I'm no tai-tai, okay?

Fancy bumping into her at ION?

2009-10-28T16:40:00.002+08:00

Oooh... Ana Ivanovic is in Singapore...

Just making a random guess about where to spot her...

'High' rise?

2009-10-25T18:36:00.008+08:00

We were told in yesterday's ST that HDB resale prices are at a high. I guess there are some people who expect a resounding round of cheers whenever such news is reported.

I wonder if they remember that there are many of us for whom such developments are of little comfort. Like when this 'high' means that your flat now costs $120, 000 less (as compared to $150,000 less) than the price you paid for it.

I wonder if they realise that highlighting the current $3,000 - $12,000 range for the 'cash over valuation' is a joke when you paid, like, more than five times that amount.

After so many years, I am still absolutely sore about having had to cough up what felt like a million dollars in cash.

(not where I live; sorry, forgot where I got this picture from)

I'm afraid I never quite believed that we paid for 'cheap', 'affordable' housing. Just cheaper, more affordable housing.

Deep purple... yeah...

2009-09-24T11:37:00.005+08:00

There was a girl
There was a boy

If they had met

they might have found a world of joy...

I was looking in my mum's kitchen cabinet and I found my Donny and Marie Aladdin flask!

Ha, does anyone still have their Aladdin flasks from the 70s or 80s?

I was so pleased my dad got this for me to bring home stuff from my Home Econs lessons. It is now sitting in my kitchen cabinet.

Go back in time here... Donny and Marie singing a medley of their songs...

They sure look different and Donny is like twice his old size, I think. He looked like he could hardly move on stage.

I found out that Morning Side of the Mountain was a 50s song by Tommy Edwards. Listen to him here and enjoy the corny pictures that go with the lyrics...

Some variety at last?

2009-09-17T16:07:00.005+08:00

I have recovered from being temporarily at a loss for words.

(Wonder who they were rooting for)

So, who would have thought that it would be someone other than Federer winning the USO?

Come to think of it, who would have thought:
1. it would be someone other than Federer winning the AO?
2. it would be someone other than Nadal winning the FO?
3. Andy Roddick would put up such a worthy challenge at the Wimbledon final?
4. Andy Murray would make it to none of this year's Slam finals?
5. Kuznetsova would win the FO?
6. Kim would come back?
7. Kim would win the USO?

and so on...

Well, although I wish that some of this year's results were not what they were, it's nice to have some unpredictability after years of highly predictable and boring results. Good to have healthy competition in the mix.

Maybe there will be more surprises post-USO. After all, the year end stuff in the past did throw up unexpected matches like Nalbandian beating the top three, Gilles Simon beating Federer, etc. Among others on the trail of possibly interesting pre-Shanghai tournaments, there are the Davis Cup matches, and there's the Thailand Open (starting next weekend!), where Nadal is going to play!

What?!

2009-09-15T14:16:00.001+08:00

Gasp... the big joke happened in the men's side, too.

And, of course, there is no need for Federer to cry anymore.

Successful re-entry into the working world

2009-09-14T17:06:00.004+08:00

Well done, Kim Clijsters! Here's one for all working mums, ha ha!

A very, very big hand for Caroline Wozniacki, too. I'm glad she did not wither in the spotlight or against a Big Name.

Either way, I would have been happy for the winner. This year had quite a few outbursts and meltdowns and these two distinguished themselves by remaining cool to the end. And they both look happy most of the time, too, which was really quite welcome, after the many frowning and stressed faces on both the men's and ladies' sides.

Worth staying up to watch?

2009-09-12T11:53:00.012+08:00

Well, well, the women's draw proved itself to be what everyone was saying it was - down in a very deep dump.But never mind, it has thrown up some teens who may be the ones to look at in years to come.

And Kim is back!!

But it will be a very big joke if any of these ladies wins the tournament.

On the men's side, if Federer beats Djokovic in their semi (likely, no?), it will be all too boring if the other person in the final is anyone other than Nadal. Though the prospects of Federer-Nadal being a very exciting match are not that great, with one pai kah and rusty and the other on the roll... Sigh...

No unexpected teens there. Only Cilic, 20 years old.

All pics from the USO site.

Risk your life and limbs

2009-08-28T09:28:00.005+08:00

Now, honestly, how many people (who are not foreign workers who have no choice) would actually not mind being ferried in a lorry, even with 'better' seating height restrictions, seating space, canopy and what not (some of which will take three years to install)?

picture from here

Regarding language

2009-08-19T10:50:00.005+08:00

I thought he would talk about the new immigrant-cum-foreign talent/worker issue... Hmmm... Does that mean we have to wait till next year's speech?

Some months ago, I heard on 97.2 this phone-in discussion thingy about the decline in service standards. This man (sounded old) called in and practically ranted about foreigners from a certain country being (practically) single-handedly responsible for today's lousy service standards. It was quite amusing to hear him but of course the issue is not so amusing.

Ok, I will not run away from the issue and I will specifically make some comments about people from the land of my ancestors.

One, I honestly do not understand how one can be employed in the service sector without being able to speak at least some English. I wish this issue had been part of the discourse on racial harmony. I do not like having to speak Mandarin when I should be free to speak English.

Two, I am not comfortable with the idea of giving new citizens time to learn English. I feel they should at least make the effort to learn the language before even applying for citizenship. There are new citizens who do not bother to learn English because they can get on with life without it. And that is quite a scary prospect for Singapore.

After all, knowing the language is just part of the whole story. There was this article around National Day which reported that an appalling number of Singaporeans couldn't recite the pledge. I remember a new citizen was quoted as saying something like the pledge was hard to learn because of its many big words. Well, that is one thing but the pledge is beyond the big words - does he actually understand the spirit of the pledge?

Then there was an article this week about foreign doctors making up for the shortfall of local doctors which reminded me of the good experience I had with one such doctor when my dad was in hospital. She wasn't the best of doctors or whatever but she certainly fulfilled her role as well as any other doctor, keeping me posted regularly, discussing the pertinent issues, giving attentive care (beyond just medical care) to my dad and so on. I want to point out that another doctor - local (and my family has had many very good experiences with local young doctors especially), Malaysian, Indian, Burmese, etc - may/would have done the same thing. My main point is she was able to render this 'good service' partly (largely?) because she could speak English. (Obviously, she wouldn't even be working as a doctor here without being competent in English.)

Do I sound resentful? I don't know...

Maybe I am resentful but I sure do not like how this bodes for the future of my country. And I do not like how this, in its own way, is going to wear out our 'social fabric'. When non-English-educated aunties and uncles need to communicate inter-racially, they can do so in Malay and smatterings of English. In the future, what language are people going to speak?

Patriotic pieces

2009-08-10T17:55:00.006+08:00

I enjoyed the music segments of this year's parade, namely the interesting montage of old national songs (but it must have been hard for people to sing along because the songs changed every other phrase or so!) and the music through the years section (or whatever it was called).

And the classical-style arrangement for the national anthem at the end of the parade was lovely.

I also like the Electrico song that some people have a problem with.

Today, I found out about Mr Brown's version of the Electrico song. Funny...

Happy National Day, all!

Seeing double

2009-08-06T11:51:00.014+08:00

I guess this happens when you watch enough K drama (or TVB or Mediacorp or whatever). After a while, everyone one starts popping up in different series and you wonder where you last saw them.

Chanced upon Summer Scent which is doing a rerun on KBS World. A supremely melodramatic serial from the 'old' days of K drama that I'm not following. It is just that it comes on immediately after 2 serials I am trying to follow (more on them another day!).

BEFORE (the Summer Scent cast in 2003):

AFTER (and all grown up!):

Son Ye Jin in Spotlight - at least she got to do a character with more depth and spunk.
Han Ji Hye in Likeable or Not - expressions still look the same but thankfully she doesn't have that blondish hair anymore.

Ryu Jin in Capital Scandal - acting still flat, even when he was cast as such an amazing character.

I have not seen Song Seong Heon, the male lead, in any other show. Think he was the best actor of the four. He was the only one who could do his emotional scenes convincingly.

More doubles:

Strange but there is so much physical likeness between couples.

Son Ye Jin looked so much like Jang Nara in Wedding and she and Ryu Jin looked like Jang Nara and Ryu Shi Won in Wedding (below).

Son Ye Jin and Song Seong Heon looked like Han Ji Min and Kang Ji Hwan in Capital Scandal (below).

Country scenes:

About the only really enjoyable parts of Summer Scent are the flowers and lovely countryside and mountain scenery. Which featured quite strongly in shows like Wedding (see above) and The Man From the Vineyard (below). I really like the out-of-Seoul sites. Something you don't get in TVB drama.

Technology, money or sports?

2009-08-01T11:35:00.009+08:00

Is technology taking the sport out of sports?

Sounds like a GP essay question, ha ha.

Those hi-tech suits

Was just remarking to the husband the other day that Roma 2009 (World Swimming Championship) has become a farce. My reasons: First (and not too important), there are too many synchro events. Second, and much more important, the Arena and Jaked swimsuits helped produce records that no one will be able to break for maybe the next 5 years if they go back to using their old swimsuits.

I was wrong! There was this Australian coach who said that those records will still be around in the next 40 years.

Park Tae-Hwan (Olympic gold medallist), wearing his 'old' swimsuit, didn't even qualify for any finals.

Frankly, the idea of taking 45 minutes to squeeze into that long-legged skin-tight suit is quite off-putting. But I guess for medals and records, there are things that people will do.

Our Singaporean swimmers, apparently, are also hi-tech suit owners. And the plan is for them to use them at the SEA Games. Hmm, guaranteed to make us even less loved by our sporting neighbours, no?

Hawkeye
Hawkeye is old news by now, of course, but I just read this article about it. As an armchair tennis watcher, I have to say that I do like the use of Hawkeye because it reduces a lot of trouble linked to contentious calls. However, all players as well as armchair watchers know that Hawkeye is fallible since it is still based on human judgment. And anyway, it has been proven, occasionally, to be wrong. But overall, I guess it has helped.

Helmets and other stuff
Lastly, we now know for sure that Felipe Massa's helmet made sure he will be able to leave the hospital alive, and still speaking 3 languages.

However, all the safety precautions of race cars and outfits aside, the circuit is another place where the fight is, partly, between the technological haves and have-nots. Of course that translates into a big fat advantage for richer teams.

---------

From the looks of it, we will not be going back to the days when swimming races were swum in plain old swimming trunks.

Lost art

2009-07-21T14:20:00.008+08:00

With uncharacteristic perseverance, and a grand departure from chick lit, I have just finished Noah Charney's The Art Thief. (Last book read was Shoe Addicts Anonymous. Pretty successful variation on the chick lit theme, I thought. Surprising.)

The Art Thief is a very clever book. It is so clever that I think I have to read it again another day to see the full picture, ha ha. There was this reviewer who said that he had to keep writing down what happened to which piece of painting to keep up with the story. For me, there were just one too many of these: forgeries, thefts and double-crossings. As another reviewer put it, the book is 'a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma'. In other words, too smart for my slow brain.

Nevertheless, it is an intriguing read (Rome-Paris-London plotline) and highly educational if one is interested in art history. I don't know much art history and it was wonderful for me that a lot of the 'educational' parts came from a funny lecturer in the book. It is also fast-paced (good!) and I have to say that it was quite a page-turner even when I was having to think twice or three times about some of the events. Interesting characters too.

The writer is a real art crime person (i.e. an expert in the area, not a criminal; teaches a course 'Trafficers, Thieves and Forgers') and so the art in the story is all real, I think.

The stolen pieces:

Caravaggio's Annunciation (source)

and Malevich's White On White (source)

Yeah, I wouldn't know how to appreciate this. How does one tell if it's fake or real? As the Scotland Yard inspector in the book puts it, it's just white!

Have a go at this lost-art puzzle.

Aww... Andy...

2009-07-06T18:08:00.007+08:00

Despite the final result, today's accolades and picture must go to Andy Roddick. He played so well this year. His last three matches were like a trip to the past and better because he has improved so much. Many people thought last year's final was the greatest Wimbledon final, but I'd say this year's was even closer, no?

It just showed how far Roddick has pulled himself this year and was testimony to his the-match-is-not-over-till-the-last-point-is-played fighting spirit. After so many disastrous outings with Federer, to have pushed him so far yesterday was amazing. Of course I wish he (Roddick, of course) had won. He deserved to.

I just read his post-match interview where he was asked about losing the second set. His answer, “You know, at that point, like everything else, there's two options: you lay down or you keep going. The second option sounded better to me." Well said.

As for Federer, (grudging) congratulations again.

I don' t care who thinks he's the greatest of all time but I completely disagree, my reasons being:

1. A hero, role model, great champion, whatever, should have humility, not an ego, the size of a Swiss mountain.

2. Whether he was #1 or #2, very often in major tournaments he had the easier draw than his closest rivals.

3. He also often has his major stumbling blocks removed without even lifting a finger (Think Djokovic, Murray, Nadal, at this year's Slams). I thought he was practically handed this year's French Open on a silver platter. (He must have thought he would get Wimbledon on a golden platter. Bet he didn't expect that hard a battle with Roddick.)

4. He doesn't put in all those long training hours that everyone else does, does he?

5. He still has a glaringly poor losing record against Nadal and Murray, and is only 6-4 (I think) up against Djokovic.

How can he be the greatest?

To me, he is the 'player with the most Slams'.

Old boys' club: the spirit of champions

2009-06-29T16:24:00.007+08:00

I noticed that after Federer won the French Open, they started showing that Spirit of A Champion show about him again. Must have been because he won and they had nothing else about him to show or something. What struck me most about the show was how different he and his wife looked then and now.

And what has struck me about this year's Wimbledon last 16 is how many old warriors and old champions are still in the draw.

I must say I really admire the spirit of the ex-champions and older players. To soldier on during and after the rise of Federer and all the young pretenders is really something. I don't particularly like their on-court bratty behaviour and have no comments on their off-court lives (except that Hewitt's little girl is so cute now; too early to say for the boy) but when you see Roddick and Hewitt play these days, you can still see their passion and competitiveness. I used to routinely feel sorry for them in the days when they were routinely playing Federer in finals and semis. But I realise that they don't need anyone to feel sorry for them. They were fighters then and are still fighters now. Look at Juan Carlos Ferrero, at 29, after injury and poor rankings and all, he is also still in the draw.

So perhaps one should still see them as champions and not ex-champions.

Also in the 'old boys' group, Stepanek and Haas, both 31 and definitely fighters too. ('Old' being relative, of course; they are all a lot younger than I am, ha ha.)

Let's see how the young pretenders fare from this point on.

Farewell, Gloved One

2009-06-27T16:10:00.005+08:00

Am/was not a fan but of course I will acknowledge talent when I see and hear it.

Michael Jackson was indeed a superbly talented singer (and dancer) and his contribution to the world of music is unparalleled.

I like this clip of him singing Ben, with various people like Beyonce talking about him.

And perhaps his most meaningful song (just my opinion), Man in the Mirror.

May he rest in peace.

Third is not last

2009-06-26T22:40:00.005+08:00

Rather amusing how people rushed to write letters praising and 'defending' Changi Airport when the news came out that it was ranked -*gasp* - third by Skytrax. Even CAAS got into the act.

Aiyoh, third, so third, lah! It's not like we were ranked last or something. Beauty, airport rankings and many other things lie in the eyes of the beholder, so why be so uptight?

For some reason, I have almost zero recollection of Incheon but the husband and the boy are very sure that it is a great airport. And we all agree that Chek Lap Kok is good.

But with things lying in the eyes of beholders, in all likelihood, there may also be people who hate Incheon, Chek Lap Kok and Changi.

Like Kansai Airport is #1 for me but I don't know if it was ever ranked #1 by Skytrax. And I liked Sukarno Hatta Airport (except that its length can be quite a problem - I practically had to run when I realised how far away my gate was) but nobody talks about it, do they?

So, just be gracious and humble and learn (especially from #1 and #2). People have written (not that many letters have been published, though) about what's better in other airports so I will not go into that.

Speaking of which, today's ST Forum had someone writing about how Hong Kong has sanitisers in shops and lift buttons covered with plastic that is sanitised regularly. If I may add, Hong Kong TV runs regular ads reminding kids and families to be hygienic and socially responsible in these times. Hong Kong and China have had sensor-type taps and even soap dispensers and no-need-to-touch flush activators (that work - some such flush activators in S'pore either don't work well or activate an inadequate trickle of water) in many public toilets for some time. How many such toilets can you think of in Singapore?

If we can't stand not being #1 (like, we don't want to have the biggest number of H1N1 cases, right?), why don't we learn from others AND do better?

BORING!

2009-06-23T16:41:00.009+08:00

I am suffering from Nadal-withdrawal-symptoms. So are the commentators, I think. They were all going on about Nadal said this, did that, Nadal should have been playing this match, etc. Well, let's see if they talk about him less as we move on from Wimbledon Day 1.

But, it's so BORING and bland just thinking about the draw without him. I really, really hope some people (not named Federer) liven things up.

And, of course, there is nothing much to say for the women's side, which has been boring, boring, boring since Justine left. Except that Serena has got a nice trench coat (again; but could only find pictures of last year's on the net, so for today I'll just have this picture of last year's Nadal). Wouldn't mind a coat like that if I were going for a cool holiday.

Oh, and I wouldn't want to be in poor Safina's shoes. Everyone keeps harping on 'never won a slam before', 'always losing in the final'. Just like for pre-French Federer - 'never won the French Open', 'always losing to Nadal'. Poor girl. Maybe she should go have a chat with Federer.

Came across this article about last year's final. Captain Cardie versus Muscleman with the secret crochet hook - SO funny! Good thing Captain Cardie has dropped his bygone-era cardie but I can't say I like his new jacket either. I still prefer Serena's trench coat...

History making

2009-06-15T20:22:00.009+08:00

Perhaps the time has finally come for Andy Murray, who yesterday became the first British winner since 1938 at Queen's Club. Good. Hope this bodes well for his Wimbledon campaign.

Young Andy Murray (from here)

It was certainly a more engaging final than that other history-making final that took place last week. Historic as it was, I can't say I 'enjoyed' watching it. Thought Soderling didn't play with enough of the urgency that was required by the occasion. Boring. It was topped only by the washout of a women's final (glad Kuznetsova won) the day before. Nevertheless, I will (grudgingly) say good job, Federer. Not everyone can win 14 Slams. Still, I must point out that he won it not beating Nadal or Djokovic...

As for Nadal, I wonder if he should seriously consider quitting tennis altogether. I'm sure he wants nothing more than to play for another 10 years or so but if he has the knees of an old man (so we are told), he should take better care of himself. Just some pragmatic (me as a Singaporean) and motherly (me as myself) advice. Imagine the rheumatic pains he will have in his knees in his old age. Or maybe he is already feeling them now, since he has the knees of an old man...

Young Nadal (from here)

But if he does quit or even drops off the tour for a bit, with things having turned out as they have over these few weeks, Federer may just claw his way back to number 1. Ugh. What an unappealing prospect.

So I really hope Murray's time has come. Or maybe this other young man, of whom I am not exactly fond, will pull off something? Thought that I'd be watching him play Nadal in the French final, actually... Oh well... Anyway, he was so cute as a kid...

Young Djokovic (from here)

The Growing Years

2009-05-29T11:03:00.007+08:00

So much hoo-ha about sexuality education in school these few weeks. I was surprised to read the following:

1. Parents said they did not receive information about what their children would be taught and did not know that they could opt out of the programme.

Thought it is obligatory for schools to send out info and to give parents the opt-out form. We definitely got those handouts. The school listed the topics that would be covered, with a few sub-points about what would be discussed for each topic.

I suspect that the school also tweaked the timing of the Science lessons to fall in line with the sexuality ed programme. Many schools did the topic of 'Reproduction' for P5 Science in Term 1 this year. However, the boy will only do it in Term 3, after the Growing Years lessons (i.e. the sexuality ed programme) have been completed.

So, get them thinking about the social and moral perspectives first before learning about the scientific mechanics. Good idea, no?

2. A teacher said she(?) was made to teach the programme after one day's training.

For many people, this kind of topic is not easy to 'teach' or even 'facilitate'. You know, like if the teacher is, say, a geography teacher, she probably studied geog for 3 or more years in uni, and also at A and O levels, so she has quite a lot of preparation for teaching geography. So how can we expect teachers to deliver effectively, with only one day's training, a very important values-linked programme?

3. A teacher was reportedly so embarrassed that she(?) cut her lesson short.

Now, if a teacher is not suitable (by nature or whatever it may be), is not comfortable and so on, can't he/she be let off? This is not like teaching Pythagoras' Theorem or something, where there is nothing to be embarrassed about (not that I can think of anyway) and where your personal values don't come in (not in a major way anyway).

If any principals or heads of department think this is not an issue, they should go into those classes and try teaching the sexuality ed lessons themselves first.

4. Parents complained about both the presence and absence of values in sexuality education.

I read comments ranging from 'why teach them how to use condoms?' to 'why didn't they teach about condoms and forms of contraception?' to 'I won't stop my children from having pre-marital sex if they want to'. Obviously, a nation of a few millions will have people with quite diverse views and values. And obviously, a programme in mainstream schools will very likely be conservative and also practical. So if you have views and values that are different, you just have to discuss them with your children.

In addition, if your child attends a mission school, wouldn't you expect there to be a certain slant in sexuality education there? So if you have different views and values, just tell your kid lah. Similarly, if you are of a certain religion with certain views and values about it, and your child is in a non-religiously-linked school, then you have to teach your kid the views and values of your religion lah.

5. Some parents said that sexuality education is no big deal and do not see why there is a hue and cry about values.

I don't know what to say, man...

Finally, I wonder if many parents realise that it is not just in sexuality ed that they have to step in and guide their children. There are numerous areas/topics in school where the values of the home may be different from that of the school, such as gender roles, family values, a lot of stuff in National Education, what makes a good friend and attitudes towards competition, just to state a few.

Happy parenting, everyone...

(picture source)

Dad

2009-05-16T23:28:00.010+08:00

As I sat in the cab to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning of the day my father breathed his last, this song was playing on the radio.

There are several interpretations of the meaning of the song but I thought that some of the lyrics were quite apt (although his name is not Danny).

Oh Danny Boy the pipes, the pipes are calling

from glen to glen and down the mountain side

The summer's gone and all the roses dying

'tis you 'tis you must go and I must bide

But come ye back when summer's in the meadow

or when the valley's hushed and white with snow

'Tis I'll be there in sunshine or in shadow

Oh Danny Boy, Oh Danny Boy I love you so

And when ye come and all the flowers are dying

If I am dead, as dead I well may be

You'll come and find the place where I am lying

And kneel and say an Ave there for me

And I shall hear tho' soft you tread above me

And all my grave will warmer sweeter be

If you will bend and tell me that you love me

Then I shall sleep in peace until you come to me

Bye, Dad...

picture source

Anyone watching?

2009-05-09T22:23:00.006+08:00

The boy and I quite enjoy the current 9pm serial.

Which Singaporean wouldn't be able to identify with themes such as school, homework, grades, tuition, Tiong Bahru market and dengue fever?

Actually, I think 'My School Daze' is a rather lame version of the title. They could have used 'School Is Killing Me!', or 'My School Bag Is Killing Me' (milder) or 'My Back-breaking School Bag' (even milder) or something.

I'm impressed by the acting of the kids (teens included) in the show. They are, on the whole, much more natural than some of the 'veteran' actors and actresses alongside them.

Anyway, it is strange to see Ann Kok and Cynthia Koh acting as parents. I must have missed many years of local TV because the last time I saw them, they were doing 'sweet young thing' roles and now, they have suddenly become 'aunties'.

Now, now, girls...

2009-04-24T15:18:00.003+08:00

I think the ladies over at AWARE, both old and new, are doing themselves and women a disservice by dragging this business on and on. It sure doesn't do any favours for women when they are seen to be conniving, mean, vengeful, quarrelsome, and whatever else people must be thinking about them now.

So, ladies, just stop it.

Don't spoil the memories

2009-04-07T21:36:00.010+08:00

I guess many a tennis-fan blogger must have said a thing or two about the now-infamous racket-smashing by Federer by now.

I am by no measure a fan of his. I will admit that I am pleased that the world order has changed and will continue to change. In fact, I am quite looking forward to the year-end rankings which, if things go as expected, may see him slide to something like #4.

He has been a tennis god and role model for so long for so many and although he wasn't/isn't so for me, I don't want racket-smashing and such to be the final images I see of him. Hence, I would like to put here this cute picture of a very young Federer.

I hope people will remember him for his tennis and what he has done for the game. Let's leave the racket-hitting and -throwing and yelling to Safin, Roddick, Gonzalez, et al.

Got the picture from here.

All because of exams...

2009-04-03T17:16:00.004+08:00

It is nice to see young people take a social interest in life around them. Hence, I enjoy reading letters in the Forum by students, such as this young man (? - think the writer is male), although I do not always agree with their logic.

As it is, I do not agree with several things he wrote about but let me not go into that. In fact, I think he should be applauded for having a mind of his own and the guts to write to the national press, not to mention his enthusiastic learning attitude.

What I want to say is that I couldn't help feeling sad that he his love for the Chinese language is so entwined with his consciousness that he is learning the language for exam purposes. He wrote of reading more Chinese books, but for the purpose of writing better compositions for the exam. Also, for someone who, as he says, reads 'voraciously', I am surprised that his teachers did/do not encourage him to develop his own voice and style in writing. Surely he has the language competence to do so instead of just memorising 'good phrases' and learning how other people write.

He also wrote of Higher Mother Tongue as 'beneficial' in that it gives students 'exposure to various writing forms'. Again, isn't that for exam purposes?

Perhaps he has reasons for focusing on exams in his letter and I'm just assuming that, despite his love for language, he is too focused on exams. But, you know, when I read 'I adore both English and Chinese... a language opens up a whole new world', I expected that the letter would be about MUCH more than just exams.

Oh well.

The other very sad thing in the papers recently about school is the report about the Mother Tongue teacher who said she altered her students' PSLE scripts because of the pressure she was under to produce good results. Again, I am assuming that a teacher wouldn't normally alter his/her students' scripts, even if they were presented to him/her on a silver platter. Based on this assumption, this teacher must have been under A LOT of pressure to have done what she did. Very sad...