CMIO

Uncategorized

I think one of the most important things Singapore will need to do in the coming years and decades is wean itself off the CMIO (Chinese-Malay-Indian-Other) framework. The CMIO framework may perhaps have been necessary in the post-war nation-building years (this is disputable), but it is increasingly irrelevant as we head towards SG100. We live […]

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2050

Uncategorized

I don’t believe that the CMIO framework will remain relevant. Singapore’s long term future has to involve welcoming the best and brightest from the region, and the world. There has to be something more compelling than “Singapore is safe and clean and you can make a lot of money” in order for Singapore to not […]

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conversation

Uncategorized

Saw this ad a while back and was thinking about how there was a Singapore Conversation years ago. What was that about? What did that end up leading to?

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LKY Memoirs


politicians

I want to read LKY’s memoirs. I have a copy. I’m going to start reading, and share my notes as I go. 1. Suddenly, Independence The book The Singapore Story is 680 pages long, with 43 chapters. The first chapter is “Suddenly, Independence.” LKY chose to describe the separation as a divorce, talking about Malay-Muslim […]

May 27, 2017

LKY


politicians

LKY Hard Truths quotes What if LKY was born in the 1990s? “Well you know I get a lot of demonstrations in Singapore, my students are quite a rambunctious and spirited lot – and I think they OUGHT to be, otherwise I think there’s very little future for Singapore. It’s a young community and the […]

May 23, 2017

Ah Kow


fiction

-1- MUTHU: “Ah Kow, how is your son doing over at Stamford?” AH KOW: *slurps noodles* “Oh, brilliant, brilliant.” MUTHU:  “Have you heard the latest news about our beloved Government? The price of water, my old chap, it’s being raised again!” “Good gracious. 70% of our native population truly enjoys being sodomized!” MUTHU: :*clears throat, […]

May 20, 2017

Cannot


art and culture, censorship

2012 ‘Sticker Lady’ street artist arrested 2014 Town council asks seniors to remove chairs from ‘cosy corner’ Singapore libraries to destroy copies of gay penguin book (subsequently halted) 2016 Same-sex kiss cut from Singapore staging of Les Miserables 2017 ‘Golden staircase’ no more as art student removes hotly debated project SOTA student’s ‘impromptu’ art installation bearing […]

May 20, 2017

How Singlish Kena Commodified


art and culture

(These are a set of notes and fragments for an essay I intend to write about Singlish) Let’s take a minute to go back to 1999. It seems like such a quaint time, on retrospect. The Euro was established. Bill Clinton was the POTUS, and Columbine shootings shocked the world, Napster and MSN Messenger make their […]

April 22, 2017

Status Symbols


art and culture

Status in Singapore connections family office / wealth management / personal bankers access to private jets, yachts length of address ownership of capital inheritance type of credit card flying first class elite alma maters high % of degrees in the family private/expensive childhood education country club membership(s) employing a full-time chauffeur frequent coffee at fullerton […]

April 22, 2017

Why Singapore [autocomplete]


interesting / recommendations

Why Singapore… Why Singapore is bad Why Singapore is the best place to live Why Singapore is the best Why Singapore is a peaceful country Why Singapore is safe Why Singapore is so awesome Why Singapore is so attractive Why Singapore is so advanced Why Singapore is so Americanized Why Singapore is so boring Why […]

March 10, 2017

Golden Staircase


art and culture

Straits Times – Golden staircase out of step with town council laws https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1134433546668285&set=a.119329988178651.19193.100003049519850&type=3&theater   

March 8, 2017

My NS experience


National Service

Originally written for Fever Avenue, in January 2012.  I’ve had some pretty unique opportunities in my life to experience things that not all of my peers do. (I’m not sure how unique that makes me- I don’t know as much about others as I’d like to, because not everybody is as vocal about their individual […]

March 7, 2017