*What's Next*

Heh....hands up all those who expect another rambling on PPE...=)

Well, sorry folks, it's going to be on American Idol. Yes I watch it and yes I like it. For the observant who notice the time of posting and wonder why I'm not watching it, reason's simple...the guys sang terribly today...I'm depressed. I mean, sure I like female singers and all but the fact is they already rule the airwaves and I want/need something different.

Anyway, Jon Peter Lewis was bad and Stevens was in the words of the immortal Simon Crowell (he was his own wax figure at Mdm Tussad!), "abysmal" and I totally agreed. Motown week, the song My Girl and he totally screwed it up...at this rate there won'[t be any male singers left in the competition which will be a massive waste.

Anyway, for those who want a return to my regular posting on boring serious stuff, I'll do one some on the Mongol option 'k? or as Paul puts it "Kill Them All"

*One Year On*

Mass anti-war rallies marked the one year aniversary of the USA's liberation/invasion/imperialist conquest of Iraq.

Pity.

I think my attitude on this topic is pretty clear. The war was justified...and a long time in coming. And on balance, it is still a good thing. The beauty of hindsight is that it is 20/20. After a while, people start to forget that when on the ground at that time, things look a lot different. Based on the intelligence of that time (remember, the FSB and French secret service agreed with the assessment by the CIA and MI6), Saddam Hussein's behavior (very very very suspicious, and even till the end, tried to hide documents from the Inspectors) and the general climte of the war on terror (yes it may have been a little disingenous to link Saddam and Al-Qaeda, but the link has been born out and the danger has always been that services and weaponary could be sold to them and Iraq could be a safe haven, not to mention a sponsor)...1441 practically begged the Security Council to launch an invasion. What was the alternative? Another decade of crippling sanctions that hurt the people, another 12 years of living under a brutal regime?

And yes, I do think (unlike Mr Devas) that what happen in Spain was appeasement. Even if, Iraq had never had a link with the general war on terror. One, the actions by Al-Qaeda say otherwise. And two, their actions now draw the link nice and clear. We love death like you love life. Chilling words that we gave in to. Does he honestly think that Al-Qaeda is about the avenging of Iraq? Hardly the case. Top of their list involved the US out of the holy cites. Done. Iraq and the Palestinian conflict was tacked on at the very last. What they want is nothing more than the complete, utter and total anniliation of our (liberal, secular and democratic) way of life. How does pulling out help? Will increasing the instability of the current situation somehow make things better? Will the acknowledgement that we will back down in a total war make us stronger? How will rolling over and surrender somehow appease these lunatics?

Make no mistake, it is the next great war of ideologies. The cold war is over. Welcome to the Hot Peace, or so we hope. This will not end till we take a clear united stance and reject what the Al-Qaeda stands for and who their sympathisers are.

*Scholarships in Singapore*

Sorry about the boring title...couldn't think of anything snazzy today...too much paperwork rots your brain...=)

Anyway, I've been following with some interest in the forum regarding the importance of academic grades in scholarship applications. As a student who is nearly willing to crawl over broken glass (okay, at least fill up my essay using only morse code with a self powered generator) to get an overseas scholarship, here's my two cents worth.

A government scholarship is a big thing. If nothing else, tax payers' money is going to majorly subsidise your education. A three/four year education in the UK will cost S$250,000 and the USA nearly twice that. As such, it is only fair that only the highest of criterias and most stringent of selection takes place. Fact: For the cohort of 2001, there were 1,300 4As student. For that of 2002, 1,500. For 2003, 1559 (ST numbers). As such, it would not be a stretch of imagination that at least a number of them would be able to pull off both brilliant grades and an active CCA and voluntary work.

Ms Lydia's first assumption is that somehow they are mutually exclusive. Perhaps, but not always so. Miss Mok from HC, now an A-Star scholar, combined straight As and distinctions with hundreds, yes hundreds of hours of community service. Wen Shan, took 3 S-papers with a very very healthy schedule in Wushu (in addition to her black belt in Tae Kwan-Do). I have a classmate who had 4As and 2 S-paper distinctions with As in her languages and was only offered a local scholarship. No offence, but with her grades, does she honestly expect tax money to pay for her way through?

Her second assumption is that since she triumped over adversity to get where she is, it should count for a lot. It does but well sorry me dear, so did a lot of people I know. And they still hit the grades. While I salute her resolve and fighting spirit to get where she is now, well, so do I others.

Third assumption, somehow success is determined by getting a govt scholarship. Maybe it is recognition from the highest body of the law, but yeah, I would be seriously upset if I didn't get a scholarhship but I'll be even more determined to make my way in life. Heck, my best odds looks like it's from the pte sector....

Regardless, I wish her all the best in finding a scholarship and success in life.

Cheerios!

Disclaimer: The following topic is going to be touchy and some people might be upset at the topic or the opinions.

For the innocent unfairly killed in the mass bombings, we share a moment of silence.
For those who have lost loved ones in the tragedy, we share a moment of silence
For the Conservative government that did the right thing and got unfairly punished for it, we share a moment of silence.
For the Socialist Government who believe that withdrawing from Iraq and the War on Terror in the false hopes of keeping Spain safe, we share a moment of silence.
For the voters who falsely believe like above, we share a moment of silence.
For the terrorist who died believing in a false doctrine and the words of madmen over the religion of peace, we share a moment of silence
For the terrorist who say we love death like you love life, we share a moment of silence.

*A moment of silence for Madrid*

*NS, Women and Babies*

Here's some thoughts for thoughts...let's try this equation yah? (From some letter by a guy called Robert Ooi)

1. Making babies for females = NS for guys
2. NS (possibility of making females eligible) = Disincentive to not make woopie (okay okay, double negatives bad I know)
=> 3. NS = Stick?

Is that suppose to make me feel better about NS....?

*Boo-yah!*

Got a call from SPH telling me I've been shortlisted for the writing test this friday! Yeah! Cheers! Not management but journalism though...hmmm...maybe they think we Humanz students have no head for business...*Evil gwin*...

Though it seems I managed to leave every single possible copy of my results out... Weird...

Would love to write for the Business Times or at least the Politics section...=)

*Heart at Ease*

Hey hey....what can I say? Except that glad I am....joy is my name, happy am I (a horrendous butchering of William Blake) for I AM VINDICATED!!!!

Okie...with all that sound and fury you might wonder what the h*** I'm referring to. Sorry Friends...like Shakespeare's MacBeth, it actually signifies pretty little. But it means a lot to me...=)

Yup, I got my One for GP after my previous disasterous outing in my actual A's which had me collapsing to the ground (like a girl) midway through my prancing around the room (like a girl) having heard my other results...

Anyway, yes I still maintain that they probably lost like half my essay (9 1/2 pages long) and my comprehension in order to give me the 5 that i got (ooohhh...hubris huh?)... It's either that or Naomi Klein (Globophobe Canadian journalist) or Jonathan Grey (Anti-Globalist LSE lecturer, head of IR I think...hmmm maybe I shouldn't mention him then....for obvious reasons) marked my essay (which admittedly was rather rabidly pro-globalisation...but no worse than the Economist and much less so than Thomas Friedman)

But yes...happy happy happy...=)

Cherrios!!!

*Theme from The Empire Stirkes Back playing in the background*

Greetings from the the Specialist Mess of School of Military Medicine, Nee Soon Camp, where I have just returned from my two day one night bimonthly commune with nature, where your uniform is a canvass for the downpour, you hair to be bleached by the sunshine, your combat rations a place for dust to reside and your bodily blood a meal for the freakin' commando mosquitos... Thank the pan dimensional deities for the SAF insect repellent...=)

Stores to be settled, surveys to be consolidated and IQAs to be met but hey you know what? I ain't gonna sweat the small stuff coz I'm going to ORD!!!! =) *Warbles in a William Hung-ish kind of way*...Time is on my side.....

Cherrios Ladies and Gentlemen