Are Singaporeans patrotic beyond following the law?

I've been living in Singapore for 2 years and 6 months now. I came here with expectations of a society that safer, more civil, and more free than the one i left (Kuala Lumpur).

My expectations have not been fulfilled.

You see, Singapore being a trading and commercial hub in Asia, a society largely influenced by Western culture with a good blend in of the east as well has set itself standards which come naturally with a country claiming to be a first world nation. One of them being freedom of expression.

Lets not go there shall we for the moment? Suffice to say you would probably agree with me that Singapore's reputation in that is similar to Malaysia's, only difference being, get on the wrong side of the powers-that be in Malaysia, and you'll end up in a lockup, and probably dead the next day.

In Singapore, its going to be a defamation suit, cause yes, if you go by the law, what you do say is slander and yes, you will get prosecuted.

There have been accusations that the Singapore Law Society and the Judicial system is heavily influenced by the government. A lot of accusations actually, by individuals officially deemed not credible by the ruling party such as the...... well....... opposition.

That being said, one does wonder. There can't be smoke without fire.

I find all my singaporean friends to be politically impotent. They have no critical arguments against the ruling party, nor do they have much opinion at all about government policies or the way the country is run.

I get this aura of fear whenever i talk critically about a government policy, as if one wrong word from me, and everyone around me gets arrested on the spot and charged with sedition. In Malaysia? I do not.

Yes, at home things are horrible compared to Singapore. Singapore is a dream city. Its safe, its civil, you can run a business here without the political bullshit.

But, in Malaysia, the youth are not afraid of speaking up and voicing strong opinions about the government. We do not get listened to, what we say falls on deaf ears , BUT we have opinions. Opinions beyond complaining about lack of parking spaces to the local MP, or complaining about ERP price hikes and then doing nothing about it, its all pathetic.

Noone is questioning their government's popularity with Amnesty International, The International Herald Tribune and The Committe to Protect Journalists.

Noone questions the non-renewal of employment visas for international journalists.

The government may or may not have solid reasons for doing this (i honestly don't know), but i wonder why the youth don't really care, but rather want to get on with their lives and try to make it big in financial terms.

I wish my friends would be a bit more patriotic and really, genuinely voice their opinions about government/economic/social policies, because that shows you're not here to just make a living. You're here because you are Singaporeans, people who have invested their lives here and want the best for their nation's future.

If this carries on, the future of Singapore is going to be decided by individuals without passion for their nation , people without a history of having critical views on policy, a history beneficial to creating new policies that will help keep Singapore competitive in the world market and keep her friends in the western,eastern world.

And FYI, i am getting tired of the line:

"You are here getting educated with Singaporean taxpayer dollars in your MOE grant. so don't complain".

Please, Singapore got me in, cause i'm talented, and my country's gone to the dogs. I came here wanting a better life. It is only reasonable i feel concerned about a country i am considering calling home. And being critical does not mean i am spitting in the face of the taxpayer. Get your facts right.

Cheers from,

The Matrix

Exams and more ......

Apologies for not MIA in this blog and stooping low to posting random stuff from youtube to compensate.

I have been busy. This semester is , though not a killer , it is by far the most challenging of the lot. Juggling between 3 major projects, tons of work and reading and impromptu mechatronics lab self programming sessions in a bid to become better at programming a Motorola 68HC11 microcontroller , and the hours spent in front of the QNX Realtime Operating System workstations trying to figure out how to spawnl( ) a process , use threads and set up communication between 2 simultaneous programs is mega draining.

I'm so thankful for the exam period. The madness can stop and i can finally have time to sleep more, cycle more, run more, and catch up on the lectures i barely fully appreciated. I like what i'm doing, i really do.

I had some really good company for my runs and a bike ride last night.

I FINALLY CRACKED THE 400KM MARK ON TREKKIE =))).

I'm flying home on the 8th of December with my road bike to help mom out with some stuff, and I plan to tackle the Kenny Hills area on trekkie for the whole duration of the semester, catch up with my old friends from high school, and gorge on good old malaysian food, and then burn off all that extra blubber by burning rubber on the road =P.

I'be become fitter btw. Hahas. Came into this semester with a slight tummy and flabby thigs, and now its all tightened up and i'm getting slight hint of wings (the muscled side of the torso). Feeling good.

Oh, and for only the second time this sem, i finally had my lazy 10 hour sleep =P.

On an entirely different note, this sem seems like one prone for breakups. I know its non of my business nor should be a concern of mine (judging from my single status which btw i'm actually enjoying thank you very much).

G mentioned his friend breaking up after like a 7-8 year relationship. Wow. That's pretty major. Another friend is going through a pretty bad period now after falling for someone and then having to endure reality after a very short period of time. I do feel sorry for him/her. Undergoing emotional trauma (wonder if there is such a thing) is certainly not the best way to start off one of the toughest semesters.

And i shall end here.

Cheers from the

Matrix

If Everyone Cared by Nickelback with Lyrics

Nickleback addiction. Cheers and good luck for the finals ppl =)

Dating is Confusing **HD**

what....... =.="

Meet trekkie =)

Trekkie and me on our 250km anniversary....

For those wondering, no, I am not about to set up a facebook profile for my new bike, and then link that profile with mine using the "Yuva is married to Trekkie" update on your fb news feeds....

As you would have guessed, i have officially made the transition from trail riding to road racing. For safety reasons mostly.

I broke my arm in March, and despite me thinking its alright, it is not. I cannot sustain a game of badminton for more than 4 matches, i cannot do chin ups anymore, and it hurts when i jump my old bike over obstacles on the trail.

That and the fact that if i were to fall on my right arm on the trails, the bone will shatter again, has made me decide to give up the sport until i graduate at least.

Road biking is different. Its more punishing. To be decent, and to ride with groups, an expected speed of 30-35 km/h is expected out of a rider, constantly for 60km plus. The bikes being mostly less than 10kilos, running on super slim tires and really big cranksets (gears) should be pushed at those speeds.

In case you're wondering how safe doing 35-40km/h is, its not. A fall on a road bike results in bad burns (you land on the freaking road at 30km/h plus for god's sake). But it sure beats falling on rocks and having your balls rammed hard everytime you go over an unexpected pit on the trails.

Plus, it allow me to ride more often and with more people in large groups. Mountain biking is impossible during semester, difficult to find kakis and the trails are far.

Oh, i'm on the brink of clocking 300km on trekkie since getting her 3 weeks ago. Been 300km of pain, but its so worth it. I feel healthier, happier, more motivated and focused on my work.

And now, back to my tutorials.

Cheers from the,

Matrix