Why Singapore has YOG

It is midway through the first Youth Olympic Games organised in Singapore. As a Singaporean and a fan of all kind of sports, I definitely looked forward to this occasion and I have carefully kept track of the Singaporean athletes. I must say that I am relatively satisfied for how they have performed and I hope that this would kick start and increase the standard in the declining sports scene especially in sports which are underfinanced. Now it is a good time to analyse why Singapore initiated YOG and what good it brings to Singapore.

In the opening ceremony speech where the chairman of the International Olympic Committee, Mr Rogge, mentioned that the purpose of the competition was to combine sports, education and culture. I believe that this is a breakthrough in the sports scene of Singapore, because the bar that the athletes have set is something that the Singaporean athletes may attempt to emulate, but more importantly expose them to the sporting world other than the Singapore-dominated competition in the Southeast Asia Games.

Secondly, the YOG unites people together. In a world where the term "competition" is encrypted in our minds, the YOG breeds healthy competition, and also demonstrates a high level of sportsmanship and brotherhood throught the shared identity in their passion for sports. No matter the race or religion, sports have been on of the few mediums where the world can be brought together without discrimination of one another.

Apart from promoting sports among Singaporeans, Singapore benfits through the publicity they get through organising the YOG, which brings out the best out of Singapore, which will definitely bring more revenue and economic benefits to us. Mr Rogge has commended the YOG for being a success, and this would undeniably be one of the greastest achievements and heights Singapore has reached in its promotion of global cultural hub.

Lastly, Singapore benefits in promoting sports and health among civillians. Organising such big events will raise interest among Singaporeans, who would get interested in certain sports and would participate in them. With such widespread live coverage of the competition live on television, many people would be watching it and some would pick up certain sports, which would make them healthier both physically and mentally.

Sports bring out the best and worst in men, from the greatest example of sportsmanship to the worst cheats in doping scandals. Through this global event, it would bring countries to unite together to be the strongest supporters for their country's athletes. The first Youth Olympic is only the developing stages. With more awareness for this competition, the International Olympic Comittee would hit greater heights in promoting sports.

I would be backing Team Singapore, and I wish the very best to the rest of the Youth Olympians who have demonstrated what we can expect of them.

National Day

Yesterday was Singapore's 45th year of independence. 45 years on and we have steered to great heights today. Seeing what I see today makes me be proud to be a Singaporean. Now why should I be proud of Singapore?

Firstly, I would say that I am most proud of how I am able to have the space and freedom to learn what I want under a controlled environment. I appreciate how a balance have been struck between censorship and freedom. This optimises my learning and gives me the ability to think out of my reach. I think that this would definitely have a great impact of how I think and imagine as I grow up to be a member of society. Is Singapore a nation? I would love to think of it as one, but unfortunately, I do not think that it qualifies as one. As one would know, Singapore does not have a distinct cultural heritage to be one. This is partly Singapore has progressed too quickly, having a ambiguous cultural mix of the east and west. It is hardly something to be proud of, because we do not have anything which we can call it truly Singapore. It may not affect the growth of Singapore directly, but it would definitely affect the mindset of Singaporeans. It would be interesting to see how Singaporeans manage the contrasting cultures to create it into our own.

So my resolution for Singapore is simple. Find your distinctiveness in the midst of the intensive competition and need to globalise. It is the only way to reach out and unite the people

15 min Drought

Two days ago, I experienced a drought at home. Maybe it was man made, but I still felt the crunch of not having water. Actually, my father was fixing the shower and had to turn off the water supply. At first, I did not really care much about the change, but it really hit me hard when I was brushing my teeth. The first time I turned on the tap, I realised that here was no water flowing out of it. I did not really care less because I simply just used my water bottle, hoping that there was enough to last me throughout my brushing of teeth. However, I was in for some trouble. Once I rinsed my mouth, one fifth of the water was gone. While I was rinsing my mouth halfway, I realised that there was no more water left in my bottle. I went to refill my bottle feeling annoyed. After rinsing my mouth and washing my toothbrush, there was no more water in my bottle again. And I have not even washed my retainers. So I had to refill my water bottle again.

What really hit me after the incident was that I had to used so much water just to brush my teeth. 3 of my 500ml water was all that I needed just to brush my teeth. I did not really expect that I would have experienced so much difficulty in brushing my teeth. So basically I learnt that should appreciate that I am so previledged to have water running out of my taps. It really makes me reflect on how Singapore has progressed from a developing country to a developed country. Now that National Day is just tomorrow, I believe that each and every one of us should have such experiences so that we value what we have now, being thankful in what we do, appreciating where we are living.

It is going to be another stressful week, although I do consider myself lucky to only have 3 test next week. I would have to start studying mostly for Geography and Chinese, and I hope I would be able to make it in time. However, studies aside, I want to comment about the article in this week's Time Magazine on Rwanda's President and his successes. Firstly, I would definitely like to congratulate Mr Kagame for how he has gone against the norm and refuted the stereotypes of rebel governments by showing his capability to manage the country and mostly to understand the feelings of the people. Mr Kagame has ruled for 16 years now, and if he wins the August elections, he would have another 7 years to his reign. Mr Kagame was raised in a refugee camp in Southern Uganda, although he was a Rwandan, and he grew up to become a rebel. He helped Yoweri Museveni seize power in Uganda, and co-founded the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which invaded Rwanda to overthrow the government. It was then the civil war between the Hutu and Tutsi broke out.

The controversial issue about Mr Kagame's rule was that he has been accused of war crimes, and also being blamed for pushing the country towards dictatorship after he arrested opposition members and banned the Human Rights Watch. However, we should have to understand the basis of his actions. His purpose was to abolish any memories that would remind the people of the genocides. Hence, he decided to ban the newspaper UMUSESO, which according to Mr Kagame, would bring bad blood between the two ethnic groups. Mostly, Mr Kagame has been efficient in ensuring that he would make the country prosperous. Its economy has grown an average of 6.4% since 2001, and it was ranked the most improved country by the World Bank last year. To me, this is the marks of a good leader, as it shows how Mr Kagame has reached out to his coutrymen, trying to mend the ties without breaking relationships. How he managed in his country's rebirth convinces us the importance of his reign has overwritten and redefined Human Rights.

He has solved the people's problems. He is taking the country out of its worst history. He has gained the support of the people. Let us embrace such leaders who put their concern for their own people.

In reference to the stomp article about HCI students

In reference to this article, I would like to discuss on the issues in this article, and also to question the student's integrity on this matter. Firstly, after reading this article, I believe that the real cause of the problem is that students in this generation are easily offended, quick to make judgements and do not think before they act.

This article was written by a HCI student, and I definitely could not believe my eyes when I saw this article in the news. This student could not have done anything worse in degrading the reputation of the school, and I believe that he should be dealt with severely. In the first place, all students, no matter what school they come from, should practise having respect for the school and its reputation. In this case, the student failed to realise that what he was posting was something that the public can view. It is obvious that he should have resolved this petty matter internally than blow this whole thing up and make it appear on the headlines of STOMP.

Moreover, this issue at hand is very insignificant, and I do not believe that a HCI student would have done such a thing. Portraying the teacher as a thieve and not an educator is also definitely not the right thing to do. In the article, it was clearly stated that the teacher had good motives for the students, to teach them the value of responsibility. However, this student failed to take this as a lesson learnt, and instead makes a fool of himself when he STOMPed this article. This article not only brings shame to himself, but would also develop a stereotype for all HCI students.

On hindsight, I believe that such an incident could be avoided if the student knew the value of respect. HCI has strongly emphasised on this value, and it is important that we as students know how to uphold it. This issue does not have any arguments for the proposition, and I hope that the student would realise his mistake and send out an apology.

Students not only have the responsibility of studying, but also to learn life skills, and mostly to uphold their moral values. What are the values that each person should uphold as a Singaporean?

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/what_bugs_me/418626/teacher_takes_students_belongings_to_teach_them_a_lesson.htmlhttp://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/stomp/sgseen/what_bugs_me/418626/teacher_takes_students_belongings_to_teach_them_a_lesson.html

Optimistic Pessimism

After my projects day competition, I did not want to know the result. My flash website could not open and I was not expecting to get into the finals after that experience. My months of hard work would have gone to waste. But wait. The results are not out yet. Do not fret so early. Maybe my powerpoint was good enough to put me through. No. I cannot lapse into delusion.

So frequently we are met with such troubles, that we always put the executioner swords to our necks even before the results are announced. We should always remain optimistic. It is the only way to getting over with things. Why should we unsettle ourselves before even knowing the outcome? I have become a firm believer of waiting and hoping for the best possible result. And then I realised that I would always be wrong. Is there another way other than being over optimistic such that we would be disappointed after knowing the result?

That is why I have adapted this mentality of "optimistic pessimism". It is a mental state by which one calculates the worse possible outcome, prepare oneself for the truth, and may surprise with the result. It is the process where we lower our standards, and maybe get a surprise if the result favours us. People who have "optimistic pessimism" will always have a good balance of reality and hope in their head. They are the one who would be the best to prepare themselves for the truth.

With this attitude, I held my breath when the results were out. I would not be too confident of getting in nor getting out. The result which read was "Finals". I was overjoyed. It was unbelievable. My mentality has enhanced the element of surprise. I thanked God for how he gave me the chance to get into the finals.

So that is how my theory goes. Do not expect too much, nor feel an ultimate sense of hopelessness. This is why we should know how to balance between encouragement and pragmatism before judging the outcome.

Causing Controversy

The octopus has gotten it right again. I have agreed with Paul until the Germany-Spain match. Being an avid German team supporter, I was obviously hoping that Paul would be proved wrong for once. However, I was obviously beaten by that sotong. Paul only became famous after he correctly predicted the Germany-England match, and by then I was hoping that he would be rooting for Germany all the way.

There have been many reactions to this creature's accuracy in his prediction. I definitely did not believe that he had "psychic powers" or anything like it, only by pure coincidence. I was not particularly angry with the octopus, but joked that I would eat the sotong sashimi after the world cup. However, many others have taken the octopus' predictions personally. They realised that the octopus was spoiling the fun of anticipation, and his predictions may have a demoralising effect on the supposed losing team. There are even recipes to cook the octopus after the world cup. Haha, I thought. What a waste of time for people to be so angry because of football. This octopus has caused a stir among the football fans, and some hope that these sources of predictions would stop. For me, I do not mind controversy, and I was very happy when Sepp Blatter did not introduce the goal line technology. I still hope that he does not.

The octopus has predicted that Spain would win the world cup. I would be rooting for Netherlands. It seems like Paul is turning the tide against me now.