Singapore's housing and planning

I read this news on todayonline titled "Siting flats further from city ‘may widen S’pore’s social divide’". The basic argument here is this:

"There is a risk that relegating new HDB estates to the outlying areas of Singapore, while planning a glittering array of architectural gems, luxurious residences and material offerings for the well-heeled in the city centre, could alienate a large part of the population,” - Wu Wei Neng

I think that what Mr Wu is suggesting is already happening. The government's tendency to build HDB housing in outlying areas means that there is already a segregation between the heartlands and the city area. Already, when one thinks of people who stay in Orchard, there is this perception of the upper-class who are rich. This possibly not only applies to the areas in the city, but also areas like Bukit Timah, which is also valued for its high land prices and good schools.

Other than the social divide, another implication is the stress on transport networks as everyone heads to the same place for work. I have already written on how I think decentralisation is the way to go here. Basically, with decentralisation, there will hopefully be no cases where an area is designated as 'special' for its economic value. Each area is also supposed to have good mix of private and public housing. In a way, each area is like a mini town (as if Singapore as a city is already not mini enough).

Yet, I admit that Singapore might have already gone too far down the path to turn back on some of its policies. Furthermore, I admit the concentration of certain industries would have what we call external economies of scale. Decentralisation also possibly poses its own set of challenges (such as divides between different areas, similar to the subtle East-West divide in Singapore).

Ultimately, for a sustainable development that can withstand the load for 7 million people, some form of decentralisation is needed, whether the government does so through the avenue of housing or work (as in the development of the Marina Bay Financial Centre).

On a side note, I find this Creative Craftsman thing really interesting!! The fact that a minimum salary is guaranteed for the carpenters is praise-worthy as well :)

A-levels

Since this blog does function as some kind of diary of mine, I thought I should just dedicate a blogpost to one of my life's important milestones.

I finally got back my A-level results on 3 Mar 2015, Monday.

It was a little nostalgic to be back in school after all those time (actually, it has only been 3 months).

Anyway, after all that tension and waiting, I finally got my results and it was the best that I could have hoped for. I got 6 distinctions!! (I got a B for Higher Chinese - a lasting mark on my results that was made 2 years ago) I was obviously very happy and relieved, seeing how I was nervous a few hours before, wondering if I unknowingly screwed up somewhere in my papers.

Ultimately, there were definitely some people who were happy and some who were sad.

Yet, the A-level journey has finally had its official closure and is over.

In the future, we will probably look back and realise that this episode of our life was no more than a mere episode. However, both you and I know that at this moment, it is more probably the biggest thing in our lives. So, I think it's fine if anyone want to brawl their eyes out now. Because you deserve the right to do so. Just remember that while this is most definitely a milestone, there are still many more to come.

Which also leads me to my next note to self: there are many more milestones; you cannot start slacking off now.

And now... off to write applications for scholarships and universities!

Making the most out of time

It has already been 2 months into the holidays since my A-levels ended. Amidst the Chinese New Year fervor, I have been reflecting upon what I have been doing the past few months.

I still remember the huge list of things that I wanted to get done during the A-levels. Funny how not much on that list has been accomplished. This happens for various reasons, with the most common being:

1) I am not free (since work has pretty taken up all my weekdays)

2) I have no money (which explains why I have to work)

3) I am simply too lazy

Reason no. 3 was the most surprisingly, and yet, predictable reason that I could have seen myself giving during A-levels actually. Ironic though. One gets so excited for something; yet, when the time comes to really do it, all that steam seems to have blown off, leaving one simply too lazy to move our butts off.

After chatting with Zixin, she told me that I had to plan things properly and really set out to do them, or else, this chance/ time will simply go by without one noticing. Kudos to Zixin for always giving me advice that shakes me up/ gets me moving. After thinking it through, I realised she was right. In a flash, 2 months had already gone by. I needed to stop being caught up in the drone of the working life. 

Which is why, I forced myself to commit to things which I have always been putting off. I started running/jogging. I am now telling myself to do it twice a week. 

AND I STILL HATE JOGGING. However, with the bus fares so high for adults, jogging simply is the cheapest form of exercise one can find.

I have also signed up for Chinese painting classes. I actually thought the classes for NAFA were quite interesting but apparently, I missed the sign up date for the Jan intake :( So, I am currently attending classes from Vision Art Studio at Clarke Quay. Today's going to be my first lesson and I hope it goes well!

After all that's said, something else that I really want to do is TRAVEL.

I want to go to Japan, but no one is willing/ has the money to go with me D:

Honestly, I wouldn't mind going by myself haha, but being adventurous still has its limits, especially in a place I have never been to before. I really hope that by hook or by crook, I will be able to get into Japan to experience the culture etc!

On a side note, work is the same. Although, I do get to learn a few things, such as the time frame for applying for a work permit. Seeing how people react in a workplace is quite interesting as well; though I would rather be left out of some of the politics going on as well haha.

...A-level results are going to be out in around 2 weeks. *nervous*

I want to be with people my age

After starting work, being constantly surrounded by people older than me, I am starting to feel a little lonely and out of place.

I remember once reading an article that talked about why teenagers of this generation are narcissistic and other horrible adjectives. It said something along the lines of, how can one expect a teen who constantly surrounds oneself with people of his/her own age to mature without listening to viewpoints from adults? I remember myself nodding my head in slight agreement when reading that particular comment.

And yet now, I dearly miss the companionship of people my age who, according to the author, probably talk about stupid/ irrelevant things.

I think that it is hard not to feel out of place with adults surrounding a young person. There is just something about the age difference that makes it inherently difficult to relate on certain issues. I mean, the 10s and the 20s have A LOT of difference, even when I am 19, just one year shy from 20.

People in their teens: Studying, probably obsessing over music/ fashion/ idols

People in their 20s: Start dating (seriously), working (permanently), finding a house, having kids (?!)

While the author is probably right in talking about how I would probably mature more from talking to adults, I would like to confine that interaction to a certain time period, kind of like how I get a sneak peek into the adult world without fully plunging myself into it (that can wait till I am in my mid-20s).

At the end of the day, my main point is: I WANNA HANG OUT WITH FRIENDS MY AGE AND NOT HAVE TO CARE ABOUT WHAT I TALK ABOUT.

And..... I am going to do just that! I've got a dinner date with Huiyi, Dion and Shermaine tomorrow night. Can't wait to start acting all teenager-ish.

the future

I just had a gathering with a group of close friends yesterday. Though there were probably some incidents along the way, overall, I had a lot of fun. We had steamboat (we bought too much food) and talked about random stuff. While chatting, somehow the topic of our future love interests kept coming. Though it will probably be something that all of us with interact sometime, it still feels very distant and alien to someone like me who has zero dating / falling in love experience. 

We predicted what characteristics our future boyfriends would possess and questioned a lot of possible scenarios that may happen. It was a lot of fun, but it also made me feel weird, because everything just still seems so far-fetched. I think it is the effect of being in the same school for 6 years; somehow, I feel as if time is standing still and that I have not grown up to be an 'adult' yet. (Speaking of which, I really hate adult fare prices for public transport.) The idea of going to school is still very familiar to me. Frankly, it is also the thought of the familiar that makes me afraid of the thought of the unknown - university, new friends, workplaces, colleagues. Somehow, I do feel like I want to be stuck in this continuum forever.

Which also leads me to talk about my applications for universities and scholarships. There is a scholarship which I am really interested in and I really hope that I will be able to get in for it. Yet, the fear of disappointment always looms (not that it stops me from trying). Somehow, previous disappointments still hang around in my mind and I have always had some inclination towards pessimism ever since then.

I can only do my best and hope that everything goes well.

And that my friends will always be a constant :)

A-levels

I am currently in the midst of A-levels... which probably means this is a bad time to post, but whatever~~

Preparing for A-levels the past 2 months has been excruciating because it seems like a very prolonged process with no end in sight. Yet, lo and behold, I am right in the middle of it and am left with about 20 days to the end of it! WOW.

Hmm.. even while I am in the midst of it, I do feel strangely... 'not-as-stressed-as-I-thought-I-would-be'. I wonder why. Yet I know that at this very moment, there will be people panicking.

This papers which I definitely very afraid of are my Humanities subjects though - Economics and History. Somehow, these two feel like bombs waiting to drop on me...

Ah well, since it's come to this point, there is not much I can do.

Meanwhile, I have started reading Gintama (I can already hear people reading this going like WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING SUEQIN). And I am really liking this character called Tsukuyo (I am basically just skipping chapters to read parts with her.)

ANYWAY, I HOPE THAT A-LEVELS WOULD PASS BY PEACEFULLY AND THAT GOOD NEWS WOULD FALL UPON US COME MARCH NEXT YEAR. WOOHOO.

Strong female leads

Hey there! I was talking with two of my friends about how we no longer update our blogs, so I just decided to do so on a whim. 

My life so far has been a mix of studying, manga, movies and just struggling to hang on til my mid-year exams start.

Anyway, an interesting thing I heard on the radio was about how some Chinese tours to Malaysia have been cancelled, about 60 flights I heard. The Malaysian government hopes to recover these losses by getting more Singaporeans over the causeway. Somehow it is just really funny how the easiest way to recoup your losses is to turn over and look at one's neighbour.

Random facts aside, something which I had a fascination with (and still do): manga with PHYSICALLY strong girls. I guess it started with this manga called ORESAMA TEACHER.

This manga is really awesome by the way. It talks about this girl Mafuyu who has recently transferred. In her previous high school, she was the Banchou (head of all the school's delinquents), so she's this SUPER STRONG GIRL. At her new school, her teacher (Saeki) ends up being her previous neighbour who's a few years older than her (not your teacher-student love relationship here phew). She starts hanging out with a delinquent (Hayasaka) who's her desk partner even though she wanted to live a 'normal school girl life' after transferring. Anyway, Mafuyu and Hayasaka gets wrapped up in the plans of Saeki regarding the school and ends up in the Disciplinary Club where she has to keep her strong fighting abilities a secret whilst helping Hayasaka. It's really funny because Mafuyu has to appear in the form of Natsuo (dressed up as a guy) and Usa-Chan Man (a creepy girl with a rabbit mask) in order to help Hayasaka out whenever he's in danger without exposing herself! 

Okay, so this Mafuyu is JUST SO FREAKING AWESOME. SHE'S SO STRONG I CANT HELP IT. Whenever she kicks ass I just go HOORAY for her ahhaahh. 

So this is her. THESE ARE ALL HER BY THE WAY. The guy and the weird rabbit face being her disguise HAHAHAHHA. Anyway, if anyone wants a time-out or comic relief, this manga is definitely something I would recommend. Plus, the girl is not some whiny crybaby (I APPROVE).

After this, I went on a rampage and found these other manga where the girl is awesomely strong:

Matsuri Special

Ichi

Chang Ge Xing / Choukakou

Superior

Anyway, I find great satisfaction whenever I read manga like this because something like this cannot possibly happen in real-life. I mean, considering all the physical constraints of a man vs a woman. Therefore, it's great that I can indulge in a manga where the woman is stronger than most man (MAFUYU IS FREAKING AWESOME AS NATSUO). It's also good to see a woman being physically and mentally strong, so I think it's nice for a change hahaha - feminist me. 

Speaking of strong female leads, I saw Maleficent! It wasn't magnificent (get it???) but it was passable. Seriously, just watch it for Angelina Jolie. They should have probably made her stronger/more powerful though, would have loved to see that!

Yeap, as you can see, in between my studying, I have been distracted by such stuff. VERY DISTRACTED. 

Ah~ but one needs her break from time to time, ya know?

So, this is my first update in aeons.

Signing off and wishing me good luck for exams!

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year is finally over.

I had gatherings with families and friends, which was a pretty enjoyable and good memory and experience. I don't know what the new year will bring; I hope that it will be something good as this year is my a level year. I hope that I will be able to score well. My teacher told me that this Chinese New Year will be the last holiday of the year for all the years 6. That is actually kind of depressing which is why I have been looking to the end of this Chinese New Year holiday with a certain kind of dread. Oh well, good luck for myself and everybody else!

恭喜发财! 马年行大运! 学业进步!

Dreams

Today, I have 2 types of dreams I would like to talk about.

Firstly, I would like to talk about dreams in the form of ambitions and life goals. I watched The Secret Life of Walter Mitty this afternoon with my friends. Frankly speaking, I did not have high expectations of the movie before watching it. To me, a movie about delusions which would probably never come true did not seem at all appealing to me; furthermore, Ben Stiller is not exactly a perfect eye candy either.

However, the film managed to pleasantly surprise me. It was definitely not an Oscar winner or anything, but it was many things as well. It was actually rather funny (considering that Ben Stiller's funny is not usually my kind of funny), exciting, touching, and in many ways, inspiring. The movie definitely got me and my friends thinking about our own lives and dreams. Were we another Walter Mitty, simply living our lives without trying new, dangerous and courageous acts? Personally, I have felt that way many times in the past few years. I feel that I have not found my purpose in life. I do not feel the drive or motivation for something bigger, better. All I do is probably, day-dream. As I watch Walter Mitty go on a journey of self-discovery and in many ways, self-rediscovery, I wonder if I will ever be given an opportunity like him to do so? And if I never do, will I be brave enough to venture out of my comfort zone and unearth the opportunities lying in wait? The future is a terrible void which I am definitely very much afraid of - both of entering in, and of not entering in.

While me and my friends were on the topic of day-dreams, we moved on to the other form of dreams: dreams when we sleep. The conversation made me remember a dream I had rather recently which I thought had some form of significant meaning.

My dream
    I was going to take my A-levels Maths examination. I entered the exam venue. I was carrying with me a cage containing my brother's hamster (my brother recently bought a hamster, for real. I can guessing this is why the hamster appeared in my dreams). For some strange reason or another, the centre actually had a corner for students to place their cages of pets while we took the exam. After placing the hamster there, I proceeded to check my seat number which was written on the whiteboard. Here is probably where the tension started.
    I tried to decipher the handwriting; I took a guess at which number it was supposed to be. However, I had a hard time trying to remember my seat number despite four attempts to commit it to memory. I was feeling mildly nervous by this time before the exam. As I went to place my bag down, I bumped into someone. I unconsciously uttered "F***!" (I DO NOT usually say this in real life unless I am extremely emotional) The person who bumped into me did not apologise at all, which made me annoyed at his lack of manners. At this point in time, a strict male teacher went up to me regarding my use of language. I explained to him that I accidentally said the word. Furthermore, I pointed out that the person who bumped into me did not apologise. The teacher then spoke to the boy who bumped into me, and managed to get an apology out of him. After that, the teacher let the boy go, but continued to lecture me.
    I tried to get him to know that I understood that I was wrong in saying the f word; however, I also wanted to let him know that I did not do so intentionally. The teacher either did not get the message, or was simply denying it. Either way, he kept pushing the subject further and trying the push the blame on me. I was feeling very frustrated because I felt he was making this unnecessarily serious. Compounded with the stress before an exam, I blurted out "What the hell." And apparently, this teacher was a Christian (no offence intended for what's to follow). Upon hearing this, the teacher got angrier. To the devout Christian that he was, the mentioning of hell as if it were something light make him furious. I immediately knew that I was wrong, but yet I could not hide the indignation that I felt in that dream. I started rebutting against him. To which, he started preaching about God and how my behaviour was 'unholy'. In that dream, I felt very upset. I felt it unfair that he was judging me based on his religious beliefs (this is probably because I am a free thinker). I got so emotional that I actually started crying.
    I remember covering my face with my hands and asking, "Why are you doing this to me?"
    At that moment, my dream ended because I knew I was dreaming the moment my hands touched my face. When I woke up, I was crying. For real.
~

I am not trying to imply anything about Christianity in this dream. It probably just so happened that the teacher was a Christian. Anyway, it has been a while that I actually cry in real-life in response to a dream. It happens sometimes, but it's been a while.

Either way, the underlying message about this dream is probably how one should not impose one's beliefs upon others. With regards to religion, it probably felt very oppressive to me as a free thinker to have to receive to a scolding based on religious presumptions which I might not agree with. It definitely felt unfair and wrong to the me in the dream. I felt wronged and misunderstood, so much so that I would actually cry.
Just a food for thought for everyone.


Dreams are important, whether real or imagined. 
They give birth to confidence of ourselves.

An Idea

Here's an idea I had while studying. I find typing out content from printed material annoyingly slow and painful. So here's an idea to design a device that allows the user to transfer text from printed material to an online format. Important sentences are often highlighted; so, when one spots something important, the user will use the device to highlight it. As the device highlights the words, the device will scan the alphabets and words and type it out automatically on the computer. This would be especially useful to students (AKA ME), more so when we make use of library books, where we cannot make highlights or marks on them.

So, someone good enough in the engineering department please help me construct this device so that I can use it hahaha,