4th Feb Shoutout

HAPPY belated* BIRTHDAY JANG!
*I just realised it's 0429am on 5th Feb... depressed.

:) Many happy returns of the day to my oldest friend!

ex-clusivity

Haven't given much attention to the news ever since work started, so yeah, the General elections were an eye-opener, but absolutely no clue about the upcoming Presidential elections. Something I don't like about the media (and ironically, social media): its limited scope - it cannot possibly capture the feelings of the mass majority, yet so much weightage is given to what is published. Inevitably, the loudest voice gets heard, not necessarily the wisest or the more representative.

Just watched American History X again. Dunno, some days you just feel prepared to take on the violent stuff you know? (As evident, movies like this just give me sleepless nights...)

So, 0236 hours. What am I thinking... Well, it doesn't take much for us to hate. Us, as in, any human. It doesn't even matter if we really went through stuff, like how the main characters' father got murdered. All it takes is for us to get the perception that we were wronged, our rights were withheld or stolen, that we are victims of circumstance, for it to colour our view about the actions, words and motivations of other people. That's all it takes.

Therefore, taking the advice of a lead actor in the movie, to quote someone (who quoted someone else):

"So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned - my conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: Hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. He says someone else has already said it best. So if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.'"
- Daniel Vinyard, played by Edward Furlong

The 'better angels of our nature' do not calculate, nor practice exclusivity or subtle preferences for their own kind. There isn't a need for a defined 'others' for us to feel secure about ourselves. There isn't a need for us to attain a certain level of education or wealth, before we feel that we can dole out common generosity, courtesy, respect and compassion on other people. This truth stands, that to judge others with the same yard stick as we judge ourselves, is to live up to the standards of the 'justice' and 'fairness' that a lot of people are and have been calling out for these past months. That is fairness - making a clamor to secure benefits for yourself at the expense of others, isn't.

sorries

totally necessary to go through times where you're sorry to the world for being yourself...

but it's a bore being the only attendee to a pity-party.

i like what Zhangma shared during cell group last week though - periods of drought are necessary for a harvest.

and i think coming out of this taught me to not be so hard on myself... so that i won't be hard on others.

and that's a good thing.

frustrated

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and for no reason

ok strangely that helped

asd'pfjoa s'ofjk a'
repi
:)

Jamie Pugh

where there is fear, there is an opportunity to discover courage.

Playing the Enemy by John Carlin

What a year for the 11th general elections to be held. Singaporeans seem to have taken up the cry for revolution that was sparked off by protestors in Egypt. I wonder if the fall of the economy in 2010 did not also bring down with it the implicit faith that the masses the world over, had in their governments. But this elections is more complicated than that. It's making me regret not taking a political science module this semester, that's for sure.

The large turnout at the rallies reminded me of the book, Playing the Enemy by John Carlin. In it, Carlin wrote an account of how Nelson Mandela worked for the eradication of apartheid in South Africa, from the time he was incarcerated through his first few years as President. He didn't just enforce policies to work towards that aim, he embodied the message he was bringing by forgiving his jailors and being the bridge between the Afrikaaners and the native Africans.

Mind you, the title doesn't bear any significance in this context. It just gave me an idea of the kind of government I want, and the kind of leader I would follow: one who would appeal to my better side, who would work with the welfare of the people at heart yet challenge the people to live unselfishly, with the country's welfare in mind. Yet, it is often true that the people deserve the kind of government they get. So... it starts with me. With us, the voters.

I hope I will be clearheaded, not emotional or reactive. Though it's hard not to be, with the opinions and experiences of your family and friends at the back of your mind.

Just another opinion in the sea of opinions we're drowning in right now. Just needed to get this out of my head and clear some space for my exams. :) Think it would be too much to push for the cancellation of exams? lol

people-watching

I relish long bus rides, just as when I was younger and such bus rides signified a trip to some exciting destination. Now though, bus rides are a unique experience in itself. I like to choose a seat somewhere near the back door, where I get a good vantage point of what goes on in the bus. Then, I unplug my earphones, settle down and observe.

In the early mornings, the commuters are a hodgepodge of sullen schoolchildren with hooded eyes and skewed uniforms, housewives with their shopping carts on their way to the wet market, and young working adults in their shined shoes and crinkled office uniforms. My favorites are the retirees. Dressed in a simple white top, loose slacks, neat shoes and vintage suspenders, an old man who lives in my neighborhood boards the bus every morning without fail, to make his way to the nearby town centre for his breakfast routine. It makes me sit up a little straighter, when this stooped old man makes his way up the aisle with concise steps. Everything in his carriage and his attention to his attire, even on such a simple assignment as getting breakfast and the morning papers, spoke to me about self-respect and self-discipline.

In the late mornings, toddlers and their caretakers are the main entertainment. The more ebullient ones drum their fists on the window panes, squealing out commentaries of the passing scenery in the gibberish that only mothers can understand. There are also the shy ones who stare doe-eyed and transfixed when they catch the eye of a stranger, then grin abruptly and burrow their heads in their mothers’ necks. The ones who reach out confidently to grab your finger or to exchange an unspoken conversation of cheeky grins and poked-out tongues, have the ability to light up my day.

I often share the back of the bus with teenagers who seem to only gather in groups of at least three. There are the evocative ones who yell out their conversations, seeming to revel in the stares of fellow commuters as they joke, tease and curse. Sometimes, the more public-spirited ones think to share their music with the bus, blasting tinny rock music from their cellular phones and completing the free performance with head bobs and leg twitches.

Then there are the young adults who, with their earphones plugged in, stare off into space, deeply engrossed in their own thoughts. There are the rare occasions where I catch a young lady, secretly wiping away the tears that seem to slip out of their own volition – a glimpse of someone’s inner pain.

Long bus rides are slices of stolen time in the midst of the hustle and bustle of city life. Here, life stories can be condensed into snippets, to be viewed by the observant and understood by the imaginative. All it takes is for one to keep awake to enjoy them.