Reserved.

I came across an interesting article in The New Paper about the trains: No, it has nothing to do with the breakdowns which happened. Rather, it is about the distinctly coloured seat right beside the glass panel; A perfect seat to sit back, relax, and lean your head against the glass as you slip into unconsciousness. I am, of course, talking about the reserved seats.

Photo by Mohamed Yahya

It was a story on how the reporter, whilst ornamented (Merry Christmas!) to seem old and really tired, was offered seats by the passengers majority of the time she boarded the train. This was as opposed to what a STOMP reader might have expected. She went on to conclude that those who appeared on STOMP were a rare few, and that Singaporeans are actually a nice bunch, However, she also noticed that the reserved seats are usually empty if the train was not full, commenting that “This tells me we are obedient more than we are respectful”.

Girl with Feminist Tendencies

In a tribute to the fact that a Hollywood version of my favourite trilogy have just been released in America, I have written a three part series on the issue of feminism, one which is a thread which runs through all three books. This is the first of the three-parter.

Upon reading two recent articles; one about the comments long time girlfriend of Stieg Larsson (Author of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Eva Gabrielsson, made, and another about Christopher Hitchens; I have been pulled towards another topic which I am personally rather opinionated about: feminism.

Now, the rationality behind feminism is easy to comprehend. After being oppressed by men and treated like property for most of history, women feel the need to be empowered. And they very well should be. However, I feel that in this day and age, the methodologies employed by them makes the feminists’ cause a lost one.

Sometimes Maintained, Rarely Thoughtfully

It would have been common sense to write about the recent Mass Rapid Transit train breakdowns, considering how big-scale of a problem it was. However, I initially chose not to write about it due to the sheer boringness of the topic. Sure, such events are rare in this tropical island, but things fail, all the time. Especially mechanical things; and especially so if they were last checked a decade ago.

So I have finally decided to comment on this issue because of another comment floating about in the interwebs. The comment comes in many various forms, but the general idea is the same: We are complaining when the train fails, but when have we ever praised Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) when they have done their job correctly in the past? This made me think: when is someone worthy of compliments, and when should there be complaints? Should people be complimented for simply doing their job, and should others be disappointed when they do nothing but the bare minimum?

The North-South line, operated by SMRT, was disrupted twice in three days.

 Picture: Ariaski

Apple of Wozniak's Eye: Never in Singapore

In this article, Steve Wozniak, cofounder of Apple, states that “Apple could never have happened in a formal culture of Singapore”. Whilst there have been Singaporeans, driven by their national pride, who were quick to disagree, I will have to disagree with the disagreement, as I somewhat agree with the other Steve.

I believe that the problem lies with our educational culture, and our culture in general. Sure, supporters of Singapore's schooling system will dig out the 2003 Third International Math and Science Study (or TIMSS) results, where Singaporean students were ranked first place internationally. I'm not denying that the education system have been successful in the areas of mathematics and science. In fact, I'm thrilled that the Ministry of Education have gotten something, which even the United States got wrong, right. It's something worth being happy about. However, knowing how to solve mathematical problems in a pre-dictated way or substituting numbers into pre-solved scientific equations does not in any way contribute to creativity. It, I feel, hinders creativity. In fact, the “only-the-teacher's-way”ness way in which these subjects are taught prohibits the fruit of innovation from growing from our nation. Solving problems only in ways which we were taught to by those higher up in the hierarchy, isn't creativity. Sure, it will make us successful. Successful followers, successful robots, successful slave-workers. Never a leader, never a boss, never something great.

Procrastination

I was going to write a post about procrastination, but I decided that I'd do that another day.

NaNoWriMo Ends

So it's the end of November, we're passing towards December, the final month of the year. The final month before we proceed to a new one, one which is rumored to be our last.

I obviously do not believe in such nonsense. However, the month of December does bring with it one thing: the end of NaNoWriMo.

Fifty-thousand Words! Woohoo!

It was my first time attending it, and a great first time it had been. Of course, my English standard have not been affected, whether positively or negatively, by this event. Nonetheless, it was a fun experience. The people I've met, and the cake I've eaten makes up for it. For this month alone, I have spent lots of money on coffee and cakes alone. And I'm not even a big fan of coffee.

One thing I've learnt from NaNoWriMo was not a skill, but rather, an attitude. An attitude to alleviate what is know as 'brain crack'. 'Brain crack' refers to an idea you have, but you don't execute. Problem with this is that you will continue having that idea in your mind, improving it further and further, making the plan perfect in your mind. When you eventually carry out your plan, reality hits you, and it hits you hard. This results in a deep sense of disappointment. A feeling which would not have come about if action had been taken in the earlier stages.

I suffer from this a lot. Being a thinker more than a doer, a lot of my ideas are planned perfectly in my head. Majority of these do not become a part of reality. But not NaNo. NaNoWriMo has given me a reason to force myself to take action, everyday, without fail. Looking back, it is rather amazing that I managed to write about two thousand words a day. Two thousand words! That is, at most, two very long secondary school-length essays. Everyday. For one month.

People who had won NaNoWriMo in the past expressed that one of the main reason they participate was because of the feeling of accomplishment they've felt every NaNo they've participated in. I didn't feel such thing, mainly because I was present on every step of the way. The fifty thousand words increased gradually, one word by one word. There was no burst of ego at the end of the whole thing.

I think the change in me was subtle, one which I don't think I'll ever realise, but one which have affected me and will fundamentally change my life from now on. Of course, apart from my lack of sanity, that is.