Our RE meeting yesterday was a stark difference from the previous RE meeting we had. It was, without doubt, more productive. And of course as music producers we strive for productivity!
As all of you can see, Ben Low and I have the same timetable due to the same subject combination. So it was possible for us to do some planning and composing for the National Day song. Yummy.
Now it's the lyrics.
I have received some comments about my recent blogpost "Boys on the MRT", and have been pointed out that I have written with a stereotypical view of neighborhood school students. However I wish to clarify that I was merely talking about the much-used general public view of neighbourhood schools. Here's the supposedly offensive statement:
"Meanwhile standing 2 metres away from me were a group of 2 Upper Secondary guys and 2 Lower Secondary guys from a school with blue uniform. I was as usual people-watching/listening, and they were to none of my surprise, the usual stereotype of neighbourhood schools.
"
This does not mean that all neighbourhood school students exhibit such behavior, but to say that the students mentioned in my blogpost have shown this behavior that has been generalised - repeat, generalised - as typical neighbourhood school behavior as seen from the public eye.
Sorry if there were anyone who were insulted by that post. Do note I will take more care with my comments in the future.
To follow, here's a news article from senior writer of Strait Times, Janadas Devan.
Here it is:
Alright I'll be honest - I am an Obama supporter, maybe without any political basis, but I simply love his idealistic views. And his oratorical skills are coveted...I'm also frankly not prepared to see a woman as commander-in-chief of one of the world's powerful nations. The famous incident of Hillary Clinton shedding tears (for those of you who don't know, please READ the news..) at a coffee shop when answering a question simply made me doubt her ability of being President of the United States of America. Perhaps the pressure was simply too huge for her to take. Which means tougher times, and more tears ahead to come.
However, Mr. Devan has cleverly pointed out in his article about the differences between the idealism of Mr. Obama and the 'bread-and-butter' realism of Mrs Clinton. In my own opinion I feel that one indeed needs to have a little bit of both to be a well-rounded person. (Which reminds me of what Benjamin Yap said a few days back, about how Buddhism encourages a person to lead a well-balanced life.)
Mr. Devan also mentions the exitpolls that showed Mr Obama 'drew his support chiefly from the well-off - people who earned more than US$55,000 (S$80,000) a year - and the young.'
That clearly means that the rich have in fact more time to think about new ideals, and a new life in American history, while the middle-class and poor have to concentrate on surviving and as what Mr. Devan mentioned, one "cannnot do without bread".
Once again from all the articles I have collected and all the policy plans that Mr Obama has created, I do feel that his Presidential plan has a good balance of realism and idealism, trying to look ahead for visionary ideas yet keeping in touch with the real world.
Does this apply to Singapore? We have yet to find a proper balance, and many youths are still complaining about the rigidity of the Singapore system . As much as the PAP are trying to help the poor and bring stability to the country's economy, they are also trying to look ahead with extra new ideas and things like that. Just think about the F1 night race.
Another few days back, the Strait Times published an article by a female writer within talking about whether Singapore is ready for a non-Chinese Premier. 40 years ago, there were the racial riots between the Chinese and the Malays, and just like in America, 40 years ago there were the racial riots between the whites and the blacks. Today, America has shown for the first time that the African-American is no longer an outsider of the society, and through the example of one being able to have the first real shot of being the most powerful person in America, America has proven that it has forgetten about the past greviances between the whites and the blacks.
Well, let's say tomorrow we're going to have an Indian or a Malay become Prime Minister (considering all the proper steps have been followed within the government.) Will Singaporeans have any major objections, and will any riots follow?
I don't know.
And then there's the gender problem. In the 2009 American President race, serious contenders have included a black and a woman. Should Hilary Clinton be voted as President, the world will see the first woman president ever of again, one of the world's powerful nations. Will the international committee be disturbed by that? I should not think so. But of course, for every yes there would be a no, and for every man a woman, for every yes a no. I believe that there would not be a lack of people who disagree to a woman president, but it would not do much impact though.
This week has been a tumultous week, following Mr. Obama's win in the Iowa caucus and subsequent 3% defeat in New Hampshire. Several comparisons were drawn between the Americas and Singapore, and some have left an imprint in my mind.
Will 2009 be one of America's most historical year, the year of the firsts?
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