Are Schools Killing Creativity?

Why did you go to school? Because someone made you.
Why did you learn to read and write and not dance or sing? Because reading and writing were most important. Because someone decided they were.
Who decided? Not you.

Powerful ideas about how public education falters are discussed in this TED talk by Ken Robinson. He's terribly articulate and best of all funny as he tells of what potential lies in each child if only we choose to develop him/her completely, and not stifle him/her through the structure of public education.

2am:dessertbar

I shouldn't blog about this. I shouldn't because I wanna keep this place for myself and my selfish late-night, no-freaking-idea-what-to-do situations.

We went to 2am:dessertbar at the end of last week. And finally, a smart, pleasant place with excellent desserts, the perfunctory caffeinated drinks and bottles of champagne! And you have to try the blood orange sorbet, mammamia. It's only 10mins outside town by car, a nice corner at Holland Village. (So that you can relak, geddit?) There were large bed-sofas ala Supperclub in Bangkok to sprawl upon as well as seats at 2 bars. It is a good place to indulge in 2 if the 5Cs Singaporeans live by - consume and complain. I mean talk and eat.



Well, then, go there and enjoy yourself. Sob sob.

Pac Mat!

It's old school tech meets current affairs. Well, 5 weeks current now. Anyway, the main Mat has been iconised, quite literally, in this new offering from TalkingCock.com, Singapore's favourite news source. Pac Mat, the new online game set to rival anything from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft, will have you tapping at your keyboard all day and night. Go play Pac Mat now!

The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories And Other Odd Titles

Bookseller magazine has a competition that has been running since 1978 for the oddest book title. Past winners have been:

• The Joy of Chickens
• American Bottom Archaeology
• Versailles: The View From Sweden *LOVE IT*
  
• Re-using Old Graves
• Highlights in the History of Concrete
• The Joy of Sex: Pocket Edition
• Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers
• The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories *AHEM*
  
• People Who Don't Know They're Dead: How They Attach Themselves to Unsuspecting Bystanders and What to Do About It
• The Stray Shopping Carts of Eastern North America: A Guide to Field Identification *CLASSIC*
  

The 2008 nominees were:

• I Was Tortured By the Pygmy Love Queen *TORRID*
  
• How to Write a How to Write Book
• Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues
• Cheese Problems Solved *YES, I NEED THAT ONE*
  
• People who Mattered in Southend and Beyond: From King Canute to Dr Feelgood

And the winner is If You Want Closure in Your Relationship, Start With Your Legs.

Alrighty then.

LOL At Stuff White People Like

Hahahaha! This site is dedicated to what one person thinks white people like. Though most web users think it is funny, some are angry (mostly because they can't stand people making fun of them). I think it's a hilarious site worthy of the 18 million hits. The top posts are #92 Book Deals, #11 Asian Girls, #91 San Francisco, #1 Coffee, White Problems - Should children drink wine?, #4 Assists, #8 Barack Obama, #88 Having Gay Friends, #62 Knowing what's best for poor people. Too good to pass up.

And you have to read the comments! They are priceless nuggets of true comedy.

Reality bites but its funny when you ain't bitten I guess. Have a good time at Stuff White People Like. The full list of things is quickly accessed here.

Random Ramblings About Singapore - Lebanon Match

So we won 2-0. It could have been better. Like 5-0.


I was on a bus from Robinson Road to Nicoll Highway. It was a no70 that took office types out of the city to homes in the north. At the back of the ever more crowded bus where I sat and attempted to nap, a group of ladies gathered. They were discussing the then impending match. One of them, the louder one, seemed to know just that tad bit of soccer sufficient to get by in daily life. The rest were asked who the opponents were. The louder one replied "Lebanon. They have a tree on their flag. A Christmas tree." In my faux slumber, I was thinking "Damn I wish I knew what tree was on the Lebanese flag." I would have turned this boo-boo semi-insult around. Damn.


The tree image on the Lebanese flag is the Cedar tree. Like the wood and girls school. I found out from one the Lebanese supporter girls.

I sat at the grandstand area for the first time. The view is different really.

A ball-picker's error resulted in a yellow card for Lionel Lewis. Shock, horror, dismay! When the ball found its way behind the Singapore goal, a boy in torquoise threw a replacement ball towards the open hands of the Singapore goalie. But alas, the ball and gravity conspired to alter the former's trajectory such that the ball hit the sideboard. Lionel then had to wait for another ball to come flying in. He then carefully placed the ball for a kick. But alas, Mr Referee decided that Lionel was talking too long and awarded him a yellow card for wasting time. Like WTF. Ridiculous man. The crowd boo-ed the ball picker after we gave the ref a piece of our mind.


There was a die-hard fan sitting behind us. This guy sang Majulah Singapura, and I was compelled to sing along. We all know how pensive Singaporeans get when they try to sing the National Anthem outside of formal school and National Day (even then we get the lyrics wrong!). He also knew every player by name and number, and as any die-hard fan is hardwired to do, he was spewing advice and instruction to the players on the field, 50 meters away. It was like having a live commentary and I enjoyed every minute of it. I introduced myself at the break and we chatted for a while. I sadly forgot his name but I won't forget his passion for the team.

We played well though the moments of brilliance were matched by the occasions the team didn't capitalised on clear advantages. We saw no5 and no13 take risks but the others seemed afraid to step beyond their roles and boundaries. Come on man, we need to see the spark, the flicker of imaginative (perhaps selfish) play that takes the player to icon. Try, go forward, look around, pass well, and be ready to shine.


The stadium hasn't closed yet. And you can plonk your ass on the wood seats on June 2 when Singapore takes on Uzbekistan. Good luck boys.

I was there with Audrey, Eric (and Maggie, ahem), Say Wee and 10115 other fans.

Find The Drive

The other day I was at someone's house and we talked about exercise or the lack of exercise in our sedentary lives. Some time towards the end of last year, I started to try to get fit again, mostly as a way to solve my back problem - some compressed nerve thing.

The important thing that I did however was not anything physical but psychological. I could choose to exercise or not, and each path had its outcomes. When in doubt, rationalise. So I decided not to disappoint myself.

"The most important person you need to keep a promise to is yourself."

That's it. Whether it's about putting on those shoes to go for a walk or bigger things like looking for a new job, the line works. What do you think? And what 'works' for you?

From Mind To Meat And Sizzle

Think of your best barbeque. You know the one - small, intimate affair with good food, drink and friends. The type that doesn't spiral into a gorgy of burnt yet partly cooked food and flat drink. The type that doesn't end up with sticky, gooey fingers and oily faces. The type that doesn't end up in odd pockets of conversation-less strangers who are too tired or bored to entertain themselves. Or possibly worse still, the type where people eat and disappear. The perfect barbeque doesn't happen often does it?

Four people on a day before a holiday had a plan. A plan for meat and spot of madness. It was probably a smidgen of heavy lunch and memories of barbeques gone by that spurred us to take action. I found out we could use the building rooftop for a little hibachi-driven event. "Don't burn down the building, don't destroy the waterproofing, and no dancing!" Yes, maam.

The gears were set in motion. Maybe rain or the lack of attendees could dent plans. And it was going to be Good Friday. Woof.

Mere hours before the do, I did the food. And the list went like this:
- hotdogs (it's no bbq without one!)
- chicken fillet in lemon, salt and pepper (which got spiked later in the evening!)
- pork chops in apple juice, garlic and soya sauce
- lamb, pre-marinated in pepper from the supermarket
- apples, sliced and coated w sugar
- sweet potatoes
- red peppers

With chips, ice cream, wings, bananas, chocolate and many drinks to boot, we were indeed set. I of course arrived unfashionably late.

The partee went on smashingly. We didn't break anything. We had a dog that came to lend some more energy to the shindig. There was some semblance of dancing - we figured a load capacity of 100 people standing was equal to less than a fifth of that number attempting dance. The full moon rose 30 degrees in the sky first sizzle to final wash up. Nicely done. Roof on fy-uh.

These Are The We Inside Of Me

Anyone who is not so preoccupied by the day-to-day and wants to find a better space personally needs to watch this video. It's about a lady doctor, Jill Bolte Taylor, who studies the human brain and one day has a stroke. Sounds like a bad thing? Nope, it was a gift.

(Those who couldn't give a damn might be interested to know she handles a real human brain in the presentation. Ooooh! Does that rock your socks?)



Check out Dr Taylor's website.
More from TED - Ideas worth spreading

RnB And Us And Girls

I was PowerHouse at St James on Saturday at the invitation of Say Wee and Choon How. They were there earlier because the former had tickets to a Sports Council event at the same place. I got there 11-ish and things got interesting, for better and worse.

The music was purely RnB, old and new. Lots of rap, lots of sing-along. The DJ didn't respect the old school stuff much though - he cut that off quickly. Disappointing. Anyway, I was amazed by 2 things - the way Singaporeans have taken to rap and RnB, and the majority of the people that filled up the place were girls.

Singaporeans taken to rap is like white Americans putting on hoodies, baseball caps, jangly gold chains and going "yo, yo, yo, it;s like this y'all!". We haven't gone that far, just the hoodies and caps. Rap and RnB seems to be spreading like wildfire with artistes like Nelly, Diddy, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Mary J Blige and Beyonce tell boys and girls where to stick their asses and what to say. There's a lot of reference to sex and relationships and more sex in all these songs, especially from the guy rappers. The lady rappers/singers seem to take their opportunity to sing and be in front of millions as a platform for female emancipation - "you go girl" and "I can buy my own diamond ringsm thank you very much." Their songs are definitely more singable. Ahem.

Now the girls bit. They came in hoards. And hung out among themselves, as show of force of sorts. They drank by the jug and danced in closely-huddled bunches. They seem to love the beat of RnB, shaking their booties and jiggling all the jiggly bits. Goodness.



Apart from all that good news, here's some startlingly bad. I nearly got cheated by the bar. Yes! They overcharged me for drinks at promo prices. 20% difference I tell you, not a trivial amount my children. And the bar guy didn't even flinch or say sorry when I asked if the bill was right. And it took another bloody 10 minutes just to fix the problem. As a dutifully miffed Singaporean, I have complained.

In the end, we were all tired. We three ended up at Geylang (!) Lorong 17 to eat Teochew porridge. It was quite yum.

Cracked Crunchy Nuts

It's good to have some nuts in your diet. They have essential proteins and oils. They help the brain and heart function better.

I had a bunch of pistachios the other day. They were good though a tad bit salty. I took pictures as you can tell.

I am feel sorry for folks with nut allergies. Everyone on Earth should experience the joys of peanut butter, Chunky Monkey, Snickers and turkish delight. Though not all at once and in the same sitting.

Having nuts in our diet is different from having nuts in your life. But in similar terms, one should take all nuts in small but regular doses.

5 Horrifying Food Additives You've Probably Eaten Today...

Oh my goawd. And this "The 10 Most Bizarre Military Experiments" and "5 Important Lessons Learned from Street Fighter 2". Insane, mad, stupid, in most cases REAL and most importantly, FUNNY. LOL and ROFL and slap my ass and call me Nancy.

This is one site you need to add to your favourites list - cracked.com. Do it, now. Do it. Doooo it. Doo doo eet. Duit. Du eat. Hmm.

The Adventures Of Action Item

I was looking for superhero comic references for work when I stumbled upon this link on Google. I clicked, I read, I laughed. This is one comic strip dedicated to project managers everywhere. Timelines, high-level meetings, dialogs and expectations. Well done, Action Item.

Go check out the whole comic strip here.

One Big Mas

It's been more than a week since Mas Selamat escaped. A week running around in Singapore without money, food and clothes supposedly. There has been a lot of talk about what's happened, both official and unofficial. Every day we wait for good news. However there has been little and the story has gone from headline, front page news to small sections in the back pages of the main daily. From slight panic to slight nervousness, we have become exhausted from waiting.

Let's add to the mystery of Mas Selamat as we collectively ask 'Where the bloody hell are you?' Well, no harm adding to the terror talk this late in the game I guess.

- I was in a discussion at about 4pm on Wednesday 27 Feb. We were talking about menus. Outside a crowd had gathered to watch a spectacle at Maxwell market. There was a good old fashioned punch-up going on. Some stocky, middle-aged Chinese man was exchanging blows with a younger Indian man. No one knew what the whole thing was about but a crowd was there to separate the men so that further stupidity didn't devolve into more violence. But the few of us believe that the timing and seriousness of the event, in a very public place, was in fact a (drum roll) well thought out diversion for Mas Selamat's escape.

- The minister for home affairs apologised in Parliament for the escape. Here's my problem with - he didn't seem sincere. No real eye contact, statement delivered tersely and factually. When another MP asked why the announcement of the escape took place 4 hours after it happened, the minister said that Mas Selamat was unarmed and didn't pose a threat to the public. Now that's a relief isn't it? But wait, isn't this the bugger who wanted to crash a plane into Changi airport? Of course, we aren't worried.

- So he escaped from the toilet. We're all wondering what this toilet looks like. Does it have bars? Is there a mirror? Does it smell of lavender? Is the cistern detachable just like in Prison Break? All these questions and no real lavatorical answers. And there is speculation he has Petrelli powers - the ability to turn invisible. He simply walked out of there. Too much Heroes, sorry.

- The newspapers reported a "physical breach". Like what's that dude? A hole in the fence? Someone crashed in with a car? If a doctor puts his hand up your arse to check for piles, isn't that a physical breach too?

- I typed "Whitley detention centre" into the search field on streetdirectory.com. I got nothing close. "Detention barracks" was first on the list. The DB, as every NS man would know, is in Kranji. This link however pointed to the Civil Defence Academy in Jalan Bahar. Even more confusion. Anyway, where is this Whitley place? Some of us suspect it is a secret annex of Singapore Chinese Girls School.

- Where could he be? Among the list of suggestions for disguises going around - taxi driver, selling bak kut teh in a kopitiam (no offence intended, valid because no one would expect that) and toilet cleaner. Maybe he is still in that toilet. Maybe the female toilet.

- The detention centre outfit could be reason why he escaped. It is quite unglam. Green-beige top with red-brown trousers. He would look like a secondary school student with bad taste. Don't we have fluorescent Guantanamo orange things to wear? Or sensible old school prison black-white stripes.

- Everyone's favourite website, TalkingCock.com, has released possible hairstyle combinations he might use to pull the wig over our eyes. Such artistic and civic consciousness, good for them.

- Where are the sniffer dogs? Aren't their noses working?

- Someone told me he grew shorter then taller. Reports in the media have listed his height at 1.6m, 1.58m and 1.62m. Ok lah, all about the same but what if he tried on some heels, and now hangs out in Changi Village?

I hope we find him soon. With a pat on the back (good try, brudder) while slap on the cuffs, he'll be a threat no more.

The Lion For The Rat

It's a month since the year of the rat took over the way we ran our lives. I was running through my images and found these snaps of a lion dance troupe that came to the office to wish us well and bless us with good clients who profess open minds and large pockets. Woof.

The Tanglin 12

The illusive gang was spotted posing for a glamour shot after certain vigorous hotel room activity that involved paper, pen, gesturing and laughing. It was mad extravagance accented by leftovers, silver pots of coffee and fish with chips.

Congratulations to Nana and Mr Chew for making it through custom and tradition without bodily harm or general ungalmness.

More questionable images at my Flickr.