Happy New Year!

A Reminder to Self as we cross over to 2009

I'm not very religious but then again, I want to be happy.

1 Timothy 6:6-11 (New International Version)

6But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

提 摩 太 前 書 6:6 Chinese Bible: Union (Simplified)
然 而 ， 敬 虔 加 上 知 足 的 心 便 是 大 利 了 ；

I shall let the pictures do the talking

In Penang: Butterfly park; Taman Negara; Dinner @ Foong Wei; Chendol; Lor Mee

I am in Penang...

and the room overlooks a bea-you-tee-fool beach.  It is bee-you-tee-fool!

The Little Nonya

Inspired by the Little Nonya on Channel 8, I decided to return to my roots and learn a little more about my heritage - I'm one-eighth-one-sixteenth-ah-i-don't-really-know-but-I have-peranakan-blood. So Gloria and I decided to pay our "Mama" a visit to learn how to make love letters since CNY is just round the corner. Plus I wanted to spend time with her since she was going to miss out on the extended family's trip to Penang.

My "Mama" makes the most awesome love letters with some secret nonya recipe and her love letters are always in demand ($15 a tin leh!). My secret agenda was to get the secret recipe and secretly sell them next year! I've watched her make them before and it always looked so simple. Prepare the yellow goey mixture; pour into the love-letter maker; sniff sniff, watch the red light turn on, then open when it goes off; remove the circular pancake-like thing, and roll using a chopstick and TADA! Love Letter!

A tres simple procedue but it definitely isn't easy. Consistency is important in the making of love letters, especially the rolling process. You only have a few seconds before the soft love-letter cools, hardens and it's too late to make amendments and then, you throw it into the not-for-sale tin for personal consumption i.e. a loss.

So I had my hand (pun intended) at rolling process and needless to say, it wasn't easy. It was HOT. The love-letter was hot and my rolling skills were terrible. My fingertips were burnt and it was almost impossible to not scream when my skin was in contact with the hot love letters. Yikes. So after I while, I gave up and fell asleep on the couch while my maid honed her "rolling" skills.

"Yue4 bang1 yue4 mang2" but hey, at least my mama has found a new qualified helper so she can make other kuehs! :)

And the shopping continues!

4 tees from Pull and Bear and a pair of Converse shoes.  :)

One mountain will always be higher than another...

How can I psycho myself into not comparing myself with others all the time? How can I find joy in the small little things in life and be contented? How can I run my own race?

And why do I keep losing out to him?! URGH.

Back in HK...

Macau and The Venetian

We headed to Macau yesterday to visit The Venetian as well as the Macau Tower where we had our networking dinner.

Met this Singaporean, Patrick, who is currently working in Macau during the networking session where he gave us this pseudo-philosophical speech.   The sun was setting in the background as he spoke and I was dying to take a few pics.  Unfortunately, he lasted longer than the setting sun.  

Anyhow, Patrick was an interesting chap who looked 30 despite being 47.  He's like one of those George Clooney's who have this mystical ability to maintain their youth.  Having screwed up his studies and stayed in the states for over a decade, he seemed to have grown cynical of the world.  Nonetheless, he had an interesting personal point of view to share and whatever was not applicable, I took it with a pinch of salt.

After the session, we headed up to the revolving restaurant just above the observation cafe for a dinner buffet.  The view was gorgeous to say the least and I definitely have to document my virgin experience at a revolving restaurant.  I could so get used to such a life!  The spread and all, plus the prawns which were taken straight from a tank and thrown into boiling water.  Freshness!

Subsequently, we headed for the Venetian.  I sort of expected a tour by a manager and to view the operations but unfortunately, it turned out to be just a visit :S. And so, five minutes later, I found myself in the casino with the rest and gambling.  At the end of the day, the lesson learnt was this - I suck at gambling and I have to work my ass off for every single cent.

That's all for now.  

HK shopping, and please, someone lead me to shops selling Spring/Summer collections!

Shanghai!

Currently in the lobby of Equatorial Hotel typing this entry.

We visited Capitaland and OCBC Bank today, lunching at this rather posh restaurant at the Jin Mao Tower (the spiky one standing next to the spanking new Shanghai World Finance Centre).  I am somewhat inspired to source out an internship in China, something which would never have happened if I hadn't gone on this trip.

Networking session at night was great - I hosted the session and was able to meet 2 really cool dudes in the Logistics business, Eddie specialising in M&A and Ng in real estate investment.  They spoke very frankly about their experience and life in Shanghai and brought a new perspective to how Singaporeans should go overseas and experience working in a different culture since we're a spoilt, sheltered bunch.  Haha.  Anyhow, they were cool.

Ate 20 xiaolongbaos yesterday at cheung huang miao, the previous day we were there, we ate about 6 each and we saw fireworks in the distance.  The weather was ccccccooooollllldddddd and having a container of steaming xiaolongbaos in front of you is an awesome feeling.

Headed for HK tomorrow.  No more yuan to spend since everything went to the tailors.

So HK here I come - to spend my HKD ;)

Of Spa Treatments and Hair Removal

I went for a massage today at Hotel Rendezvous courtesy of my mom. She decided that treating the family to a spa was good for family bonding.

Anyway, apart from feeling awkward about having an old woman feel me up (okay that sounded wrong), she also proceeded to tell me that my legs were hairy and suggested that I should remove my leg hair because "they have the machine". She added that the hair would grow back but it would be "fine and unnoticeable".

Throughout the session, she continued to ply me with the usual questions like "How old are you?" and "Do you have a girlfriend?", followed by the advice that any mom would give to their kids. She did not forget to throw in the obligatory compliment ("You have a good figure!") before reverting to expounding the virtues of removing my armpit hair.

I love a good conversation especially to take the pain my mind off the pain during facial extraction, not when I'm trying to enjoy my massage. Me oh my. They want me to go back regularly to do facials, since they're just a stone's throw away from school. I don't know about that. Eeks.

Had our first script reading for the chinese short play that I will (hopefully) be performing in.

Winston will speak Chinese. Yes he will.

Eeks.

HK in a day. HK in a day. HK!!!

Chinese?

I haven't spoken mandarin in what seems like decades.  But now, I'm having to recollect all the higher chinese lessons that I have somehow seemed to have thrown away. 

Please do not laugh at me when I try to speak to you in mandarin.

Change

Nobody likes change, well at least I don't.

If there's change, I try to deal with the change.  But dealing with change is not easy.  It makes me feel on edge, jumpy, grumpy, easily irritated - you get the picture.

And it doesn't help that exams add to the stress, and not doing well in them exacerbates the problem.

HK.  I just want to run away.  To anywhere.  

Right now, Hong Kong's my chance.

Exams

There's still one more paper to go but some how or rather, I am devoid of the anticipation of finishing my exams for the term.  Given that the past 3 days, and the past 3 papers were somewhat dismal, I'm beginning to fret over my GPA for this term.  For one, I entered into the exam hall feeling as if I did not have a solid grasp of any concepts studied.  In another, the expectations of those around me, who seem to think that Winston can never ever fail is horrible.  It's like I'm surrounded by hyenas clamouring to devour my body should I fall down GPA ladder.

Expectations.  I need to lower my expectations.  No more A+s falling from the sky.  Argh.  I cannot believe that I fret about not getting an A+ when others are fretting about trying just to get a B.

Tis terrible.  I want my 4.0.  I just ask for a 4.0.  It doesn't even have to be a 4.3.

Nehnehporkz.

Oh suicide!

Two nights ago, someone in my adjacent block tried to commit suicide, apparently with no intention to do so.  And why do I say so? Well, said person decided to call the civil defence, police and ambulance before embarking on his/her quest.

Anyhow, there was the sound of a generator running late into the night and I originally thought there were some road works going on nearby.  Thus, my dad decided to extend the offer of allowing us to sleep in his room, avec air con, which was a rather attractive proposition to my brother. 

He made the discovery of the source of the noise - a huge-ass air-filled jumping pad complete with a small red square in the middle (that sort which indicated "Aim here if you wish to jump") together with an entire line of vehicles - two police cars, a fire engine and an ambulance.  To top things off, the usual kay-poh neighbours standing behind the white tape used to cordon off the area.  Now at 12 midnight, I'm amazed at the crowd which gathered below, which included my father, brother and my Japanese neighbour.

Now seriously, if you'd want to commit suicide, do it quietly, peacefully and try not to bother too many people.  Trying to study with a generator is akin to not studying at all.  Don't forget the people who had to work the next day.  And so, while I sound all unsympathetic towards that suicidal person, my message is this.  Please, be considerate.  There are a thousand and one reasons to commit suicide and I do hope it's not because your girlfriend/boyfriend decided to dump you because you were fat.  There is so much else to live for.

And for goodness sake, looking all smashed up in your coffin is just so unglam, no matter how gorgeous your clothes are.   May I suggest an LV Daimler to cover your smashed-up head.  Then again, it's such a waste to burn this beauty.  Ain't it?

And so, as I peered out of the window looking down at that air filled cushion that screamed "jump on me", I was tempted to just jump, for the fun of it.  

Then again, it wasn't directly below my block.

I promise to

It's 2.30am and I'm allowed to emo.

IPROMISETOENJOYMYBIRTHDAYNEXTYEAR. IPROMISETOENJOYMYBIRTHDAYNEXTYEAR.

IPROMISETOENJOYMYBIRTHDAYNEXTYEAR.

Even though Halloween disappeared like a the glowing spark on a sparkler, I am still regretting not enjoying the last moments of being 21.  Instead, what I ended up doing was stressing out over sending out invitations to people for a school event and trying to rush my FIIM project.  And my FIIM group didn't even know it was my birthday and happily scheduled a meeting at 7pm.  I left halfway to meet my CG at Bliss - I just couldn't allow myself to continue.

The following day was worse - the whole day was spent on FIIM, a mind-blowing 12 hours and I missed out on the movie date with ZW, Ben and Cheeks.  Tres terrible.  This is not worth it at all.  Not worth it at all.  People never ever give me a break.

I hate uni life.  It sucks.

Club 21 Sale

I came, I saw, I digged, I left.

I ended up with a $20 cK belt which can only be described as a unique blend between lilac and grey.

:)

Stageit Auditions

After "Last Words", I've been itching for some stage action.  I didn't quite like Loki, which will be part of the SMU Arts Festival line up and I can't sing, so I pulled out of Honk! auditions.  

Nonetheless, Stageit will be having a January production, similar to Short and Sweet! 

After I finished BGS class, I conveniently headed down to SESS for the auditions.

I had to read 2 short excerpts, one of which was about butts.  For the improv segment, I was made to seduce a chair.  It was to say the least, weird. 

And because one of the short plays is actually in chinese, the director asked if I wanted to try it out.  

I actually liked the script, it was only 4 pages with minimal lines, a dialogue between a father and son.  Then again, my performance of it left much to be desired, having not spoken chinese in a LONG LONG LONG LONG time.  Thus, I found myself in an awkward position, spouting lines in mandarin and sounding all too weird.

Hopefully, I get a role.  :) 

  

I dreamt that I died

I Dreamt that I Died

Morbid as it may sound, last night I dreamt that I died.  And if that isn't weird enough, the dream was not of the type that you can't recall after you wake up.  In fact, it was so real that I can practically recall most of the details.  How the scenes transited from one to another remains a mystery though, and I could find little or no logical link between them.

How I Died

I died from an aneurysm which I believe, stemmed from a wound in my leg.  I recall that I was in some park, and then all of  sudden, I stumbled to the ground.  My eyes began to close as people crowded around me and it's like one of those seems in TV dramas where the camera goes into a blur and then the screen blacks out.  

And I just died sans the dramatic elements like your life flashing right in front of you.  I didn't even attempt to fight for my life and as I gave up, I could  feel my soul leave my body.  I wonder if death really feels like that.  And from there, I literally floated out of it and into the clouds. Talk about a dramatic ascension which no one can see.

Anyway, on my way up (to what I believe was heaven), I began to wonder what I would say when I finally met God.  Then again, it hit me that I hadn't said my last goodbyes so I forced myself back down to earth (Does this whole dying thing really work like this?!)

Later, I saw of got the opportunity to see a replay of how I died.  Yes, I saw myself die.   It was surreal watching myself begin to stagger all of a sudden and fall to the ground.  And to top it off, my body convulsed and jerked awkwardly for a while before it just went still, which kind of reminded me of the cat that got run over by a car - remnants of electrical pulses sent through the body. Also, I noticed a wound on my outer right thigh, with some blood encircling the wound which I believed was the cause of it all.

After I died

I saw myself in a room of people who were waiting for the autopsy results.  The waiting room was an adjoining room to the doctor's office.  One could look into the doctor's office through a rectangular glass window with the usual faint trellis pattern.   

The door opened and I walked in with some people (who they were exactly I didn't really notice, neither can I recall).  But I remember vividly the image of my body, slightly bruised and lying on a cold metal slab at the back of the room.  My naked dead body wasn't in full view though, I could only see the top half.  It was tres disturbing, seeing my dead self.  

The Mortuary

I followed my family to the mortuary, but it was not a  typical one which can is usually found in the basement of a hospital.  It was a huge refrigerated warehouse, where bodies were openly placed in clear bags, on cold metal shelves.  It had a very tall roof, like a school hall, with big bright grey lamps hanging overhead.  I followed my family (in spirit of course), walking between the shelves searching for my body and I recall wanting to tell them that I wanted to wear a suit on my last journey.  

Talking to family members in "spirit" was not easy yet not as difficult as I expected.  It basically involved a little more shouting or repeating myself on a few occasions.  In my dream, I remembered talking to my sister in some small area, like at the back of a truck or something though that's all I can remember.

The Holiday?!

And yes, I remember my family going on holiday (like WTH?) and I tagged along.  The setting reminded me of my Israel trip, where I had to travel along a long road to reach the convention centre.  Alongside were the various hotels which lined the coastline.  

My family was traveling on a similar road and there were these hotels with open air cafes on the first floor.  As we moved along, I noticed a very peculiar sight.  The tide had started to come in and waves were crashing into these cafes, bringing along the tables and chairs back into the ocean.  In particular, I remember watching a lady under a big green umbrella jump up in horror as water rushed beneath the table and chair that she was sitting at.

Saying Goodbye

Ironically, it wasn't to my family that I really wanted to say goodbye to.  There were 2 individuals (which I shan't divulge), whom I remember hugging and tearfully saying my goodbyes to, and that included the words "I love you".

And I can't remember anymore details then, except the visual image of my goodbye person hugging something that wasn't there...

Weird.  Plain weird.

The Calm before the Storm

Hell week 9 is over, but it seems like another one is looming.

There's this weird sense of calm before the storm. Argh, tis not good.

Meanwhile, my sister prances around at nice parties in the US.

Sigh...

It rained today and my whole body started aching. It's either because I'm suffering from the after-effects of IPPT or that I'm growing old, or both.

Double Sigh.

But on the brightside, I earned $200 for attaining a silver, plus a decent timing of 11:18. Not too bad for an aging fella. ;)

I want to shoppppppppppppppppppp. Hong Kong Hong Kong, Dec beckons!

Jealousy and Sianness.

My sister is roasting Smores in the States.

I'm stuck in the library till 12 am mugging.

Life in Singapore v Life in the States.

The verdict is obvious.

Sianness. Seriously.

There must be more to life than this.

I need to get out of the house.

I SERIOUSLY WISH I COULD JUST MOVE OUT AND GET A BACHELOR PAD. THAT SHALL BE THE FIRST THING ON MY WISHLIST.

I hate durians and I don't understand why my parents have to bring that stinking pieces of shit home. It would be nice if they at least gave advance notice.

I'm feeling bitter about a lot of things.

I need some "ME" time. Away from my parents.

This absolutely sucks.

Back

After flying for 30hrs - 7 hrs from Georgia to SF, 11 hrs from SF to Seoul, then 7 hrs to Singapore, I AM OFFICIALLY SICK OF FLYING. I dread the 13 hr flight to Israel.

There's actually so much that I want to say but when it finally comes down to putting it in words, I'm speechless. Ah well, here goes anyway.


I had a brand new experience on the flight back on Singapore. If you've heard for the mile-high club, then I'm probably in it - a modified version of course. You see, if you are constantly fed on a plane for a period of 30 hours, that's kind of like a lot of input into your body. And in accordance with the laws of nature, whatever goes in, must come out. So, this brings me to my brand new experience of doing my number 1 business 10000 miles in the air.

Frankly, there's not much of a difference to it, except knowing the fact that you're doing it 10,000 miles in the air, either over some sea or some country that you happen to fly over at the point of your "dirty" deed. The cubicle is small no doubt, but that makes it rather convenient, since everything is within your reach. Plus, it can be rather exciting/scary cos you never know if you yourself might get sucked into the vacuum of whatever that leads to. You know, when you're 10,000 miles in the air, there's quite a difference in pressure and everytime you push the flush button, whatever there's left in the toilet bowl seems to get sucked into an eternal black hole.

So for 10 minutes, 10,000 miles up in the sky, I felt utterly liberated. And that concludes the most interesting experience in my trip to the USA.

Tada!

Shopping

I want to go to the mall so badly but I don't have a car an an international license. Then again, I'm too afraid to drive on the roads of the great America so here I am, stuck in the hotel lobby. Ah well. Those outlets will have to wait till the end of this year I guess. But my list of purchases thus far goes like this:

1. 2 pairs of H&M shorts (white and grey)
2. A white s/s shirt from H&M
3. A pair of shorts from Old Navy
4. A pair of GAP slippers
5. A polo from Hollister
6. cK cufflinks

Plus I managed to get the watch Sze Min wanted. I want to go back and shop some more...

Anyway, I've been stuck in hotel for most of the days cos mom's working. We went to her office yesterday but there wasn't anything to do - no laptop (I so regret not bringing mine) so I spent a good 2 hrs reading Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat. I fell asleep a couple of times midway through.

American television is "interesting" to say the least. I was watching this The Bachelor/Bachelorette series. And I thought guy looking girl, girl looking for guy, guy looking for guy etc. was the only few combinations you could get. Well, MTV had this bisexual girl, name Teila Tequila (like what?!) looking to find a partner. Yes, two groups of guys and girls are vying for her attention. So, we see snippets of guy on girl AND girl on girl action all in the same show. Talk about a buffet...

Okie, going to Logitech to play games now. Whee.

San Francisco, California

If anyone is wondering why dear Winston hasn't popped by, to annoy all of you who have not finished your exams out there, with his "my exams are over!", it's because he's halfway around the world enjoying the nice fresh air of California. Winkz.

Anyway, I left off with a post on how the flight to SF was full of "Mumbai-da, India-ns!". Among them, half of the bunch were like Ghandis, who seemed to constantly verge on falling over and dying there and then. I also realised that I couldn't suss out that typical airline smell, not because my nose was blocked but rather... I'll leave you to fill in the blanks on that.

So here I am, having spent 3 days in the lovely U and the S and the A, in the home of the lovely dame - the Golden Gate. The weather was lovely today, though it got a tad bit hot. Nonetheless, the wind was still adequately chilly to necessitate a jacket. We went to the SF Golden Gate Park which was splendid. Gorgeous sunlight, bee-you-tee-fool lawns with smiling small daffodils sprinkling the park grounds, bright yellow and orange flowers. Gloria and I couldn't help bursting into songs from Enchanted; I couldn't help skipping along the lawns until some old man went "bravo" and completely embarrassed me. But, everything was so fairy tale like. Made me so happy.

If only, if only, Singapore had such perfect weather and nice lawns. People would be out dancing (there was a whole group doing lindy hop), bands playing (which echoed throughout the entire park); ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........nice.

Spent the rest of the day at the Civic district before we had dinner at this nice restaurant with my mom's boss. He's quite funny, together with his wife, but we had to watch our manners and all that at the dinner table. Like going through some etiquette test.

Saturday 26.04.08:

We went to the take a look at the Academy of Arts University which was nestled in bustling downtown SF. The university comprises of small buildings dispersed in various locations of the city. I find that extremely exciting but it doesn't seem to be Gloria's cup of tea.

There was a fashion show held to showcase the works of graduating students in a fashion tent - wow. But the highlight was getting to see ANTM's Chantal and Eugena strut their stuff on the runway. Watching them on ANTM is one thing. Seeing these hotties strut is like an out of body experience. Did I make a mistake? Hell no. On the returning bus, I overheard THE gay trio, talking about them. There was one big guy in particular, and he was so effeminate, he left me with chills down my spine. Anyway, welcome to art school. Ha!

Later on, we headed to fisherman's wharf and Pier 39. Lots of stuff happening along that area - street performances, seafood etc. But I was able to catch a spray paint artist (I caught it before on youtube) in action and it was fantastic. Talent man. Props to him man. Seafood at a restaurant was particularly disappointing unfortunately, after the previous experience at Red Lobster last December. I miss seafood there, ginormous prawns, scallops....yum.

okay, it's late now. I shall continue with my shopping haul later.

Bye Bye

Bye Bye. Donch miss moi.

I'm going to San Francisco on a plane full of "mumbai da, India!".

Woe to the 17 hour journey.
Aloha to the 17 hour shopping marathon.

:):):):):):):):):):):

I need to put up my large funny fugly face.
Muackz!

Happiness

I'm determined to be happy.

Exam Stress

The FA chant!

Debit and Credit;

Just follow the Rabbit;

Say "Debit and Cwedit";

And hopefully, you'll Get it;

(so that in) FA, you'll Ace it;

Definitely, can make it!

Whee!

And in a random conversation with Qionghui, this came to my mind:

Oh Humanities! Men wear panties?!

to which, in a conversation with Min Ci, it evolved into:

Oh humanities!

You men like titties!

Women wear panties

MAN WEAR PANTIES ARE TRANNIES

NANNIES WEAR GRANNY PANTIES.

Exam stress.

LTB Video

My first attempt at video editing - I did it on a new programme that I mastered in a few days.

Nice eh?

Comms Speech

I did a persuasive speech for a Communications module and thought it'd be nice to share it with others. I'm quite proud of it so here goes.

---------------------------------------------

We should support the repeal of s377A.

Introduction

*Rap and sing* Repeal it. Repeal it. Repeal 377a. Repeal it. Repeal it. Repeal 377a.

This was the message from a clip produced last year, by supporters of the repeal section 377a campaign.

A very good afternoon to one and all. I’m Winston and today, I’m here to tell you why you should support the repeal of section 377a of the Penal Code. To simplify things, I will henceforth refer to it as 377a.

In my speech, I will first give you some background to what 377a is and why it concerns you. I will then move on to argue that 377a should be repealed because firstly, it is irrelevant in today’s context; secondly, secondly, it’s a burden to retain it; and finally, that even if we want to signal society’s disapproval of homosexuality, there is no need to retain 377a.

So what is 377a and why does it make every homosexual male a liable criminal? It is neither 3771, a winning 4D combination; nor is it a HDB block number. In this speech, 377a refers to a law, a law that was inherited from our ex British colonial masters.

377a falls under Section 377 of the law which criminalises sexual acts 'against the order of nature with any man, woman or animals'. Specifically, 377a criminalises "gross indecency" between males, whether in public or in private. Anyone convicted faces up to two years’ imprisonment. One interesting is that the law does not provide a definition for “gross indecency”. Thus, technically, we can convict anyone for any form of “unacceptable male” conduct. I remember back at RI… *pause* I think I shall leave a discussion of the things that happened back then, for another time.

You may have been wondering what all the fuss surrounding 377a is about and why I’m talking about it right now. Well, it is because it concerns you. 377a impacts the people around us. It affects anyone you know, your best friend, your closest uncle, even your brother who may be gay. While 377a is said to be purely symbolic, it has been likened to a gun being put to the heads of homosexuals and not pulling the trigger.

Having said that, let us shift our focus to why we should support the repeal of 377a. As the debate often borders upon emotional irrationality, the arguments that I will serve to you are aimed to target the technical aspects of the law.

Now, the first reason why we should repeal it is because it is irrelevant.

Consider this: The intention of the law is to maintain a safe and secure society; to protect others from harm by punishing harmful conduct. This very principle is taught to first-year law students in their first few weeks. Professor Michael Hor, who teaches criminal law at the NUS Law Faculty explains that criminal activity must entail harm to others that is recognizable and tangible. In other words, if an act does not harm others, then it should not be a crime.

Private, consensual sexual acts between adult males does not impact the safety and security of society. Just like we do not know, and do not wish to know what goes on in the bedroom of our parents, whatever happens in the bedroom, stays in the bedroom. Thus, why should we have a law that criminalizes an act that does no harm to you or you or you? save for the disgust that plague homophobes?

In 2003, then prime minister Goh Chok Tong declared, “In the past, if we know you’re gay, we would not employ you. But we just changed this quietly.” The change in our government’s stance reflects a tacit acceptance that the sort of activity stated by 377A is not harmful at all. For why would the government employ wrong doers?

In line with this policy, PM Lee Hsien Loong stated that “We don't harass gays. The Government does not act as moral policeman. And we don't proactively enforce Section 377A on them.”

So the question lies: why retain a law that doesn’t serve its function?

And this brings me to my next point: that it is a burden to retain 377a.

Firstly, as asserted by the Singapore Law Society, 'retention of unprosecuted offences on the statute book runs the risk of bringing the law into disrepute'. It undermines the significance of the Law just like having a head of State who has no power so evident in … (I’ll leave that to you to fill in the blanks).

Singapore needs to attract foreign talent in order to remain competitive. Its importance cannot be further emphasized. I quote the strong use of words by MP Vivien Balakrishnan, then part of the Remaking Singapore committee. In a Times Article he said “Singapore will do ‘whatever it takes’ to attract talent”. “Whatever it takes”.

377a mars Singapore’s aspirations to become a global city.

Kenneth Paul Tan, Assistant Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, feels the law will be another reason for talent not to come here. By retaining 377a we present to the world a Singapore which is culturally intolerant and sterile.

Carnegie Mellon academic Richard Florida, in a study published in 2002, coined the term "creative class" - comprising talented and innovative people who can choose to work anywhere in the world. The study showed that they are likely to be drawn to cities that show a tolerance for differences, and in turn, these cities perform well economically. Although no studies have been conducted to measure the actual loss that Singapore incurs due to its anti-gay laws, it is needless to say that 377a remains a barrier to attracting top talent.

Finally, even if we want to signal society’s disapproval of homosexuality, there is no need to retain 377a.

The repeal of 377a does not entail any view that homosexuality is morally acceptable, but follows instead from the separation of law and morals. It does not mean that society endorses or approves of it.

In noting this difference, we must therefore come to consensus that there is a distinction between disapproving and criminalizing homosexuality. By drawing a parallel between homosexuality and drinking or smoking, MP Baey Yam Keng noted that we can discourage homosexuality without criminalising it.

Today, I have told you that we should repeal 377a because firstly, it is irrelevant in today’s context; secondly, secondly, it’s a burden to retain it; and finally, that even if we want to signal society’s disapproval of homosexuality, there is no need to retain 377a.

I have an uncle who recently declared his homosexual orientation and it caused drama in the family that you only get to see in Hong Kong serials. But one thing I realized through the episode was this: If you know someone who’s gay, deal with his homosexuality as a person, not as a criminal. For it may be your best friend, your closest uncle, your brother, and who knows, in the future, even your own son.

So do your part.

Support the repeal of section 377a.

Thank you.

Spoilt Hair dryer

Bad hair days are here to stay. My maid spoilt the hair dryer and that does not help her approval ratings, which has been plunging like current STI since she arrived. Bad cooking, eating stuff without asking permission (my J-Co Donuts!) and sitting in front of me while I'm watching TV...

I need to go for a hair-cut, but there's no special occasion that warrants it. Meanwhile, that unruly turf on my head threatens to turn me into the next Medusa. That does not help in the fact that I ain't no Brad Pitt or whoever, whose looks could make everything ugly look beautiful.

Woe to me!

Darn, I'm sounding damn gay.

Mid-term Break

It's the first day of the mid-term break and guess where I am?

In the LKS Library.

So here's my schedule for today.

8.45 - 12 Ong's First Futures talk
12.30 - 1 Lunch
1 - 3 Meeting
3.30 - 4.30 Build Batam Briefing
4.30 - 5.00 FTB Faci interview

Tis worse than the normal FA morning Mondays.

Bish.

I Live in Singapura

So last year, but still hilarious

Hit me Baby One more Time - Britney

My maid is singing Britney's Hit me Baby One More Time in the kitchen.

-______________-"

"Hit me baby one more time."

I need to wake up from this nightmare.

Someone hit me.