thoughts and epiphanies.

my 2nd week at T is coming to an end. so far, all is good. i'm thankful to be posted to T as my first place of work because it's in my comfort zone, and the staff culture is nurturing, caring and holistic. though there is a lot of work, and people do succumb to the occasional (or sometimes often) complaining, i'm a firm believer in stop-whining-and-suck-it-up!

after a series of websites-surfing i came across a page which totally just explains the state of our education system. all these whining people who complain and complain about the mountains of work that teachers have to do, and whine about our horrible state of the education system and all its ugly truths - hello! stop and take a look at yourself. YOU are part of the system, and YOU whine, so YOU are contributing to the horrible state of the system.

so until YOU leave the system, it will continue to be horrible. (oh come on, if you are having such a horrible time, any recession should not stop you from resigning. that said, if you're worried about not finding another job, then suck it up!)

it just irks me out.

*

anyway before i came across that horrible page, i had a sudden epiphany. i was reading david plouffe's (obama campaign manager) commentary on washingtonpost.com about the state of the republican party. even though i know that his commentary may be verging on a tiny bit of bias-ness (though his points were supported by stats), i realize why i get to thinking about american issues much more than singapore issues. it's due to the lack of social and political commentary (that is readily available and out there) on singapore issues. whether it is through blogs, news websites, on tv news, or even in tv shows and movies. singapore media, (biased towards you-know-who) tend to report on the good things. and i say report, not comment. and even the slightest forms of comments are the superficial good ones.

the social and political commentaries readily available on the net has been my source for unfiltered news. and no surprise, singapore-related commentaries do not appear quite as often. reading opinions and commentaries are the things that set my thinking about those issues critically. to be able to form my own opinions based on the differing views and opinions that i read.

so i'm kind of lamenting on the fact that i don't have access to the same kind of sources to get me thinking about the issues that affect singapore and singaporeans in that same way. and you may say that "why don't YOU comment on those issues." and i would say that i'm not smart enough to do that. :) easy way out. but also true.

**

you know you have had a special day when you attended a wedding service in the morning, rehearsed a musical of the easter story in the afternoon and attended a vigil funeral service at night. somehow many thoughts about life, change, salvation, and death comes to mind. and it is a big theme to dwell on. more on that when easter draws near.

***

work will be piling on soon. but i still need to have a life. singapore will be playing hosts to some wonderful people that i'll be seeing - jason mraz, coldplay, sam mendes, ethan hawke and the cast of the winter's tale, rachel yamagata. and many more for mosaic and arts fest that i won't be seeing due to the rapidly depleting bank account balance.

and my happening life has brought me to see 3 movies within the space of a week. marley & me, he's just not that into you and slumdog millionaire. more movies to watch. :)

****

psalm 23 is keeping me. :)

soundbites from inauguration speech.

"we will extend our hand if you're willing to unclench your fists." :)

"...all are equal, all are free..."

it's 1.40am (12.40pm ET) and the US national anthem was just sung.

great speech, though deep at times. but i like that it covered most issues, most problems, and most of all, hope in times of trouble. i like that it was partly a warning for america and all of us, that the days ahead aren't the best of days. that we all, as citizens of the world, have our own responsibilities and the need to step up (and stop whining and complaining) and take our place in this world. that complacency is not an option, and stillness, happiness and peace must always be fought for.

more soundbites when i get them. but meanwhile, i absolutely love the fashion today at the inauguration. no boring black coats for the women, but a splash of color everywhere! from michelle's gold-yellow isabel toledo ensemble, to the obama girl's blue and pink coats for malia and sasha respectively, laura bush's soft grey coat, jill biden's flaming red coat and black knee length boots, hillary clinton's electric blue coat, and more people like nancy pelosi and michelle's mother. my favorite: jill biden. she looks smashing.

ETA!: oh they just showed obama and joe biden and their entourage walk into the capitol, pass the rotunda where the painting "the apotheosis of washington" is painted on the dome roof. and i was there! standing in the middle.

ETA!!: as soon as 12noon came, the whitehouse website underwent a complete transformation.

hokay. i have 830am class tmr so i'm so gonna pass out in class. :)

yayy we are now part of an amazing piece of history.

inauguration.

the inauguration in lego-land. :)

inaugurations have been significant times in US history. both on tv and real life.

JFK famously said, "ask not what the country can do for you, but what you can do for your country" in his inauguration speech.

in season 4 of the west wing, president bartlet used his inauguration speech to announce a new doctrine - freedom from tyranny everywhere. because "today you can make a bomb in your country and bring it into my country, so what goes on in your country IS my business."

in season 7 of the west wing, less than 3 years ago, the obama-inspired character matt santos was sworn in as the first latino president of the US in the west wing universe. he's young, of a minority race, has 2 young children, a lovely wife, and is a man of utmost integrity, intellect, poise and soaring oratory. sounds familiar? even his chief of staff josh lyman was inspired by obama's chief of staff rahm emmanuel. the same send-a-dead-fish-to-a-senator story made it into the west wing universe.

there has been so much anticipation and expectation for obama's first 100 days in office. personally i'm waiting for him to step onto the shores of singapore for APEC. and watching for his decisions on combating climate change, the economy, the middle east crisis and the touchy relations with china. and seeing how the new secretary of state hillary clinton manages her demanding job.

watch one of the most significant and amazing milestones being written during our time - a young black man as president of the US.

happy inauguration. :)

the liberal arts.

an article written by michael roth on huffington post struck me and made me think about the current state of singapore education's system, and our way-too-often-comparisons with the american education system.

i don't know if people (other than americans) know about the liberal arts colleges that america offers as an alternative to the conventional universities. my own understanding of these colleges and their curricula is limited, fueled only by the occasional mention of it on american television and movies. well this article attempts to summarize the benefits of a liberal arts education in the changing face of what the world demands of its educated citizens, prompted by the fact that many of the top brains that obama has chosen for his cabinet are schooled in the ways of liberal arts colleges.

well some months ago, the press reported that NUS was in talks to set up a new liberal arts college. well that's good news. any diversification of the education system is always good news. to step away from the one-track mind that the path to success in life is through the Os, As, and universities. i like especially the school of the arts, NUS high school, the sports school.

but more importantly, i wonder if the curricula of a liberal arts college, or at least its themes and visions can be applied at the secondary and JC levels of education. i wonder if we can attract our students to look beyond the facts, numbers, equations and grades. and focus on the why and how. the philosophies. psychology. sociology. the human aspects of what we study. the driving force behind inventions and scientific discoveries and great literary works and art (montmarte artists high and drunk on absthine does NOT count). to be able to teach the way DNA was discovered, and the tremendous impact it has on us even before delving into the names of the nitrogenous bases, the properties of DNA and the enzymes involved in DNA replication.

What's a Liberal Arts Education Good For?

Over the next few months, in homes across America, seventeen and eighteen-year-olds will be conferring with one another and with their parents about a life changing decision: What college to go to! After months of research, visits, and advice from "experts," these young men and women must now decide: Where will I be happy? Where will I make friends? Where will I get an education I can afford now, and an education that will remain valuable for years after graduation?

In this same time period, our government officials will be deciding where an investment in America's economic infrastructure will do the most good. Commentators from different political perspectives have often noted that one of the great advantages of America is its peerless higher education system. Although other sectors have diminished international roles, higher education in this country continues to inspire admiration around the globe. When politicians talk about this, they often emphasize the research output of large universities, but the focus should also be on American undergraduate liberal arts education. Liberal arts in the USA provide not only a pipeline of talented and prepared students to the great graduate schools, but also a model for life-long learning that other countries are beginning to emulate.

But in these challenging times, what's an education in the liberal arts good for?

Rather than pursuing business, technical or vocational training, some students (and their families) opt for a well-rounded learning experience. Liberal learning introduces them to books and the music, the science and the philosophy that form disciplined yet creative habits of mind that are not reducible to the material circumstances of one's life (though they may depend on those circumstances). There is a promise of freedom in the liberal arts education offered by America's most distinctive, selective, and demanding institutions; and it is no surprise that their graduates can be found disproportionately in leadership positions in politics, culture and the economy. A quick look at several members of President-elect Obama's leadership team can stand as an example of how those with a liberal arts education are shaping the future of our society.

What does liberal learning have to do with the harsh realities that our graduates are going to face after college? The development of the capacities for critical inquiry associated with liberal learning can be enormously practical because they become resources on which to draw for continual learning, for making decisions in one's life, and for making a difference in the world. Given the pace of technological and social change, it no longer makes sense to devote four years of higher education entirely to specific skills. Being ready on DAY ONE, may have sounded nice on the campaign trail, but being able to draw on one's education over a lifetime is much more practical (and precious). Post secondary education should help students to discover what they love to do, to get better at it, and to develop the ability to continue learning so that they become agents of change -- not victims of it.

A successful liberal arts education develops the capacity for innovation and for judgment. Those who can image how best to reconfigure existing resources and project future results will be the shapers of our economy and culture. We seldom get to have all the information we would like, but still we must act. The habits of mind developed in a liberal arts context often result in combinations of focus and flexibility that make for intelligent, and sometimes courageous risk taking for critical assessment of those risks.

The possibilities for free study, experimentation and risk taking need protection and cultivation. Looking around the world, we find no shortage of thugs who desecrate or murder those who seek to produce a more meaningful culture. And here at home we can easily see how mindless indifference to the contemporary arts and sciences facilitates the destruction of cultural memory and creative potential.

America's great universities and colleges must continue to offer a rigorous and innovative liberal arts education. A liberal education remains a resource years after graduation because it helps us to address problems and potential in our lives with passion, commitment and a sense of possibility. A liberal education teaches freedom by example, through the experience of free research, thinking and expression; and ideally, it inspires us to carry this example, this experience of meaningful freedom, from campus to community.

The American model of liberal arts education emphasizes freedom and experimentation as tools for students to develop meaningful ways of working after graduation. Many liberal arts students become innovators and productive risk takers, translating liberal arts ideals into effective, productive work in the world. That is what a liberal education is good for.

We were surprised last week to hear reports from several liberal arts colleges and universities that they had seen significant increases in 'early decision' applications. At Wesleyan, we were up almost 40%, an increase none of us on the staff would have predicted. Early decision applicants have already decided that if they are accepted at the one school to which they apply in the fall, they will attend that school the following year. Many of the highly selective schools like Wesleyan have robust financial aid programs, accepting students regardless of their ability to pay. In my next post, I'll write more about issues of affordability even with financial aid.

In these turbulent economic times, it appears that students want to know as quickly as possible if they are going to be able to attend their first choice school. Many of our talented high school seniors are doubtless deciding that the significant investment of time and money in a liberal arts education will give them the capacity for a sustainable and creative future. Perhaps they have something to teach us!

renaissance.

i'm becoming a huffingtonpost addict. my routine has become: open firefox, check gmail, check facebook, check huffingtonpost, check google news, check what day it is (for new TV episodes).

i remember starting to read huffpost back in 2006, when then-creator and exec-producer of brothers & sisters jon robin baitz used to blog there. then i discovered many actors and directors who also write there and how good they are! then i discovered huffpost's other sections which are such interesting reads. from fashion and style to entertainment to watchamacallit. then i discovered (after my west wing marathons) huffpost's left-leaning, bush-bashing tendencies.

then i discovered their amazing coverage (though lefty) of the elections. well that just about tops it all and made me go back and check everyday. also 'cos everyday sarah palin does something or says something so ridiculous that i have to go there for the videos.

anyways, now is all about senate races, prop 8, the congo civil unrest, the economy, the president-elect filling his administration, the GOP in tatters, palin talking about a 2012 run (you must be joking RIGHT?)

***

i'm supposed to be doing my final assignment for the semester. my cramps are getting the better of me, giving me an excuse to do rubbish things like surf huffpost and play traveler's IQ on facebook. and write rubbish here.

***

in the wake of the elections, i've been reading articles on michelle obama. i'm mesmerised by her not because she's pretty, but by her grace and poise. her intelligence (princeton and harvard), her love for her kids, for her husband. and most of all, her sense of style. :)

she has worn many pretty dresses that flatter her pear shape and are affordable. none of the $150,000 spree at saks 5th ave. i love that she mixes and matches separates, and even when the cameras are on her 24/7, she mixes them up and has no qualms wearing the same jacket with different bottoms and a different brooch. i love her Gap and H&M dresses (the first lady shops at H&M? like ME!), and the midrange Narciso Rodriguez and Maria Pinto.

her turquoise DNC dress by maria pinto, the view black&white dress by some label, her election night red and black shift dress by narciso rodriguez, her meeting-at-white-house red dress by maria pinto are just some of the amazing dresses she wears. avoiding the stuffy pantsuits of hillary clinton, the power suits of palin and laura bush or the dismal cheong sams of our PM Lee's wife, or the strange things that our first lady wears.

oh yes! and i love how she matches her daughter's clothes to hers and barack obama's tie colour. at the DNC, it was a mix of turquoise and purplish tones. on election night, it was black and red! it's so cute. and their daughters are cute.

anyway the net was abuzz with a debate over her red shift dress on election night. a red and black sleeveless narciso rodriguez shift dress with a black satin band criss-crossed at the waist, red spots splashed all over, black cardigan (it's fall!), kitten heels, and the prettiest loree rodkin earrings.

photo: Ron Sachs/Rex Features

some hate it. some love it. i love it.

for one it's super flattering. it shows her curves, her height, her toned legs and hides the midriff by illusion of black. the red and black are perfect colours for her skin tone, and the pattern is interesting! instead of settling for a boring number, she chose this amazing dress and played it up somemore with diamondy loree rodkin earrings. and she's comfortable. which shows a lot about what kind of person, mother, wife and first lady she is.

i love her! :) and to get to know her better i watched some of her videos online and her major DNC speech, which was amazing. it's true when barack obama says she is a better speaker than he is. she's a gifted public speaker and she speaks with emotion and heart. with the same passion and love that her husband has.

and another reason why i love huffpost. they have these slideshows of people/events and one series under obama slideshows is the obama PDA moments. and it's incredibly sweet and "aawwww". you can tell a lot from body language and it shows. their love for each other and their children is genuine and i suspect it is this love that keeps the president-elect grounded.

what great role models the world has now. :)

instyle's converage on michelle obama's style

huffpost's why all women should love michelle obama

huffpost's obama slideshows collection

oh before you think how the title of this post relates to, well, this post - renaissance is michelle obama's secret service codename. apt, ain't it?

it's only for now.

avenue Q didn't disappoint. :)

the singing was on par with the original broadway cast recording and i think they did very well! the set was not as magnificent was the musicals i watched in US or london. maybe that's the problem with travelling companies.

SRT should really bring in wicked next. i'm sure everyone'll love it too. another heads up: CATS is coming next year. get your early bird tix now at 10% off!

well the past week passed really fast. and as i reflected on the year i realized 2008 was a really happening year! personally and in the world too. i wonder if i can say the same for my spiritual state.

anyways the media is still all over obama-darling and his new administration. i can't help but notice how chui he has become since his campaign, juxtaposed against how much his daughter has grown! well hope he doesn't age that much when he takes over the presidency, which is virtually impossible. look at the white hairs that have grown since PM Lee took office. and obama is gonna have so much more problems compared to the good life PM Lee has. plus the $3M-a-year paycheck.

i wonder if obama would do a speech when he comes to singapore next year for APEC meeting. hope he does. and hope there are tickets. if anyone on obama's administration happens to google this blog, come and give a speech on education!! :)

the line from the song "for now", last song on the avenue Q soundtrack, never sounded sweeter. :)

Only for now!
(For now there's life!)
Only for now!
(For now there's love!)
Only for now!
(For now there's work!)
For now there's happiness!
But only for now!
(For now discomfort!)
Only for now!
(For now there's friendship!)
Only for now (For now!)
Only for now!

Only for now! (Sex!)
Is only for now! (Your hair!)
Is only for now! (George Bush!)
Is only for now!

Don't stress,
Relax,
Let life roll off your backs
Except for death and paying taxes,
Everything in life is only for now!

- For Now, Avenue Q OST

change we can believe in.

12.05pm singapore time. November 5th 2008.

history was made. :) and america FINALLY gets it right.

i watched CNN and images of people in jubilation and in tears. and i'm looking forwawrd to the day where i can feel the same way about a candidate/party in singapore politics. that a barack obama of singapore will rise up and continue singapore's road to success and stability.

john mccain is giving his speech now. and i do admire him for his service to his country, his relentless perseverance going against all odds of bush, his age, and sarah palin. and i'm liking his speech and his humility. palin looks like she's gonna cry on stage. but i'm so glad she's not the VP. and his supporters for booing and all. stupid mccain supporters. please follow your leader's example of being a good sport! good speech, though. happy retirement senator mccain!

electoral college update: obama 333 - mccain 155. way above the 270 needed for vistory.

obama'08!

red, white and blue!

the American flag at the New York Stock Exchange
june 2007, New York City

it's election day in the US! and i celebrated by going to class. :) well also i've been carrying my "obama gets my vote!" pseudo-american idol badge, a obama'08 car decal on my car.

and as i decided what to wear this morning, i decided on a blue smocked dress, white shrug and a red necklace. mostly blue, mostly democrat. ok that was beside the point.

in less than 24 hours, we'll know who's leading the US and the world for the next 4 years. i chose this photo of the flag in front of the NYSE building on wall st., 'cos it's kinda fitting that the major issue in the race is our failing economy. OUR meaning the whole world.

it's super sad to see obama tearing while speaking at a rally after his grandmother passed away. at the back of my head, that west wing-US presidential race 08 connection lights up again. on the day of the elections, matt santos (who eventually won the race) lost his VP running mate, leo mcgarry to a massive heart attack. leo has been sick since the start of season 6, but recovered to continue his work for the president, then evetually joining the democratic ticket. ok not as uncanny as the rest, but you get my drift.

nope. not tempting fate.

but meanwhile, i shall pay tribute to my favorite president of all time, jed bartlet.

Bartlet: I like your show. I like how you call homosexuality an abomination.

Dr. Jenna Jacobs: I don't say homosexuality is an abomination, Mr. President. The Bible does.

President Josiah Bartlet: Yes it does. Leviticus.

Dr. Jenna Jacobs: 18:22.

President Josiah Bartlet: Chapter and verse. I wanted to ask you a couple of questions while I have you here.

I'm interested in selling my youngest daughter into slavery as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. She's a Georgetown sophomore, speaks fluent Italian, always cleared the table when it was her turn. What would a good price for her be?

While thinking about that, can I ask another? My Chief of Staff Leo McGarry insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly says he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself or is it okay to call the police?

Here's one that's really important because we've got a lot of sports fans in this town: touching the skin of a dead pig makes one unclean. Leviticus 11:7. If they promise to wear gloves, can the Washington Redskins still play football? Can Notre Dame? Can West Point?

Does the whole town really have to be together to stone my brother John for planting different crops side by side?

Can I burn my mother in a small family gathering for wearing garments made from two different threads? Think about those questions, would you?

One last thing: while you may be mistaking this for your monthly meeting of the Ignorant Tight-Ass Club, in this building, when the President stands, nobody sits.

- The West Wing, "The Midterms"

This quote has been giving me a headache since i first watched it. well maybe i'll ask pastor about it one day. besides the headache, he's probably the only president who has a nobel prize in economics before becoming president, can speak latin and has an IQ through the roof. well since he's fiction, barack obama probably is the best we can do. smart, intelligent and charismatic.

a little thing called tempting fate.

[The office staff watches the Senate start to vote on Mendoza's confirmation to the Supreme Court and begin celebrating. Bonnie starts handing around a bottle of champagne]

Toby: Put it down! Put it down!"

Bonnie: Toby!

Toby: No champagne.

Bonnie: We're just getting--

Toby: Put it down. Everyone in this room, let me have your attention! Please. The law of our land mandates that Presidential appointees be confirmed by a majority of the Senate, a majority being a total of half plus one for a total of what, Ginger?

Ginger: Fifty-one.

Toby: Fifty-one 'yea' votes is what we see on these screens BEFORE a drop of wine is swallowed! Because there's a little thing called what, Bonnie?

Bonnie: 'Tempting fate'?

Toby: 'Tempting fate' is what it's called. In the three months that this man has been on my radar screen, I have aged forty-eight years. This is MY day of jubilee, I will not have it screwed up by what, Bonnie?

Bonnie: By tempting fate.

Toby: By tempting fate! These things take patience. These things take skill. These things take luck. In the fifteen months we've been in office, what kind of luck have we had? Ginger?

Ginger: Bad luck.

Toby: [clears his throat and raises his eyebrows] What kind of luck?

Ginger: Very bad luck.

Toby: We've had very bad luck.

- The West Wing Season 1 "Six Meetings Before Lunch"

***

Here's hoping democrats do not get complacent, make voting errors and tempt fate before the election is called. and VOTE! whether you have to brave the snow, winds, rain, or sun.

I've been meaning to write something about the uncanny resemblance of the west wing's seasons 6-7 plots to the US presidential race 08 now reaching its climax and inevitable end. but the new york times beat me to it. and so did the sunday times, which published the NYT article on 2nd nov. well i'm glad people have noticed!!

in a manner of not tempting fate deliberately, in the west wing, the hispanic, democrat nominee won by just a few thousand votes in nevada, at 4am the day after election day. in the above scene, hispanic judge mendoza (also admiral adama in battlestar galactica) got his senate majority and was put on the supreme court. well, maybe, just maybe, fact will follow fiction.

no i'm not tempting fate.

the demise of morals.

"i don't understand why they (young people) don't just ask their parents for money."
- some NTU girl, straits times 27th oct.

i was super appalled when i read the article. it was a piece about how the young people are not bothered by the current economic downturn. this young 20-year-old undergrad carries a $4000 LV bag among other branded goods. and sighs her way through the interview. when asked about how she felt with regards to her friends who have to work part-time jobs to earn extra cash, she sighed and told the reporter that line.

wow. every few years the young people of singapore will stir up some elitist comment like this and make me wonder if we are all forgoing our morals and integrity for material things. the last one i remember was the daughter of the MP who snubbed a jobless singaporean and asked him to get out her "elitist, uncaring" face. or something like that.

i got to thinking about my own set of values. and how it came about. i have done my fair share of sins when i was young. but ever since coming to know the Lord, i have set my values and morals on the Word of God. well it's a learning curve and a work in progress. but i'm thankful for this set of values that i have and try to abide by, for i know you should never look down on those who are "lesser" that you are. even if you do not have to work to get a nice LV bag because daddy pays for it, you should never tell your friends to ask their parents for money. money their parents may not even have for themselves.

humility is a hard thing to practise. and it's an even harder thing to learn. as educators, we are responsible for our students and to impart in them the knowledge that they need to go out into the world. to run the race with them and help them through every breathlessness, fall, sprain, stitch, pain and victory. but when it comes to the affective domain, how do we teach humility? empathy? creativity? loving kindness? care? honesty? integrity? how do we ensure that our students don't grow up to be soul-less, mindless thieves who don't give a crap about how other people might feel?

i know some are inclined to push this huge and heavy responsibility to the parents. and i do agree that parents play a very important in shaping their children's character from young. but does this let us teachers off the hook? don't think so. out of 24 hours, a child spends a third of it in school, under the care of teachers. so better share this responsibility. i don't quite like teachers who like to push the blame around, blaming everyone but themselves.

well this is such an incoherent post. well all i wanted to say actually was about that girl. and how i'm so sad with the demise of the moral values of our young people.

***

alright, the US elections provides me with endless entertainment and some of it is super hilarious, and some, really sweet. (: i'm almost halfway through obama's 2nd book and he's a great writer (much better than i am, as evident from this post).

and more than that, he's a great speaker and debater. i watched the final debate, and the final question on education. and he summarized his education plan in 5 points, elaborated on each point, then summarized all the points before his time was up. mccain tumbled through his incoherent points. during rebuttal, obama took mccain's incoherent ramblings, extracted out his main ideas, and did a similarities and differences comparison between his own education plan and mccain's ramblings. within minutes. and i was like WOW. he's super smart and a good talker. sounds like president josiah bartlet of the west wing huh.

an open letter.

Dear McCain/Palin supporters,

please stop your personal attacks.
please stop your racist remarks.
please stop thinking that oba*ma is a terrorist.
please stop shouting "treason!" or (ob*ama is a)"terrorist!" at your rallies.
please stop pointing fingers at your fellow countrymen.
please stop laughing at someone (bi*den) who lost his family to an accident and choked up while speaking about it at a national debate.

and elisa*beth hasse*lback: you need to learn to control yourself on TV and stop trying to talk louder than 4 other ladies. your show is NOT a shouting match or an obam*a-bashing/anti-ob*ama republican convention.

you all need to stop before you turn this campaign into a racial bloodshed of hurtful words, ideas and violence. this is not world war III.

love,
a concerned citizen of the world.

***

was reading a Newsweek article written by the dean of LKY school of public policy: how the american presidential campaign is the most undemocratic election around. because the 200 million odd voters vote for a president, he and his administration and policies will affect the 6.6 billion people living on this earth.

talk about irony.

the realization.

today i got the most hilarious text from F.

"How an airhead like Palin gets to be VP candidate is beyond me. Geez talk about clueless."

here's to hoping she gets bombed by Biden in the VP debates happening in less than 12hrs.

***

i really don't get it: why americans don't understand that if they do not help their banks tide over this financial crisis, they will suffer even more in the long run, even more than subprime and rising costs of living, when the economy cannot be recovered and we slip into another Great Depression.

considering how much money you have let bush spend in the middle east, fighting 2 futile wars and losing thousands of lives, this bailout plan is peanuts. just pass that da** bill and save your banks. and stop bickering for goodness' sake.

lessons from the world.

meet charlie wilson.

as the democrat texas congressman in the 1980s and a member of the house appropriations committee, he planned, led and executed the biggest and most expensive covert operations which resulted in the end of the soviet-afghan war, and later the cold war.

honestly, you would think that the man who triggered the events that led to such an important historical moment would be remembered, but hardly any americans have heard of him till the movie, charlie wilson's war came out.

confession: i only bought the dvd 'cos i know it's directed by mike nichols, written by aaron sorkin and helmed by tom hanks, which ensured that it'll be a good movie.

but as with any good, well-written, well-shot movie, tv series or book, it taught me and enriched my knowledge of things that i normally would care less about.

so if you're curious, charlie wilson used black appropriations and secretly funded and aided the muja*hideen in afghanistan to drive away that soviets from their country. he got afghan neighbours of israel, pakistan to help with supplying of weapons and vehicles to aid the mujah*ideen. all in secret. he was driven by what he saw at the refugee camps, and frustrated with the CIA's lukewarm position on the war and not doing anything, and hence decided to take matters into his own hands, helped along by CIA middle-east expert and a texas wealthy socialite.

in the end, the once-weak and helpless muj*ahideen freedom fighters and afghan civilians now fought back with much ferocity, to the surprise of the soviets, forcing them to retreat and exit the country.

this marked the first of US foreign policy. funding the anti-communists. then after it is over, they just wash their hands of the blood and leave.

charlie wilson, after appropriating US$1billion for that war, now asks for a tiny fraction more to aid the afghans to rebuild their country. afghanistan was left in tatters. no schools, homes, roads, infrastructure.

the author of the book which the movie was based on, charlie wilson's war, said that this has led to a power vacuum in afghanistan. and this vacuum gave rise to the rise of the tali*ban and osa*ma bin lade*n. together with the weapons, money and military equipment left over from the cold war, the tal*iban was able to rise from the ashes to what it is today, inadvertently leading to the uprising of terrorism and 9/11.

it's really interesting to think about what america can learn from this and apply it to the wars it started in afghanistan and iraq now. which has prompted barack obama to talk about the withdrawal of troops slowly from mid-east and exiting from the region in a responsible manner; while bush is still wanting to send 10,000 more troops there.

it's also interesting to note the idea of freedom fighters. someone once told me, "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter". if you look from another perspective, aren't the suicide bombers who are killing US soldiers doing it to drive away the US from their lands, just like how the mujahideen were trying to drive away their soviet occupiers?

***

today in ST's review section, was an article from new york times. a sharp, insightful commentary on the rise of china and the continued diminishing of US as a global superpower. he compares arriving in dodgy, rundown la guardia airport in NYC and driving through the busy, dirty streets with rundown buildings of queens and manhattan to the big shiny spanking new beijing int'l aiport, getting to the clean beautiful city on the maglev train within an hour. which i can attest to 'cos i've experienced the shabbiness of la guardia and the shine of china's rising cosmopolitan cities.

the world is slowly showing america that it is no longer the superpower. russia's defiance with the georgia conflict, china's rapid rise, india's booming economy, singapore, tiny singapore, investing in its biggest corporations to save them from bankruptcy.

the writer ends by asserting that it's time for america to start rebuilding itself. to turn its attention, money and resources inwards and focus on the crumbling american society where millions have no access to quality education, healthcare, health insurance, in the midst of rising costs of living, high gas prices, the housing market going down, inflation and living under the threat of inadequate gun control and domestic terrorism.

the question: while america goes repair its wounds, is china prepared to assume the role of the global superpower? no doubt it is plagued with 10000 problems of its own. the poverty in its rural areas, the corruption, the backward social graces, the exploding population, the rebuilding of its inner cities and areas hit by disasters, the unrest in western china.

somehow i wish the UN would be the answer. a neutral organization where every country is represented, where everyone pools its resources to help one another. where everyone chips in to help an afflicted country. an organization empowered by every citizen of this world to look after them. like an international government. if we can have the olympics, the world bank, the european union, the hague, why can't the UN do its job?

if barack obama's rise to his clinching of the democratic presidential nomination teaches us anything, it is that any person can become who he/she wants to be, you just gotta defy all odds, exceed all expectations, and work your butt off.

if charlie wilson's war teaches us anything applicable and useful to our small lives, it is that every person is empowered to make a difference.

if i can teach you anything, it is that this difference we all make, can be as small as putting a smile on a friend's face, caring about another, loving one another in spite of our differences. while history does not have space for all of us to do something unprecedented and amazing, i know these things we do not only can change opinions, hearts, minds and lives, i know it's precious in God's sight. (:

dripping with satire.

everyone is in uproar over the cover of the latest new yor*ker cover.

(AP/new yorker)

well, only in america, can such a picture run on the cover of a well-respected magazine. the first ammendment can really be a pain. in sharp contrast, singapore takes you to court with its best lawyers and sucks you dry.

anyway, most people took it the opposite way that it was intended. even the oba*ma campaign. disgusted by the radical protrayal of the rumors and myths and lies that ob*ama's (right-wing and far-right-wing) opponents have tried to spread, disguising it as political satire; with the message of the politics of fear being used by his opponents, that oba*ma is muslim, anti-america, pro-middle-east, and even dragging michelle oba*ma into the cauldron of fire.

and one article on huffington post i read, praised the courage of the new yo*rker staff, for raising the standard of public debate by bringing the issues surrounding the elections and oba*ma himself up 1000 levels. by throwing this cover into the world, everyone is commenting, blogging, with the 24-hr media news cycle going at it, providing a platform for the issues to be raised and cleared of their doubts and truths be surfaced and lies banished. political commentators are forced to re-examine the facts and truths and separate them from the lies myths and rumors. in a way, if the hand if played carefully and correctly, it could well work its advantage to the obama campaign.

judging by the number of articles on the this very subject everywhere in the news (well, everywhere except the str*aits times), i'd say this huffpost writer is spot on. and i incline to agree, with apprehension. i do hope it plays well to oba*ma's advantage, and that despite the cover, americans can be trusted to look beyond the surface (well, after being offended and closing their jaws) and consider the candidates in a truthful light, not as painted by the media. and vote wisely!!

anyway i went on to read the very long article in the new yor*ker about bar*ack oba*ma. it's a good read, with plenty of ancedotes and quotes and insights into his life, before and after he was senator and presidential candidate. and i love this.

“Some people who knew of my activism in the community asked me would I be
interested in running for that office,” Obama said in Ames. “And so I did what
every wise man does when confronted with such a decision: I prayed on it, and I
asked my wife.”

speaking of obam*a, there's this cute interview with the obama* family, with their 2 daughters and is available on youtube. the daughters dish embarrassing stories about their dad and it's really sweet. (: link here.

alright. i have more time on my hands in school than you can even imagine. hence the increase in blogging, and surfing news websites. (:

conspiracy.

towards the second half of the 3rd season of the west wing, the Bartlet administration and US security agencies uncovered a terror plot instigated by the defense minister of the fictional middle-east nation of qumar, named abdul shareef. the plan was to blow up the golden gate bridge. qumar, on the surface, was an ally of the US and abdul shareef was scheduled to visit the white house and call on the president and reaffirm their friendship.

president bartlet, his chief of staff leo and "the group of 8", which included the house and senate majority and minority leaders, speaker of the house, chairman of the joint chiefs, NSA advisor, secretaries of state and defense, came to a unanimous decision to assassinate the guy. after much deliberation on bartlet's part, going against his moral standards ("there are moral absolutes") and weighing that against the threat to national security and the security of america and the world. season 3 closed with just 2 words, "take him". against the closing act of "the war of the roses".

so there the alias people, black ops people that i know like sydney bristow and michael vaughn. they landed shareef's plane in the middle of bermuda, killed him. probably scattered his ashes all over and dismantled the plane into 20 different parts and threw them into the ocean. even his pilot had a qumari name and passport, but he's actually an american. that's how thorough those black ops people are.

so the cover story was that shareef's plane went down in the bermuda triangle and was never heard from again.

until a cosmic confluence of events and coincidences and a very savvy reporter called danny concanon figured it out. tracked down the pilot as an american and ran the story at the beginning of season 5. took him 1 year to do it. that story ran against the backdrop of the kidnapping of bartlet's youngest daughter by qumari terrorists/sleeper agents residing in the US. and as news of shareef's assassination juxtaposed against the kidnapping, of course the press asked, is the kidnapping a response and a retaliation towards the assassination.

well, my sister and i know the west wing too well. we've watched it so many times over. and as conspiracy theories surrounding m*as selam*at's escape surface, we can't help but draw parallels to the story arc i just wrote above.

well i skimmed through the reports in today's ST, and we were just talking about the huge number of loopholes in the report. like how in the world did everything work against them on that fateful day. the window's screwed, the CCTV's not working etc.

okay if it was really true, that somehow the fugitive in question is dead, no matter how he died, that this cover-up designed by our government is in the interest of national security, fear of retaliation, fear of more terror plots (maybe our government uncovered a plot to blow up esplanade for example). i'm all for it. and if the US can do it, so can we. (:

to quote president bush, it's the "war against ter-rr", right?

the leap between time and space.

happy 29th feb. (:

today over lunch, joyce and i were just talking about those days. days of faded polka dotted skirts and lugging our heavy bags to tuition at mr. lim's. over prawn mee in ulusville, which took a treacherous hike at the back of biopolis and crossing the train tracks, making sure you look both ways before stepping on the tracks. what a mid-day adventure.

so 8 years ago this day, i was 15. probably had a long day at school. sec 3, can you imagine. and i'm glad to have my crazy bunch of secondary school friends. we have weathered much turmoil and individual epiphanies while growing up and yet still managed to stay friends and meet up often.

4 years ago i also had a day in school, relief teaching at my alma mater primary school. hmmm that's not very exciting, but thinking about these 2 days made me thinking a lot about time. considering teaching is on my career list for the next 4 years.

time is constant, but am i the only one who thinks that the idea of combining the 0.25 days in a year to one day once every 4 years is a little warped? who decided that such a thing can be done?

but through the years, i've learnt that time is not a fixed construct. i remember someone writing to me about this very subject. that the most joyous of times pass us by as a fleeting moment, never allowing us to savor the minute for a longer time. and the most painful of times seem to drag on, as if time is mocking us.

~

by the way, the idea that it's march already is starting to scare me. where did jan and feb go?

FYP is going into overdrive. results means clearing it with boss, and discussions with boss means he'll suggest more ways to make the results more beautiful and credible and publication-standard. more ways means more experiments, means more work for me, means more things will go into the thesis, means more writing and editing x1000, means everyday i'm swamped at work.

oh shoot. i just left my fishes in the incubator. and its the weekend. by monday they'll be 5 days old. argh.

~

we bid farewell to mingfei, the last of bethanyians to leave for further studies. he's off to sydney, which is a city that i like very much. if only they were less racist i'd like it much more.

mingfei, it's my prayer that you'd discover what God has in store for you and that you'd continue to walk faithfully with Him and keep learning and seek to be a testimony to others around you in sydney. i look forward to you being back! (:

~

the obama campaign is invading my email inbox with dozens of campaign stuff. i was wondering where in the world did they get my email add, then i remembered i signed up at his website when i took the political science class at UW, after my prof cited his campaign as an example of the idea of ownership and personalization in marketing and advertising, which is seen in all kinds, including political marketing.

well the latest slew of emails stated that the campaign has reached its goal of 1 million donors before the march 4th ohio, texas primaries. it's amazing that 1 million people donated to his campaign. i wonder if that includes me, since i'm the proud owner of...

in which proceeds goes to his campaign. (: haha yes. i'm all for change in america.

thank you alvin, for braving the seattle rally of epic proportions to snag me obama stuff. (:

~

had dinner at shoduko (i think that's how you spell it) with my 2nd sis and justina. before that justina and i wandered around kate spade and coach. ahhhh.

then we queued up for like 20 minutes before getting a table. the food's not bad. i love japanese food so all's good for me.

we ate SO much, complete with sake. cheers.

then we still proceeded to canele for dessert and we met yuan li! who works there. i love the desserts.

p.s. i love love love my N95 5mp camera. kudos to good lighting and macro mode. on my phone camera! can you imagine.

black forest - crepes with dark chocolatey ice cream and alcohol-soaked cherries. with vanilla whipped cream, dark chocolate pieces and dusted with white icing.

the winner - rose petal ice cream with strawberry swirls, lychee bits and rose meringue sticks. dusted with white icing.

yummm. good food plus crazy dinner companions = i'm a happy girl.

politicizing.

i've been thinking about the beijing olympics PR problems, as reported in the wires and ST. actually ST gets the info from the wires anyway, but that's beside the point.

the whole idea of numerous people politicizing a sporting event has been met with enthusiasm and disapproval from all over. this idea of pressurizing the chinese government to step up efforts to end the genocide in sudan and threatening to boycott the olympic games - i'm still on the fence as to whether to be for or against.

no doubt activists are getting desperate and it's only a morally/ethically/logically right thing for beijing to try and use their relations with sudan to negotiate a way to end the immense suffering of the sudanese people. i mean, really, if you could do something about it, wouldn't you?

but the activists are actively persuading top officials and olympic athletes to boycott the games altogether when the games begin in august. like the recent exit of steven spielberg as creative advisor for the opening and closing ceremonies and that open letter from nobel laureates and top leaders of countries urging china to take action. that really bugs me. the games is an international sporting event, where top athletes from all around the world come together and compete in a friendly manner, just like ms. universe, really.

so it begs the question - is it okay to politicize the biggest international sporting event, the most expensive, the most watched, the most prominent and recognized event? and use the event as a bargaining chip to end a genocide in an African country?

and i begin to wonder if it wasn't china hosting the olympics but another country, for eg. a european country. would there be such a similar proposition? and i also wonder why china had a media blackout for 2 days, where no one in china knew about the PR woes of the olympics while the rest of the world knew. and the subsequent outrage of the chinese about the media blackout and about the exit of spielberg.

i know the chinese are very proud of the games and their preparation so far. and they have been preparing for the games for a long time and i, as a chinese, rejoiced when they won the bid. but i also worry that they may not be ready as yet, having travelled to major china cities many times.

but as a major trading partner and economy in the world right now, china has the power to influence and shape global events and perhaps, end the darfur crisis. and i hope they do. not because they are afraid no one will turn up at the olympic games, but because it's the right thing to do. and i also wish that activists and politicians would stop politicizing non-political events. if there has to be influencing going on, it should be the US president and china president talking about it.

just leave the politics out of it.

+

speaking of politics, it's just everywhere around me nowadays in the office. actually not all around me. but it's uncanny that i was just talking to pastor mitch about the rigors of working life after evening worship yesterday and we got to talking about politics for awhile.

and today i was witnessed an exchange between 2 people that i believe was brought on by stress and irritation and just pure annoyance. i didn't think it was personal and it was attributed to the clashing of the 2 personalities. politics is just everywhere where people interact. and these 2 both have strong personalities and with that comes friction. i innocently stared at my laptop and pretended not to hear anything since i had my headphones on.

"He who is devoid of wisdom despises his neighbor,
But a man of understanding holds his peace. "
- Proverbs 11:12

+

i think it's such a joy to read Proverbs, because it's just filled with so much wise words. some of which bring comfort and peace to my stirring heart. (:

"He who trusts in his riches will fall,
But the righteous will flourish like foliage.
He who troubles his own house will inherit the wind,
And the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
And he who wins souls is wise. "
- Proverbs 11:28-30

and i absolutely love the lessons pastor teaches at ypg3. there are many challenges that come our way, and many difficult passages from the scriptures to understand in order to learn how to defend our faith. and as i seek to be a disciple of the Lord this year i really want to learn that and learn to speak of the Lord and His love for everyone of us.

on a completely different note,
"they're completely myth-ing the point!"
- pastor charlie, 16/02/08

(:

these days.

the weeks seem to pass me by.
mid-feb is here.
chinese new year is almost over.
valentine's day is here again.

no i'm not here to moan about what happened 3 years ago, 2 years ago or a year ago.
it's just a regular day, right?
except for the over-commercialization and over-emphasis of this day by couples and merchants.
well i did enjoy my valentine's day last year.
i remember it being very cold. and i watched my first movie in the US with my girlfriends, 'because i said so' and i loved it.

***

well anyway, switchfoot concert was GREAT. i know i'm like 2 weeks behind with this recap. but it was a good concert. they sound very good live and jon foreman is quite charming too. i think band lead singers HAVE to be charming. it's mandatory. that's how you win the hearts of girls. the fire fight, one of the opening bands, did us proud. (:

i remember one moment during the concert where i just stood still and really was quite stunned. twenty-four was the song. and during jon foreman's acoustic guitar solo, just his voice and his guitar was kind of amazing. it reminded me of a similar experience i had at damien rice's concert. this was especially amazing because of the lyrics. now this song is on repeat on my itunes and N95.

and thank you zeh zeh and justina for being great concert-mates, rocking out at the concert. (:

***

chinese new year was the usual affair that i remember. a lot of food, a lot of people, a lot of catching-up with relatives. it's strange that i haven't seen some of them in 2 years and it didn't felt like 2 years. there was also the usual get-together at bethany, this year was complete with a hilarious sketch and weiquan misquoting a Bible verse in front of everyone during the sketch. there was also a family picnic at the marina south pier with roasted chicken sandwiches, chips, curry (:, cny goodies, fruits, jelly and red wine. then we still went to eat zi char.

a lot of eating.

***

was quite sad that ah meng died, for some reason. i kinda remember vaguely taking a picture with him when i was young. but when i saw that beautiful potrait of that beloved orang-utan on the front page of the papers on saturday, i got upset. then i saw the memorial service and eulogy on the news and i can relate to the zookeeper's tears. 'cos those same tears fell when my dog, oscar died 8 years ago.

***

am very very glad that the writer's strike is O-V-E-R. also very glad that the writers got what they deserved and the big mogul companies giving way. but those billions of dollars lost because of the strike can never be replaced. the cost of pride can be so tangible, and intangible at the same time.

***

am also very very glad that obama has won 8 straight primaries and caucases. and i'm glad my state of washington voted for him. i have some obama for america campaign goodies with my friend alvin, so alvin come back soon!! i hope he wins ohio/texas or both, for the high number of delegates there could really push him to win the nomination.

***

simple joys come in the form of

the kids in church, whose bright eyes, cheeky wit, pure innocence and abundant energy really makes me smile.

the dogs i see, from day to day, and my own dog, who is so laid-back and carefree with life. who lies on his back and enjoy the cool evening wind and is friendly with every friend of the family, but barks insanely at people he doesn't like.

coming home at the end of a day at work of injecting things into fish embryos and probing them with stuff, to home-cooked dinner and tv shows. after finishing my 2nd west wing season 1-7 marathon, i'm now rediscovering lost right from the beginning and fishing out clues to the mystery. oh yes and those precious episodes of brothers and sisters, house, and lost coming up online every week. (:

reading and learning and discovering God's word and seeking to walk closely with Him everyday and under every circumstance. learning what it means to receive His precious provisions and blessings and not take them for granted. (:

election laughs.

on a recent "late show with david letterman",

The Top 10 Barack Obama campaign promises:

10. To keep the budget balanced, I’ll rent the Situation Room for sweet 16s.
9. I will double your tax money at the craps table.
8. Appoint Mitt Romney secretary of lookin’ good.
7. If you bring a gator to the White House, I’ll wrassle it.
6. I’ll put Regis on the nickel.
5. I’ll rename the 10th month of the year “Barack-tober.”
4. I won’t let Apple release the new and improved iPod the day after you bought the previous model.
3. I’ll find money in the budget to buy Letterman a decent hairpiece.
2. Pronounce the word nuclear, nuclear.
1. Three words: Vice President Oprah.

hurhur. i especially like #10 and #4. #10 is a great way to balance the budget, instead of tax cuts or cutting spending, find ways to raise money for the government!

congrats to the obama campaign for winning the south carolina primary in a landslide. (: i almost jumped up and down when i saw the win on CNN.

***

speaking of money and government, i've been wondering where in the world did GI*C's money come from. how did our government become so rich? any business student would like to enlighten me? and not just G*IC, tem*asek hol*dings is another formidable power. and all these talk of SWFs in the papers have made me quite curious.

***

my thoughts are with heath ledger's family. i will certainly miss watching him in breakthrough roles in film. i loved him in 10 things i hate about you and brokeback mountain. it amazes me how versatile an actor he was. how talented he was. and how sad that we lost such a great actor.

another death this week was ex-indonesian president suharto. well his health was failing him and it was time.

***

i love the reuters photographers blog. the photos posted up there are so beautiful and they really speak a thousand words and convey emotions that normal photographs cannot accomplish. the photos come from all over the world, from the fields of hanoi to the desert plains of afganistan to the city skyline of frankfurt to the elections in taiwan to the elections in the US to the soccer stadium in england to a surgery operating theatre in berlin to a woman's prison in buenos aires to the tennis courts of the australian open. and this is just the first few entries. and these photos speak of current affairs and global and domestic issues around the world.

very nice.

***

another week starts. 5 days of FYPing to go before the weekend. have a feeling that i'm gonna be horrifying busy this week with experiments. hmmm. social calendar seems a little empty, other than the switchfoot concert on thursday. hmmm.

no escaping from it.

happy belated new year.

it's 2008 and it promises more exciting movies, the opening of our own ferris wheel, a new american president and streaming towards bu*sh's end of term, the end of the hollywood writer's strike (they can't possibly drag the strike on till 2009 right, right?), convocation and finally it's my term to wear that gown and get that certificate and a trip to finland and neighboring countries and SO much more.

i've been semi-following the US presidential elections'08 for quite some time now. most of which from yahoo news, google news, the wires and ST. and just early this morning, i rejoiced with the obam*a campaign at their win at the Iowa caucus. i've been quite undecided about oba*ma and hilla*ry. like many americans, i presume. but now i'm beginning to lean towards ob*ama for a number of reasons. which i would think if strange 'cos wouldn't i, as a woman, support the first woman-president of the US's election bid? and i'm wondering about the countless women of Iowa who voted for all the other men, whether democrats or republicans.

well oba*ma now wins my vote because he's tough on foreign policy, albeit inexperienced (unlike hill*ary, or so she claims), he's also very much against the iraq war right from the start, he's african-american, he's from a humble background who worked his as* off to get to where he is today, he is young, fresh and so passionate about the work and i believe can inject a fresh new start to change america and shape it to be a better world, taking over the ruins that b*ush left him. he loves his family, he's a man of God, he is that "bridging gap between the college campus and the retirement homes", as said by kitty walker in brothers and sisters.

and i had the opportunity to hear oba*ma speak at a rally in early june (i think) in seattle, but i wasn't sure if they'll let me in, me being a non-american, not registered to vote and i have no washington state driver's license. so i didn't in the end. it's a pity. the rally was FULL by the way, packed to the brim in the huge 15,000 or so stadium.

anyway, my ideal president is personified by jed bartlet, the president in the west wing, written by aaron sorkin and protrayed by martin sheen. (: in real life, obama is probably him, with the exception of age and experience.

anyway i was going to say, there's really no escaping from politics. it's everywhere. there's national politics, relationships politics, office politics etc. i never really understood or bothered to care about politics when i was younger. but as i grew older, i began to comprehend just how important politics are and how intricately it's related to change. and bitchiness of course.

claudia jean from the west wing once said in a 'rock the vote' opening speech,
"Think government isn't about you? How many of you have student loans to pay? How many have credit card debt? How many want clean air and clean water and civil liberties? How many want jobs? How many want kids? How many want their kids to go to good schools and walk on safe streets? Decisions are made by those who show up. You gotta rock the vote!"

you know we live in singapore where everything is handed to us in a silver platter. there's schools to go to, financial aid if you need it, loans and CPF, medisave, clean air, clean water, more jobs are created, there's financial reward for having kids, our streets are safe, free from guns explosives and nuclear weapons. so there isn't much for political debate on a national level, and as i did in my younger days, why bother?

but things are changing now. and i find it hard to not bother sometimes. oil prices are up to US$100 a barrel. ir*an, north ko*rea may have nuclear weapons, the middle east is too unstable, so is south east asia, our closest neighbors. terrorism, global warming, the economy, rising food prices, electricity prices, genocides, famine, H5N1 influenza, AIDS and the list goes on.

so just how is a normal human being supposed to react to all these? by showing up i guess. in singapore we can rest a little easier 'cos we've got a good government to tackle big issues. it's just the smaller domestic issues that we find fault with.

***

speaking of politics, the creator of brothers and sisters the tv show, jon robin baitz, has left the show after getting into a disagreement with network execs and some colleagues. and i'm dismayed that it turned out this way. i can never understand hollywood backstage politics. but as a fan of the show, i'm afraid the show will go downhill from here.

like what happened with the west wing when aaron sorkin, the creator, left the show after season 4. seasons 5-7 were just dismal. especially that dreadful season 5. the show had no longer a sense of direction and was just merely floating from week to week, settling for any storyline that was interesting and could captivate the audience for 1 hour each week and that's all. it was disappointing.

and there's uncanny coincidences with regards to the 2 show creators. they are actually good friends in real life, aaron got robbie baitz to write an episode of the west wing, they both started out as playwrights, with very successful plays on broadway, and there's rob lowe to tie the 2 shows together.

i was reading robbie baitz's very emotional and lengthy essay on his departure from the show and LA, and how he describe the direction of each character on brothers and sisters he would have taken if he didn't leave the show. and i mourn the fact that i would probably not see those story arcs happening on the show. part of his departure was due to the disagreements of story arcs that robbie baitz and the network execs wanted to take. the former was more stage-play-like, more emotional, more smart, more intricate and complicated while the latter wants to appeal to the mass market. hence more silly, funny, drama rama type stories, less serious and political commentator-ish.

sigh. so sad. the west wing is now gone. they canceled studio 60 on the sunset strip (also politics. and ratings.). robbie baitz left brothers and sisters. smart, witty, fast-paced dialogue with great acting and a great script that delves into issues like aging, sexuality, social behavior, politics, war, religion etc.

there's no escaping from politics.