GE 2011: Vote by Default?

For many, many years, felt like a fish out of water in this place. Whether socially, culturally or politically. Our arrogance, narrow-mindedness and spinelessness are some of the traits that are suffocating too. For a long time, felt ashamed of my nationality. Not until my years of "evasion" in a foreign land that helped to intensify the boundary of the sense of my nationality. Not saying that I like this place or its people any better.

But in the face of the large influx of foreigners into this island, at all levels, not just at the unskilled end, but middle and top level, I feel more empathetic. Been home for 19 months, and already feel that this island is being colonnalised once again by Caucasians, holding the top ranking jobs whilst the locals are thrust into servitude level and at the same time competiting servitude with foreign workers from other south east asia countries. For once, foreigners has helped to wipe the arrogance off our faces. No longer do we think ourselves as high and mighty and unbeatable compared to the other SEA or EA nationalities.

General election is round the corner. The erosion of national identity, coupled with the persistent contempt thrown at us by the long-ruling political party, this election creates a sense of purpose this time round for me and more empathy felt towards my fellow people.

Perhaps it's due to Chen Show Mao. Taiwan-born naturalised local, with Harvard--, Stanford- and Oxford-plated academic achievements under his belt and his career establishments overseas...one who has so so so so much to lose returning to this land and to make matters worse, by joining the opposition political party, knowing the risks (defamation law suits, bankruptcy) and hardships (to fight into Parliament) involve in choosing this less trodden path. For what cause? And for who?



But he is one of the many who come forward. There were others who did and suffered tremeduously.

And what do we do, as the voters of this nation, when there are people after people who come forward, to take up the tall task of challenging the existing regime while we continue to sit in our comfort zones, hiding in fear and apathy.

Do we still respond to these gestures with a vote by default?

日本人，你活该倒霉

2010年，英国税务局发现，有430万纳税人多缴、140万名纳税人少缴个人所得税。受影响的纳税人总人数近600万，相等于狮城人口总数。

税务局向少缴的纳税人追讨余额，规定纳税人在指定期限内偿还，否则承担余款的利息。多缴的纳税人则面对遥遥无期的款项退还。

税务局常任秘书出面丢下了简短的解释：税务计算出现错误是理所当然的。受波及的人数之多、无端带来的不便以及税务局的高姿态都不是理所当然的。他拒绝道歉，只差没说，受影响的纳税人活该倒霉。

2010年，狮城名贵的购物区发生了前所未有的大水灾。当地政客的反应与该常任秘书“遥相呼应”。重金聘请的政客摇摆不定，将事故归咎于天灾，转而攻击科技的限制，最后索性把矛头指向狮城人民乱抛垃圾、建造马路的恶习。同样是你活该倒霉的高姿态。

今年3月，日本遭遇地震和海啸的天灾以及核外泄的人祸。难道堂堂的领导人该对自己的人民说，你活该倒霉？

在小事上，哪怕是一根牙签出现了1毫米的偏差，日本人也要追根究底纠正过来。错误的确是会发生的，这个谁都知道。日本人却选择由此开始，迈向做得更好的方向。

在大事上，日日与天灾为“舞”的日本人接受天灾的理所当然，然后便是：应对、尽人事；面对人祸时，也同样只有应对、尽人事。

天灾是无法避免的，这个事实人人都知道。可是，日本人选择不就此止步、更不允许科技屈服。因此，灾害范围才得以如此、福岛反应炉才能成功地平复了9.1级地震的挑衅，虽然败给了海啸。

问题当前，领导人素质的高低一览无遗。

25米的残疾

终于，我们的一些基础设施看到了残障人士的存在，却也抖出了另类的残疾人士。

公共场所里醒目的残障设施让社会中的某一群人得以外显化。英国社会正视他们的存在，硬体设施时时提醒着我这群人存在的权利。就算是没有轮椅专用列车的火车，也会为轮椅搭客就地安排滑行道，从旁协助轮椅搭客上下车。

这样的“软体”素质，再配以硬件设施，行动不便者在社会体系中达到真正的通行无阻。

以经济挂帅的狮城岛国，在地铁列车运行了二十年后，才施施然地安装滑行道、电梯以及设立轮椅车厢区。狮城岛国在关爱群众的领域中，总算通过硬件设施爬前了一小步。

轮椅人士专用电梯设立在月台中间，体贴地衔接轮椅专用车厢。电动扶梯或楼梯虽然在月台两端，但不管从哪一列车厢下车，搭客步行到电动扶梯的距离都不会超过25米。

可是，列车到站，车厢涌出一团直奔电梯的人群。稍后，一名坐在代步机上的老者出现在这团人后面。电梯到达月台，这团四肢健全、行动正常、两手空空的黑发一族一窝蜂地挤入电梯，把那名行动不便者挡在电梯外。然后，电梯里这团患有另类残疾的人们对那名白发斑斑的老人视若无睹。25米之远的电动扶梯太遥远了。

越过闸门，电梯与电动扶梯的距离更短。同样四肢健全的残疾人士宁愿花时间等候电梯，也不愿挪动脚步走到电动扶梯那边搭电动扶梯上月台。

好不容易才在硬件设施上挪前了一步，在人文素质的领域中，还是落后了几个光年。

Shallowness and KTP hospital

It was for a dental appointment that I earned an a nice morning out at KTP hospital.




(Waterfall at the basement)











(Main building)



The dental clinic which I was referred to is part of the KTP hospital.

I like the environment of the hospital, probably the last place on earth anyone would dream of enjoying at. For as advertised on the website, KTP hospital aspires to be green, not only in colours but also energy efficient.


So one is greeted with lots of green upon the arrival of the hospital, not only the green surroundings but also the huge number of potted plants found all over the hospital building. These plants are indeed pleasing to sight and definitely help to soften the harsh concrete buildings.








(Open-concept toilet: we just need one person to spit on the floor and that completely erases all the modern pretense that we put up)






I ended up taking lots of photo after my dental appointment as I explored around and came upon small plots of oases within the building itself. There is a pond of life in the basement of the hospital and a mini-waterfall too. Apparently, there are quite a number of species of butterflies around but I haven't seen one yet. With the serene environment, I really could do with my laptop and work in a quiet corner of this place. More importantly, food is never far, just like any place in this city.














Amidst all this beautiful environment, artificially constructed though, I just couldn't hide my smile. True, we never fail, not even for once, to impress ourselves with beautiful facades. We never fail to make a big deal out of hardware, painstakingly constructing impressive-looking buildings and splurging lavishly on gleaming facilities but forever overlooking or ignorantly unaware that it is the spirit, the software, ie. the humans that constitutes modernity.

When the quality of citizens fall behind the pace of hardware modernization, all hardwares are nothing but empty shells, reflecting starkly our very own shallowness.




(Plots of oases found in the building)


And the human quality exhibited by the Japanese collectively in the recent unfortunate disaster bares the fact that we are still a lightyear away from a true modern city.



(My humble brunch at the food court--half boiled egg and teh-o)

无题

什么施比受更幸福、付出就是获得等等充满智慧的话语，让人信奉的真理，我总是只能旁观。

在认知上明白，却无法从心里去体会。

施比受更幸福，即施会给施者带来幸福？我从来就不能肯定，帮助别人就能让人快乐。而且，通过这样的方式来给自己快乐，或许已经不是施，而是获得了？追根究底，即使是付出，可能也是为了要获得？

我们都有很多的不快乐。想获得爱情，所以害怕寂寞，所以不快乐；想得到荣誉，而患得患失，所以无法快乐；想占有物质，一旦无法满足便会不快乐；想掌控权力，无法得逞时便会失望、嫉妒……各式各样的不快乐，根源于想得到的心理。

因为欲望无法获得满足，所以才会派生出各种各样的烦恼。皆因想要得到。

如果能接受一切，就不会有任何想得到什么的心理。一个人，就拥抱寂寞吧。把寂寞合理化后，就不会奢望寻求别人的关爱来填满空虚，所以也不会因为得不到而伤心。即使落泪，也是自然而然的，不是不快乐。就算是残缺，也是理所当然的。

原来就是这样。我才明白你如何能承受那等重量的痛苦。