1st day of 2nd semester
Today the long awaited reopening of a new semester finally took its rightful place.
My first lecture of the semester was also a long awaited lecture on nation building in Singapore. I was quite surprised at the crowd, thought only got 184 students taking it, not knowing that I actually remembered the class roster for EU1101E. Saw some familiar faces in the lecture theatre, one all too familiar. He's my tutor for HY1101E last semester. I already knew that he'll be tutoring for this module but well... He reminds me of this another friend of mine who went to the same tutorial class as me for HY1101E last semester. She told me that she's scared of him... but for once, I would say that he should be more scared of her, given that he couldn't remember her name all these while and there was once when he was so paiseh to ask for her name that he actually looked at me and signalled and mouthed to me what's her name...
The lecture was talking about Singapore as an unlikely nation. Now, then it triggered some thoughts in my mind. I began to think of the people who constantly complain of the government in Singapore. Then later in the evening, I met this guy. He used to be a permanent resident but he revoked his PR status when his father decided that he shouldn't serve NS. Then, he went on to study in NTU under government grant. After his graduation, he found out that he has to return all the grants and that his social visit pass was no longer being renewed. He complained that if the government made a mistake and he was being done injustice. He complained that since MINDEF had known this will happen, they should have been informed of the consequences when he revoked his PR. When asked how he can contribute and add value to the country, he replied that we should go and ask the company which has employed him, cos given his average grade in NTU, he found employment in that company despite competitions and since this is so, the company must have seen in him something which he can contribute and his potential (yeah right). Why complain so much? Firstly, he failed to fulfill an commitment which his parents had made to the country when they applied for PR status. Secondly, it was his right to revoke his PR status, and the government let him do so, cos it was his right and they don't have the right to infringe on his right. Thirdly, so what if the government made a mistake in giving him the grant? Take note that the government is not being run by God and angels. Fourth, employment by company only means that he is useful to the company as an whole, not because of his potential. Being useful to a private organisation and being useful to a nation are two very different things.
It has often been criticised by people that the government always uses history to brainwash people. Let's face it. History is part and parcel of nation building in EVERY single nation on the surface of this world. Just because Singapore only has a short history of nation building, it doesn't imply that there is no history in Singapore or that Singapore history is boring. Furthermore, it doesn't even imply that Singapore is the only place in the world where the government tries to 'brainwash' the people by history. The successful nations in this world are being successful in their nation building because the government also embarks on a 'brainwashing' process. In fact, given the fact that a lot of people dun care the heck about the history of Singapore, I think it's the right way by the government to at least enforce some sense of history into the students of these days. The statistic in today's lecture completely disgusted me, though amusing.
Anyway, had a field day in MPS today. First session of the year and we experience a crowd of 65 and it took us 4 hours to finish up all the cases. But in case people think that 65 is a lot for a normal MPS, wait till the one after CNY.
Now, my brain is lacking oxygen, which literally means that I'm tired and I need to sleep. Till the time I wake up, perhaps with a kiss from my Princess Pretty (anyone wanna be one?)
My first lecture of the semester was also a long awaited lecture on nation building in Singapore. I was quite surprised at the crowd, thought only got 184 students taking it, not knowing that I actually remembered the class roster for EU1101E. Saw some familiar faces in the lecture theatre, one all too familiar. He's my tutor for HY1101E last semester. I already knew that he'll be tutoring for this module but well... He reminds me of this another friend of mine who went to the same tutorial class as me for HY1101E last semester. She told me that she's scared of him... but for once, I would say that he should be more scared of her, given that he couldn't remember her name all these while and there was once when he was so paiseh to ask for her name that he actually looked at me and signalled and mouthed to me what's her name...
The lecture was talking about Singapore as an unlikely nation. Now, then it triggered some thoughts in my mind. I began to think of the people who constantly complain of the government in Singapore. Then later in the evening, I met this guy. He used to be a permanent resident but he revoked his PR status when his father decided that he shouldn't serve NS. Then, he went on to study in NTU under government grant. After his graduation, he found out that he has to return all the grants and that his social visit pass was no longer being renewed. He complained that if the government made a mistake and he was being done injustice. He complained that since MINDEF had known this will happen, they should have been informed of the consequences when he revoked his PR. When asked how he can contribute and add value to the country, he replied that we should go and ask the company which has employed him, cos given his average grade in NTU, he found employment in that company despite competitions and since this is so, the company must have seen in him something which he can contribute and his potential (yeah right). Why complain so much? Firstly, he failed to fulfill an commitment which his parents had made to the country when they applied for PR status. Secondly, it was his right to revoke his PR status, and the government let him do so, cos it was his right and they don't have the right to infringe on his right. Thirdly, so what if the government made a mistake in giving him the grant? Take note that the government is not being run by God and angels. Fourth, employment by company only means that he is useful to the company as an whole, not because of his potential. Being useful to a private organisation and being useful to a nation are two very different things.
It has often been criticised by people that the government always uses history to brainwash people. Let's face it. History is part and parcel of nation building in EVERY single nation on the surface of this world. Just because Singapore only has a short history of nation building, it doesn't imply that there is no history in Singapore or that Singapore history is boring. Furthermore, it doesn't even imply that Singapore is the only place in the world where the government tries to 'brainwash' the people by history. The successful nations in this world are being successful in their nation building because the government also embarks on a 'brainwashing' process. In fact, given the fact that a lot of people dun care the heck about the history of Singapore, I think it's the right way by the government to at least enforce some sense of history into the students of these days. The statistic in today's lecture completely disgusted me, though amusing.
Anyway, had a field day in MPS today. First session of the year and we experience a crowd of 65 and it took us 4 hours to finish up all the cases. But in case people think that 65 is a lot for a normal MPS, wait till the one after CNY.
Now, my brain is lacking oxygen, which literally means that I'm tired and I need to sleep. Till the time I wake up, perhaps with a kiss from my Princess Pretty (anyone wanna be one?)
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