Monday, August 30, 2004
Devil's Advocate
I showed up for shift at 0800 hrs today only to find out I start at 2000. No biggie, since for once (yay!) the hospital was near my house. The reprieve meant that my 4.5 hour sleep after last night's shift gets to mature into something a little more sensible (hello, bed) so I was pretty happy to be sent away.
Most sensible people would have made a beeline for home and flopped gratefully into bed. Unfortunately, the sadomasochist in me (who was amused to find a food shop today called the "S&M cafe! Eat yourself happy!") decided to catch the Notting Hill Festival, since he's never seen it before.
First impressions - big.
Big, big big big. I got lost trying to find my way out after ten minutes of aimless wandering. It hadn't quite taken off but I could see what it was going to turn into (massive crush of sweaty people eating pure cholesterol carefully disguised as food getting rapidly pissed on all assortment of alcohols, with sparsely clad bikini babes wandering the crowd sporting garish tail feathers in their bums. cool!) and I guess I was just too knackered to really want to get into it. That and the grey skies and intermittent light drizzle which really one would have expected me to be used to by now, after spending a third of my life in thisgodforsaken lovely city.
Interestingly, the sequinned girls stalking past with everything hanging out didn't actually do anything for me today, and the only visceral sentiment triggered was a "don't they feel cold" reflex-arc, clearly evidencing that staying on feet is a higher cerebral function than masculinity.
So now at last I'm happily back in bed on the brink of blissful oblivion. Naturally, I decided to check my email instead (argh. can anyone spell j u n k i e) and aimlessly wander the internet for a while.
******
Food for Thought?
I don't hate her. Really, I don't. Even if some people (glare) think that we're so disparate fate is bound to conspire to bring us together. Ailithwossname person, if I ever meet you I swear I'm going to spank you for that. frown.
There are many reasons the "handfull of us" dislike SheWhoMustNotBeNamed. I don't quite subscribe to the Queen's English hardliners, since I believe that language is a skill rather than a gift, and although, God Knows she does make a lot of gaffes, what of it? We can't help where we come from - but we can help where we're going.
I dislike her, for the following reasons :
Top Ten Reasons why I dislike SheWhoShallNotBeNamed
1) While being opinionated, she is quite often uninformed. Unfortunately, the hordes of the Underdark who comprise the loyal XX legion are less than discerning as evidenced occasionally in the thousand or so positive comments she gets singing her praises at every last post she makes ranging from the size of her breasts to her opinions on socioeconomic developments (which have little in common, ah, except perhaps in their size) Honestly, anyone who makes comments like "doctors are paid too much" without backing said claims with any figures whatsoever, other than nebulous nasty snipes at their "not making donations to charity" (hmm. whatever happened to investigative journalism, one wonders... or do media interns no longer need to know what they're doing?) is begging to be crucified. Funny how she steers clear of that more popular public opinion that ministers are paid too much?
Thing is, it bugs me that the lynchmob that she's so adept at raising instantly baas in approval without stopping to ask the right questions. Doctors paid too much? How much? Who are we comparing them to? What is the yardstick for comparing payscale to workload? How many hours to doctors work, and what is the nature of their job? What stresses are involved that make work unique to any other career (which is a no-brainer, since every career is singularly unique. Except maybe politics and law. hee.)
Nope, instead we just get "yeah! all they do is write prescriptions!" Shrug.
2) Gets into a huff with anyone who doesn't mindlessly agree with her, and
3) Gets into a rage with anyone who dares criticise her in any way, yet
4) Feels that she is "open to criticism". Eh? run that by me again.
5) Apparently feels that ahbengs are less qualified to criticise her than doctors. Uh. right... I see. Yes, quite. Meritocracy and all. Only uni grads are allowed opinions in this cruel world we live in, apparently, and the more your coursefees cost, the more your stake in public discussion.
Man, I'm so glad I'm a doctor. not.
6) Occasionally publically slimes select individuals - who aren't playing the publicity game. I dunno, but someone who did something as harmless as snitch the guy a bird liked, who didn't actually from all accounts like the bird back doesn't really deserve to have a critical commentary on how (supposedly) hideously ugly and horrible she is posted on the internet, surely?
Sure, we invariably get the public apology afterwards, which is in an odd way almost gracious. But... well. Cynical world we live in.
Someone out there coined the phrase "The William Hung of Blogging" to describe her. It's surprisingly apt.
Fame - what price? At least William Hung knows that he's famous because people are laughing at him, rather than with him though.
And at least people are laughing at him.
I suppose it all boils down to the Speak Good English Campaign.
In the Singaporean dictionary, talent clearly equates with popularity (popular use), and opinion equates with astuteness. Attitude, as evidenced by being "outspoken" - nevermind how misinformed - is a surefire crowd-pleaser, as is augmentation with liberal Brixtonesque turns of phrase.
*****
I've been reading a fair number of public blogs and articles (including this post) by authors nodding their approval at Lee Hsien Loong's recent "candid, sincere, caring, and empathetic" dealing with social issues surrounding the country in his recent inaugral speech.
Clearly we have a problem with helping the elderly (nod nod), a population decline (nod nod) and we have to improve ethnic relations - and it is our duties as singaporeans (nod nod) to help solve these conundrums (nod nod nod. looks around for girl to bonk.)
Uh. pause.
The question that's been bugging me is - why?
I know it's turned into a tradition of sorts, for the bosses to tell the sheep where the country's problems lie and what their duties are as loyal citizens - it's a very corporate mentality, really... but why do they have to tell us. And tell us what to do?
Maybe I'm just averse to micromanaging something as large as a country by manipulating the Joe Bloggs on the street, but well... do many other countries involve their citizens in maintaining population size? Or have to remind them to be nice to old people, or even to not be racist bastards?
Don't get me wrong. The messages are right, and I too nod my approval at them all - them be good words. But how comes it we have to be reminded by our Premiere on national television no less that we've got to be nice people, and to go forth and multiply in the name of nationalism?
Maybe we're just so thick the thoughts don't come to our minds automatically. Or maybe it's not the country that's in its prepubscence - but all its citizenry.
I guess the subtler, more mature methods other countries employ like porn, specifically of the interracial flavour, and trusting in lay-decency (as opposed to a decent lay, get your minds out of the gutter) don't work in our uniquely confucian society. laughs. And Good Parenting is probably too many syllables for the prototype neo-Singalander to get his / her mind around nowadays.
Maybe we're just thick as a nation. Yeah, that has to be it.
I reckon we ought to have a handbook to carry on our persons at all times. How to be a Singaporean, for dummies.
*****
The Other Side
I really should be studying or napping in the park before I work my last ever A&E shift (thank you, immigration department) but I found this, which isn't so much a riot as an armed revolution complete with RPGs and wayward boeing 747s.
Thank you, Cass for your wonderful account of what it's like to be on the other side of the line.
He's right about CT scanners and doughnuts. And about venflons. I've had all those, and believe me, they're not pleasant. I've often wondered myself why they can't build little LCD TVs into MRI and CT machines. Imagine watching sky or surfing the net during your scan. :D
One thing I found puzzling though was his reference to the Hippocratic Oath. I was disappointed not to have to swear it at all during my graduation - or was that because I graduated from the Godless university?
Most sensible people would have made a beeline for home and flopped gratefully into bed. Unfortunately, the sadomasochist in me (who was amused to find a food shop today called the "S&M cafe! Eat yourself happy!") decided to catch the Notting Hill Festival, since he's never seen it before.
First impressions - big.
Big, big big big. I got lost trying to find my way out after ten minutes of aimless wandering. It hadn't quite taken off but I could see what it was going to turn into (massive crush of sweaty people eating pure cholesterol carefully disguised as food getting rapidly pissed on all assortment of alcohols, with sparsely clad bikini babes wandering the crowd sporting garish tail feathers in their bums. cool!) and I guess I was just too knackered to really want to get into it. That and the grey skies and intermittent light drizzle which really one would have expected me to be used to by now, after spending a third of my life in this
Interestingly, the sequinned girls stalking past with everything hanging out didn't actually do anything for me today, and the only visceral sentiment triggered was a "don't they feel cold" reflex-arc, clearly evidencing that staying on feet is a higher cerebral function than masculinity.
So now at last I'm happily back in bed on the brink of blissful oblivion. Naturally, I decided to check my email instead (argh. can anyone spell j u n k i e) and aimlessly wander the internet for a while.
******
Food for Thought?
I don't hate her. Really, I don't. Even if some people (glare) think that we're so disparate fate is bound to conspire to bring us together. Ailithwossname person, if I ever meet you I swear I'm going to spank you for that. frown.
There are many reasons the "handfull of us" dislike SheWhoMustNotBeNamed. I don't quite subscribe to the Queen's English hardliners, since I believe that language is a skill rather than a gift, and although, God Knows she does make a lot of gaffes, what of it? We can't help where we come from - but we can help where we're going.
I dislike her, for the following reasons :
Top Ten Reasons why I dislike SheWhoShallNotBeNamed
1) While being opinionated, she is quite often uninformed. Unfortunately, the hordes of the Underdark who comprise the loyal XX legion are less than discerning as evidenced occasionally in the thousand or so positive comments she gets singing her praises at every last post she makes ranging from the size of her breasts to her opinions on socioeconomic developments (which have little in common, ah, except perhaps in their size) Honestly, anyone who makes comments like "doctors are paid too much" without backing said claims with any figures whatsoever, other than nebulous nasty snipes at their "not making donations to charity" (hmm. whatever happened to investigative journalism, one wonders... or do media interns no longer need to know what they're doing?) is begging to be crucified. Funny how she steers clear of that more popular public opinion that ministers are paid too much?
Thing is, it bugs me that the lynchmob that she's so adept at raising instantly baas in approval without stopping to ask the right questions. Doctors paid too much? How much? Who are we comparing them to? What is the yardstick for comparing payscale to workload? How many hours to doctors work, and what is the nature of their job? What stresses are involved that make work unique to any other career (which is a no-brainer, since every career is singularly unique. Except maybe politics and law. hee.)
Nope, instead we just get "yeah! all they do is write prescriptions!" Shrug.
2) Gets into a huff with anyone who doesn't mindlessly agree with her, and
3) Gets into a rage with anyone who dares criticise her in any way, yet
4) Feels that she is "open to criticism". Eh? run that by me again.
5) Apparently feels that ahbengs are less qualified to criticise her than doctors. Uh. right... I see. Yes, quite. Meritocracy and all. Only uni grads are allowed opinions in this cruel world we live in, apparently, and the more your coursefees cost, the more your stake in public discussion.
Man, I'm so glad I'm a doctor. not.
6) Occasionally publically slimes select individuals - who aren't playing the publicity game. I dunno, but someone who did something as harmless as snitch the guy a bird liked, who didn't actually from all accounts like the bird back doesn't really deserve to have a critical commentary on how (supposedly) hideously ugly and horrible she is posted on the internet, surely?
Sure, we invariably get the public apology afterwards, which is in an odd way almost gracious. But... well. Cynical world we live in.
Someone out there coined the phrase "The William Hung of Blogging" to describe her. It's surprisingly apt.
Fame - what price? At least William Hung knows that he's famous because people are laughing at him, rather than with him though.
And at least people are laughing at him.
I suppose it all boils down to the Speak Good English Campaign.
In the Singaporean dictionary, talent clearly equates with popularity (popular use), and opinion equates with astuteness. Attitude, as evidenced by being "outspoken" - nevermind how misinformed - is a surefire crowd-pleaser, as is augmentation with liberal Brixtonesque turns of phrase.
*****
I've been reading a fair number of public blogs and articles (including this post) by authors nodding their approval at Lee Hsien Loong's recent "candid, sincere, caring, and empathetic" dealing with social issues surrounding the country in his recent inaugral speech.
Clearly we have a problem with helping the elderly (nod nod), a population decline (nod nod) and we have to improve ethnic relations - and it is our duties as singaporeans (nod nod) to help solve these conundrums (nod nod nod. looks around for girl to bonk.)
Uh. pause.
The question that's been bugging me is - why?
I know it's turned into a tradition of sorts, for the bosses to tell the sheep where the country's problems lie and what their duties are as loyal citizens - it's a very corporate mentality, really... but why do they have to tell us. And tell us what to do?
Maybe I'm just averse to micromanaging something as large as a country by manipulating the Joe Bloggs on the street, but well... do many other countries involve their citizens in maintaining population size? Or have to remind them to be nice to old people, or even to not be racist bastards?
Don't get me wrong. The messages are right, and I too nod my approval at them all - them be good words. But how comes it we have to be reminded by our Premiere on national television no less that we've got to be nice people, and to go forth and multiply in the name of nationalism?
Maybe we're just so thick the thoughts don't come to our minds automatically. Or maybe it's not the country that's in its prepubscence - but all its citizenry.
I guess the subtler, more mature methods other countries employ like porn, specifically of the interracial flavour, and trusting in lay-decency (as opposed to a decent lay, get your minds out of the gutter) don't work in our uniquely confucian society. laughs. And Good Parenting is probably too many syllables for the prototype neo-Singalander to get his / her mind around nowadays.
Maybe we're just thick as a nation. Yeah, that has to be it.
I reckon we ought to have a handbook to carry on our persons at all times. How to be a Singaporean, for dummies.
*****
The Other Side
I really should be studying or napping in the park before I work my last ever A&E shift (thank you, immigration department) but I found this, which isn't so much a riot as an armed revolution complete with RPGs and wayward boeing 747s.
Thank you, Cass for your wonderful account of what it's like to be on the other side of the line.
He's right about CT scanners and doughnuts. And about venflons. I've had all those, and believe me, they're not pleasant. I've often wondered myself why they can't build little LCD TVs into MRI and CT machines. Imagine watching sky or surfing the net during your scan. :D
One thing I found puzzling though was his reference to the Hippocratic Oath. I was disappointed not to have to swear it at all during my graduation - or was that because I graduated from the Godless university?
