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- from the Straits Times Online Forum 23 August 2007 -
We need more noble teachers
I REFER to Mr Jason Charles Ingham's letter, 'Teachers should educate, not just teach, students' (ST, Aug 11).
As a student of the 70s and 80s, I held a high respect for my teachers. Teaching was seen as a noble profession then. Or maybe we were just a generation that followed instructions without question.
Things have changed no doubt. Present-day teachers have great challenges ahead from keeping up with media, technological advancements and the toughest job of dealing with parents with high expectations. I have seen such parents - my friends are some of them, maybe I am too. I certainly do not envy the role teachers have to play, especially when some parents expect teachers to do wonders for their children's development, not just academically but also socially and emotionally. Some even look upon the teachers as taking over their parental roles. That's sad.
I have seen the present-day teachers too. Sadly, I have been disappointed. It's not a safe generalisation but oftentimes, I encountered teachers who pass on values that are so wrong for the young ones to model upon, values such as instant gratification, consumerism, lack of humility to serve, et cetera.
I also recall an older teacher telling me that when she asked a student to pick up a piece of litter on the school grounds, the child responded: 'For what? We got cleaners to do that kind of thing!' Arrogance indeed. What happened to pride in keeping the school grounds clean? Have we bred a nation dependent on maids to serve them?
I have deep respect for teachers still, especially the older generation ones. I have seen those with true passion to ignite the fire in their students, to educate them not just on school work but also in their overall development and appreciation of life. These are the kinds of teachers we need.
Teaching is not just for anybody. It requires a certain aptitude and definitely a love for education and the young. I wish, for the sake of my children, that they would find a teacher at least once in their educational life who inspires and motivates them, and teaches them to make a difference.
I do not envy MOE in selecting the right people for the job. It's tough finding such noble people. I can only hope more will come forward. To those who have, thank you for your efforts in grooming our young.
Jo-Anne Lee (Ms)
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I remembered the time when someone asked me why I didn't just apply to NIE when I couldn't get a place to read in NUS some years back. I was quietly indignant and thought the quip was incredulous. I knew how much of a rebel I was back in school. Do I want to subject myself to the even more rebellious school kids nowadays? Of course not.
But that's not the point. It's about feeling confident and passionate enough to make a difference. It is a noble thought and it will definitely be great to help introduce ideas to growing kids. To talk about life and get to know their viewpoints on life. But hey, not everyone can do that. I'm the type of student who doesn't just look at how well a teacher teaches the class. So what if he/she is a brilliant teacher who can get the good students to excel even more in their tests and exams? I care more about those who genuinely help the weaker students. Somehow, there is that vibe present. I want to be that kinda teacher (if I ever do become one). To let them know that I am genuinely concerned for their learning journey. And that I'm not some over-achiever, over-zealous teacher who wants you to quit my subject just because you don't excel in it.
Such an ideal but can I be like that? I highly doubt it. And that's why I didn't go to NIE, thank you very much. If it's my calling and if God permits, I will teach one day.
those words above were said by cat deeley. and i totally agreed with her. it was during the top 20 performance round for So You Think You Can Dance season 3. mia michaels choreographed a contemporary piece for lacey and kameron.
1) mia michaels is fab-ulous!! alright, disclaimer: i only know of a few choreographers out there, foreign and local. thus, i'm only basing such judgment on my limited knowledge of great choreographers out there. nonetheless, i think you would think she is great once you've watched her choreography. it's so out of the box and somehow her emotive pieces are so damn moving. and cat was right - mia is just so able to evoke chills. the choreography, how lacey and kameron got into character is just amazing. lacey may not be as technically competent as some of the other contemporary female dancers. but she threw herself into it. and i think it was absolutely lovely. it represented so well how lovers struggle with relationships. the fights, frustrations, doubts, bittersweet moments throughout the course of loving each other. it was beautiful. made me wish i could dance like that and find a partner who could emote back in dance form. the intensity could just kill me. but oh the bliss.
2) i am a sucker for such tormented, inner struggle kinda thangs. i am absolutely fascinated by it.
3) and the song. dancing by elisa. man. such a nice haunting song. once again, i'm such a sucker for songs that pierces my soul.
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Dancing
Time is gonna take my mind
and carry it far away where I can fly The depth of life will dim my temptation to live for you
If I were to be alone silence would rock my tears 'cause it's all about love and I know better How life is a waving feather
So I put my arms around you around you
And I know that I'll be leaving soon
My eyes are on you they're on you
And you see that I can't stop shaking No, I won't step back but I'll look down to hide from your eyes 'cause what I feel is so sweet and I'm scared that even my own breath Oh could burst it if it were a bubble And I'd better dream if I have to struggle
So I put my arms around you around you
And I hope that I will do no wrong My eyes are on you they're on you And I hope that you won't hurt me
I'm dancing in the room as if I was in the woods with you
No need for anything but music Music's the reason why I know time still exists Time still exists Time still exists
So I put my arms around you around you
And I hope that I will do no wrong My eyes are on you they're on you And I hope that you won't hurt me
So I put my arms around you around you
And I hope that I will do no wrong My eyes are on you they're on you And I hope that you won't hurt me
- Elisa -
i chanced upon some youtube videos that some fans created out of their love for various characters in the harry potter books. i was unsurprisingly looking up for anything associated with the couple remus lupin and nymphadora tonks. apparently the song below was used for some other couples (be it as written by jkr herself or just some fans' personal preferences). anyway, i heard this song for one well-done video. and i was so moved. i didn't cry but such a sense of loss and melancholy swept through me. i was just moved at how tonks could love remus despite his age, the stigma he had to face being what he was, the deplorable conditions he was in. almost tak masuk akal (literally: doesn't go into the brain. i.e: doesn't make sense) as to how she could come to love him. the moments apart when he had to transform. it's short of amazing. i wondered what made her see through all that. was it really love? or just transfixed on a sort of enigma? i mean, it's not to say that tonks' intentions were not pure (or if jkr made it out as such). it's just so difficult to really know if you truly love someone for the right reasons. or whether you're attracted to someone for the right reasons for that matter.
despite the odds, they truly cared for each other in that they were worried for each other's well being. we may never know how they died apart from who killed them. but i guess they went into battle willing to die for the other. to bravely accept death and fiercely protect each other is a concept unknown to me. even though fictional, it may be an ideal some may wish for. i do not doubt that many out there will think that it is dumb to shed tears over such seemingly trivial stuffs. there are after all more worthy causes worth our thoughts and tears. but i feel it is this ability to feel that enables us to do good. to feel the pain and joy that we're allowed to experience. i don't for one second believe that God cannot be good or merciful if He allows for such destruction to happen. it is He who is capable of all things magnificent but it is just us, fallible humans, who succumb to our weaknesses. if humans can pompously believe in intellectual property rights or patents or what not, why is it hard to believe that there IS a being capable of creating all of us? my faults are my own. my insecurities and doubts are subsequent by-products of weak faith. whatever that can be said to be good in me only exists because He wills it to be so. i am sorry i cannot be strong. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Skin
Take a look at my body Look at my hands
There's so much here that I don't understand
Your face saving promises whispered like prayers
I don't need them
Because I've been treated so wrong I've been treated so long
As if I'm becoming untouchable
Well, contempt loves the silence It thrives in the dark
With fine winding tendrils that strangle the heart
They say that promises sweeten the blow
But I don't need them, no I don't need them
I'm the slow dying flower In the frost killing hour
Sweet turning sour and untouchable
Oh, I need the darkness
The sweetness
The sadness
The weakness
Oh, I need this
I need a lullaby
A kiss good night
Angel sweet love of my life
Oh, I need this
Do you remember the way that you touched me before
All the trembling sweetness I loved and adored?
Your face saving promises whispered like prayers
I don't need them
Well is it dark enough
Can you see me
Do you want me
Can you reach me
Oh, I'm leaving
You better shut your mouth
And hold your breath
And kiss me now
And catch your death
Oh, I mean this
Oh, I mean this
- Natalie Merchant -
The Harry Potter series has come to an end. (at least in book form)
Do I feel sad? Not particularly. A tinge maybe. I guess a sense of longing is more apt. Some of my favourite characters died. Abruptly. But then for those who have read the book. Death apparently isn't the end.
There can't be a Weasley twins spin off as I had hoped. That's what I'm saddest about I guess. Next would be the sweet but odd couple we got to know of in Book 6. *sigh* I think they rock. Like reeeeally rock.
Personally, I think she rounded it up pretty nicely. There were some kinks which I wished she had ironed out. But then, you gotta remember that this IS Harry Potter after all. And not about any other characters.
I'm waiting for other fans to finish reading the book. I can't wait to discuss it!!!
Hahahaha.
Yes, I am weird.
It used to be Plainsunset. Now The Postal Service has taken over.
And once again, it has been proven that I get into things late. Urgh.
But. I still go back to my beloved Lamb of God. Hahahah.
Anyway. I wanted to key in "inexplicable wave of sadness, frustration, longing. and just plain maddening." but that would defeat the purpose of actually proceeding to explain the nuances of my emotions and their causes.
*shrug* I wonder if this is just part and parcel of life. That I will face this struggle no matter where I go, no matter whose company I am in. I feel so conflicted that I wonder if I am even supposed to feel this way so often!
Theoretically, I CAN just leave and be somewhere else. But. Seriously, will it be any different? Will I be accepted? (the fact that my headings do not exactly reflect my posts which are ramblings that jump from topic to topic is a good indication as to how i am) *sigh* Maybe I think too much. Maybe I think in absolute terms. Maybe I'm just an idealist. Maybe.
Maybe...
Faith in own self. Faith in one's own decisions. Such an obscure concept. I wanna believe that whatever decisions I made were right and were made for my own betterment. But even I can't make myself believe that.
Urgh. I have issues, I know. Is it a lack of self esteem? Probably. Coupled with a couldn't care less attitude in certain aspects, I guess I seem like a walking contradiction.
Gotta find myself and I don't even know where to start.
Good luck to me.
- An excerpt from "Many issues about UNSW Asia unresolved as school shuts on Friday" featured on the Channel NewsAsia website 28 June 2007 -
Over 330 applications were submitted to the local universities by students from UNSW Asia.
Many had to spend a lot of time on the applications, just a few days before their UNSW examinations.
Foreign students even had to sit for qualifying exams.
But Channel NewsAsia understands that the local universities are offering only about 20 places.
"They feel very disappointed because they felt that special consideration was not given to them as promised by the various authorities," said Angeline Tan, a UNSW Asia student.
"As a foreign student, I don't really know how the authorities work in Singapore. But when I first came here, I was quite confident they would be very reliable. But when this whole thing happens, it seems like there's no help offered from the government," said Indonesian student Teddy Setiardi, UNSW Asia.
One university said it was already bending backwards to accommodate the students, as university places are already taken up by the larger "dragon year" cohort.
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Read the different coloured text and laugh along with me. Not at the poor displaced students but at the local universities.
In an earlier post, I have already mentioned about the 'wayang' PR act put up by the local universities. And well, it has just been confirmed!
It is just cruel. Fine, you have a certain standard to uphold. That I can understand. BUT don't attempt to show that you're 'actually' considering such students when you're actually not!
Cruel. Cruel. Cruel.
someone i shall nickname yt has made me squeal (softly) in delight.
his voice just lights up the dreary work day.
hahahaha. i sound so dramatic.
i've been calling people for quotations and all that. and there is a particular guy whose voice i just so so so so dig. it's quite uplifting. quite happy-happy. just plain nice.
and no. it's not as if i'm gonna call him just to hear his voice. this is just a (minor) highlight of the work that i hafta do... and *wheeee* i liiiike.
:)
i'm weird that way.
plainsunset - plainsunset
welcome into this place
i call my heart i call my home just take a seat and kick your shoes off just relax enjoy the show it feels so good it feels so nice when someone's standing there around watching everything you do everything you do and now you've come around to me to see my plainsunset and now you've come around to me to see my plainsunset
it feels so good it feels so nice
when there is someone there just watching over you and everything you do it feels so good it feels so nice when someone's listening to everything you say everything you say thank you for coming here to me to see my plainsunset thank you for coming here to me to see my plainsunset
As you can see. I am trying (trying is the imperative word) to focus on work. My gaze happened to land on this particular brochure for food thermometers (yes. those gadgets - if you can even call them that - have been occupying my mind for the past weeks). It seems apt for a post title trying to inconspicuously shout out that I need to pick up the slack and do actual work.
Anyway.
There have been quite a few interesting topics covered in the news lately. That elusive Richard Yong. The NETS and SCV hike this coming July. Dyslexic people. And the big hoo-ha regarding local and foreign tertiary institutions. Abdul Basheer and the utter shock of it all. When I said interesting, I meant those I personally find remotely thought-provoking or just cause for indignation.
I initially thought of starting a post on Richard Yong. You know, commenting about the incompetence of certain government agencies in preventing such a fellow from leaving Singapore. Bring up arguments like how they can 'easily' capture, convict and hang the unfortunate Vietnamese Australian guy for trying to smuggle heroin into Singapore. But not prevent someone (who liberally spent huge amounts of money donated by well meaning people) from leaving Singapore! It's like "Wahey! Raise taxes. Raise prices of goods and services. Price hikes here there everywhere. But what of the money willingly parted to help those in need? Let slip one of the parties who used such donations to their own advantage, I say!" Gaaaaah! Unfairness!
Then, a colleague said "What for complain? The man's already gone!" Bah. That totally extinguished the raging fire within me.
Yes dear Singaporeans, Permanent Residents and anyone else living in Singapore. Prices are on the up, up, up. NETS is raising their levy charges and apparently one retail store has already passed it on to its customers. I've read several comments left on the online Straits Times when an article 'exposed' the mentioned retail store. Yupz, people are not happy. And to think I didn't wanna own credit cards and stick with the humble NETS card for fear of exceeding my credit limit. One thing's for sure, the upcoming price hike will definitely NOT convince my family to subscribe to Starhub Cable.
Up next, the big UNSW fiasco. I totally laughed my head off when I read the bit about local universities offering students chances to send in their applications. Come on! One major reason why most locals take full/part time degree courses with foreign universities is because they cannot get into local universities in the first place. Even certain A Level students with outstanding results (4 As & B4) could not get into the course of their choice (maybe due to Project Work or something or other). I concede there are those brilliant ones on scholarships with foreign universities and those who wish to pursue courses of study unavailable here. But seriously, if given the chance, most of us would rather not spend that extra money, thank you very much. Yeah I hafta agree some of us didn't work as hard or maybe some of us are late bloomers. But give us a break. I know there are many poly grads who wish to pursue a higher education but unfortunately, can't do so locally.
The point is - it is such a 'wayang' PR act on the part of these local universities. (I work in a public relations department. I somewhat understand the rationale for saying certain things or doing some things for the public eye.) You were the ones who rejected our applications anyway. So why bother proclaiming to the displaced UNSW students to send in their applications? Don't crush their hearts again. I believe some of them had to deal with the sadness and disappointment of not being able to enter local universities. Don't offer the good 'deed' just so you will look like caring varsities to the public. Don't dangle the carrot in front of the students, just to snatch it away. They have enough anguish and unanswered questions to deal with.
If I were in their positions, I'd probably submit my applications to the local varsities anyway. Desperation. Hope. Anything to push away the disbelief. Would I believe they would even consider my applications, though? Not a chance.
Another central theme for today is the issue of the Iraq War. Been reading some blogs from certain Iraqis detailing their lives and sentiments. What is there to believe about the world anymore? Can be somewhat linked to the Abdul Basheer incident here in Singapore. However, that will take alot out of me. Maybe I'll dedicate one post to that someday. When I have the will to do so.
Bah.
Someone once said to me that, "Girls from our school cannot handle failure. That's why we suck at relationships." I wanna disagree but two other girls concurred when I related those comments to them.
Bah.
However, I once overheard my AD mention to someone else that Singaporeans are not taught to handle failure. Is this really true? Were we brought up to learn to expect results and anything less just doesn't cut it? Is this a trait inherent in all Singaporeans and not just girls from my school?
Either way, it's still freaky. Freeeeeaky.
Damn. I need some book on how to handle failure. Or.. something.
Times like these, I wish I could just shirk off responsibility, stay in bed and just cry. Think stupid thoughts and cry. Wallow in dumb self-pity. Hate myself for being weak. Cry some more. Feel fucked up for having stupid thoughts. Cry. and Cry. Cry. Cry.
I meant those words I said to you in jest. But there seems to be no point in making it up to you. Or explaining what I really meant. Because it doesn't matter anymore. My own self doubt has crept up on me and smacked me in the face, kicked me in the gut and stomped all over me. My own insecurities have insidiously taken over my whole perspective.
I keep having random thoughts that belittle my self-worth. Thoughts of never complete honesty. Of unfulfilment. Feelings of guilt. I am truly sorry for letting them out on you. Please don't ever think that I never appreciated it. I do know. And that was why I could stay on for as long as we did.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
Of course, I'm sad. I wonder how the coming days will be. But I cannot be selfish anymore. I cannot hang on just for the sake of it. I cannot hang on because you can put up with me. It's not fair to you. I feel so messed up inside. I am still trying to find me. And that's the bloody root to alot of things I guess. Concentrating on finding my ownself leaves not much time for anything else. That is why it's been so hard for me these past few days. I don't think I'm right for you. I don't think it's fair that you have to put up with me. Be with someone who can make you a better person or 'beri kesedaran'. I feel like I'm not good enough for you. Or for anyone. That's what I'm feeling. Not that you're not good enough for me.
I want to be at peace with myself. Please let me be at peace with this decision.
But, of course, it doesn't matter anymore.
What you said to me was so true, "Don't be so emotional. You can go insane." But I can't help it. That's how I am.
I am sorry.
harris called me at around 1am last night and woke me up from my reverie. our usual conversation will ensue with me responding sleepily without actually knowing what i'm responding to. then. i actually mumbled something to him along the lines of "you got sell food thermometers?"
when he replied with a loud and incredulous "huh?!", i snapped out of it and said, "sorry, was dreaming." and went on, a little coherently i hope, about some other things before hanging up.
gosh. work is starting to get to me. food thermometers. bleargh.
what nonsense.
Death is a natural part of life. Death happens anytime and anywhere. But that doesn't make it easy to comprehend or accept.
There has been quite abit of media coverage lately about deaths resulting from freak accidents. This is not to say that deaths do not occur just because the media doesn't cover them. It's... just more in your face. Especially for those who are not directly affected. Read the papers and you end up feeling abit more sombre, abit more contemplative. It's like every minute of your life is taken up by minutes of silences. I guess theoretically that IS the case. We just tend not to dwell on it.
Such tragic ways to pass on. From what our human minds can comprehend, such deaths seem to be all the more painful. Of course none of us actually know how it feels to die. Even those who claim to have seen the light at the end of the tunnel and came back. We do not know if it was painful or not. We know physical pain as how we experienced it here on Earth. So we tend to equate such pain with tragic deaths.
On the other hand, there are those seemingly healthy ones who died in their sleep. We tend to think that such lives didn't end so painfully. But do we really know? We often hear people lamenting about how life is miserable/ difficult/ meaningless. How about the meaning of death? If we cannot 'withstand' life, can we 'withstand' death? Can we?
Nevertheless, family and friends of the deceased feel the emotional pain no matter what the cause of death.
Here is to the fallen SAF soldiers who died because of the crash in Taiwan. Here is to those who died because of the fallen trees. Here is to that girl who drowned in the drain. Here is to Wayne Thunder Seah. Here is to all those who has passed on and will pass on. May mankind believe and be taken care by Him.
- This is from the Online Straits Times Forum 26 May 2007 -
I REFER to the letter, 'Memorial to NSmen who die while on duty' by Mr Lim Chong Leong (ST, May 16), and the reply, 'NSmen who die on duty are not forgotten' (ST, May 23), by Colonel Benedict Lim of the Ministry of Defence.
Mr Lim made some pertinent points in according respect to NSmen who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation. I understand and agree with the reasons for his requests, having been an NSman myself, and now the father of a son who will one day serve the nation himself.
I also appreciate the reply from Col Lim where he mentioned that the Singapore Armed Forces make significant monetary compensation to the family, and then remembers the fallen with a minute of silence during the annual SAF Day Parade. However, Col Lim did not address Mr Lim's key point of building a memorial to those who die while in service.
It is an extremely good suggestion to erect a memorial, in a prominent place, to remember our fallen brothers in arms. These men and women, who are sorely missed by their grieving family, deserve more than monetary contribution and a minute of silence. They deserve a memorial for their sacrifice.
A prominent memorial, with individual names engraved, will be much appreciated by the families. It will also be appreciated by future generations of servicemen and women who know they will not be forgotten by their country. If we do not remember them individually in this way, their memory will fade away.
Lieutenant (NS) Thusara Dharmapala
- This is from the Online Straits Times Forum 16 May 2007 -
THE sudden, horrific deaths of and serious injuries to our national servicemen in Taiwan came as a great shock. Young men in their prime about to embark on a promising career were stopped suddenly through no fault of their own. Their parents must have felt devastated to lose their sons in such circumstances.
All Singapore parents with sons in NS, or who are about to enlist, must have felt a strong sense of sadness and empathy for the parents of the dead and injured NSmen. However, we can comfort them only with words of condolence and support. Soon, the incident will be forgotten except by the affected parents and family members.
NS is now 40 years old and there are many families with members from three generations who have served the country. NS has become a rite of passage for all Singapore men and is well entrenched in all families. Unfortunately, as a conscripted force, NS is still viewed by parents as a high-risk activity and most feel anxious and concerned for NSmen's personal safety, notwithstanding training precautions taken.
The effort and sacrifices of NSmen are given recognition in various ways, for example, tax rebates, bonuses and club facilities. However, there appears to be a lack of recognition of unfortunate ones who fall while on duty in the defence of Singapore. They may have fallen but they should not be forgotten.
I suggest that, as part of the 40th anniversary of NS, the Government go one step further in recognising the sacrifices of our young men and at the same time, alleviate the emotional devastation and hardship of parents who may lose their sons in the defence of the country.
I propose that the Government provide insurance coverage for all NSmen during their full-time service and allow them to carry on the policies at their own expense after their operationally ready date (ORD). I believe the premium for group insurance is within the budget of the Government. This is in addition to any payment currently made to families of affected NSmen.
Another proposal is to build a memorial to NSmen who lose their lives while on duty. This could be in a prominent location where the public could visit at any time. Their names could be inscribed on the memorial. On National Day, a simple ceremony could be held there to remember them.
Lim Chong Leong
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And to think my mom was vehemently arguing for the need to have some form of condolences or apology to the parents of the NS men who died last Friday. I agree with what the above writer suggested. There doesn't seem to be much recognition given to those who have died while on national service. Especially in such a freak accident like the one last Friday.
The magnitude of such a loss of life cannot be fully described in words. Please not let their deaths be in vain.
Literally, an unfulfilled wish/intention.
Last Friday, 11 May 2007, two SAF soldiers were killed in Taiwan when a Taiwanese jet crashed into a storeroom. One of them was 3rd Sergeant Isz Sazli Sapari.
I do not know him or his family. But reading the article in Berita Minggu yesterday, I felt sorrow for his family and friends and just the fact a young promising life is lost. More specifically, the lost life of a young promising Malay man.
Call me elitist. But the fact he was offered a place to read in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in NUS after his national service just made it all the more poignant. There are not many of us who can and are willing to pursue a higher education, hopefully for the better of our families and communities.
It was such a pity.
Once again, it drives home the point that life is transient. Feelings of guilt for being such a bad person enter the conscience. *sigh* Fleeting, random thoughts of death. Of unfulfillment. Of never complete honesty. Of so many faults that make us human.
Inna lillah wa inna ilaihi rajiun.
May Allahyarham Isz be well taken care of whereever he is now. And may Allah take care of his family still here on Earth.
- This is from the Straits Time Online Forum 14 May 2007 -
I REFER to the recent letters on the illegal occupation of Iraq by American and British troops.
Readers have referred to the Sept 11, 2001, tragedy as justification for the war, and congratulated America for protecting the rest of the world from 'terrorist-infested nations'.
But al-Qaeda had little or no presence in Iraq prior to the occupation, while now they flourish
there checked only by violence by other factions.
The Bush administration fabricated links between religious extremists al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's fiercely secular regime when no less than bin Laden described Saddam as a 'bad Muslim'.
What about claims of intervention on humanitarian grounds?
With 600,000 civilians dead and counting, the destruction of the infrastructure of much of the country and the widespread flight of medical personnel, this adventure was not a great success.
The consequent suffering and the horror of Abu Ghraib have recruited more terrorists to the cause than any extremist propanda video ever could.
And this does not result from unexpected events after the fact - the Bush administration must have known, unless colossaly incompetent, that Iraq would be unmanageable without substantially more planning and spending than it undertook.
Former president George H.W. Bush wrote as recently as 1998: 'To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition, turning the whole Arab world against us and make a broken tyrant into a latter-day hero... assigning young soldiers to a fruitless hunt for a securely entrenched dictator and condemning them to fight in what would be an un-winnable urban guerilla war. It could only plunge that part of the world into even greater instability.'
The Bush administration hinged its case for war on the existence of weapons of mass destruction. This was false, as UN inspectors closer to the situation in Iraq repeatedly warned.
Since, the Lincoln Group has been paid by the American military to circulate US-friendly news stories in ostensibly independent Iraqi newspapers.
America tortures Guantanamo Bay detainees with stress positions and prolonged isolation, driving many to mental illness and several to suicide.
The American media invents fantasies about heroics by US soliders that those soliders, such as Jessica Lynch, themselves repudiate.
Having orchestrated this circus, the US government readies itself to leave Iraq only after passing Bills requiring the opening of the country's oil fields to foreign exploitation.
In the face of this transparently dishonest grab for wealth, it beggars belief that anyone can write of America defending the 'free world'.
Jolene Tan Siyu (Ms)
London, United Kingdom
emo against an emo-less backdrop.
being emo is nothing to be proud of i guess. it's just that i readily admit that i wear my heart on my sleeve. whatever it is, it has nothing to do with the emocore or screamo scenes currently in the rage now.
i am emo. i like black eyeliner. i like black stuffs. since young. and i resent any association with those long fringes covering faces cum thick black eyeliner cum tight black tshirt peeps out there.
sheesh. i reckon there are those who think i'm a poseur of sorts. cos i do wear the standard black thingies but i dont have those piercings (i.e lips. eyebrows. etc) and do self harm or something. bleeeeargh.
just for the record, i believe there truly are depressed people out there. as in clinically depressed. i feel sorry for them. i can understand how damn hard it is for anything to alleviate the pain. that said, it doesnt mean anything that depresses you makes you a depressive. so wake up and deal. dont give real depressives a bad name.
urgh. enough ramblings for tonight.
apropos to the Sept 11 06 post, i've mentioned that The Diary of Jane will be the ONLY song i like from Breaking Benjamin. man. i am so wrong la. i totally dig the vocals. i've ended up liking a few songs, particularly the one below, from their previous album - We Are Not Alone.
Breaking Benjamin - So Cold
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright
It's alright...
bloody haunting. i dig benjamin burnley's voice. go figure.
however. i must add something. call me a woman with that condescending tone. call me whatever you want. i gotta admit i get affected somehow if i read somewhere that band line-ups are always changing or there is some fall out within the band, yadda yadda. i know it's completely baseless but it sometimes make me like the band a little less. dunno why. i guess i have some deeply ingrained imagery of perfection and harmony and what not. and the ridiculous thing is, my inner feelings get selective. i reserve the little less like to a few bands. gee.
Incubus - Light Grenades
woohoo! fluffy stuffs. oklah. not really. this album just has this kinda other worldly feel to it. or maybe anything which isn't heavy rock or metal seems other worldly... hmmm. anyway. i must admit i dont have the album prior to this record. i think i've tried listening to it but i dont quite dig it. but this album. yeah yeah yeah. i liiiiike. there is a mix of heavy and laid back stuffs. heavy in the sense of guitar riffs thingy majig. laid back cos it just is. i guess those who know their music and actually play instruments will say their chords are bloody simple or something. but hey, i like their build-up. simple or intricate - fine by me as long as the music just pierces my heart. once again, i gotta say i love brandon boyd's voice! he rocks! rooooocks i tell you! too bloody bad i didnt get to watch them perform in kl some years back. go to their myspace site to check out what brandon has to say about each of the songs!
hahahah. yeah. i have a weakness for nice voices. female and male for singing. almost a prerequisite when checking out new songs/bands/singers. male when not singing. i.e. that hottie deep creamy voice to hear over the phone or right beside your ear. yum! i can just melt...
i am exasperated!! i have no idea why IE and Firefox are acting up on me. i can't use the blogger site as how i used to. the display for creating new posts is totally off kilter. there's some error with widget pop up thingy - i can't even add any page elements.
i can gather there must be something missing or out of order. but seriously, how am i supposed to figure that one out? what IS wrong???
can someone pleeeeeease help me? !!
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