Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Twenty Four
hours is the time :
1) it takes to finish work on time! Swoon. It's finally happened.
Tomorrow, the sky will fall.
2) it takes to meet two different female individuals for dinner and dessert, and get home in time for work tomorrow (Which may well be another story altogether, except that work is usually far too tedious to be even alluded to as a "story".)
3) taken for the body to recuperate from the horrors of a six hour operation - mine, not the patient's, unfortunately. For the patient one suspects it'll take a few more doses of twenty-four hours.
4) for certain individuals to get hot under the collar that their comments in my comments box aren't being replied to quickly enough for their liking - even though I've already stated rather bluntly that I'm not even going to go there. It's not even as flattering as someone calling for an encore, this constant demanding to be replied to. It's really rather amazing, people wander here (yes, yes it is public domain, I do realise that) and somehow expect to be entertained, and served on hand and foot, even if they start out on the wrong foot entirely by slamming the author for having an opinion that is unacceptable and irreconcilable to their own.
Yes, me, this article is for you.
Emotional tirade? Hmm? Who's bombarding whose comments box with a rather weak attempt at starting a flame war?
frown. Emotional tirade? Who did the "you are a doctor and hence a smart ass" and the "get out, brit scum" (sic) thingummy?
Ah, but as always, we are here to serve, and it is my duty as author of this blog to reply civilly. I think not.
Twit? You call that an emotional response? By my standards (ask areya) (hell, just listen to areya swear a couple times, then multiply whatever she's capable of by a factor of several thousand, although on the base pervertedness scale she does wind hands down and dirty) that's pretty mild. Bloody hell, when was the last time you heard someone else call them a twit, aside from primary school?
You want to tar me as some unreasonable bigot who hedges core issues and resorts to name calling, well go right ahead. I've written before, and I'm certainly not changing my mind on this one - that I don't really care what my readers think of me. And of "me" either. This is just a place for (points up top) My thoughts. Mine.
And yours too, if you'd care to contribute.
If you must contribute, at least contribute meaningfully. All this angry angsty stuff isn't leading anywhere. Not that I care, tomorrow I'll probably just post a deluge of thoughts and observations from the world I encounter tomorrow, and this post - and all those slightly desperate attempts to goad re-minisce into an angry, foaming-at-the-mouth tirade (which simply isn't going to happen) will be lost in the past.
If you really want me to answer your questions - at least ask them. If you want me to answer that I really think I am a brit, then sod off. If you have a question about a specific issue, go right ahead. I didn't detect any questions in your first post - just poorly veiled insults - and in the subsequent posts you appear to be gravitating towards a "in what way is the wool being pulled over our eyes, answer me, NOW." Which is probably the worst way to ask re-minisce a question, since he's rather perverse and hates being commanded around. However, some individuals have done an admirable job of answering it already, and for that I thank you.7
Censorship of the media is but one facet of the coin; consider that the mass media incorporates far more than the newspapers; consider also the other forms of mass media that are either sexed up (heh heh) or dumbed-down, and then consider nationalindoctrination education programmes, and also national service that teach you how to think - or rather, how not to. (Turning boys to men, or men to sheep?) Consider that your opinions are apparently, in this landmark establishing, ground-breaking century of change, now of enough value to be heard, but also wonder if hearing equates to action - or another black mark in the red book; also consider this supposedly imaginary climate of fear which many obviously crazed people (like narayanawhositwhatsit) have alluded to from time to time as a real and present entity, that oft times leads us to question - rightly or wrongly - every step the nation takes in the "right" (read - progressive) direction. And also to conclude that the best choice is to keep one's head down, since it doesn't affect my life, and all I really want to do is keep eating this yummy grass... bleat.
Calling the people sheep doesn't allude to their intelligence. It refers to their herd mentality. I'm not saying that Singaporeans are incapable of individual thought - simply postulating that they don't seem to do it much. The mental image of sheep grazing in a field around a celestial TV was just too much to resist as well. It's rather Gary Larson-esque. If you're offended by it, tough luck. Sheep is sheep, and if you don't like 'em, go bugger em. Heh.
I'm not going to answer the question for you - I've pointed you the right way by asking you to read the rest of this blog (well, rather, the bits that touch on pertinent issues. I admit the rest of it is just fluff for my amusement, which is probably why this is my personal blog. Interesting thought, innit?), and also the Not the Straits Times Forum on newsintercom. The info is easily within reach. It's not a case of me failing to persuade you, or, gasp, not daring to answer your rather inexpertly thrown gauntlet - it's a case of you not caring enough to reach out and grasp that knowledge - or perhaps you're not so much interested in receiving an answer at all, as in shooting it down?
One thing I've observed about us (myself, sadly included) is how prone we are to debate people, instead of the issues at stake. I'm all for a civilised, slung-mud-free debate. I quite enjoyed them back in school. Funny how it's only hormonally imabalanced teenagers who can manage to stick to issues rather than degenerate to the level of accusation and personal insult.
Incidentally, Peter, I wasn't quibbling over the spelling of the word. I was not-so-subtly pointing out to "me" that the words have completely different meanings - and when I first made that post, I quite deliberately wrote "unquantified rookie". In my response to urgh, I was pointing out that he'd misread me, and that I wrote unquantified, rather than unqualified (which is what he saw).
"me" unfortunately chose to take this as an instance of me nitpicking over spelling.
It's so not about spelling. It's as big a difference between the phrases "American President does War" and "American President does Whore".
Cough. No offence to either American President, of course.
*****
Nice Changes
I'll admit that I do tend to forget to write all the nice things about Singapore that pop into my mind (and then out again. think it's probably that spongiform thingummybob making it rather porous) from time to time, so I'll make a quick start here before I pop into bed. Tomorrow is, unfortunately, another (Work) day.
1) that transport fees haven't budged much since I left a decade ago. In the same time, London underground fees have nearly tripled. It's nice to still pay only $1.40 to cross the length of the entire island (nevermind that you can drive across it in approximately forty minutes)
2) all that sunlight that I never seem to have time to get out into... today's weather, with the breeze and all, was just perfect for sunbathing in
3) that the restaurant scene appears to be improving rapidly. Iggys would have rated as a very good restaurant to my mind, had it been set in london. In Singapore it's quite phenomenal. Yes, I know it's a double standard, but we're talking about two different countries at different stages of growth.
4) that everywhere you turn there are ATM machines. Unfortunately, my **** HSBC card is still next to useless...
1) it takes to finish work on time! Swoon. It's finally happened.
Tomorrow, the sky will fall.
2) it takes to meet two different female individuals for dinner and dessert, and get home in time for work tomorrow (Which may well be another story altogether, except that work is usually far too tedious to be even alluded to as a "story".)
3) taken for the body to recuperate from the horrors of a six hour operation - mine, not the patient's, unfortunately. For the patient one suspects it'll take a few more doses of twenty-four hours.
4) for certain individuals to get hot under the collar that their comments in my comments box aren't being replied to quickly enough for their liking - even though I've already stated rather bluntly that I'm not even going to go there. It's not even as flattering as someone calling for an encore, this constant demanding to be replied to. It's really rather amazing, people wander here (yes, yes it is public domain, I do realise that) and somehow expect to be entertained, and served on hand and foot, even if they start out on the wrong foot entirely by slamming the author for having an opinion that is unacceptable and irreconcilable to their own.
Yes, me, this article is for you.
Emotional tirade? Hmm? Who's bombarding whose comments box with a rather weak attempt at starting a flame war?
frown. Emotional tirade? Who did the "you are a doctor and hence a smart ass" and the "get out, brit scum" (sic) thingummy?
Ah, but as always, we are here to serve, and it is my duty as author of this blog to reply civilly. I think not.
Twit? You call that an emotional response? By my standards (ask areya) (hell, just listen to areya swear a couple times, then multiply whatever she's capable of by a factor of several thousand, although on the base pervertedness scale she does wind hands down and dirty) that's pretty mild. Bloody hell, when was the last time you heard someone else call them a twit, aside from primary school?
You want to tar me as some unreasonable bigot who hedges core issues and resorts to name calling, well go right ahead. I've written before, and I'm certainly not changing my mind on this one - that I don't really care what my readers think of me. And of "me" either. This is just a place for (points up top) My thoughts. Mine.
And yours too, if you'd care to contribute.
If you must contribute, at least contribute meaningfully. All this angry angsty stuff isn't leading anywhere. Not that I care, tomorrow I'll probably just post a deluge of thoughts and observations from the world I encounter tomorrow, and this post - and all those slightly desperate attempts to goad re-minisce into an angry, foaming-at-the-mouth tirade (which simply isn't going to happen) will be lost in the past.
If you really want me to answer your questions - at least ask them. If you want me to answer that I really think I am a brit, then sod off. If you have a question about a specific issue, go right ahead. I didn't detect any questions in your first post - just poorly veiled insults - and in the subsequent posts you appear to be gravitating towards a "in what way is the wool being pulled over our eyes, answer me, NOW." Which is probably the worst way to ask re-minisce a question, since he's rather perverse and hates being commanded around. However, some individuals have done an admirable job of answering it already, and for that I thank you.7
Censorship of the media is but one facet of the coin; consider that the mass media incorporates far more than the newspapers; consider also the other forms of mass media that are either sexed up (heh heh) or dumbed-down, and then consider national
Calling the people sheep doesn't allude to their intelligence. It refers to their herd mentality. I'm not saying that Singaporeans are incapable of individual thought - simply postulating that they don't seem to do it much. The mental image of sheep grazing in a field around a celestial TV was just too much to resist as well. It's rather Gary Larson-esque. If you're offended by it, tough luck. Sheep is sheep, and if you don't like 'em, go bugger em. Heh.
I'm not going to answer the question for you - I've pointed you the right way by asking you to read the rest of this blog (well, rather, the bits that touch on pertinent issues. I admit the rest of it is just fluff for my amusement, which is probably why this is my personal blog. Interesting thought, innit?), and also the Not the Straits Times Forum on newsintercom. The info is easily within reach. It's not a case of me failing to persuade you, or, gasp, not daring to answer your rather inexpertly thrown gauntlet - it's a case of you not caring enough to reach out and grasp that knowledge - or perhaps you're not so much interested in receiving an answer at all, as in shooting it down?
One thing I've observed about us (myself, sadly included) is how prone we are to debate people, instead of the issues at stake. I'm all for a civilised, slung-mud-free debate. I quite enjoyed them back in school. Funny how it's only hormonally imabalanced teenagers who can manage to stick to issues rather than degenerate to the level of accusation and personal insult.
Incidentally, Peter, I wasn't quibbling over the spelling of the word. I was not-so-subtly pointing out to "me" that the words have completely different meanings - and when I first made that post, I quite deliberately wrote "unquantified rookie". In my response to urgh, I was pointing out that he'd misread me, and that I wrote unquantified, rather than unqualified (which is what he saw).
"me" unfortunately chose to take this as an instance of me nitpicking over spelling.
It's so not about spelling. It's as big a difference between the phrases "American President does War" and "American President does Whore".
Cough. No offence to either American President, of course.
*****
Nice Changes
I'll admit that I do tend to forget to write all the nice things about Singapore that pop into my mind (and then out again. think it's probably that spongiform thingummybob making it rather porous) from time to time, so I'll make a quick start here before I pop into bed. Tomorrow is, unfortunately, another (Work) day.
1) that transport fees haven't budged much since I left a decade ago. In the same time, London underground fees have nearly tripled. It's nice to still pay only $1.40 to cross the length of the entire island (nevermind that you can drive across it in approximately forty minutes)
2) all that sunlight that I never seem to have time to get out into... today's weather, with the breeze and all, was just perfect for sunbathing in
3) that the restaurant scene appears to be improving rapidly. Iggys would have rated as a very good restaurant to my mind, had it been set in london. In Singapore it's quite phenomenal. Yes, I know it's a double standard, but we're talking about two different countries at different stages of growth.
4) that everywhere you turn there are ATM machines. Unfortunately, my **** HSBC card is still next to useless...
