| home is where the heart is...or is it? |
[Dec. 30th, 2005|09:52 pm] |
Well, I'm back. On vacation. For a grand total of 15 days (not including flight time). Wheeee! It's been grand. Am loving the weather, the hustle and bustle, the onslaught of extreme good food, etc etc. I had katong laksa for the first time today, and boy is it worth the hype. Could do with more shrimpy bits though...but for S$3, how could I really complain? :D
My parents have organized a kind of impromptu boot camp for me...they're making me run/walk with them every morning in exchange for buying me awesome meals.
Tried to get my hair cut at one of those $10, 10 minutes places, but it was overrun with little kids getting their haircuts before school reopens next Monday. Shall try again when Mika gets here.
I ventured into the heart of Orchard Road after the failure to procure haircutting services, and was promptly stomped into submission by the diehard Mango/Zara shopping fiends. I'll probably have better luck after this Sunday. I did manage to buy a puffy vest that my mum declared too expensive when I got home..sigh :/
On my wishlist for good eats:
Dimsum breakfast
Chocolate buffet, if this still exists
Sushi!
Obligatory seafood dinner near the sea
Eating at Clarke Quay, then shopping for horse brass/antiques
Takopachi
Mum's pineapple tarts
Chicken rice at Seah St.
Kaya toast & Teh peng
Ahh...Coffee Bean coffee
Tea at The Marmalade Pantry
really good cake...American frosting sucks *******
maybe Prego
Yoshinoya & Thai Express, both located conveniently outside my house |
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| A very belated survey |
[Dec. 1st, 2005|07:51 am] |
Three Names You Go By
ac. fadingfalling. miniguu (don't ask.)
Three Parts of Your Heritage
passive-agressive tendencies (unfortunately), propensity towards martyrdom, stickershock.
Three Things That Scare You
not living up to expectations, George Bush, insects that flutter at you.
Three of Your Everyday Essentials
Glasses, omnioutliner pro!, entertainment.
Three Things You Are Wearing Right Now
sweater, green Pumas and too much vanilla-smelling lotion.
Three of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists (at the moment)
Tori Amos, the talented person who arranged the GITS soundtrack, Daft Punk.
Three Things You Want in a Relationship (other than Real Love)
Empathy, the wack factor, snuggles.
Two Truths and a Lie
I have a succubus. I love rollerblading. http://museum-of-twits.blogspot.com/ totally cracks me up!
Things about the Opposite Sex that Appeal to You
That ole laidback charm. Being totally immersed in a project. Appreciation for MST3000.
Three of Your Favorite Hobbies
Reading. Playing lame-o mmorpgs. Food :)
Three Things You want to do really badly right now
Sleep. Get to somewhere warm and dry (60% humidity is fine). Get finals over and done with.
Three Places You Want to go on Vacation
London. Greece. Japan.
Three Things You Want to Do Before You Die
Something else besides check email and surf the web. Skinny dipping. Drive like a maniac without dying.
Three People You Would Like To See Take This Survey
tish (if you have a blog). ian. mukansamonkey
gosh..it's snowing. Scads. Whee! |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 15th, 2005|05:28 pm] |
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but...what if getting things done ate your soul? |
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| Racist comments & the Sedition Act |
[Oct. 10th, 2005|08:40 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | seditious :P | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Treat or Goblins - Magical Shopping Arcade | ] |
Well, it finally happened. First AcidFlask and now two Singaporean bloggers making racist comments on their own personal blogs and an online pet forum face fines and jail time. One was given a sentence of one month, and the other one day under the Sedition Act, which was invoked for the first time in 10 years. Another blogger, a 17 year old will have his case heard on Oct 26th.
Even though their comments were probably distasteful, unnecessary and disrespectful, imposing criminal sanctions is yet another example of heavyhanded justice doled out by the Singapore courts. Although their remarks would possibly have incited the quiet wrath of the minorities they had maligned, and possibly inflamed the underlying tensions between races, I certainly don't think anyone was personally harmed or had their freedoms curtailed in the course of reading their comments. Comments/ personal opinions are all too easily blown out of proportion when placed online and subject to links, errant news reporting and selective journalism. Another point is that comments made on personal blogs, or semi-private forums are not public..they are not private either, but they certainly are not tantamount to pasting racist posters up all over public areas. No minorities were harmed in the making of the racist comments, and they certainly did not have to read the comments unless they wanted to.
The relevant sections of the Sedition Act are:
Seditious tendency.
3. —(1) A seditious tendency is a tendency —
(a) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the Government;
(b) to excite the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore to attempt to procure in Singapore, the alteration, otherwise than by lawful means, of any matter as by law established;
(c) to bring into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the administration of justice in Singapore;
(d) to raise discontent or disaffection amongst the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore;
(e) to promote feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes of the population of Singapore.
(2) Notwithstanding subsection (1), any act, speech, words, publication or other thing shall not be deemed to be seditious by reason only that it has a tendency —
(a) to show that the Government has been misled or mistaken in any of its measures;
(b) to point out errors or defects in the Government or the Constitution as by law established or in legislation or in the administration of justice with a view to the remedying of such errors or defects;
(c) to persuade the citizens of Singapore or the residents in Singapore to attempt to procure by lawful means the alteration of any matter in Singapore; or
(d) to point out, with a view to their removal, any matters producing or having a tendency to produce feelings of ill-will and enmity between different races or classes of the population of Singapore,
if such act, speech, words, publication or other thing has not otherwise in fact a seditious tendency.
(3) For the purpose of proving the commission of any offence under this Act, the intention of the person charged at the time he did or attempted to do or made any preparation to do or conspired with any person to do any act or uttered any seditious words or printed, published, sold, offered for sale, distributed, reproduced or imported any publication or did any other thing shall be deemed to be irrelevant if in fact such act had, or would, if done, have had, or such words, publication or thing had a seditious tendency.
Offences.
4. —(1) Any person who —
(a) does or attempts to do, or makes any preparation to do, or conspires with any person to do, any act which has or which would, if done, have a seditious tendency;
(b) utters any seditious words;
(c) prints, publishes, sells, offers for sale, distributes or reproduces any seditious publication; or
(d) imports any seditious publication,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction for a first offence to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years or to both, and, for a subsequent offence, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 5 years; and any seditious publication found in the possession of that person or used in evidence at his trial shall be forfeited and may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of as the court directs.
(2) Any person who without lawful excuse has in his possession any seditious publication shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction for a first offence to a fine not exceeding $2,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 18 months or to both, and, for a subsequent offence, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 years, and such publication shall be forfeited and may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of as the court directs.
I'm assuming, without having read the judgment, that the bloggers were charged under S4(1)(c) and S3(1)(e). Disturbingly vague language in those sections.
Where do you draw the line? Is arguing affirmative action an example of something that would attract jailtime? Would I face jailtime if I continue to make tongue-in-cheek commentary on Singapore's political/judicial system? Presumably that *could* fall under S3(1)(c) and (d) of the Sedition Act. Of greater concern is the chilling effect that inevitably results (or has already resulted, and is exacerbated). Singapore's Prime Minister, PM Lee Hsien Loong stated:
“This is the message, it is not acceptable. It is against the law, and the Sedition Act specifically puts it down that you are creating distrust and animosity between the races, and we will act according to the law.”
The Singapore premier was quoted as saying that Singapore takes multi-racial and multi-religious harmony seriously and the government will take action against anyone who makes racist remarks. (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/168789/1/.html)
I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, and stamp out elements deemed dangerous to our carefully balanced racial scales, but at what price? Wouldn't it be better to address the roots of the discontent, and call for re-education in such cases? The parties sentenced to jail would probably not change their racist views after exiting Changi Prison. They would certainly keep their mouths shut both online and off, and their "seditious" sentiments would slowly fester and grow under this silent oppression.
The part of this that sickens me most is the idea the courts seem to have that flogging, beating the people into submission with threats of jailtime, fines and shaming(which is just public name-calling, is it not?) will inevitably shape Singaporeans into the perfectly harmonious society they wish us to be. Have some respect. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 6th, 2005|11:31 pm] |
I've become more and more enamored of the GTD (Getting Things Done) concept of late, but I've yet to try (or buy) it as I figured I wouldn't have enough time to read a non-school book. The most popular GTD method also seems to involve toting around bunches of index or business cards, and writing down to-do lists. That just sounds hopeless low-tech even for me, and would not make sense at all since I do most of my work on my laptop. Today, I found KGTD (Kinkless GTD) written by the wonderful and outrageously funny Ethan Schoonover, and I'm sorely tempted to try it. The catch is that I have to shell out 40 buckaroos to upgrade to OmniOutliner Pro in order to use his Applescripts. I'm very torn as his scripts look really elegant and just..apt, for what I want them to do, but I don't need OO Pro. I do use the standard OmniO for all my notes and outlines, but I rarely venture past creating new columns.
So the question is...is a shot at organizational nirvana, tranquility and possibly even a clean house (!!!) worth $40 on my shoestring grad student budget? :p *disappears into her cave of law texts and kitty fluff balls* |
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| minty white |
[Sep. 28th, 2005|08:55 am] |
Whitewashed. That's exactly how I feel. My inferior dark culture covered up by a thin film of dried Kiwi whitewash. I recall using the two-headed sponge applicator to brush the whitener onto my foot-abused canvas shoes, thinking, even then, what a futile exercise that was. Sure, it smells and looks nice right now, but after a day or two of being on my big clumsy feet, the thin white layer would be scraped off just by walking in my shoes, or washed off in the inevitable afternoon downpours.
So silly, yet my mother would make me dab clumps of wet whitener into the grey raggedy spots of my shoes, worn down by the unsightly bone that stuck out next to my little toe. "Aiyah, why don't you shoewhite your shoes? See, so ugly!" |
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| LS - returning to the fold |
[Aug. 26th, 2005|06:33 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  awake | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | running up that hill | ] |
Argh grarg blargh. That pretty much sums up the first couple days of law school. I can't really decide if I'm glad to be back. On one hand, it's exciting, things are happening all the time and my classmates are great. On the other hand, I'm not sure if my tummy (or brain) can handle the stress on a long-term basis. I had the brilliant idea of trying to take some commercial courses this sem to bone up on some corporate law. Smart idea? Maaaaybe. But it means I'm taking this advanced course that has Bankruptcy as a pre-req and of course I've only done basic Company and Tax law. Ehhhhh. So now I'm in this advanced Corp Reorganization course with a great teacher who doesn't really care that I haven't done the pre-req, but I suspect he's going to be the kind who sneers silently when people ask bad questions.
Thursday was a really crazy day. 4 classes, two meetings with professors and not enough hours = having lunch at 6:45 pm. See why my tummy is going to die a long drawn-out death? meeeh.
But all in all, it's great to be a student again and to have an excuse to drink coffee and blog with free wifi :P |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 15th, 2005|11:39 am] |
So my days since my last journal entry were spent alternately obsessing over my various and sundry computers/computing accessories (yes, accessories are key!) and frantically studying/prepping for the Long Year Ahead aka the masters of law program.
I find myself remembering, semi-hallucinating, about the strangest things. Things like..what it felt like to stand in line at the bus terminal in the hazy Singapore heat, poking at the old cracked blue-grey tile with my sandals and wondering why public places take on that inevitable smell of feet. I remember walking from the blazing midday heat into the cool, newly constructed, cave that is the NE Line. Wondering why the NE Line was baptized with purple as its inaugural colour. Perhaps to show residents on the NEL that the NEL is clearly a secondary line, an afterthought. An executive decision that meant, "You better be grateful we gave this to you finally, even though you've been promised this for years." They took my uncle's house to build that line. He was ever so proud of that three-storey corner terrace. I recall visiting for CNY and hiding behind the bar counter where all the expensive alcohol was kept. My family was luckier. My dad had looked at the master plan for the region and chose a house that just missed the demolition zone.
So now we have a purple line, and the Kovan station floor is inlaid with an artist's impression of Kovan in the days of yore vs. the present.
Perhaps this is the stuff that abandoned cats dream of, limbs trembling and twitching. Their former homes. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 15th, 2005|06:20 am] |
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i heart my powerbook :) |
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| Wheee!!!! |
[May. 24th, 2005|10:13 pm] |
Widgits are too much fun! weeeeeeeejiiieeets!
*bouncebouncebouncebounce* |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 20th, 2005|08:34 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  ecstatic | ] |
YESSSSSS!
I get to buy a Powerbook with EDU discount! *dances* |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 6th, 2005|11:14 am] |
oh, I LOVE this. suffice to say that I yanked it from someone else's blog.
It is real tho.
Court of Appeals of Michigan.
William L. FISHER, Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.Karen LOWE, Larry Moffet and State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company,
Defendants-Appellees.
Docket No. 60732.
Submitted Nov. 3, 1982.
Decided Jan. 10, 1983.
Released for Publications May 6, 1983.
A wayward Chevy struck a tree
Whose owner sued defendants three.
He sued car's owner, driver too,
And insurer for what was due
For his oak tree that now may bear
A lasting need for tender care.
The Oakland County Circuit Court,
John N. O'Brien, J., set forth
The judgment that defendants sought
And quickly an appeal was brought.
Court of Appeals, J.H. Gillis, J.,
Gave thought and then had this to say:
1) There is no liability
Since No-Fault grants immunity;
2) No jurisdiction can be found
Where process service is unsound;
And thus the judgment, as it's termed,
Is due to be, and is,
Affirmed.
--
1. Automobiles
Defendant's Chevy struck a tree--
There was no liability;
The No-Fault Act comes into play
As owner and the driver say;
Barred by the Act's immunity,
No suit in tort will aid the tree;
Although the oak's in disarray,
No court can make defendants pay,
M.C.L.A. § 500.3135.
2. Process
No jurisdiction could be found
Where process service was unsound;
In personam jurisdiction
Was not even legal fiction
Where plaintiff failed to well comply
With rules of court that did apply.
GCR 1963, 105.4.
William L. Fisher, Troy, in pro. per.
Romain, Donofrio & Kuck, P.C. by Ernst W. Kuck, Southfield, for defendants-appellees.
Before BRONSON, P.J., and V.J. BRENNAN and J.H. GILLIS, JJ.
--
J.H. GILLIS, Judge. (In delivering judgment)
We thought that we would never see
A suit to compensate a tree.
A suit whose claim in tort is prest
Upon a mangled tree's behest;
A tree whose battered trunk was prest
Against a Chevy's crumpled crest;
A tree that faces each new day
With bark and limb in disarray;
A tree that may forever bear
A lasting need for tender care.
Flora lovers though we three,
We must uphold the court's decree.
Affirmed.
Mich.App.,1983.
Fisher v. Lowe
122 Mich.App. 418, 333 N.W.2d 67
END OF DOCUMENT |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 3rd, 2005|03:55 pm] |
I have a week off.
I'm painting trimboards pink.
I'm listening to The Ramones.
And this really cracks me up : http://outpostnine.com/editorials/
Joel, if you're reading, this is for you :P
Love the Japanese Colonel Sanders. heh |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 20th, 2005|07:44 am] |
Something I wrote that I actually liked:
The political climate in Singapore is, like the weather, still and stagnantly stifling. Years of detached British rule followed by war and reluctant independence bred a nation of fearful adherents to the dominant political party. The legacy of fear remains to this day. The rallying cry of “Merdeka!” (Malay for freedom) is replaced by ominous warnings of Singapore’s porous geographical borders and how the choppy seas of international economies threaten our shores. Every election year, a sleeping populace observes as opposition districts are gerrymandered into mere slivers on the political map. The air is thick with defamation suits, winner pre-decided. The wise take cover under the shroud of anonymity and vote accordingly.
Hmm..not sure if I like it so much now. Picky. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 28th, 2005|07:39 am] |
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Philip Pullman..very captivating :P Will read more during lunch. |
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| happenings |
[Feb. 6th, 2005|09:18 am] |
I start on monday, at the unfortunately named IUPUI.
Am seriously entertaining thoughts of backpacking through Europe this summer or even Japan (not sure its possible..maybe for two weeks? :p)I really want to travel before grad school..meh. Maybe after grad school? Maybe after 10 years of work? Maybe after I'm ded.
Tried to sign up for Americorps-type things, but realized it was too late.
Have been thinking of all sorts of ways to spend money I don't already have. :p
Incredibly enough, I'm missing CNY celebrations, or rather, pre-CNY festivities, a awful lot. I can't believe it's MY year, and I'm missing it.
The Amazing House Saga is still ongoing. We've just slowed down a tad, and decided to enjoy life while living in our half-finished house (ok, mostly finished house).
Snow is great :p..until it ices over. Still love the cold weather here, though. |
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| random update |
[Jan. 4th, 2005|05:22 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  cold | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | the air filter breathing | ] |
To the Ian who has been complaining about the lack of updates, this is for you :)
I just read your blog, and since my admissions essay is also (sortakinda) on my views on differences between life here and back home, I shall ramble on a little.
You once said that you liked it back there, because everything was so instant, accessable, so very *now*.
You like the city life, and I don't blame you. But remember that Singapore isn't the only city out there. It's nice, but it can be much nicer depending on who you are and where you live. (and..dare I say, who you live with? :p)
I miss home, but not badly. Am I surprised by this fact? Not really. I've never been a very patriotic person. (And yes, mr Prime Minister, sometimes it really is just about the food)I like my life, I really do, even if I do complain about the lack of Asian food around here. But hey, I'm a pretty good cook. And the main reason why I put up with this slightly boring red-state town is because people mind their own business around here. I haven't met a single person who has tried to convince me, bible in hand, to convert to their religion. Maybe it has to do with the mindboggling amount of flat empty land here. Everyone has their own space, and there is absolutely no need to encroach on someone else's, physically or otherwise.
Back home, it was so stifling I could cry. There's something wrong when personal spheres get so close they overlap. There were also many other wrong things, like the incessant slimming ads, bad local sitcoms that make you cringe, and TVs on buses. Oh, and the fact that everyone sorta knows everyone.
Before anyone calls me a quitter, I'd like to say that there are some things I really miss. The fact that things got *done*, dammit, being able to buy a meal with 2 USD, sushi shops less than 5 minutes away, and the spanking new MRT system that we got just as I moved away.
I hate to say this, but Dr Mahathir was right. Living in a small country plays tricks with your mind. In the end, it's all about leaving for a while and getting some perspective. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 26th, 2004|08:40 am] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | awake | ] |
how very true.. :)
in other news, Operation Baileys Çookies was a disaster..so much for alcoholic munchies :| |
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| ne ne! |
[Jun. 7th, 2004|12:39 pm] |
Yeeeehaw!! Yes..life is good. Managed to hitch a ride down to the local BMV today, and walked away with a spiffy learner's permit! Yay..licence to drive a car and kill people! The BMV office in town is truly very nice..they have one of those ticket machines where you're supposed to take a number and get served, but the staff there dispense with it since there is next to no line, and they just nod at you when it's your turn to get served. I had to take a multiple choice test, and very nearly failed it, because there is a section where if you get more than three questions wrong, you fail it, and I got three of those wrong. Weird thing was that the ones I got wrong weren't even the ones I was unsure about..oh well, serves me right for trying to do the test in double quick time.
So anyways, now I have a temp authorization learner's permit, and they wouldn't give me the nice new photoid card because I have to wait for verification from indianapolis. Poo on them! I still get to drive with a person with a valid licence beside me though...so that's all good.
In other news...we're officially happily married as of 28th May 2004, and the big ceremony will tentatively be held next spring/summer. It's been jokingly said that the trip to AnimeExpo will in fact be our honeymoon. Sounds good to me :) |
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fadingfalling's journal