Issue: Restricting Someone from Something Can/Could Lead the Person to React Against It and maker Him or Her Rebel in Some Ways. True or False?

Global Warming: A Warning or Not?

It amazes me to see suddenly sooo many advertisements and messages regarding the increase of global warning.

Just yesterday, i went to the first Phoenix Award Ceremony 2007 in Singapore, which awards the digital media for advertisements. There was this one ad that was based on the global warming. This is when it hit me, when i watched it. Recently there has been quite a lot of ads popping up a bit everywhere; bus stations, TV, magazines, trailers and many more.

Isn't it alarming?
I did notice the changes in weather conditions. Have you too?

Have a look at this picture below:

These pictures have been taken on the same spot in Switzerland. The picture on the left was taken in 2004. The picture on the right in 2005. There is a difference of 216m in just one year!
In just ONE YEAR.

If you don't think that this is a big deal and that it just happens in Switzerland, then think again. I mean, we live from those "Gletschers" here in Switzerland. They occupy a third of our lands. It is a natural resource of water that "should" keep on having its cycle. That is to keep water in form of ice and snow during the winter and to give us a reserve during the summer, when it melts down our alps. It is a natural resource of water, drinking water.

Why not recycle and reduce the world from warming up? Why not split paper from glass and aluminum, which are very easily recyclable? Why not use your own grocery bag instead of accumulating plastic bags that you use to throw away your rubbish into?

In Switzerland, we have to do all the above and even pay a license to throw away what is not being recyclable. Yes, you heard me well, we pay to trash our rubbish. On a particular day of the week, only paper and wood are being collected from the houses. On other days all metallic things and on alternate regular day, your usual trash that has a sticker on it (the license) that costs at least S$20? I am not too sure if they've increased it since, but that is about the avarage for a 20L biodegradable plastic bag for your trash. It really does force you to put a lot in a small bag and to recycle the rest.

I remember going every weekend to the glass and aluminum recycling places by bike. For a family of 5, we easily had about 3 big bags of glass and aluminum per 2 weeks maybe? And mind you, the glass was split into green, white and brown glass. Aluminum had its own bin with a compress wheel, that flattens your cans.

So what's so difficult about implying this to other countries?

Yes, Singapore has been "trying" to achieve recycling... but to be honest, not with lots of success. Already the placement of the recycling bins are not in a very common area and there aren't even a lot of it. Then, what's the point, right?

The old place i used to stay at (Highgate Condo, Toh Tuck Rd), did a lot of recycling programs and we even received the yellow plastic bags where we could recycle anything from clothes to pans, paper, glass and aluminum. It was great! Until one fine day, it suddenly stopped with no reason. Finances?

There was a documentary on channel 5, i think, in 2002?, where a group of primary students had to recycle as much as they could for a whole week. It was like a school project. You should have seen the amount of trash 1 person alone can create! It was at least 10 liters*! 10 Liters a person! A week! That makes 40L a month...! How big is the population of Singapore?? O_o

Anyway...

All i have to say is, if you can separate at least paper, carton and glass (or at LEAST paper), you make already a big difference.

Remember:
Mother Earth has only so much resources as provided. For the future of our children, we shouldn't take her for granted and be so ungrateful to her. Without her, you wouldn't be here now.



*Resources from website

Issue: Silent Satellite by Tasmin Archer

It is very interesting how one can listen to a particular song over and over again, isn't it? Right now, i have been listening to this song by Tasmin Archer. A very very old song from the 90s, i think. Still, until today, i can't stop listening to it. I think, it is one of my favorite songs ever!

Though i must admit that today, is a day to listen to this song.

What is silence? How is your silence/silent comment being interpreted by someone else?
Is it something like walking away? Or is it just a comment-less comment?... I am still trying to figure out, if my silence has a single meaning at all.


What is it with silence anyway? Why does it make some people feel awkward? Do we always seek for a reaction? For a comment? Yes, it does make one feel better, but does that also mean that one needs those comments because of the like in confidence we have in ourselves?

Sometimes, my silence really just mean that i can't say anything at all. No reaction. No comment. No thought. But then again, why would i write so much, if i didn't have comments? At the same time, i believe that there is some kind of denial going on. Denying that one is angry, hurt, disappointed or just... speechless?
What makes us speechless anyway? All the emotions mentioned above?

What's the meaning of a silent satellite anyway? Silent observant? Possible. Observe from far and... wait? See what happens...

Issues 4: The Gay Media/Entertainment Industry in Singapore - A Majority within the Majority?

Just now, i was wondering about the industry i am into. Mainly the media and entertainment industry. I was wondering, in a rough percentage, how many gay people are actually working in this industry and are contributing to the Singaporean economy. How did i get to this thought? Well.. let's put it as follow:

First, i am working in this media industry for the past 4/5 years? Something like that...
A lot of my close friends are gay and happen to be part of the media industry
and just now, i have a few clients coming in and out of the office and there is at least 1 gay person part of the group.
and sometimes, these "1 gay person" happen to be "famous". (DJs on radio, TV/Theatre actors, etc.)

So i wonder. I wonder what is the percentage of gay people (closeted or not) are actually part of this industry. And i am not pinpointing at them, in contrary, my gaydar seem to react pretty well to gays... =P .

Since i have been living in Singapore (that makes it soon 6 years, OMG!) i just can't believe how big the PLU community is. I mean, even in Switzerland, where homosexuals are being accepted and have their own groups, lawyers, insurence agencies and gym groups, i was never able to actually "see" one of them. My gaydar was either not working or the "gay" vibes were simply not as detectable as it is here in Asia.

I just feel that, when i walk down Orchard road for instance, i can "sense" at least 1 gay couple/lesbian/gay every... what? 5 minutes? And i can notice them 10 meters from me. Are they/we that obvious...?? =P

Then, there is also an other thing made me think. If the PLU community is so d*** everywhere in the Singaporean media industry (that includes the government sector, mind you!), why is it that the church (as usual) and/or the government wants to "ban" them from being themselves?

Recently, there was an article talking about this church group wanting to change one of the Singaporean laws regarding unnatural sex. Right now, the law pinpoints to gay male and what the church group wants to do, is to also make it valid for lesbians. But when i read the article, something shocked me most... The fact that the church group didn't even know the difference between Lesbianism and Homosexuality... (do you see the irony?). Just read the article and you will see what i mean. (Fridae.com article)
If these people don't even know the difference (or not...) between those 2 terms... then i don't know what to think of ignorance.

Now, i am curious of what could or would happen if all the gays would just quit their jobs, closeted or not. I wonder how the economy would look like. Isn't it interesting? Think about it.

Anyway... these are just thoughts that cannot be tested alone... =P

What Is Worse? Seriously.

What is actually worse when you are a parent, a family member or a friend?

• Having a child who's gay?
• Both your children being gay?
  
• Having a child who's pregnant before 18?
  
• Having a child who's pregnant by a guy who leaves her anyway?
  
• Having a child who has no educational cert?
• Having a heavily drug addicted child?
• Lost your child by an accident or illness?

Seriously. What is worse?
And I might have missed a lot more on this list. Feel free to add more, if you can think of more.

But back to the question.

Sometimes, when I look at some parents, friends or basically people that i know, i do wonder whether these people realize what they say, when someone that they know is one of the above listed.
Why do i wonder? Simply because of the comments that are being mentioned during a fight, argument and discussion. Some of the comments may sound so terribly wrong or so stereotyped to some case. What makes those people superior? What is it that they have besides their pride and "image" that is being ... shall i say.. tested?

I don't know why we automatically judge people. Some do it on purpose, some don't. But there are cases where the situation is towards their own family members or their best friends. The thing i don't understand is when parents are telling off their own child for their own image's sake (!!). That is something i do not accept nor understand. How can a mother or a father tell his/her own child what she/he should be/do? Simply because it gives them a bad image to others?! For THEM??

Worse... what if their attitude towards their children and others is so wrong, that at the end, it comes back to them? What i mean is, what if, for example, a parent tells her/his child what to be, for instance heterosexual. Yet the only people that the sexuality of this person really disturbs.. is only themselves. The rest of the family and friends are fine with it, it is being accepted and welcomed.
Now who's the idiot in this story? Who has a bad image? The child who has parents making a fool of themselves in front of others? Or the parents for just having a gay happy child (by the way, for those who don't know, gay does mean happy...).

So seriously. What is worse?

Of course, the question lays in each and everyone's own situation. If you compare the list, i'd definitely say: the dying child. So it is a matter in which situation one is in order to answer this question.

Thus, even having a gay child is a worse case scenario for some parents. As long as they don't make a scene out of it for their own image's sake.

But well.. that's my opinion.