The Resident Tourist

I read about this guy in the Sunday Times yesterday. He's a Singaporean that came back to draw comics after quitting his job in US. And he has even posted them online for free. In one of his comics, The Resident Tourist, he talks about, well himself. He talked about the stories that shaped him, the social norms that he never obeys, friendships and the rat race. One particular thing that keeps popping out in the comic was people who kept asking what he does for a living. When he reply he draw comics, everyone was amused and wonders how he survives. And there is this particular friend of his that keep telling him that he is not a Singaporean as he does not have a proper job and he is a bum for doing "nothing".

I thought it was a very interesting comic that touched on issues close to us, the rat race that never fails to disillusion us, the social norms that we try means to escape from but still finding ourselves doing the very things the whole Singapore is doing.

Maybe after a long day in school or when you feel like throwing that homework out of the window, go to his site and read the comics he has drawn, it will definitely help you to wind down and he deserves our support for daring to take a route so many of us wouldn't dare to.

les

F1 is here.

The first F1 night race is going to happen right in the Singapore CBD area. Fences have been set up, roads relaid, powerful floodlights installed and grandstands erected. The cars have already reached Singapore, so has the entire support crew and the drivers.

The government has said that the holding of such world class events like the F1 race will be a boost to Singapore's tourism industry and millions of viewers all over the world will get to see the wonderful sights of Singapore on their TV and hopefully they will be attracted to come in the future.

But I have read reports in the papers of Singaporeans complaining about all the road closures and leading to terrible jams in certain roads. Shopping malls in the Marina Bay area like Suntec City seems to be hit hard. Some shop owners have commented that their business takings has dipped, partly due to the inaccessibility of the area due to the road closures.

Strangely though, I think most Singaporeans do not feel as hyped up, especially the heartlanders. Firstly F1 is quite an exclusive sport, their tickets cost a bomb and there isnt much of a racing culture in Singapore. You can either love F1 to the core or think that it is just stupid watching cars going round and roung for 61 laps.

I think more can be done to involve more Singaporeans in the race. There shoud be more publicity on the TV too. Maybe they should try to involve some of the schools, especially the ites, polytechnics and universities. Perhaps carnivals should be held in the heartlands and try to get everyone involved from the corporate companies, grassroots organizations, the heartlanders. There can also be some kind of charity drives and proceeds going towards the less forunate. It will be a great gesture if the organisers, hotels and those who benefited from F1 come together and give out a sum to help the less forunate in our society.

I just feel sad that what a waste it was as the F1 race could be a great way to involve the whole nation and bind our nation together and but yet for now it seems like an event only for the rich and the tourists.

les

Life 2

Before you all proceed to revising your modules for that mid term test next week, maybe you all should read this article. I actually read it once before and chanced upom it again in the ntu student run newspaper.

It was a speech by Mr Adrian Tan who gave it at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information graduation ceremony 2008. It is quite a long speech so I dun think I will post it here directly but will give you all the link instead. Here.

He talked about life and how the newly graduated students should approach it. And he injected quite a lot of humor into it, making it a very interesting speech.

Some highlights,

Revisit those expectations. You might be looking forward to working, falling in love, marrying, raising a family. You are told that, as graduates, you should expect to find a job paying so much, where your hours are so much, where your responsibilities are so much.

That is what is expected of you. And if you live up to it, it will be an awful waste.

Do not waste the vast majority of your life doing something you hate so that you can spend the small remainder sliver of your life in modest comfort. You may never reach that end anyway.

Find that pursuit that will energise you, consume you, become an obsession. Each day, you must rise with a restless enthusiasm. If you don’t, you are working.

les

paradise

went to watch wallie? wally? walle? wall.e?
whatever.

the show is nice.
fresh concept. creative idea. smooth plot. nice ending. though i feel that if it ends sadly with wallie lost his memory, it will be better. but probably due to ratings and popularity, it ends a fairytale way.

i was so captivated by the movie at that time. but the point is, it was a good break from all the crazy studying recently. i thought if only time could stop at that moment. the smooth plot, relaxing music contributed to the paradise-like feeling at the threatre.

after the movie ended, i was still feeling as if im part of the fairytale, relax and carefree. yet the reality clock rang. in just a matter of days, i will be back to the mugging lifestyle, to a situation where i will never want to be in. hope everyone treasures and appreciate this recess week.

contributed by
low

Life

Is that what life is about?

Chasing after that bus/train every morning when you go to work/school?

Chasing that A grade in school?

Climbing up the corporate ladder and trying to impress your boss at every opportunity?

Working hard and for long hours for money to satisfy your material needs?

Squeezing with everyone else in the packed MRT train when you go home at 6pm?

Then squeeze with all the other people again at Orchard Road during weekends?

The reality show, the amazing rat race is on air, 24/7, 365 days a year.

No wonder so many people want to escape.

les

Motivating lines

要拼才会赢

一份耕耘，一份收获

要努力才会成功

要用心读书

读书要专心

先苦后甜

现在努力，将来才不会后悔，将来后悔也来不及了

不要辜负父母对你的期望

即使失败了， 但因为努力过才不会对不起自己

I thought all the above lines are quite useful when you get all lazy, nua, ill disciplined, tired or saturated from all the study. Hahahaaa.

If all fails, take a break and then start reciting all the lines again.

les

Singapore Public Transport 2

Another short clip from TOC,