Definitely one of the grossest videos I have ever seen, but interesting nonetheless, in a strangely weird way. Do not watch if you have no sense of humour or if you're a fanatical cat lover.
How to Untangle MP3 Headphones - Watch more Funny Videos
Monday, October 11, 2010
Saturday, October 09, 2010
What one life taught me.
As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.
- John F. Kennedy
A poignant phrase, one which lends itself well to self reflection. This week, Singapore mourned the loss of one Kwa Geok Choo. Eulogies abounded, tears flowed, and people queued by the thousands, all to catch a glimpse of a great person, to share in the grief of a family, to reiterate all that her life stood for, an unselfish love, a keen intellect, and an indomitable dignity characterised by humility in the face of ostentation.The tributes were numerous, and deserving. For she had lived a life well lived, juggling twin roles as a family and career woman with equal aplomb. Her impact on the development of Singapore cannot be denied, even as the cynics will be quick to close ranks about their favourite target of dissent, the family and all that it stands for in Singapore.
To fully get a grasp of what kind of lady Mdm Kwa was, one only has to read the anecdotes. One of them, which I still remember, was how she chose to queue in line for the post office, even as the staff of the post office scrambled to let her cut the queue because of who she was. And such incidents were not isolated. It was the humility and dignity with which she conducted her life that was inspiring, rather than anything else about it. And of course, the love that she had for her family and all that she associated with.
But, that is but one life, albeit an inspirational one.
Even as I read the tributes that flowed in from the print media, television and cyberspace, I could not help but wonder how many were simply caught up in the emotion of the moment. It is one thing to be inspired, it is another to live out one's whole life as a changed person in the face of that inspiration. For most people, their loss is nowhere as profound as that of the immediate family members. Most Singaporeans barely knew her as a person. If anything, they only knew about her from the glowing tributes paid to her in her demise, which of course the skeptics may argue was only to be expected.
There is also the fact that she was very much, an anachronism. A brilliant woman in a time that did not value the role of women as movers in society. While her achievements were no doubt commendable, they were mostly so in the context of her times. Nowadays, if a woman was to juggle both her career and family well, people would hardly bat an eyelid. And it is hardly surprising, because we all know such women. There is one in almost every home, and they deserve our respect because we can never thank them enough.
A question often raised is then how we can aspire to such greatness, how we can be like such people. Children are often asked, "when you are younger, what do you wish to be when you grow up?" And inevitably, their answers will reflect the aspirations of their parents for them. "I want to be a doctor, a lawyer, a rich man, or the future President of Singapore."
I often chuckle at the innocence of these kids. As much as their earnestness is sincere and heartwarming, they have absolutely no idea what they have just uttered, or the kind of journey that they will have to undertake to reach where they think they want to be.
As one grows older, it becomes more apparent that for one to do the great things, the things that really matter, are the simple ones, done diligently and with conscientiousness to their application. In an age where material wealth is prized above all else and the pressure to acquire riches can be overwhelming, there are not many that can look beyond all that and realise that money is not everything.
It is apparent in the lives around us, in the neverending need to have a bigger house, flat, or car than our peers. It is apparent even at the highest levels of our governing bureaucracy, where the people on top trumpet stellar economic growth without realising that the life of the average man is only getting harder.
Even as prices rise due to increasing standards of living, which causes families to shrink due to the costs of raising a child, they bring in huge numbers of foreign labour to our shores to maintain an everpresent supply of cheap labour for companies investing in Singapore. And this increased population only serves to drive up living costs further, but of course our population is now growing at a healthy rate, even if it is not really Singaporean.
There is really little one can do individually to influence these systems. Singapore has to remain economically competitive because of what it is, a small nation-state with no resources in a capitalist world. The only thing that is left for us to do is to maintain a strength of character even in difficult times, the simple thing that is very difficult to do.
By strength of chracter, I do not mean a submissive resignation to the inevitable. I mean being a person of integrity, honesty, good sense, and a loving disposition, even as pressures move us to be anything but. There will be the temptations of greed, envy, and many more, that have led people greater than us to fall by the wayside.
Becoming a great person, and great is a very tenuous and vague term here, but I will define it as one worthy of others' respect, is really the product of millions of small decisions. Choosing not to lie, cheat, or be nasty to people who do not deserve it. Choosing to always give one's best, even when it is so much easier not to. Recognising that love is really great in its selflessness, not when one looks to gain something out of it. And finally, having the serenity of character to accept life for what it is, when it cannot go one's way, instead of trying to gain what is not ours.
They are the basis of all religions and moral guides, the simple things. But the reason why they still endure as admonishments, is precisely because they are simple lessons that are very difficult to learn, and even more difficult to apply.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
The problem with the facebook "like" button
Updated: 02/10/2010
Mrs Lee Kuan Yew dies at age 89
Mrs Lee Kuan Yew (Mdm Kwa Geok Choo)
SINGAPORE : Madam Kwa Geok Choo — the wife of Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, and mother of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has died on Saturday.
Mrs Lee Kuan Yew, age 89, passed away peacefully at home at 5.40 pm.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office said the wake is held at Sri Temasek, official residence of the Prime Minister located within the Istana grounds, from October 4—5.
Visitors who wish to pay their last respects may do so on October 4—5 from 10am to 5pm.
Members of the public may call 6835 6614 for any queries.
A private funeral will take place on October 6 at Mandai Crematorium.
The family requests that no obituaries and no wreaths or flowers to be sent.
All donations will go to the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) Health Research Endowment Fund.
Madam Kwa was one of 8 children.
An outstanding student at Methodist Girls’ School, she also topped the 1936 Senior Cambridge Examination for the whole of Malaya and Singapore.
At Raffles Institution, she caught the attention of a young Lee Kuan Yew when she gave him unexpectedly stiff competition for a Queen’s Scholarship.
But academic rivalry aside, he knew he had found his equal, and his soul mate.
Their relationship grew through the years of Japanese Occupation, and by September 1944, love had blossomed.
When World War II ended, Mr Lee left to study law in England in 1946. But he was miserable until she joined him at Cambridge University a year later.
The two married secretly on 23 December 1947.
She had just turned 27, and he was 24.
Mrs Lee said: "You can’t explain these things ... He had tremendous aplomb, self—confidence, very jaunty, he was a handsome young man."
When they returned to Singapore in 1950, they tied the knot again, this time with their parents’ full knowledge.
When Mr Lee got more involved in politics and became Singapore’s Prime Minister in 1959, it was Mrs Lee and his younger brother, Lee Kim Yew, who built up and expanded Lee & Lee — the law firm all 3 had set up in 1955.
Mr Lee once said his great advantage was that he had a wife who could be a sole breadwinner and bring the children up.
That was his, quote, "insurance policy," which allowed him to play the role he did in Singapore’s history.
In October 2003 — Mrs Lee suffered a stroke while on a visit to London.
Fortunately, she made a swift recovery and was again seen in public at her husband’s side at community events, and on official trips overseas.
And she was there when Lee Hsien Loong was sworn in as Singapore’s third Prime Minister.
Although she had shied away from a high profile, her contributions to Singapore had been most significant, and pivotal to its history.
"If she weren’t an influence, supposing I had married somebody else, I might have become a different person, not that I would be a different person, but the things that I would have been able to do, the kind of backdrop I would have had, family, support, would have been different," said MM Lee. — CNA /ls
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