Archive for May, 2006
Thinking about mother’s day. Must do something special for these special women in our church called mothers. A nice gift would be good. Already asked Jorris to help.
There is a poem I like that I can quite relate to because of its poignancy. Like to share it on-line:
Three Women
The walls of your flat are white.
Colours and voices unpetal from the TV.
You have lived here for years,
remembering life behind a closed door
as death peels your twig body.
It is hard to imagine you as fat or young,
rage filling your dry hands
and mouth like hot sand,
let alone the violence that razed
the goodwill of your neighbours
and brought one angered man to the house
swinging a whip at your face.
My mother’s story broke there.
Now when we visit you it’s like a silent movie
or the glossy calm of a family portrait
slicked over your scarred night.
The reason we are here is irrevocable,
red and fleeing under our skin.
By Teng Qian Xi
QLRS Vol. 5 No. 2 Jan 2006
I always wondered what the last two lines meant. What is ‘red’? Is it blood ties? Is it an ‘ang pow’…….
Any ideas?
May 9th, 2006
Woke up to good news: Arsenal is fourth and will be in the Champions league next year. What a nail-biting end to a transitional season.
May 8th, 2006
Its incredible: the electorate chose Mr Low and Mr Chiam and gave them improved support despite a $100 million and $80 million upgrading carrot dangled in front of them.
And the “suicide squad” of young WP candidates held the incumbent PM Lee to 66.1%
Has the electorate matured?
Did the younger voters make a difference?
Did the tired tactic of PAP’s “Gomezgate” backfire?
Whatever the case may be, I hope all parties, especially the ruling party, are interpreting the signs in the polls with unclouded vision.
I hope Ms Sylvia Lim will be an NCMP. I like her: she has style and substance. I’d like to see how the male dominated Parliament tackle her.
The spontaneous, unorganized and passionate support expressed in the coffeeshoops of Hougang and Potong Pasir are really heartening.
For me, on this day the heroes of Singapore are the heartlanders in these two SMCs.
May 7th, 2006
Lord God of all creation,
You rule and judge all nations,
You scatter the arrogant of mind and heart,
You cast down rulers from their thrones and raise up the lowly.
Today we elect those who will serve in our government:
the voices that call us to go this way or that way are confusing,
the signs of these times that we must discern are tragic and unjust,
the culture of death that afflicts all people is powerful.
Open our eyes to see your Reign in history,
our hearts to share your love with all people,
our ears to hear the cry of the widow, the orphan, and the stranger among us.
Send your Holy Spirit upon the people of this land:
Teach us to make wise and prudent decisions.
Increase our faith and hope.
Help us to live the Gospel we profess.
May all who are elected this day:
do justice,
love goodness,
and walk humbly before You and all people.
We ask for these blessings,
confident in your providence through all time,
through your Son, Jesus Christ, Redeemer and Savior, Amen.
May 6th, 2006
This election it is Gomez.
Last election it was Dr. Chee.
P.A.P. is becoming master of the political red herring.
The real issues are not in the front pages:
-with the rise of China and India and the resultant economic restructuring and unemployment: what is the plan? why didn’t we anticipate this a decade ago and set in motion a strategy earlier? is the plan going to be enough to get the job done?
-transparency about our national reserves.
-rising cost of living especially the costs of health care, transportation and housing coupled with depressed wages, and growing income gap between the rich and the poor.
-greater political and media breathing space and reform.
- Singapore is slipping down the slippery moral slope
-is one party rule good for Singapore’s future?
My hope is a good fight in East Coast GRC and one GRC for the opposition, preferably Aljunied.
I’d like to see Sylvia Lim as another voice for the people in parliament.
I’d like to see the SDP buried once and for all.
My hope is retention of Mr Low’s seat.
And for the PAP to form the next government.
My wish for Singapore.
May 4th, 2006
It was Rahim’s idea. Why not play tennis in cool weather like people in temperate countries? But what about those who don’t play. Well they can trek! So that’s how we decided to plan a trip to Fraser’s Hill.
It was Tan who organized the trip to an old (built in 1919) but well kept High Pines Bungalow which sits atop a ridge with a grand scenic views, and are on grounds as big or bigger than a large soccer field. Tan was accompanied by his wife Nellie. Click on the pop-ups to have a closer look at the place.
The views were elevated and grand and the temperatures were a cool 18 to 24 degree centigrade, and it was wonderful to have my wife along on this May Day holiday.
There is only one little town, if you can call it that, with maybe six or seven coffeeshops, and other essential functions, but largely unspoilt by big commerce, unlike Genting highlands or Cameron highlands.
There were many bird watchers walking and lugging about their cameras, large high tech telescopic lens, and binoculars. Eric brought binoculars and we did catch sight of some beautiful and colorful birds. It seems Fraser’s Hill is actually renowned world-wide to keen birdwatchers. There were many Caucasian tourists with knowledgeable local guides. We also checked out the Methodist House for pastor Mary for a possible youth leaders 
retreat. This is a place which several pastors love to come to pray and to plan for their church and preaching year. We walked for two hours to get there so Mary owes us big time.
We did a lot of walking, a lot of walking, and I am not talking about the trek but just exploring the whole place walking on the roads. Of course we did trek too and that was one of two main things. The forest was cool and filled with sounds of birds, all kinds of different bird sounds, and less of cicada, and of course there were the leeches.
We also tried the Bishop’s Trail because we wanted to figure out how a Singapore boy and his Malaysian cousin got lost as reported in the newspapers recently. We simply concluded they must have gotten off the well-marked paths. By the way it was in these forests and hills that Bill Thompson, the founder of the modern Thai silk industry, got lost and disappeared. Some say kidnap went awry, some say CIA, some say murder. But I think he just got lost off one of the other longer less-used trails.
And of course we did what a lot of Singaporeans love to do. Both in the town and in the bungalow which had an in-house cook, we ate and ate and ate.
May 3rd, 2006
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