QOTD-finally

"Who guards the guardians?"

School holidays.. not.

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Handovers

Yup. I have just experienced what seemed to me the official handover from the J2s to the J1s.
For Chorale, after we sccrewed up the first half of the concert really badly, we were really moody and the basses were talking backstage, thanking people... what we would miss, what will come, rehearsals for the second half of the concert...
After the intermission i think all of us in Chorale sang our hearts out. There seemed to be a common mindset that bonded all of us together, and i think the audience experienced the magic that we felt, that was so tangible. It was great. And afterwards, continuing with the heart-to-heart-talk from the intermission,  can say that it was an emotional time for those present. When you have invested so much of your personal time and effort in Chorale, leading a section, leading the entire chorale forward, it's hard not to feel anything as you part ways in J2. The moments might be unforgettable, but there will always be a part of you that remains with chorale, something that you feel is forever missing, leaving a huge gaping hole in your life. Then the fact dawns upon you that you will never again sing in this choir once more, might never get to see a batchmate again, at least not in the same manner as in your JC life. It's a little window and insight as to how my own graduation from Chorale might go next year.
Today was handover for Biosoc. Vastly different atmosphere- the session started off with butterfly catching and mounting of specimens, and then the J2s ate cake. The 'old' president got his face forced into the cake, which gave me a mix of feelings: how would he react? In anger, forcing a smile, just letting it go because it was the last official session? Or perhaps he would join in the fun... (personally, i didn't really approve, because us poor J1s didn't get any share of the cake, and i didn't eat much of a lunch, and there they were wasting food...) The festive mood continued, and i didn't get to hug the 'old' president or any exco member. Oh, well...
I guess Chorale weighs slightly more than Biosoc to me as of now, because chorale members are simply more bonded than biosoc. There's nothing that can improve bonding like a month or so of preparing for SYF and a concert two weeks after.


******************

On politics:
after the concert ended i heard people saying that dear old MM Lee and SM Goh had retired. I was disbeliving at first, dismissing them as rumours, but then i saw the news after coming home. I got shocked. Of course, they would no doubt take a backseat and play the role of advisors, but still, i'm thankful that they have now been given the chance to slow down their pace of life, even if it's just a little, because they deserve it- no matter the political agenda behind their abdication.
Then: Wong Kan Seng and Mah Bow Tan are no longer in the cabinet. Apparently in my class alone there has been much celebration, with snide remarks about cabinets ("Oh, they came out from Narnia"; etc.). Due to many consecutive years of not reading newspapers, i don't really know what they did to earn such critisism, but if they really are so unpopular, there must be, logically, justfications. ("WKS screwed up his entire career"- another classmate) Okay, perhaps Mas Selamat escaped then due to a stupid mistake by one of the two, cant rember which, and i guess that's grounds enough for bein taken a shot at. Time to step aside and let newer members show their worth. I hope. The PAP seems to have taken their election results very seriously, and those who have been proven to repeatedly make mistakes have been pruned out of the party. I suppose it's time for a facelift to continue appealing to the masses instead of forever relying on threats and assurances of the future by using the past as evidence. The past is passe. They should propose more plans for the future instead, and continue adapting. This would allow for fairer competition with the opposition parties, who will probably continue growing for the next five years before election season comes by once more.

upzdatez.

In brief:

• Chorale elections today. I once more felt kinda sad that i was hindering myself to run. Even though i wouldn't have gotten in (probably) the experience gained is probably valuable. Then i sat down and crashed the new exco and ate dinner together- felt pretty much marginalised and not a part of the conversation, obviously. I would have liked to be part of the group and discussed together, etc. Probably another regret to add on to my growing list, as previously stated (i guess).
• When coming home: the fences were up. Disgusting corrugated zinc sheets, opaque, obstructing my view of the estate. Imagine that in place of what was once thin, green wire fencing, and then as you walk down the slope to the open-air car park, red railings surround you, soon to be covered with more metal sheets, and you walk past the railings and realise with a start that there is a hole in the gate-that-wasn't-there-yesterday that accomodates a future lock- as if it were a great, invisible divide, seperating what you once thought of as a home and the present; the changed outside world from the homely, green enclave that still lies within, a glimmer of hope that will soon have its life snuffed out. I probably won't miss my home when i finally do move,because by then, the place would have changed beyond recognition. And i would accept it and move on... forgetting what used to be.
• I love architecture. Yes, random... just a passing remark about myself in general. So i love SOTA (my PI, but homework and PW aside...); i love spending a few minutes staring open-mouthed at beautiful houses i pass by; i love to draw and imagine them, with modern furniture and all. So: http://business.asiaone.com/Business/My%2BMoney/Property/Story/A1Story20110509-277871/2.html.  :P
• oh, and for GE:
• Lim Hwee Hwa retired
• George Yeo retired
• Chiam See Tong retired.
• I suppose that new blood is a good thing, but that the loss of such leaders is, as mentioned earlier, a great pity.

Last Instalment on GE.

So: the results are out, the people have voted. I'm pretty sure most people have caught the news (at least about their own constituencies) and so i shall not deign to elaborate further. Also, it being 4.45 in the morn now meas that i am wide awake but have to sleep, because i need to catch up on homework very badly. You won't believe how far behind i am. And with reference to my dear friend from Victoria Junior College, even those in my class who have done all their homework etc. are about 2 chapters behind in nearly evey subject. We suck. I suck the most.

Anyway, to summarise: The People's Action Party (PAP) has once more dominated, winning 81 seats out of 87; the rest went to Workers' Party in Aljunied GRC and the adjacent Hougang SMC. However their share of votes has fallen to a historic low (about 60%- i'm not a computer, don't expect very accurate figures) from the last election in 2006  (about 66%). Also the WP is now the only opposition party to win a GRC- at the expense of losing two Ministers of Parliament (MPs). Personally, i am very sad to see Mr George Yeo lose. I surfed his Facebook page when the results were out, and a stream of posts expressing their opinions surfaced. His friend request count has probably reached so high that his account can't accept anymore for the time being. Hopefully the Government finds a way to make use of his considerable talent without him being an MP, and perhaps when he comes back to contest once more in politcs in whatever district he can once more win the support of the citizens.

So as predicted, by many newspapers and by me, the PAP has won once more, but of course the breakthrough by the WP in winning the voters in Aljunied GRC will lead to a stronger opposition, and the tides will probably continue turning in favour of the opposition parties, although i can't say that for sure. That will be left to the next GE about five years down the road- when i will be eligible to vote.

Poltics is interesting. (:

p.s. FYI i didn't know that there were 7 political parties until today:
the Peoples' Action Party (PAP)
the Workers' Party (WP)
the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP)
the National Solidarity Party (NSP)
the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA)
the Singapore Peoples' Party (SPP)- once part of the SDA
the Reform Party

Dejected.

I have just successfully spent an hour (in between watching the elections on TV) trying to decide whether i wanted to nominate myself for an exco position in Chorale.

And in the midst of my dilemma, all my problems were solved. The deadline was up, at 11pm.

I think that i really want to serve my CCA(s). It's simply a matter of me being wishy-washy, saying 'what if?' to myself: what if i on't have time to do homework? what if i don't get the vote? what if...

I think it's just like what i felt during Biosoc nominations; i just didn't feel like thinking. I wanted to avoid taking on a huge responsibility. And yet i love my CCAs; i like all that i do. I must be a really sorry sight to a bystander. If i were to watch two versions of myself: the proverbial angel and demon, whispering in my own ear, debating between myself, tearing myself apart...

Perhaps what i really need is a push on the back, a command to tell me to go forth and fill in the nomination form (a really big hassle), to have the courage to step forth and lead. In the few leadership positions i have had so far, acting as a coordinator for Biosoc (pract comm) and PW group leader, i have found that i like to lead. the major impedement is my low self-esteem. i have always seen myself as a person in the backseat, contributing and advising the leader, but yet preferring to be unnamed, unseen, always hiding in the shadows. You can even observe it when i'm playing sports during PE. I am always the defender in floorball, the useless 'pillar' in soccer who dodges away from the ball when it is headed my way. Because of my multitude of excuses, i have denied myself the chance to be more involved in what i love, be in a more closely knit group for my CCA(s). It is a chance that i will never get again, because after graduating from RJ i don't know where i will go next. Even if i continue schooling and go to a university, the leadership opportunities there will be limited. Will there forever be a choir for me to join and contribute to the music-making? I highly doubt so.

Part of what made it so hard for me to arrive at a decision (still not done yet, and will never be; just another of my growing list of regrets in life) is that i didn't know whether i wanted an exco position mainly for a better-looking certificate when i graduate from RJ. I don't want to believe that that is my main aim. Credentials are not everything, and yet, if i were to hire myself, i would look at the list of things that i have done, see that it was woefully inadequate, and reject my job application. After all, who bothers to look at someone who is only a 'normal member'? When job applicants are scouted for, the creme de la creme are those picked. Non-leaders, on the other hand, are neglected... sometimes, you feel that you are good... and yet, 'good' is not enough. And so you are left behind, alone, cold.

More On General Elections

I have just come back from attenting two rallies today after school, the SPP (Singpore Peoples' Party) at Bishan-Toa Payoh and Workers' Party at Serangoon Stadium, contesting for Aljunied GRC (Group Representation Constituency).

I must say that attending the rallies was enlightening to a certain extent. It is also heartening to see that many of my fellow RI/JC schoolmates are interested in such political talks; I personally consider myself largely apathetic to politics, but with the entire of Singapore in such fervour, to not be involved is a very hard thing. Information is filtered to you by your collegues talking about the various parties around you; a tiny glimpse of the newspaper; networking sites, even. I think that for me, five years ago at the last GE I was simply too young to understand much of what was going on, maybe just a hint or two from my parents talking about various parties here and there, but also subconsciously assuming that the PAP would win most of the areas they were contesting for.

However, the situation now is rather different. One of the most hotly contested areas is the Aljunied district with the PAP against the WP. The WP have poured their top five best candidates to contest in this districts; among them, Dr Low Thia Kiang, a veteren poltician, and Chen Show Mow (think there's a typo somewhere, correct me if i'm wrong) who has lived in China for the past 30 years, but has now come back to contribute to his motherland. From what i have gleaned from the newspaper, he seems to be a brilliant individual, coming from Harvard University, top notch lwyer etc. It does seem that George Yeo, the main PAP candidate contesting in Aljunied GRC, might have a hard time securing the voters. How the people might vote can be seen from the turnout for the rallies for the political parties; at PAP, news reports of deserted stands were rife, while at WP, there was a massive turnout at Serangoon Stadium; the place was literally overflowing with people; chants of " Workers' Party! Workers' Party! .." overwhelmed me. I count myself lucky that i was able to catch the latter half of the rally, because I am at a more mature age now, and have become more interested in politics at a time when the tides might just be shifting in favour of the Opposition. There has been speculation that if the WP wins the contest for Aljunied this time round, the opposition will get a stronger footing, spurring on more contests in SMCs (Single- Management Constituencies) and GRCs the next GE. I could be witnessing the start of the slow demise of the PAP, which has dominated Singapore's political scene for most of the time after independence. This may or may not be a good thing, but i hope that if this happens, there will be a gradual, solid transition of power from the PAP to the opposition- whoever that may be that is strong enough to take on the PAP, be it now, or in the future. It will be interesting to see what happens to Singapore after the GE voting results are out. But of course, we should not emulate any example we see. I think the PAP's argument is valid when they say that the WP's theme this year (for a first-world parliament) does not really make sense. What is considered a first world parliament? That answer probably varies from country to country; there is no one-size-fits-all solution to different cultures and traditions and mix of different people of different races. What is most important is that Singapore's government continues to run smoothly and care for the people.

Of course, the political scene in Singapore is likely to change drastically if Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew were to (touch wood) pass away. Imagine if he had done so before the GE this time round. The GE would probably be quite chaotic. People still do, in their heart of hearts, respect this figure who has led us to become a more developed society. MM Lee commands a great deal of power among us Singaporeans, and the day he leaves this world will be the day that Singapore mourns. We will once more be an unsure nation, standing shakily, not knowing our identity, and whether we pick ourselves up from there and move on with newer and capable leaders taking over the helm or regress back into instability is nothing short of a huge question mark. For now, though, I really think that MM Lee should enjoy his life. He has, admittedly, done so much for Singaporeans. I do believe that it is time for him to enjoy life and reap the ripe fruits that have grown from the seeds he sowed.

On the other hand, going for the rallies was also enlightening in another aspect. For both the rallies that i have gone to, there was alot of PAP-bashing going on. The fractious opposition seems to be united only in this as part of their stand. They simply want the PAP gone. Have they ever thought about how they are going to run the country with them gone? The intentions of the opposition are good, but without a large enough backing and experience to keep things running smoothly like clockwork, i find that all they are doing now is making empty promises, building castles in the air and crafting a mesmerising song that weaves itself around the bespelled audience. Perhaps i have a different viewpoint, having only watched the two rallies on the last day- or rather night- of campaigning. But it does seem to me that that is all the speakers have been talking about. Issues like inflation, the high prices of food, GST (goods and services tax), ERP (electronic road pricing) etc have been raised. They may criticise the PAP, but what measure have they proposed? None. If they put themselves in the shoes of the ruling party, i am sure that they would have been alot more quiet. One SPP speaker ralked about the transparency of the public reserves fund. He commented on how the Government has restiricted access; no figures and statistics online or on public domains, who cite 'national security' as the primary reason. But isn't that the case? Does he really want to make the public reserves totally transparent, such that people know every single detail that goes on? What will happen if every Singaporean or even foreigners worldwide know that we have been losing money (hypothetically)? The value of the Singdollar would dramatically decrease, and the economy would collapse. Some things are better left a secret.

In conclusion, it is in my opinion that Singapore's political scene is nearing its peak- perhaps this GE, or maybe the next. Sweeping changes might occur very soon; all eyes are on Aljunied GRC and how its voters will respond. There might be mass turnouts at WP rallies and less-than-warm receptions at PAP's, but in the end, voters will scrutinise who has, or will benefit them the most, and this is evident in what they already have been provided. It will likely be a close fight in Aljunied. I am looking forward to the results- and of course, that of the other voting districts drawn out in Singapore as well.