Solitude
at
best
soothing
to
a
soul
so
hardened
leaden
to
crude
grating
noise
of
life

at
worst
solitary
confinement
tortures
one
soul
to
the
depths
of
hellish
fires
desperate
and
longing
to
break
free
from
an
enclosed
prison
cell

Reading is the crucial subject in the curriculum, affecting all the others, as we know.
Sandra Stotsky, professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas.

The focus on raising test scores without an even greater focus on preparation and support of the education workforce will continue to distract from providing those in greatest need and the nation with the world-class education system we all need.
James Comer is the Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry and the founder of the Yale Child Study Center at Yale University. He is the author of “Leave No Child Behind” and the forthcoming “What I Learned in School: Reflections on Race, Child Development and Education.”

If you are interested in reading the article, you can click here: What do school tests measure?

What I love ab9out this article is that there is great discussion about the topic in the article, and with depth too. No mudslinging, complaining etc. Show this in the local papers or local sites? I can predict what the responses are going to be like. Sadly...

I like this article in the Kent Ridge Common. Very sensible and puts many things into persepctive. There is no shouting, screaming, no accusations.

Singapore: A young nation on the rise">

O_O

Why the onine furore over this Canadian guy's letter in the ST Forum? His letter is fine. But the headline is terrible. People should slam the ST for their creativity and lack of sensibilities instead.

I am just perplexed over the majority of the commentors' insane wishes of foregoing cleanliness and safety over long hours of work etc. etc.

Maybe we are just too cocooned in our nice little next. In many ways, I am often surprised by our naivety and inability to separate the state from the government and from our own national identity. I am also getting increasingly uncomfortable when there is a sizeable group who expects to enjoy good standards of living and want 'freedom' of speech unconditionally.

Why just the other day, I overheard a student telling her friend that she wished that Singapore can experience rioting like what happened in Sri Lanka. And I was wondering to myself, this is getting insane.

Come to think of it, perhaps it's the fault of the PAP for leaving us with such impressions of wanting to be the best in everything. Maybe we are victims of our own success because if one thinks about it, materially we have the best, but in terms of our political maturity and 'sreet-smart' habits, we are still like a child. Or worst still, a spoilt young child.

The PAP is not perfect. In fact I was thinking to myself, the country's future is bleak.. Really bleak when the head of the largest labour union is a minister of the government and a member of the ruling political party. It is worrisome. Like what we expect from a NMP, shouldn't the head of this union be non-partisan? Or maybe not someone who occupies such an important role in the government due to a conflict of interest?

I am grateful that I am born in this country. We are in many ways better than them. But very sadly, Singaporeans living in the country are often very sheltered? In many ways, the average Singaporean living in HDB flats, and who attend to government neighbourhood schools are probably as ignorant as middle America. (Yikes, am making a sweeping statement over here, I got the feeling. But I shall not apologise because that's my impression so far.) And this is worrying because we are a city-state. We are a country, yet we function physically and economically as what a city would do. But intellectually, we are not there yet as a population living in a city.

Yes, I know, this is confusing. :P To use a very cliche description of ourselves, 'We are victims of our own sucess.' And of PAP's rhetoric and insistence of being apolitical towards issues in the country. Cos like it or not, I think at some point, we have subconsciously bought into this idea.

Last night, I dreamt of someone, a friend. It was unexpected and so vivid that I could more or less remembered what went on in it. Nonetheless, the appearance of this particular person in my dream was also totally unexpected.

If dreams are said to reveal our subconscious minds and desires, then perhaps it wasn't that surprising after all.

In the dream, both myself and A (for convenience sake, I will just use the first letter of the alphabet) was looking at some exhibit in a playground for quite some time. And then, out of the blue, she fainted and I had to carry her back home. Along the way, we met up with an acquaintance and a few others who were in charge of this particular event. When they saw me carrying A, they rushed over and suggested a couple of ways of contacting her family. The dream ended there.

It was a short dream but the feelings and emotions were very vivid in my mind. It is strange that I was dreaming of A because we had not talked for a long time. In fact, we were quite close back then a few years back, but recently, it seemed like we had drifted apart. I was, and am, struggling over the reasons why we became distant and there were a couple of moments when I wished that we could go back to the past where her bubbly disposition sort of lighted up my life. In a way, she was one of the more sensitive friends who showed care and concern to me even when I did not reveal much.

I guess the dream surfaced the issue that I had been trying to ignore for the longest time. I wanted, and still want, to show my care and concern for this friend, because I still treat her as one of my closest friends and I feel that it is worth keeping this friendship. In fact, I treasure this friendship very much. But when the other party is drawing further and further away and does not want to reveal her woes or anything that friends (not normal hi-and-bye friends, but in a friendship that is substantial enough for us to have a comfortable, honest conversation) share, I guess it is hard for me to reach out to her too. I do have my own fears too in having a conversation with her that we will turn out to have an awkward meet-up. Maybe she feels that it is pointless to talk about such things because she does not feel that it is necessary or important to do so.

Just sad and disappointed that this friendship has been reduced to this state. I don't know if the other party will get to read this post. I do and really sincerely hope that I can tell all this that I had written above to her face-to-face, but my courage is lacking. I don't like outbursts or quarrels but sometimes I wonder if I should do this and push her, yet I am afraid that it will push her further away instead.

This is funny! The poor kids must have had a fright.

Thanks to the conversation with sandara last night, it got me curious and there, spent the whole afternoon watching Jesus Camp. And she's right. It's scary.

Yet at the same time, I hear the same old messages which we heard over the past few weeks about the AWARE saga by the 'new Exco'. Which makes it even scarier.

I wonder if the kids in the documentary who say words like 'abortion', 'natioin' etc. actually know what these words mean. I wonder if these people who utter words like 'I am pro-family' knows what that imply. It sickens me to hear people who say that the world is filled with 'sickos' just because they are not Christians. And not to mention that these people 'train' kids to be 'God's army' or whatever that means. Even scarier, majority of these people don't even interact with other people and they don't put their children in schools.

Which brings me to the post by

The great man himself, David Harvey

I love this image of Kylie. Very pixie like and adorable. She's coming to Singapore! And I have to miss the concert because I will be in Thailand! Oh well...




Go Kylie!

Kylie is going to come to Singapore!



Really love this music video. For once she wasn't dressed so scantily but it's a good video all the same. :P

Third Tuesdays presented by University of Adelaide Singapore Campus

16th September 2008, Tuesday 7.20pm-8.30pm

Register for your FREE seat by 10 September.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Climate Change and sea-level rise: Coastal management implications for the Asia-Pacific region

Speaker: Professor Nick Harvey



Jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize together with Al Gore in 2007, a PhD in coastal geomorgraphology and has over 30 years experience in coastal research and teaching with research interests in coral reefs, coastal dunes and coastal geology.



The potential impacts of climate change on coastal environments in Asia-Pacific region are significant because the region has diverse marine and terrestrial ecosystems, including the world's largest areas of coral reefs and mangroves.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Seminar Venue: Ngee Ann-Adelaide Education Centre, Teochew Building, 97 Tank Road, #04-00

Web: www.naaec.com.sg Email: yvonnechan@naaec.com.sg Tel: 6738 2910

So conflicted. Both Spain and Germany are good teams and I happen to quite like both teams. Well, so I guessed correctly that the final will be Spain-Germany after Holland crashed out during the quarter-finals. Still it does not mean that I will support one side more than the other tomorrow morning. Approaching this match is as difficult as me approaching the World Cup finals in 2004 between Brazil and Germany.

Whatever the outcome may be, I predict tomorrow's match will be won by a team who will score one more goal than the other and definitely a high scoring affair.

To Germany, Alles Gute!
To Spain, Buena suerte!

No apologies but this blog shall be running an Oranje fever as long as the Euro 2008 campaign lasts for the Holland team. So if it is too in your face, too bad. :P

Today, I 'dragged' Mum to her old house at Tiong Bahru after lunch at Siglap. I passed by the place yesterday and was struck by the many changes that the area went through.

So the first stop that she brought me to was the present Link Hotel. Converted from two post-war HDB flats, the buildings are now a boutique hotel. I was struck by its elegance and simplicity. In a way, I was pleased that the architecture was preserved. Looking at the two converted buildings, I sort of felt a sense of pride that visitors are staying and experiencing a part of our history. But at the same time, I wondered if the flats could remain as flats for people to stay in.



Link Hotel at Tiong Bahru




After satisfying our 'kay-pohness' over the boutique hotel, she brought me for a walk into the estate and regaled tales about her childhood experiences in the neighbourhood. Listening to her stories, I tried hard to imagine how life was like for her as she spoke of how she ran up the dark staircase to her flat, where she bought food from etc. Real life narration of a piece of our history about a quarter century ago. I think it must have felt nostalgic to her as she recounted her experiences to me. Especially when she pointed out almost accusingly how the space occupied formerly by a temple is now a church, her encounters with goat and cow droppings from the nearby attap slum,the fire at Bukit Ho Swee and how her friend was affected by the fire, and how she was felt with pride when she brought me to one of the very old noodle shop, trying to take something tangible back from the past by buying a whole big bag of noodles and wanton skin.


Some old flats at Tiong Bahru



Bukit Ho Swee before the fire





Then we made our way to the newly revamped Tiong Bahru market which was like nothing of the past. Instead of a single storey building with wonderful ventilation and a sense of cosyness, it felt disappointingly like another market and hawker centre. I think for many people who knew the old Tiong Bahru Market before the upgrading, they would have felt a sense of loss. Something simlple, small and cosy where everybody knew one another was transformed into one where suddenly there was a new influx of new stalls and greater competition among stall holders. It was as if another sense of place has been taken away from me as both my mum and I stood at the entrance for a few moments feeling directionless in the vast space of the hawker centre. We practically had to search for the old stalls among the whole haystack of new hawker stalls. Only then, a sense of familiarity came back to us. I think both of us were quite relieved that Tiong Bahru market has still retained some of its old flavour.

Taking the MRT home, I really wonder if 25 years on if my present abode will still exist. And I really wonder if I would ever have the chance to bring people back to where I stayed when I was young to tell them stories about my life in the past. Once again, a sense of restlessness swept through me as I remembered that a part of my childhood in Geylang had already been consigned to my memory when several houses along the street had to make way for new development and with the encroaching of streetwalking activities into a once safe neighbourhood.

Sad isn't it? Life in Singapore.


Photos courtesy from sparklette.net

Two youths produce Mas Selamat T-shirt

I am sorry but when I passed by a group of youths hawking the T-shirts at Orchard Road I could feel my rage boiling through my veins. Honestly, this is really done in bad taste.

1) Who in the right mind would want to wear T-shirts with his face on it? Even if this was done to raise awareness, this is done in bad taste. I. am. not. the. least. impressed. by. this. It is almost akin to putting him on the same page as Che Guvera and yes, I do agree that both of them are contriversial, but putting the former on T-shirts to sell is simply plain unacceptable.

2) Which brings me to the second point on the purpose of doing this for this group of people. 'Fun'. Seriously, what is so 'fun' about raising awareness about a wanted terrorist who have half a mind to bomb and kill people? I don't understand such attitude displayed by these people. There is a time when 'fun' is allowed. But this is one of those situations where 'fun' should not be present.

n.

1. A source of enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure.
2. Enjoyment; amusement: have fun at the beach.
3. Playful, often noisy, activity.



3) 'Enterprising'. Another logic that I don't quite understand. What is so 'enterprising' about earning bucks over selling a terrorist's face? Where is the moral conscience among these people? Worshipping him by putting his face on the T-shirt. Associating him with a country's most important military process - ORD. It is, again, one thing to be subversive, but another to subvert brainlessly without thinking of the consequences and impacts. Usung the excuse to spread awareness is inexcusable. And the horror, being encouraged by the mainstream media who seem to be taking the government's ideology on being enterprising too literally.

I reiterate my stand again: There are other more tasteful and creative ways to continue to spread awareness about this guy.

No hope. Really no hope. *shakes head in despair*

Black Swan - Thome Yorke

why am I always discovering nice songs belatedly???

Times Like These - Jack Johnson


In times like these
I'm times like those
What will be will be
And so it goes
And it always goes
On and on and on and on and on
On and on and on and on and on it goes

There's always been laughing, crying
Birthing, dying
Boys and girls with hearts a-taken
Give and break
Heal and grow and recreate
And raise and nurture
But there not from time to

In times like these
In times like those
What will be will be
And so it goes

But there will always be stop and go
And fast and slow
And action, reaction
Sticks and stones
And broken bones
Those for peace and those for war
God bless these ones, not those ones, but these ones
Man

In times like these
I'm times like those
What will be will be
And so it goes
And it always goes
On and on and on and on and on
On and on and on and on and on it goes

Very irritated with IRAS now as I file my tax regarding how disconnected they are to ther rest of the government bodies. Yes, I am talking about how they did not update the their database and sent the letter to me using my old name.

I shall wait and see how they are going to deal with this as I write in and seriously I hope that they can take the initiative to verify my identitiy themselves instead of inconveniencing me.

bah...

Oh, never really realised this until I stumbled upon it while looking through the annual NUS Geog Challenge stuff in the Geog Dept homepage:

The only Singaporean among the 2007 Nobel Peace prize

Ah, the source of pride from the wise 'old' man of Geog in Singapore.

:D

South Africa Bourke's Luck Potholes - Blyde River




Swaarmoed pass, Matroosberg, Ceres, South Africa




Victoria Falls




My posts may have bordered on the side of controversial stereotyping of the continent, but unfortunately, they mirror what we read in the news and in the Internet.

World Vision aid

Why not fork out $45 a month to sponsor a child?

Not paid to promote this, but I have been seriously considering doing that. Been thinking about it in the past few days actually.

After a whole long list of war-torn countries in that continent.

With so much bad news from Africa, you can't help but wonder that the whole region will sooner of later burst into flames literally.









conflict Africa
war Africa
long-suffering Africans
They are of the same human race

Eee!! Eee!! *jumps up and down excitedly and points*



That is Mississpi River. See the meanders????!!!!




Our very own Singapore River!!

I heart Google Earth!!!!