During a recent get together with Raj and his care group mates ( I was invited although I am not a member of his CG), he broached the recent controversy on 377A.
On the Singapore blogosphere, it seems to me that plenty of bloggers have taken issue with Dr. Thio Li Ann’s speech in Parliament on the merits of retaining the said act. This is her speech in full.
This is a compilation of responses from Mr. Wang Says so.
I’m of the opinion that Dr. Thio’s speech does not constitute hate-speech.
Honestly I haven’t been blogging with the same enthusiasm compared to the past few months.
Partly because of lack of inspiration and laziness combined. Besides, lack of access to a broadband connection has probably something to do with it.
But it may be a good thing too. There are other pursuits worth trying.
Anyway, google has ranked my page at 5. A vast improvement over my 1 ranking before. That’s rather strange. Will check back tomorrow to see what its rank actually is.
Am looking forward to Gears of War for the PC. GOW is to the XBOX360 what Halo was for the XBOX. ‘Nuff said.
I got an email from Haris Ibrahim.
So our signatures have finally been delivered to the Agong.
I’ll be praying that it makes a difference. Hopefully His Majesty does what needs to be done.
It’s in German, but I’m sure you get the prank.
Read the news yet?
Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, the founder of Genting Group just passed away. He was 90. Genting Highlands is a Malaysian icon. (psst,…and since we’re on the topic of casino’s. Singapore’s plans for an integrated resort sounds posh and high class-but the main point is that Genting is a home grown brand, Sands is not.)
Another interesting fact is that free broadcast telly is losing out to pay-per-view telly, e.g. Starhub Cable Vision in Singapore. It’s hardly surprising since Singaporeans generally have more disposable income and are able to afford better programming. It is another confirmation of the principle that free stuff does not produce quality.
Ah, so this is what that subtle body language means
There is more to the firm’s advice, but this little gem below caught my eye. Furthermore, every husband to whom I have shown this had what amounts to a communication Great Discovery. Check it out:
Body language differs by gender. Men tend to stare as they listen and nod to signify they understand. Women may nod when they don’t yet understand to encourage the speaker to keep talking.
(Link)
So when the pretty girl in my class nods while I teach and happen to stare at her, it doesn’t mean she understands the mathematics on the board, it just means she wants me to keep going. 
Well conversely, I haven’t really noticed any guy nod in my class. Maybe once or twice, but almost never. Hmm….
The day started out badly enough. That Sunday evening, as I was out riding my bike, the bicycle chain snapped. The fact that I just bought it made it hard to swallow.
Then today, blame it on the rain, I overslept. The fact that I can’t ride my bike means that I need to catch the bus to NUS. And this forces me to walk at least 5 minutes in the rain to reach the bus-stop.
I reached NUS in a nick to time, just 10 minutes to spare before my first 9 am class. Never mind that I failed to prepare the part on least squares method, the solutions given in the paper was nonsensical.
But here I am typing this out, implying that at the very least I survived to tell the tale. It’s a wonder I haven’t been struck by lightning yet.
Prof Jayakumar said that in non-homgenous societies, the rule of law is ‘all the more important, as it makes expectations transparent’.
‘For multi-racial and multi-religious societies, where there are several communities with different religious beliefs and values, each community will hold its moral values deeply. Without observance of the rule of law, the individual can and will act according to his conscience as guided by his moral beliefs even when it breaks the law.
‘To avoid this there has to be respect for the law by all on accordance with common ground rules of engagement and conflict resolution, and to secure as large common secular space which belongs to all citizens regardless of race, language or religion,’ he said.
You would have thought that the more ‘educated’ political elite of Singapore would give better media statements than the overused rhetoric so often heard from certain Malaysian leaders.
But no, it seems that adding a Prof to the front of your title gives you more vocabulary to express what is basically the same point:
“Multi-racial societies are predisposed towards chaos. That’s why we need more rule of law and less civil liberties.”
Frankly speaking, there is no such thing as a homogeneous society anywhere in the world. Skin colour may be the same, but somehow people living within a same country will always find something to differ about. In France, you are a Cartesian or Pascalian. In Latin America, you are Protestant or Catholic. In Bosnia, Christian or Muslim.
The wise Prof’s arguments shows that every country in the world, including Singapore needs laws. What he fails to argue for is why people living in Singapore cannot have the same civil liberties like in most first world countries.
As they say, you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. The machinery running Singapore is the old dog, there’s nothing new about it, despite the cosmetics.
A nice letter written in to the StraitsTimes. It heartening to know that there are still people who are willing to express themselves publicly this way.
Unless you are sure banking and finance is for you, maybe it’s better to stick to what you like. Money shouldn’t be everything. You don’t need a PhD in quantum chemistry to work that out.
Born and bred in KL, Malaysia. Now studying for his Phd in Singapore. Learning to walk one fall at a time.
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