人散庙门灯火尽,却寻残梦独多时

Monday, August 28, 2006

Wassup?

Been quite busy of late, and somehow this blog slipped way down in my 'things-to-do' priority list.

What have I been up to of late?

Among other things:

a) Red Star for dim sum;
b) Singapore Art Museum, re-exploring Singaporean art;
c) Open-air cinema, watching MI3 and X-Men 3;
d) Kinokuniya book browsing, and reading about Catherine the Great's sexual exploits;
e) Finding Chomp Chomp, and not eating there;
f) Playing with cats;
g) Helping out with a media brief, and bumping into an old uni-friend;
h) Planning and running meetings, and escaping during the meeting to watch the installation of art work;
i) Watching the French National Day fireworks, with a French friend amidst pushy aunties
j) Having far too much fried chicken from KFC;
h) Contemplating having a cook-out at my place, but not getting down to planning it;
i) Making more new friends, some more of whom have been pronounced outre by a film critic;
j) Finding Boon Tong Kit along Balestier Road;
k) Trotting along in the rain at the Army Half Marathon;
l) Getting slightly tipsy, then jumping around at Taboo's handbag night;
m) Going to Wine Connection, and getting slightly tipsy there, on a weeknight;
n) Going to the cookhouse, and getting extremely full on too large a serving on rice and chicken and crab cake and veggies;
o) Trying to get this blog re-started but generally failing miserably and deleting stillborn blog entries
p) Tickling my granny so that she wakes up;
q) Bumping into my PSG-junior at Borders and catching up with him;
r) Doing miserably on the BBC English Language Test the Nation quiz;
s) Reinstalling Championship Manager and finding it extremely boring;
t) Rewatching Beautiful Thing and Billy Elliot and finding that my copy of the Hours is in NYC;
u) Getting judged to be giving out bottom vibes;
v) Getting amused that a particular boss said that he's getting filled up, as opposed to his schedule getting filled up;
w) Getting new pink toothpaste;
x) Getting three new collared shirts / polo tees;
y) Hoping to volunteer for the IMF visit;
z) Racking my brain trying to hit 26 items here. :p

Coming up possibilities & certainties:
i) The Singapore Biennale party at the Padang;
ii) A trip to the Sima Road Guanyin Temple;
iii) A tea trip to Cha Yuan;
iv) Organising an art competition;
v) A holiday trip somewhere in early October;
vi) Boot camp.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

Clean and green ...

But actually, has it been only clean and green on the outside?

Lively city means more tourists and jobs: MM

Wholesome and orderly place is no longer good enough for a new S'pore


By Peh Shing Huei
Aug 19, 2006
The Straits Times

A NEW Singapore is needed to lure a new generation of tourists here and boost the services sector. This will ensure that jobs in this sector remain here and provide opportunities for Singapore workers, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew last night.
'The Singapore that we had - very orderly, very wholesome, very clean - is not good enough,' he added.

Singapore must aim to inject more fun and buzz and create a lively nightscene that can make it the 'Paris of South-east Asia'.

Mr Lee was encouraged by what he saw at Clarke Quay during a recent visit.

'People wine, dine and drink till four or five in the morning at weekends,'' he shared with more than 1,000 residents at the Tanjong Pagar National Day dinner.

Tourists nowadays enjoy entertainment such as the topless cabaret show Crazy Horse and the popular nightspot, Ministry of Sound.

'So we must have more of these,' he urged.

An exciting city has practical benefits: It increases the services sector. This keeps jobs here, as jobs in the local services sector cannot be 'migrated' or moved out of Singapore. This sector can then create jobs for more workers, including older, less-educated ones, he explained.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Discover ...

Hear the past ...

See the present ...

Touch the future ...

Go to the ...

Singapore Discovery Centre. :p

If you're in the area, and know my number, please drop me an sms and I'll try to slip out and look for ya.

An exceptional tomorrow?

Tharman says ...

Our task in MOE, and in our schools and tertiary institutions, is to prepare young Singaporeans to embrace this future with confidence. They cannot get by on old strengths. We must help them discover and build new strengths, and climb new peaks. That is what the new Singapore will be -- many new peaks of excellence.

Young Singaporeans are finding their talents in many, diverse areas -- in scholarship, as well as in the sports and arts. Each year, we see many more examples of Singapore youth doing something different from the norm, and often something exceptional.

We have to keep up this momentum, keep encouraging our young to follow their passions. Our schools must strive to create more space and opportunities for our students to develop their own interests and find their own strengths.

Whatever the field, we must grow a culture of wanting to be exceptional, of wanting to make an impact beyond Singapore, of wanting to break new ground. That is how we will earn our reputation in the new world we face -- by being exceptional, not just performing creditably, and by climbing global peaks, not just peaks of our own.

However the new Singapore is not just about the best. We must encourage every student, not just the best in each field, to discover what they enjoy and develop their talents to the maximum -- including talents they never knew they had. Every student has an interest and a strength to be developed, whether through their studies, CCA, hobbies, or opportunities to be involved in the community. Each of them will contribute to making a new Singapore.

...

We have a bright future together. The Singapore brand has never been stronger, wherever you go in the world. By being exceptional, by encouraging every young Singaporean to develop their interests and talents, and by rooting each new generation in the experience of growing up together in Singapore, we will keep the story going for many years to come.

 
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