Kebabs, Anyone?

An article covering PM Lee Jr. in the August 23 issue of Time ( Asia ) magazine had me in stitches -- no mean feat considering the amount of stress hormones circulating in my body at the moment. I liken it to the act of skewering a piece of meat with a stick. And it's tasty too. :P

Written by Simon Elegant, it offered a much more balanced overview of local sentiments compared to -- in Elegant's very accurate description -- "the pro-government Straits Times" ( heh heh :D).

Other gems:

(1) "... a poll ... a few days before he took office purported to show that 83% of respondents believed Lee was the right man for the job."
-- this, of course, alludes to that front-page article by ( a-heeeerrrrrrm! ) Chui Mui Hoong, which painted a super-optimistic ( albeit biased ) picture. C'mon, the survey was done over the phone, for pete's sake!

Question: So, do you think Lee Hsien Loong will make a good PM?

Respondent: ( I wonder if this conversation is being recorded? I wonder if they'll use this against me one day when I'm up for the post of CEO of some big company? I wonder if my kids will ever get into university -- if I tell them what I honestly think? ) Err... OF COURSE!

(2) "Now 80, the elder Lee remains in his son's Cabinet with the newly invented post of Minister Mentor."

*ROFL*

(3) Quote from Cherian George ( former news reporter, if I'm not mistaken ): "Individual Singaporeans are far more vocal and are getting their views across to the government much more. But the minute they appear to represent some kind of organized dissent, then it's back to the old days."

(4) Social activist and former nominated opposition Member of Parliament Sinapan Samydorai is "unconvinced". "They've been trying now for years to get us to believe in his kinder and gentle side, but it's all just spin."

Now, this is the kind of fair reporting I'm looking for. I've only highlighted the bits that we never get to see in the local paper. The article actually provides quite a bit of detail from many different perspectives, but the point is: our newspapers don't even bother to give other viewpoints the space they deserve. Sigh...

And by the way, I really could do with less ( or better still, none at all ) of Lee Sr. in the media. Especially on the front page. Sure, he's done great things for our country, but he retired from the leadership position 14 years ago, and is way into his 80s. Why not relax and enjoy his old age, and let us get to know our new PM a little better, instead of insinuating himself into the headline every other day? Do you see George Bush Sr. grabbing media attention, even though his son holds the most powerful political post in the entire world?

Singapore Idol

The final 30 have been chosen, and my hopes remain high. :) Some of these youngsters can SING.

And to all those annoying detractors out there who say Gurmit Singh lacks class and the judges are unoriginal and rude, well, you're entitled to your opinion, but Gurmit is my favourite local host anytime, and I admire the judges' abilities at blunt criticism. Lots of Singaporeans exhibit overconfidence and lack of respect for the older generation. If you want to appear on a show as public as Singapore Idol, then for goodness' sake be on your very best behaviour, and at least have some insight into your own capabilities. Our panel of judges is a lot less forgiving than Simon Cowell. And if you watched World Idol, you'll realize that Simon's a pussycat when compared to that guy from Poland -- who, by the way, made one female Idol winner say "I hate you!". When December comes round and the 2nd installment of WI is due, I hope Singapore sends Dick Lee. :D

Olympic Fever

So far, I've missed all the "live" telecasts of the games that matter, namely Ronald Susilo's demolition of the top-seeded Chinese badminton player, and Li Jia Wei's many wins thus far. But not today. Today, at 5pm, I will be glued to my TV set watching her bid for the table-tennis finals. Good luck!

Exam Fever

You may not hear from me for the next week or so, due to the fact that my Part 2 starts on Monday. Time passes so quickly when you're having fun. But when you take extended leave to study instead, time whizzes by and you feel like crap to boot. What's more, I don't even have a day to rest once it's all over. Saturday's the clinicals, then by Sunday afternoon, I'm back at work doing a 5-12 shift. I suppose I could've done what a fellow trainee did -- take no-pay leave and tour Europe ( though I would've opted for the US ) -- but hey, that's life. :/

In any case, I've already targeted Switzerland and Austria for mid-2005, followed by NO-PAY LEAVE LIKE IT OR NOT for a whole month in mid-2006, during which I will treat both my parents to a cross-country trek through North America. Might visit some friends ( Lingual Nerve gang, look out! :)) and of course, all the major medical schools. :D
And since I'm in a whimsical frame of mind, I can always fantasize a little about bumping into my favourite celebrities while I'm there: Kevin Spacey, John Cusack, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Tom Hanks, Michelle Pfeiffer, Renee Zellweger...
Not forgetting, of course, CLAY AIKEN. :P

Okay then, time to return to Earth. Adios amigos -- for now! :)