So the "School of the Future" will be ready in 2008. Guess that means the rest of us went to what kind of school...?
The National Council of Problem Gambling is inviting comments or feedback on whether the exclusion order (the one that disallows you to enter the casino) should be permanent, limited or revocable. That is, if you have recovered from gambling addiction, could you apply to be allowed into a casino. I say, if you have been cured of your gambling addiction, why would you want to go back in there?
The recent (and perhaps on-going) deluge of rain has wreaked havoc to our neighbours to the north and south. This little red dot remains mostly above water. Way to go!
Then there were those on landed property which had landslides landing on their property.
School bus operators have the perenniel problems of trying to charge for June and Dec, claiming that they had overheads in those months as well. I sympathise. Now why don't they just factor in those two months and just charge the 10 months fees with those 2 months built in. It would mean a 20% increase but there would be no charge for June and Dec. Problem solved. If the operators have trouble saving the extra, their association can perhaps help them with a savings plan of sorts.
A Judge gave a drunk Bomb Hoaxer just 6 months jail because she found that he had no malicious intent. She also said police should have procedures in place to distinguished between genuine tip-offs and drunken acts of foolishness. So if you have a genuine tip-off, please don't be drunk when you call the police. Or if you're drunk and want some fun, and have nothing to do for, oh, the next six months... Pfffttt!
In Malaysia, the Sisters In Islam intends to conduct a survey to see what impact polygamy has on families. They intend to ask questions like how family expenditure on clothes and other necessities are affected when the man takes another wife. Well, if you're going to ask THAT kind of questions... why bother? Limited resources. Increased dependents. No brainer.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Faith and Choice
Those who have faith ask me: what comfort does atheism bring?
They are right of course. It offers no comfort. No promise. No hope. So, they would ask, isn't it scary? How do you go on each day, if you have no hope.
Going it alone, without faith to back one up is not for everyone. It's not easy being atheist. It means accepting the fact that there is no God, no intelligent design, no greater meaning, no grand scheme, no guarantee that what we do is going to be enough. But it's not difficult either. You don't need to resolve issues of meaning of life, and you don't need to wonder if you're going to heaven or hell, and you don't need to wonder if the people you meet are going either.
There was a movie ("Oh God!" starring George Burns and John Denver) where God (George Burns) comes down and appoints a messenger to spread his new message. He was moved to action because people were saying that God is dead, or worse: that God never existed. His new message (in the movie) to people is this: I exist. I don't interfere anymore but I exist.
But, his appointed messenger (John Denver) asks, if you don't interfere (with miracles) anymore, then what's the point? What does it mean to people? Why should people pray? God exists but he doesn't interfere anymore, so what? We can still make mistakes and blow up the world. We pray, but you don't answer.
Ah. He says. The difference is if God never existed, then how do you know this world will succeed? How do you know this world is even suppose to exist? How do you know that the world won't blow up anyway, in spite of all you do? If there never were a God, then whatever you do could be a big waste of time.
The Difference, he says, is that I made the world, and because I made the world and universe so that it is good, I give you this guarantee: it can work; it can succeed. The trick is, YOU got to make it succeed. All you need to make this world a better place has been given to you. Work with it.
That's why people need faith. To hope and believe that what they do can and will make a difference.
(Of course there are also those who believe because they want to go to a better place, and the miss the whole point of being here. They believe this place is doomed.)
I take a different approach.
I do not know if what we do will make a difference or will make this world a better place.
There are two choices. I can decide that screw it. Chances are it will fail anyway. Everyman for himself. Take what you can. Burn what you can't.
That approach will mean this world will probably have a better chance of failing.
The other option I have is to try to contribute to making this world work a little better.
I'd like to think that I'm on this side of trying to make things a little better and increasing the odds that this world will succeed in not blowing itself up.
And that's my morality.
Maybe there's a God and this can all work out if we make enough good decisions. Maybe there's no God and nothing we do can save this world.
Some people will need to believe. If you do, good for you. Your faith will guide you.
Some won't need to. Good for you too, if you're on the side of working to make this place better.
If one needs a guarantee, then go ahead and believe. If you don't need a guarantee, then hey, welcome to the club. The tools are over there. Get to work..
All there is, is a commitment to making things better. Being there for each other. Helping each other through the rough times. Reminding each other of what we're working for. Growing in our ability to love and connect with each other. Helping each other achieve our full potential, and having a good time while we are doing so.
If we recognise that we are on the same team, pursuing the same ends, then we contribute while we can, and then the team continues with younger souls that we hope we have trained as best we can.
And that is as "forever" as it gets.
Those who have faith ask me: what comfort does atheism bring?
They are right of course. It offers no comfort. No promise. No hope. So, they would ask, isn't it scary? How do you go on each day, if you have no hope.
Going it alone, without faith to back one up is not for everyone. It's not easy being atheist. It means accepting the fact that there is no God, no intelligent design, no greater meaning, no grand scheme, no guarantee that what we do is going to be enough. But it's not difficult either. You don't need to resolve issues of meaning of life, and you don't need to wonder if you're going to heaven or hell, and you don't need to wonder if the people you meet are going either.
There was a movie ("Oh God!" starring George Burns and John Denver) where God (George Burns) comes down and appoints a messenger to spread his new message. He was moved to action because people were saying that God is dead, or worse: that God never existed. His new message (in the movie) to people is this: I exist. I don't interfere anymore but I exist.
But, his appointed messenger (John Denver) asks, if you don't interfere (with miracles) anymore, then what's the point? What does it mean to people? Why should people pray? God exists but he doesn't interfere anymore, so what? We can still make mistakes and blow up the world. We pray, but you don't answer.
Ah. He says. The difference is if God never existed, then how do you know this world will succeed? How do you know this world is even suppose to exist? How do you know that the world won't blow up anyway, in spite of all you do? If there never were a God, then whatever you do could be a big waste of time.
The Difference, he says, is that I made the world, and because I made the world and universe so that it is good, I give you this guarantee: it can work; it can succeed. The trick is, YOU got to make it succeed. All you need to make this world a better place has been given to you. Work with it.
That's why people need faith. To hope and believe that what they do can and will make a difference.
(Of course there are also those who believe because they want to go to a better place, and the miss the whole point of being here. They believe this place is doomed.)
I take a different approach.
I do not know if what we do will make a difference or will make this world a better place.
There are two choices. I can decide that screw it. Chances are it will fail anyway. Everyman for himself. Take what you can. Burn what you can't.
That approach will mean this world will probably have a better chance of failing.
The other option I have is to try to contribute to making this world work a little better.
I'd like to think that I'm on this side of trying to make things a little better and increasing the odds that this world will succeed in not blowing itself up.
And that's my morality.
Maybe there's a God and this can all work out if we make enough good decisions. Maybe there's no God and nothing we do can save this world.
Some people will need to believe. If you do, good for you. Your faith will guide you.
Some won't need to. Good for you too, if you're on the side of working to make this place better.
If one needs a guarantee, then go ahead and believe. If you don't need a guarantee, then hey, welcome to the club. The tools are over there. Get to work..
All there is, is a commitment to making things better. Being there for each other. Helping each other through the rough times. Reminding each other of what we're working for. Growing in our ability to love and connect with each other. Helping each other achieve our full potential, and having a good time while we are doing so.
If we recognise that we are on the same team, pursuing the same ends, then we contribute while we can, and then the team continues with younger souls that we hope we have trained as best we can.
And that is as "forever" as it gets.
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
The ultimate feedback and Singapore e-forum
Tired of various e-forums for feedback on Singapore? Save time! Here in a convenient one stop location is the distilled complaints of all the feedback you can find in all forums on Singapore, by Singaporeans in a top ten list format.
Heeeeere we go:
10 National Service and why women should do it, and how it’s so unfair to the men, and how it’s all pointless anyway because in the event of the war, we (i.e. NS men) would run away, because we’re not so stupid as to die for a country that won’t let us chew gum, install satellite TV, walk around naked in our own flat (which is actually leased from HDB anyway), buy a car without COE, and basically let me do what I want.
9 How the COE/ERP/HDB/CPF/(fill-in-the-blank) rules or procedures should be changed so that *I* will benefit.
8 The Education System. How it sucks. Why it sucks. And let me tell you: it sucks. That is why I’m going overseas to study/have gone overseas to study/will emigrate to another country to spare my children the agony of the sick, retarded Singapore education system that makes mindless automatons/uncaring elites unable to take risks, or identify opportunities, or contribute meaningfully to discussion except to moan and complain about why the Government should do something… and… Oh God! I’ve become a product of our sucky education system!
7 We hate PAP/the Government/the Bureaucracy/over-paid civil servants and Ministers because they are just out oppress us and ram hateful policies down our throats, and it’s very difficult to give feedback with their fist down our throats, and how it’s all a conspiracy to keep the PAP in power, and even when they get their damn fists out of our throats its only so they can cover their ears while they pretend to listen to our “feedback” which is basically us vomiting out the policies that they have rammed down our throats. And did we mention: we hate PAP.
6 The high cost of Housing/Public Transport/Hawker food/Water/Electricity/Gas/Viagra/Healthcare/ Education/Rent/etc… and how the service/product quality has fallen… and the Government just don’t understand or don’t want to understand the problems of the people, and are just interested in making themselves look good. I mean what’s the point of being the #1 port in the world when our bus and train fares keep going up?
5 The number of [crime-of-the-month/social-disease-of-the-month/my pet-peeve] has reach epidemic proportions and we must take Drastic Measures to curb/control these social miscreants. We must tax/control/ban/jail/ hang/cane them so that Singapore will be a better place to live in safety, security, contentment, and Bliss.
4 PAP is the Best! [Lee Kuan Yew/Goh Chok Tong/Lee Hsien Loong/Name your favourite political leader] is GOD. Anyone who cannot see the innate goodness of PAP, the Government, Singapore Inc., and our Political Leaders are obviously degenerate, over-liberalised, westernised, radical, retarded, cry-babies, who won’t know a good thing if it fell in their laps. (Note: such posts are usually flamebait - meant to draw out the degenerate, over-liberalised, westernised, radical, retarded cry-babies who don’t know to ignore red-flagged flamebait meant to suck them into a meaningless exchange of words which will only raise their blood pressure, reveal their inadequacies and insecurities, turn the air blue, and reduce the credibility of the forum and the participants.)
3 Personal attacks on other forum participants, which may include denigration of their intelligence, mental capacity, and/or comprehension ability, as well as the insinuations as to one’s sexual orientation, sexual adequacy, parentage, and/or lineage, affiliation to PAP/PAS/Malaysia/USA.
2 We hate Malaysia/Malaysian Politicians/Malaysian media! They want to skin us like a cat, cut our water supply, steal our business, interfere in our land reclamation, take our lighthouse islands, and even send a delegation of their religious fanatic opposition to interfere in our domestic affairs. We should boycott Malaysia, stop shopping in JB, and spit out the water we drink! (unless it’s bottled water from Indonesia - but we hate Indonesia too! They call us a small red dot, accept our food and medical aid one day, and condemn us the next for not giving them free money. We should stop going to Batam! Go to Australia or China for holiday! (Except that we hate those foreigners too! Those damn foreign talents are taking our jobs, dating our men/women and marrying them for their (CPF) money, raising the price of housing, and keeping me from getting married/promoted! )) We hate Malaysians/Indonesians/Foreigners
1 Singapore is such a boring place. There’s nothing to do here. Our national pastime is shopping, eating, and complaining. We have no arts. We have no sports. We have no leisure. We have no soul. We have no spirit. We have no buzz. Our movies are censored. Our lives are predictable. Our thoughts are controlled. Why don’t the government just let me be me? In fact, they should give us incentives to be ourselves. The should set up a “Fund to have Fun”, and a “Be Me” Bonus. Or maybe a “Give me money so I can leave Singapore to go somewhere where I can be myself” fund. Singapore is so Boring.
Tired of various e-forums for feedback on Singapore? Save time! Here in a convenient one stop location is the distilled complaints of all the feedback you can find in all forums on Singapore, by Singaporeans in a top ten list format.
Heeeeere we go:
10 National Service and why women should do it, and how it’s so unfair to the men, and how it’s all pointless anyway because in the event of the war, we (i.e. NS men) would run away, because we’re not so stupid as to die for a country that won’t let us chew gum, install satellite TV, walk around naked in our own flat (which is actually leased from HDB anyway), buy a car without COE, and basically let me do what I want.
9 How the COE/ERP/HDB/CPF/(fill-in-the-blank) rules or procedures should be changed so that *I* will benefit.
8 The Education System. How it sucks. Why it sucks. And let me tell you: it sucks. That is why I’m going overseas to study/have gone overseas to study/will emigrate to another country to spare my children the agony of the sick, retarded Singapore education system that makes mindless automatons/uncaring elites unable to take risks, or identify opportunities, or contribute meaningfully to discussion except to moan and complain about why the Government should do something… and… Oh God! I’ve become a product of our sucky education system!
7 We hate PAP/the Government/the Bureaucracy/over-paid civil servants and Ministers because they are just out oppress us and ram hateful policies down our throats, and it’s very difficult to give feedback with their fist down our throats, and how it’s all a conspiracy to keep the PAP in power, and even when they get their damn fists out of our throats its only so they can cover their ears while they pretend to listen to our “feedback” which is basically us vomiting out the policies that they have rammed down our throats. And did we mention: we hate PAP.
6 The high cost of Housing/Public Transport/Hawker food/Water/Electricity/Gas/Viagra/Healthcare/ Education/Rent/etc… and how the service/product quality has fallen… and the Government just don’t understand or don’t want to understand the problems of the people, and are just interested in making themselves look good. I mean what’s the point of being the #1 port in the world when our bus and train fares keep going up?
5 The number of [crime-of-the-month/social-disease-of-the-month/my pet-peeve] has reach epidemic proportions and we must take Drastic Measures to curb/control these social miscreants
4 PAP is the Best! [Lee Kuan Yew/Goh Chok Tong/Lee Hsien Loong/Name your favourite political leader] is GOD. Anyone who cannot see the innate goodness of PAP, the Government, Singapore Inc., and our Political Leaders are obviously degenerate, over-liberalised, westernised, radical, retarded, cry-babies, who won’t know a good thing if it fell in their laps. (Note: such posts are usually flamebait - meant to draw out the degenerate, over-liberalised, westernised, radical, retarded cry-babies who don’t know to ignore red-flagged flamebait meant to suck them into a meaningless exchange of words which will only raise their blood pressure, reveal their inadequacies and insecurities, turn the air blue, and reduce the credibility of the forum and the participants.)
3 Personal attacks on other forum participants, which may include denigration of their intelligence, mental capacity, and/or comprehension ability, as well as the insinuations as to one’s sexual orientation, sexual adequacy, parentage, and/or lineage, affiliation to PAP/PAS/Malaysia/USA.
2 We hate Malaysia/Malaysian Politicians/Malaysian media! They want to skin us like a cat, cut our water supply, steal our business, interfere in our land reclamation, take our lighthouse islands, and even send a delegation of their religious fanatic opposition to interfere in our domestic affairs. We should boycott Malaysia, stop shopping in JB, and spit out the water we drink! (unless it’s bottled water from Indonesia - but we hate Indonesia too! They call us a small red dot, accept our food and medical aid one day, and condemn us the next for not giving them free money. We should stop going to Batam! Go to Australia or China for holiday! (Except that we hate those foreigners too! Those damn foreign talents are taking our jobs, dating our men/women and marrying them for their (CPF) money, raising the price of housing, and keeping me from getting married/promoted! )) We hate Malaysians/Indonesians/Foreigners
1 Singapore is such a boring place. There’s nothing to do here. Our national pastime is shopping, eating, and complaining. We have no arts. We have no sports. We have no leisure. We have no soul. We have no spirit. We have no buzz. Our movies are censored. Our lives are predictable. Our thoughts are controlled. Why don’t the government just let me be me? In fact, they should give us incentives to be ourselves. The should set up a “Fund to have Fun”, and a “Be Me” Bonus. Or maybe a “Give me money so I can leave Singapore to go somewhere where I can be myself” fund. Singapore is so Boring.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Making excuses
Isn't it better to clean up after ourselves than to have people old enough to be our grandparents clean up our mess at hawker centres?
Isn't it better to offer our seats on a crowded train or bus to someone who needs it more, than to pretend that you didn't see them, or to convince yourself that you need the seat more?
Isn't it better to show consideration and courtesy to others than to behave like the world revolves around you and that society owes you?
Isn't it better to contribute to making this world a better place than to make excuses for why you can't?
Because that's all they are - excuses and rationalisations. We shouldn't clean up or the old people won't have jobs.
Sad. And these are the same people that will turn around and scream bloody murder when someone else claims to be "elite", not realising that there's a little elite in them thinking that they have earned the right to be selfish, to ignore the little people, or to condescend to them.
Isn't it better to clean up after ourselves than to have people old enough to be our grandparents clean up our mess at hawker centres?
Isn't it better to offer our seats on a crowded train or bus to someone who needs it more, than to pretend that you didn't see them, or to convince yourself that you need the seat more?
Isn't it better to show consideration and courtesy to others than to behave like the world revolves around you and that society owes you?
Isn't it better to contribute to making this world a better place than to make excuses for why you can't?
Because that's all they are - excuses and rationalisations. We shouldn't clean up or the old people won't have jobs.
Sad. And these are the same people that will turn around and scream bloody murder when someone else claims to be "elite", not realising that there's a little elite in them thinking that they have earned the right to be selfish, to ignore the little people, or to condescend to them.
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