Wind In My Head: September 2009
Wind In My Head
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The cynical generation
When I was in College, I relished in the discovery that our government was screwed up and parallels could be drawn to the Nazi regime in the 1940's. Why? I relished in being able to see things at a different level than they were presented.I still enjoy that now although I pepper it with reality and possibility a slightly more mature viewpoint of things. Maybe I am not the same hot-blooded anti-establishment, government spitting 17 year old anymore but much of how and what opened my eyes all those years ago has made me see the world the way I do today. And I know that they way I see the world today is somewhat different from a lot of the people around me, maybe not my friends because us like-minded people flock together... but compared to the general generation of peers, somewhat differing.
Which is why I was impressed I received this photo, first thing this morning, with the accompanying text... "Didn't think students understood analogies this well".
Well, yes. And the cynicism to provide such an observation, however colourfully expressed is something rare for a 17-18 year old who is caught up with the grade and rat race.
I hope he/ she continues to see the world without the rose-tinted glasses. Maybe some of them do actually hear us in class.
Technorati Tags: Singapore, students in Singapore, cynicism
Ondine tossed this thought in at 11:01
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
What is a moron?
What is a moron?According to the dictionary of Me:
A moron is someone who has gone through 12 years of education and still does not know to write his name on his exam script before submitting it.
Once again, MORON.
Ondine tossed this thought in at 16:51
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Parlez vouz Francais
We have a GPS in the car and it reset itself after we brought it back from Perth. So, instead of a maniacal Glados who occasionally did try to force me to drive down a one way street in the opposite direction, it was a boring female Brit voice.Rather than have that, Packrat decided to programme it to speak French.
Me: But when the directions are in French, the GPS is of no help to me.
Packrat: But you know how to get to most places in Singapore.
Me: Then it's no use having a GPS reception
Packrat: I can relearn my French.
GPS: Tourner à gauche (Turn left)
Me: BUT THAT DOESN'T HELP ME! I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO!!!
GPS: Perdu satelite réception (Lost satelite reception)
Damn right, lost satelite reception.
Technorati Tags: GPS, learning a language
Ondine tossed this thought in at 16:06
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Can't help falling in love
"Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help, falling in love with you"
This more or less encapsulates how we feel about Perth this time. It isn't our first time. Our first time was 3 years ago where we had lots of fun but came away thinking about how the pace was too slow and how Melbourne was better. Melbourne would always have a place in our hearts because that's where Packrat and I met, went to school, fell in love and decided we would spend our lives together.
When we talked about moving to Oz, it was always a given that we would move back to Melbourne. Moving back there would be easy, there was a certain routine that we would be able to fall into because we've lived there and we know the place and how things work.
But something changed this time. We noticed how much it was like Vancouver, green grass, blue skies, water everywhere. All that was lacking was ranges in the distance and the neutral North American accent. Because we were on the coast and had rented an apartment on a cliff that overlooked the Indian Ocean, we were floored by the sound of the surf, the vast expanse ahead of us and the peace that came from looking out at such an expanse with no one or nothing else around us.
All of a sudden, all we could think about was how we should move here, how our kids would benefit from the sun, sand, surf, green and the open space. All of a sudden, Melbourne became grotty, industrial and not as pretty. It's not an adventurous thing to do, as a Singaporean. Some suburbs in Perth are known as Singapore, Perth because of the large numbers of Singaporean migrants. But we're not setting out to do something different and setting a blazing trail here.
We're wondering if this is where we and our family will be happy and content. No doubt there are higher taxes. No doubt things are more expensive here. No doubt we would be uprooting and there would be the fear of how to make things work here. But are these large enough considerations to stop us from moving?
Something that was said to me resonates loudly though. This person told me he wasn't ready to quit Singapore and move overseas however tempting the prospects. Was I? I thought about the factors that would keep me from moving.
- Singapore is easy. I've lived in Singapore most of my life, I know how most of the systems work although the government never ceases to befuddle me.
- Our families and friends are here and by moving, we'd be apart from them.
- We have a support system and a life here. We have people to count on and help us if necessary. We have a life here. What quality is that life? That's another question altogether. But whatever it is, however unhappy we are or discontent, we have a life, we're used to it and it works. Sort of.
- Eating out is cheap. Public transport is cheap. Movies are cheap. Everything else might be costly but those aren't.
- Expensive healthcare. Singapore isn't all that cheap and I know we'd buy health insurance over there but the horrors of the public health system are enough to give anyone nightmares.
- Where ever we move to, I worry about having to look for a job. I look upon, with a little bit of envy, those who are posted overseas to work and are given help to relocate. If that was our situation, I would move in a little bit more than a heartbeat.
- I fear the loneliness which is linked to the idea that we have friends, family and a support system here. I am a people person. I would feel very lost without friends and people around me.
- High taxes.
Technorati Tags: Singapore, Perth, migration
Ondine tossed this thought in at 10:15