Another good article, another first prize in the Commonwealth Essay Competition.. both young ladies have done Singapore proud:)
By AMANDA CHONG WEI-ZHEN
RAFFLES GIRL’S SECONDARY SCHOOL
SINGAPORE
FIRST PRIZE, CLASS A
IN THE 2004 COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION
WHAT THE MODERN WOMAN WANTS
The old woman sat in the backseat of the magenta convertible as it careened down the highway, clutching tightly to the plastic bag on her lap, afraid it may be kidnapped by the wind. She was not used to such speed, with trembling hands she pulled the seatbelt tighter but was careful not to touch the patent leather seats with her callused fingers, her daughter had warned her not to dirty it, 'Fingerprints show very clearly on white, Ma.'
Her daughter, Bee Choo, was driving and talking on her sleek silver mobile phone using big words the old woman could barely understand. 'Finance', 'Liquidation' 'Assets' 'Investments'... Her voice was crisp and important and had an unfamiliar lilt to it. Her Bee Choo sounded like one of those foreign girls on television. She was speaking in an American accent. The old lady clucked her tongue in disapproval.
'I absolutely cannot have this. We have to sell!' Her daughter exclaimed agitatedly as she stepped on the accelerator; her perfectly manicured fingernails gripping onto the steering wheel in irritation.
'I can't DEAL with this anymore!' she yelled as she clicked the phone shut and hurled it angrily toward the backseat. The mobile phone hit the old woman on the forehead and nestled soundlessly into her lap. She calmly picked it up and handed it to her daughter.
'Sorry, Ma,' she said, losing the American pretence and switching to Mandarin. 'I have a big client in America. There have been a lot of problems.' The old lady nodded knowingly. Her daughter was big and important. Bee Choo stared at her mother from the rear view window, wondering what she was thinking.
Her mother's wrinkled countenance always carried the same cryptic look. The phone began to ring again, an artificially cheerful digital tune, which broke the awkward silence.
'Hello, Beatrice! Yes, this is Elaine.' Elaine. The old woman cringed. I didn't name her Elaine. She remembered her daughter telling her, how an English name was very important for 'networking', Chinese ones being easily forgotten.
'Oh no, I can't see you for lunch today. I have to take the ancient relic to the temple for her weird daily prayer ritual.' Ancient Relic. The old woman understood perfectly it was referring to her. Her daughter always assumed that her mother's silence meant she did not comprehend.
'Yes, I know! My car seats will be reeking of joss sticks!' The old woman pursed her lips tightly, her hands gripping her plastic bag in defence.
The car curved smoothly into the temple courtyard. It looked almost garish next to the dull sheen of the ageing temple's roof. The old woman got out of the back seat, and made her unhurried way to the main hall. Her daughter stepped out of the car in her business suit and stilettos and reapplied her lipstick as she made her brisk way to her mother's side.
'Ma, I'll wait outside. I have an important phone call to make,' she said, not bothering to hide her disgust at the pungent fumes of incense. The old lady hobbled into the temple hall and lit a joss stick, she knelt down solemnly and whispered her now familiar daily prayer to the Gods. Thank you God of the Sky, you have given my daughter luck all these years. Everything I prayed for, you have given her. She has everything a young woman in this world could possibly want. She has a big house with a swimming pool, a maid to help her, as she is too clumsy to sew or cook. Her love life has been blessed; she is engaged to a rich and handsome angmoh man. Her company is now the top financial firm and even men listen to what she says. She lives the perfect life. You have given her everything except happiness. I ask that the gods be merciful to her even if she has lost her roots while reaping the harvest of success. What you see is not true -she is a filial daughter to me. She gives me a room in her big house and provides well for me. She is rude to me only because I affect her happiness. A young woman does not want to be hindered by her old mother. It is my fault. The old lady prayed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, with her head bowed in reverence she planted the half-burnt joss stick into an urn of smouldering ashes. She bowed once more. The old woman had been praying for her daughter for thirty-two years. When her stomach was round like a melon, she came to the temple and prayed that it was a son.
Then the time was ripe and the baby slipped out of her womb, bawling and adorable with fat thighs and pink cheeks, but unmistakably, a girl. Her husband had kicked and punched her for producing a useless baby who could not work or carry the family name. Still, the woman returned to the temple with her new-born girl tied to her waist in a sarong and prayed that her daughter would grow up and have everything she ever wanted. Her husband left her and she prayed that her daughter would never have to depend on a man. She prayed every day that her daughter would be a great woman, the woman that she, meek and uneducated, could never become. A woman with nengkan; the ability to do anything she set her mind to A woman who commanded respect in the hearts of men. When she opened her mouth to speak, precious pearls would fall out and men would listen.
She will not be like me, the woman prayed as she watched her daughter grow up and drift away from her, speaking a language she scarcely understood. She watched her daughter transform from a quiet girl, to one who openly defied her, calling her laotu; old-fashioned. She wanted her mother to be 'modern', a word so new there was no Chinese word for it. Now her daughter was too clever for her and the old woman wondered why she had prayed like that.
The gods had been faithful to her persistent prayer, but the wealth and success that poured forth so richly had buried the girl's roots and now she stood, faceless, with no identity, bound to the soil of her ancestors by only a string of origami banknotes. Her daughter had forgotten her mother's values. Her wants were so ephemeral; that of a modern woman. Power, Wealth, access to the best fashion boutiques, and yet her daughter had not found true happiness.
The old woman knew that you could find happiness with much less. When her daughter left the earth everything. She had would count for nothing. People would look to her legacy and say that she was a great woman, but she would be forgotten once the wind blows over, like the ashes of burnt paper convertibles and mansions.
The old woman wished she could go back and erase all her big hopes and prayers for her daughter; now she had only one want: That her daughter be happy. She looked out of the temple gate. She saw her daughter speaking on the phone, her brow furrowed with anger and worry. Being at the top is not good, the woman thought, there is only one way to go from there -down.
The old woman carefully unfolded the plastic bag and spread out a packet of bee hoon in front of the altar. Her daughter often mocked her for worshipping porcelain Gods. How could she pray to them so faithfully and expect pieces of ceramic to fly to her aid? But her daughter had her own gods too, idols of wealth, success and power that she was enslaved to and worshipped every day of her life. Every day was a quest for the idols, and the idols she worshipped counted for nothing in eternity. All the wants her daughter had would slowly suck the life out of her and leave her, an empty soulless shell at the altar. The old lady watched her joss tick. The dull heat had left a teetering grey stem that was on the danger of collapsing. Modern woman nowadays, the old lady sighed in resignation, as she bowed to the east one final time to end her ritual. Modern woman nowadays want so much that they lose their souls and wonder why they cannot find it.
Her joss stick disintegrated into a soft grey powder. She met her daughter outside the temple, the same look of worry and frustration was etched on her daughter's face. An empty expression, as if she was ploughing through the soil of her wants looking for the one thing that would sow the seeds of happiness. They climbed into the convertible in silence and her daughter drove along the highway,
this time not as fast as she had done before.
'Ma,' Bee Choo finally said. 'I don't know how to put this. Mark and I have been talking about it and we plan to move out of the big house. The property market is good now, and we managed to get a buyer willing to pay seven million for it. We decided we'd prefer a cosier penthouse apartment instead. We found a perfect one in Orchard Road . Once we move in to our apartment we plan to get rid of the maid, so we can have more space to ourselves...'
The old woman nodded knowingly. Bee Choo swallowed hard. 'We'd get someone to come in to do the housework and we can eat out-but once the maid is gone, there won't be anyone to look after you. You will be awfully lonely at home and, besides that, the apartment is rather small. There won't be space. We thought about it for a long time, and we decided the best thing for you is if you moved to a Home. There's one near Hougang -it's a Christian home, a very nice one.
The old woman did not raise an eyebrow. 'I've been there, the matron is willing to take you in. It's beautiful with gardens and lots of old people to keep you company! I hardly have time for you, you'd be happier there.' 'You'd be happier there, really.' Her daughter repeated as if to affirm herself.
This time the old woman had no plastic bag of food offerings to cling tightly to; she bit her lip and fastened her seat belt, as if it would protect her from a daughter who did not want her anymore. She sunk deep into the leather seat, letting her shoulders sag, and her fingers trace the white seat.
'Ma?' her daughter asked, searching the rear view window for her mother. 'Is everything okay?'
What had to be done, had to be done. 'Yes,' she said firmly, louder than she intended, 'if it will make you happy,' she added more quietly.
'It's for you, Ma! You'll be happier there. You can move there tomorrow, I already got the maid to pack your things.' Elaine said triumphantly, mentally ticking yet another item off her agenda.
'I knew everything would be fine.' Elaine smiled widely; she felt liberated. Perhaps getting rid of her mother would make her happier. She had thought about it. It seemed the only hindrance in her pursuit of happiness. She was happy now. She had everything a modern woman ever wanted; Money, Status, Career, Love, Power and now, Freedom, without her mother and her old-fashioned ways to weigh her down... Yes, she was free.
Her phone buzzed urgently, she picked it up and read the message, still beaming from ear to ear. 'Stocks 10% increase!' Yes, things were definitely beginning to look up for her... And while searching for the meaning of life in the luminance of her hand phone screen, the old woman in the backseat became invisible, and she did not see the tears.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
A Good Read#1: Unlikely Friends
When I first read this article, I was impressed by its quality as well as its originality. Here you go:
By CHEW CHIA SHAO WEI
RAFFLES GIRL’S SECONDARY SCHOOL
SINGAPORE
FIRST PRIZE, CLASS A
IN THE 2009 COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION
UNLIKELY FRIENDS
There was something vaguely sad about the rock. It was as old as it
looked, standing weathered and lonely amidst the stretch of sand,
and its thoughts were quiet as it listened to the waves.
The wide unconquerable sea touched the edges of the land like a
curious animal in the way it rolled forward eagerly onto the shore.
It left the land unwillingly, pulling as it went, grasping for what it
could. The sand in the shallow water swirled.
The sea was no stranger to the rock on the beach. The sea came
often to the rock, rushing up wetly against its warm grey, and
always as it swept away it took an infinitesimal part of the rock with
it. The rock had known the waves for a long time, and learned it
was in is nature to erode.
One day, the sunlight on the rock was interrupted by a brief
darkness in the blurred shape of a bird. The rock, interested,
observed the bird winging its way uncertainly about the sky, then
landing, presently, on the very rock that wondered about it.
“Where am I?” said the bird, largely to itself, as it gripped the
surface of the dark grey rock with its feet and peered out at the
sea.
“What are you?” countered the rock.
“I am a bird,” said the bird in surprise.
“You are a rather rude sort of bird,” the rock pointed our calmly. “I
was enjoying the sun when you came and blocked some of it from
me.”
Birds exist for a very short while in comparison to rocks, and have
less time to develop the exceptional serenity that rocks possess.
The bird hopped from one foot to another, flapping its white
wings in annoyance.
“You are a big, stupid rock!” the bird cried, its beak clicking
irately. “Funny you should feel so important, when one of these
days you will have been reduced by the sea to a tiny grain of
sand!”
“Yes,” agreed the rock, surprising the bird yet again, “I shall feel
rather sad when that day comes.”
“Wait, no – you are confusing me – we are in the middle of an
argument!”
“I made a comment, and you responded rather explosively, after
which I shared with you a private thought in concurrence with
something you had said. That was not an argument at all.”
The bird paused mid-hop, disgruntled. “Well, you are a very well-
spoken rock,” it conceded, “and not at all stupid; I’m sorry.”
The rock hummed peaceably in response and returned to its own
thoughts. The bird, feeling wholly ignored, allowed itself to settle
down on its newfound perch, and examined mentally the
conversation that had just taken place.
Some time passed before the bird spoke again, hesitantly, as if
now remembering its manners and unwilling to intrude upon the
rock again.
“Rock, will you truly end up one day as nothing more than a grain
of sand?”
“I expect so,” the rock rumbled. “The sea works at me constantly,
you know.”
“Is that awfully sad?” asked the passionate bird, who, while given
to tempers, was intrinsically kind hearted.
“Only to those who care,” the rock admitted, “only to me.”
The bird was deeply moved by this, by the loneliness of the rock
and the seeming inevitability of its fate. The bird considered the
situation, and felt it must do something to aid the rock. Although
their acquaintance had gotten off to a bad start, the bird found it
rather liked the warm, rough rock, and was unwilling to leave it
alone to the hunger of the sea.
“I care,” volunteered the bird, “I will do something to help you,
rock, if you will let me.”
“No,” said the rock, laughing in a way that did not mock the bird.
“Don’t waste you time.” But the bird had found a cause.
“I am your friend now, rock,” it said, and the rock was touched.
“You are just a bird,” the rock said, “and you will be able to do
nothing.”
The bird did not disagree. “I will try.”
Over the next few days, the bird tried a variety of ways to get the
rock out of harm’s way. It started with simple pushing, which had
proved futile, and progressed to increasingly creative ideas. On
the eighth day, the bird had looped several lengths of seaweed
around its friend, in the hopes of being able to pull it further up
the shore.
The rock had never observed with much significance the passing
of the days, and entire years blurred in its long memory, but this
had been a week that would stand out forever. The frustration, the
laughter, and the gratitude that the rock had experienced along
with the bird would be preserved as colour images amidst a wash
of sepia recollections.
The time had come, however, to begin to dissuade the bird of its
altruistic notions, lest it exhaust itself with the efforts of the fruitless
undertaking.
Bird was picking the rope of seaweed up in its mouth for the
seventh time that day when the rock addressed it.
“I do thank you for your efforts,” it began, “but I am beginning to
feel that this was a hopeless enterprise. I know you have expended
much energy over it, and it has not gone unappreciated, but
perhaps we must stop here.”
The bird dropped the end of the seaweed and made to protest,
but the rock would not allow it.
“You have been a faithful friend, but it seems that here I am and
here I will remain. The sea works slowly, and I have much time left
yet. One day, I will be sand on the beach, but the idea does not
bother me so much now.”
The rock did not add that through getting to know the bird, it had
realized exactly how much more ephemeral was the life of the bird,
and begun to feel selfish for being unsatisfied with the idea of
eventually ending up a small grain of sand.
“Let us abandon this pursuit, and instead look to happier things,”
the rock ended, hoping to mollify the bird. In truth, it was unsure
that the bird, now robbed of his cause, would stick around for
much longer, and the thought made it feel a shiver of
unhappiness.
The bird, wordlessly, began the task of unwrapping the seaweed it
had covered the rock in. There was resignation in its wingtips.
When it had finished, it glanced at the rock with which it had spent
eight sun-drenched days, then flapped slowly into the distant sky.
The rock watched it go.
The beach was blanketed by night when the rock once again felt
the feet of the bird sharp against its surface.
“I am sticking around,” the bird told the rock, “so you won’t forget
me, even when you are just a grain of sand.”
The rock said nothing, but it was happy.
The years moved on, then, like they always had. The rock stayed in
the same place even as the world changed around the little beach,
and the bird, going off frequently on expeditions to see the world,
returned always to the rock it had met so long ago.
“Tell me a story,” the rock asked once, attention to the bird as it
landed lightly.
“But you are so old and wise, no story would interest you,” teased
the bird. It was older now, and it knew ever so much more about
the world.
The rock chuckled, and the bird complied. “I will tell you about the
strange things I saw the last time I flew past these cliffs…”
Sometimes, it was the gird that asked for the story.
“The earth was young once,” the rock would begin, in a vivid story
of the colours of the wind. And always, imperceptibly, the years
moved on-like they always had.
One morning, a long, long time from the day the bird and rock
had first met, the rock was abruptly aware of a different quality to
the day. There was something in the air, maybe, or something
about the sea, or the sand – the rock was uncertain, but something
was different and wrong. The colours felt wrong, for instance, the
sky felt green and the sand was turning white, and the sea when it
touched the rock felt hot and cold and hot again.
“Bird"
That was a strange thing for the rock to do, for it never spoke
aloud when it was alone. But it called out anyway, tentatively, “Bird…”
The word was snatched away by the wing, but it seemed to echo in
the dark beach. The rock was very still, and began to feel
something it had never before felt: fear. It spread slowly and coldly
like the pink sun rising softly over the horizon, and the rock found
that it knew that its friend the bird had died.
“How and why,” the rock murmured numbly to itself, to the sand,
to the sea. “How and why and how and why and why. Goodbye,
goodbye, oh, goodbye.” So saying, it slipped gently asleep.
The bird never returned, just as the rock never again expected it
to. The rock became silent once more, unused to conversation as
it had once been. Its thoughts were numerous but never aired
now, and frequently, it thought of its dearest friend, the bird.
As for the years, they moved on like they always had, and the
world changed around the rock, just like the world was wont to.
Centuries passed, and there was something vaguely sad about the
rock that was as old as it looked, standing weathered and lonely
amidst the stretch of sand. And as it listed to the waves, it thought
of the sun on its surface, and the bird-shaped shadow that fell just
so across the warmth, warmer than the sun itself.
By CHEW CHIA SHAO WEI
RAFFLES GIRL’S SECONDARY SCHOOL
SINGAPORE
FIRST PRIZE, CLASS A
IN THE 2009 COMMONWEALTH ESSAY COMPETITION
UNLIKELY FRIENDS
There was something vaguely sad about the rock. It was as old as it
looked, standing weathered and lonely amidst the stretch of sand,
and its thoughts were quiet as it listened to the waves.
The wide unconquerable sea touched the edges of the land like a
curious animal in the way it rolled forward eagerly onto the shore.
It left the land unwillingly, pulling as it went, grasping for what it
could. The sand in the shallow water swirled.
The sea was no stranger to the rock on the beach. The sea came
often to the rock, rushing up wetly against its warm grey, and
always as it swept away it took an infinitesimal part of the rock with
it. The rock had known the waves for a long time, and learned it
was in is nature to erode.
One day, the sunlight on the rock was interrupted by a brief
darkness in the blurred shape of a bird. The rock, interested,
observed the bird winging its way uncertainly about the sky, then
landing, presently, on the very rock that wondered about it.
“Where am I?” said the bird, largely to itself, as it gripped the
surface of the dark grey rock with its feet and peered out at the
sea.
“What are you?” countered the rock.
“I am a bird,” said the bird in surprise.
“You are a rather rude sort of bird,” the rock pointed our calmly. “I
was enjoying the sun when you came and blocked some of it from
me.”
Birds exist for a very short while in comparison to rocks, and have
less time to develop the exceptional serenity that rocks possess.
The bird hopped from one foot to another, flapping its white
wings in annoyance.
“You are a big, stupid rock!” the bird cried, its beak clicking
irately. “Funny you should feel so important, when one of these
days you will have been reduced by the sea to a tiny grain of
sand!”
“Yes,” agreed the rock, surprising the bird yet again, “I shall feel
rather sad when that day comes.”
“Wait, no – you are confusing me – we are in the middle of an
argument!”
“I made a comment, and you responded rather explosively, after
which I shared with you a private thought in concurrence with
something you had said. That was not an argument at all.”
The bird paused mid-hop, disgruntled. “Well, you are a very well-
spoken rock,” it conceded, “and not at all stupid; I’m sorry.”
The rock hummed peaceably in response and returned to its own
thoughts. The bird, feeling wholly ignored, allowed itself to settle
down on its newfound perch, and examined mentally the
conversation that had just taken place.
Some time passed before the bird spoke again, hesitantly, as if
now remembering its manners and unwilling to intrude upon the
rock again.
“Rock, will you truly end up one day as nothing more than a grain
of sand?”
“I expect so,” the rock rumbled. “The sea works at me constantly,
you know.”
“Is that awfully sad?” asked the passionate bird, who, while given
to tempers, was intrinsically kind hearted.
“Only to those who care,” the rock admitted, “only to me.”
The bird was deeply moved by this, by the loneliness of the rock
and the seeming inevitability of its fate. The bird considered the
situation, and felt it must do something to aid the rock. Although
their acquaintance had gotten off to a bad start, the bird found it
rather liked the warm, rough rock, and was unwilling to leave it
alone to the hunger of the sea.
“I care,” volunteered the bird, “I will do something to help you,
rock, if you will let me.”
“No,” said the rock, laughing in a way that did not mock the bird.
“Don’t waste you time.” But the bird had found a cause.
“I am your friend now, rock,” it said, and the rock was touched.
“You are just a bird,” the rock said, “and you will be able to do
nothing.”
The bird did not disagree. “I will try.”
Over the next few days, the bird tried a variety of ways to get the
rock out of harm’s way. It started with simple pushing, which had
proved futile, and progressed to increasingly creative ideas. On
the eighth day, the bird had looped several lengths of seaweed
around its friend, in the hopes of being able to pull it further up
the shore.
The rock had never observed with much significance the passing
of the days, and entire years blurred in its long memory, but this
had been a week that would stand out forever. The frustration, the
laughter, and the gratitude that the rock had experienced along
with the bird would be preserved as colour images amidst a wash
of sepia recollections.
The time had come, however, to begin to dissuade the bird of its
altruistic notions, lest it exhaust itself with the efforts of the fruitless
undertaking.
Bird was picking the rope of seaweed up in its mouth for the
seventh time that day when the rock addressed it.
“I do thank you for your efforts,” it began, “but I am beginning to
feel that this was a hopeless enterprise. I know you have expended
much energy over it, and it has not gone unappreciated, but
perhaps we must stop here.”
The bird dropped the end of the seaweed and made to protest,
but the rock would not allow it.
“You have been a faithful friend, but it seems that here I am and
here I will remain. The sea works slowly, and I have much time left
yet. One day, I will be sand on the beach, but the idea does not
bother me so much now.”
The rock did not add that through getting to know the bird, it had
realized exactly how much more ephemeral was the life of the bird,
and begun to feel selfish for being unsatisfied with the idea of
eventually ending up a small grain of sand.
“Let us abandon this pursuit, and instead look to happier things,”
the rock ended, hoping to mollify the bird. In truth, it was unsure
that the bird, now robbed of his cause, would stick around for
much longer, and the thought made it feel a shiver of
unhappiness.
The bird, wordlessly, began the task of unwrapping the seaweed it
had covered the rock in. There was resignation in its wingtips.
When it had finished, it glanced at the rock with which it had spent
eight sun-drenched days, then flapped slowly into the distant sky.
The rock watched it go.
The beach was blanketed by night when the rock once again felt
the feet of the bird sharp against its surface.
“I am sticking around,” the bird told the rock, “so you won’t forget
me, even when you are just a grain of sand.”
The rock said nothing, but it was happy.
The years moved on, then, like they always had. The rock stayed in
the same place even as the world changed around the little beach,
and the bird, going off frequently on expeditions to see the world,
returned always to the rock it had met so long ago.
“Tell me a story,” the rock asked once, attention to the bird as it
landed lightly.
“But you are so old and wise, no story would interest you,” teased
the bird. It was older now, and it knew ever so much more about
the world.
The rock chuckled, and the bird complied. “I will tell you about the
strange things I saw the last time I flew past these cliffs…”
Sometimes, it was the gird that asked for the story.
“The earth was young once,” the rock would begin, in a vivid story
of the colours of the wind. And always, imperceptibly, the years
moved on-like they always had.
One morning, a long, long time from the day the bird and rock
had first met, the rock was abruptly aware of a different quality to
the day. There was something in the air, maybe, or something
about the sea, or the sand – the rock was uncertain, but something
was different and wrong. The colours felt wrong, for instance, the
sky felt green and the sand was turning white, and the sea when it
touched the rock felt hot and cold and hot again.
“Bird"
That was a strange thing for the rock to do, for it never spoke
aloud when it was alone. But it called out anyway, tentatively, “Bird…”
The word was snatched away by the wing, but it seemed to echo in
the dark beach. The rock was very still, and began to feel
something it had never before felt: fear. It spread slowly and coldly
like the pink sun rising softly over the horizon, and the rock found
that it knew that its friend the bird had died.
“How and why,” the rock murmured numbly to itself, to the sand,
to the sea. “How and why and how and why and why. Goodbye,
goodbye, oh, goodbye.” So saying, it slipped gently asleep.
The bird never returned, just as the rock never again expected it
to. The rock became silent once more, unused to conversation as
it had once been. Its thoughts were numerous but never aired
now, and frequently, it thought of its dearest friend, the bird.
As for the years, they moved on like they always had, and the
world changed around the rock, just like the world was wont to.
Centuries passed, and there was something vaguely sad about the
rock that was as old as it looked, standing weathered and lonely
amidst the stretch of sand. And as it listed to the waves, it thought
of the sun on its surface, and the bird-shaped shadow that fell just
so across the warmth, warmer than the sun itself.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
牡丹江，弯了几个弯。。。
听到歌里的一句 “到不了的都叫做远方，回不去的名字叫家乡。” 是吗？
其实呀，我们往往向往的都是远方，但只有家的大门是永远为我们而开的。
回得去的，回得去的。
真好听的童谣：
牡丹江弯了几个弯小鱼儿甭上船咱们不稀罕
捞月亮张网补星光给爷爷下酒喝一碗家乡
牡丹江弯了几个弯小虾米甭靠岸咱们没空装
捞月亮张网补星光给姥姥熬汤喝一碗家乡
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
南拳妈妈《牡丹江》歌词：
弯成一弯的桥梁倒映在这湖面上
你从那头瞧这看月光下一轮美满
青石板的老街上你我走过的地方
那段斑驳的砖墙如今到底啥模样
到不了的都叫做远方
回不去的名字叫家乡
呜~
谁在门外唱那首牡丹江
我聆听感伤你声音悠扬
风铃摇晃清脆响
江边的小村庄午睡般安祥
谁在门外唱那首牡丹江
我脚步轻响走向你身旁
思念的光透进窗
银白色的温暖洒在儿时的床
牡丹江弯了几个弯小鱼儿甭上船咱们不稀罕
捞月亮张网补星光给爷爷下酒喝一碗家乡
牡丹江弯了几个弯小虾米甭靠岸咱们没空装
捞月亮张网补星光给姥姥熬汤喝一碗家乡
Monday, May 23, 2011
My Version of MTV: Don't Dream It's Over
If I can make a music video of this song, I'll do this... I've no experience in writing a script but here it goes:
Before the start of your journey, you enthusiastically make your thorough preparations... which route to take, where to stop to eat and rest, which petrol kiosk to top up the fuel tank etc. It's all in the lil' map of yours.
You tell yourself,"This is the path that I've chosen and I'm gonna stick to it and reach my destination, yup.. there might be distractions along the way, but I'll go where I wanna go, somehow, someday...it's simple as that, isn't it? ya?" It seems like you're questioning yourself now.
After turning out from your familiar neighbourhood, you hit the highway. Suddenly, you feel a sense of freedom. "I'm helming the car now and I get to decide where and when to stop, nice!"
As you travel along, you see unfamiliar signs that seem to point you towards another direction; asking you to detour from your original route. "hmmm..tempted to take another route which seems like a short-cut. It might cut my journey by quite a bit... nope, I shall follow my lil' route"
Whisking away the distractions, you happily move along, knowing that you're on the right track. But just in case, you take quick glances at the rear mirror, side mirrors once in a while to ensure that you've not unwittingly left behind any roadkills.
Half-way through your journey, you see a lady standing by the side of the road, hitch-hiking. You stopped by her side, wind down the window and asked,"Are you going towards Alabama?"
To your question, she happily answered, "Hey! I'm going towards the same direction as you! Give me a ride, will ya?"
Having travelling along this seemingly endless, boring road alone, you welcome any kind of company. This lady seems to be a great travelling companion... "Hop on!"
All is well... at first. She seems to like your sense of humour, laughing at every witty comment you make. She listens intently as you share your dreams with her and what you wanna do when you reach your destination. She tells you a bit about herself at first. As the journey progresses, she starts to tell you more, including her dreams. You find that she shares some common dreams with you.... albeit not all.
At this moment, the radio starts to play a song which both of you are familiar with. "There is freedom within, there is freedom without... Hey now, Hey now, don't dream it's over..."
You like the Sixpence None the Richer version; but she likes the Crowded House version. Interestingly a seemingly small lil' tiff turns into a major argument. Both of you refuse to give in.
There is now silence in the car. You peer to the her side; she turns away and looks out of the window, ignoring you. There comes a point when both of you cannot take the silence.
She decides to part way with you. As she climbs out of the car with her luggages, you offer some help. She declines.
As your car pulls away, you look longingly at the rear mirror... the image of her slowly diminishing from your sight.
"It's ok, I can easily find another like-minded person along the way" You tell yourself. Pride always stands in the way.
You continue your journey without her and somehow you didn't manage to find another travelling companion after that. Her shadows linger in your mind, in your heart.
After driving for ages, you finally see the sign "Sweet Home Alabama" as you turn into the car porch of a nice lil' house. You've reached your destination. Somehow, you're not excited at all.. something's amiss.
Flashes of her smiles, laughters and voice now fills your mind.. now you know why....
As you open the door of the house, you see the MTV of "Don't Dream It's Over" playing on the TV.. The Crowded House version.. you tell yourself.. "It's not bad afterall"
(Music starts to fade away... you crumble to the floor on your knees, hands in your face)
P.S. Try playing both versions at the same time. It's confusing... You have to choose one and play it alone... or you can choose to play one after another.. her version, followed by your version.. it's also not bad this way....
===================================
Don't Dream It's Over (Lyrics)
There is freedom within, there is freedom without
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost
But you'll never see the end of the road
While you're traveling with me
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
We know they won't win
Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof
In the paper today tales of war and of waste
But you turn right over to the T.V. page
Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
Only shadows ahead barely clearing the roof
Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief
Hey now, hey now
Don't dream it's over
Hey now, hey now
When the world comes in
They come, they come
To build a wall between us
Don't ever let them win
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Death is Nothing to Us - Epicurus (341-270BC)
Just came across this ancient branch of philosophy "Epicureanism" as I am super bored now and need to read something that can put me to sleep. I've been coughing incessantly, especially at night due to this super irritable throat. Feel like ripping it off and disassociate it from my head. Anyway, while flipping through this boring book, saw this diagram that depicts what Epicurus, an ancient Greek Philosopher, had taught about human's fear of death:
(sorry, iphone cannot zoom properly, click on the diagram to see it close-up)
Fear of Death
"One of the obstacles to enjoying the peace of a tranquil mind, Epicurus reasons, is the fear of death, and this fear is increased by the religious belief that if you incur the wrath of the gods, you will be severely punished in the afterlife. But rather than countering this fear by proposing an alternative state of immortality, Epicurus tries to explain the nature of death itself. He starts by proposing that when we die, we are unaware of our death, since our consciousness (our soul) ceases to exist at the point of death.
To explain this, Epicurus takes the view that the entire universe consists of either atoms or empty space, as argued by the atomist philosophers Democritus and Leucippus. Epicurus then reasons that the soul cannot be empty space, because it operates dynamically with the body, so it must be made up of atoms. He describes these atoms of the soul as being distributed around the body, but as being so fragile that they dissolve when we die, and so we are no longer capable of sensing anything. If you are unable to feel anything, mentally or physically, when you die, it is foolish to let the fear of death cause you pain while you are still alive"
(The Philosophy Book by DK, Pg64-65) [in my humble opinion, they could have used a more interesting name to this book]
With all due respect, due to my limited wisdom, I cannot understand the second paragraph with regards to "atoms" and how the soul can be associated with these lil' atoms and what's this occupation that I've just learned "atomist philosopher" and does it earn a lot of money, but..... the last part makes some sense to me (in bold)
And so... let me try to interpret... the gist of the matter here is that (the diagram best explains it), Epicurus argues that the goal of life is happiness and that our unhappiness is caused by fear and our main fear is that of death. So if we can overcome fear of death, we can be happy.
And death is the end of sensation, so it cannot be physically painful. Death is also the end of consciousness, thus it cannot be emotionally painful as well. So, there is nothing to fear about death and again if we can overcome fear of death, we can be happy.
Agree? No? Let me think.. wah.. worse.. cannot sleep.. bad idea to read such heavy stuff before bedtime:(
(sorry, iphone cannot zoom properly, click on the diagram to see it close-up)
Fear of Death
"One of the obstacles to enjoying the peace of a tranquil mind, Epicurus reasons, is the fear of death, and this fear is increased by the religious belief that if you incur the wrath of the gods, you will be severely punished in the afterlife. But rather than countering this fear by proposing an alternative state of immortality, Epicurus tries to explain the nature of death itself. He starts by proposing that when we die, we are unaware of our death, since our consciousness (our soul) ceases to exist at the point of death.
To explain this, Epicurus takes the view that the entire universe consists of either atoms or empty space, as argued by the atomist philosophers Democritus and Leucippus. Epicurus then reasons that the soul cannot be empty space, because it operates dynamically with the body, so it must be made up of atoms. He describes these atoms of the soul as being distributed around the body, but as being so fragile that they dissolve when we die, and so we are no longer capable of sensing anything. If you are unable to feel anything, mentally or physically, when you die, it is foolish to let the fear of death cause you pain while you are still alive"
(The Philosophy Book by DK, Pg64-65) [in my humble opinion, they could have used a more interesting name to this book]
With all due respect, due to my limited wisdom, I cannot understand the second paragraph with regards to "atoms" and how the soul can be associated with these lil' atoms and what's this occupation that I've just learned "atomist philosopher" and does it earn a lot of money, but..... the last part makes some sense to me (in bold)
And so... let me try to interpret... the gist of the matter here is that (the diagram best explains it), Epicurus argues that the goal of life is happiness and that our unhappiness is caused by fear and our main fear is that of death. So if we can overcome fear of death, we can be happy.
And death is the end of sensation, so it cannot be physically painful. Death is also the end of consciousness, thus it cannot be emotionally painful as well. So, there is nothing to fear about death and again if we can overcome fear of death, we can be happy.
Agree? No? Let me think.. wah.. worse.. cannot sleep.. bad idea to read such heavy stuff before bedtime:(
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Love always has its way...
Watched 3 nice movies during my recent HK trip in April. One on the plane ride to HK. The second one on the last night in HK and finally the last on my plane ride back to Singapore.
What I am intrigued by, is the similarity between the 3 movies though they were all of different genres. The first one, "The Way Back" is a WWII drama depicting the harrowing escape of a group of prisoners from the Russian concentration camp and finally to safety in India. Along the way, they tracked through the treacherous, barren terrain of Siberia into the god forsaken realm of emptiness in the Gobi Desert. In the end they conquered the seemingly invincible mountain tracks across the Himalayas into the arms of safety of India. Triumph of human spirit and will over nature. Fairytale ending number one.
Next up, needs no special introduction, Pretty Woman. It's simply adorable, an instant classic. Fell in love with Julia Roberts when I first saw her unpretending, truthful, endearing performance in the show. A simple young gal, fallen by the wayside, became a hooker and all this while harboring the dream of finding her Prince Charming. She got lucky one day when her knight in shining armor appeared in a Lotus and swept her away. The rest is history as they fell in love, found that they needed each other, gradually realizing that they couldn't do without one another. Sounds familiar eh? The catch here is... this is a hollywood movie and they usually have a fairytale ending for the audience.
The third one "Love and Other Drugs". A quirky one in which a suave, smooth-talking drugs salesman fell in love with a girl suffering from Parkinson's disease. This sounds serious but the show is somewhat "interesting" as I am "intrigued" by the seemingly endless portrayal of "nipples", "naked torsos", "orgasms", "Viagra","intimacy".. enough said. These are just distractions as we human, especially men, are easily distracted by such kinky references. Beneath this poorly weaved veil of distractions, lies the story of a couple finding love through this unfortunate episode. In the end, it's also a fairytale ending when the guy chose to give up his career and promotion to be with the girl.
You might think that the similarity ends there. In my humble opinion, all 3 shows have another similarity.. that is, their last scenes are poignant ones which bring out the flavor in them.
In "The Way Back", a young Polish officer was betrayed by his wife as she couldn't take the tortures by the Russians. Out of desperation, she falsely confessed that her husband was an anti-Stalinist element. Thrown into the abyss of ultimate betrayal, one by her most beloved wife, he sought the chance to see his wife again. He sought a moment of truth to face and forgive her. He knew that her wife was living a life as hellish as his, as she was constantly wrecked by the guilt of betraying her very own husband. In the last scene, many years after he escaped from the concentration camp and after the Stalinist government collapsed, he made his way back; this time back to the home he was so familiar with. As he entered the room, where his wife, now old and shriveled with age, quietly sat, he slowly advanced towards her and gave her a hug. No words; just tears flowed. Powerful stuff...
In the last scene in "Pretty Woman", Richard Gere, like the usual fairy tale ending, rode a "topless limousine" into the streets where Julia Roberts stayed. He waved his bouquet of flowers as he neared her apartment. She waved back, reliving her dream of rescue by her very own Prince Charming. This was a rescue of another sort for her; one that was set in reality. For him, it was a challenge. He had to overcome his fear of height as he climbed his way up the fireman access stairs to her apartment balcony. Sensing his determination as well as fear, she made her way down the stairs into his extended arms. He quipped "So what happened after he climbed up the tower and rescued her". Instantly, she replied "She rescues him right back". They kissed.. oh man..
And in "Love and Other Drugs", Jake Gyllenhaal finally realised that he couldn't do without Anne Hathaway. He hunted her down in a travel stop as she was travelling out of town in a bus. He got her out of the bus and the following conversation ensued.. enough said:
Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway): I'm gonna need you more than you need me.
Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal): That's okay.
Maggie Murdock: [crying] No it's not! It isn't *fair*! I have places to go!
Jamie Randall: You'll go there. I just may have to carry you.
Maggie Murdock: ...I can't ask you to do that.
Jamie Randall: You didn't.
[I simply adore this Love and Other Drugs trailer!!]
Love always has its way... hahaha
What I am intrigued by, is the similarity between the 3 movies though they were all of different genres. The first one, "The Way Back" is a WWII drama depicting the harrowing escape of a group of prisoners from the Russian concentration camp and finally to safety in India. Along the way, they tracked through the treacherous, barren terrain of Siberia into the god forsaken realm of emptiness in the Gobi Desert. In the end they conquered the seemingly invincible mountain tracks across the Himalayas into the arms of safety of India. Triumph of human spirit and will over nature. Fairytale ending number one.
Next up, needs no special introduction, Pretty Woman. It's simply adorable, an instant classic. Fell in love with Julia Roberts when I first saw her unpretending, truthful, endearing performance in the show. A simple young gal, fallen by the wayside, became a hooker and all this while harboring the dream of finding her Prince Charming. She got lucky one day when her knight in shining armor appeared in a Lotus and swept her away. The rest is history as they fell in love, found that they needed each other, gradually realizing that they couldn't do without one another. Sounds familiar eh? The catch here is... this is a hollywood movie and they usually have a fairytale ending for the audience.
The third one "Love and Other Drugs". A quirky one in which a suave, smooth-talking drugs salesman fell in love with a girl suffering from Parkinson's disease. This sounds serious but the show is somewhat "interesting" as I am "intrigued" by the seemingly endless portrayal of "nipples", "naked torsos", "orgasms", "Viagra","intimacy".. enough said. These are just distractions as we human, especially men, are easily distracted by such kinky references. Beneath this poorly weaved veil of distractions, lies the story of a couple finding love through this unfortunate episode. In the end, it's also a fairytale ending when the guy chose to give up his career and promotion to be with the girl.
You might think that the similarity ends there. In my humble opinion, all 3 shows have another similarity.. that is, their last scenes are poignant ones which bring out the flavor in them.
In "The Way Back", a young Polish officer was betrayed by his wife as she couldn't take the tortures by the Russians. Out of desperation, she falsely confessed that her husband was an anti-Stalinist element. Thrown into the abyss of ultimate betrayal, one by her most beloved wife, he sought the chance to see his wife again. He sought a moment of truth to face and forgive her. He knew that her wife was living a life as hellish as his, as she was constantly wrecked by the guilt of betraying her very own husband. In the last scene, many years after he escaped from the concentration camp and after the Stalinist government collapsed, he made his way back; this time back to the home he was so familiar with. As he entered the room, where his wife, now old and shriveled with age, quietly sat, he slowly advanced towards her and gave her a hug. No words; just tears flowed. Powerful stuff...
In the last scene in "Pretty Woman", Richard Gere, like the usual fairy tale ending, rode a "topless limousine" into the streets where Julia Roberts stayed. He waved his bouquet of flowers as he neared her apartment. She waved back, reliving her dream of rescue by her very own Prince Charming. This was a rescue of another sort for her; one that was set in reality. For him, it was a challenge. He had to overcome his fear of height as he climbed his way up the fireman access stairs to her apartment balcony. Sensing his determination as well as fear, she made her way down the stairs into his extended arms. He quipped "So what happened after he climbed up the tower and rescued her". Instantly, she replied "She rescues him right back". They kissed.. oh man..
And in "Love and Other Drugs", Jake Gyllenhaal finally realised that he couldn't do without Anne Hathaway. He hunted her down in a travel stop as she was travelling out of town in a bus. He got her out of the bus and the following conversation ensued.. enough said:
Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway): I'm gonna need you more than you need me.
Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal): That's okay.
Maggie Murdock: [crying] No it's not! It isn't *fair*! I have places to go!
Jamie Randall: You'll go there. I just may have to carry you.
Maggie Murdock: ...I can't ask you to do that.
Jamie Randall: You didn't.
[I simply adore this Love and Other Drugs trailer!!]
Love always has its way... hahaha
Monday, May 16, 2011
历史见证－ 为国为民为子孙
朱元璋以一生不懈的努力与决心，成功地推翻了蒙古元朝，造就了一个新的朝代，汉族明朝。谁会想到，一个出身在贫穷的农户里，后来年幼父母双亡，为了求生到寺庙里当和尚的年轻人，能几经人间炼狱的考验，终于登上了一国九五之尊的最高地位。
当上了皇帝后，他推行了一系列有效的治国方针 ，使生活在水深火热的人民有了安居乐业的希望。这时，国家开始繁荣昌盛，人们在安定的社会里生活，开始对未来有了梦想与希望。
这时的朱元璋呢？他又开始烦恼了。他开始担心如何能维持他辛辛苦苦所得到的江山。他不是一个容易相信别人的君主。在他的眼里，他只能相信与他有血缘关系的亲人。他把兵权都分配了给自己的几个儿子，封他们为藩王，把他们分配到各地去镇守重镇与边疆，以保全朱家的天下。为了确保他的后代能世世代代，稳稳地 坐在龙椅上，他开始“清除”那些他觉得会对子孙不利的能臣与勇将。杀的杀，贬的贬。他精心地计划着，为了就是能为他的子子孙孙铺平道路，安安稳稳地做他们的皇帝。
但历史证明，他打的是如意算盘。太子朱标不幸去世后，他把皇位传给了朱标的大儿子，朱允炆。明朝的第二位皇帝登基后，在他身边谋臣的劝说下，开始“削藩”，把对他皇位构成威胁的“叔叔”们，一一地铲除。可是，他打的也是如意算盘。后来，他一心想灭的燕王，朱棣，反而以靖难之役的名义，把自己的皇位给夺了过去。而朱允炆在朱棣成功地攻进京城时，放火焚烧了宫殿，以身殉国。他的生死也因为找不到他的尸首而成了千古之迷。
这一切的发展，我看是朱元璋所料不到的。他处心积虑地谋略，以为他所布置的一切能万无一失。可是他万万没想到他的子孙会这么快的为了争夺皇位而自相残杀。
说到这里，我感触良多。所谓的创业难，守业更难。一个人有能力控制的，就只能局限在自己掌权或还活着时所能做的一切。在自己放权或撒手归西之后，你的子孙们怎样去“发扬” 或 “糟蹋” 你所留下来的事业，就得靠他们自己的造化了。朱元璋的顾虑是出致于他对人民与家人的爱护与关怀，希望他们能在他死后继续地安居乐业。可是，后来局势的变化是他不能了解与控制的。
从另一个角度来看，把事业托付给子孙，给他们完全的权力去管理事业也何尝不是一个能让他们磨练的好机会。遇到危机的时候，他们得理智地做出判断去化解种种的问题。经过现实生活的各种亲身考验后，才能领悟到守业的艰辛，这何尝也不是为他们上了宝贵的一课。朱允炆，登上皇位时，只不过是一个二十来岁的年青小伙子。他缺乏的，正是他叔叔，朱棣经过连年战乱里所累积的宝贵“社会”经验。在这场争夺皇位的斗争中，他彻底地输掉了自己所拥有的一切。相反的，朱棣在这场斗争中，以自己的能力争取了自己一向来，觉得属于自己的东西，大明的皇位。历史也证明了，他也其实是一位好皇帝，为人民开拓了“永乐盛世”，以不屈不饶的精神，一生为人民贡献。他对待对手的残酷，在这里我就不多说了。
还有，在社会迅速地发展与价值观不断的演变下，新的一代所追求的目标与上一代所拥有的成果，也有可能是不一样的。因时势的转变而对一向处理事务的方针做出适当的调整是必要的。尤其是现在，在这科技与通讯发达的社会里，一切都讲究做事要快而准的办事效率。如果一味地以“小心驶得万年船”的态度去处理事务的话，那就极有可能会错失许多良机。朱棣，永乐年间，派了郑和下西洋，为了就是开拓明朝帝国的海域，对外进行贸易与文化交流。在当时，这样做其实是违反了明朝始祖，朱元璋不对外开放的政策。当时的文武百官，大多都反对他的决定。可是，在朱棣眼里，要使大明繁荣昌盛，这样做是必要的。历史也证明了他英明独断的理国之道，是正确的。当他决定把大都从南京迁移到北京时也遭受到了大臣们的极力反对。可是，他还是一意孤行，完成了把大都建立在北京的愿望。历史又证明了他精明果断的决定，为中国人民留下了一座千古不朽的历史古迹，北京故宫。如果朱棣，墨守成规，一味的按照祖训治理国家，那我们还能看到在永乐年间所创造的盛势吗？
当朱棣，巩固了大明的江山，把大明推到了前所未有的光辉时代时，他也这时开始烦恼了。烦恼什么呢？和他父皇，朱元璋一样，他开始烦恼大明是否能继续繁荣地发展下去，他的子孙能否安稳地保住朱家的江山。大家的老毛病又犯了！这也其实是无可厚非的。要了解到，一个人一生所拼出来的事业，无疑地，也希望能把它顺利地交给子孙，为下一代做出一点贡献。可是，朱元璋与朱棣再英明神武也料不到将来会发生什么事。做了再多的防备，也只不过是权宜之计罢了，不能完全抵制将来的种种变数。
在这浩瀚的宇宙里，一个人的存在是多么的渺小，一个人能改变未来的能力是有限的，一个人的一生只是昙花一现罢了。尽力去做自己得做的事，求个问心无愧就足够了。未来会怎么样，就让下一代去担心吧，自己是管不来的！历史其实是最好的见证！
当上了皇帝后，他推行了一系列有效的治国方针 ，使生活在水深火热的人民有了安居乐业的希望。这时，国家开始繁荣昌盛，人们在安定的社会里生活，开始对未来有了梦想与希望。
这时的朱元璋呢？他又开始烦恼了。他开始担心如何能维持他辛辛苦苦所得到的江山。他不是一个容易相信别人的君主。在他的眼里，他只能相信与他有血缘关系的亲人。他把兵权都分配了给自己的几个儿子，封他们为藩王，把他们分配到各地去镇守重镇与边疆，以保全朱家的天下。为了确保他的后代能世世代代，稳稳地 坐在龙椅上，他开始“清除”那些他觉得会对子孙不利的能臣与勇将。杀的杀，贬的贬。他精心地计划着，为了就是能为他的子子孙孙铺平道路，安安稳稳地做他们的皇帝。
但历史证明，他打的是如意算盘。太子朱标不幸去世后，他把皇位传给了朱标的大儿子，朱允炆。明朝的第二位皇帝登基后，在他身边谋臣的劝说下，开始“削藩”，把对他皇位构成威胁的“叔叔”们，一一地铲除。可是，他打的也是如意算盘。后来，他一心想灭的燕王，朱棣，反而以靖难之役的名义，把自己的皇位给夺了过去。而朱允炆在朱棣成功地攻进京城时，放火焚烧了宫殿，以身殉国。他的生死也因为找不到他的尸首而成了千古之迷。
这一切的发展，我看是朱元璋所料不到的。他处心积虑地谋略，以为他所布置的一切能万无一失。可是他万万没想到他的子孙会这么快的为了争夺皇位而自相残杀。
说到这里，我感触良多。所谓的创业难，守业更难。一个人有能力控制的，就只能局限在自己掌权或还活着时所能做的一切。在自己放权或撒手归西之后，你的子孙们怎样去“发扬” 或 “糟蹋” 你所留下来的事业，就得靠他们自己的造化了。朱元璋的顾虑是出致于他对人民与家人的爱护与关怀，希望他们能在他死后继续地安居乐业。可是，后来局势的变化是他不能了解与控制的。
从另一个角度来看，把事业托付给子孙，给他们完全的权力去管理事业也何尝不是一个能让他们磨练的好机会。遇到危机的时候，他们得理智地做出判断去化解种种的问题。经过现实生活的各种亲身考验后，才能领悟到守业的艰辛，这何尝也不是为他们上了宝贵的一课。朱允炆，登上皇位时，只不过是一个二十来岁的年青小伙子。他缺乏的，正是他叔叔，朱棣经过连年战乱里所累积的宝贵“社会”经验。在这场争夺皇位的斗争中，他彻底地输掉了自己所拥有的一切。相反的，朱棣在这场斗争中，以自己的能力争取了自己一向来，觉得属于自己的东西，大明的皇位。历史也证明了，他也其实是一位好皇帝，为人民开拓了“永乐盛世”，以不屈不饶的精神，一生为人民贡献。他对待对手的残酷，在这里我就不多说了。
还有，在社会迅速地发展与价值观不断的演变下，新的一代所追求的目标与上一代所拥有的成果，也有可能是不一样的。因时势的转变而对一向处理事务的方针做出适当的调整是必要的。尤其是现在，在这科技与通讯发达的社会里，一切都讲究做事要快而准的办事效率。如果一味地以“小心驶得万年船”的态度去处理事务的话，那就极有可能会错失许多良机。朱棣，永乐年间，派了郑和下西洋，为了就是开拓明朝帝国的海域，对外进行贸易与文化交流。在当时，这样做其实是违反了明朝始祖，朱元璋不对外开放的政策。当时的文武百官，大多都反对他的决定。可是，在朱棣眼里，要使大明繁荣昌盛，这样做是必要的。历史也证明了他英明独断的理国之道，是正确的。当他决定把大都从南京迁移到北京时也遭受到了大臣们的极力反对。可是，他还是一意孤行，完成了把大都建立在北京的愿望。历史又证明了他精明果断的决定，为中国人民留下了一座千古不朽的历史古迹，北京故宫。如果朱棣，墨守成规，一味的按照祖训治理国家，那我们还能看到在永乐年间所创造的盛势吗？
当朱棣，巩固了大明的江山，把大明推到了前所未有的光辉时代时，他也这时开始烦恼了。烦恼什么呢？和他父皇，朱元璋一样，他开始烦恼大明是否能继续繁荣地发展下去，他的子孙能否安稳地保住朱家的江山。大家的老毛病又犯了！这也其实是无可厚非的。要了解到，一个人一生所拼出来的事业，无疑地，也希望能把它顺利地交给子孙，为下一代做出一点贡献。可是，朱元璋与朱棣再英明神武也料不到将来会发生什么事。做了再多的防备，也只不过是权宜之计罢了，不能完全抵制将来的种种变数。
在这浩瀚的宇宙里，一个人的存在是多么的渺小，一个人能改变未来的能力是有限的，一个人的一生只是昙花一现罢了。尽力去做自己得做的事，求个问心无愧就足够了。未来会怎么样，就让下一代去担心吧，自己是管不来的！历史其实是最好的见证！
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
喜欢你
上个星期六，投了票之后，我就得在当天飞去印尼，去参加一位好朋友的婚礼。在途中，在爸爸的车里，耳边突然传来《喜欢你》这首动听的粤语歌。我又被它的旋律给深深吸引住了：
细雨带风湿透黄昏的街道
抹去雨水双眼无故地仰望
望向孤单的晚灯 是那伤感的记忆
再次泛起心里无数的思念
以往片刻欢笑仍挂在脸上
愿你此刻可会知 是我衷心的说声
喜欢你 那双眼动人 笑声更迷人
愿再可 轻抚你 那可爱面容
挽手说梦话 像昨天 你共我
当Beyond的黄家驹唱到下一段时，我心里突然涌起一阵的悲痛。又想起你了，怀念起“你那动人的双眼与迷人的笑声”：
满带理想的我曾经多冲动
屡怨与她相爱难有自由
愿你此刻可会知 是我衷心的说声
喜欢你 那双眼动人 笑声更迷人
愿再可 轻抚你 那可爱面容
挽手说梦话 像昨天 你共我
这时我也想起了黄家驹英年早逝的悲剧。正当Beyond的音乐事业如日冲天时，这支乐团的主打歌手，黄家驹，因在日本拍摄节目时，从高处摔下，头部伤势严重而逝世，享年31岁。所谓的天妒英才呀！心里这时觉得好酸，好酸。。。不用多说，你应该知道我联想起什么了吧！好舍不得，好舍不得。最后的这几句，刚刚好描述了我那时的心情：
每晚夜里自我独行
随处荡 多冰冷
已往为了自我挣扎
从不知 她的痛苦
喜欢你 那双眼动人 笑声更迷人
愿再可 轻抚你 那可爱面容
挽手说梦话 像昨天 你共我
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
《喜欢你》歌词：
细雨带风湿透黄昏的街道
抹去雨水双眼无故地仰望
望向孤单的晚灯 是那伤感的记忆
再次泛起心里无数的思念
以往片刻欢笑仍挂在脸上
愿你此刻可会知 是我衷心的说声
喜欢你 那双眼动人 笑声更迷人
愿再可 轻抚你 那可爱面容
挽手说梦话 像昨天 你共我
满带理想的我曾经多冲动
屡怨与她相爱难有自由
愿你此刻可会知 是我衷心的说声
喜欢你 那双眼动人 笑声更迷人
愿再可 轻抚你 那可爱面容
挽手说梦话 像昨天 你共我
每晚夜里自我独行
随处荡 多冰冷
已往为了自我挣扎
从不知 她的痛苦
喜欢你 那双眼动人 笑声更迷人
愿再可 轻抚你 那可爱面容
挽手说梦话 像昨天 你共我
Saturday, May 7, 2011
五月七日 － 平凡的一天
今天一大清早，我和我老爹就到投选站去投票了。投选站里气氛严肃，大家也没怎么多谈，井井有条地排队等候投票。不一会儿的功夫，我们就投了票，往咖啡店走去吃早餐咯！走着走着，我不禁地想想，新加坡办什么活动，做什么事情都那么地有效率。
说也奇怪，经过这期间所亲身体验到的，大家对大选沸腾的议论，在今天投选的日子里，什么高昂的情绪都已经冷却下来了。五月七日对我来说，只不过是平凡的一天。
今天，我和爸爸有机会到咖啡店里吃早餐，聊聊当年我小时后的往事，唤起了不少美丽的回忆。心里好开心。这种感觉对我来说比大选还重要。亲情是无价的。
说也奇怪，经过这期间所亲身体验到的，大家对大选沸腾的议论，在今天投选的日子里，什么高昂的情绪都已经冷却下来了。五月七日对我来说，只不过是平凡的一天。
今天，我和爸爸有机会到咖啡店里吃早餐，聊聊当年我小时后的往事，唤起了不少美丽的回忆。心里好开心。这种感觉对我来说比大选还重要。亲情是无价的。
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
新加坡大选 － 大选的那些事儿 （上）
五月七日。新加坡公民（除了少数不需要投票的人民）将在当天，投下神圣的一票，投选他们所支持的政党或议员。在此我不禁地想了想，如果人民拥有实际的权力去决定治理国家的领导班底，比起以往或现在的一些国家，新加坡人民可算是幸运的了。
从古至今，被外来的侵略者攻占而被强行统治的例子比比皆是，如宋朝被外来的蒙古族所灭，新加坡在二战被日本占领等例子。人民在强权的威迫下，只好战战兢兢地过日子， 哪里还谈得上有权力去“投选政府“。近期也有以独裁统治而陷人民于水深火热的统治者。如北朝鲜，缅甸等例子。在一人，军人或一党的独裁统治下，人民实际上是没有权力可言的。能在险中求存，已经是一件艰难的事了，哪里还谈得上有权力去投票选政府呢？
所以说，在我们手里的一票，是象征着大多数人所向往的，民主自由的权力。在投神圣的一票时，要深思熟虑，不要把投票当儿戏或一件理所当然的事来看待。如果你草率地对待大选，那你可对不起了为民主自由而牺牲的人呀！其实，话说得太重了。选错了，你只好再憋多五年，才能选你后悔没投选的政党吧！
以上的开场白，只是要提醒大家，大选的重要性。上几届，这一届或下一届，统统都重要！一个国家的兴衰，往往与她政治体系的演变，有着直接的厉害关系。选了没能力的政党，人民辛辛苦苦，以血泪建立起来的家园，有可能在短时间内被毁于一旦。拿津巴布韦（Zimbawe)为例子， 2000年开始，津巴布韦政府以白人所持有的土地是在殖民地时代从黑人原住民手中非法取得为理由，进行土地改革，强制性地没收大部分白人拥有的土地。此举造成境内大量白种农人出走，经济陷入混乱，通货膨胀率节节上升。这个本来能自给自足的非洲富裕国家，在短短的几年内变成了世界“数一数二”的贫穷国家。可怕吧！
话又说回来，新加坡能有今天的成就，不仅归功于英明，廉正的执政党，还得归功于人民。人民是国家的根本，国家最大的财富。所以说，慎重地对待，考量“民心”与“民意”也是一个成功的政府所不能忽视的重要环节。俗语说，顺民心合民意者昌,丢民心逆民意者亡。接下来，谈到了本文的重点。
现任的新加坡执政政府，到底有没有不听民意之嫌，而失去了广大人民的支持呢？
在这次大选之际，在我或大多数新加坡人脑海里都不免有着一些百思不解的“困惑”，包括以上谈到的问题。刚好，我前两天读了《明朝那些事儿》，就决定以在明朝统治期间所发生的一些事迹，尝试以对比的方式来讨论眼下的这些”困惑“。
1）执政人民行动党的新候选人，尤其是那些被党安排在”垂手可得“的集选区内的候选人，大多是从国家的各个政府部门调配来参选的人才。他们都是在各自的工作领域里，发挥了他们的才能，而得到政府的垂青，给了他们贡献回社会的机会，被分配到各个选区或集选区参选。从每个角度看来，这些候选人似乎都是出类拔萃的人选，个个都是某某鼎鼎大名的大学毕业生，顶尖的知识份子。但是，重要的问题是，他们有为人民请命，为人民争取福利的决心吗？还是他们只是在党鞭下，一呼百应，顺风行驶的傀儡呢？
科举制度在明朝时代发扬光大，造就了很多的“言官”。顾名思义，就是那些常把四书五经，伦理道德放在嘴边的“说话”的官。朱元璋建国年初，设立了“都察院”。掌管都察院的官员为左右都御史。这些人的权力极大，见到他们觉得有违法纪的事情，他们都有权力阻止或反对。就连皇上老子他们也不放过，有权力劝阻皇上做任何事。转眼回到现实，我们的议员有这种胆识来监管政府的政策吗？在国会里各持己见，对自己觉得不合理的事而掏出胸怀，辩论到底呢？难。如果你恼怒了皇上老子，后果你可想而知了。
继续再谈这些饱读诗书，出口成章的“言官”。既然他们那么博学渊源，那他们所提出的意见，是一定能实践的方案吗？他们大多也是些不识大体，不识时务，认死理去干的书呆子。他们往往也都缺乏了在社会基层里实际办事的经验。其实单靠知识与学识来办事是不行的。我们有这种缺乏某种现实经验而只会纸上谈兵的议员或部长吗？你们还记得在春秋战国时代，赵括纸上谈兵的故事吧。因他的无能与对实战愚昧的看待，赵军被秦军一举歼灭，数十万赵军也被秦军活埋了。如果一个政府部门实行了错误的政策，影响的不止是现在的社会与人民。这些政策的影响力也极有可能会影响到下一代。还记得新加坡当年实行的”两个就好“的生育政策吧！这个政策的失误给广大人民带来了难以估计的负面影响。
2）执政的人民行动党，一向都强调，一个有效率的政府，不需要反对党在国会里有太多的影响力来抗衡执政党。他们也认为反对党事实上，只是为了反对而反对执政党在国会里所讨论的论点，没有具体的方针或计划来治理好国家。还有，执政党对待人民的方式，在某种程度上，也有不听取民意之嫌。他们一贯的作风就是：”我决定的事，说了就算，一定是对你好的。你不用再多说，听我的就对了。“ 这样的观点，我可大大地不认同。
朱元璋在洪武十三年间废除了丞相，这个一人之下，万人之上的职位。以朱元璋一意孤行的性格，丞相对他来说是一个让他需要花无谓的时间来解释他所做的每一个决定的绊脚石。明朝最后一个贪赃枉法的丞相，胡惟庸就成了他开刀的对象。在某种程度上，朱元璋这样做，巩固了皇帝在朝廷里的权力。可是，以历史为见证，丞相这个职位是必要的。治理好一个国家是一件谈何容易的事。一个统治者，日理万机，要好好地治理庞大的国家，也一定需要有能力的帮手。皇帝老子也有一时昏庸的时候，丞相也往往能在必要时，提醒提醒一下皇上，以免他铸成大错。俗语说，良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行。其实呀，有时有些反对的”杂声“是必要的。
3）大家都为部长的“俸禄”而大作文章。在一项非官方的调查中，新加坡的总统，总理，部长等的薪金在世界排名，名类前茅。而人民行动党，一贯的解释就是，以高薪才能吸引到在私人领域中成功创业的人才来到政府部门做部长，为人民服务。这解释你接受吗？我可不觉得，不一味地接受这种说法。一个有抱负，要为民请命的好官，真的会为了俸禄的多少，而量”禄“而为吗？
话说明朝最有名的清官，海瑞，一生爱民如子，甘心奉献他的一生，不辞劳苦地为人民请命。他从不计较朝廷给他的俸禄有多少，也往往把他的私人财物用来救济那些更需要帮助的穷苦人民。海瑞这位从不贪图荣华富贵，一心只为人民的好官，死后身上也没有任何值钱的东西。他一直以来家徒四壁，更难以置信的是，家里人连为他办丧事，买棺材的钱也没有，真让人心寒。
请不要误会，我举海瑞这个例子，不是希望咋们的部长们也都两袖清风，不求任何回报地为人民服务。我了解到在现实社会里，要有象海瑞这样生活的清官是不可能的。但我认为议员或部长，就象老师或护士一样，都是神圣的工作。这些肩负神圣使命的工作者，秉持的主要宗旨往往就是为他人服务而不把薪金的高低列为考虑的主要因素。如果我们只能以高薪来吸引“人才”为人民服务的话，那我们的社会里就存在着一颗随时会爆炸的计时炸弹了。新加坡人民全都那么肤浅吗？新加坡真的没有肯为人民服务而做出种种牺牲的”圣人“吗？在这里你有没有想到人民党的詹时中先生呢？他不辞劳苦地在波东巴西社区里为人民服务。在资源限制的情况下，他含辛茹苦地波东巴西治理得井井有条。为什么有资源限制这点，我也不必多说了，大家心知肚明了！人民要的，就是这种不畏惧强权，不怕困难而坚持自己的信念，一生为民请命的好官，好议员！
写到这里，心里还有一些与大选相关的事宜想写出来。再过一天就是投票日了，不写就来不及了。可是，现在就是太累了，心有余而力不足。有可能大选成绩公布之后，我再写我的下篇吧！
从古至今，被外来的侵略者攻占而被强行统治的例子比比皆是，如宋朝被外来的蒙古族所灭，新加坡在二战被日本占领等例子。人民在强权的威迫下，只好战战兢兢地过日子， 哪里还谈得上有权力去“投选政府“。近期也有以独裁统治而陷人民于水深火热的统治者。如北朝鲜，缅甸等例子。在一人，军人或一党的独裁统治下，人民实际上是没有权力可言的。能在险中求存，已经是一件艰难的事了，哪里还谈得上有权力去投票选政府呢？
所以说，在我们手里的一票，是象征着大多数人所向往的，民主自由的权力。在投神圣的一票时，要深思熟虑，不要把投票当儿戏或一件理所当然的事来看待。如果你草率地对待大选，那你可对不起了为民主自由而牺牲的人呀！其实，话说得太重了。选错了，你只好再憋多五年，才能选你后悔没投选的政党吧！
以上的开场白，只是要提醒大家，大选的重要性。上几届，这一届或下一届，统统都重要！一个国家的兴衰，往往与她政治体系的演变，有着直接的厉害关系。选了没能力的政党，人民辛辛苦苦，以血泪建立起来的家园，有可能在短时间内被毁于一旦。拿津巴布韦（Zimbawe)为例子， 2000年开始，津巴布韦政府以白人所持有的土地是在殖民地时代从黑人原住民手中非法取得为理由，进行土地改革，强制性地没收大部分白人拥有的土地。此举造成境内大量白种农人出走，经济陷入混乱，通货膨胀率节节上升。这个本来能自给自足的非洲富裕国家，在短短的几年内变成了世界“数一数二”的贫穷国家。可怕吧！
话又说回来，新加坡能有今天的成就，不仅归功于英明，廉正的执政党，还得归功于人民。人民是国家的根本，国家最大的财富。所以说，慎重地对待，考量“民心”与“民意”也是一个成功的政府所不能忽视的重要环节。俗语说，顺民心合民意者昌,丢民心逆民意者亡。接下来，谈到了本文的重点。
现任的新加坡执政政府，到底有没有不听民意之嫌，而失去了广大人民的支持呢？
在这次大选之际，在我或大多数新加坡人脑海里都不免有着一些百思不解的“困惑”，包括以上谈到的问题。刚好，我前两天读了《明朝那些事儿》，就决定以在明朝统治期间所发生的一些事迹，尝试以对比的方式来讨论眼下的这些”困惑“。
1）执政人民行动党的新候选人，尤其是那些被党安排在”垂手可得“的集选区内的候选人，大多是从国家的各个政府部门调配来参选的人才。他们都是在各自的工作领域里，发挥了他们的才能，而得到政府的垂青，给了他们贡献回社会的机会，被分配到各个选区或集选区参选。从每个角度看来，这些候选人似乎都是出类拔萃的人选，个个都是某某鼎鼎大名的大学毕业生，顶尖的知识份子。但是，重要的问题是，他们有为人民请命，为人民争取福利的决心吗？还是他们只是在党鞭下，一呼百应，顺风行驶的傀儡呢？
科举制度在明朝时代发扬光大，造就了很多的“言官”。顾名思义，就是那些常把四书五经，伦理道德放在嘴边的“说话”的官。朱元璋建国年初，设立了“都察院”。掌管都察院的官员为左右都御史。这些人的权力极大，见到他们觉得有违法纪的事情，他们都有权力阻止或反对。就连皇上老子他们也不放过，有权力劝阻皇上做任何事。转眼回到现实，我们的议员有这种胆识来监管政府的政策吗？在国会里各持己见，对自己觉得不合理的事而掏出胸怀，辩论到底呢？难。如果你恼怒了皇上老子，后果你可想而知了。
继续再谈这些饱读诗书，出口成章的“言官”。既然他们那么博学渊源，那他们所提出的意见，是一定能实践的方案吗？他们大多也是些不识大体，不识时务，认死理去干的书呆子。他们往往也都缺乏了在社会基层里实际办事的经验。其实单靠知识与学识来办事是不行的。我们有这种缺乏某种现实经验而只会纸上谈兵的议员或部长吗？你们还记得在春秋战国时代，赵括纸上谈兵的故事吧。因他的无能与对实战愚昧的看待，赵军被秦军一举歼灭，数十万赵军也被秦军活埋了。如果一个政府部门实行了错误的政策，影响的不止是现在的社会与人民。这些政策的影响力也极有可能会影响到下一代。还记得新加坡当年实行的”两个就好“的生育政策吧！这个政策的失误给广大人民带来了难以估计的负面影响。
2）执政的人民行动党，一向都强调，一个有效率的政府，不需要反对党在国会里有太多的影响力来抗衡执政党。他们也认为反对党事实上，只是为了反对而反对执政党在国会里所讨论的论点，没有具体的方针或计划来治理好国家。还有，执政党对待人民的方式，在某种程度上，也有不听取民意之嫌。他们一贯的作风就是：”我决定的事，说了就算，一定是对你好的。你不用再多说，听我的就对了。“ 这样的观点，我可大大地不认同。
朱元璋在洪武十三年间废除了丞相，这个一人之下，万人之上的职位。以朱元璋一意孤行的性格，丞相对他来说是一个让他需要花无谓的时间来解释他所做的每一个决定的绊脚石。明朝最后一个贪赃枉法的丞相，胡惟庸就成了他开刀的对象。在某种程度上，朱元璋这样做，巩固了皇帝在朝廷里的权力。可是，以历史为见证，丞相这个职位是必要的。治理好一个国家是一件谈何容易的事。一个统治者，日理万机，要好好地治理庞大的国家，也一定需要有能力的帮手。皇帝老子也有一时昏庸的时候，丞相也往往能在必要时，提醒提醒一下皇上，以免他铸成大错。俗语说，良药苦口利于病，忠言逆耳利于行。其实呀，有时有些反对的”杂声“是必要的。
3）大家都为部长的“俸禄”而大作文章。在一项非官方的调查中，新加坡的总统，总理，部长等的薪金在世界排名，名类前茅。而人民行动党，一贯的解释就是，以高薪才能吸引到在私人领域中成功创业的人才来到政府部门做部长，为人民服务。这解释你接受吗？我可不觉得，不一味地接受这种说法。一个有抱负，要为民请命的好官，真的会为了俸禄的多少，而量”禄“而为吗？
话说明朝最有名的清官，海瑞，一生爱民如子，甘心奉献他的一生，不辞劳苦地为人民请命。他从不计较朝廷给他的俸禄有多少，也往往把他的私人财物用来救济那些更需要帮助的穷苦人民。海瑞这位从不贪图荣华富贵，一心只为人民的好官，死后身上也没有任何值钱的东西。他一直以来家徒四壁，更难以置信的是，家里人连为他办丧事，买棺材的钱也没有，真让人心寒。
请不要误会，我举海瑞这个例子，不是希望咋们的部长们也都两袖清风，不求任何回报地为人民服务。我了解到在现实社会里，要有象海瑞这样生活的清官是不可能的。但我认为议员或部长，就象老师或护士一样，都是神圣的工作。这些肩负神圣使命的工作者，秉持的主要宗旨往往就是为他人服务而不把薪金的高低列为考虑的主要因素。如果我们只能以高薪来吸引“人才”为人民服务的话，那我们的社会里就存在着一颗随时会爆炸的计时炸弹了。新加坡人民全都那么肤浅吗？新加坡真的没有肯为人民服务而做出种种牺牲的”圣人“吗？在这里你有没有想到人民党的詹时中先生呢？他不辞劳苦地在波东巴西社区里为人民服务。在资源限制的情况下，他含辛茹苦地波东巴西治理得井井有条。为什么有资源限制这点，我也不必多说了，大家心知肚明了！人民要的，就是这种不畏惧强权，不怕困难而坚持自己的信念，一生为民请命的好官，好议员！
写到这里，心里还有一些与大选相关的事宜想写出来。再过一天就是投票日了，不写就来不及了。可是，现在就是太累了，心有余而力不足。有可能大选成绩公布之后，我再写我的下篇吧！
The Hard Truths about an Aljunied Voter's Dilemma by Desmond Mao
Came across this very well-written article whereby a voter in Aljunied voiced his genuine concerns about the current state of politics, he saw unfolding in Singapore.
His views are somewhat balanced; with a slight bias towards the ruling PAP party in my humble opinion. Nevertheless, he did point out a few thought provoking points which I hope the ruling party will put some serious thoughts into. It pays to listen to voices from the ground and not just brushing them off as mere noise.
Well done, Desmond. It's a pleasure reading your article.
The Hard Truths about an Aljunied Voter's Dilemma
by Desmond Mao
Its 2 May 2011 at 1am and my mind is in a whirlpool.
Being a 29 year old voter from Aljunied GRC, I find myself in the eye of the storm. This GRC has been described as the frontline of battle in this election. Since the start of election campaigning, the fight for this GRC has dominated the front pages of the Straits Times, testament to the fear within the ruling party that this 5-member GRC may fall into the opposition hands.
Balanced views on the GE are hard to find. Mainstream media is biased towards the PAP, much of social media seems heavily biased towards the WP. Recognising that everyone has their bias and prejudices (including me), this long-winded essay is my attempt at distilling my thoughts on what's at stake for Aljunied voters.
I attended the 1st 2 WP rallies at Hougang and Serangoon stadium and went home amazed yet disturbed. WP rallies are a phenomenon in this country. No other event in recent history can bring people from all races, young and old, rich and poor, English and non-English speakers together to stand like packed sardines in one place. Its amazing (and ironic) that politics has the potential to be both a unifying and divisive force in society.
The disturbing part stemmed from the many angry voices from the audience. Multitudes of people seemed to bear a grudge against the ruling party and the rally afforded a wonderful opportunity to let rip at them. The failures of the PAP were highlighted time and time again, playing to the destructive nature of the mob. As I sat pondering on how these 'inept' PAP ministers should be held accountable, an acute sense of my own fallibilities overwhelmed me.
As a medical doctor in a public hospital, I have made my fair share of errors (some quite horrendous). By the mercies of God, none of them resulted in fatal outcomes to my patients. After explanations and apologies, much grace has been extended to me, giving me an opportunity to learn from my mistakes and to continue serving.
Even the best of us makes mistakes. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Decades of good governance has caused the citizens to come to expect perfection from our Ministers. Sure, we had 2 unforeseen floods, a HDB housing issue, the YOG overran the budget and a man with a limp escaped from prison. Are not Ministers but mere mortals with blind spots like the rest of us? Can they foretell the future? While we need accountability, do we want to foster a culture where absolutely no mistakes are tolerated?
Dark clouds are in the horizon for Singapore. Both the leaders of the country and the enlightened members of the opposition know it. Singapore faces, among many problems, a rapidly aging population. The baby boomers are starting to retire. Soon our population would be like that of Japan, where a rapidly shrinking workforce would have to bear the escalating burdens of caring for young and old. As a nation, we have collectively come to expect the government to eradicate all problems in this country and continue to provide us with an increase in our quality of life.
Come on! Get real! There will always be poor people in amongst us who will fall through the cracks. Even with the best systems in place, there will be a certain level of injustice because the system is thought of and run by human beings! I am of the opinion that the PAP has already performed admirably. Would the opposition do any better? I seriously doubt it.
The PAP of today is clean, has no sex scandals, and makes generally good policies for Singapore. I believe their biggest problems lie with their failure in moderating the expectations of Singaporeans, and their desire to overwhelmingly dominate parliament at all cost.
Is our growth in GDP even sustainable? Is it the government's responsibility to ensure that you get your pay rise, your choice home, your cheap healthcare, that your child goes to your choice school, your comfortable transportation and the list goes on. Its ludicrous to read certain complaint letters in the forum pages. Some Singaporeans have no shame in the things they complain about. The frequent refrain is 'what is the gah-men going to do about this?' Its sad that this country has bred so many 'spoilt brats' who have come to depend on the government to meet their every need. The replies from certain ministries is even more laughable. At times, in a bid to retain the popular vote, the PAP and the civil service have chosen instead to upset the natural order of things by bending over backwards to accede to unreasonable requests.
Can the government continue to satisfy the dreams, aspirations and demands of each generation? Human beings have an insatiable appetite for discontentment. The PAP's present method of pleasing the electorate with goodies and increased efficiency of the civil service would only serve to temporarily appease the electorate rather than truly build this nation.
What then do the people really want? Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Kiang have both held on to their SMCs despite having vastly less resources compared to the PAP and their candidates. Why is that so?
Both men are capable, extremely dedicated leaders, and men of integrity. People recognise that and respect them for it. Thus despite PAP's Eric Low describing Hougang as a 'slum', I have no doubt that should Mr Low have stood in Hougang SMC, Mr Eric Low wouldn't have had a sliver of a chance this election. The PAP needs to realise that while Singaporeans do want to improve their lot, the majority are not materialistic people who vote solely based on selfish reasons. Like the American voters who propelled Barack Obama from a nobody to President of the United States, Singaporeans are on the lookout for a leader who understands and care for the people, a leader whom we can rally around to achieve our collective dream. Mr Chiam and Mr Low are 2 such leaders. While the people of their respective constituencies received much less than their richer neighbours, Potong Pasir and Hougang continued to vote in their MPs election after election, because they loved their leaders, and their leaders loved them.
Unfortunately, the PAP no longer inspires such devotion from the electorate.
To me, the biggest factor is the salary of a Minister. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against paying someone his fair wage. Everyone needs to eat and put food on the table for his family. The issue is that such great amounts of money attract the wrong candidates and corrupt the calling to serve the people. At the risk of being called naive, I believe that politics is much like the noble professions of teaching, doctoring and nursing, and the clergy. Wasn't it the late Dr Goh Keng Swee that told fresh candidates joining the PAP that they were joining a 'holy order'?
The excuse given by the PAP is that if we don't pay top dollar, they would have trouble recruiting top-notched candidates. Why has this happened? Has the PAP ceased to inspire good people to join its ranks and therefore needs to use the lure of money? If part of the motivation to join the PAP is because of the high salary, how willing would these Ministers/MPs be to serve in a difficult time (eg war, economic collapse) when Singapore isn't able to pay them as much? Even if they had pure, idealistic motives of serving this country, the very scale of their salaries breeds cynicism amongst the electorate. Every time this issue is brought up, the moral authority of the PAP to govern is eroded. My personal view is that the salaries of the ministers should be decided by an independent President. And the salary of the President should be a factor of the median income of the average working Singaporean. But this proposal is a discussion for another day.
The PAP's current practice of parachuting top-notched technocrats from the civil service, SAF and private sector into ministerial positions, through the GRC system, is a perculiar one which may not stand the test of time. No one doubts that these technocrats are extremely smart, capable people who are probably men of integrity with a proven track record. They would probably make good permanent secretaries! Yet, these factors in themselves, would be inadequate to consider them good politicians.
A good politician is NOT an extension of the civil service. Rather, a good politician understands and is able to inspire and rally the electorate into following him in his decisions, even if it means sacrificing our lives to protect this country. I find it laughable that we are told that the 4th PM of Singapore may be amongst the new candidates, but this supposed 4th PM is going to ride into Parliament on the tailcoats of a heavyweight. This brings me to my next point.
I believe in the GRC system. After 45 years of independence, I choose to believe that we have deepened our bonds as Singaporeans. Still, like it or not, many today still vote based on one's race, religion and language. To ensure minority representation, the GRC is a necessity.
As with any other well-intentioned idea, the devil is in the details. I disagree with manner of GRC implementation on three counts.
Firstly, why do we need such a big GRC? Wouldn't a 3-4 member GRC suffice to ensure minority representation?
Secondly, shouldn't new PAP candidates be given the opportunity to prove their own worth by running in SMCs? While there may be issues that arise in filling all SMCs with new candidates (less likely to field a minority candidate in an SMC), only 2 out 11 SMCs have new candidates (Hougang and Potong Pasir). With newly carved out SMCs, this is the best election to allow new candidates to receive a baptism of fire and allow them to have the people's mandate. The GRC system is now being used by the PAP to allow weak candidates to get into parliament. This is an abuse of the original intent of the GRC system that cannot be good for Singapore.
Thirdly, the frequent re-drawing of GRC boundaries (especially in Aljunied) has served to increase the popular belief that PAP does not play fair.
I belong to a segment of voters from Aljunied who love Singapore and are tired of the politics of negativity. We are tired of the opposition opposing for its own sake. We are tired of angry people venting nonsensically at a government who cannot be responsible for all their troubles. We are tired of the PAP's pettiness in denying opposition wards their full rights as citizens who pay taxes and serve NS. We are tired of unfair play by the PAP in manipulating the system for self-preservation of the party. We are tired of the scare-mongering by the PAP and WP that the fall of a GRC into either party would lead to a crippled, partisan government or a total collapse of the opposition.
We're better than that.
There are several issues that I wish to address:
1) The WP needs to reveal its plan for Aljunied GRC
I'm not sure why the party is keeping mum about this issue. It could be because they are unsure of the amount of funds they would receive to run the town council etc... but I'm just speculating. Or *shudder*, there is NO plan for Aljunied?
I encourage Mr Low to tell us your plans and anticipated difficulties in running this GRC? Surely we as voters have a right to know. Surely we as voters would make allowances for your parties' performance should there be problems from underhanded play from the ruling party!
2) Aljunied will NOT become a desolate desert after 5 years
Mr Low TK and Ms Sylvia Lim are also people with track records. Please stop treating Aljunied voters in such a condescending manner. Having said that, I still retain a whole lot of respect for you MM Lee.
3) The PAP will still win a 2/3s majority in this election and Parliament will not be crippled
4) There is absolutely nothing wrong if the WP ends up winning more GRCs in the next election or sets up the government one day
If WP do win Aljunied GRC and do such a good job both in Aljunied and in Parliament, what's to keep them for winning more GRCs in the next election? This can only bode well for Singapore. Naturally, the people of Singapore need to be discerning in deciding if the WP candidates have been constructive rather than destructive in Parliament and evaluate their performance based on that. A little more debate in Parliament never hurt anyone and may just be the catalyst to revive interest in good people joining the PAP again.
Thanks for making it to the end of this long rant from me. I welcome any feedback although I may choose not to reply.
If I have offended you in any way, please accept my apologies.
His views are somewhat balanced; with a slight bias towards the ruling PAP party in my humble opinion. Nevertheless, he did point out a few thought provoking points which I hope the ruling party will put some serious thoughts into. It pays to listen to voices from the ground and not just brushing them off as mere noise.
Well done, Desmond. It's a pleasure reading your article.
The Hard Truths about an Aljunied Voter's Dilemma
by Desmond Mao
Its 2 May 2011 at 1am and my mind is in a whirlpool.
Being a 29 year old voter from Aljunied GRC, I find myself in the eye of the storm. This GRC has been described as the frontline of battle in this election. Since the start of election campaigning, the fight for this GRC has dominated the front pages of the Straits Times, testament to the fear within the ruling party that this 5-member GRC may fall into the opposition hands.
Balanced views on the GE are hard to find. Mainstream media is biased towards the PAP, much of social media seems heavily biased towards the WP. Recognising that everyone has their bias and prejudices (including me), this long-winded essay is my attempt at distilling my thoughts on what's at stake for Aljunied voters.
I attended the 1st 2 WP rallies at Hougang and Serangoon stadium and went home amazed yet disturbed. WP rallies are a phenomenon in this country. No other event in recent history can bring people from all races, young and old, rich and poor, English and non-English speakers together to stand like packed sardines in one place. Its amazing (and ironic) that politics has the potential to be both a unifying and divisive force in society.
The disturbing part stemmed from the many angry voices from the audience. Multitudes of people seemed to bear a grudge against the ruling party and the rally afforded a wonderful opportunity to let rip at them. The failures of the PAP were highlighted time and time again, playing to the destructive nature of the mob. As I sat pondering on how these 'inept' PAP ministers should be held accountable, an acute sense of my own fallibilities overwhelmed me.
As a medical doctor in a public hospital, I have made my fair share of errors (some quite horrendous). By the mercies of God, none of them resulted in fatal outcomes to my patients. After explanations and apologies, much grace has been extended to me, giving me an opportunity to learn from my mistakes and to continue serving.
Even the best of us makes mistakes. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Decades of good governance has caused the citizens to come to expect perfection from our Ministers. Sure, we had 2 unforeseen floods, a HDB housing issue, the YOG overran the budget and a man with a limp escaped from prison. Are not Ministers but mere mortals with blind spots like the rest of us? Can they foretell the future? While we need accountability, do we want to foster a culture where absolutely no mistakes are tolerated?
Dark clouds are in the horizon for Singapore. Both the leaders of the country and the enlightened members of the opposition know it. Singapore faces, among many problems, a rapidly aging population. The baby boomers are starting to retire. Soon our population would be like that of Japan, where a rapidly shrinking workforce would have to bear the escalating burdens of caring for young and old. As a nation, we have collectively come to expect the government to eradicate all problems in this country and continue to provide us with an increase in our quality of life.
Come on! Get real! There will always be poor people in amongst us who will fall through the cracks. Even with the best systems in place, there will be a certain level of injustice because the system is thought of and run by human beings! I am of the opinion that the PAP has already performed admirably. Would the opposition do any better? I seriously doubt it.
The PAP of today is clean, has no sex scandals, and makes generally good policies for Singapore. I believe their biggest problems lie with their failure in moderating the expectations of Singaporeans, and their desire to overwhelmingly dominate parliament at all cost.
Is our growth in GDP even sustainable? Is it the government's responsibility to ensure that you get your pay rise, your choice home, your cheap healthcare, that your child goes to your choice school, your comfortable transportation and the list goes on. Its ludicrous to read certain complaint letters in the forum pages. Some Singaporeans have no shame in the things they complain about. The frequent refrain is 'what is the gah-men going to do about this?' Its sad that this country has bred so many 'spoilt brats' who have come to depend on the government to meet their every need. The replies from certain ministries is even more laughable. At times, in a bid to retain the popular vote, the PAP and the civil service have chosen instead to upset the natural order of things by bending over backwards to accede to unreasonable requests.
Can the government continue to satisfy the dreams, aspirations and demands of each generation? Human beings have an insatiable appetite for discontentment. The PAP's present method of pleasing the electorate with goodies and increased efficiency of the civil service would only serve to temporarily appease the electorate rather than truly build this nation.
What then do the people really want? Mr Chiam See Tong and Mr Low Thia Kiang have both held on to their SMCs despite having vastly less resources compared to the PAP and their candidates. Why is that so?
Both men are capable, extremely dedicated leaders, and men of integrity. People recognise that and respect them for it. Thus despite PAP's Eric Low describing Hougang as a 'slum', I have no doubt that should Mr Low have stood in Hougang SMC, Mr Eric Low wouldn't have had a sliver of a chance this election. The PAP needs to realise that while Singaporeans do want to improve their lot, the majority are not materialistic people who vote solely based on selfish reasons. Like the American voters who propelled Barack Obama from a nobody to President of the United States, Singaporeans are on the lookout for a leader who understands and care for the people, a leader whom we can rally around to achieve our collective dream. Mr Chiam and Mr Low are 2 such leaders. While the people of their respective constituencies received much less than their richer neighbours, Potong Pasir and Hougang continued to vote in their MPs election after election, because they loved their leaders, and their leaders loved them.
Unfortunately, the PAP no longer inspires such devotion from the electorate.
To me, the biggest factor is the salary of a Minister. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against paying someone his fair wage. Everyone needs to eat and put food on the table for his family. The issue is that such great amounts of money attract the wrong candidates and corrupt the calling to serve the people. At the risk of being called naive, I believe that politics is much like the noble professions of teaching, doctoring and nursing, and the clergy. Wasn't it the late Dr Goh Keng Swee that told fresh candidates joining the PAP that they were joining a 'holy order'?
The excuse given by the PAP is that if we don't pay top dollar, they would have trouble recruiting top-notched candidates. Why has this happened? Has the PAP ceased to inspire good people to join its ranks and therefore needs to use the lure of money? If part of the motivation to join the PAP is because of the high salary, how willing would these Ministers/MPs be to serve in a difficult time (eg war, economic collapse) when Singapore isn't able to pay them as much? Even if they had pure, idealistic motives of serving this country, the very scale of their salaries breeds cynicism amongst the electorate. Every time this issue is brought up, the moral authority of the PAP to govern is eroded. My personal view is that the salaries of the ministers should be decided by an independent President. And the salary of the President should be a factor of the median income of the average working Singaporean. But this proposal is a discussion for another day.
The PAP's current practice of parachuting top-notched technocrats from the civil service, SAF and private sector into ministerial positions, through the GRC system, is a perculiar one which may not stand the test of time. No one doubts that these technocrats are extremely smart, capable people who are probably men of integrity with a proven track record. They would probably make good permanent secretaries! Yet, these factors in themselves, would be inadequate to consider them good politicians.
A good politician is NOT an extension of the civil service. Rather, a good politician understands and is able to inspire and rally the electorate into following him in his decisions, even if it means sacrificing our lives to protect this country. I find it laughable that we are told that the 4th PM of Singapore may be amongst the new candidates, but this supposed 4th PM is going to ride into Parliament on the tailcoats of a heavyweight. This brings me to my next point.
I believe in the GRC system. After 45 years of independence, I choose to believe that we have deepened our bonds as Singaporeans. Still, like it or not, many today still vote based on one's race, religion and language. To ensure minority representation, the GRC is a necessity.
As with any other well-intentioned idea, the devil is in the details. I disagree with manner of GRC implementation on three counts.
Firstly, why do we need such a big GRC? Wouldn't a 3-4 member GRC suffice to ensure minority representation?
Secondly, shouldn't new PAP candidates be given the opportunity to prove their own worth by running in SMCs? While there may be issues that arise in filling all SMCs with new candidates (less likely to field a minority candidate in an SMC), only 2 out 11 SMCs have new candidates (Hougang and Potong Pasir). With newly carved out SMCs, this is the best election to allow new candidates to receive a baptism of fire and allow them to have the people's mandate. The GRC system is now being used by the PAP to allow weak candidates to get into parliament. This is an abuse of the original intent of the GRC system that cannot be good for Singapore.
Thirdly, the frequent re-drawing of GRC boundaries (especially in Aljunied) has served to increase the popular belief that PAP does not play fair.
I belong to a segment of voters from Aljunied who love Singapore and are tired of the politics of negativity. We are tired of the opposition opposing for its own sake. We are tired of angry people venting nonsensically at a government who cannot be responsible for all their troubles. We are tired of the PAP's pettiness in denying opposition wards their full rights as citizens who pay taxes and serve NS. We are tired of unfair play by the PAP in manipulating the system for self-preservation of the party. We are tired of the scare-mongering by the PAP and WP that the fall of a GRC into either party would lead to a crippled, partisan government or a total collapse of the opposition.
We're better than that.
There are several issues that I wish to address:
1) The WP needs to reveal its plan for Aljunied GRC
I'm not sure why the party is keeping mum about this issue. It could be because they are unsure of the amount of funds they would receive to run the town council etc... but I'm just speculating. Or *shudder*, there is NO plan for Aljunied?
I encourage Mr Low to tell us your plans and anticipated difficulties in running this GRC? Surely we as voters have a right to know. Surely we as voters would make allowances for your parties' performance should there be problems from underhanded play from the ruling party!
2) Aljunied will NOT become a desolate desert after 5 years
Mr Low TK and Ms Sylvia Lim are also people with track records. Please stop treating Aljunied voters in such a condescending manner. Having said that, I still retain a whole lot of respect for you MM Lee.
3) The PAP will still win a 2/3s majority in this election and Parliament will not be crippled
4) There is absolutely nothing wrong if the WP ends up winning more GRCs in the next election or sets up the government one day
If WP do win Aljunied GRC and do such a good job both in Aljunied and in Parliament, what's to keep them for winning more GRCs in the next election? This can only bode well for Singapore. Naturally, the people of Singapore need to be discerning in deciding if the WP candidates have been constructive rather than destructive in Parliament and evaluate their performance based on that. A little more debate in Parliament never hurt anyone and may just be the catalyst to revive interest in good people joining the PAP again.
Thanks for making it to the end of this long rant from me. I welcome any feedback although I may choose not to reply.
If I have offended you in any way, please accept my apologies.
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