15 August 2012:
Just some things.
1. Recently it was discovered that there were lapses in 21 government bodies and agencies. While the rest of Singapore is screaming at the government for the loss of taxpayers' monies, I am going to say that, yes, this is a good thing.Hear me out please.
Of course it's not good when millions of dollars are lost / transferred to wrong parties. However, I think that it is good that now these things start to emerge.
I am of the belief that the watershed election has prompted the government to do a thorough check of their internal procedures. They do face audits yearly but I suppose this year 'special instruction' must have came through to indicate that this needs to be extra stringent.
I have read complaints about how Singapore has a wonderfully problem-ridden bureaucracy. In the past that was essential and useful to quickly ensuring Singapore would prosper and grow. Now that Singapore is in better grounds, the bureaucracy has instead became a breeding ground for many problems such as fraud, graft and many others.
2. On Monday came the heated debate between K Shanmugam and Sylvia Lim. Sorry ah Mr Shanmugam. Despite last Saturday's newspaper articles indirectly commending you for being consultative and open to feedback, I thought you were an arsehole then.
I read the transcript from Straits Times. In case it matters, I shall state that I did not view the actual video of what happened. I read it based on how Straits Times reported. I felt that Mr Shanmugam was intimidating Ms Lim.
You, as Law Minister, may have your facts and all that, but that is no way to talk to a fellow Member of Parliament. You may be of higher rank than Ms Lim but you should not have been so condescending.
It was no wonder Mr Low rose to ask if Mr Shanmugam was intimidating Ms Lim. As usual, Mr Shanmugam regarded the word 'intimidate' as an opposition 'standard vocabulary' thing. Well, if the opposition does use that word so much, it may be time to actually ask yourselves if you have been intimidating and condescending.
(I think being in such positions for too long, and having an overwhelming majority of fellow comrades on your side does something to one's attitude and it turns this way.)
Also ah, I still feel Mr Woffles Wu was let off too lightly. Sorry ah, Mr Shanmugam. No matter what you say and how you define, describe and defend, I still think he was let off too lightly.
Whether or not it was really because he was of prominence, that is of another matter. He may have been let off so easily because there were really slip-ups or loopholes in the procedures that acted in this case. My point is, I believe that Mr Wu was let off too easily.
While that may not be very objective of me, well, I really don't wish too delve further into this, lah. The law is very specific and there would be many layers to pull back just to investigate. I don't think that we should consider too much on this case.
Whatever the reason, most of us shall just remember it as what we feel and forget about it. If such a case occurs again, then shall be the time to make more noise and thoroughly question the government. (Which of course shall defend its system again.)
I don't know if you get what I mean by the previous few paragraphs on top, but oh well never mind.
3. Singapore is ranked No. 1 as richest country based on GDP / capita. Wonderful, you think? No.
According to calculations I saw online (which is disclaimer for its exact reliability), the average Singaporean should earn $4000+. But how many are earning this amount? There are many who don't, I am sure.
This shows the problem of income inequality in Singapore. Of course, this is inavoidable in a capitalist economy. Definitely we should not head into communism for the sake of eliminating income inequality but still something needs to be done.
I await the government's response on things regarding income inequality. While I did not keep track then, I believe that this was a hot-button issue for GE2011. With PM Lee mentioning 'social safety nets' and 'falling between the cracks' and other flowery terms, what is to be done to solve this?
4. My AMaths is disappointingly in trouble recently.
Okay after three robust opinions about current affairs in Singapore, this seems very insignificant. But no, it is truly freaking me out.
I'm not trying to boast but my AMaths really was not bad. I can't say I'm getting ninties for the exams but it's safe A1s each time.
Recently for the mock paper I scored 46 / 71. That translates to around 64%. A drop of about 20% is simply disasterous, isn't it? Even if it was any other subject, a drop but that much is also a signal for concern.
Of course, being AMaths, that makes me more worried. I didn't really focus on AMaths since I was consistently scoring decent grades previously. I would think that AMaths would be a subject that I need not spend so much time on, as compared to physics, for example.
It seems like I can't do that now. The worse thing is that I am mainly careless. If it was because I am unsure of concepts, that can be learnt (especially with TLC from Mrs P). But it's the carelessness!
Carelessness was also what killed my primary school mathematics. It seems like carelessness has came back once again, this time months before O Levels. What am I to do?
Today I did two questions. Both, I was careless at the first few steps and because of that the rest of it was wrong. This made me waste time checking every detail again and again. Most of the time I don't spot it at all and end up re-working the problem. I again get the wrong answer and waste more of my time.
If this takes place during prelims, I can kiss my B3 good bye. (Don't even talk to me about A1 or A2.) Tomorrow there are free periods and I am looking to completing more AMaths. Let's hope I do not make those mistakes again.
TTFN.
Okay there's still some more. I left a comment on PM Lee's page about political cartoons. He mentioned Mr Heng Kim Song's cartoons in Lianhe Zaobao, and how he liked them. I highlighted the stark contrast of quality in cartoons in Lianhe aobao and Straits Times. The former has very, very thought-provoking and critical ones but the latter has bland, boring and sometimes stupid cartoons. I can understand if it needs to promote government policy but it still should not be just like any other comic strip seen in Lifestyle section.
Probably Mr Lee may not even read my comment but oh well, I aired my views. Anyway, even if he read it, I don't think he would really do much since this is of least significance to him on his national agenda.