 5. This is unacceptable. Someone has been sleeping on her job. Who then “have to be accountable for this?”
2. The Olympics Games are not over yet and to make such a huge PR gaffe in the face of the world is unacceptable. We have set ourselves up as a laughing stock. Who then “have to be accountable for this?”
3. Why the choice for such an unfortunate timing? Can’t it wait till the team is back and for a decision to be made after proper and fair investigations? I can’t help but feel that it is a play for the eye of international media attention. Well, not all publicity is good publicity. Who then “have to be accountable for this?”
4. Gao Ning is a Olympic competitor and one of the top Table Tennis Men’s players. Does a player of such calibre need hand holding from a coach? Does he need to be babysit by a coach to win? Is it crucial? Should he himself not bear some responsibility and “accountability” for his own poor performance?
   
5. Sportsmanship – a basic trait that should be proudly worn on the sleeve of every STTA official and member, is being mocked and trampled upon. The president herself made a mockery of the spirit of sportsmanship. Who then “have to be accountable for this?”
6. The manager was not extended the basic courtesy of being informed of such a grave decision. He had to know from third party sources. Is this the best that a MP and president and committee member on various committees could do in a matter of international impact and exposure? Where is the social grace?
7. Last but not least, if there were not enough accredited coaches sent to the Olympics – such a huge event in the eyes of the government, that we have to spend millions to buy a medal – it is poor planning at its epitome. Shouldn’t it then be the responsibility of the president herself to ensure such a slip should not have happened? Who then “have to be accountable for this?”

Mr Ng said, ‘I’m quite puzzled as to how a decision like that can be made by the STTA president, who has been in office for just over a month.’

Well, I am sure the whole of Singapore is equally puzzled, if not disturbed. ???? – is this in the spirit of Singapore?

Just a few days ago, our PM urged us to be more gracious as a nation and to improve on our social graces. It seems that his directive might have missed Ms Lee.

**

Additional reading:

Andrew touches on courtesy and professionalism.

Yaw Shin Leong (WP) recommends STTA to review the future of its current president

When a recent McCain political ad positioned Paris Hilton and Barack Obama in a unflattering light, Paris retaliated with sharp humour using this video.

Very clever. Like what the Church of the Customer said, you could:-

1. Ignore it and hope it goes away. Might happen, but Google never forgets.
2. Profess your outrage. Then you risk stoking the fires of others who like to pile on to drama.
3. Cleverly make fun of yourself and the situation. Bonus: come up with a catchphrase that trumps the trumper.

Valuable insight.

See you at the debates, bitches.

There is a thought provoking article in TOC touching on the table tennis team in the Olympics. It raises some very pertinent points about the definition of being Singaporean and the meaning of sportsmanship.

And there was “Kent” again in comment no 16, a verbatim copy of his comment to me earlier in my article. I wonder if there are employees on the government payroll to do this.

And like what UCF said in comment no 6:

Mr. Anthony Yeo and Xtralicious have both stated their views very clearly – it’s the foreign talent policy and not the fact that the players are foreign-born that is the issue causing Singaporeans to be unhappy.

This represents the broad view of the commenters here as well. We have emphasized this numerous times.

Unfortunately, there has been repeated attempts by government supporters to deliberately misrepresent this view as racism or xenophobia. Such a strawman position is easier to attack because you can label critics as bigots, or racists or luddites and dismiss everything they say.

This letter to the ST forum is a classic example:

“Let’s learn from Canada” – by Cheong Wing Lee

http://www.straitstimes.com/ST%2BForum/Story/STIStory_270895.html

Not only do they muddle the issue, they also repeat it again and again and again to force the message home, as if all Singaporeans are made of stupid.

Their strategy is that if you repeat it often enough people will eventually give up and believe. That is why there are so many articles in the MSM glorifying the silver medal win to the extent that it is making people puke.

If you keep denying it, then the problem will go away. If you keep saying that it is a minority opinion, then somehow magically it will become one and everybody’s brain will magically turn off. They should be aware that their constant drumming is having a counterproductive effect.

and in comment 17:

Kent – not again.

Maybe if you guys keep twisting this argument one more million times, you can turn black into white.

Perhaps this is their counter directive towards dissent in the online sphere. Repeat it enough and perhaps someone would start believing it.

“I would call you a complete idiot, but some parts are obviously missing.”

or, if you are feeling particularly kind:

“Yes, of course.. of course..” (murmured in a kind soothing soft voice)

You guys have any favourite comeback of your own?

Looking back when I blogged about Foreign Talent (FT) two years ago, I feel now I had sounded cold, callous and hardnosed then. And it was true. I tackled life and what it dealt me with in that manner – cold, callous, relentless and pitbullish. After all, this is not a welfare state. There are no handouts. When you are in an abusive marriage, when money becomes an issue, when you have to be steely and think on your feet so that your children have food, when you have to be independent, fight for survival and a better life for yourself and your children – you would probably be what I was like. Which explains why I am so fiercely protective of what I have now. I worked for it.

Fast forward two years later, life is much better. I am independent and I can have what I need and I want, for myself and my children. Strangely, now I am more empathetic towards my fellow people whereas in the past, I was contemptuous of their defeatist attitudes. There are of course others, who in their perceived state of security and wealth, cannot be bothered about the Foreign Talent policy because they think their jobs or industry is such that they will not be affected by FT. And thus they make a big show of generosity and acceptance towards FT. I cannot respect or accept this magnanimosity. In all reality, it is selfish and short sighted thinking.

My view towards Foreign Talent and the policy is still the same though. I object to the lax policy that allows any Tom, Muthu and Xiao Qiang in. I still think that Foreign Talent should be exactly that – talented individuals in aspects of either highly specialized knowledge, industry or experience. These people contribute to the greater good of our economy and be rightfully compensated for their efforts and contribution.

To address the issue of a non existential minimum wage system here, foreign labour serves to fill in the lower tier jobs eg. construction, heavy labour, service and even retail.

I think it is safe to assume that the locals generally do not object to the top tier of foreign talent and the lower tier of foreign labour.

The problem that most of us have to grapple with -  is the so called mid-level tier, which should not exist in the first place. After all, tell me, which other countries have a immigration policy as lax as that of Singapore? It’s literally “come, all ye people”.

This mid-level tier consists of too many folks like our people out there -  averagely holding a diploma or degree, typically in the IT or customer service industry. One good example would be the famous Amit Nagpal who had the misfortune of having his personal details CSI-ed, after writing a rather vacuous letter to the Straits Times insisting on rights on par with that of citizens.

His qualifications and experience were revealed to be on par, if not inferior to that of one of us. What do you have to offer then? How many Amit Nagpals are there out there, depriving our locals of these jobs they could have had? Are these “FTs” really asking for a significantly lower salary? Many of these qualifications and experience as proclaimed in their applications tend to be largely exaggerated too, as many a recruiters might have found out. Some, I have learnt, were even caught redhanded in brandishing bogus degrees. Why we would tolerate such faux pas in the Immigration screening process is beyond me. *edit: update – After considering the point raised by Cobalt Paladin, I agree that it is on the onus of the employer to ensure that we are getting monkeys and not peanuts. This might be something to explore further.

So, where is the wisdom in a policy that brings in people – not to complement with one’s own, but to clash and conflict with one’s own? We see ourselves as  a developed nation and yes, we should welcome immigrants to encourage growth and challenges. But there has to be a criteria, a justification, an economic and social thermostat to gauge the influx. Not an indiscriminate “come all ye Tom, Muthu and Xiao Qiang” laxity for sure.

Some points for consideration would be:-

• same obligations and responsibilities as citizens (eg National Service) I think it is logical to assume that no, these people are not going to sacrifice for the nation and do two years of National Srvice. That’s fine. Just don’t expect the same privileges and rights as the citizens and no one will make a peep.
• Contributions to the nation – as the government loves to reiterate that we are not a charity nation and not a welfare state, the same shrewd pragmaticism should be applied to the selection process in FT. How much value can you bring to this partnership? What can you offer? Admittedly Singapore is a most well run and excellent corporation country for business and work opportunities, so what are you bringing as an offering?
• Remember and honor the pledge, especially this part – “based on justice and equality“. Are we really equal, or some people are more equal than others? For us to really accept FTs into our society, equality is a sensitive issue.
• Ever wondered why people aren’t as vocal or unhappy about Lim Kim San, Khoo Swee Say and Tan Howe Liang? All three were not Singapore born and bred. All three won honors for Singapore which we gladly accepted and were proud of. Why? There is a Cantonese saying – “we don’t need to draw the picture on the wall” for you to get it, do we?

Having said the above, of course I disagree with what Vivian Balakrishnan said when he addressed the students in Republic Polytechnic last year:

The next concern was raised was about foreigners entering the workforce and leaving Singaporeans with fewer places. Dr. Balakrishnan’s response to this concern was that Singapore is an open country. Therefore, foreigners must come. Singapore is a place of opportunity and there are many more good opportunities for locals as well as for foreigners. Yes, there will be competition, but healthy competition.

It’s a parallel argument. How open is “open” and what constitutes as “open”? Who determines that it should be “open” in the first place?  On a lateral note, how about some healthy competition for the opposition too? That’s when they will bring in the One People, One Nation, One Singapore spiel. Which should be about unity and equality, but which was twisted into One Country, One Party, One Dream. The nonsense we have to put up with, I tell you.

This of course, is the same guy who sprouted this gem during a review of the PA scheme:

Dr Lily Neo: Sir, I want to check with the Minister again when he said on the strict criteria on the entitlement for PA recipients. May I ask him what is his definition of “subsistence living”? Am I correct to say that, out of $260 per month for PA recipients, $100 goes to rental, power supply and S&C and leaving them with only $5 a day to live on? Am I correct to say that any basic meal in any hawker centre is already $2.50 to $3.00 per meal? Therefore, is it too much to ask for just three meals a day as an entitlement for the PA recipients?

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: How much do you want? Do you want three meals in a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?

The hot brash passionate anger of the past is no longer. In its place, is a cold steely anger that will not cease its silent scream. Where is this “justice and equality” of our pledge, I wonder.

**

Back to the Olympic issue which started this debate on Foreign Talent. Contrary to claims that the Americans are “happy and accepting” about welcoming FTs for the Olympics, this seem to indicate otherwise. Please bear in mind that this is only with a mere offering of a Green Card and no mention of moolah being thrown frivolously to entice those FTs. In any case, even if Americans are really all accepting of this disturbing trend, why should we have to blindly follow suit? I object to a unilateral argument that if America does it, we should do it too. One of the reasons why we are educated – to think and analyse objectively and not follow the herd blindly.

I am also puzzled as to the apparent inability to isolate the point of reference. The spotlight is not on the players. There is no argument that yes, they have trained very hard for many years, suffered for their passion, and deserve every penny of their prize. No one begrudges them that. The point of contention is the way the government engineered the propaganda of how they brought us national glory and how proud we should be that they are Singaporeans (highly debatable, this point, to some of us). They may feel like they are one of us, this, no one else will know but them. They might feel the connection after living here for a few years, yes. But don’t foist the propaganda wholesale on us. It is mildly insulting and extremely inelegant.

I can be happy for them and I am happy for them as individuals that they made good. However in the spirit of the Olympics and on the level of national pride, I have my doubts.

I wonder why we are being so machiavellian about winning a medal. I see people tooting about Singapore having won a medal. That, in itself, is another point for debate but I’d leave it just yet. So what, I ask you? Is winning that important? How you win is equally important, if not more important. I would rather not win than to have won at the expense of pride, dignity and integrity. Is that the message we are sending to our children too? Never mind lah boy, mummy don’t care how you win..  as long as you win.

I hope not.

People seem to totally miss that point. We’ve won, we’ve won!! They jump in joy. What we have, is lots of tax money (GST, ERP, income tax etc) and we have bought a medal, that’s what we have done. They (Li Jiawei, Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu) won. We bought a medal.

Will the Olympics ever come to a day where all the rich countries simply buy out the talents for trophies? What would the spirit of the Olpympics be then?

Lately I’ve been feeling an urge to cook, bake, write, read and do a million other things during the scarce 18 hours I have in a day.

Baked butter cookies with chocolate chips for my kids yesterday night after they have slept.

This is my own recipe -

250gm butter
500gm flour
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
200gm dark brown sugar
100ml honey
2 eggs, beaten
chocolate chips to taste (your preference to add more or less)

Heat oven to 180 degrees C.

Beat the butter and brown sugar till creamy.

Add the beaten eggs and honey, mix till even consistency.

Sift the flour, then add baking soda and salt

Fold in the flour with mixer on low speed – stop when the flour is completely mixed in.

Stir in the chocolate chips.

Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes so that it’s easier to cut out the shapes. If making simple round shapes, no need to chill the dough.

Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or till the sides are golden.

Chill on rack

Posh, this recipe is also for you, I remember you mentioned you wanted it

**

Also cooked Barley with Lotus seeds and Gingko nuts for the kids today.. I left out the beancurd sheets because I added lotus seeds today. The Cantonese – and I am one – believe that nourishing desserts like this one helps to yang yan and zhi nuan. It’s especially good for children in terms of rejuvenation and nourishing.

The “recipe” for this one is literally boil barley first, then add lotus seeds, after which add gingko nuts and rock sugar. LOL. Easy peasy.

The next time I will make my soy milk version with beancurd and egg white. That one, I will share the step by step recipe like above.

I don’t know if any of you remember, but I used to write take-no-prisoners commentaries on the social and political issues in Singapore. I was even featured on the Intelligent Singaporean. And then, I stopped.

Why?

I don’t see myself pointing out things that are so obviously wrong (to me) at a regular basis and yet being unable to make any real difference. And as a person, I object to senseless mudslinging when people differ in opinions. I got tired. I took a hiatus.

The voice inside me ceased its silent scream and like a tiger, it continued to lurk in the shadows of the life, waiting for the collective moment where it can prowl again.

That moment came when I can no longer suppress my thoughts about the recent Olympic win by our foreign imports.
And I have found my voice again in The Online Citizen (TOC). The article was featured under Main Story and it garnered over 1000 views. It reached out to the kind of audience who in all likelihood, respect their power and responsibilities as a citizen, and the diversity in the opinions and viewpoints flowed in the comments.

I will be the last one to profess that I am right all the time. In the comments, I saw alternative viewpoints that had never occurred to me before, alternative analysis that also makes sense and different takes on the matter which were interesting. I welcome alternative viewpoints and different opinions but I stand firm on the request that they be presented civilly and in an objective manner.

After all, we are educated individuals and not savages.

**
As a vibrant and highly respected online community where articulate and knowledgeable writers present their views and analysis on matters political, social and economic, I see diversity in a cohesive community where there is a unspoken civility to disagree agreeably and to discuss issues objectively. A breath of fresh air from the usual mudslinging exercises I see on some forums, which totally disinterest me.

I was honored when my article was featured as the Main Story. I was even more honored when the Deputy Editor, Andrew Loh, invited me to be a columnist on TOC.

And in his words:

I think you will give TOC a little edge which I find missing – speaking your mind while being so articulate..  A rare gift, really.

Oh, delight!

I’m having my own COLUMN!!

A fun touch to the Olympics. Via Posh.

Lego is one of the few expensive toys that I am willing to splurge on for my children. Lookat these creations. Ingenious!

We bought Crayola sets for the children to doodle while I played at being Nigella again.

I used some yogurt in this batch. The taste is slightly tangy and the texture is light.

Love the colour!

For the girls – a layer of Hazelnut cream and then an explosion of colours. I wish I had captured Gean’s face on camera when I gave it to her. She practically squealed with delight.

For Big and the girls. Yes, the girls polished off two cupcakes each! As supper.

Cookies for the children

A few days ago, people were positively outraged that this Foreign Talent (and you can imagine them saying it in a very contemptuous and derisive tone) dragged the National flag on the floor during the opening ceremony, and now people are positively proud that she is one of us, she won a silver medal for us! Excuse moi while I go to that corner and roll my eyes silly.

*Goes to corner and rolls eyes silly* *Comes back prim and proper again*

Where is our pride and dignity, that we forsake it so readily for a bit of gain?

The BBC pens its article. starting off with

Feng Tianwei, who, like the rest of the Singapore team, is an import from China, won both her singles matches to help them clinch a tense 3-2 victory.

You feel proud? You feel that Singapore has won a Silver medal?

I don’t. And I am not the only one it seems.

And this doesn’t sit well with me too.

Their table tennis coach Liu Guodong said: “I feel very honoured. I’ve been in Singapore for just over two years and can help it get an Olympic medal, at least a silver, for the first time in 48 years.”

???????

I am going to be scathing here and say – that you are only here in Singapore because you know you cannot make it in China.

And it shames me greatly to say that.

And since we are into such capitalism and buying of National pride, why go for the second best? They should have bought Wang Nan and Zhang Yining over! Then, we would have won our first gold metal in 48 years, or ever.

**

I have nothing against people choosing to immigrate to this country. I shake my head at the whole Foreign Talent nationwide propaganda because I think most of them are a big joke, including the now very famous Mr Amit Nagpal. I used to think that Foreign Talent belong in the category of private bankers who specialize in certain niches, highly specialized industry experts and so forth. Apparently our government disagrees. These days, even a foreigner with average qualification and professional experience is considered as a “Foreign Talent”. Thankfully I don’t need to write an entire diatribe to express how appalled I am and how ridiculous this whole ruckus is. Endoh has done it very nicely.

With that kind of direction from the government, I wonder how much stronghold the citizens have in this landscape of rapidly increasing foreign talent. There are many of these foreign talent in the estate I live in now. They are rude, aggressive and have no common sense of living in Singapore. I wonder if they can truly assimilate in the lifestyle and culture of Singapore, or are we merely a stepping stone for them to move on to US or Canada?

As for the Foreign Talent playing in the Singapore team, I do not blame them for coming here for the money. Anyone would. I blame the government for yet again, choosing the short term solution route. You may say that with the Sports School changes everything. We are now nurturing our own, encouraging our young – no expenses spared. Really??

Yet another foreign talent.

And you think she is one of us? That she thinks she is one of us?

In January 2008, Tao became embroiled in controversy after the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) introduced a 15% levy on the cash awards given to swimmers, with about 6% set aside for youth development. As part of the government’s Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP), she received S$23,750 for winning three individual titles and one team gold at the 2007 SEA Games.

She was therefore “taxed” S$3,562.50, with S$1,425 going to youth development. Unhappy with this, Tao said: “If they [the SSA] want to cultivate youth, they should find their own money, not pay using our awards. It’s through our hard work that we got the money. So, I don’t see the point that we should give the money to the youths.” She also said it had been her school and not the SSA which had borne the expense of her overseas training. The SSA said it was “very disappointed” with her comments, and pointed out that the association had spent “easily in excess of $20,000″ in sending her for competitions abroad such as the World Championships, Hong Kong Open and Japan International, and a stint at the Australian Institute of Sport. SSA Vice-President Oon Jin Gee told the press, “Even with the Sports School funding it, it’s our taxpayers’ dollars going into her development. It doesn’t matter which avenue it comes from, it’s still Singapore’s support for her.

And now they are using the taxpayers’ money to fund her million dollar makeover.

I am so sick of the level of stupidity of this government.

Can we entice Obama Barack and Hillary Clinton in as Foreign Talent to replace this lot of grossly overpaid and highly complacent peacocks?

Oh. I don’t think so. It slipped my mind that Mr Barack and Ms Clinton are in politics for totally different reasons than our local chosen ones. Silly me.

and there are parents. I thought I have seen the worst of child abuse cases in the form of neglect or violence but this … is appalling.

Why give birth to a child if you are not prepared to give him or her the best you can? And what if your “best” is hardly acceptable?

Would the child have been more “fortunate” if she was aborted from the beginning? Would this make a classic case for a pro choice argument?

The many grey shades in life. They sadden me.