The Intrinsic Value of Ideals

There's a new home owner moving in to the flat directly above mine, so there has been lots of construction and renovation work going on, which means endless drilling, hammering, and sweeping for stretches of days on end.

Some time last week, the ceiling of my parents' bedroom leaked; cement and grime-mixed water started forming ominous damp patches before it began dripping onto the bed and all over the place. To top it off, because it has been raining very heavily these few days, dirty water washes off from the balcony upstairs onto ours, and when it dries the whole balcony is caked in some kind of sandy, muddy residue. Suffice to say it was a rather unpleasant experience.

So, my dad kicked up a heroic fuss, and somehow managed to get the contractor for the works upstairs to:
(1) provide sealant and paint patching servicing for the patches on the ceiling;
(2) provide workers to clean up the balcony;
(3) use their own water ("But sir, I don't have a hose that long which can connect from upstairs to downstairs." "Go and get one!")
(4) replace my parents' bed mattress (seriously!).

This morning, a Singaporean worker came in to help with the ceiling. He assessed the situation, and then said in half-dialect and half-chinese: "I can paint your entire bedroom ceiling and two other room ceilings for $30 if you like."

So, obviously this $30 offer was an under the table offer; his boss would have no idea what's going on here. My mum took it up - $30 is virtually nothing to us in this context, considering how much effort we would have to put in acquiring the paints and brushes, and then panting and huffing (toxic smells, no less) while fighting against the concrete sky ourselves.

His offer really struck me. Firstly, it is very reasonable, or cheap, to put it bluntly. He probably meant it as a good offer, in fact. This is the effect of how the wide availability of similar services and the perceived low prestige level of the job can reduce the value or price of a person's work. Secondly, and related to the first, this man's work should be no less important than the other officey work that I'm more attuned to, having a degree in hand that grants me access into corporate jobs. In fact, without the bedrock of a hard labour industry that frees the rest of us from dirtying our hands and using our brains more, there wouldn't be any tertiary industries to speak of. Yet, this man has been inhaling toxic paints probably all his working life (and I'm already slightly giddy from the leakage of the smell despite him closing the door, enclosing himself in the room with the fumes trapped in there, so that we wouldn't have to endure the smells) - god knows what kind of effect that has on his health - and earning a meagre wage that, because of the advancement of the rest of the economy and our country's emphasis on high status, creative, innovative, entrepreneurial, and corporate work, can barely keep up with inflation or support a dignified way of living (I know the dignity of life is a subjective point, but I firmly believe it has a lot to do with how one fares in relation to others).

Countless conversations with people on the economic issues of minimum wages, welfare, taxation, and more generally, liberty, often reach some kind of extrinsic or utilitarian conclusion that we owe a lot to how the economy in Singapore is structured (by a particularly omniscient man, no doubt); it suits us (something about pragmatism), it has helped us survive over the decades, it has helped us compete globally.

But it is just as important to think of how the structure of this economy marginalizes some groups of people. Let's not even talk about foreign workers; here was a Singaporean man who probably has no access to other "better" work opportunities, very likely because of structural factors (I'm making some educated speculations - born into poor family, no money for further education, no qualifications, no access to knowledge that can enhance his productivity beyond labour, etc.). And more importantly, it is important to note that sometimes the economy, whether deliberately or not, is structured in a way that makes it okay to marginalize people. That's when it gets dangerous, because now we have some sort of "legitimate" reason to keep people down, or compromise on their dignity of life, or justify why their life value should be less than others. That $30 offer made me sad and ashamed. Sad for the obvious reasons stated above on the state of affairs, and ashamed because I know this happens, but I don't think so much about it until it's in my face.

This raises a question, both interesting and important, about the value of fundamental rights or ideals. I'm not particularly outspoken about rights because part of my sad reality is that I think morality is generally subjective at a human level (although I do - some will accuse me of contradiction here - lean towards the idea that there are objective truths). What is right or wrong can be defined by those in power. But this is why subjects should be given constitutional rights to check the powers that be, because power has the capacity to mute resistance against it when it no longer serves the greater good. And this is also why, I think, it is important to have and believe in some fundamental ideals - for some it is the right to life, for others it is the right to a livelihood, yet for others perhaps freedom - because powerful leaders are capable of instituting structures that prevent people from engaging in progressive resistance.

British MP Rory Stewart brought up a fantastic point on the importance of recognizing and touting intrinsic value in rights and ideals (as opposed to focusing on their extrinsic and instrumental worth) when arguing or pushing for them. He talked of the fundamental importance of democracy, but his idea can be applied to anything that's worthwhile to defend. On democracy, he said that for too long, people have tried to fight for it on the extrinsic, instrumental grounds that perhaps it improves the economy, or it creates jobs for people, or that it prevents war, etc.; such arguments for democracy will be undermined once another less desirable system is capable of offering the same good outcomes stated above. Very often, arguments switch from intrinsic ones to instrumental ones in order to please the masses, corporations that provide funds, etc. Perhaps pushing on ideals on intrinsic grounds is also too idealistic - the realist view will only consider costs and benefits, and interests. But each time we shift away from an idealistic stance to a realistic stance, we give up on something intrinsically sacred to the things that matter.

(Once again, I'm generally skeptical about the promise of democracy because it requires too many boundary conditions to work, but this doesn't mean that a well-functioning democracy isn't a worthwhile ideal since it encourages participation and an informed citizenry that cares about society, which are fundamental good-to-haves.)

So, on that note, I suggest that it is important to think of what matters for our society. There is admittedly no such thing as perfect equality in a society, but if we are willing to forgo a fight for equality then we can expect to see many low status people marginalized by the system, and that will be okay, legitimate, and justifiable on economic grounds. If we are willing to forgo a fight for welfare, health aid, better recognition for social workers, etc., then we can expect to see that society will still very much chug along with an acute rubric for the value of life, which is how much you are able to earn. This in turn has ramifications for which jobs are respectable and which jobs aren't. In my mind, a measure of a good society is one where most jobs, if not all jobs, can garner some form of equal dignity and respect, and that every worker can be considered to be of value to the society they reside in. These are conversations that on matters of fundamental importance that, while definitely not easy to reach consensus, should be carried out. Just because a system has seemed to work doesn't mean it should be the only game in town. More importantly, we need to think about important things that should be valued but aren't that the current system prevents us from achieving, or worse, from caring about.

Here's the TED Talk presented by Rory Stewart on his take on democracy and, to me, on the intrinsic value of ideals. A highly recommended viewing.

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Let it BE: My Dad, Singapore Politics and Identity

After the first by-election Worker's Party rally, my dad came home with these flags.

My dad is ardently supportive of the top opposing game in town now, the Worker's Party. One might be tempted to associate him with the hordes of unintelligible, foul-mouthed, immature online surfers who trawl political internet sites like Temasek Review and leave distasteful trails of cowardly anonymous and unconstructive criticism directed at the PAP in their wake. Conversely, my dad actively attends rallies to offer genuine support, sends encouraging emails to Sylvia Lim (whom he has some degree of personal contact with), does not bother with posting comments on political internet sites (but does amuse himself from time to time with visits to such sites), puts his mouth where his money is by actually not endorsing government (i.e. PAP)-linked products (even if this inconveniences my household), and holds profound and heartfelt reasons for being highly disapproving of the incumbent party.

I had a chat with him today, one of the many chats I believe I should have had but did not because I was a rebellious son most of my life, so I have a lot of ground to make up for. He was chiding me for my absence for a family dinner on Saturday because I missed out on meeting some very old neighbours. They're people I would never recognize because the generation I belong to today tends to be more disconnected from relatives and old family friends compared to generations past. I asked if they were the Peranakan family that stayed next to him at the old private house in Everitt Road with the chiku tree when he was young, and he said no, they were from another neighbouring household, and were Hainanese.

Over an afternoon lull of coffee under the lazy breeze of an overhead fan, I pondered for a moment and asked him, "back then, did people see other people as Singaporeans or as people with differing origins?" In other words, I was asking him about a classic psychological concept, the self-construal, whereby people are defined by how they perceive themselves (often in relation to others). In this case, I wanted to know what comes to mind first when my dad or other Singaporeans back then thought of other people - as Singaporeans or as originating from elsewhere (e.g. Peranakan, Hainanese, etc). What was the automatically defining trait of Singaporeans?

My dad immediately said Singaporeans, definitely. Even though his father was technically an immigrant from Fuzhou, he said that the kind of sentiments today compared to back then are clearly different. Foreigners and immigrants who came in, like my grandfather did in the 1930s, never received incentives for coming to Singapore - they were escaping a hard life elsewhere and were seeking opportunity and had to work equally hard as compared to locals (although there probably wasn't such a clear idea of what a local Singaporean back then was). My dad feels that these days, foreigners are more than welcome to come in, and with such entitlements they will not feel such a strong need to learn local customs and integrate. My dad said that my grandfather had to rough it out really hard and therefore earned his right to be a Singaporean. And perhaps, because of the tumultuous political climate back then against neighbouring countries, there was a greater sense of unity among such differently originating people because they had to work together against external elements and build up the economy. Additionally, households were closer back then - neighbouring families would visit often, look out for each other and their children would play and grow up together. One often could leave the doors open without fear of burglary.

So, my dad thinks that policy-oriented efforts today by the incumbent government to foster integration is bollocks because he doesn't believe it would work. Further, my dad actually doesn't believe the government really cares about integration; foreigners will always be welcome for not-so rosy purposes.

 

To accompany my dad and share in his enthusiasm (I support the WP now but I'm not particularly hardcore - support, to me, isn't all about allegiance) I decided to join him at the third WP rally at the huge Hougang field. I did not regret sweating it out and braving the stuffiness along with thousands of other highly (and rightly) discontented Hougang residents. Throngs of people were gathered to support the party that has stood by them for two decades, and if it isn't so much a preference for the WP in the form of votes for Png Eng Huat, it was to show that there was no way they were going to accept PAP's Desmond Choo running the show in Hougang, especially since the PAP has been punishing Hougang residents by denying them all sorts of residential improvements for twenty years, simply for being a WP stronghold.

There are two sides to everything. One could say that this episode (preceded by the watershed General Elections last year) is divisive and destabilising, and feeds hate and disunity. On the other hand, it is important to acknowledge too that this means many Singaporeans (certainly not all) are shedding their apathy, standing up for something, and perhaps forging an identity that has been otherwise artificially decided for them by the government for over five decades. These are teething pains, but from the spirit I witnessed, I think it means we are growing as a nation just a little bit more.

Just a disclaimer though; I think unintelligible, irresponsible, anonymous, unconstructive online criticism is the most pathetic product I've seen coming out of this entire political saga. It is really disgusting to read comments consisting of nothing but cheapshots and mindless agreeing with many other people who just want something to hate. Maybe another post for another day.

Farce

It really bothers me to read about the persecuted British author Alan Shadrake who wrote about Singapore's capital punishment in his book Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock.

His charge? Defamation and contempt of court.

What makes my blood boil more is how the majority response appears to be that he's wrong to even try and meddle in our home affairs, that he's an ex-colonialist who has no idea what's happening here.

The ad hominem problems are shifting our attention away from the real issue he is trying to highlight - problems with our corporal punishment system.

I think he is entitled to his view, regardless of whether his opinions have weight or not, but it is thoroughly embarassing that we are refusing to approach the matter intellectually, resorting to subtle state violence yet again under the convenient cover of sovereignty.

If the government has nothing to hide or prove about how our law is run, why resort to this?

I hope his persecution only serves to backfire more on the reactive policies being dished out by the state at the moment.

Oh Man, Seriously?

Government has just announced that it plans to bring in at least 100,000 more foreigners to meet the demands of our growing markets.

I honestly have so many reservations about where our ship is being taken. If my qualms are right, then we are sinking - indeed a hole has been punched into the hull since the day the government decided that Singapore's goal would be to develop itself into an economic powerhouse rather than a country with culture and national spirit. Bringing more people on board to pour the water out of a sinking ship won't solve the problem.

The news (and very unpopular public response) comes quite timely along with an interview of Gerald Giam of the Workers' Party on Yahoo! Singapore. The PAP might have gotten it 'right' so far (whatever 'right' means), but we can never be sure where absolute power can be taken. A political system that is healthy always requires checks and balances. I always believe that absolute power never has a pure end.

Singapore might be economically thriving at the moment and we definitely have living standards that are much higher compared to half a century ago thanks to the ruling party. But with economic development and wealth as the ends instead of a proud and thriving national culture, we've given up so many other important things, such as knowing how to relax, investing time in our families, art.

The best thing about how effective the government is? They’ve managed to convince so many people to believe money is indeed more important than all those other less important social and creative pursuits.

And when I refer to the development of culture, I don't mean the one that we tend to associate Singaporean culture with, such as being kiasu, or God forbid, Phua Chu Kang.

A worthy culture is one that we’re willing to be proud of and be a part of. Looking at how so many Singaporeans want to leave the country, I can't really see how our culture is steeped in the right direction. It is somewhat disheartening to see any one out of two typical responses coming from Singaporeans: the unthinking acceptance that what we've got is as good as it gets, or the desire to leave this country that many don't feel a loyalty for. Many Singaporeans shape their worldview around the heavy notion of pragmatism instilled by the government - therefore, many Singaporeans are pragmatically choosing to migrate away.

This post is skimpy - there's a lot more to it than what I've chosen to air. But at least with the potential for bi- or multiparty politics, hopefully more issues can finally appear on the policy-making agenda.


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Has there been a more ripe time than now in recent years regarding civil and public participation in Singapore's current affairs?

Three articles (out of many others) have caught my attention just in the short span of one day:

Future Generations will Pay for the Sins of PAP
Lee Insults Singaporeans - Again
Worker’s Party member: Why more young graduates are joining the opposition

With more sources voicing opinions of this sort, progressive politics might actually finally arrive at our city state's shores.

I've mused about how much more patient the people I met in China were when dealing with my terrible grasp of Mandarin. While it is most probable that their command of the Chinese language is better than Singaporeans and thus would find my pathetic attempts at conversing in Mandarin a joke, it is also possible that:

1. Their expectations of my ability to speak Chinese, as a non-native, are already very low. Every time I successfully string a coherent sentence together could be a pleasant surprise.
   
   
2. They are just purely patient, or not elitist. This is quite possible as the interactions I'm referring to here are those with the villagers I met and stayed with when in rural Guizhou. Given that I'm not dealing with urbanites who might have an inflated sense of self (like Singaporeans), perhaps it's dispositional - they were being kind, respectful, patronizing, whatever you might want to call it. Giving me a handicap.
   
   
3. There is no alternative besides Mandarin. In Singapore, it is easy to label someone a non-fluent speaker because there are other language channels that might be more useful (dude, stop being a poser!). Over there, we'd give each other double the time and attention because there's just no choice.

Breaking The Monotony Of Our Concrete Existence

http://sg.yfittopostblog.com/2010/06/04/graffiti-vandal-breaches-mrt-security/

The report of this Swiss national's graffiti stunt on *gasp* Singapore's MRT carriage - one of the hallmarks of our clean, untouchable and impeccable networks that form the bedrock of our pulsating economy - comes in the midst of my consumption of the book Can't Stop Won't Stop, a sociological and historical documentation of the hip-hop generation and culture by journalist and historian Jeff Chang.

While it is commonly accepted in our highly sanitized Singaporean society that graffiti = vandalism = bad, it doesn't come as a surprise that we'd get hit in such typical fashion as history would have it. Oppression breeds dissent, reactance and rebelliousness.

As I read a part of the book that talked about graffiti's entrada into institutionalized art, ZEPHYR, a reknowned graffiti artist, said: "People might say that graffiti really looks out of place in a gallery. But I think it's good if graffiti is out of place. Sneaking into these places is just what graffiti is supposed to do."

Given the historical significance of graffiti in the rise of the hip-hop generation during the 60s and 70s, Oliver Fricker's successful breach into one of the most uptight places on earth might, ironically, be a symbolic celebration of the power of hope and freedom in the most unlikeliest (and yet most apt) of places. Successfully utilizing Singapore's MRT carriage as a canvas instantly places his work at the pinnacle of graffiti art. Unfortunately, it has to come at his expense with our society's pragmatic way of asserting that this shouldn't be how freedom should be expressed.

Interestingly though, many people have complimented him on both his own boldness and the boldness of his art - through its shapes, colours and outlines - which has served to break the monotony of our concrete existence.



The episode actually also brings to mind the Walter Wabbit Do Good artpiece by local artist Dawn Ng, as covered by Juice magazine, who basically plonked a huge ballooned-up rabbit over various parts of Singapore in what I'd personally describe as a demonstration of controlled-subversion. In her displays, she takes mundane features of Singapore's landscape that we often take for granted and juxtaposes the huge blow-up bunny, which is the size of a public bus, against it. While it is unfortunate that I cannot find any pictures online, I particularly like the piece where Walter Wabbit slumps on a huge grass patch in the middle of towering HDB flats that have been ubiquitously designed in primary colours, titled 'Somewhere over a concrete rainbow'.

Juice attempts decently at summing up the message in a more friendly manner: "Singapore ain't prosaic and boring. It's a great city to be in. We just have to look at it as children again."

Aiya One Year To Go Only!

My family had our Chinese New Year reunion dinner a whole week earlier because of crowd aversion. Also, we are well aware of the skyrocketed prices and potentially poor service during the maddening frenzy of CNY's eve, so everyone was in agreement to celebrate in advance.

One of the lingering conversation topics circled around university graduation. Whenever I reply to some aunt or uncle that I have a year left to go when asked of my graduation, I'm 'consoled' with something along the lines of "oh, aiya one year to go only, just hang in there lah, soon you'll finally be done with studying and then you'll be able to find a job and start work. Besides, the economy is picking up so it's good."

I am grateful for their good intentions because I believe that they truly mean well for me. But it is interesting how reflective this is of my family's socioeconomic background and class, and even further, how our particular socioeconomic background and class is especially embedded in very Singaporean attitudes.

For one, to my largely middle class family, education is a good to have, but work and money still walks the talk at the end of the day. The fees of tertiary education is something to be grappled with, sometimes even toeing the limits of tolerance. Now that I've even had a university education, it's time to cash in on the 'luck' of being endowed with some-whatever degree. Even more implicit is the idea that tertiary education is a bonus, because I'm not expected to enjoy my time studying. The common consensus is - who on earth likes to study this stuff anyway? The four years in university is most importantly a means to another end, not an end in itself.

This is corroborated by my other same-age cousins who talk about university in modest (or even deprecative) fashion, and can't wait to get it done with to embark on the real world out there, with the very honest intention of finally being able to prove one's worth (which has nothing to do with being academically inclined), support the family and repay what one has owed to the folks for so long.

In particular, I can sense the pride one of my uncles has, because his son and daughter have both finally graduated and are earning their own keep, even if their jobs aren't particularly very high-flying or promising in terms of wages or advancement.

I think this is a strongly Singaporean attitude because most of it can be found in our booming middle class. This seems like a circular argument where the issue often ends up being chicken-egg - did the booming middle class lead to Singaporean attitudes or vice versa - but whatever it is, education in our meritocratic society is regarded largely in very pragmatic terms by most of us. The middle class/the most Singaporean of the lot doesn't study to further causes, knowledge or ideas, he does so to ensure a 'decent' job, to keep himself safely away from the bottom of the competitve heap, and to avoid unnecessary troubles in life. This is, of course, a generalization. People do care sometimes if their jobs are prestigious, especially as one rises in social class. But once more, what the education was isn't quite the real deal ultimately.

With this in mind, I never let them in on my desire to further my education, because I can imagine the gasps of horror when this fella here states his psychotic intention of adding four more years of studying after finally graduating. What on earth could I possibly be thinking? Who in his right mind would want to repeat that school nonsense all over again? Explanation would be futile because no one would understand, and they'd gleefully team up to beat me into pulp and wake me up to my senses.

Hopefully the reality of the path I've chosen can speak for itself in a year's time. It does make me feel sheepish or guilty somewhat at times when I look at my aspirations in relation to others. But in the end, I do know what I really want at the end of the tunnel.

The Night Market Sunset

Another pasar malam (night market) set itself up in its usual spot near Serangoon Central bus interchange a few days ago. The location itself hasn't changed, but the size and scale of the area of the pasar malam has gradually shrunk over the last decade. Looking at the pasar malam of today, I think one could never guess ten years ago that its decline would prove so devastating.

I do notice the Serangoon Central pasar malam on the rare occasion it appears from time to time as I pass by the place regularly on my commutes but it never occurred to me to actually check it out. So two days ago, as the pasar malam sprung up again, for some reason I decided to take a walk through again just like old times.

I think I can safely say that the last time I really visited the pasar malam for genuine patronage was at least seven years ago. Between now and then, I somehow stopped visiting pasar malams, and even if I did go it was more so out of trivial amusement than one of true anticipation of the next pasar malam and excited thronging of the alleyways blanketed by bright lights, noise and canvassing that stretched for hundreds of metres. I have no exact idea why I stopped visiting pasar malams or when the precise moment I stopped going happened.

But when it comes to the memory of those times when I was a kid and pasar malams were a magical part of my life, the picture is clear as day. Word will spread among the neighbours and sometimes you could even hear the hustle and bustle from home. It was enough to get me bolting down as soon as possible to join the merry atmosphere that was a mixture of heat from the crowd, the food and the huge generator churning out electricity for all the shops to operate, sounds from the chatter, bargaining and the music from VCD, CD and game stalls, and smells of sausages, fishballs, ramly burgers and my favourite popcorn that used to sell for $1 and that I'd always buy without fail in order to seal off my experience there. Sometimes, there would even be funfair rides. It was an electric kind of atmosphere that I always felt very lucky to be immersed in.

Aside from the ambience and experience of simply being in a happening place, I also always looked forward to pasar malams as a kid because of the things they sold. In particular, pasar malams always became a chance to give myself a treat to pirated video games and music CDs, because I was simply too young to afford the originals. There were a whole ton of games I wanted to play and songs I wanted to listen to, but I didn't have the money to acquire them. Pasar malams became a chance to finally get my hands on such forbidden treasures. Furthermore, the occasion of a pasar malam itself became a reason for buying things, so coaxing my parents into giving me more money to buy things became a lot easier. I still keep every single CD I bought til this day.

Cheap copied software was the biggest prize of the day for me, but there was a whole range of other things I'd look at and sometimes buy, like bags, wallets, watches and shirts. Sometimes, I bought fake soccer jerseys too. The financial discipline my parents imposed on me kept me reduced to such alternatives to pricey originals, but it didn't matter at that time as I was too young to care.

The food needs little mentioning. Pasar malams of old sold some of the best street food I'd ever tasted and, for whatever reason now, it's not as nice now anymore. Maybe the feeling on the whole is just gone so the taste that came with the experience has disappeared too.

I suppose this explains quite a bit my fondness for night markets, be they overseas, in Bugis Street or Chinatown, or the modern day pasar malam version that is a far cry from its past glory. As I walked slowly through the Serangoon Central pasar malam two days ago at about 10pm - traditionally the prime time for pasar malams - business was really slow. The sparse number of patrons walked slowly through too, though they seemed to be, like me, taking more of a trip down memory lane than really going there to check out good bargains. Many stalls were open with their tables filled up with rows of products and many foodstalls had containers full of nosh, but few shops ultimately had buyers. Amid all sorts of thoughts - How much have these stall owners sold today? Do these stalls even make money? What keeps them going? Is the overall sale even able to cover the cost of setting up a pasar malam these days? What has happened to so many of the other stalls that used to be so popular? - I felt inevitably quite sad about how much the pasar malam has lost its place in our society. And I say inevitably because I am sad although I know this is bound to happen; I just can't help feeling like a part of our traditional culture has disappeared even though it's really nobody's fault the pasar malam is slowly but surely disappearing. Most of all, I wondered what the stall owners feel about all of this.

Looking at the few people walking through the tentages, I might even go as far as to think that most people are even wondering why pasar malams still bother to appear. I might be wrong about how everyone feels about it, but I can't help but sense that some of these stall keepers still open shop just hoping that maybe there's a chance some of that past magic will be rekindled and that the public will be enticed with some savoury street foodfare or cheap bargains, only to be proven wrong more and more with the looming reality that pasar malams are no longer what they were in the hearts of our people. The pasar malam sprawled for only about a hundred metres. A mini funfair game station had ball throwing and fishing games with flashing lights in operation with no eager kids lining up to play. The pasar malam I used to love so much has indeed faded away.

In Yer Face

This is a little bit like old news, but still.

http://www.thinkcentre.org/article.cfm?ArticleID=2976

The Workers’ Party opposes the Public Order Bill
14 April 2009 by Sylvia Lim, NCMP

The change in definition of “assembly” and “procession” is more disturbing. As the Explanatory Statement to the Bill says, these words are no longer restricted to gatherings of 5 persons or more. This means even ONE person alone can constitute illegal assembly, thus giving the State complete control over an individual citizen’s freedoms.


As a matter of philosophical morality, where does Singapore politics stand? The government's arbitrary power has grown once again, and along with that, citizen freedoms have taken another hit.




Audio Candy:
The Spill Canvas - Self Conclusion

Epiphaniac

Sat through my first international game today - Singapore vs Australia at the old National Stadium - though I was only present for half a game because the match, for some stupid reason or other, started much earlier than the stated time on the ticket and also because I had to queue 20 minutes for KFC which ate into the match time.

There wasn't much to cheer about, only a lot to groan, whine and bitch about considering the number of clear cut chances that Singapore had and squandered. It's really matches like these that make you wish you could be on the pitch playing so badly instead of those chickens monkeying around such that you feel like you're gonna implode on yourself. One other team that never fails to make me feel this way is Newcastle.

Rachel was quite enthusiastic and the others were going on about it and teasing her quite a bit, but soon enough I started getting quite animated myself. Yins, Mikaela and Angie were clearly quite amused for very irrelevant reasons.

The game ended goal-less. The rain really killed things I think. The atmosphere could've been so much better. Catching the Singapore vs Lebanon qualifier match on wednesday; I'm really hoping quite badly that it'll be a great deal better than today's.

Although I've already decided on 'Is Democracy A Universal Value?' for my political science term paper, I've been struggling to simply get started on it since over a week ago. So I decided to try pretending that I was gonna blog on it like some other random pointless topic by typing it out using blogger.com, and everything just started coming out. And I'm quite damn amazed. Just like how I get mental constipation from attempting to do work in the library, using a formal program like Microsoft Word to work on my essay causes my mind to simply shut off because, well it's no surprise anyway, I hate the idea of doing work.

I have interestingly just managed to fool myself. Hmm.

This unofficial 1-week break is effectively screwing up my whole sleeping cycle. I feel as if, without the civiling influence of school and institutional order, I'm naturally revertible to being nocturnal. Can't help it; night time is preciously zen.

And so I start to forget about it and move on, just like that. And when you think about how hard it is, especially perhaps for girls to do so, it makes me wonder what kinda quantum leap it takes for us to be convinced enough to see the light and take the more enlightened path; the path that would have less pointless self-induced suffering. We're inherently wired differently.

And come to think of it, why did I even have those different states of mind? Why did it have to take such circumstances of rude awakenings and the like before I could have a change of heart? Why couldn't it be a matter of my own will to not get trapped? What kinda will power does it take? It is so fascinating. We are truly such experential creatures at the end of the day. :]




Intel has announced its next chip: the Repentium.

Audio Candy:
Stereophonics - Have A Nice Day

I Think, Therefore I Am; I Dream, Therefore I Become

In a heaven of people there's only some want to fly
Ain't that crazy
Oh babe Oh darlin'
In a world full of people there's only some want to fly
Isn't that crazy, crazy, crazy
But we're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy

Time and again I am prompted to revisit these thoughts about having dreams and passions in life to work towards, about finding something greater than yourself so that you've got a sense of purpose, about having something that you aspire to do or be, not something that someone else tells you that you should or shouldn't do.

I'm not trying to romanticise the idea that we should all have a dream (or dreams), especially for the glamour factor. The media tries to sell us that idea so often that people can end up having impractical, naive "passions" just for the sake of it. But on the other hand, there are just so many things that greater institutions dictate such that many of us lose sight of what it really means to be alive. It would be truly magnificent to see a nation of people step back and out of the dark to see for themselves beyond what we are told to see.

I live in a country where almost everything is fabricated, regulated and policy-driven - our sense of nationhood, our economy, and our goals and dreams. Maybe it isn't all that a terrible thing; we've probably progressed much faster in terms of achieving stability and growth compared to many other countries, which is remarkable for a young nation.

But we've compromised a lot in terms of building a culture that we can personally identify with, in the sense of being ourselves. And we can tell by the way we're trying to establish something here now after all these years, as we frantically pump capital and resources into our sports and arts sectors amongst other overlooked things thus far. We're finally opening up. I've seen more bands performing live concerts here in the past 2 or 3 years than ever before, Zoolander became legalised, the IR's on its way, and we're going to have F1 racing and many other things. We're pushing to become an arts and cultural hub. It's not a bad thing at all, but because it might be a little late, the inertia will be there.

From the way I see it, from the moment we're born, our purpose is clear - to become the nuts and bolts of the clockwork that is Singapore Inc. Anyone who tries to rock the boat gets marginalised, ostracised or incarcerated some way or other, especially when expectations are socially constructed, woven into the fabric of our daily lives and constantly reproduced in cyclical fashion. In line with attempting to achieve the ideal life that we're expected to achieve, we're given narrow paths to take in life; our choices are very much dictated by a greater order and it is very often not our own. I see this so often in people and friends who tell me that they're feeling lost, that they're getting the grades just to please their folks, that they just can't pursue what they like cos they can't afford to fuck up in the preliminary heats that lead up to the rat race. So, because of these things, it's hard to spare room for so-called 'frivolous passions' and 'pipe dreams'.

Just think about it. You wanna be a soccer player. But a part of you, so strongly ingrained, says you have to ensure that you graduate with some qualifications so that you can at least have a decent job if your soccer aspirations fail. It's things like that. And as long as such a mentality of the fear of failure exists, it is hard to give our best in other things. And it is yet still true that such fears are not unwarranted. It is almost like it's part of our national character to have those fears.

But life can be so much more than just being a statistic. You'd exist as a forgotten cell in an entity, but to truly live, this resides in finding something that is bigger and more important than you are and dedicating yourself to it. And this isn't a force-fed process - this purpose in life can only be purposeful if it's true.

Only then can we break away from simply existing and transforming into something of value, not for anybody, but for ourselves especially. We really could do with holding our dreams and passions dear even if it isn't easy to leave our comfort zones and be socially unconforming, and it is a worthwhile journey even if we do not succeed at them. We can then shed so many other material things that weigh us down and yet still feel more spiritually fulfilled.

I cannot even fathom how much better it could be for our society if we could all embrace what is truly important to us; to have more people that I could talk to who speak with a burning conviction of knowing that something matters more to them than just making sure they can stand in line. It is truly a joy to converse with people who have found a true sense of calling - there's always that spark in their eyes.

And when you have that kinda bottomline that really means something, then life is so much simpler. Life is only as tough, complicated or as lost as chasing after stuff that don't mean anything to you.

We are all born with wings but we are told to burn them along the way. Screw that. Spread them and fly towards the light that defines your destiny.




The whole world steps aside for the man who knows where he is going.

Audio Candy:
Ice Nine Kills - The Greatest Story Ever Told

Loose Constrictions

I watched View From the Top on Channel 5 today as I was preparing to leave for capoeira in school. I don't mean to say that it was a fantastic movie, but sometimes, such shows have a somewhat inherent feel-good quality about them fit for a lazy afternoon and you can really unearth such 'gems' every now and then when Channel 5 airs them off prime time.

Gwyneth Paltrow is really pretty in an interesting way.

I watched Breakfast At Tiffany's at Jacq's over a week ago before the midterms onslaught afflicted everybody. I don't know howta put it, but perhaps you can say it's just one of those shows you must watch to be able to say you led a wholesome life. Now I guess I can see why it is so iconic. Audrey Hepburn's Holly Golightly has an extremely alluring quirky charm. Had to leave halfway through it though; now that it's been planted in my head I've gotta watch the rest of it.

Since the midterms ended on tuesday I've been bumming around and practically flushing time down the drain. If I keep this up I'm gonna regret it sooner or later I suppose, because I do foresee some killer weeks ahead so it'd be wise to start a little early on some school work, and this 1-week's worth of midterm break is seriously too short considering the colossal amount of activities I already have in store.

Tomorrow I'll be joining a street soccer tournament at NUS with the usual saturday AMK soccer people. Khairul thinks we've got quite a chance - I certainly hope so, not so much because it's a duh thing but because all these years I've never really achieved any glory with the sport I love most.

There's gonna be Sentosa on tuesday, capoeira on wednesday and thursday (and perhaps Mambo?), Lift Off @MOS on friday (nudged over the edge by Elizabeth!) and Waikiki on saturday (Farhan wants to make it an overnighter as if the remaining sunday wasn't much-needed enough :\). This formal schedule does not include the informal meet ups with old friends in between dates and some design errands I have to run.

Capoeira has been slowly growing on me and I'm starting to really love it, especially when the moves are beginning to gel and my kicks are getting more polished. Where I shunned many other things because of the commitments and entry-level socialising to be had, I'm actually looking forward to this coming wednesday's trip down to the Substation where I can finally meet the other people all around Singapore who're in this 'family'.

Been at it all weekend in fact, coming down to SMU twice for informal sessions that 'never happened' (because sessions somewhat have to be formally run by maestres), and these sessions have been really fun and effective in speeding up my learning so far. Today, we formed a roda as usual and I finally got to play as one of the active elements in the roda. Liberating stuff, albeit the obvious mediocrity that has to be tolerated haha.

Revived some really old vibes when we went to Marina Square yesterday and Yitwen, Kok and I had to lobo around trying to occupy our time looking at girls and weird people while the ladies shopped their hearts out; determined post-exam-and-everything-else therapy. Perhaps it's just that I've simply not done something like going to town for such pointless, hedonistic purposes for the longest time when I'm ironically so near to it every single day and I honestly miss this feeling. It's just that compared to last time, especially with a small group or a bunch of guys, we/I can never find enough things that would interest us/me enough. You need ladies with the objectiveness of shopping to validate a downtown trip like this.

We went to the Esplanade after that and sat by the river. That spot is seriously conducive for emo-talk.

And I found it terribly amusing in an exasperated kinda way when I saw the merlion 'shut down' at 1am. Angie and I were just getting into the political science zone and talking about how Singapore has a state but no real national identity when we started musing about how Singapore's culture and identity resides in the things we do rather than any concrete, tangible things that the creators of Singapore Inc. would like to have us believe. Seeing the merlion turned off just had me thinking that our national identity indeed isn't the merlion itself, but the fact that we're calculated, we're conservative, we're kiam/kiasu, we've got a water scarcity issue etc all embodied the action of turning the merlion off.

Jack and Rai at Wala Wala's was really nice too.

Time to get some sleep before kicking some NUS ass tomorrow.




Mary had a little lamb and the doctor fainted.

Audio Candy:
Maroon 5 - It's Not Over Tonight

The First Single

What's there not to love about Singapore? I just travelled around most of the significant places when I went from home to Queensway to many other places in between and finally back to SMU (yes, on a Sunday, and enough with the asking cos its pissing me off. School is town anyway) and it barely took me 3 hours. Here is a place we honestly do not need proper directions for, and every convenience store really is a convenience store. For those who get mugged or end up in road accidents... Well, you probably took the safety for granted.

Anyway, so marks the first paragraph of Pointless Philosophy, and how better than to kickstart it with... Well, totally pointless random thoughts? Ruminations generated off long bus rides.

I suppose to address some 'concerns' at hand, let's just say that I'm really past it when it comes to saying I have aspirations of being a web designer (this is analogous, so don't take it literally). So that inherently makes all my anti-blog, pro-HTML efforts quite pointless and to the point where I do get lazy and put off blogging (yes I've officially defected to the army of conforming bloggers now so I shall use that term very indiscriminately from now on) because it's just quite a pain to do so most of the time when I have to activate Dreamweaver (or freakin' notepad when I'm inspired to post without my laptop), work out the code, and then activate more programs to upload it via FTP. I'm through with that.

So from where I last left off, I must say I owe alot of the memorable moments I had last month to everyone who had made the effort to celebrate my birthday. I've always said that it's a quantum leap from 0 to 1 (by this I mean, for example, the difference between 0 and 1 is infinitely more than 1 to 10, which is mathematically true), so it has been absolutely amazing finding that from not expecting anything at all, you end up having 3 birthday celebrations. I did not ask for anything and I couldn't have asked for more.

There was Kee's very trademarked cute surprise of the small cake and impromptu candle(s?) on set at Food For Thought, and I've always liked the simplicity of it all. Thanks for the "practical gifts" (in your own words) and the shirt; you know I always never end up getting down to buying the things I need haha.

There was the RK supper I innocuously organised which was transformed into a total birthday celebration complete with a really nice cake (one of the seriously better ones I've had, which is quite a thing to say since I don't like pastry), and thanks to all who chipped in some way or other to make this happen (including the nice soccer shoes which I just changed for a correct fit and will probably never wear to play soccer in considering my damaging style of play); I'll be repeating this next haha.

And last but not least the BBQ and so-called 'real' celebration at Yitwen's. I doubt I'd wanna recollect and verbalise the debaucherous events of the night (other than stating the obvious fact that the influence of alcohol can be quite potent on group effervescence), but I know all of you enjoy the fact that I puked with my hands in my pocket 'cos I'm cool like that so I'll proudly and publicly announce it here. Hoho.

Thanks once again to everyone. And a special mention to our resident party-planner Yinyin, without whom the brains of all this would've been non-existent and we'd probably end up forcing me to go down to NYDC or something for a boring dinner just for the sake of it.

So there, I've blogged about 'stuff' like you've wanted me too. Haha. On behalf of everyone, stop emo-ing already! You know you deserve more than the shit you put yourself through. :]

This must mildly be what it feels like to be a celebrity, because you just go out there and do your thing while everyone else does the saikang for you. Now that livejournal settles the posting crap for me, it's much less a pain to just blog more regularly I guess. And dispense more pointless philosophy for your pointless reading.

I might continue my stupid say-of-the-days and listenables but not for now.

I was up at 10am to cycle down to AMK for more footy again, and now I'm pretty much officially wasted but satisfied. Wonder how long we're gonna keep this 2-games-per-weekend program up... I'm quite sure it's just the post-ORD high that's resulting in this. Soon people'll be getting jobs over the weekends as well and we'll settle to a more digestable routine I suppose.

Love football. Really do. It gave me so much more than just something to do after school. Saying I've gained friendship, leadership and confidence while at it is just scratching the surface ever so briefly.

Wonder what's coming up over the years for soccer for me? Cos by now I suppose if, at my age of 21, you aren't already playing for some team like Geylang United, the sun has probably set on any soccer potential for you. And then you find that all those times you spent learning those snazzy tricks and perfecting your first touch and shooting accuracy comes to nought; then you tell your grand kids that you played against Khairul Amri and lost 14-0 to him and his team in a secondary school tournament and that's the closest you ever came to anything that mattered.

Anyway, he scored a brilliant goal against Thailand in the 2nd leg of the Tiger Cup finals. Though we were just sitting at a prata shop a thousand kilometres away from Thailand where the game was held, the atmosphere was electric and for just one moment in time we were truly united; the connection from us and the team we were rooting for to represent our national pride and glory was so strong such that our emotions rose and ebbed with the flow of the game, with each battering that Singapore took from another Thailand attack and each counter that Singapore attempted to turn the game in their favour. Truly more than just _____________________ (insert anti-football female cliche here).

Years down the road, maybe I'll be at a field near you with the uncles on an easy evening when work doesn't spill over into the weekend and the wife and kids are occupied with other stuff, lol.
Amongst other relevant things, Newcastle 2-1 Liverpool. Go Toon!




When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

Today's Listenables:
Saosin - It's Far Better To Learn

Looking Back On Today

I started this post last saturday but I never really got down to completing it because somehow I'm starting to lose my attention whenever I start to blog.

Anyways!

A reason why I've never given my life a stock-take is probably because I spend a substantial part of my time thinking about it and that, in all it's consistency, renders a summation of events pretty much redundant; almost like how you'd compare someone who tidies up his room everyday versus someone who tidies up his room once a week. The result is essentially the same.

But a 'look back' post always makes good blogging fodder, somewhere along the lines of those neverending 'The Best of (insert boyband name here)' music albums and the unceasing 'closing down sale'. These endless conclusions always have some degree of short-term juiciness.

So I went through Junior College, disillusioned as the mechanics of education went from bad to worse in terms of my personal preferences and expectations, and I grudgingly toiled through two years of distasteful science that didn't really mean much to me. I mean I really do appreciate the importance of good science but all that physics and chemistry mumbo jumbo wasn't for me.

I was still quite naive and impressionable, so life breezed by as I enjoyed school without the examinations, doing silly things here and there that I'm not really proud of now on hindsight. Don't even mention the secondary school days... What was I thinking back then? Come to think of it, not much probably.

Then came the 3rd quarter of JC life. The 'A' levels came and went like a crashing train - hard but fast - and I met Yingqi. I definitely wouldn't be shaped into the person I am now without her. The post-exam years were just like a fleeting drug; quick events like the prom came and we were high for a moment and then the sun rises the next day and you wonder what just happened, sobered by reality.

And as everyone would love to have it put, NS came too soon and before you knew what the hell just hit you, you'd be digging in the mud with a rifle slung around your back. Sometimes it really happens because I do wonder how on earth I got there into the shit-hole. Like, huh? You mean I marched 16km here? And it seemed like it was just moments ago I was still slumped in a sofa seat with iced mocha on the table, and feeling irritated that my browned hair was getting into my eyes. Is this all just a dream? Then you learn to space out and detach yourself from yourself (kinda) and just go along like a zombie, and before you know it you're throwing your SBO onto the floor back in bunk and feeling like a relieved wreck as you subconsciously slump into a chair and unbutton your soiled no. 4.

Days go by and while some choose to be sentimental and remember 'the good ol' days' of CDS, everything that was said and done is now kept locked away in an abstract part of my memory. Sometimes someone tells me about something we used to do, or some sticky situation I'd gotten myself into, and I genuinely go, "did that really happen?"

But while, in terms of joy, there's a lot left to be desired in the period of CDS unit life, I'd personally learnt more than I could ever learn anywhere else in a little over a year there. BMT was frivolous, SISPEC was totally fucked up, but all my dear experiences and lessons came from CDS. Putting these experiences and lessons into text would be pretty shortchanging but I'll try.

I found that the quickest way to learn anything would be to be thrown into the fray, because cliched as it sounds, experience is a hard but effective teacher. People bitch way more than they have to, and when things come full circle it's like they're bitching about themselves. Unity is strength. And when you empower your people with freedom and dignity in the right way and gain their trust, you will get the same amount of support back from each and everyone of them.
I don't really know if I'm making sense but it doesn't really matter. Soon enough, after playing my cards right, I had an unofficial 3-month break as a precursor to my ORD. Foresight and anonymity is good when times get tight, and as it seemed, every other day felt more laced with tension than the ones before.

I emerged, pretty much more aware of myself and things around and possibly a whole lot more cynical, while also becoming much more disciplined in terms of personal responsibilities and money. I can't make myself spend when I don't have to. I'm a fireball of pensive energy, rational and calculated by the belief that you are only as upset as you will allow yourself to be. Out went the baggy shirts and jeans ten times too large for me, and in came the fitting, collared clothes and neat shoes.

Then the realisation of bigger things ahead strikes, and every now and then old boys will meet again to muse about broken relationships, parenthood, career paths and anything and everything. You then begin to wonder about all the financial possibilities and burdens and the 'adult-stuff' you could happily put off when you were a swinging sixteen, like life-savings plans and insurance policies and maybe Yun Nam for some.

So, looking forward to university is like longing for the the final chance in life to do something objectively without the burdens of responsibility attached to it; because studying can be an excuse to get by. Four years of studying before plunging into a world where everything you do and everything you pull has an impact like ropes attached to every other consequential part of your life.

And in hopes of doing something different, I chose SMU.

Ok lah this post wasn't supposed to sound so unfunny but I just got more and more bored typing towards the end. And besides, talking about CDS can be depressing at worst.

Anyway, Singapore 2-1 Thailand. What a lousy decision, what a gay reaction. I'm not proud of the victory in the manner it's won, but that was really sissy stuff from the Thais. But I don't know... Two wrongs don't make one right.

Any Singaporean travelling to Thailand for the return leg is a very brave soul, and he/she shall have my respects. Haha.




"...the temerity to believe that people, pawns in the ultimate chess game, are smart enough to figure out the rules." - George Johnson

Today's Listenables:
Chris Daughtry - What About Now

Singapore Inc.

Oh happy belated birthday to the nation. Other than some very probable cliches, I don't really have much to comment this year around, so I've decided to quote some good excerpts from blogs I've read. Copyrights earned of course. ;)

The youths in Singapore are losing their identity and sense of belonging. I'm not sure who I'm speaking for, but I'm pretty sure it's not just a lonesome three to four. Polls have said it, half of the youths in Singapore would emigrate if given the chance. To rejoice or to despair?

I believe one of the reasons why Singaporeans are slowly losing their identity is partly the nation's fault, society's fault. Firstly, there's that lack of transparency on what the nation is doing for us. Secondly, they keep wanting us to be something else, or someone else. For example, wanting us to speak perfect English to "match up" with the ang mohs, or learning Chinese to keep up with China the growing dragon or whatever pet name it's given, or brushing up on Tamil as India's growing too. You can call us a multi-racial society and be proud of it, but it's not fair to exploit that and emphasizing on language so much in such a coercing manner. If there weren't those fireworks or the holiday, would the youths remember it's Singapore's independence day tomorrow? Would anyone embrace the day as a special day worth commemorating? Or would it just be another holiday? Singapore is indeed doing a lot for us, keeping the streets safe, making those policies to ensure every one of us gets sufficient education and so on and so forth, but then somehow people know only how to focus on the bad stuff, like rising transportation fares (does anyone ever feel thankful for the considerably-high pay they're getting compared to like native Indos?), stressful work environments, and bad education system which kinda limits students in some way and turns them all into bloody muggers who care only about results and nothing else. Our protective leaders' plans are backfiring on them, turning all their lovely citizens into narrow-minded self-centered money-minded people.

- Gracelina

I've been to the NE show when I was a starry-eyed Primary 5 kid, I've performed when I was a Nanyang Girl in Sec 1, I've been part of the audience 2 years ago, and this year I'm an usher for the last NDP at the National Stadium. For a possible quitter that is quite an awful lot of involvement in THE nation-building show, hahas.

It went from being awed by the fireworks to swelling with pride singing the national anthem after performing on the field to being somewhat cynical while on the audience stands, and this time I don't know what to feel. NDP hasn't exactly changed over the years--the formations are the few basic shapes you toy around with, the song singing of "future" and "peace" and "stars" and "soaring", the videos always appropriately reminding us of how we overcame our hardships etc [I just HAD to stifle a laugh when someone in one of the videos said "I am free to express myself."]

In so many ways the NDP show is a miniature replica of how the government would like Singapore Inc to work--months of hard work in nation-building that would have everyone believing and belonging, celebrating our achievements and the fact that we are Singaporeans and we are here, we've got it made, happy and all (remember, 4 million smiles or the police will arrest you for being unfriendly). Age strips the rose-tinted glasses away--the heart hardens and we dismiss each message as propaganda, which it is, really, but today I realise that it is not necessarily a bad thing because it doesn't make sense to badmouth/feedback on this day, because it doesn't seem right to not be idealistic and hopeful for a better Singapore, especially on National Day.

- Chris

I don't really have something specific to say in these recent times of growing anxiety about youths of our nation and politics of the country, and recently I realised that I'm becoming more of a backseat person - listening more than I speak, which, more often than not, turns out to be the wiser thing to do. But for a very, very inspiring read, go here. It's an interview with the late David Marshall. I know most people would probably dismiss this link but reconsider doing that, coz trust me this read could potentially change how you think, at least for awhile (heck if you had to choose between reading my online journal or that interview I'd say go for the interview dmnit.).

Met Gracia, an old schoolmate and ex-neighbour of mine (actually we still stay very much in proximity) the other day for a round of supper, and I was posed a question: "are you satisfied with your life?" And somewhere along those lines the question "what have you achieved?" probably lingered in anticipation of an answer as well.

How many of us have actually asked ourselves that question, and seriously gave that question a thought? I haven't until now. Deroose's asked me that before and it was half-dismissed because I thought it was too idealistic a question to consider at that point of time in my life when I was very much still in the platoon sergeant hotseat (clearing leave now and handed over! Woot).

Besides, what can you do when you're in the army right? That fuckin' obstacle in the prime of your youth? People can claim to have answered that question and gave an answer as dismally as I have thinking that it's okay, but now I realise it's not really alright.

After some reflecting, I guess I've tried to make my team, if not my unit, a better place to be in, and that's as heroic as I can get within my legal means. Because trying anything beyond that, especially as an NSF sergeant, is simply out of the question. Perhaps I've tried to change the system but failed, and maybe I can say that's the cause of my dissatisfaction. But I think I do have reason to be satisfied. In very basic, physical terms, I hope that I've cultivated a sense of pride in our team to be the best at what they can do, both for and against the system. Unity is strength, and you can't underestimate people power. Think I'm getting a little carried away again... But changing the system on my own would amount to opposing the government in its very funny, micro-level kinda way; a government which has cleverly buffered itself in its God-complex so as to be untouchable.

Take OC and CO relations for example, and why the chain of command is so strongly enforced upon the men to go through the right flow of channels. For those who aren't in the know... I can't elaborate here. Touchy issues.

Then again sometimes I think, is that really it? Or is that what I'd like to believe it is... Am I really as pensively intelligent as I think I am? Or am I just making a crapload of noise here, just like almost everybody else? Because sometimes I see chinks in my armour of seemingly correct principles.

I'm in a period of time where I'll probably look back on in the future and feel stupid of myself about. I've read back on some of the stuff I wrote, especially during phases of my life where I'm especially impressionable, not just towards trends but towards perspectives and beliefs as well. And I wished I could just go back in time and slap myself for the immature, silly stuff I did or said.

When it comes to being really clever, I suck. There are people I know whom I admire for their speed of thought and strategic foresight (qualities I think I fall short in), and when it comes to actually knowing stuff, I'm sorely lacking as well. I do not know global problems because I do not follow the news. But then again can I be faulted just because this is what society says is the right thing to do? Who determines what's right or wrong, or normal anyway?

I am who I've convinced myself I am to be. That's about it but it's more profound than it actually sounds.

Sometimes I do feel a sad longing for some place in society I'd really belong to. I've been constantly constrained by a lot of circumstances to do things I don't feel purposeful for. Going to schools to ensure I'm kept in the paper chase, I'll admit, is important. But it's left me feeling terribly empty. Through the years I've ended up in cultures devoid of people I can come alive with. Don't get me wrong, I love the bunch of fellas that make up my platoons through my army stint, but the stuff that they talk about or the music they listen to just simply don't cut it with me, and I'm constantly lying to myself just to keep up... It's tiring. Maybe as a platoon sergeant I saw it as a job to interact so as to understand the men better. But now that I'm letting it go, I'm really gonna let it go. Going to SMU after I ORD sure gives me sensations of escapism.

To what extent can I be faulted for not trying hard enough to be different, or make a difference? I genuinely believe I'm not a typical Zhonghua-to-NYJC-to-NTU-engineering student but whenever I have dreams of my own, voices tell me to forgo them because they're not practical. Truthfully, am I all for the paper chase and emphasis on the rice bowl? Why am I being faulted when my focus on a money-making career lapses when that's not what I really want? People can really try to convince themselves with their self-help books and blog rants that life is more than just a rat race but each time I talk to people, they keep convincing me that in the eyes and minds of the masses, that's all there is to life and ambition.

Weijian once said that we're living in a fucked up country. It is indeed an acidicly sweeping statement to make, but it does hold a certain amount of truth when he points out that every morning, people are rushing to bus stops and through train stations chasing god-knows-what and going home late at night. It's bad enough just to be in the rushing crowd for more inconsequential reasons like booking in to camp, and it's sick to know that conventionally, they're who you'd eventually become. Anonymous automatons of society.

But being in my unit has woken me up a little and while I have done what I could to make a difference there, I think it's about time to try and step out as an individual to be different. And eventually attempt to make a difference in society.

I wished more of us could have the courage to live. To give to your fellow brethren without expecting anything in return.

Starting to clear leave now. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting brighter... Just hope there aren't any potholes along the way that could really fuck things up in very unwelcome ways. Can't wait to throw all this down and escape into the life of a student again. I'm being an optimistic idealist for the moment.

Yes, I have a charmed life but it's not because of fairy dust, of self-help books, of circumstances or a bazillionheirress cash-flow. It is because I choose the path in which I walk.

There was a segment on CNA about Deng Xiaoping earlier and I think my dad's a fan of his, and was like talking about DXP's idea of one-country-two-systems and how the poor-didn't-go-to-school-but-turned-into-a-national-leader-bloke called the world his university.

That led me to think that ironically, the modern privilege of going to school from young somehow stifles our children and enforces a systematic rhythm to society, and that's where all the social ills of a cold and failure-condemning world like Singapore comes about. The elusiveness of study and the harsh situations people like DXP had to endure gave them a passion for learning and a purpose in life. So, with all due respect to the honourable people who've went through a shitty childhood without proper education and became leaders, I guess maybe not being able to go through any form of institutionalised study can be a privilege in itself that many people now won't dare to risk taking.

I've always been one to advocate free learning in place of study drills, art instead of science and creativity rather than conformity. I think it's laughable to think that art can be taught the way they are now in schools. As a victim of conformity largely in part due to my folks, I've been going through my academic life via the science route, when it was obvious my inclinations are very much towards art. I was at my prime in lower secondary and even managed a top 10 placing due to general art and design technology studies, and when I embarked on the triple science journey that everyone else seems to wanna take, my results just hurtled downhill. Once again due to societal and familial pressures I went on to take maths, chemistry and physics in junior college, and emerged with pretty mediocre shit for my As. Unsurprisingly, GP was my best subject and paper, the only thing I'm proud to mention about after two years of slogging through. I've never been one to sit down and mug coz I really really detest reading for the sake of studying, and anyway I can't sit down just to swallow notes for nuts, so it's really no wonder now I feel so unfulfilled after all these years and I'm more than determined to go to perhaps mass com or take arts and social sciences in university. I'm always convinced that there really isn't a point ultimately to study something you don't believe in or lack a passion for because you're not gonna benefit from it other than getting that grade for a subject you actually find distasteful, so in the end I guess it's all about how true you wanna be to yourself.

I recently read an article by Colin Chee in the Newpaper and there was this quote which caught my attention: "... be a society that can stare failure in the face until it blinks." And he mentioned about a society that has individuals who dare to take the lead and show the way without having to look for someone more senior in age or appointment, and how very true that statement is. That article was about the rigidity of modern Singapore.

Eating As A Social Activity: Hanging Out In Coffee Shops (A Field Study) (2009)

SOCG301 Term Paper

Done by:

Lim Ann Qi Angela

Yong Jin Chuan Jose

Wong Mingchuan Luwin

Introduction

Over the years, Singapore’s coffee shop culture has evolved tremendously. Coffee shops originally consisted of itinerant hawkers who plied the streets on foot or behind carts, or set up shop in temporary ‘villages’ of stalls; today, coffee shops are typically clean, permanent hawker centres and are both open-air or air-conditioned.

Aside from the proliferation of coffee shops due to an inherent Singaporean love for food, the coffee shop has also established itself as a favourite gathering place for many locals for purposes other than food. Drinks and conversation are rife in these hubs that come to life for various reasons at different times of the day, each one living and breathing to its own beat.

The questions then arise: Who are these people who patronise coffee shops? Why do they choose to go to coffee shops? What is the symbolic nature of the coffee shop and its role in the lives of coffee shop patrons? Our field study and analysis will attempt to answer these questions.


A Coffeeshop Field Study
Our study seeks to uncover the coffee shop culture in Singapore. Emphasis is placed on uncovering the demographic and perspective of the patrons who do not merely come to eat, but to ‘stay’ – engaging in an extended time of conversation and other activity.

The Scope and Methodology
We visited five coffee shops over the course of three nights and observed the activity of coffee shop patrons by engaging in a variety of different observational methods. One method of observation we employed was by simply observing from a distance, through which we attained demographic information such as age, gender, drinks purchased and group sizes, as well as interaction styles in an unobtrusive manner. The details of their conversation was unclear from a distance, so we also engaged some of the groups present in conversation, at times asking them questions and at times just listening to them communicate through their chat and banter.

Ingredients of a Coffee Shop
Based on our observations, the type of people sitting in the coffee shops at night does not vary greatly. They are often groups of Chinese men ranging from ages 20-30 and 40 and above. Conspicuously absent is the presence of women and other ethnicities. An awareness of a prevalent social stigma associated with women being out and about in coffee shops at night with the men may account for the mainly male patronage. What then of other ethnic races? Most Malays in Singapore are Muslim and generally do not patronize the average neighbourhood coffee shop. The existence of exclusively Halal food places, combined with the religious prohibition against the consumption of pork, alcohol, and other foods that might be potentially ‘impure’ (to Muslims), partly explains the predominantly Chinese patronage (Nonini, 1998). Instead, Malays can more commonly be found in Halal food stalls such as 24-hour prata shops. While some Indian men would patronise coffee shops for drinks and/or to watch soccer games, they do not do so as regularly as the Chinese men, choosing instead to consume alcohol at home. The types of people in these neighbourhood coffee shops are thus observed to be mostly and invariably Chinese men.

Most of the time, the men share bottles of beer amongst themselves while chatting. Occasionally, coffee is the alternative beverage of choice. These drinks are symbolically male-centric. The consumption of alcohol through beer also removes social inhibitions and has been cited as having more ‘kick’ than other drinks by a few men we talked to. The men aged 40 and above tend not to eat, having eaten at home with their families, while the younger men of 20-30 tend to meet to have dinner or supper after school, work or any other activity. The food these younger men tend to consume are thus the simple hawker fare sold at these coffee shops, such as mixed rice and noodles.

Male bonding is carried out over beers and occasionally while watching soccer, and for the most part, dialect is spoken. The men, having returned from a hard day at work, have noticeably light-hearted conversations about things such as soccer teams and day-to-day experiences and also chat casually about social issues and local news that might directly affect them. Some of the men stated that there is a deliberate refrain from heavy and in-depth conversation. Visiting the coffee shop and lingering ‘over-time’ is thus strictly a form of relaxation and unwinding to them.


The ‘Third Place’
Essential to our understanding of Singapore’s coffee shop phenomenon is the concept of the ‘third place’ as described by Oldenburg (1999). In his analysis, the workplace and home is regarded as the first and second place respectively, according to the amount of time spent there and the importance an average person assigns to them. Third places are defined in contrast to these other primary places in people’s lives and they offer a space to escape the stresses associated with these primary places. This ties in significantly with sociological work on the symbolism of goods beyond their mere material properties (Fantasia, 1995 & Watson, 1997). Coffee shops now transcend beyond their basic utility of providing food and drinks to one that represents a form of escape.

Coffee shops represent an avenue for regulars to escape from the demands and stresses of day to day life. It is important for a third place to be inexpensive so as to allow patrons to visit regularly without the worry of overspending. This importance is heightened in Singapore’s context as money is considered a daily burden – the traditional Asian mindset regards prudence not just as a virtue but as a standard to conform to. The average neighbourhood coffee shop, among the most reasonable in food and beverage pricing, fit the bill well. Its patrons are hence emancipated from monetary concerns and can focus solely on the enjoyment of the moment. The informal and humble setting of the coffee shop is also comfortably inviting and adds to its suitability as an escape from the corporate environments of work and city living. As coffee shop conventions dictate dressing and behavior alike to be casual, there are few social class requirements and etiquette to abide by. It is a place where one is allowed to be himself, without expectation of conforming to the rules that rigidly govern high society. It is thus not uncommon to witness uncouth behavior – loud talking and general rowdiness – amongst coffee shop regulars.

It’s a Man’s World
The coffee shop is a predominantly male environment and can be qualified through a post-structuralist perspective. The uncouth and often aggressive behaviour of patrons is both a norm and a means to attaining recognition, as such behaviour is applauded when conducted by men and frowned upon when acted out by women. Beer is also seen as a male beverage, the consumption of which men take pride in embracing and women often dissociate themselves from. Soccer, another male-centric pursuit, is shown on huge screen televisions on weekend nights and is often used as a means to draw in the crowds, further enforcing the expected masculinity of the crowd. As an indicator of how coffee shop owners are aware of the gender disparity, waitresses dressed in specially designed uniforms consisting of short skirts are employed to serve and entertain the men who make up the scene. These men are the people who constitute to the formation of the ‘coffee shop uncle’ image.

A further explanation is posited by Oldenburg, who asserts that “social relaxation is greater without the low-level stress that attends the mixing of the sexes”. The individual, in his opinion, is never quite as comfortable, expressive or unrestrained in the presence of the opposite sex as in the company of his or her own.

The reluctance of women to patronize coffee shops as a third place can also be explained by the internalising of social stigma associated with women seen at coffee shops. Such women are often perceived as cheap or as money-launderers, which is exacerbated by the prominence of prostitutes and China women in sleazy district coffee shops – essentially two of the most stereotyped women in contemporary Singapore. Gill (2007) studied the behaviour of and attitudes towards women in Bordertown, a traditionally misogynistic town in Britain, and found that women are acceptable targets for sexual harassment when they appeared in male-dominated public places, especially when alone. This is something the women there have internalised, which makes them reluctant to travel about or go to places like pubs alone. While the likelihood of overt sexual harassment is low in Singapore coffee shops, Singaporean women are well aware of the social stigma that men have of women hanging around coffee shops and they do well to avoid such stigmatic association. This is also enforced by the older men themselves, as they believe with the fervour of tradition that the place for a woman is in the home. One man we spoke to was cited as saying that women should go home to ‘rest’ after a hard day’s work. To these men, leisure for women is accepted as relaxing at home instead of being out with the men in coffee shops at night.

An additional reason is that women have their own third places, such as mahjong clubs and shopping malls – both activities which are predominantly female leisure pursuits. This concurs with Oldenburg’s argument for the value in gender-specific companionship.

The Age Demographics of the ‘Coffee Shop Uncle’
The age demographics of the men at these coffee shops is observed to follow a trend of high between ages 20-30, low between ages 30-40, and high again for those aged 40 and above.

The young 20-30 crowd typically consists of men gathering for ‘supper’, while the 40-over age-group primarily turns up for drinks. On their table is typically a bucket of ice and beer bottles, and plates of food are usually absent. While the conversation may be similar – casual with a disregard for formal manners – there is an air of pointlessness to the coffee shop activity of the group aged 40 and above. Those aged 20-30 may gather for the purpose of watching soccer, exchanging ideas, having a conversation about school or work, or having a meal. Those aged 40-over, on the other hand, often arrive at the coffee shop without even needing to contact their buddies and knowing that they can find regular company there. We have observed a few men in the older age category who were drinking alone, as if they were just trying their luck at seeking anticipated company and it did not matter if none of their friends turned up.

The age group of 30-40 tends not to engage in coffee shop socializing as they are in the prime of their lives and careers and thus are often busy with work or family. Just as importantly, excessive patronage of coffee shops for men in this age group associates them with certain negative stigmas, such as joblessness, depression or excessive drinking tendencies. The frivolous nature of the youthful patronage of coffee shops by young men and the pointlessness of the older males in visiting coffee shops are particularly damaging to the social image the men aged 30-40 in their primes are trying to portray.

Social Interaction in this Unique Sphere
The men are often very friendly with the stall owners and beer ladies, mostly out of a sense of familiarity. The beer ladies are usually invited to join the men at the tables for a drink for some time while they chat together over drinks. It is interesting to note that the beer ladies are not regarded the same way other women who visit the coffee shop are. They are accepted as part of the scene and not as an outsider. Gender inequality is an inevitable outcome of the male dominance of the coffee shop’s social structure, thus the acceptance of women in coffee shops demands of them to conform to the distinct gender role expected of them. Hall (1993) highlights the work roles of gendered food servers and points out the behavioural scripts expected of waitresses to give ‘good’ service in particular food settings – these work roles are loaded with gender meanings and results in a heightened importance of gender specific displays. In stark contrast to this is the rare occasion in which we spot a woman at these coffee shops. Even if a woman was present, she was almost always accompanied by either her husband or at least one male friend. Thus, the presence of women as beer ladies is only accepted when they are merely facilitators and servants of the male-dominated coffee shop, behaving in a subservient manner expected of them in the highly-gendered order of the coffee shop. The men at the coffee shops appear to be rather territorial about their space in the coffee shops and, with the arrival of any ‘abnormal’ visitors like a group of women or young students, they tended to look either wary or curious.


Conclusion
The highly gendered, age-specific and racially-specific nature of the coffee shop prevents us from drawing from it too representative a picture of Singaporean culture. It must be understood as representing the culture of a particular strata of society and not as a microcosm typical of Singapore.

Yet the coffee shop phenomenon does offer us insights into Singaporean culture. For one, it reinforces the common knowledge that life in Singapore is stressful and fast-paced, creating a need to retreat into a third place. For the average heartland ‘uncle’, coffee shops serve this function as no other place can. From its humble and inviting setting, cheap alcohol on its menu and the freedom to kick back and speak in the dialect they grew up with, it is ideal for the non-corporate, un-westernised Chinese Singaporean man to meet other characteristically-alike men and foster a uniquely local community spirit.

However, it must be said that it is more so the peculiarities of the coffeeshop conventions, rather than its function as a third place that reveals the Singaporean flavour, for the Singaporean coffee shop finds its counterpart in most of the developed world. German beer gardens, Parisian cafes and English pubs all serve as third places for their respective countries.


Bibliography

1. Fantasia, R. (1995). Fast food in France. Theory and Society, 24, 201-43.
   


2. Gill, F. (2007). ‘Violent’ femininity: Women rugby players and gender negotiation. Women’s Studies International Forum, 30, 416-426.
   


3. Hall, E. J. (1993). Waitering/Waitressing: Engendering the work of table servers. American Sociological Review, 45(5), 737-765.
   


4. Nonini, M. D. (1998). ‘Chinese Society’, Coffee-Shop Talk, Possessing Gods: The Politics of Public Space among Diasporic Chinese in Malaysia. Duke University Press.
   


5. Oldenburg, R. (1999). The Great Good Place: cafés, coffee shops, bookstores, bars, hair salons and other hangouts at the heart of a community. New York, N.Y.: Marlowe and Company.
   


6. Watson, J. (1997). Golden Arches East: McDonald’s in East Asia. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

A Comparison of Human Resources Practices Between Singapore and Britain (2009)

OBHR 201 - Human Capital Management


Introduction

The Singaporean community is a very diverse community with four official languages. As for business and politics, English is the official language. The structure of society is built on fundamental values such as group harmony, loyalty and respect. This also applies in the world of business for Singaporeans as organizations within are very group oriented. The organizational structure is hierarchical and has a very strict chain of command. As for doing business, the cornerstone is building and nurturing relationships and when doing so, one has to be careful with one’s approach as the different ethnicities have very different customs and etiquettes.

Great Britain consists of four different countries – England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – who all have very strong identities and sense of nationalism. Britain has no core fundamental values like those stated for Singapore, but her society still has a strong class system to some extent where different norms apply to each class. Even though organizations in Britain have a more ‘flat’ structure, the class system still exists. Britain is also known for its status as a welfare state. There is a proper way to act in most situations and the British are sticklers for adherence to protocol. The British have been historically known for their stiff upper lip. This ‘grin and bear’ attitude in the face of adversity lives on today. The British are very reserved and private people. Privacy is extremely important. When it comes to doing business, it is not as important to establish long lasting relationships as in Singapore (UK – Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, n. d.). The concept of the learning organization is an outgrowth of British management culture, which spearheaded the development of learning as an experiential activity that occurs as part of the management process in order to develop valuable human resources (Jackson, 2002).

As has been often stated, Singapore is generally regarded as having a human resource (HR) culture that is rather weak and the HR department is often regarded as a largely ‘sideline’ and administrative job that has no real practical business use. This is however very much unlike the HR function in Britain, which places a higher emphasis on learning and development of the individual through the management process, representing a philosophy that believes in a higher sense of purpose for human resource management (HRM) rather than Singapore’s straightforward, profit-oriented judgment of HRM.

It would therefore be pertinent to question why this is so because of their potential similarities, which partly stems from Singapore once being a colony of Britain, and how Singapore’s HRM culture can be improved. We will do this by comparing HR practices between Singapore and Britain under the context of culture, followed by an analysis and some recommendations.


Comparison of HR Practices Between Singapore and Britain


Recruitment and Selection

When employing HR planning techniques in Britain, 63% of organisations recruit to maintain adequate personnel, 83% do sales and business forecasts, while slightly more than half of organizations analyze labour markets. Almost all organizations in Britain do a forecast of skills requirements at 94% (Dany & Torchy, 1994).

65% of British organizations experience recruiting problems, with the recruitment of qualified professionals the most significant challenge (Dany & Torchy, 1994). Britain often resorts to training and re-training programmes to circumvent its recruitment problem, with 67% of organizations engaging in these programmes (Dany & Torchy, 1994). This is especially so given Britain’s learning organization model and valuing of experiential learning, where the training and development of their workforce is a vital component of any worthwhile form of HRM (Jackson, 2002). Aside from this, 53% of British organizations also turn to hiring more part-time employees and employees on short term contracts. More specifically, British employees are more favourable with part time employment than short term contractual employment, with women making up more than half of these part time employees (Eurostat, 2002). Employment problems have also led Britain to lower age requirements, posing a potential child-labour problem.

Regardless of size, almost all organizations in Britain (97%) use applications forms. References are also one of the most popular means of selecting employees, with 92% of organizations using it. The next most commonly used method of selection, with endorsement from 71% of organizations, is through the interview.

British employers are keen to do interviewing because it serves a valuable information function. It facilitates a communication process between employers and candidates regarding important job characteristics and expectations of both parties. Furthermore, it fills gaps from other information sources, such as curriculum vitae and targets valued characteristics which can only be assessed in person, such as appearance or interpersonal skills (Arvey & Campion, 1982).

Larger British establishments are more likely to use systematic methods, particularly psychological and personality tests for management and technical staff, and work samples for clerical staff. There is a greater use of work samples for clerical, skilled and technical staff, reflecting the general perception of their usefulness for assessing easily measurable work involving criteria such as accuracy and competency in using equipment. Additionally, the larger the firm size, the more useful a structured form becomes for filtering large numbers of applicants, which reflects differences in methods of attracting applicants for managerial positions and differences in relevant labour markets. Larger British firms may view application forms as a useful marketing tool, which allows them to portray a particular organisational image and culture in order to attract high calibre candidates (Campbell, Lockyer & Scholarios 1997).

In Singapore, local daily newspapers have extensive classified ads for job vacancies. The print media is used most widely to recruit all levels of employees such as operators, supervisors and managers. With the exception of executive search firms (the second most frequently used method for managers), companies use the following methods regardless of job levels: employee referrals, walk-ins, employment agencies and rehires. Other innovative methods include career fairs, electronic media and campus drives (Campbell and Campbell, 1997).

Chew and Goh (1997) found that weighted application forms, reference checks, interviews and medical examinations were also frequently used. However, there are some differences for specific types of employees. Reference checks were more commonly used to select managers (58%), compared with supervisors (40%) and rank-and-file (37%). Performance tests, work samples, job ability tests and physical ability tests are more frequently used to select rank-and-file employees. Among the numerous recruitment methods, pamphlets, signs and bus advertisements, and radio and TV advertisements were among the least popular, with less than 20% of companies using any of these methods.


Compensation and Benefits

Compensation levels in Britain are influenced and determined by various laws, acts, and regulations.

The practice of having government-mandated minimum wages was first implemented in 1999 and has continued since. Under the National Minimum Wage (NMW), minimum wage rates vary according to age, falling approximately between £3.00 and £3.60 per hour (Duane, 2001). Hence, the NMW sets the lower limit for compensation, and wages in Britain will not end up at any value below this rate.

Britain’s Equal Pay Act was passed in 1970 to ensure that all employees had “equal pay for work of equal value, regardless of gender” (Duane, 2001). After amendments had been made to the act, it now states that regardless of whether a job evaluation plan exists in an organization, if a woman can prove that the work she did was equal in value to that of a man employed by the same organization “in terms of effort, skill, and decision-making”, she would have a valid case against her employer to fight for equal pay. However, as this procedure involves a lot of red-tape and is relatively ineffective, it has been reported by the Equal Opportunities Commission in 2000 that woman are paid an average of 20% less than men. This difference is even larger in the financial sector where women are paid 55% less than men (Duane, 2001).

Britain’s average wages for employees are only at a moderate level in comparison to the other European countries. However, more than half of the British organizations have made variable pay a more significant part of their compensation structure: 63% of public-sector organizations offer variable pay of some sort to their managerial employees, and 23% have included clerical workers in this program (Duane, 2001). With regards to variable pay programs in Britain, employee-sharing programs and group bonus programs are most commonly used. It is the trend in Britain to place an “emphasis on employee share ownership schemes”, where employees can own a share in the company’s stocks (Duane, 2001). Using merit pay to compensate managers and professionals is also growing in popularity in the United Kingdom, where pay is linked to employee performance based on merit (Duane, 2001).

In terms of benefits, Britain provides universal health care to its citizens, regardless of their status of employment. Funding for this health care service comes from two sources: 82% comes from general taxation, while the other 18% comes from the national insurance payment, which consists of contributions made by both employers and employees. In order to make health care cheaper and more efficient, the United Kingdom passed the National Health Service (NHS) and Community Care Act of 1990, which allows hospitals and other health service centers to autonomously control funding that they receive from the government, to encourage competition within the industry (Duane, 2001).

Most European countries have regulations mandated by the government, that “guarantee workers generous paid leaves, including holidays and vacations” (Duane, 2001). The UK is an exception to this, as it does not have any extra mandated vacation time beyond the typical eight bank holidays. However, British paid leave is still, on average, 22 days a year, which is high in comparison to other countries without additional mandated holidays.

Although there are trade unions that fight for workers’ rights, especially regarding compensation levels, these unions are gradually losing their influence in Britain (Communal, 2004).

Likewise for Singapore, the Singapore Employment Act sets the basic terms of employment and compensation. It is also possible for an employer and a union to set additional terms and conditions between them, but this has to be certified by the Industrial Arbitration Court (IAC). The purpose of the employment act is to protect employees, who may have weak bargaining power against their employers, from abuse or exploitation. Any term of employment that is less favorable than those stipulated by the Employment Act is “illegal, null and void” (Tan, 2004). The act only covers workers who are non-managerial employees.

Singapore has a National Wages Council (NWC), consisting of representatives from the government, employer associations and trade unions. The NWC makes recommendations on guidelines for annual wage adjustments, and although these are not mandatory, these guidelines are generally accepted and adopted by most organizations and trade unions (Tan, 2004). Unlike Britain, Singapore has no mandated minimum salary, and wage rates are purely dependent on the private and mutual agreement reached between an employer and an employee (The Employment Act: Payment of Salary, 2008). The Employment Act was amended in 1988 to give companies more flexibility to pay employees wage increases and variable bonuses, that were mostly performance-based (Tan, 2004)

The Employment Act also covers other forms of compensation such as entitlement to overtime pay, and extra pay for holiday work. Overtime cannot exceed 72 hours per month without prior approval from the Commissioner of Labor (Tan, 2004). Singapore’s 11 public holidays, employees’ entitlement to paid sick leave for 14 days a year and terms for terminating contracts also have to be observed by employers under the employment act. Under the act, employees are only eligible to receive retrenchment benefits after three years of service in a company. However, this entitlement would only be valid if the retrenchment benefits had already previously been included in the original employment contract (Tan, 2004). Otherwise, no retrenchment benefits will be offered.

Additionally, Singapore has a Worker’s Compensation Act which makes certain that workers receive compensation for any injuries suffered at the workplace. Singapore also has a compulsory savings scheme for all citizens, called the Central Provident Fund (CPF), which employees may only withdraw funds from during their old age or for specific investments such as buying a home. This fund comes from both employers and employees, both of whom need to contribute a “specified percentage of individual employees’ wages” into the employee’s CPF account (Tan, 2004). Singapore does not provide free health care for its citizens, but citizens can use their CPFs to pay for some forms of medical care.


Performance management and appraisal

Around 86% of British organizations operate a systematic approach in evaluating employee performance, and at least 20% of organizations had a formal performance management programme (Bevan & Thompson, 1991). The focus of British organizations is often on bottom-line delivery, and it was initially felt that performance appraisals might add to the pressures on managers’ time, and they might be a source of disappointment or discontent for employees who feel they are treated unreasonably.

However, a study revealed that annual appraisals encourage employees to feel valued, engenders a sense of personal and career development and increases organizational commitment (Strebler et al., 2001). Employees who receive appraisals are also not only more positive about their jobs but more competent at them as well (Borrill et al., 2001). Performance appraisal flourished in Britain due to a political climate that favoured an individualistic competitive philosophy (Anderson, 1993), with emphasis on the importance of lifelong learning in British culture.

Performance appraisal is widely used for managerial and white-collar staff in Britain, more so than for other categories of employee (Roomkin, 1989). The identification of training and development needs and evaluating individual performance are the main reasons performance appraisals are used in Britain’s private sector, with most large organizations appraising all employees (Rosemary, 2004).

This is in contrast with Singapore’s lesser interest in performance management and appraisal. In a 1990 survey done by the Singapore Institute of Personnel Management and the National Productivity Board, performance appraisal was ranked fourth out of a list of thirteen common HR functions done by companies. In general, appraisals were done once a year, with the likelihood of rank-and-file and supervisors being appraised more frequently. About nine out of ten companies with HR departments had appraisals compared to seven in ten companies without a separate HR department.

Mills (2003) stipulated that the most commonly used performance management and appraisal system design of companies in Singapore is the trait-based approach with 35.6% of companies doing so due to the difficulty of setting ‘objective’ performance goals for non-technical/sales positions. In smaller companies, where management staff has to handle their own paperwork, trait systems are less in evidence.

This is followed by performance management, with adoption by 26.7% of Singaporean organizations. It is more likely to be used by Western companies that have PM/A policies. Because of performance management’s linkage to performance-related pay, it is not favoured in unionized environments.

19.8% of companies utilize the hybrid system. The hybrid system is in a transitional phase – if Singaporean companies see the value of linking business strategy to individual responsibility and the benefits of cultural change, then they will side step the hybrid approach and upgrade to performance management. This is followed by management by objectives at 6%, and team performance management with 2.9% of companies adopting it. Team performance management is relatively new in Asia. As it frequently involves multi-rater feedback, which often requires specific training in qualitative feedback and suffers from administrative issues, it is yet to take hold in Singapore.

Government policies have far-reaching implications for HR practices at the organizational level for Singapore. When the National Wages Council recommended a flexible wage policy, the government pushed for the introduction of performance appraisal so that performance-based bonus payments could be implemented smoothly. In addition to the government, other forces which affect HR practices include headquarters influence on MNCs’ level of technology, organization size, and sectoral differences in HR (Yuen, 1998). With continual education, the systems are likely to become more refined although the wholesale adoption of western models, such as the open appraisal, is unlikely, especially with Singaporeans’ concern for ‘face’. In a culture were trust and relationship remain important, appraisal will include trait and personality variables (Mills, 2003).


Training & Development

In Britain, training has been considered important for many years, and is often “central to HRM in addressing performance issues and managing change” (Jackson, 2002). However, in spite of this, employees in Britain receive a moderately limited amount of training, with approximately only 10% of British organizations offering ten or more training days for managers per year (Duane, 2001). In a survey conducted by the Cranet Network from 1999 to 2000, it was reported that only 18% of organizations in Britain spent more than 5% of their wage bill on training, which was relatively low in comparison to the other European countries being surveyed (Communal, 2004). In general, compared to other leading economies, Britain’s practices in HRM are actually low in expenditure on training (Tayeb, 2005).

The standard method used for training managers in Britain is formal career planning, where managerial careers are planned carefully, and selected employees are trained to eventually become high-level managers. Performance appraisals, where managers are given feedback on how they can improve their own performance, and succession plans, where good performers are “selected to begin preparation for replacing key personnel, who for whatever reason are expected to leave the organization”, are also relatively common methods of management development in Britain (Duane, 2001).

Before designing a training program, it is essential to first complete a detailed assessment of employees’ needs, in order to determine an area of focus. According to data analysis, Britain has shown to be quite satisfactory in this aspect, with 80% of organizations engaging in some form of needs analysis before heavily investing in any employee training. The most common method of needs assessment in Britain is the use of performance appraisals. On the other hand, it has been suggested that, along with a majority of the European countries, British organizations seldom incorporate employee requests into their needs assessment for training programs (Duane, 2001).

The focus of training programs in British organizations has been on performance appraisal, staff communication and tem building, with a significant portion of British managers having been trained in these aspects. However, there has been a general lack of interest in and focus on foreign language training. This is a relatively pressing issue because following the unification of Europe, business opportunities in the region have been growing and this lack of foreign language training could act as a handicap for British organizations. Formal evaluation conducted immediately as well as some months after training, which is suggested to be the most informative means of assessing effectiveness, is quite commonly used in Britain as a method of monitoring the effectiveness of an organization’s training program (Duane, 2001).

Although Singapore is far from a leading practitioner of HRM, there has been increasing emphasis placed on the importance of training and skill upgrading for employees. Government ministers and leading unionists constantly remind Singaporean workers that they should “constantly upgrade their skills, accept changes and prepare to work for more than one employer in their lifetime” (Cappelli, 1999).

Management education, particularly management development programs, is offered by the three main universities in Singapore: Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, and the Singapore Management University (Tan, 2004).

Most civil servants in Singapore receive their training at the Civil Service College (CSC), which is Singapore’s main public sector training institute. Seminars are also conducted and available at the Institute of Policy Studies (Tan, 2004)

Most workers in Singapore undergo on-the-job training (OJT) at some point in their careers. The Standard Productivity and Innovation Board (SPRING) estimates that 40% of the Singapore workforce undergoes some form of OJT every year. It has been reported that over 90% of the companies in Singapore do practice OJT (Tan, 2004).

In 1990, SPRING collaborated with a Japanese company to develop a “self-instructional OJT package” (Tan, 2004). This was implemented in the hope that more companies will engage in training their employees, and the package shows step-by-step and serves to guide companies on how structured OJT can be developed and implemented by an organization. Over 3,500 packages have been sold to 1,500 companies, and have trained over 10 000 employees on how to develop and deliver OJT (Tan, 2004).

However, while this sounds promising for the future of HR training in Singapore, there is evidently still much room for improvement. A study by Chew and Teo (1991) compared the HR practices in local firms and MNCs based on survey questionnaires. Some of the companies surveyed were locally owned, while others were jointly or fully foreign-owned. From this study, the local companies were found to have higher turnover rates, reflecting their inability to retain employees. This was attributed to their “comparatively ineffective selection function, the lack of training programs and less favorable pay and working conditions” (Chew, 1991).


Analysis

We will be using the cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede (1984) to conduct an overarching analysis of the two countries.

Power distance

British organizations are flatter, while Singaporean organizations have greater hierarchy and tolerance for the unequal distribution of power. Culturally, Singaporeans are more accepting of a top-down and directive management style within the organization than the British, and acknowledge that power is often concentrated at the top. In Asian cultures, authority figures are generally given due respect and readily adhered to. Therefore, it is unsurprising that Singaporeans accept this unequal distribution of power as a fact of life and seldom consider changing it. This is evident, for example, in the small role that unions play in Singapore, where few Singaporeans actually want to actively fight for various issues, such as higher wages and compensation. However, since Britain is much lower in power distance, many citizens are intolerant of any practices which they deem to be unfair, and often actively join unions to promote change.

Individualism

As shown in the chart, the business culture in Britain is based much more on individualism, contrary to Singapore's collectivist culture. It might be interesting to note and wonder why the more individualistic country (Britain) is a welfare state, while the more collectivistic country (Singapore) is not. Collectivistic cultures are more characteristic of welfare, in which people have a natural disposition to look after one another. It is plausible that Singapore has come a long way and worked hard to become the nation it is today, overcoming many obstacles in the process. Many Singaporeans, especially the older generation, acknowledge the importance of industriousness, and are aware that many things can be taken for granted if they are easily obtainable. Therefore, Singapore is not a welfare state and will not completely provide for the unemployed because it does not want them to free-ride and be a burden on the rest of the nation. However, the government still provides other subsidies for welfare areas such as medical care.

Uncertainty avoidance index

Interestingly, Singapore scores extremely low on this ranking. It would be commonly assumed that a country with such strict rules and regulations would be more averse to change and view new ideas more negatively, with a low inclination towards risk. Britain has a high score which implies that they are more skeptical to change and averse to taking risks. This is interesting as the western part of the world is more known to be risk-taking in order to generate profit. Britain’s risk-aversion could be linked to its likelihood of engaging in needs assessment before implementing any training programs. A needs assessment will help to ensure that the training will be effective with as little loss as possible. On the other hand, training in Singapore seems to be implemented on a more casual and flexible basis.

Masculinity

Both countries score somewhat similarly on this point. However, although both countries lean towards a feminine business culture, Singapore’s culture is slightly more masculine. This implies that Singaporean organizations create a more competitive working environment and that Singaporeans have a higher live-to-work mentality than the British. Singaporean firms’ strong focus on profit and the bottom-line could be a factor contributing to its more masculine competitiveness. On the other hand, with Britain’s rich history, its people tend to be more self-actualizing. This is demonstrated by British organizations’ greater willingness to implement PM, which would be seen as a waste of time and resources to many Singaporean companies.

Long term orientation

Britain’s business culture is more short-term oriented than Singapore’s. This is common for western countries as individualism stands strong and the focus on short term profits are high. It is worth noting that cultures with low uncertainty avoidance would be more short-term oriented, but when we compare these two cultures, it is not the case. Britain has demonstrated its short-term orientation through its TD, which are heavily lacking in foreign language training. As explained earlier in our comparisons, Britain’s lack of interest in foreign language training programs is evidence of its short-term orientation, and its inability to foresee the long-term advantages of such training. On the other hand, Singapore has more long-term orientation, with its leaders constantly reminding Singaporeans to upgrade their skills and be prepared for any future changes.


Recommendations

Singapore HRM essentially loses out to Britain in the arena of self actualization as an underlying philosophy. With the importance of learning in mind, Singaporean organizations should especially target improvement to its HRM in the areas of TD and PM/A.

Organisations should establish the mindset that training is essential, consisting of skill-based modules to include performance planning, tracking, feedback and coaching and appraisal as well as a consistent approach to a mid-year review. The involvement of line managers in the training process may prove to be beneficial as well. Performance indicators should be developed to ensure the success of TD, such as reaction (proof of effectiveness of training), learning (do staff now understand the system?) and application (can staff utilize new skills learnt?).

PM/A needs to be explicitly linked to the strategic focus of the organization and has to be seen as a developmental process, with employees being able to give feedback without fear and objective data to support ratings. Competencies, not just traits, should be used to direct job performance, forge a stronger corporate culture and be completely strategically focused. Appraisals should also be properly documented, with a second person ratifying the results. Avoid discussing pay during appraisal, as it can relegate the PM/A into a pay delivery system. Performance indicators should be developed to ensure the success of newly implemented PM/A systems, such as productivity measures and other tangible benefits.

Above this, members of the organization also need to know the importance of implementing such recommendations for it to translate into positive acceptance and results. A handbook describing the purpose, policies and processes for the PM/A system will be useful, especially in clearly conveying the benefits of the system and helping those new to it along.

Aside from TD and PM/A, Singaporean organizations should also relook recruitment and selection practices. While Singapore is low on prejudice compared to Britain, some degree of discrimination still exists which can prove to be a hindrance to recruitment. Some recommendations to overcome this is to be more open to possible labour markets, such as enticing foreign talent to one’s company. Part-time jobs can be offered to retirees and housewives, especially in the light of the increasing retirement age, and providing more training opportunities.

The Singapore government considers quality education and life-long learning crucial for national competitiveness. Because of the emphasis on competition and excellence, the country is slowly transforming itself from a society that endorses traditional Asian values to one that focuses on individual success. As such, the educational curriculum is being reviewed and revamped. Independent thinking, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit are increasingly emphasized. Furthermore, with the recent influence of western management practices, many local companies have employed foreign professionals. Many locals are studying management in universities abroad. Upon returning, western management practices get introduced, which have implications especially for more traditional Singaporean organizations (Tan & Torrington, 2004). Organizations should capitalize on this transformation which represents a broader, more open and liberal way of perceiving the world, business and HR.

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