Xmas

I had a great Christmas this year. Even though Christmas is a festival for Christians and Catholics, most Singaporeans will still celebrate because everyone is just finding an excuse to have fun. My Christmas was pretty much unplanned and very simple. I took a walk down Orchard Road together with Zhenyun on Christmas Eve, it was anything but smooth-going.

As expected, it seems like the whole of Singapore had converged onto Orchard. The crowd reminded me of scenes from the land of the dead and we were trying to survive amidst a hostile crowd of Bangladeshis and Chinamen. I am not trying to be racist here but those Indians really got on my nerves, I got nudged by them at least a dozen times. I think they have waited all year just to find an opportunity to push and shove hapless Singaporeans like me. There's another group of people who have waited all year long for Christmas as well, the can-spraying teenagers. They too have waited all year long for the chance to unleash an avalanche of soapy snowflakes unto again helpless Singaporeans like me. The purpose of going down morphed from appreciating the lights and decorations into trying to survive the endless waves of spraycan attacks. The best survival strategy? Stand together with the policemen.

It was tiring squeezing through the crowd for the entire night and getting all sweaty and exhausted doesn't sound like a good Christmas. However, I enjoyed myself thoroughly, especially with the company of Zhenyun. I would have loved to do it all over again. Time is the best present someone can give and I got a good present this year.

Nail in the fence

I received this story in my e-mail and I thought it was quite a meaningful story.

There once was a little boy who had a bad
temper.

His Father gave him a bag of nails
and told him that every time he lost his
temper, he must hammer a nail into the back
of the fence.

The first day the boy had
driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next
few weeks, as he learned to control his
anger, the number of nails hammered daily
gradually dwindled down. He discovered
it was easier to hold his temper than to
drive those nails into the fence.

Finally the day came when the boy didn't
lose his temper at all. He told his father
about it and the father suggested that the
boy now pull out one nail for each day that he
was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally
able to tell his father that all the nails
were gone. The father took his son by the
hand and led him to the fence He said, 'You
have done well, my son, but look at the
holes in the fence. The fence will never be
the same. When you say things in anger,
they leave a scar just like this one. You can put
a knife in a man and draw it out.
It won't matter how many times you say 'I'm
sorry', the wound is still there. A verbal
wound is as bad as a physical one.

Knowingly, unknowingly, I have hurt people around me. Apologising is not going to mend the holes I've caused. It is only a recognition that I have done something wrong. It is the holiday season and I certainly hope that it is the season for forgiveness as well. It's that time of the year for the fences to be replaced.

Stolen

Finally I have something to update and it isn't anything pleasant. My handphone and some cash were stolen from me yesterday while I was playing soccer. The thief had planned to strike during rainy days as he knew we would be leaving our bags indoors and they would be out of view. The culprit was captured on CCTV but the image was blurry and he could not be identified. It makes me wonder the purpose of having CCTVs around when the culprits cannot be identified. I made a police report on the same day but I doubt the police will be able to do anything about it. I've always thought that criminals will always be brought to justice but through this episode, I realised that in reality, justice cannot always be served. It's a harsh lesson for us to learn to take care of our valuables. It could have been harsher but for the fact that I was already going to change my handphone and the thief only stole money from my wallet. The monetary loss is not that great but now I have lost all my contacts. Some of these contacts, I can never get back. That's the greatest loss.

Comeback kids

The recently released PSLE results saw 2 of my cousins only managing to get into the normal stream. Their parents, like any other Singaporean parents, got very worried about their results and subsequently, their future. Sometimes, I feel that it is unfair and harsh that young children have to be separated into classes so early in their lives. Childhood friends have to be separated by their academic ability and those that do not do well face a lot of pressure from their relatives. They may lose faith in their ability and feel condemned by society. Practically, it is essential to separate the children according to their academic ability so that everyone can learn at their own pace. It is not a bad system by itself but corrupted by people's over-emphasis on results and getting into prestigious schools, it has fuelled a sense of elitism among Singaporeans. The streaming process is not too kind on late bloomers, who may take a while to find their niche in life. Although the system does offer a route for late bloomers to catch up later on, the fear is that they may lose their confidence and self esteem and give up on life itself, convinced that they will never make good in society.

I have a cousin who got into the normal stream a few years ago. He has always been a slow learner and had low confidence in himself. He has always been very obedient though, contrary to perceptions about neighbourhood school students. Recently, he had gotten a scholarship award from MOE for his good results in school. I felt very proud of him when I got the news. It is as good as any scholarship that is given out because it recognises the same amount of dedication and effort that is put in.

The examinations are over and soon, the results will be released. Some people are going to do well and some people are not going to do well. Not doing well at one point in life does not equate to not doing well for the rest of your life. The important thing is to believe in your own ability and never to give up. In life, there is always a place for the comeback kid.