Thursday, March 26, 2015

Politics

Politics make me ugly.
They bring out a me that I hate and despise and want to laugh at. A me so full of angst at the world, at the inability of people to understand these bubbling problems, at the way I know so little, and at the frustration of never knowing enough. A me that rants about the problems, hurtfully, sharply, critically, rudely, that will never be resolved. A me that feels so weak and small and pathetic in this monstrous world out there.

But, I can't help commenting on things that I see.

The onslaught of posts about LKY led me to this ironic statement - who IS this Liu Shengjun -:
Columnist Liu Shengjun wrote that Singapore’s stability and efficiency are built on “Lee’s authoritarian charisma,” which has limited appeal in China’s consensus-driven government.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/03/23/was-lee-kuan-yew-an-inspiration-or-a-race-traitor-chinese-cant-agree/

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The other side of things. Or the passing.

The death of Lee Kuan Yew had affected many, hit the headlines all over the world, and once again put our little island on the global map.

It touched me though I've never interacted with the man, except two brief encounters at F1 one year when I was attending to the Singapore Suite, and again from a far distance during NDP. I've always appreciated what Singapore has to offer, and the legacy he left behind, believing that we needed a leader like him to bring us here, and an equally revolutionary leader to bring us further from here on. Living overseas, be it in a developed country like the UK or in a less applauded country like China, made me count my blessings that a country like mine with no natural resources but its people (who were mostly immigrants) can do so well.

But saw this article on how he had become the excuse of many autocrats in other parts of the world to rule their countries with an iron hand at the expense of their citizens. It doesn't feel right to blame LKY for this, but I can understand how they have twisted his methods to suit their needs. Haven't formed a coherent thought on this article but thought it was interesting and wanted to capture it before I lose this thought...

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/03/lee-kuan-yew-legacy-116317.html#ixzz3VJAE5I00

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Those random moments

Was walking to office across Xintiandi after lunch.

A girl stops me, says "Excuse me?"
I turn around, thinking it was a lost tourist, asking for directions (we see many of those in these areas, some of whom will ask where Xintiandi is).
She says "Can we take a picture for you as a street shot for their magazine?"

I was stunned to say the least.
And, as usual, rejected - (on hindsight, I should have just said yes. This could be my only ever chance).
Nevertheless, I was secretly pleased. I wanted to shout out to the world and say "oh my god someone spotted me."

Reminded of that day in high school when a guy stopped me and asked to be friends.
Rejected as usual in a stunned state, but pleased nonetheless...

I... like moments like these.
Haha.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

The Modern Beethoven - or not.


The Tale of Mamoru Samuragochi
A man who climbed to fame through almost farcical manipulation of the media and the people around him and then came crashing down again as the media and people he used retaliated.
http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121185/japans-deaf-composer-wasnt-what-he-seemed

Very intriguing how he managed to pull the whole thing off. He must be very charming. He might be... a musical psychopath (though the muscial bit might be debatable).

Am I paranoid now? Am I..?

The Psychopath Test - Dylan Thomas

Was reading up a little on Dylan Thomas: http://www.city-journal.org/2015/25_1_dylan-thomas.html
And suddenly I was reminded of the Psychopath Test, written by the guy who wrote The Men Who Stare at Goats.

Was it possible Thomas was a psychopath (I need to read more to ascertain)? His disdain of other people; his clever manipulation of the people around him who financed his life; his careless irresponsibility and lack of concern for consequences. I do think he ticks many boxes on Hare's checklist. Worth a look into for curiousity's sake.. someday.