Blackberry Thumbs of the world, join hands

SO I got myself a Blackberry (BB) recently. Unfortunately, it turns out that I’m not as adept at multi-tasking as I thought I would be.
I’ve fiddled with my BB so much so that I’ve missed bus stops, (almost) entered the ladies’ toilet and taken the wrong lift to my home.
Not to mention, I actually suffer [...]

For mall rats, the maze just got bigger

LIKE any Singaporean, I love spending my time in the cool cocoon of a shopping centre.
Getting around these vast complexes, however, should not be a hassle, as is the case with several new and done-over malls. Like mazes, some of the new additions to Orchard Road seem designed to trap unwitting consumers within – and [...]

Living my beliefs while adapting to society

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong mentioned in his National Day Rally speech that rising religiosity in Singapore could lead to future problems, such as aggressive proselytisation, and people not mixing with those of other faiths.
He advocated a “live and let live” mantra, tolerance on all sides, and the preservation of common secular spaces.
In a Sunday [...]

10 THINGS I want to hear at my commencement

I’M GRADUATING this weekend. For me, university would not be complete without the commencement ceremony.
Everything’s ready. The graduation gown has been rented, school library fines have been paid, and most importantly, all requirements for filing for graduation have been met.
This year, Tulane University in the United States had among its guests comedian Ellen DeGeneres to [...]

‘Cashless’ undertaking reels in plenty

IF THIS recession is sprouting any green shoots, it might just be in the arts: In an already cash- strapped arena, any less just makes you more creative.
Being student filmmakers, working with little or no money is a reality. But working with less calls for some pretty resourceful problem solving.
As undergraduates at the National University [...]

Facebook: Set childish things aside

WINSTON Churchill once said that eating words never gave him indigestion.
If anything, I hope that a certain female Singaporean teacher will be spared a tummy upset as she stomachs the furore over her poor taste in posting a note detailing grammatical errors by her students on Facebook. Snippets from their English essays had been posted [...]

Saying no to liabilities – future kids included

THE current recession has made me more attuned to current affairs and instigated a burning desire to take charge of my financial life.
What disturbed me deeply were newspaper reports about elderly investors hit by the DBS High Notes 5 saga and young families downgrading their homes to cope with wage cuts.
Determined never to put myself [...]

For fresh grads, a Catch-22 situation

IT HAS been nine months and 10 days since I graduated – for me, a transitional period that I call bittersweet.
Now, with a recent letter from the Central Provident Fund Board requesting I repay in cash the amount withdrawn for my university education, I’m reminded that I am among the statistics of fresh graduates struggling [...]

‘Elite’ isn’t the only way to go

I ONCE thought I was being subversive by choosing a polytechnic over a junior college.
After all, I had attended a so-called elite secondary school where students aim for top junior colleges, go on to ace their A levels, land prestigious scholarships, an Ivy League education and soar through corporate ranks at lightning speed.
It is a [...]

School’s a journey, not an end in itself

I KNEW I was from a different school of thought when my colleague, with a perplexed look, asked me what the word gatal meant.
I tried my best to put across an explanation in proper English. I told her gatal, literally ‘itchy’ in Malay, is also slang for being perverted or lewd. Offended that someone had [...]