Last. Caution.

The headline of Cenite's tutorial handout today read: Last tutorial.

Is this really the final core class we will take? We will never again be housed - all 180 of us - under one lecture theater roof!

Mass lectures are okay, but I guess the thing I'm going to miss is interacting with people who aren't in Journ or PPC, whom I seem to see everyday anyway. Then again, this is probably the beginning of the end.

This is the last exam that counts towards my honours classification. Well, technically I have three papers, but you get the point.

I've really enjoyed school, and today's tutorial put it all in perspective. The question asked was essentially "Are you hopeful about your future?" - asked by Cenite in response to the overwhelming sentiment of resignation he sensed amongst our cohort.

Most people, he noticed, seemed to treat work like an obligation; something which treads on your morals, your self-belief, your feelings and aspirations.

I looked around the room, half-expecting loud protestations that we weren't a bunch of rudderless koyak kayaks.

Yet the room was eerily silent; some had their heads bowed, others smiled sagely, agreeing with his observation.

I spoke. I said that work cannot simply be a chore; that we must expect more of ourselves, our colleagues, our education, our potential, our ability to change the world - by making small differences.

All around me I sensed the suffocating patronizing of my classmates who surely were thinking "Okayyy, he's lost it". Some looked down, others continued smiling sagely.

I think that most of us in CS are dreamers. Or at least we were. Because who chooses to study communications when they know it pays peanuts, and you don't know how good you are before you actually study it? We're risk-takers. We're idealists. We come in believing.

And that's a good thing. Surely six months of internship cannot have tempered that desire? Yes, a decision is made.

All in a name?

Hmmm. Ever notice how there are so many footballers with names beginning with the letter 'R'? I wonder if we could field a whole team:

GK: Robinson/Roberto Abbondanzieri
D: Rio F., M. Richards, Roberto C., S. Ramos
M: Ryan G., Robben, Ronaldo C., J.A. Reyes, Rosicky
F: Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Rooney, Ruud, Raul

What the heck man, what the heck.

Long day, long post

A decision is made?

"Talk about your guiding principles at the workplace" was the topic for discussion in class yesterday.

It was good because I was made to vocalise my thoughts on the issue. It's always bugged me that PR is often seen as an industry where it is the norm to play fast and loose with ethical boundaries. As a Christian, is this the right industry for me?

I may not be world-wary enough to know better, but looking back at the six months at my internship company, I am hard-pressed to find any particular instance where I had to lie, cheat, deceive or engage in any other forms of unethical practices.

Personally, I have no issue with selling koyok. Let me explain. Telling someone that buying product A will make you the coolest cat at the pub is probably an untruth 99% of the time. Especially at an agency, where you really get all sorts of clients, you can never guarantee that the client you are working for truly is the consumer's best choice.

That is where we, the spin doctors, are supposed to come in. We weave the perception that product A is a great product, that it will improve your sex life, make you more friends, etc. Sometimes, this is true. Most times, it is not. Is this unethical?

Also common is the conscious decision to focus on the pluses and negate the negatives. An example is if your client is great at selling product A, which is part of its stable of products A-Z, and you convince your client to focus on selling that leadership position. Is this unethical?

In both cases, I do not feel the distinct prickling of my conscience. The line, however, is crossed when you engage in selling a product which harms someone.

At B*M, most of the clients are market leaders in their own right. Most make substantial claims which can be backed up. They are big players who probably represent the best decision a customer can make. Will I feel like I am selling koyok? I hope not.

For every ten Singapore Flyers, there is one Yellow Ribbon Project. And that is enough for me.

Why I won't vote to repeal 377A

There's been so much talk swirling around about the celebrity-driven appeal to the government to repeal an archaic law criminalising sex between homosexuals - and I think we must talk about it.

Obviously, these are my personal views, which I do not seek to impose on you; I'm just thinking out loud.

There is a difference between repealing an existing law, and pursuing new legislation to criminalise something. Repealing an existing law says that what was wrong before is no longer wrong, and should no longer be considered detrimental to society.

New legislation to criminalise an act says that we want to persecute offenders for their behaviour which is perceived to cause harm to society; mostly because they have crossed the line between peaceful existence and behaviour which impinges on others.

I feel that gays in Singapore have not crossed that line. Yet, and I go back to the distinction I made earlier: we are talking about repealing an existing law, rather than petitioning for new legislation.

Agreeing to participate in the former essentially makes you an advocate for gay rights. Agreeing to the latter makes you a participant in a witch-hunt, neither of which I am keen on being part of.

Fortunately, by simply not signing the petition to repeal 377A, I am able to take the middle ground: to remain true to what my heart tells me is right/wrong, while not actively persecuting this group of people, who have the right - just as I do - to fight for what they believe in.

And that is why I will not join in the movement to repeal 377A.

Dark and twisty

People say that the FYP is an emotional rollercoaster and I think I've caught my glimpse of the safety belt in my carriage - halfway up the loop-the-loop. It's scary sometimes because they think they've got you all figured out.

Were we dreamers, to expect things to always go our way? What do you say when you are put between harmony and fairness - and have to choose. I think we were close to crossing the line today. Maybe we should have? Would it have mattered? We will never know.

Which is why we need to constantly remind ourselves that this campaign we are kick-starting will make a difference to someone, somewhere. That we are exactly like the interns in Grey's, who have just witnessed the beauty of life and have allowed the magic of that moment soothe the pain; if only temporarily.

Let us not be like George in season 4, for whom the birth of new babies becomes trivial, but always remember that we can choose to grab on to the coattails of the magical moment. We've made a difference.

For reference to what we should never become:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y16yzNYVuxI

Japan, USA and UK

Ok, fine, I could have thought of a better headline. But it's true what, this post is about Japanese, American and English food, haha.

First up, Waraku at Central.

Digression: The Central carpark is horrendously wicked. You have to drive up about eleven spirals before you see the first lot. //

In a corner of this half-opened mall lies a cluster of Japanese restaurants. And these restaurants are not your usual Sushi Tei variety; Tam po po (the liang court one reviewed some time ago) and a couple of other brand new Jap restaurants make this the new place to go for Jap food.

Waraku is the latest family dining Japanese restaurant to sprout up, chasing the same crowd as your Sushi Teis and Sakae Sushis...except that it's not.

In fact, Waraku has been around for quite some time. It was previously known by its other name, Sento, and had all of two (maybe three?) outlets around the island - nothing like the franchising monster it is now.

Apparently, Sento was a Japanese franchise which opened it's doors here some time ago, under Waraku's current boss. After a couple of years of paying his dues, he decided to strike out on his own and ditch the franchise name. Hence, the birth of Waraku.

I heard that the fallout was acrimonious, but hey, so long as it doesn't affect the food, I'm fine. Pictures!

Gimmicky Alcoholic drink

Grilled Mackeral - was excellent

She had the fried pork katsu with noodles

I had this Japanese Kway Teow thing . Mistake.

My mistake came with lotsa other stuff though, haha.

So the food was alright. Pretty decent, value-for-money stuff.

Waraku
Central Mall

Taste: 3.5/5
Value: 4.5/5
Ambience: 2/5 (seats are waaaay too close to each other)

Next, we went to Goodwood Park for their afternoon english tea buffet. To be entirely honest, I was apprehensive as I approached the 5 metre long spread. I was thinking to myself, wah, I paid 30 dollars ++ for this?!

I saw rows of miniatures: mini-crossaints, mini-pastries, mini-tarts and sandwiches and salads... Heck, the only thing that wasn't mini-sized were the scones.

This is a sampling of what I had.

From left: Ham-wrapped olive open-face sandwich, Chicken crepe, Brie with figs and rock melon, Kueh pi tee with mango prawn, Salami with mayo and pear sandwich, mini-quiche of prawn, mini-mushroom risotto ball.

Wah lao, damn long lah the names! But can I just say that IT WAS HEAVENLY. Every single item we took was incredibly fresh and organically made. By this I don't mean ugly fruits; instead the mini-pastries were all made with real produce. The mangoes were fresh, cheese was quality brie, aiyah, very nice lah!

I would have never imagined that such small bundles of joy would fill me, but fill me it did; it's been a day and I'm still feeling stuffed.

Okay, here are the items I remember from the buffet:

1. Selection of mini-sandwiches
2. Mini scallop burger - imagine a burger with a real scallop patty!
3. Mini balls - ok, sounds wrong, but got different flavour one ok! Chicken pie, mushroom risotto...
4. Scones with fresh cream, butter, jam and raspberry conserve. These are almost as good as the Fosters ones, except that they aren't as warm when served.
5. Selection of mini-pastries - mini-magdalenes, jam-tarts, etc.
6. Cakes - Chocolate-banana gateau, Coconut cheese cake, mango cake, and more.
7. Fondue - Usual fruits
8. Ice cream - quality Belgian chocolate or French vanilla only, meaning the haagen Daaz standard
9. Dessert tarts - Lemon meringue, banana cake with pear, Basic fruit tart, Chocolate eclair, raspberry and honey souffle
10. Fruits

In addition to this, you also get free flow of their drinks (non-alcoholic lah). Their entire selection of premium coffees and teas are at your disposal. Power lah.

L'Espresso High Tea
Goodwood Park Hotel

Taste: 5/5
Value: 4/5 - you get what you pay for, I guess
Ambience: 5/5

We will definitely be back for more here.

Okay, I'm supposed to have included a review of Mad Jack's here. But I didn't like it, and she got quite sick from all the oil in the food. Low prices, low quality food at Mad Jack's. Won't be back.

Is apathy in our genes?

I've always wondered what motivates people to become activists. There is little tangible benefit, other than the feeling of belonging to a group of like-minded individuals, and perhaps feeling morally superior for the duration of your protest.

And then you see pictures like these. And your world shifts.

Yes, we're all busy people. We've got work, school, friends, family and a host of other commitments we should not feel guilty filling our lives with. But this deserves a place on that list.

I've never been one to go rah-rah over some cause. In fact, I think that I'm pretty cynical with most social causes. Mostly because it's too far removed from where I am, perhaps. Or maybe I'm just finding excuses to not get involved.

And why shouldn't we get involved? What is the point of debating the ethics of shooting a staged news photograph when we do not care about the subject of the photograph and its fate? Why bother building your castles in the air about morality when we cannot keep ourselves grounded in the world we live in?

I guess part of this post is a result of the ongoing discussion of ethics in our media law class. We're learning about various ethical frameworks, systems and pros/cons, etc. In a word: academia.

Being in Singapore, we've never had to deal with the hard stuff: education is provided for, very few people live hand to mouth, and housing is largely available for those who work. I'm thankful for all that I've been given; I know that I am fortunate to have the life I'm leading and the people that I've been blessed to have surround me.

Yet whenever I hear about protests, I admit that I almost always tune out. I dismiss them as attention-seekers, or people who cannot live without having to agonize over someone else's problems.

I've read the rhetoric about people wanting to make a difference, and dismissed that, funnily enough, as rhetoric.

But something that happened today changed my view on activism completely.

It began innocuously enough; I was giving tuition to my tuition kid, who was a Sec 3 Indonesian girl. We were going through English, and we were going over a comprehension passage, which dealt with wars and explosives.

I then casually mentioned Myanmar as a reference to an example I was trying to draw, when her quizzical look stopped me. It turned out that she had no idea that there was anything even going on in Myanmar which was out of the ordinary.

It may seem like I'm expecting too much of her, a Secondary 3 student, to be aware of current affairs. But that wasn't really what struck me. I suddenly felt like I was in her place, being ignorant of the world around me; living my life in my little bubble.

Is this what realising your apathy feels like? Because I feel guilty and ashamed that I have been so blase to the problems of others.

But what then, can I do? I am just me. I can vote only once. I can only eat one and a half happy meals. I can only take up one seat in a cinema. I am just me.

A good friend once told me that making a difference in this world is not about changing the world. It is about changing one person's life. And perhaps that is what happened this evening at tuition, when I took 15 minutes to educate my kid about Myanmar's troubles.

I never believed in large scale protests, or demonstrations, or petitions. Perhaps I am simply averse to confrontation?

So this is what I will do, and this is what I encourage you to do, if you want to make a difference, but on your own terms - not someone else's. Tell someone who doesn't know, about Myanmar's troubles. Give the gift of information. Open their worldviews. Give them perspective. One person at a time.

To make this more fun, wear red if you promise to tell someone. It's a promise you make to yourself; nobody's going to judge you - but you.