A Gracious SG Society?

Goodness gracious me! Several years ago, when he was still PM of Singapore, Mr Goh Chok Tong set out to build a gracious society in SG. Not only did his plan not succeed, I think the situation has gotten worse. From trivial matters of hogging seats on MRT and 'chopping' seats with tissue papers at hawker centres to more important issues of nation-building, the ugliness of my fellow people makes me cringe and wanna hide in embarrassment.

The age-old seat hogging issues is almost a no-cure. Singaporeans have worked so hard that they'll rush into a train cabin, push other passengers outta the way, get their butts on a much-needed seat and coincidentally fall asleep as soon as they spot an elderly or pregnant woman heading their way. Never mind that they're sitting on a special-colored seat that has a sign telling them to give the sear to someone who needs it more than them. Never mind that the needy person standing in front of them is really struggling and gonna fall. These seated people are really soooo tired that they HAVE to sit for their journey.

On a recent trip back home, Mum brought my barely 2-year-old son to a neighborhood public playground that spots 2 slides. My son was enjoying himself when a much older kid decided to play the bully. He decided to refuse my son the joy of sliding and hoarded both slides. This boy is obviously messing with the wrong boy and barking up the wrong tree. Mum promptly took over and ordered that each boy gets to use one slide (how dare this boy mess with her previous grandson!!). Guess what? My son got to play on the slide and my mum got a nasty look from the other boy's caregiver! Mum is no pushover, of cos. She stared back and made her displeasure known. I dun blame the boy for his unpleasant behaviour. Afterall, his caregiver saw what happened and not only did she refuse to right a wrong, she frowned at the correction of such behavior! No wonder the boy dud what he did! He's being brought up in such manner. One cannot expect to fault him for conforming to his environment. He is just a boy, afterall.

In the recent General and Presidential Elections, I balked at the immaturity and rudeness of fellow Singaporeans. I see sarcastic remarks with some infringing on personal attacks on the PAP and Tony Tan. Interesting, these people are mostly supporters of the opposition parties. While I have no problem with citizens supporting the opposition, I have a huge problem with people slandering the PAP and Tony Tan. Not cos they're the PAP and that I support them, but cos I think it's uncalled for and totally wrong to be calling any parties or persons names just cos you dun like them or support them. I saw a comment that says the PE result was disappointing (which is fine...to each his own) cos the guy with the hard gel on his hair won it (this is a personal attack and totally acceptable). I won't be surprised if these people actually have got nothing against Tony Tan but are just brandishing their verbal sword at him simply cos he's heavily affiliated with the PAP. Whatever happened to objectivity? He said it's ok to let a taxi driver work till 75 if that's what he wants. What's wrong with that? He didn't say he'll raise the retirement age to 75. Such a decision is not dependent on only the president, anyway. We have a constitution and parliament, people. They need to confer before such a decision is made. Like what PCK would have said, "use your brain, use your brain!!!".

Seriously, the younger generation needs to learn graciousness and respect. The older generation may have a lot to say against the PAP, some may even be very nasty. But to me, they've earned this right to comment. They've been through the worst of Singapore history, worked hard to contribute to her success as a nation and saw how the nation progressed since its separation from Malaysia. That's why LKY refused to forget this generation of old Singaporeans. What have you, the young, educated, affluent, tech-savvy and supposedly smarter generation done to contribute to the progress of your nation?

I stand disgusted.

I'm Back!

Hello peeps! I haven't had the time nor the desire to blog for a while. The first trimester of this pregnancy killed my love for a lot of things and they've all been put on hold. I didn't even have the will to read. Then as things improved, we went back to SG and it's been a busy one month, living life as we know and love it.

The trip back home was a refreshing one. After a very drab life here in Jogja, I basked in the liveliness of life back home. I even adore the colorful flowers on the highway as we travel home frm the airport. This trip is especially nostalgic for me. Went back to our parish church, our own apartment, the familiar malls, hawker centres wit numerous stalls selling food and drinks (eg. Sugar cane) that we grew up in. I love the mornings when we brought Dallen to the nearby hawker centres and then to the public playgrounds. This is the convenience that we so took for granted. This is life.... in Singapore, my homeland. It was also amazing how, when mum tried, she can actually not irritate me. In fact, I think this was the best stay with her, in my 29 years of living. Even the hubs agreed that mum is making the effort to not get on my nerves. Pregnancy certainly has its advantages. Haha... My only gripe? The weather! It was so humid and warm! And it doesn't help that mum's place has no aircon. And I complained about it so much that mum wanted to get a portable aircon. But she didn't and I'm fine with that too. A little heat won't kill us. Oh! And I also love the fact that when I switch on the telly, I see programmes in familiar settings and understandable languages.

In a nutshell, I love being home.