Don't feel left out..

Whenever you are in a group or gathered with your friends, you can be sure you can find a person who will stand out, and that is the socializer. The socializer is practically the one who will crack lame jokes, joke about almost everything or anything under the sun and poke fun at you. Often to the ire of the other members. However they will have a love hate relationship with him because without that socializer, that group will become very boring. So, everything actually everyone know that the socializer will poke fun at them, yet they still will invite him to any gathering because precisely of the reason that without him, the group will be bored.

A love-hate relationship was thus formed. However, the socializer actually has a very sacred job which perhaps, he himself do not even know. Usually, in a group, one or two will definitely be left out. So in this case, it is the socializer who is actually gelling up those left out personnel with the rest. Such is the sacred and important job of that of a socializer.

Why am i so vocal about giving kudos to socializer? Because i am one! hahaha. Sometimes i think without me, people will feel left out. However today i failed to complete my mission, one of my friends felt left out and i feel so much emotional.

I was have gathering with my army pals. 6 of us but only 5 of us were from JC( I am a JCIAN who downgrade to poly. You should know the answer of why). So there is this guy call Stephen who was from poly but he graduated. Initially, he was as noisy as the rest of us. However after that, he was mostly quiet.

So i gave him a call and he told me:" Aw, i felt so left out." Immediately i could understand why he felt this way. When i was in my secondary school, this guy call Han Cheong was downgraded from express to normal. And since that case happened, he dare not join us in any gatherings, even if he did, it was often after much coaxing. At that time, i thought:" hm...we didn't look down on you what, how come you think we are?"

It was after years later when i couldn't get into an University that i have the same feeling as what Han Cheong felt. This sense of self-depreciating feeling was actually, partly self invented. However as to stop thinking that way is, hard.

In a society where practically if you are a failure, you are labelled and sterotyped, it is very hard to shake off that social stigma of that a Poly graduates are much better than University graduates. That is why i can understand how Stephen felt. Although you may say:" whats the big deal?" But in a group where everybody is talking about the same thing which you have nothing to offer, you could feel that the society have been proven correct.

I don't really know what remedy to offer in this case. But everyone who will go out with friends, try to notice those who are quiet, especially those who suddenly turn quiet. They need your support and affirmation.

As for Stephen all i can told him is that:" Hey! Don't think you are lousy lah. You diploma Grad you say you lousy, then me this Half baked- downgrade to Poly 1 how sia?!!"

Stephen let out a loud graffaw.

Yes, the socializer always save the day.

Christmas

I have come to realise how time pass so fast ever since i went for my national Service. Although memories of my childhood are still fresh in the back of my mind, but somehow, i am quite sad that i cannot relieve those happy moments once again. Those moments where i am practically the tryant in the house. Being an only child has his perks you know. Those carefree moments where i would play with a ball and zoom past one room or another. Or leave my marks on the altar. That letter 'M' which i wrote is still visable.

Do you realised that when you are young, you hope that you could grow up faster and faster. During primary 1, you wished that you can be called Senior of the school and you wondered how many exams you need to pass in order to become primary sixters. But as you cross that hurdle, you come face to face with another hurdle, secondary school. And once again, you are a "oners" and u cross your fingers that you would be a "fourers" soon. Is the Theory of relativity coming into force? When you are in that time frame, you feel so slow but however if you are actually looking at that time-frame, this whole thing actually turn out to process and proceed at an alarming light speed.

When i am in that time frame, i was lamenting how slow the time is and that can i be off to NS and to University faster? Is there a faster route towards the end? But actually, i do not really want to reach the end. I want to enjoy the moment of what i am expierencing now. I am contridicting myself as usual.

But as though i have escape from the vicious cycle of karmic cause and effect, i find myself suddenly, worrying on how time have pass so fast. Perhaps is the rate at which things happened.

Countless of Christmas have pass by in my puny length of 21 yrs. Some i have been oblivious to, some i know the existence. As i am still engaging in a sure-lose battle to keep time off its fences, i wonder how many more christmas are left for me to savor.

Even iron bowl can be smelted down...

"Ok meng, tell us what you want to be when you grow up."

"Chi-cher, i want to be like my daddy and mummy, study very hard, get very good result, study until i can get a good job. I want to be an engineer because daddy and mummy say Singapore lack of engineers. I want to work for the civil service. Then rise up to be the president."

"Urm...rise to be president? But..Singapore's man of power is prime minister..."

"I don't care! I don't care! Daddy and mummy say must be president...Miss Wee i want to be the president!!"

"Oh okok Meng, don't cry. Thanks, sit down. So class...."

20 yrs later.......

"The Thai baht has just slide against the Greenback. Speculator are selling asian currency. A crisis is looming..Shankar, Channel News Asia"

" Suharto has just stepped down, indonesia is in chaos now. Looters are pratically combing all shops..."

"We got to bite the bullet."

"Unemployment rate has gone up again, economist predict a worse senario next year.....Glenda Chong, Channel News Asia."

"The government has just released our 3rd quarter growth, it has shunk. No more double digit."

"We want to distribute the wealth of the nation, to the people."

"We are expierencing a structural change in our economy."

"Singapore is just a little red dot...."

"Mr Goh! Where is the 70million!!"

"Mary has a little lamb...little lamb..."
"Sir, something happened..."
"Powell, can't you see i am reading to the children?"
"But sir...."
"Fuck off "

peep peep!! peep peep!
"Eh world trade centre kena hit "
peep peep!! peep peep!
"Sentosa gt kena or nt"
peep peep!! peep peep!
"Dunno leh"

"Oh my god!!!"

BOOM!!!

"Jesus!!!"

BOOM!!!

"Mr president, something really happen to our world trade centre...they are hit"
"They are hit......are what?!!!!"
"Its best we stop reading and hurry back, air force one is waiting"
"Holy shit!Powell, why didn't you tell me earlier on....jesus...."
"I did but you...."
"Whatever colin..."

"My fellow america, this is the biggest crisis we have, terrorism has reached our doorstep. Islam is a religion of peace..."
"....its either you are with us, or against us..."

"We have detained 12 JI members under the internal security act..."

" and this blah blah blah..terrorist..blah blah blah"

"terrorist blah blah blah blah blah"

"iraq blah blah blah blah"

"budget deficit blah blah blah blah"

"PSA has just retrenched another 100 odd workers..."

"HDB retrenched workers......."

"GST will be raise to 5%......"

"阿扁说，我们是台湾国......."

"我们一再强调，只有一个中国，我们觉不容忍拆散祖国，台湾是中国的一部分"


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"Ok meng, tell us what you want to be when you grow up."

"Chi-cher, I really don't know. Civil job not safe, go out also scared bomb hit me....i think i just want to go China or India and work."

"Why you have this thoughts? China is a communist country..everyone still ride a bike!"

"Yes chi-cher, but it will be powerful..."

"Oh really?"

"Yes chi-cher, becos everything changes.."


Yes....Everything has changed.

Merger

4 yrs ago they split, 4 yrs later they merged. I am talking about the two media entities. Hm....40 years ago we seperated from Malaysia, 40 years later....will we merged?

Biased voting show is over...finally

Finally we bid adieu to Singapore Idol, where pratically every Singaporean become Singtel Most Preferred Customer. Imagine the millions of calls that pour inside since the start of the show. No wonder Singtel Shares always rise whenever there is any charity shows or Singapore Idol coming up.

Of course without saying, any most watched show will have some controversies surrounding it. The most recent one is of course, why Sly never be number one and Taufik number two and also secondly, how come both also have recording contracts.

Let me tackle the first controversy. Personally speaking, sly should be crown number one. Stop hurling the abuses Taufik fans, when i say that, of course i am saying it on the basis of some hardfacts. I am not a sly fan nor a taufik one, i am not even a Singapore Idol fan and avid, staunch watcher to be exact. But all i know is, how come this hokkien accent k-box ah beng crooner can from day one of the audition right up to now, manage to be alive and even at the last moment, ousted Olinda, a rather powerful female vocalist. Why was he able to do that? It must be all those votes and smses.

Actually like i have said in my previous post, you are voted due to your popularity, not because of your talent. This trend of only whom the Asian have, is clearly shown when even joseph escada(sorry for the wrong spelling), could even be Philipines president, not to mention the countless Indian ministers who are voted because they are movie stars.

Some reports have said, oh when on the crunch, Singaporean know how to vote for the talented one. I beg to differ. If they are ever so logical, they won't be Singtel Most preferred Customer in the first place! And those star award voting? If let say Fann Wong could just give me a room in her posh private landed property, maybe i would consider typing countless smses till blisters formed on my thumb. Those idol chasers may be logical, fair enough, but are they rational? If they are rational enough, they won't throw money like that.

But due to the "irrationalism" of the idolising trend, that is why, it is justifiable of me to say sly should win, Taufik shouldn't.

Next consiracy i think it is the judge. To me, those four person are merely for show. They are worth only during the audition period and thats it, period! After the audition, mainly it is the audiences who has the final say, because everybody can vote.

Ok perhaps those four are there to sort of give constructive comment but is it necessary, absolutely not! Their comment won't determine who and who is going to get kicked out. They are merely there to spice things up but contributing those seemly profound but actually shallow comment.

But wait a minute! They appear to be puppet, but actually, i believe, those four are the one who propelled Taufik to the top spot. I believe in the last episode, it was those four, and not those smses which determine taufik to get the crown. So there you have it, consipracy.

And guys out there, no use lamenting that sly also get a contract. Don't behave like a child. Who on earth say that being second, you can't have a contract? Taufik didn't lose anything, in fact, he will be remembered down history as the FIRST singapore idol. Will sly ever be the FIRST idol, no way!

Although breaking the english pop scene is hard, but i am sure Taufik has already know that, and so do countless of people. Sly may break into the mandarin market. He may succeed, but i think its a matter of time before he is forgotten. We look at F4, tension and mainly those singers with looks or popularity. Their popularity waned after 2 yrs or so. I believe sly will also be that. Is he a writer? Not do i know of. He is a Jay Chou type 2? Too bad, Jay is a singer who is there, at the right place at the right time, plus alittle bit of talent.

The market of mandarin pop scene is big, with China. However, given the nature and appetite of idolisers out there, sly won't survive long. On the other hand, i do believe Taufik could survive, if properly marketed to Indonesia and Malaysia.

He could be marketed to mandarin pop scene too. Those idolisers down there will feel he is exotic and therefore, accept him

Chill out idolisers, it is just another show, another marketing scheme of mediacorp and of course, Singtel.....not forgetting frementle