January – Plans and Preoccupations

Here’s the 2^nd update about my personal life (the 1^st being the first post that started this whole blog 3.5 months ago)

 

My mother got retrenched , is getting retrained

My mom got retrenched. She was teaching for the last 10years at a Montessori school, and she was an excellent teacher, I must say. Recently the school got bought over by a new management because the original boss decided to be a full-time stay home mom. They converted the school to a kindergarten, which my mom didn’t have the qualifications to teach, so she got retrenched.

We’re planning a whole re-training, skills upgrade program (which includes me dragging her to public-speaking Toastmasters  http://home.pacific.net.sg/~august/hoplist.html)  for her, which would get her started on a brand new career, at age 57. It’s very exciting I must say – tempts me to reconsider my own career. Last year she had private tuition student, a Pri 1 child, who cried whenever called upon by the teacher to speak. At the end of the year, she did really well for her oral examination, and could even do presentations properly. I’m proud of my mom. I’m trying to convince her to start a career as a Confidence Coach.

 

My debut Reunion dinner

Earlier today we went shopping at NTUC for CNY (Yes, I know, I am supposed to be sitting at home working on my thesis, and not going shopping in the middle of the day. But for the first time this year, I’m gonna be in charge of the reunion dinner. Have managed to convince the 2 generations above me that I’m turning 30 this year, would probably be one of those over-educated, perpetually single women, and if I’m gonna wait to be married, I’ll never get around to being in charge of reunion dinner ever in my life. Or maybe I was just inspired by The Little Nonya. Hmmm.)

 

Giving back to society : Seacare and Corporate Responsibility

Anyway, walking out of NTUC, we saw a booth set up by the Seacare Manpower Services (http://www.seacare.com.sg/Manpwr.htm), run by a very helpful and friendly lady, Doreen. They were running a job placement programme, where anyone could fill in a job application form, indicating their job interests, and submitting it on the spot. They were helping the retrenched find jobs, and Doreen said that the number of retrenched people have shot up. Indeed, this job placement booth had the same amount of business as the lucky draw booth besides it.

Looking at their profile on their website now, I realize that this is actually a community project that Seacare is doing. This booth was targeting people who wanted jobs like Clerks, Office Attendant, Technical Assistant, and they were doing it in partnership with the Women’s Development Secretariat (NTUC). They brought the booth right to the HDB heartlands, outside NTUC supermarket, and they paid the lady running the both. Cool.

My mom signed up at the booth. She was very excited about getting a job answering phones and carrying files, after teaching for 10 years (she was a stay home mom until age 47). On the way home, I was telling her about how there were a lot of retrenched lower income families who couldn’t pay mortgage and utilities, and how they needed the job more than her. I think I made her feel bad.

Oops. Hahah.

 

Giving back to society: Alfie Othman and social enterprise

It always warms my heart to see organizations or very capable people giving back to society, when they could just spend that time and effort doing something else, like taking a 5 week holiday or something. And helping others help themselves with a job is a fantastic thing to do. Alfie Othman, who is very successful in the corporate, make-a lot-of-money world, is actively involved in a lot of community projects as well. He plays a significant role in determining how Pertapis (http://www.pertapis.org.sg/) is run, and  gave me a tour of the Centre for Women and Girls the other day. He showed me this hair salon that they have set up and was run by Bernard, a professional hairstylist, and supported by hair products group Davines( http://www.pertapis.org.sg/centre_women_girls.html ).

The full salon, set up within their premises, was staffed by the girls themselves, and offers hair services to the public too (Please go support them!). Not only do these girls get at income and hairstyling skills, which a few of them have taken to Orchard Rd salons already, they are able to build a sense of self-worth and self-esteem by being able to do something for themselves, and do it well. This initiative is really successful, and the last I heard, is being replicated in Indonesia in places like Medan. Cool.

 

I love my country, my people

You know, at the end of the day, I really love Singapore. Seriously. I don’t think I love Singapore in the way that the propaganda tells me I should. I think my love stems from the fact that I grew up here, amongst people who suffered the same things I suffered from, who laughed at the same jokes I laughed at. And if I can’t even do anything for these people I know so well, how can I do anything for people in a foreign land, whom I barely understand?  and if these people who know me so well can’t do anything for me, how can people from a foreign land who barely know me, do anything for me? The more I see the flaws of my country and countrymen, and the more I see the preventable suffering of my people as a result, the more I’m convinced that this is my home, and that I cannot abandon my home.

 There was a period of time when I was really having thoughts about moving overseas. Because of the way our education system is stratified, many of my friends and classmates had the opportunity to pursue their higher education overseas. And because of the amount of foreign talent (80% at the post-graduate level and beyond) the biomedical industry depends on, I know most of my current classmates and labmates are going to be in a different country from me 5 years from now.  You know what people always say about your home being where your friends and family is? I can honestly say I have more (and better) friends and loved ones outside of Singapore than in. It really made me wonder about where my home was.  My 2^nd and most recent boyfriend is a Chinese PhD student who is a strong advocate and campaigner of human rights in China (google along8848), and who will soon leave after graduation. My 1^st love from back in JC was one of those who left after NS, to study in the US, and has remained ever since.

 

Singaporean film – by Joshua Lim : The Olive Depression

He’s actually one of the persons I admire the most. He’s really smart, and did really well by Singaporean KPIs – you know, the straight As in A level sort. The selected for OCS sort. But he turned his back on OCS. He turned his back on a secure, money-making career, and chose to do film – making instead. He’s now doing a Masters in Theology in Film. And he’s made quite a few films. Even in the making of films, he has steadfastly refused to compromise his values, choosing to make Art films instead of the money – generating action or chick flicks.

His first film is due to be released in Singapore soon – not at mainstream cinemas, but at a Singapore local arthouse theatre Sinema .  ( http://www.sinema.sg/2006/10/24/trailer-the-olive-depression/ ).

Called The Olive Depression ( http://www.theolivedepression.com/  ) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1199506/)  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYhhT–cBnA) , it documents the weeks before Johnny, an 18 yr old boy, enters NS. He is determined not to mentally accept what is required of him by law. He opts to prepare himself by maintaining his melancholy about something against what it means to be human. However, seeing the depression of his best friend who enters the army before him, and the worry of his parents lead him to question his principles. As he strives not to succumb to the government’s world view, he finds it increasingly difficult to be contented and sad at the same time.

The  trailer begins with the lead saying “Once you’ve learnt to accept conscription, you’ll learn to accept any injustice in this country” And ends with “But if you want to accept the benefits of the system, you have to accept the flaws” and “Ok, no country is perfect, but I reserve the right to feel bad about the imperfections of my country”

This haunting film, by Joshua Lim, is filled with deep thoughts and statements about our society, and beautiful cinematic shots of our country.  Not the slapstick, or moralistic fare, or soap operatic fare.

 

Hmmm…. This has been a long update. Am going back to my thesis……. Thanks for reading, and helping this blog to reach 10,000 hits in its first 3.5 months. 谢谢。Terima kasih. Nandri.