This is a more light-hearted post before the following one, on ministers' salaries. Think of it as the appetizer before the main course.

Swing high... swing low...

I went for my first social dance last night and it ROCKED!!! Some of us from the Lindy 1 class stayed back after class to join the social, including me and Jules.

Although mostly, we huddled shamefully in one corner of the room, looking at the other way-better dancers swing their partners around.... bleah......

Some of the times, we did get approached by more experienced dancers to go onto the dance floor. But the girls definitely get it better than the guys. Mostly, girls just follow the lead of the male. Hence, I don't have to really think much about what I want to do, or where I want to go. I wait for the signal from the guy first. So even when I danced with a more experienced dancer, it wasn't so bad, save for the few times when he swung me around with an unfamiliar move, and I was like... ok, now what?

The guys don't have that luck. One of the guys from our class, R, who danced with an experienced dancer came back and told us, "VERY Stressful!" He kept worrying about whether he was doing it right, and leading her right, and hoping he wouldn't forget his moves, and end up being told by her, "Er, you're leading me the wrong way...." :p

Jules had the same problem. You could tell after a while that he couldn't remember his moves, cos' he'd just keep swinging me with the same move over and over again, till I went, "Jules, I'm getting dizzy, can we try something else for a change?"

And yes, I finally know why they call it Swing. Cos you get swung and swung and swung and swung and............ till the whole world goes all woozy on you and you feel like you're still being swung even after the song has ended. (@_@)~

But it's fun. ^_^ And yes, I'll be there next week as well. Damn you goldfish, you got me hooked......

"Ministers' Pay is too high"... Really?

This post may get me into trouble with some people, but I just wanna say it. Don't worry, nothing seditious.

There are a few reasons why politics in Singapore generally does not interest me, and the most common one which I tell people is:

"Because there's simply no opposition worth voting for."

Put it this way. Between a respectable-looking minister and a guy hawking propaganda in front of Centrepoint shouting anti-govt slogans.......... It's simply not very convincing of your political ability, is all.

The one opposition candidate that got my vote [not literally] is Chiam See Tong of Potong Pasir. Here was a man who seemed generally interested in the welfare of the residents under his care, and didn't see the need to resort to hawker-like behaviour in order to boost his relationship with his voters.

The reason why I've turned this way is because of an email I recently received.

The email railed a familiar complaint, that of ministerial salaries, that they were too high. Among some of the statistics they mailed to me were:

Annual salaries of heads of government:

1. Singapore Prime Minister US$1,100,000 (S$1,958,000) a year

2. United States of America President: US$200,000

3. United Kingdom Prime Minister: US$170,556

4. Australia Prime Minister: US$137,060


Annual salaries of heads of government:

1. Singapore Minister: US$819,124

2. UK Minister: US$146,299

3. US Cabinet Secretary: US$157,000

(Source: Asian Wall Street Journal 10 Jul 2000)

And then the crunch:

"In stark contrast, BASIC SALARY FOR A MINISTER STARTS AT SGD1,166,844 A YEAR,OR JUST UNDER SGD100,000 A MONTH.

What these ministers earns in just ONE MONTH exceeds the ANNUAL TAKE HOME
salary of 80% of Singapore's income earning population."

Upon first read, you might feel scandalized, or at least a bit kek, like I did, especially if you're one of those Singaporeans earning less than 100,000 a month. BUT is there something wrong with the way the numbers have been displayed?

The most glaring omission of course, is that it is NOT stated whether the President of the United States earns US$200,000 a year, or a month, but I'm assuming the authors mean a year. I don't believe that they feel we are that stupid.

Secondly, the ministers earn a salary that is more than the yearly salary of most Singaporeans. SO WHAT??? That's totally keeping in terms with economical concepts. If you're a degree holder, do you expect to have the same take home pay as an A level holder? NO, YOU BLOODY WELL DON'T. That's because of all the hard work and sweat that you and your parents went through to bring you through Uni. In fact, you EXPECT to earn more simply because you have been through a better education than other A level holders.

It's funny how most people will agree with the above analogy, but then when it comes to ministers' salaries, they suddenly get their chicken feathers all in a ruffle.

Look at it this way: Just how many people have the ability and the pure guts to go into office? Not many, it seems, considering that most Singaporeans are politically apathetic, and both opposition parties and the PAP are having trouble recruiting members for their ranks. So if we don't have the guts to go try a hand at making this place better, then don't scream "Unfair!" at those who DO have the guts to do so. There's not much admiration to be had for a person who doesn't go ahead to solve his problems, and can only sit in the kopitiams and lament his fate.

Thirdly, the ministers earn this salary in a country that's relatively safe, peaceful, has a decent transportation system, a good education system that ensures every child has a chance at a basic education, and where the vast majority of its citizens has a roof over their heads.

The US president earns his pay in a country that has a high crime rate, poverty rate, illiteracy rate, is in a perpetual state of deficit, is obsessed with a Middle eastern country, is extremely on ridding the world of terrorists, whether the rest of the world asked for its advice or not, and yet is terribly hesitant as to whether it should give aid to its own citizens in times of natural disasters.

You tell me whether you're willing to pay the lower price. If you want cheap, you get cheap.

Thirdly, and positively the one that irks me most about that email, is the lack of balanced information.

The email states that this high income level will cause "Singaporeans continue to see their incomes being pulverised. Bankruptcies multiply and the increase in the number of homeless continue unabated. Social and family problems such as divorces, mental
breakdowns, and suicides skyrocket as a result."

So tell me. Just how pulverized are our incomes? How many bankruptcies are there? [maybe let's discount the ones due to credit card debt or poor financial knowledge] How many homeless are there? How many social problems?

This is the huge flaw in the mail. That while they seemingly have a lot of information to support their stand, there is none whatsoever to show that there may be flaws.

As I read on, I realised that all they had to rave about was money, money, money. The one and only main point in that email was that "Ministerial salaries are obscenely high!" And so what if they achieve their aims? So what if we do reduce ministerial salaries? So what if we become like that beacon of democracy and good political practices, the United States?

This is what irks me most. It is not a balanced argument. It is simply one prejudiced viewpoint and the numbers are simply the twitching of statistics to suit their purposes. Which makes them no different from any other political party in Singapore, or perhaps even the world.

I'm not a supporter of the PAP, even if I'm a civil servant. There are some things about the way they run Singapore that I don't like, and there are a low of things I feel can be improved.

BUT at the same time, I don't like the way that some people force change to happen. This kind of subverted email is not the way. If you want me to become more politically interested in the runnings of our country, that I need more than this. I need a stable, balanced argument, with solid facts to back it up. I need to see that while you have a strong viewpoint, you are also willing to admit the flaws in it at the same time.

In other words, I need a more politically mature view. THEN will I be more interested in our politics.

Update from the last post...

It's been about 5 hours since Lapidora came into my room and now I'm engaged in the tiresome process of having to reinstall a whole bunch of programs into her. Stuff like MS Office, for me to do my work, Photoshop, [gee, of course] and the Creative software [happening right now] to allow me to transfer music from Lapi to Shiroi.

Yea, all the important ones. ^_^

Only problem is that the PS doesn't work, and I've yet to install Macromedia. Also, there's like a pile of cardboard and plastic bags on my side of the room, from all the unpacking just now. Lapy also came with an IBM briefcase [just as obiang as the first one... groan...] and a thumb drive, which will definitely come in useful.

Next up, the software for Olly, and soon, she'd be introduced to the whole family. Yea. :) It is seriously cool to be one wired up techie....

So while I'm waiting for everything to be installed, let me tell you guys of the scene which confronted me after collecting Lapy.

I came back home on the shuttle bus, Lapy in hand, still in her cardboard wrappings and all, and because it was still drizzling at the time, I got slightly damp. NEver mind, I comforted myself with the thought of what I could do to her once I got her unwrapped. [yes, I know that sounds wrong]

I climbed the stairs to my room, found to my relief that it was open which meant that Yenn was home, and I walked in. "I'm....... back?"

"ARGH! You came back at the wrong time!!!" Picture Yenn running frantically around, tissues and piles of cloth in hand. Now allow your eyes to move down to the floor and OMG behold the great Milo Tsunami that hath descended upon us.

Apparently, the hook she usually hung her Milo packets on had suddenly given way, unfortunately when her full packet of Milo was still hanging on it.

We had one jolly time looking the room over for Milo drops and then wiping it up. The mess was... extensive to say the least. Other than her table, there were tons of it on the floor, my chair, a bit on my fan, and a sea on her table. Took us quite a while to clear up the mess, and even then, our room had a slight Milo-ish stench. Hence the insistence on me leaving the fan on.

So Lapy went neglected in her first hour in my room. Poor dear.

Anyway, most of the mess was cleared by now, and we each went for class. I came back about 4 hours later and started doing all kinds of things to Lapy. Then I asked Yenn for her Office XP CD.

"There, there." She pointed to her cupboard, while she Mapled. I opened it up and lo and behold, another Milo crisis. Apparently the splash was so terrific, some of it had flowed under her table, and even into her side cupboard. Wondafool. Out comes the tissue again, and Yenn starts wiping again. Lalala...

Anyway, by now everything should have been wiped up already. And I've already insisted that she NEVER hangs her Milo on that damn hook again.

Today started out to be a rather dreary day. Woke up early in the morning, still feeling sleepy. Went to another boring class, finished, walked out and realised it was drizzling. Din' feel like eating much, so just quickly ate lunch.

Then went to the co-op when I COLLECTED MY NEW LAPTOP!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE A NEW LAPTOP!!!!!!! I'M TYPING FROM IT NOW!!!! IN MY ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *Champagne glasses pop, the band starts playing a merry tune and a parade of wild, swirling colours and prancing animals start marching*

Meet Lapidora. DOn't ask me how I came up with that name, it just appeared in my head during the setup process, so it has to be fate in one way or another. And yes, she's an IBM Thinkpad just like my old one. *sheepish look* Brand loyalty goes a long way it seems... She's still quite empty, but I have a class soon, so I'll fill her in as she goes along.

So happy. *Grin* My new friend Lapidora.

Imagine

Imagine. Just imagine.

You may have been like this before, or you may have not. If the latter, just imagine.

Imagine you went out for a drink with a friend. Imagine you sat in the pub, waiting for your drinks, while the singer got up on stage.

Imagine that, to your horror, you knew the singer. Imagine that you recognised her as being an ex-classmate of the cool crowd in school. And imagine that, you realised later, that others you knew were also in the crowd somewhere.

Now imagine again. Imagine you were back in secondary school. Imagine that everyone was cool except for you. Imagine that you were always on the outskirts looking in. Imagine... imagining that you could never be cool.

Imagine that you thought that you couldn't care, but some part of you did.

Imagine that on one hand, you were all right with the outsider status, and that to some extent, geeks were cool in a way. But imagine that on the other hand, you wished you could be part of the cool crowd for once.

Imagine knowing that you were good in some ways that they weren't.... but nobody knew.

Imagine that you were never part of the spotlight. And those who were in the spotlight never knew how it felt... to be so close to it, and yet never a part of it.

Imagine wishing that for once... YOU were in the spotlight.

Imagine you outgrew all that. Imagine that you became ok with yourself. Imagine that you started to grow your esteem again.

Then imagine seeing that cool crowd again. And getting hit by 4 years of precarious adolescence.

Imagine that that same cool crowd looked just as cool as ever. Imagine that some of that cool crowd, or rather the singer on stage most noticeably, managed to achieve a semblance of their dreams, or managed to start walking there, while you were still stuck at the signposts, looking for directions.

Imagine that every one of them looked thin and fabulous, while you were still fat and...... not so fabulous.

Imagine that they were as cool as ever... and you were not. And maybe you will never be.

Strands of Radiohead float through the smoke.... I'm a Creep...... what the hell am I doing here..... I don't belong here............ and indeed you don't.

Imagine that you douse yourself with alcohol to stave off the bad schema.

Imagine that you totter out of the pub singing a bad rendition of Radiohead.

Imagine that you get on the bus.

And you sober up. And it all comes crashing back.

Maybe this will seem familiar to some of you.

Maybe this will not.

And if it does not,

Maybe... Just Imagine.

Disclaimer: The author of this post was under a slight alcoholic haze while she wrote this and will deny anything when she comes out of it. She is generally happy with her life, so no worries, except for the times when she is reminded of how much more it could have been.