superstardeejaylawyer

2006-02-13T22:50:00.000Z

ok y'all.

i know, i know. i'm so fickle and indecisive.

i like blogger, and i've been using it for ages and ages and ages. it's simple and all.

but.

as some will know, i've been updating at two or more sites simultaneously for a while now. and i've been pondering and ruminating for some time. much longer than when i decided to just put a full-stop to the last blog-incarnation at phunkstar.com. however, i don't think being a superstardeejaylawyer is my thing right now.

so, please change your links accordingly to this: http://dolcelatte.blogsome.com

and i'll see you there.

until i change my mind and move elsewhere. again.

// edit: weird link and url corrected. what was i thinking? //

inventive steps

2006-02-06T11:16:00.000Z

it's like everytime i sit down to write an essay i get waylaid by the hyacinths i'm growing in jam jars on my desk.

and everytime i start typing, i get distracted by the hundred thousand other things that are relevant to the topic i'm writing on in general, but absolutely useless to the essay question i'm writing on in particular.

but this is only because i've had 2 months mental preparation of an essay deadline that is today, and because i've spent the last 2 days doing mostly nothing but lying in bed with a hangover, a glass of water and several nurofen.

and then i blog somemore, and halfway through writing this i realise that my essay question is so philosophical it can be about everything and nothing at all.

le reunion

2006-01-26T20:33:00.000Z

When I did A-level history, we had a class or two about the French reunion policy, about the reestablishment of the vassal states’ French-ness so as to buttress the French state’s glory.

But I can’t remember the rest of it, and it wouldn’t make a very good story either. All rise and fall, ascendance and gradual decline and stagnation type of thing. Typical historical example.

So anyway, it’s Chinese New Year weekend.

And I’m planning on my own not-so-little reunion dinner feast with friends on Saturday. No steamboat because some of the people coming are vegetarians (damn them!), so it’s going to be a dinner of at least 5 different dishes as I attempt to do my best Chinese-style cooking.

So far, I’ve already bought 4 packs of dumpling and wanton skins, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, towgay, straw mushrooms, chye sim, plum sauce, and wood ear. And I’m not done yet! I still have to buy mince pork, chicken, more vegetables and truckloads of tofu.

I’ve been thinking about how I’m going to coordinate all this cooking and all this shopping, and I’m seriously completely amazed at how my grandmother has been doing it for the past few decades. I mean, for our reunion dinner she cooks for about 25 or so people, and on chor yat itself she prepares enough food for about 50. That is some amazing logistics, I tell ya.

But I’m excited, even though I can foresee a whole day in the kitchen chopping, slicing, stirring, boiling, dicing, mincing, mixing, frying.

I just hope everyone turns up on time and that there’s enough food to go round.

this revolution will not be televised

2006-01-23T21:08:00.000Z

FOR a small island state eager to take its place among the most successful nations in the free world of practising democracies, one would have expected to see a steady increase in political freedom, an ascending line from its virtual non-existence in the rough early years of brute survival, to the emergence of incomplete but distinct forms in a still evolving ethos, to an end point of full functioning in a mature society.

But there has been no such clear path. Instead, we see only a thin ragged line, rather like a small weakly meandering stream that sometimes disappears into the ground.

This sputtering along of the political process is in sharp contrast to the smooth steep trajectories of other areas of development, notably in the economic area, where growth can only be described in breathless superlatives; and even in those areas where the Government has been traditionally conservative, for instance, education and the arts.
Hence while the winds of change are sweeping everywhere, while the clarion call to be creative, to think outside the box, is heard everywhere, the political domain remains a backwater, with every sign of drying up altogether.

- Catherine Lim, Managing Political Dissent, Straits Times 20th January 2006

Apart from being an author, Catherine Lim has also been one of the most outspoken critics of the present government in Singapore to be published in the national press. And for that, I salute her. It’s not often you read such eloquent articles, and especially not when one is talking about the government.

However, although her article speaks of Singaporeans being too comfortable and too fearful as reasons for their continued silence, I would suggest that those are not all the reasons.

Having been thinking for a while about the Singaporean society’s collective morality, I came to certain conclusions as to why it languishes in the era of 1950s post-war colonialism. These conclusions seem also to apply to the lack of a viable channel for dissenting voices to be heard.

The first is that although Singapore is a democracy, it is a socialist democratic state. This is far from the democratic ideal in the minds of most people, who are actually really thinking about liberal democracy. So, rather than a hands-off approach, allowing persons rights to develop their own freedoms through social and political means, the socialist democratic state is ‘’[willing] to restrict the political and legal rights of the individual in favour of a perceived social good’.

Secondly, the ‘early years of brute survival’ mentioned by Catherine Lim is, I imagine, referring to the years following Singapore’s independence from British rule. These early years of strict political control and absolute intolerance of dissent coincided with several extremely important socio-political developments in the already-developed states of that time: the hippie movement, and the feminist movement.

These movements were large scale demonstrations by large numbers of people, supported by intellectuals and politicians. They were also extremely powerful in their promotion of rights and freedoms and individualistic thinking. Apart from some tangential references like the Beatles and other musical groups, the movements and their accompanying ethos completely passed the Singaporean society by.

Lastly, the Cold War that persisted between the Western Democracies and the Communist Bloc helped to develop political freedom and liberal rights in the Western Democracies as a reaction toward the heavy-handed quashing of dissent in the Communist Bloc. By demonstrating their lack of fear of dissent, the Western Democracies attempted to one-up the Communist Bloc and in turn gain favour with the world at large.

Singapore, however, stayed largely aloof from the ideological issue, choosing to emphasise its capitalist free markets first, and its draconian laws against supposed commie anti-government interlopers second. This meant that the outside world saw in Singapore what they wanted to see - a friend of Western-style democracy – but neglected to look beyond that to discover the oppressive political environment which continues today, albeit in a slightly diluted form. As such, political freedom was sacrificed for economic progress, because anyone that was thought to even slightly disagree was liable to be branded a communist and sent to prison without trial.

These factors contributed to the lack of awareness amongst Singaporeans of alternative methods of governance, and even less support for them. They also created a society where one is not made aware of the rights one has, but is highly aware of the consequences of transgressing the governments’ rule. And it has also created a society whereby one can speak vehemently about being anti-government, but only whilst drinking Guinness Stout at the coffeeshop or whilst driving a taxicab.

Also, because the government has had such efficient and effective policies regarding the economy, a large proportion of Singaporeans, especially those that grew up in the post-colonial years, feel indebted to the government for their current success. And because economic comfort breeds passivity, there is no motivation for change, nor is there desire to actively pursue one’s rights or freedoms which one did not realize one was entitled to anyway.

Resultantly, not only has there never been a culture of speaking up in the modern state, many Singaporeans either feel grateful to the government, or have been brought up to be grateful by their parents, because anything else would be biting the hand that feeds you.

This lack of a public political forum is non-threatening to the Singaporean society, but only as long as the government in power has only the welfare of its citizens at heart, is uncorrupt, substantially and procedurally fair, a follower of the rule of law, and not given to abuse of power – in other words, perfect.

Anything less would require an active dissenting sector to be the voice of those who are lacking it, to create opportunities for feedback and dialogue, and to allow social and political progression.

No government is perfect, and it is only through dissent can a government look outside its own self-constructed box to view things from another perspective. Without dissent, there can be no improvements. Without dissent, there is no check or balance. Without dissent, there is no liberty.

get rich, or die trying

2006-01-23T11:45:00.000Z

i used to have a magazine cut-out of a korean-american boy, looking all-american in chinos, t-shirt and cap, being quoted as saying

'i am afraid of not being successful'.

and i agreed with Mr Cut-Out Korean then, and i agree with him still now.

it's not failure that's a problem. failure is good, failure is spectacular and hyperbole. failure is the bang, not the whimper. you can bounce back from failure. failure is the extreme which there is no other choice but up.

mediocrity, on the other hand, is that indescribable chill that runs down the back of my spine. it is boring. it is stagnant. it is arachnophobia where the tarantulas are merely furry animification of my darkest nightmare - of being merely mediocre. it's a black hole that absorbs everything around it, a vortex of empty invisibility.

where else can one go when one is mediocre? it's 'good enough'. it's not failure in any sense, but it sure ain't success either. and yet, it is the no man's land of achievement, and this land is vast and plain. one may travel their whole life in this land of mediocrity and never reach the ends of this sierra of plainness. and although one may have many companions in this journey, one is always alone in their individually personalised mediocrity.

and so it is, with this fear in me, that i scale doggedly up the mountain that is a career, with a bright red flag in hand ready to stake my claim and base camps at convenient intervals to restore regroup and reinvigorate.

because, at the end of the day, i'd like to be able to swan in and out of my job without fear of my financial bearings. i'd like to be able to decide where and when and how. i'd like to call the shots, as they say, and not worry about my next mortgage repayment.

and because i don't want to find myself in my forties hoping my boss will give out bonuses at the end of the year because i could really do with some extra cash.

checks, tartan or gingham?

2006-01-22T17:09:00.000Z

perhaps all this house-moving is getting to my head.

in my history list of sites visited in the past few days, all i see is martha stewart, digs magazine and BBC Gardening.

all this domesticity is beginning to scare me.

i mean, how am i supposed to find the time to make new slipcovers when i'm supposed to be out in the garden pruning back the rose bushes or repainting my walls in some visually-arresting colour to make my room seem more interesting?

and all that on top of going to school and doing my readings and attempting to write essays.

no wonder women are going to take 200 years to break the glass ceiling - we're more concerned with what type of glass it is, whether it lets enough light in, and how clean and shiny it is.

r - e - s - p - what?

2006-01-19T12:53:00.000Z

y'know, sometimes some people just amaze me.

honestly.

and a lot of the time i don't even know why i bother. all i get is a metaphorical slap in the face without so much as a by your leave.

take a deep breath... hold... and relax

so much for 'being adult about it'. and so much for respect.

tchhhh

car-ride no. 93752

2006-01-16T20:14:00.000Z

I’m sitting in the car, on the way back from East Sussex and it’s dark so I can’t read. We’re singing songs, or bits and pieces of them, because the car stereo is fucked and it can’t play anything not even the radio.

Before we left you’d said, ‘you’re going to have to keep me entertained’.

So I’m curled up in my seat, watching the different shades of darkness and the red-orange-pink glow of lights in the distance. And I’m trying to remember a song. It starts with ‘if only’ but I can’t remember anything else. And I have a ghost of a tune running in my head, but when I try and catch it, it becomes another song.

And then I give up, and we start reciting bits of poems. You tell me a few lines of Robert Frost, and I tell you how much I dislike Blake. And then I tell you how I want to put chaos into 14 lines, and also how they have lied about time.

But most important of all, I told you about the vegetables and the birds, and about how words are for those with promises to keep.

save the photographers, pt 2

2006-01-11T11:07:00.000Z

[this started out as a reply to Ivan's comment in the last post, but got much too wordy for the comment box, and has therefore come into its own as a post with more explanation and refinement of the ideas expressed previously.]

Although much of Singaporean legislation is inherited and/or copied wholesale from the UK, the cultural bias is not merely due to the inheritance of the UK's cultural reasons as well because the UK copyright provisions no longer differentiate photographs from other artistic works - they are artistic works full-stop. No exception, no ifs buts maybes or perhaps.

If Singaporean legislators thought that photography was a valid and valuable art form, they could very well have amended the legislation similarly so as to give the same protection to photographs as they do to artistic works in general.

And also note that the NAC and other arts-related governmental bodies or government-related organisations represent those in the 'traditional' arts such as painting, sculpting, drawing, but not photographers.

Photographers don't have any representation at those levels because photography is not seen by the most part of society as an art form, but a technical skill that can be picked up upon by anybody and everybody. Because, obviously anyone can pick up a camera and start taking photographs, but not everyone can buy watercolours and start painting. Like, give me a break.

But, really, what I take offence at is not the cultural bias, because that is a given - legislation generally lags behind social acceptance/recognition (e.g. the continuing illegality of homosexuality in Singapore). What is offensive is that it is the little person (i.e. the photographer) who has to burden him/herself with the responsibility of varying or negotiating a contract for service so as to gain more rights for him/herself.

Under UK legislation, the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 states in section 11(1) that

11.—(1) The author of a work is the first owner of any copyright in it, subject to the following provisions.

(2) Where a literary, dramatic, musical or artistic work is made by an employee in the course of his employment, his employer is the first owner of any copyright in the work subject to any agreement to the contrary.

also, under S90(2),

an assignment or other transmission of copyright may be partial, that is, limited so as to apply—
(a) to one or more, but not all, of the things the copyright owner has the exclusive right to do.

There is therefore no other provision for works made under an agreement for valuable consideration, much less one specifically noting that the copyright in photographic works belongs to the person hiring the photographer for that particular job. The photographer is therefore the owner of his works and the copyright within his works unless he is an employee, and even then the rights are negotiable.

If there were similar legislation in Singapore, photographers acting as independent contractors would be in full ownership of their rights. This would enable them to give away/contract for less rights with those hiring them, but not leave them without any copyright as is possible under Singaporean legislation. The burden would then be on the other party to negotiate with the photographer for the permission to use his or her work in particular ways, rather than on the photographer to prevent it.

The funny thing is if, as I mentioned in the previous post, that more and more companies turn to foreign photographers to shoot their campaigns etc, those photographers would not only charge more for their services, but would also retain more rights than any Singaporean photographer is entitled to under the present legislation. But then again, it is because they are foreign and talented that we give them more concessions than locals, right?

So, there are several ways to change the situation. Professional photographers could a professional body to represent them and protect their rights, with accreditation and referencing systems. Or, they could use written standard form contracts which state exactly which rights are given up, for what purposes and for how long.

Or, they could work outside of Singapore and be very established there (case in point: Clang) - go to Europe, they have moral rights on top of copyright - and thus get greater protection, and could also come back to Singapore and charge higher prices whilst retaining more rights because they have overseas experience, and because they are basically the prodigal children returning into the fold and you'd give them anything they wanted to as to prevent another escape.

There's no point whining about the sad state of photography in Singapore unless someone's going to do something about it. And if the photographers in Singapore could look at the wider picture rather than be concerned solely with their own rice-bowls (of course it's important, but other things matter too), perhaps some joint effort would result in great leaps and bounds in copyright protection for photographers and their works.

If they don't save themselves, who will?

save the photographers

2006-01-09T10:56:00.000Z

When a law student studying intellectual property and her photographer best friend get together, what else would be discussed except copyright protection and the lack thereof in Singapore.

Copyright is infamous for being culturally biased, and in the context of photography, the genre has only been accepted recently as an ‘artistic work’ – which is defined as ‘a painting, sculpture, drawing, engraving or photograph’ (S7(1) Copyright Act).

However, artistic work or not, the statutory regime seems to treat photography as a second-class genre of an artistic work, with different sections dealing separately with artistic work and photography especially when it comes to authorship and owning of copyright.

S30(5) of the Copyright Act states that

where —
(a) a person makes, for valuable consideration, an agreement with another person for the taking of a photograph, the painting or drawing of a portrait or the making of an engraving by the other person; and
(b) the work is made in pursuance of the agreement,
the first-mentioned person shall be entitled to any copyright subsisting in the work by virtue of this Part, except that if the work is required for any particular purpose, that purpose shall be communicated to that other person and that other person shall be entitled to restrain the doing, otherwise than for that particular purpose, of any act comprised in the copyright in the work.

which in simple English means that if a photographer is hired as an independent contractor to carry out a photographic shoot for someone (or some company), that someone (or some company) automatically owns the copyright to the photographers work.

It’s automatic. No questions asked, no need to argue about it. The photographer loses his rights to any photograph taken in return for payment swiftly and immediately.

Seeing as most photographers, in general and in particular, work on the basis of independent hire and contracting, the Copyright Act sure doesn’t give a lot of protection at all to the photographers in Singapore, does it?

Oh sure, S30(3) allows for

The operation of subsection (4), (5) or (6) in relation to copyright in a particular work may be excluded or modified by agreement.

but seriously, how many photographers in Singapore know about this? And how many of them will make use of this? From my observations, many of them are so happy to get a job that considerations of copyright protection only occur later, when they’ve signed their rights away.

Worst of all, because the copyright automatically rests with the person hiring the photographer, the burden thus lies upon the photographer him/herself to modify or exclude the operation of S30(5). Which then gives rise to the issues of how many of them know exactly which rights need to be protected for their best interests, and how many of them are able to bargain with the other party?

Many regard photography as an unmeritorious and purely technical, and it is this perception that results in the downgrading of the photographers right to protect his or her photographic works as seen above. And because many photographers act as independent contractors, they lack the bargaining power that would enable them to negotiate for better deals or better rights. This lack of bargaining power places photographers in a worse position than plumbers.

The best friend was asked to do a shoot for a well-known fashion line which required at least a few days pre- and post- work on top of the shoot itself for $2,000 - which includes transport, equipment hire/rental, studio rental etc etc etc. Out of that sum, he probably only really gets $500? I mean, if you need a plumber to fix your pipes, you’re not exactly going to bargain with the plumber and cut his fees in half or more, are you?

The situation is further exacerbated by the lack of a overall body or an association of photographers which acts on behalf of the photographers in Singapore to educate them of their rights and how to protect them.

Photographers should band together and prevent the exploitation of their works. If all photographers, or a large proportion of them, were given standard form contracts that they could fill in or delete as required, and if all their dealings with others were based upon these standard form contracts, photographers would be able to gain more rights and protection for themselves. This standard form contract would then be recognized as the contract between a photographer and the person hiring his or her services, and would act to the benefit of both parties involved.

Without co-operation, photographers as individual actors will always be shortchanged and unable to exercise fully their rights and creators and authors of their works. Professional photographers will know better than give away all their rights except at premium prices, and Singapore will be left with a huge pool of amateur photographers who are desperate for any job, and will do them at cut-rate prices without reserving any of their rights at all. You get what you pay for, so cheapskate companies will get lousy photographers and lousy work, which then leads to the companies hiring foreign photographers for the job at higher prices (because they're foreign talent, y'know?), and less jobs for local photographers, thus making them more desperate thus perpetuating a never-ending vicious cycle.

if the situation does end up that way, alarm bells should ring, and church bells should toll, for the death of Singaporean photography is nigh.

long live Singaporean photography, god save Singaporean photography.

house hunting is a chore

2006-01-06T22:56:00.000Z

oh god i'm so tired of looking for places to live.

are ALL estate agents annoying as hell, and superduper totally type-A personalities? why do they all have screensavers of Jaguars and Mercedes SLKs? and why do they keep showing me totally shitty places when i'm so obvious at my dislike of the other 83837401 places that they've already shown me that are almost exactly the same as the one they're showing me? how many times must i curl my upper lip into a sneer and then re-compose myself to say in the politest tones ever that no, i don't think this place is right for me?

i think i'm just going to put in an offer for this one place that i viewed the other day. it's not perfect, but it's pretty good. i'll have to pay overlapping rent for the most part of February, but it's okay. it doesn't have a garden, but it's got a hugeass balcony so that makes up for it. it's not a nice pretty victorian conversion, but it's surrounded by them, so that's alright. it's not particularly near any nice parks, but it's got 2 squares minutes away from it with benches and everything, so that's rather nice.

and y'know, really, i just can't be bothered anymore.

the end is the beginning

2006-01-02T17:07:00.000Z

between the last post and now, i have

learnt to make crackling
cooked boxing day dinner for 10
using my new favourite kitchen toy, a mezzaluna
tramped around in 6inches of pure white snow
helped to make a snowman for the first time in my life
spoken to my parents twice in a week (a record!)
and also to every other member of my nuclear family for the first time in months
apart from actual sleeping, spent the equivalent of 3 days lying in bed watching teevee or reading
watched the whole of season 1 of M*A*S*H on dvd
watched most of season 1 of Northern Exposure on videotape
read 'The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle' by Haruki Murakami
and also 'Snobs' by Julian Fellowes
and am halfway through 'Anansi Boys' by Neil Gaiman
played Murder Mystery on New Year's Eve
following which learnt that red wine, brandy and cava are NOT a good mix
but wintermelon, carrots, onions and split red lentils are brilliant together for soup, especially because my wisdom tooth is cutting my gums and the inside of my cheek
smoked the last of my duty-free cigarettes
etc etc etc

and so here are the things i ought to do in 2006

graduate from university with sufficient enough honours
completely remove gluten from my diet
make more long distance calls
have fun with the best friend when he moves to london in february
introduce best friend to everyone
move house/flat to somewhere in east london
travel around england and wales more
return to singapore sometime or other for a visit
learn how to plant/garden in containers
get to know more people, especially people i like
stop smoking, or at least restrict it to social occasions
make better use of my library membership
learn how to negotiate with landlords and lettings agents
cycle as much as possible
be less critical and dismissive of my fellow humans
oh, and of course single-handedly eradicate poverty and conflict, correct climate change, revoke all laws restricting freedom of information and speech and expression and/or only allow the narrowest interpretations of 'national interest' or 'national security', and become the first female prime minister of singapore - well, we can dream, can't we?

hope the last week has been as gluttonous and slothful and as filled with alcohol and bad behaviour as mine has been.

onwards ho!

'tis the season

2005-12-23T13:08:00.000Z

to run around frantically, fight the crowds in covent garden and oxford street, and bake up a storm of cinnamon cookies and plum, apple and walnut cake.

and also to receive phone calls from my dad because he was bored stuck in a traffic jam on the way to bugis junction to pick my mother up, who was calling him repeatedly to tell him to pick her up from somewhere else due to aforesaid traffic jam but could not get through because he was on the phone with me, and then a lot of passing the phone around 'so your mummy can talk to you' and my dad could go back to shouting at other drivers. so there was news about my grandma, siblings and cousins, and wonderings about whether or not i'd be back for chinese new year this (next) year, and how my studies were going, was i actually studying or really just having fun, and about my graduation and who was going to come in july to attend it. and then also lots of moral lessons passed through the phone line, about 'that friend of yours' and 'proper behaviour' and 'think about your reputation' and 'tell him not to take it personally'.

are we all janus-faced and multiple-lifed? once again, i will reflect upon the concept of 'asian values' as a construct invented to further the social engineering project. and like, whatever.

and while M splutters and is flabbergasted at (1) being the subject of the parental conversation while he could hear every single word of it, (2) my mother being so nasty to him, (3) how not not to take it personally because it clearly was a personal attack even though they've never met him before, and (4) what the hell 'lor' and 'lah' meant, it is also time to pack up the car with still unwrapped presents and other assorted sundries and head off down the A21 and into the southeast - after waking up 3 hours later than planned due to the holding of half-asleep conversations with the parents afterwhich i had to fall asleep again so as to recover from the shock&horror of it all (see above).

oh, and of course 'tis the season for christmas trees, log fires, roast turkey, glazed parsnips, caramelized carrots, roasted potatoes, stuffing, roast loin of pork, brussels sprouts and christmas pudding.

intrusive or what?!

2005-12-16T13:30:00.000Z

this is the The Straits Times Interactive Online Registration Page.

Of all online registration forms that i have ever filled out, this has got to take the cake.

Apart from red asterisks on EVERYTHING, they also ask you about your annual household income, and your highest educational qualifications. Uhm.

No thanks, Straits Times. I'll stick to the Guardian. And if ever I feel the need to get in touch with Singaporean news, i'll read about it through every other Singaporean blog.

imagery

2005-12-16T12:23:00.000Z

the leaves are twirling and swirling through the air like ballet dancers. the rustle-crackle and the whoosh-whoosh ominous-sounding, until i look up and see these great big masses of leaves flying past my window.

like being caught by surprise whilst scuba-diving, and suddenly having to stay really still while a huge school of barracuda pass you by in their silver-blue-flecks-of-light brilliance.

but anyway, many pictures follow. because i've only just uploaded them, even though some date back a month or so.

gig 01: Faust

gig 01: Kid Koala

gig 01: Explosions In The Sky

gig 01: Fourtet

gig 02: Courtney Pine

gig 02: stairwell at the De La Warr Pavillion

the gherkin, on the way to Paul McCarthy at Whitechapel Gallery

self-explanatory, on Brick Lane

where clothes go to die

chive flower husks

note to self: get photoshop CS back from O. that boy has had it for much too long!

by the way

2005-12-15T17:14:00.000Z

Cycling around on my new-old pushbike has become a daily affair. Suddenly everything is so much closer and quicker to get to – now I just have to get over my fear of roundabouts and cycling across the bridges. I’ve also realised that there is a certain fraternity amongst cyclists, we eye up one another whilst passing and smile, nod or wink in recognition of each other’s efforts.

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Chive flowers are so pretty when they’re in bloom, and when they’ve seeded they resemble hearts on stalks. Cutting off the heads to collect the seeds, I’ve fallen in love with their raspy paper-like texture, and the faint onion-garlicky smell.

I’ve also bought spring bulbs to plant after suffering a full-blown case of bulb-envy over the weekend. See, M persuaded me not to get any in November because ‘we’ll be moving before they come up’. The fool. Now I see the hyacinths in pots in other people’s houses and I get so jealous I want to pierce the bulbs and introduce root rot. But now I’ve got my own (at half-price too!), and I have to plant them now now now or they’ll never grow, and come spring I might fly into a rage and start eating them damned bulbs.

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Last night there was a Christmas drinks party for the current and future trainee solicitors of the firm I’ve signed my life away to.

Last night there were too many gin&tonics, and waaaay too many flaming sambucas. I hate that sticky sickly sweet thing. The only part I liked about it was holding the fire in my mouth. I’m a fire-eater! RAWWR!

Obviously, everyone there already is or is going to be a trainee solicitor. But I never expected those on the LPC now to be so cloistered. Perhaps I’m reading too much into things, but they seemed so insular and hidden away in that corner of the lounge never venturing out except to get drinks from the barman.

From their midst emerged an ex-schoolmate from Singapore who stopped me and asked ‘Are you from RJ?’ I was slightly stunned by the question, and after answering in the positive had to think really hard to match her face to my memories, and I finally realised who she was whilst in the toilet. But I can no longer remember her name. I’m sure I never knew her name whilst at school, and we only knew each other by sight, each of us navigating our own way and intersecting occasionally through the occurrence of mutual friends. She tried to tell me above the din of the music and drunken lawyers-to-be, but alas, it fell out my ears and mixed with the clinking of glasses and the calls for more tequila. I’m sure I’ll get to know her a lot better when I start my training contract.

But I digress.

Apart from those on the LPC, everyone else seemed to be mingling very well. Too well, I suppose, seeing as it was all this mingling that resulted in those flaming sambucas. And it was interesting that everyone got along, which bodes well for my future, and it felt like a confirmation of this nebulous thing called a training contract that has so far only seemed like a faraway concept. Which is nice, I suppose.

School's Out

2005-12-12T12:26:00.000Z

Friday night started out as a dinner and a trip to the pub.

But 24hour drinking rocks, and we ended up horrendously drunk after staggering our visits to 3 different pubs/bars, picking up friends as we went along. Herne Hill is where I’d like to move to, if only it wasn’t so far out and we hadn’t already decided on Bethnal Green.

Saturday was spent shopping with T, and then having fortifying drinks under the arches of Peckham Rye Train Station. Good conversation and amazing buys. I honestly think that our shared post-colonial upbringing (her in South Africa, mine in Singapore) does a lot for our friendship and increases our mutual disbelief at the bend-over-backwards political correctness and social correctness in England.

After which it was back home to a feast of lamb curry, dhal and vegetable curry. And more wine. And more whiskey. And more Port.

I think we overdid the drinking by Sunday afternoon, and last night was spent semi-conscious and hazily hungover in T’s kitchen, having nut loaf, butternut squash soup, tofu and couscous salad and mince pie.

I heart weekends.

Especially when they play out without any deadlines looming, or any niggling feelings telling me I really ought to be back at my desk highlighting and underlining.

No more essays!

2005-12-07T16:14:00.000Z

For a month, anyway. And then it’s nose back to grindstone, and continuing to freak the housemates out with my long sustained spells of diligence.

But it’s good that term is ending now. I’m so tired, and I haven’t been able to breathe.

I spent an hour or so cycling on my new-old pushbike, and it felt so nice to not think about how best to fit my life in around my work for once. I didn’t think about which chapters I had to finish by tonight, I didn’t think about what I needed to catch up on for my class on Friday, I didn’t think about all the up-coming essays and reports I had to do in the next few weeks. I was occupied by other thoughts, like what to make for dinner and where I ought to be cycling to in order to purchase ingredients (I decided on spiced rice, roasted large flat mushrooms with mash stuffing, and salad, by the way).

And of course now that I’m back, the books loom large on my shelf and the emails start trickling in. Reading schedules have to be worked out for this week and over the holidays, essay deadlines have to be entered into the calendar, feedback noted and filed away.

This last week of term is an academic blackhole. It’s a vacuum where the lectures take place but no one’s really paying attention anymore, and no one really cares what takes place because they’ve all got plans to fly off to foreign lands sometime in the coming week, and questions pop into my head about whether I ought to read now for the first class next term or should I just leave it for now.

But most important question in my head of all: How did I get roped into cooking Christmas dinner for M’s family? This is serious English-ness we’re talking about. And me! Chinese girl from way out there cooking Christmas dinner for 6 to 10 others? Oh dear. It’s going to be interesting times, I can tell.

oh these difficult questions

2005-12-04T15:55:00.000Z

what is it about port and red wine that leads to headaches?

and what is it about the closing-in of essay deadlines that results in procrastination?

and the debilitating nature of ignorance, which leaves me shocked and unable to write (much like a rabbit caught in the headlights), whenever i don't know all, absolutely all the things that i will put down on paper in reply to the essay question.

and the proliferation of happy christmassy green-and-red-and-gold cinnamon-ginger-and-nutmeg-scented thoughts that invade my mind, when really i should to be thinking about the causes of corporate failure and whether we ought to be concerned when companies fail.

24 to go!

2005-12-01T22:06:00.000Z

oh, and seeing that's it's already december, i've obviously been thinking long and hard about christmas and all the things that it entails.

i'm thinking of baking a christmas cake. and gingerbread men. and snowflake cookies. and the smells of ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate and brandy wafting around the house.

i've also compiled a list of things to buy for myself in lieu of presents from my family and friends (because i'm that sad, yes). and also a list of things that i really ought to get, which i've been putting off getting for a while.

i hope it snows soon, and that all this piss-rain-drizzle weather goes away. i like it clean and white, not grey and squelchy.

Happy Red Ribbon Day

2005-12-01T18:44:00.000Z

It’s World Aids Day today.

Aids is a fact. Sex is a fact too.

There's been a lot of discussion over use of contraceptives as the best form of prevention, and the increasing weight given to abstinence policies which is mainly influenced by Christian America and its politics. American influence has resulted in a sharp fall in the amount of condoms sent to, and distributed within, Africa because the use of condoms promotes a lifestyle that includes sex, and abstinence is about not having any.

Well, abstinence policies will not work in societies where monogamy is not part of their culture. Abstinence policies will not work in societies that call themselves modern, either.

The only effective method of reducing the numbers of HIV carriers is education. Sex education can only be for the benefit of society, and may well help to prevent new cases of infection from arising, apart from raising awareness of teen pregnancy and STIs and other such issues amongst others.

Of course, growing up in Singapore, I was giggly and embarrassed when we had science lessons on the reproductive systems of man and animal. But apart from my childish reaction to the topic, what shocked me was the teacher’s attitude towards it – she said, ‘it’s all in the textbook, I’m sure you can read it for yourself’, and moved on to the next topic. If she had turned to our class of 30 young girls and had given a matter-of-fact explanation of sexual intercourse, I’m sure she would have been highly respected and thought of as especially enlightened.

But that is basically what parents, and the education system, does. Both are embarrassed, more embarrassed than the youths they are addressing I suspect, and both try to fob off the responsibility of speaking about the birds and the bees. The lack of discussion over the simplest aspects of sex reduces the chances of any detailed discussion of sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancy and homosexuality. Those issues, especially, are seen as something that could only happen to ‘someone else’ and so no need at all to address them (see yawningbread for a good write-up, here).

We then grow up in a world where we know all about sex, but nothing about it. And, pretend to look away but really, everyone is doing it.

Such is the situation when the government insists that the country is one of traditional morality, and things like sex are hush-hush matters. And the sudden explosion of church-going people love it as well – all these bible-thumping anti-abortion, abstinence-supporting, homophobic creatures. No sex allowed, we’re good Christian heterosexual Singaporeans, unless you’re married to someone of the opposite sex, of course.

Well, I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. Singapore is modern. And highly technologised. And highly sexualised. No amount of persuasion can convince me that we still have the traditional morals of ancient China, and anyway, I’m not so sure if they were moralists either – Concubines? Prostitutes? 13th century erotic toys? They had it all – so save the sanctimonious talk and deal with a social problem for once.

Perhaps by getting off that moralistic high horse and accepting the fact that sex happens, in and outside of marriage, greater and more effective effort can be made to heighten awareness of contraceptive methods to prevent situations where women turn to abortions instead of using contraceptives . And seriously, if a gay couple were to talk about contraception and prevention, I wouldn’t think of them as promoting an alternative lifestyle so much as protecting the health and lives of those who are already leading it, and heterosexual couples probably would have a lot to learn from them as well.

Abstinence can only work in highly specific and special situations, for example where everyone is of the same religion or believe in the same moral code, which is impossible in any country today where race and religion are no longer homogenous. And abstinence will not help those in marriages to partners who are infected, and there is growing evidence of more and more infections happening within marriages. And abstinence does not educate.

If we cannot talk truthfully and honestly about sex and its implications, and if sex education remains ignored as a crucial step towards cultivating a mature and responsible sexual lifestyle, then sadly, I’m afraid that we will never be able to find solutions but will always have to deal and cope with the fall-out of institutionalised ignorance.

here fishy fishy

2005-11-30T17:27:00.000Z

“The PMO (Prime Minister’s Office) is currently studying how we can better engage overseas Singaporeans, in particular recruiting the young overseas students back to Singapore, and is seeking feedback from the students on how the government could facilitate that.”

Apparently there was another similar session held a few weeks ago, where some students gave their reasons for not wanting wholeheartedly to return to Singapore after graduation. And in typical talking-down style, the speaker defended all the policies that the students had questioned, and even implied that they were unpatriotic/dishonourable/rude (I’m not really sure what he said, exactly, because I know about it through hearsay, but I know it was something not very nice).

So, I got to thinking.

Why, indeed, is there reluctance for Singaporean students to return to those sunny shores of our garden-island-state? And why do I not witness the same reluctance in any of my classmates that hail from Hong Kong – arguably comparable in terms of size, economy and social demographic?

Personally, I think that returning to Singapore will reduce the chances of any student who has harboured thoughts of an international career to actually embark on it.

There is the comfort (false, it may be) of being ‘at home’ and thus stifling the desire to remove oneself from a place where mummy is just 20mins away. Also, even if one still manages to retain one’s international aspirations, unless one has held a job in an MNC or even a regional company, there is little scope of advancement coming from a wholly Singapore-owned company unless one is truly and remarkably exceptional. Further, the dynamism and get-up-and-go-get-‘em attitude and spirit is just something I don’t see in Singapore, unless you’re talking about the top levels of MNCs, which will be impossible to get a job at without first having had international experience somewhere else, thus perpetuating the problem above.

As discussed with Jem, while I was desperately filling out application forms for training contracts with firms in London and he was twiddling his thumbs waiting for calls to interviews, would you rather be a big fish in a small pond, or a medium sized fish in a big pond?

I think most people concentrate on the size of the fish, but forget about the size of the pond. A small pond can only sustain that much of an ecosystem, and is highly susceptible to external shock. A big pond has a larger, more self-sustainable ecosystem, greater variety of species, and is much better placed to adapt to new situations imposed by external sources.

And anyway, if you’re already a big fish, there’s no impetus to improve oneself or get bigger, meaner and stronger. At least in a big pond, there’s challenge and there’s competition and there’s intellectual stimulation.

Like I told several of my interviewers, I want to work internationally and it’s a lot easier to work in international offices having started out in London than in Singapore. One just cannot deny the fact that certain cities have better and more attractive prospects than others in terms of getting to the top-end of a not-so-level playing field.

Another reason might be society. Perhaps after being exposed to the free and liberal-mindedness of mainstream society and the press, Singapore seems claustrophobic and smothering. This would explain the difference in attitude between the students from Hong Kong and those from Singapore. Civil society in Hong Kong is much more developed there than in Singapore despite, and in spite of, the fact that they are a Chinese territory.

Or it might just simply be down to a matter of money. I can only do a comparison between lawyers, but I will assume that the information can be extrapolated into other fields. For a lawyer who qualified in 2001, average yearly pay would be £42,500 - £53,000 in London, £60,000 - £72,500 in Hong Kong, and £26,500 - £50,000 in Singapore (source here). Even after taking into account the cost of living, Singapore still doesn’t seem to provide the best remuneration, especially since many firms in London provide perks like you’d never believe, e.g. free use of on-site gymnasium with swimming pools, in-house café/restaurants, season passes to football, theatre or opera, etc.

So, what can the Permanent Secretary of the PMO do to convince people like me to return?

Nothing, really.

Anecdotal evidence amongst fellow schoolmates who have gotten jobs in London has shown that nothing much can be done to convince them to return immediately after graduation. It’s not selfish or unpatriotic to think that if one can begin a career in London, one should embrace it and make the most of one’s opportunity. In fact, I think one ought to be suspicious of anyone who is overeager to return to Singapore and who has been scornful of others’ attempts at securing a job in London after graduation, but perhaps I am not giving enough weight to the ties of family and girl/boyfriends.

Nevertheless, I think the question posed focuses on the wrong group of people. What good can fresh graduates do in a system where heirarchy, seniority and bureacracy reigns? Whatever fresh ideas and new thoughts that we might introduce will merely be dismissed as being the 'idealistic wishful thinking of a young upstart'. So, unless that changes and the views of young people are regarded as equally important and useful, both of which are highly unlikely, then perhaps it should not be us that the government should be seeking to attract.

Perhaps the more important question ought to be, after establishing careers and proving ourselves to be good at what we do, what can be done to convince us then to return to Singapore? Or, what can be done to convince already-established professionals with international experience to return to Singapore?

But until then, it seems there is not much magnetism emanating from Singapore when scholarship students find as many ways as possible to delay their return, as evidenced by a surge of Master’s students present in and around the country, and when scholars quit the public sector soon after they have finished their bond in search of greener pastures elsewhere.

Don't Panic

2005-11-28T19:36:00.000Z

Panic is when I leave it until the 28th of November to fill out an application form that requires input from my personal tutor and has to reach by 1st December.

Panic is when there is no money in my printing account, no staples in any of the fucking staplers in the printing room, no paperclip to attach forms to envelope, and no time.

But it's okay. Because everything turned out fine, and I got my forms countersigned and sent off right before my lecture at 4pm.

Now, I'm off to do the crossword.

Weekender 04

2005-11-27T21:23:00.000Z

+ Courtney Pine at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea; see the mid-to-upper-middle-classes come out for a cultural event just so they can drop it into conversation the next time they have a dinner party. But fantastic set with great showmanship and foot-tapping, get-up-and-get-dancing performance otherwise.

+ And then there were the railworks between Robertsbridge and Hastings, i.e. no train from Battle (Welcome to 1066 Country!); driving through some serious countryside to get to Frant, where we dumped the car and got on a train back to London to see

+ The Doctors of Love at Filthy McNasty's; great music, but overcrowded by fashionista types with perfect hair and black wardrobes and skinny men in blazers (i think real fashion and magazine fashion might be slightly out of sync), but increased the count of my possessions by 2 proper gin glasses. hurray!

+ Further procrastination and paucity of work done; the coldness has set in and my brain refuses to thaw itself. resulting in lots of newspaper reading and thumbing through christmas catalogues for gifts i'll never give or receive.

+ With the winter looking like how it is, i'm not looking forward to anymore school; the holidays are so close and yet so far, with an essay and 2 reports to get through first. oh the obstacles to freedom! and the obstacles to curling up beside the radiator all day long, getting up only for hot chocolate and cake.

Singapore Rebel

2005-11-22T17:40:00.000Z

Okay, because i am totally slow on the uptake, i've only just watched this - when i really ought to be writing an essay on legal normative orders and what happens in times of revolution, does the legal order lose it's validity merely due to its loss of effectiveness, or is it because the basic assumption that the legal order is valid in the first place has changed.

Come to think of it, rather interesting topic to be thinking about when considering Singapore and its Constitution and the Government etc. But anyway, i did a little snooping at the Attorney-General's Statute folder and got several helpful definitions for the greater good of wo/mankind.

Keep in mind the following when watching Singapore Rebel

As defined in the Film Act (CAP 107) S2(1):
“party political film” means a film —
(a) which is an advertisement made by or on behalf of any political party in Singapore or any body whose objects relate wholly or mainly to politics in Singapore, or any branch of such party or body; or
(b) which is made by any person and directed towards any political end in Singapore;

and according to the Societies Act (Cap 311) S2,
“political association” includes any society which the Minister may by order declare to be a political association;

and the Political Donations Act (CAP 236) S2(1)
“political association” means —
(a) a political party or an organisation which has as one of its objects or activities the promotion or procuring of the election to Parliament or to the office of President of a candidate or candidates endorsed by the organisation; or
(b) an organisation (not being a branch of any organisation) whose objects or activities relate wholly or mainly to politics in Singapore and which is declared by the Minister, by order in the Gazette, to be a political association for the purposes of this Act

And, you know, of course the video is totally persuasive. Don’t we believe everything we see on teevee, and believe everything we read or hear? I mean, we’re trained to believe in the absolute truth of what we are told, and not to question the right or wrongs of it. Weren’t we?