i am back to blogging again. it's been a pretty rough week, im starting to feel the strain of constant activity, especially schoolwork and h3 and church activities...but it's all well and good i suppose. this 'busyness' can barely be compared to my sec 4 year. oh how i long to return to those days again...well, life moves on.
cant think of anything much to blog about. too lazy to talk about my views on whether Wong Kan Seng should resign or whether the West is bullying China over the Tibet issue or whether Hillary or Obama will win the nomination. but while i'm still on the political page, i suppose i shall talk a little bit about the Young PAP information and recruitment session i attended yesterday. (Disclaimer: i have no intention of joining the PAP at the present moment, i just went to see how they conduct such things, lest anyone start fantasising about my political career) the guest of honour-cum-special speaker was Dr. Lam Pin Min, MP for Sengkang West in Ang Mo Kio GRC. honestly, i wasn't very impressed with his speech, although he seemed like an affable, approachable person. it's just that one would expect more from a politician besides holding the mic with both hands and looking to the floor when talking.
to be very blunt, the session was a waste of time. it was held in a very nice room in a very nice building in very nice raffles place, with a very nice view of the very nice Marina Bay. but it wasnt really what i was expecting. the moderator went on on a very scripted introduction about the PAP and the Young PAP and their functions and stuff like that. the MP talked about MPS, which i had already been to and experienced. so honestly i learnt nothing new except that YP isn't as young as it seems to be. at 18, i was probably one of the three youngest there already.
nevertheless, we shan't blame the PAP for not glamming up or hyping up the session, after all, i believe the main recruitment targets aren't us, but older, more established people already in the workforce. the real disappointing thing was the questions Singaporeans asked the MP. as my friend, Jiayi, rightfully pointed out, the questions raised were all micro issues and not macro issues, and we are not talking about econs here. there was one guy who was from india and took up citizenship in Singapore rambling on and on about foreign talent and how they take up places in the universities and the local students lose out. one does not need to be a genius to see the irony in that. the q&a basically revolved around the issue of foreign talent and education, boring everyone else to tears. this other guy basically monopolised the session for 20 mins seeking redress for his job situation and how he has to pay a foreigner's fee for a local diploma and blah blah. these are not questions one would expect from people wanting to join the ruling party, it makes me wonder if Singaporeans are so self-absorbed and holed up in their cushy cocoons and cant be bothered about the big issues. although i must concede i am guilty of this myself. Thank God for Peng Li who asked an (finally) intelligent question about Myanmar and how the YP contributes to the formulation of foreign policy. now people, that's what we want to talk about, not diplomas and tuition fees!
im currently reading a book entitled 'Can Asians Think'. it is rather thought-provoking, though strictly for politics buffs like me. but i do think most people would be able to read it, with basal knowledge, but whether they can sustain reading it is another question. shall write a review about it when i'm done. Kishore Mahbubani, a Singapore diplomat and a very interesting writer. i think i have one foot in political science already...
another week in school. and h3 exam on sat. for which i have not studied! (help me!). thank God for Labour Day, which will be offical study-for-h3 day. oh well, i guess i'll just have to grin and bear it until the june holidays come around, then CHURCH CAMP baby! plus a whole lot of mugging for CT2 which is such a holiday spoiler...
