Today’s highlight was going to Shangri-La Hotel after school to catch a lecture organized by the LKY School Of Public Policy.

It was really nostalgic for me to go back to Shangri-La again. For those of you who don’t know, I used to work there with Ahmad and Boon to raise money to fund our recordings at TNT studios. We made loads of friends from all over the region, learned what it was like to be a part of the service industry, witnessed loads of awesome events, and had the experience of a lifetime.

It felt strange walking into Shangri-La through the main entrance instead of the Valley Wing, but I felt right at home. It felt really nice to walk around, see the staff in their familiar uniforms, and walk around the paths and corridors leading to the ballrooms and various areas and be thoroughly at ease. I even ran into one of my managers, Faizal! The tall malay guy with the short hair. He didn’t recognize me immediately, but we quickly caught up with one another and he jokingly asked me when I was coming back to work. I might just do that, for old time’s sake.

I absolutely love that feeling when you run into a pleasant piece of your past, and it brings back all the happy memories. I feel it all the time whenever I run into a local musician anywhere on the streets, even though I haven’t been involved much in the scene lately. (Curse you, A Levels!)

Anyway, the lecture was given by a pleasant old man named Carlos Gutierrez. For those of you who don’t know, Carlos is a Republican who was the United States Secretary of Commerce during the Bush administration. You can read about him here and here; you’ll find that he’s really quite an awesome guy!

It was eye-opening for me because he’s the first Republican that I find myself agreeing with since Ronald Reagan. I found myself privileged to hear his views on free trade, immigration, the conflict between good policies and good politics, taxes and pragmatism. I relished his ability to avoid being partisan- something which I never would have given Republicans much credit for. It is both ironic and highly appropriate that a liberal should have his broad generalizations and hasty conclusions brought to his attention by a conservative.

I had to ask him, considering that he was actually a part of the Bush administration, what he thought was the worst policy or decision that they had made; and his answer was that the government as a whole continuously allowed for additional expenses without significant checks or balances. He said that it might seem odd because Republicans are known to be fiscally tight-fisted, but that it is a natural turn of events when the House, Senate and Presidency are all dominated by the same party.

Ironically, we are actually in the exact same situation right now. Supporters of the Obama administration who are more rational than idealist would always have been looking out for the flaw or weakness in our current system, and it’s quite possible that this is it. I hope things turn out well, for everybody’s sake. Yes, we can!

On a final note, it is heartening to know that there is quality opposition out there. He made a strong case for it; and is the absolute best example I can think of. Incidentally, he also happens to be a Lee Kuan Yew fan and quoted the latter man’s pragmatism as a vital key to success. And yet, I have to wonder, isn’t our system be exposed to the same potential flaws of an excessively-dominant party? We already know the answer, to be honest with ourselves.

I am excited for our future.