Oh my gosh, I 'm really reaching the saturation point. I have one more exam tomorrow and right now I feel like I'd rather get livor mortis than study for it. Forensics is finally over. The scenario-based question was pretty interesting (much more interesting than the past year exam paper where a man was killed by a falling durian).
It's about a woman who got stuffed into a sack full of concrete blocks and drowned in a lake, then miraculously floated up four to five days later. The dead woman had a strangulation mark on her neck, and the cause of death was determined to be asphyxiation. And then the plot thickens: a DNA sample which belongs to a construction worker was found on the concrete block (Horrors! I'll never look at the friendly neighbourhood construction workers the same way again), and green-brown fibres from her boyfriend's room carpet were also found on her clothes (Double horrors! Now I'll forever be suspicious of friends' boyfriends who have green-brown carpets).
Anyway the reason why the body floated up was because after four to five days the action of microorganisms in her body produced gases, in a process called putrefaction. And I think it's unlikely that the construction worker was the murderer. I'm betting on the boyfriend with the green-brown carpet fetish. Anyway anyone who has such a bad taste must be up to no good.
I should be going overseas for holidays before internship starts next year. Where, I'll confirm later on.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
She chose to die
A British girl recently refused a heart transplant because she said she might not even survive the transplant, and even if she does survive she'll be spending the rest of her life in hospital. Hannah Jones wants to die at home with dignity. At this point of course the Catholic Church had to jump into the picture at the first Amen. They were outraged and insisted that this is a precursor to widespread euthanasia, which of course is a deadly, deadly sin because it means taking someone's life away, even if it's your own life.
I'm a libertarian in that I believe in personal freedom, as long as someone doesn't harm others. You can do whatever you want to do, because after all if it turns out to be the wrong choice you'll be the one who bears the consequences, provided that your choice doesn't harm others in the first place. Will Hannah's refusal of the heart transplant harm anybody else in any way? Seeing that her family, who is the closest to her, has given her their support, how is her personal choice to die with dignity going to hurt anyone? Of course, unless her death will break the hearts of the Catholic priests into a million pieces, all of whom might not even have met her once.
The issue here is not about prolonging her life, it's about the perceived lack of quality of life. Hannah believes there is no point in living in a white sanitary room all day long, being wired to tubes and having to go through so many painful surgeries. Do you actually think that her family will allow her to refuse the heart transplant if they are not sure that it's really what she wants? Hannah did not make her decision at the spur of the moment. She was convicted enough to convince the British court and a child protection officer that she is sick of that kind of life.
The Catholic Church wants the state to ban euthanasia. Californians have recently voted for Proposition 8, which bans gay marriages, based on moral and religious values. Do you notice a trend here? Basically people are trying to impose their moral and religious values on others, increasingly through the rule of law. The basis of secularism, or the separation of the state from religion, is that legal rights must be broader than moral/religious rights. According to many religions, lying is a sin, but you cannot, and should not, go to jail just for lying unless the lie concerns public interest.
Public policies should not be influenced by religion for two reasons:
1. Many different religious sectors will try to jockey for political influence, and it's no surprise that the most successful ones will be those that are the most organized and the wealthiest. No prize for guessing which religious sector is generally the richest.
2. The fundamental issue here is the power to impose a universal policy on different religious sectors. Look at Saudi Arabia and its syariah laws, or Malaysia and its 'moral police' who go around kicking people's doors and arresting those who are engaging in 'amoral' behaviour. But secularism also loses its value if the state makes it illegal for people to practise their religions. The founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, had built secularism into the Constitution. So based on the rule of law, Turkish Muslim women cannot wear tudungs in public. Of course some women are perfectly happy with that, but recently there have been protests held by Muslim women to fight for their religious freedom, which includes the freedom to express their faith through wearing a tudung. No matter what, imposing a universal policy is bound to foster discontent because no country has a universal religion.
A common argument used by religious practitioners is that this or that behaviour may corrupt their children and instill the wrong values, therefore it should be banned. Why not ban the mass media then? Why not ban popular culture? Why not make it illegal for people to curse and swear in front of you and your children? Why not ban the entire frigging things in the universe because, technically, everything can be a source of sin? It's the parents' job to teach their children how to live. It's not a good enough reason to force others to comply with what you believe in.
I'm a libertarian in that I believe in personal freedom, as long as someone doesn't harm others. You can do whatever you want to do, because after all if it turns out to be the wrong choice you'll be the one who bears the consequences, provided that your choice doesn't harm others in the first place. Will Hannah's refusal of the heart transplant harm anybody else in any way? Seeing that her family, who is the closest to her, has given her their support, how is her personal choice to die with dignity going to hurt anyone? Of course, unless her death will break the hearts of the Catholic priests into a million pieces, all of whom might not even have met her once.
The issue here is not about prolonging her life, it's about the perceived lack of quality of life. Hannah believes there is no point in living in a white sanitary room all day long, being wired to tubes and having to go through so many painful surgeries. Do you actually think that her family will allow her to refuse the heart transplant if they are not sure that it's really what she wants? Hannah did not make her decision at the spur of the moment. She was convicted enough to convince the British court and a child protection officer that she is sick of that kind of life.
The Catholic Church wants the state to ban euthanasia. Californians have recently voted for Proposition 8, which bans gay marriages, based on moral and religious values. Do you notice a trend here? Basically people are trying to impose their moral and religious values on others, increasingly through the rule of law. The basis of secularism, or the separation of the state from religion, is that legal rights must be broader than moral/religious rights. According to many religions, lying is a sin, but you cannot, and should not, go to jail just for lying unless the lie concerns public interest.
Public policies should not be influenced by religion for two reasons:
1. Many different religious sectors will try to jockey for political influence, and it's no surprise that the most successful ones will be those that are the most organized and the wealthiest. No prize for guessing which religious sector is generally the richest.
2. The fundamental issue here is the power to impose a universal policy on different religious sectors. Look at Saudi Arabia and its syariah laws, or Malaysia and its 'moral police' who go around kicking people's doors and arresting those who are engaging in 'amoral' behaviour. But secularism also loses its value if the state makes it illegal for people to practise their religions. The founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, had built secularism into the Constitution. So based on the rule of law, Turkish Muslim women cannot wear tudungs in public. Of course some women are perfectly happy with that, but recently there have been protests held by Muslim women to fight for their religious freedom, which includes the freedom to express their faith through wearing a tudung. No matter what, imposing a universal policy is bound to foster discontent because no country has a universal religion.
A common argument used by religious practitioners is that this or that behaviour may corrupt their children and instill the wrong values, therefore it should be banned. Why not ban the mass media then? Why not ban popular culture? Why not make it illegal for people to curse and swear in front of you and your children? Why not ban the entire frigging things in the universe because, technically, everything can be a source of sin? It's the parents' job to teach their children how to live. It's not a good enough reason to force others to comply with what you believe in.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Bleach my memory
I've finished two exams: Media Management (core) and Issues in Crime and Punishment (arts elective). Actually Media Management is one of the most redundant modules ever, seeing that there is no point in going to the lectures when you can research on 90% of the stuff online. The rest you can just read from the powerpoint slides at home. And if you look at the past exam papers you can kind of spot the questions and prepare the answers. One of the lecturers is definitely not going to receive any Teacher's Award in his lifetime, but honestly I don't see the big fuss over him not uploading the powerpoint slides for his half of the lecture. I'm more concerned about wasting my school fees on something that doesn't even need to be taught in so many lectures. It's like making this huge pink candy floss from just a speck of sugar. In other words, it's first-rate fuwa fuwa.
I've been watching Bleach during breaks and I can officially say that I'm addicted to it. What a great time to be addicted to an anime. I still have four more papers to go.
Anyway I've been living in the past few days with Baby Sam, my cousin's baby who has a liver problem. Will write more about him on another day because he deserves an entire entry to himself.
I've been watching Bleach during breaks and I can officially say that I'm addicted to it. What a great time to be addicted to an anime. I still have four more papers to go.
Anyway I've been living in the past few days with Baby Sam, my cousin's baby who has a liver problem. Will write more about him on another day because he deserves an entire entry to himself. See you.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The turkey that never got roasted
I don't know about you but I get really pissed when I can't load The Minimalist video on how to make "a perfectly cooked turkey dinner without roasting a whole bird" on nytimes.com. Not that I'm a three-Michelin-star chef, but I just like watching cooking videos, especially during breaks from mugging.
And I just found out that Rachel and Ana Banana (Princess Anastasia) had sent me two letters since nearly a month ago and I have yet to receive them. And I had also received a letter from my Swiss friend three weeks late, so it's either that both the American and Swiss postmen suck balls or it's Singpost's fault. All right, it's Singpost's fault. Damn you, Singpost, give me back my letters.
And I just found out that Rachel and Ana Banana (Princess Anastasia) had sent me two letters since nearly a month ago and I have yet to receive them. And I had also received a letter from my Swiss friend three weeks late, so it's either that both the American and Swiss postmen suck balls or it's Singpost's fault. All right, it's Singpost's fault. Damn you, Singpost, give me back my letters.
Kill those ugly bananas!
Europe Relaxes Rules on Sale of Ugly Fruits and Vegetables
By Stephen Castle
November 12, 2008
The New York Times
BRUSSELS — Misshapen fruit and vegetables won a reprieve on Wednesday from the European Union as it scrapped rules banning overly curved, extra knobbly or oddly shaped produce from supermarket shelves.
Ending regulations on the size and shape of 26 types of fruit and vegetables, the European authorities killed off restrictions that had become synonymous with bureaucratic meddling...
...The European Union is well known for its detailed regulations on agricultural items. Commission Regulation (EC) 2257/94, for example, states that bananas sold in Europe must be “free from malformation or abnormal curvature,” though Class 1 bananas can have “slight defects of shape,” and Class 2 bananas can have full “defects of shape.” Bananas were not covered in the ruling, so for now, these standards remain.
By Stephen Castle
November 12, 2008
The New York Times
BRUSSELS — Misshapen fruit and vegetables won a reprieve on Wednesday from the European Union as it scrapped rules banning overly curved, extra knobbly or oddly shaped produce from supermarket shelves.
Ending regulations on the size and shape of 26 types of fruit and vegetables, the European authorities killed off restrictions that had become synonymous with bureaucratic meddling...
...The European Union is well known for its detailed regulations on agricultural items. Commission Regulation (EC) 2257/94, for example, states that bananas sold in Europe must be “free from malformation or abnormal curvature,” though Class 1 bananas can have “slight defects of shape,” and Class 2 bananas can have full “defects of shape.” Bananas were not covered in the ruling, so for now, these standards remain.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Taxes make me grumpy
My brain is hurting. I've been poring over the American federal tax policy for my Introduction to Public Policy exam. Basically you need a PhD plus a MENSA membership to understand the American tax policy, and after hours of mental abuse the only thing that I'm 100% sure of is that the loopholes in the system are as big as the ozone hole, if not bigger. Bush, you suck. And I've always thought that accountants are a weird lot. But now I don't think, I know. Who the hell can stand the sight of all those income brackets and a million tax jargons day in day out?
On a side note, I absolutely can't stand it when people t4lkz l1k3z th1z. It makes me cringe. And why on earth do people say ZOMG when OMG would suffice? Oh, yeah, the 'Z' gives added impact. Twice as troublesome, twice as redundant. Maybe in some cases I come across as a language Nazi, but it's not as if replacing proper alphabets with numbers or the Zwanky Zs is going to make your life easier. Imagine the finger acrobatics on your keyboard.
Later. Back to masochism.
On a side note, I absolutely can't stand it when people t4lkz l1k3z th1z. It makes me cringe. And why on earth do people say ZOMG when OMG would suffice? Oh, yeah, the 'Z' gives added impact. Twice as troublesome, twice as redundant. Maybe in some cases I come across as a language Nazi, but it's not as if replacing proper alphabets with numbers or the Zwanky Zs is going to make your life easier. Imagine the finger acrobatics on your keyboard.
Later. Back to masochism.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none
I had a conversation with Mr. Wonderful on Facebook about the way some people practise their religion. They preach universal love but practise conditional love. They may say different things, but one message is pretty clear: You have to be like us so we will love you.
Some have turned religion into a tool of division, not unity. And I really dislike the way some religious practitioners tell and not show. They don't listen, they preach. They don't show you where you've gone wrong, they declare how wrong you are and demand that you change. They look at the world through their own microscopic lens, a lens that they claim to be God-given and indisputable. How God-given are you when you refuse to even talk to people who are different from you? How righteous are you when you condemn those who make a different choice?
But in a time when religion has received pretty bad publicity, it's heartening to know someone who is a living example that religion can be good. Rachel Prevette accepts people, regardless of who they are, what they do, where they are from. She is kind to everyone and anyone, and she shows her kindness through the only way that matters, which is through action. She gives a good name to her religion and makes people want to be a little more like her. I think people find God in her, which is really the greatest compliment one can pay to a religious practitioner.
Some have turned religion into a tool of division, not unity. And I really dislike the way some religious practitioners tell and not show. They don't listen, they preach. They don't show you where you've gone wrong, they declare how wrong you are and demand that you change. They look at the world through their own microscopic lens, a lens that they claim to be God-given and indisputable. How God-given are you when you refuse to even talk to people who are different from you? How righteous are you when you condemn those who make a different choice?
But in a time when religion has received pretty bad publicity, it's heartening to know someone who is a living example that religion can be good. Rachel Prevette accepts people, regardless of who they are, what they do, where they are from. She is kind to everyone and anyone, and she shows her kindness through the only way that matters, which is through action. She gives a good name to her religion and makes people want to be a little more like her. I think people find God in her, which is really the greatest compliment one can pay to a religious practitioner.
Friday, November 7, 2008
You're my most favourite thing about you
Two days ago there was a Japanese dance group that performed at NTU, and I saw a girl who looks exactly like Yuko: short, with a round Doraemon face. I nearly shouted "Yuko!" when I remembered that she's back in her hometown, Kobe, after traipsing to Portugal and Spain. I hope that she'll never read my physical description of her because I still remember vividly that she could easily slam me to the ground with her Jujitsu skills.
And Jeanne is getting married on 2 January! She and Ry-Ry (her nickname for her fiancee Ryan) might be coming to Singapore, and I was so stoked about it till I remembered that Yi Wen will be in Nepal then and I'd have to play tour guide. It's a game I'm horribly bad at. If they are really coming here I'm gonna study the Singapore map like it's O level's all over again so I won't be a national embarrassment.
And Yuko's best friend Yumi is also getting married. Oh my Cupid, everyone seems to be getting married! All right, only two of my friends, but it's still a really big thing, isn't it. I mean, we're talking about marriage here. Tina Fey said marriage is "a sacred institution between two unwilling teenagers" (in a dig at Palin who has a pregnant and unwed teenage daughter) but Jeanne and Yumi are anything but unwilling teenagers. They are mature adults who happen to be in love, and who are ready to make a lifetime commitment.
These people are still my favourite people in the whole wide world. And I'm not ashamed to say that I really do love them to bits and I really do hope that I'll meet them again someday.
It's been almost six months since I took that flight out of Mizzou.
Six months since I last saw Rachel, Yuko, Anamaria, Melissa, Anais, Aurelia, Megan, Ivan, Predrag, Sofija, Nanaho, Yumina, Hyejung, Eunice, Tyler, and about a hundred other people who have made Mizzou such a surreal experience.
Six months and Mizzou is still that: surreal. I keep Mizzou in a special place in my mind and my stupid little heart.
Why do we say hello if we have to say goodbye? Because the time between that hello and that goodbye is just so, so precious. All the laughter, the tears, the stories. I would never trade them for anything.
I wish my last image of Rachel was not of her crying because we had laughed so much when we were still living on the second floor of Laws Hall.
I wish I could have poked Anamaria's tummy one more time and hugged her extra tight at Kansas City Airport.
I wish I could tell Yuko that I find her "antenna" sprouting from her head darned adorable and that her rising bubble laughter sounds like something that Orpheus could have played.
To those who think that I'm a twerp for still being stuck on Mizzou, you just don't get it. I'll always be stuck on Mizzou, and I don't see the need to get unstuck.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
My six-word memoir
My teacher Dan asked us to come up with a six-word memoir. I came up with mine in about three seconds. It just hit me. The second line was added by my friend, to whom I'm forever grateful because now I know what to engrave on my tombstone.
"Never made it to the headlines.
(But made it to the bylines)."
Well it really suits my profession. Journalists don't end up in headlines unless they get shot or abducted, or unless they have fabricated stuff. Neither seems appealing to me.
I gave the six-word memoir challenge to my friends, and these are what they came up with.
Megan: "World domination through beautiful unending sarcasm." (Her sarcasm is anything but beautiful. It's hideously painful, but funny at times).
Jane: "Step it up. Sweat it out." (Which makes her sound like an aerobics instructor).
Phoebe: "Waiting for the tide to change." (Which sounds like the album title of some angsty boyband).
What's yours? I'll publish more once I get more from my friends.
"Never made it to the headlines.
(But made it to the bylines)."
Well it really suits my profession. Journalists don't end up in headlines unless they get shot or abducted, or unless they have fabricated stuff. Neither seems appealing to me.
I gave the six-word memoir challenge to my friends, and these are what they came up with.
Megan: "World domination through beautiful unending sarcasm." (Her sarcasm is anything but beautiful. It's hideously painful, but funny at times).
Jane: "Step it up. Sweat it out." (Which makes her sound like an aerobics instructor).
Phoebe: "Waiting for the tide to change." (Which sounds like the album title of some angsty boyband).
What's yours? I'll publish more once I get more from my friends.
Yes we can
After a whirlwind of sorts, this is a four-sentence summary of what happened to me in the past few days.
I got offers from both AFP and Reuters for internship.
I told AFP that I was waiting for the result from Reuters - it's not a matter of which organization I prefer, it's a matter of which organization offers the job scope I prefer.
AFP gave my place to someone else.
I accepted Reuters.
I'll be editing regional/global financial news in the first three months at Reuters' Science Park Building, and reporting local/regional financial news in the last three months at One Raffles Quay. So it's really the best of both worlds: it combines reporting and editing, local and regional/global news.
And Obama won! I nearly fell off my chair in class because I was peeping at my friend's laptop monitor (she was tracking the election).
May America be a better place.
I got offers from both AFP and Reuters for internship.
I told AFP that I was waiting for the result from Reuters - it's not a matter of which organization I prefer, it's a matter of which organization offers the job scope I prefer.
AFP gave my place to someone else.
I accepted Reuters.
I'll be editing regional/global financial news in the first three months at Reuters' Science Park Building, and reporting local/regional financial news in the last three months at One Raffles Quay. So it's really the best of both worlds: it combines reporting and editing, local and regional/global news.
And Obama won! I nearly fell off my chair in class because I was peeping at my friend's laptop monitor (she was tracking the election).
May America be a better place.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Get a grip
In a survey by The Times of London this year, NTU had slipped in ranking to no.77 on the list of 200 universities. NUS had risen three places to no. 30. This is actually old news, but my interest was re-ignited after I read an opinion piece by a Straits Times journalist who is an NTU alumna.
This is the perfect Halloween stuff for many NTU students. I can imagine people twisting their faces in horror, just like Edvard Munch's The Scream. To these people, and also to the particularly schadenfraude (German for gloating over others' misery) NUS students, I only have one thing to say: Get a grip.
Meaningful university education is so much more than just numbers. So what if you get a first class degree? Unless you want to work in the civil service, the difference between a first class and a second upper class degree is actually very little to most companies.
Let me just ask you a question: Why do you think many Indian nationals who graduated with a second upper managed to get the high-paying jobs, compared to Singaporeans who worked their butts off to get a first class? The simple reason is because Indians are superior to Singaporeans in terms of inter-personal skills and critical thinking. Don't protest, it's fact.
My roomie is an Indian scholar and a Computer Engineering undergraduate minoring in Finance who just won the Procter & Gamble Financial Challenge, beating about 350 people, including Business majors from NUS, NTU and SMU. Living with such an over-achiever does keep me grounded, but that's beside the point.
The point is, you can memorize your entire textbook, but if you can't apply it in real life, you might as well use your book as a door-stopper. I know a second upper Business graduate who can't even explain the current economic crisis to me. If I won't even go to him for advice, what more the multinational corporations and major banks?
A second issue to raise is the rising xenophobia among Singaporeans. Many feel threatened by the influx of foreign talent, and with good reasons. A case in point: After a P&G interview, the shortlisted job applicants went to a bar for a "bonding" session, and this was where a rather tipsy SMU undergraduate told my roomie to her face: "Why are you encroaching on our jobs?"
The SMU undergrad didn't even get through the next round, so I shall not rub salt to the wound. But I just want to say this: Why are you blaming people who are better than you? If you want to blame someone for not getting the job, blame yourself for not being up to the mark, or the Government for inviting these foreign talent. The fact is that Singapore is a meritocratic system, so if you're not the best you won't get the job, it's as simple as that. Instead of complaining and pointing fingers, why don't you take a good look at yourself and understand your strengths and weaknesses?
As someone who has been living in Singapore for about eight years, I think many Singaporeans have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to communication skills and critical thinking. Ideas are nothing without expression. You can have the most brilliant mind, but if you can't express your thoughts well, few would know how brilliant you are. And I think many people tend to get absorbed in the details, thus failing to see the big picture. Either that or their understanding of things might be superficial. In one of my classes, my teacher asked why the drug laws in Singapore are exceptionally strict, and a student said: "Because drugs are bad for people." Of course drugs are bad for people, but why can't the student go deeper and explain that Singapore, with only people as its resources, cannot afford to have even a tenth of its population turning into drug addicts and compromising the national economy?
Some Singaporeans might think that Indians are arrogant. I wouldn't deny that for some Indians, but one thing that struck me after personally interacting with my roomie and her friends is that most Indians are acutely aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and they have a gift of playing up their strengths. Some of you, after talking to my roomie, might think that she's not humble. But she's just very confident of her own abilities, and she has every right to be so. We actually have a lot to learn from the Indians. In any case, it's better to have them on your side than as your enemies. And actually they are really nice people if you know them well enough.
The third issue is the arrogance I observe among many university students. Some people think that being in NUS, NTU or SMU automatically gives them a license to look down on those from polytechnics or private institutions like SIM or MDIS. Again, get a grip. I know an SIM undergraduate who runs a flower business with a monthly profit of about $6,000. Some fresh graduates from the three universities might not even earn half of this.
Your degree might open doors for you, but ultimately what will land you the job are charisma and real-life knowledge. It's a 'duh' statement, but many people seem to forget this as they get swept into the rat race.
This is the perfect Halloween stuff for many NTU students. I can imagine people twisting their faces in horror, just like Edvard Munch's The Scream. To these people, and also to the particularly schadenfraude (German for gloating over others' misery) NUS students, I only have one thing to say: Get a grip.
Meaningful university education is so much more than just numbers. So what if you get a first class degree? Unless you want to work in the civil service, the difference between a first class and a second upper class degree is actually very little to most companies.
Let me just ask you a question: Why do you think many Indian nationals who graduated with a second upper managed to get the high-paying jobs, compared to Singaporeans who worked their butts off to get a first class? The simple reason is because Indians are superior to Singaporeans in terms of inter-personal skills and critical thinking. Don't protest, it's fact.
My roomie is an Indian scholar and a Computer Engineering undergraduate minoring in Finance who just won the Procter & Gamble Financial Challenge, beating about 350 people, including Business majors from NUS, NTU and SMU. Living with such an over-achiever does keep me grounded, but that's beside the point.
The point is, you can memorize your entire textbook, but if you can't apply it in real life, you might as well use your book as a door-stopper. I know a second upper Business graduate who can't even explain the current economic crisis to me. If I won't even go to him for advice, what more the multinational corporations and major banks?
A second issue to raise is the rising xenophobia among Singaporeans. Many feel threatened by the influx of foreign talent, and with good reasons. A case in point: After a P&G interview, the shortlisted job applicants went to a bar for a "bonding" session, and this was where a rather tipsy SMU undergraduate told my roomie to her face: "Why are you encroaching on our jobs?"
The SMU undergrad didn't even get through the next round, so I shall not rub salt to the wound. But I just want to say this: Why are you blaming people who are better than you? If you want to blame someone for not getting the job, blame yourself for not being up to the mark, or the Government for inviting these foreign talent. The fact is that Singapore is a meritocratic system, so if you're not the best you won't get the job, it's as simple as that. Instead of complaining and pointing fingers, why don't you take a good look at yourself and understand your strengths and weaknesses?
As someone who has been living in Singapore for about eight years, I think many Singaporeans have a lot of catching up to do when it comes to communication skills and critical thinking. Ideas are nothing without expression. You can have the most brilliant mind, but if you can't express your thoughts well, few would know how brilliant you are. And I think many people tend to get absorbed in the details, thus failing to see the big picture. Either that or their understanding of things might be superficial. In one of my classes, my teacher asked why the drug laws in Singapore are exceptionally strict, and a student said: "Because drugs are bad for people." Of course drugs are bad for people, but why can't the student go deeper and explain that Singapore, with only people as its resources, cannot afford to have even a tenth of its population turning into drug addicts and compromising the national economy?
Some Singaporeans might think that Indians are arrogant. I wouldn't deny that for some Indians, but one thing that struck me after personally interacting with my roomie and her friends is that most Indians are acutely aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and they have a gift of playing up their strengths. Some of you, after talking to my roomie, might think that she's not humble. But she's just very confident of her own abilities, and she has every right to be so. We actually have a lot to learn from the Indians. In any case, it's better to have them on your side than as your enemies. And actually they are really nice people if you know them well enough.
The third issue is the arrogance I observe among many university students. Some people think that being in NUS, NTU or SMU automatically gives them a license to look down on those from polytechnics or private institutions like SIM or MDIS. Again, get a grip. I know an SIM undergraduate who runs a flower business with a monthly profit of about $6,000. Some fresh graduates from the three universities might not even earn half of this.
Your degree might open doors for you, but ultimately what will land you the job are charisma and real-life knowledge. It's a 'duh' statement, but many people seem to forget this as they get swept into the rat race.
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