Welcome to the Fallout - Friday, March 13, 2009 at 10:57 AM
These days, our lives are moving at such lightning speeds, it's no wonder the answer to "the meaning of life" becomes more and more elusive and enigmatic.
Case in point, computing and society tutorial on tuesday. The main part of the discussion was on foreign students and whether we (referring to the locals) accept/welcome their presence. For the uninitiated, the issues that usually attach themselves to foreign students are whether they are limiting the chances given to Singaporeans, them leaving for greener pastures once they have finished grazing ours, them having to reap the rewards of our country without the responsibilities... you get the picture. Anyway, staying true to the politically correct era, all the volunteers in class gave probable reasons for the situation and possible views of the general public, but no one took a stand. Can't risk being a bigot or a hypocrite, and I don't blame them, 'cos I would have done the same. If i even bothered to participate.
That aside, there are really a ton of reasons not to welcome foreign students, solely from a student's point of view. Firstly, they are mostly on scholarships and you can be sure where the bulk of the A's go to (it is a bell curve system after all). Secondly, the scholarship would require them to be bonded locally for a period of time, a simple translation of which means less job vacancies for those "left behind". I'm not going to bother to discuss the "big picture", where these foreign students will eventually be big players in our economy, bringing Singapore forward into the future. This is for the simple fact that the average Singaporean student do not think of such noble things. Starting salaries and employment opportunities hit closer to home on that count.
Amidst the furore over the education system's injustice towards Singapore's own youth, the recent suicides involving foreign students didn't help much in the foreign students' bid to salvage their shredded reputation. For a moment, it seemed that not only do we have to lay out the red carpet for them, but have to clean up their mess as well. Bitterness and anger ensued, with a majority of the local strugglers clenching their teeth in silence, and a minority lashing it out behind their computer screens, more of a release than a petition.
Out of the chaos and unrest, appears event X*. Event X involves a foreign student, typically bright and brilliant. Her grades often placed her in the top 5% of her cohort, and you would think she's "one of those" who spends her time holed up in her room, burying her head in books every waking moment. That mould casted by our unfair impressions, sometimes referred to as stereotyping, was broken by her. She set aside time for various campus activities, and even held leadership positions in some. Her resume is set to look like that of a potential elite's, giving her the perfect opportunity to help her parents break out of the poverty cycle.
Then the cruel twist, the fallout of our corrupt world, hit.
Leukemia may be recognised as a diagnosis to others, but to her, it's the destroyer of hopes and dreams. Only minimally covered by insurance, far away from her loved ones, she who seemed to have everything going for her suddenly found herself in a dark hole with a whopping S$400,000 medical bill and more importantly, her life to worry about.
At this very moment, you start to wonder how is she doing. Will she pull through? Are her parents coping with the news? Will she be able to raise the $400,000? You're no longer thinking of her as one less competitor in the job market. You don't start to eye the A+ or A- spot she has just vacated. Goodness, no. You just.. don't. Because all these things just seem so minute in the scheme of things. The big picture referred to here not Singapore's future, but humanity.
Event X is Perspective.
Two eyes, one tongue. We're all the same essentially, and it's a pity sometimes it takes a tragedy/near-tragedy to release us from the trance society has us in. The rat race has all of us becoming heartless creatures with hidden knives, ready to plunge it to the backs of anybody in our way. However, it's no longer about saving a job or recouping losses in the financial market. Those are things that can be gained back, and even so, will eventually rot and rust. A life, a soul, you can't tell me those aren't more important. Not with Perspective being put out into plain words for you to see.
Donating to Zhang Xiaoou has more implications than just the act of giving money to someone who needs it more than you do. It implies that love has a chance in this world. It's about not wanting to lose the common ground we have with each other, with the whole world upside-down. And above all, it's about saving a life.
If you're more of a visual person, here's the summary to the post. At around 2:53, but don't skip it! Both the song and music video's really good
The world is flawed But these scars will heal (Eventually)
My B-b-b-b-Benzedrine Now - Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 5:52 AM
I caught whiff of a few movie trailers that are now sitting pretty on top of my must watch list:
Sunshine cleaning. I've watched this 2 or 3 times, and it always looks like a good show. or maybe it's just the whole idea of Amy Adams and Emily Blunt in the same show.
(500) days of summer. I'm damn girl, you say? Come on, give me a break. I didn't bite into the whole Marley & Me crap, so let this one slide
Inglorious Basterds. If the senseless violence doesn't appeal to you, i'm sure Brad Pitt's pornstache will. Err... right. -
