A very, very funny moment in Michael Jackson's Private Home Videos. MJ was talking about the torture he went through during touring when his staff told him to be a bit more positive about things:

Funny Michael Jackson Moment - Click here for funny video clips
I cracked up when he looked straight at the camera and, with all sincerity, said, "I love to tour!" He looked just like one of those politicians.

Full version here. And I think the 1993 concert birthday scene was taken in Singapore at the Indoor Stadium!

================

For all his public weirdness, his purported crimes against children and his gradual deformation and addiction, he is still one of the greatest music geniuses we've ever had. Even today songs like Billie Jean and Thriller haven't lost their edge.

He was a key part of my teenage years. I had very little pocket money at that time but I still went out and bought his Bad album (one of the very few cassettes I could afford). Who didn't try to do the moonwalk at some point in his life?

I'm very, very sad that he's gone.

He: Tim Burton is filming "Alice In Wonderland". Guess who has a part?
She: (bored) Johnny Depp.
He: And guess who's the female lead?
She: (more bored) Helena Bonham-Carter.

Well at least Alan Rickman has a part...

Yesterday we were supposed to go to the gym but the guy wanted to rush home to eat his swordfish leftovers (plus I had a ton of work to do).

Today I have a 5 pm meeting in town.

Hopefully nothing crops up on Wednesday.

Thursday I have a dinner appointment.

Friday I have another appointment.

ARRRGHHHH!

1) Lots of fur rugs around Jurong Point. There were this pair of very furry rugs lying languidly on their owner's shoulders. Wonder if anybody took pictures!

2) Was explaining sterilisation to one boy when he told me he volunteers at the SPCA. That was a nice surprise!

3) This young mother with two small boys was asking about adoption. When she asked, "any payment involved?", my antenna shot up. I answered "usually not, but if the kitten is very young we would require you to sterilise the kitten." She nodded and walked away.

4) This boy was hovering around the booth and digging his teeth with his fingers while his mother browsed. When his wet hand moved towards the merchandise, I yelped. I didn't care if the mother was offended. You don't let your children put their hands into their mouths and then go around touching things!

5) Mother of very enthusiastic teenage daughters asked if a cat (rescued) should be sterilised. Apparently, she was keen but the father thought it was not necessary. Hopefully, "testicular cancer" will convince him otherwise!

6) This cat apparently also loves baths! I told the family they were very fortunate and blessed.

7) Guy hovered long at the booth, asking about the merchandise before finally asking me to give him a notebook ($7) for free. I looked at him and replied, "this is for fund-raising you know?"

8) Girl was throwing tantrum at her mother, asking to buy a cat. I looked at the girl and said, "Oh no, don't buy cats. Also, you have to take care of the cat you know? Bathe, feed and everything." Girl quietened down. Sometimes you just need another person other than the parents to do the talking.

Cookie, the top cat, with Melody Chen

An awesome compilation of road safety videos. Specially for the chao ah bengs/ah lians who treat public roads like a racetrack.

Some notable expenditure items:

1) Skybus return ticket = $26
2) 5 X Daily Zone 1 Metcard = $29.40 (damn worth it!)
3) Draggins Minx (Peter Stevens, Elizabeth Street) = $239
4) Dainese Motodon gloves = $99.95
5) Bike lock reminder coil = $9.95
6) 1.2 kg raw macadamia nuts = $28.80 ($24/kg - half the price of Singapore's)
7) 400g macadamia nuts + 200g banana chips = irrelevant (for mom as appeasement as I didn't take her on this trip!)
8) QVM pastries = $50 (my Melbourne ritual)
9) Seafood platter (half dozen oysters + steamed shrimps) from David Jones = $12.95
10) Dozen Coffin Bay (SA) oysters from QVM = $9.50 (yes I swallowed every one of them right at the market itself!)
11) Coles sunscreen (2.8% TiO2) 500ml = $10.99 (very good sunscreen. I bought 2 bottles!!)

What's cheap and good at Melbourne

1) Fresh produce/meats/seafood- hence, stay at YHA, buy your stuff at QVM, and cook your own dinner!!
2) Sunscreen
3) Macadamia nuts - MY FAVOURITE!!!!!
4) Wine (goes without saying)
5) Very, very good coffee. You'd be damn suay to get bad coffee in Melbourne
6) Motorcycles (Honda ABS bikes cost only $1,000 more than the non-ABS models!)

What's not cheap at Melbourne

1) Cooked food (esp dinners). Doesn't help that cafes tend to close early (unless you go all the way to Lygon or Brunswick for your diner!)
2) Petrol (117 cents per litre for 91 RON)
3) Australian food products - I can buy cheaper Australian Nutella at our NTUC!!!

I've visited Melbourne too many times methinks. I wanna go to Tasmania next!!!

This is how Rihanna's Umbrella-ella-ella-ella sounds like in Hokkien! Almost a word-for-word translation.

Police car some more! Good thing I decided to slow down just in case (had wanted to accelerate past him).



In other news, I'll be taking a break until the end of next week. Going to the land of roos! Okay maybe I'll type something tonight at home in the midst of packing...

Question: What do these words have in common?

1) Pro family
2) Family / Families
3) Traditional values
4) Pro life
5) Homosexual agenda
6) Christian

Answer: they are all code words used by the Christian Right. They are meant to sound totally innocuous (well, at least to ignorant Singaporeans) but in the US the subtext is so obvious a mention of any of these codewords would give away your affiliation immediately.

1) Pro family = a codeword for anti-homosexuality and other issues that threaten the concept of "family" and "family values" (see 2).

In the case of homosexuality, a "pro family" stance denies homosexuality as an inborn condition. "Pro family" groups thus oppose any attempt to "legitimise" homosexuality, e.g. civil union; legal adoption; military service; and rights to housing and medical benefits. In Singapore, equal employment of homosexuals in the civil service, S377A and the AWARE CSE are some issues raised under the premise of "pro family".

The same applies to other "anti family" issues such as sex education, pre-marital sex, abortion, birth control.

2) Family / Families = regarded as the basic building block of society and the representation of "family values" or "moral values". Consists of a male father, a female mother (both heterosexual) and heterosexual children. Family members hold conservative values and are assumed to have a religious affiliation (in US case Christianity).

Antithesis = co-habitation; single parent families; same-sex couples. In extreme cases can include married couples who choose not to have children.

3) Traditional values - in the case of the US, always associated with "conservative Christian values" presumably based on verses taken from the Bible. The case for Singapore remains largely undefined but "Asian values" is usually cited. This is problematic as there is no set of values common to all Asian countries. LKY who invented the concept of "Asian values" meant it to refer to "Confucian values".

4) Pro-life = a code word for anti-abortion and in some cases access to birth control.

5) Homosexual agenda = a code word referring to any attempt to achieve greater equality and acceptance of homosexuals in society. This term is used in a pejorative manner intent to create a sense of fear by suggesting a concerted political (even militant) movement by homosexual activists to dominate the country's political and social arena.

6) Christian = almost inevitably Christians holding conservative values with regards to homosexuality, abortion, pre-marital sex, sex education and so on. These "Christians" would regard other self-professed Christians holding more liberal views as "non-Christians" or misguided Christians.

(Don't worry, there won't be any spoiler in this post.)

So we were seated comfortably in Lido 1, munching on our snacks.

10 minutes into the movie...

She: (whispers) Isn't that the bad guy from Iron Man?
He: ...

Another 5 minutes...

She: (whispers, louder this time) Isn't that CAMERON???
He: Hah??????

Well I'm not a trekkie, so I wasn't really that excited about this movie. That being said, this movie isn't that bad on its own. Pretty well-paced (although rather slow at times, which I was told is a characteristic of Star Trek movies), plot is quite good and the characters well-portrayed.

Hmm... now, as to whether I want to catch up on the rest of the Star Trek series...

1)  Pro family
2)  Family  / Families
3)  Traditional values
4)  Pro life
5)  Homosexual agenda
6)  Christian

[Personal portions are edited. Yeah yeah I know the English is quite spotty in some parts. Lack of sleep was the excuse.]

Sent: 07 May 2009 13: 06PM
To: ng_eng_hen@moe.gov.sg
Cc: jennifer_chan@moe.gov.sg; mail@we-are-aware.sg

Dear Minister Ng Eng Hen

RE: MOE Statement on Sexuality Education Programme

I read your Press Secretary’s reply on the AWARE Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) with some disappointment. I was the product of a Christian, abstinence-only and would like to provide some comments from that perspective.

My comments will cover a diverse range of issues, as follows:

1. Whether MOE sought professional advice in its review
2. “Homosexual lifestyle”
3. Abstinence-only sex education

I would appreciate a reply to each of the points I have raised.

Whether MOE’s review involved psychologists, psychiatrists and counsellors

It appears that MOE’s review was a reactionary one towards concerns raised by certain segments of the public. The right of these members of the public to raise concerns is legitimate. However, what is not clear is the criteria MOE chose to evaluate AWARE’s CSE for it to arrive at the conclusion that “responses in the instructor guide are explicit and inappropriate”.

This being a Comprehensive Sexuality Education, it baffles me as to how this session can be conducted without being “explicit”. The nature of this module necessitates explicit response, as it is meant to facilitate frank and open discussion. I cannot see how a module on sex and sexuality can avoid being explicit. Would the MOE enlighten me as to how this can be achieved? Do we have to revert to using euphemisms such as “the birds and the bees” or “the eel entering the cave” to avoid being explicit?

Discomfort at the explicit discussion of sexual acts is understandable; however, what seems to be lost in the noise is that this module is conducted precisely so that these uncomfortable subjects can be raised and discussed in a safe environment, in a matter-of-fact manner. Hysterical reaction at the nature of the modules obstructs the real issues at hand – arming our students with accurate, usable information on sex and sexuality in a factual manner (which requires explicitness).

Because MOE’s response suggests that it has not fully understood the issues at hand, I question whether professional opinion has been sought to evaluate the appropriateness of AWARE’s teaching material.

Homosexuality as a “lifestyle” rather than a fact

It is rather disappointing that MOE chose to fly in the face of medical and psychological opinion, and continue to label homosexuality a “lifestyle”. I do not wish to cite medical evidence to the contrary (which can be easily obtained) but wish to comment on the implications this will have on counselling services to students.

MOE’s position is a strong signal to schools and counsellors as to the appropriate messages to convey to students. The term “homosexual lifestyle” is value-laden and suggests that a student is somehow at fault for his/her homosexual tendencies. Therefore, would students struggling with their sexual orientation receive the best counselling services from schools, if the school has to adopt a “homosexual lifestyle” stand? Does it mean then that the MOE is in favour of “sexual orientation change” programmes conducted by certain churches, despite mounting evidence of psychological damage suffered by participants of such programmes?

Again by the use of the term “homosexual lifestyle”, I have to question whether MOE has sought professional advice before making such ill-advised statements.

Beware of abstinence only sex education

As someone who was a product of the “abstinence only” school of thought I feel qualified to make some pointed comments on this approach.

It appears that there are some quarters are subtly pushing for an “abstinence only” sex education. Studies in Utah (where only “abstinence-only” can be taught without parental permission) have been cited to purportedly prove the effectiveness of a “abstinence only” sex education.

Having been born of this school, I wish to state that the success of an “abstinence only” lies in the use of very damaging notions of sin, guilt and fear. As Christians, we were taught not to have sex before marriage because it would “defile the marriage bed”. Pre-marital sex is a taboo subject and, if discussed, is often done with disapproval. Sex is regarded as private, taboo, best not talked about. This creates very unhealthy emotional associations with sex.

This was not helped by the use of fear-inducing videos such as The Silent Scream, which I watched in school. The message from this video was very clear – avoid sex because once you get pregnant it is a sin to get an abortion. [deleted] Such is the residual fear caused by an abstinence-only sex education.

Contrast this to the approach chosen by the Netherlands. Sex education in the Netherlands is well-known throughout the world for being explicit, matter-of-fact, and non-discriminatory. Children as young as five speak of sex openly and formal sex education from around age 12. 13 year-olds are taught “to put a condom on a broomstick” and 16 year olds can speak of anal sex without shame[1]. Remarkably, the Netherlands has the lowest teenage pregnancy rate in Europe. The teenage abortion rate in the Netherlands is also lower than Singapore, at 10.4 versus 12.6 per 1000 women.[2] These are the indisputable results of a comprehensive, frank, non-taboo, value-neutral sexual education.

As to the claim that an abstinence-only sex education works, the results speak for themselves:

Teenage birth rates (aged 15 -19, per 1,000)

Utah 33.4 (2005) [3]
Netherlands 5 [4]
Singapore 6 [5]

Abstinence should be taught to our students as an empowered choice (among other choices), not a value-laden compulsion. My fear is that the encroachment of these “abstinence-only” activists into our schools and public places will create irreparable damage to attitudes to sex. [deleted]

Conclusion – speaking as a Christian

As a Christian I watch the rise of Christian conservatism (or fundamentalism as some may call it) with great fear. Having experienced first-hand the kind of tactics this movement endorses (not just in sex education), I fear that good sense and rational thought is being swept aside by waves of hysterical fears whipped up by this segment on this sexual education issue.

I feel that this issue has been sensationalised due to the manipulative tactics of the Christian fundamentalism activists. Instead of evaluating the AWARE CSE as a whole or from the perspective of someone who has sat through the programme, they picked selective quotes out of context from a Trainer’s Manual and put undue attention on these quotes. Such is the tactic employed by these activists – tactics based on fear, guilt and disapproval. I feel that AWARE has been unfairly maligned in this episode.

I have received good education, untainted by religious distortions, thanks to the secular education policy adopted by the Singapore Government. Having seen the debates on subjects like sex education and the teaching of Creationism as a science topic in the US (from which most Christian fundamentalism ideas we see in Singapore today originate), I fear that these Christian fundamentalism activists, by virtue of their loud voices and ability to sensationalise issues, will compromise the quality education Singapore is known for.

I urge the MOE to hold firm to its secular position, make decisions based on sound, professional guidelines and opinion, and not be swayed by the religious agenda of a small group of people.


Yours sincerely,
[name]

[1] Sex education: why the British should go Dutch, http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/the_way_we_live/article5208865.ece

[2] UN Data – Abortion rate, http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=GenderStat&f=inID%3A12

[3] Teen Pregnancy and Birth Rates in the United States December 2007, http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national-data/pdf/STBYST07.pdf. Utah’s teenage pregnancy rate was 53/100

[4] Births per 1000 women (15-19 ys) – 2002, http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/indicator.cfm?IndicatorID=127

[5] Ibid

It just occured to me as I was walking to the loo... you know why some parents are howling at the mention of anal sex / homosexuality as "neutral or positive"?

Because they themselves haven't gone through the CSE mah! That's why they're saddled with these misconceptions!

HAHAHAHA!!

Do you know sex education never really ends... new arguments, new contraceptive measures, new STIs and preventive measures etc. It doesn't start at CSE and it doesn't end there too.

===========

So, did you get any sex ed in school, and how was it conducted? Where did you get information on sex from?

Sex education in my school ("elite" girls' school in the late 80s/JC in the early 90s):

I couldn't remember much of it. I only remember being told what menstruation was, the mechanics of fertilisation and that was about it. All I knew about the sexual act itself was from biology class, crass jokes from our seniors, and Virginia Andrew's novels, which we passed about surreptitiously. Maybe those who went to the same school as I did can clarify.

I do remember watching this movie called "The Silent Scream" but I couldn't remember whether it was in secondary school or for a GP class. I also remember being mildly horrified when a male classmate in JC declared that one should always have sex to confirm sexual compatibility before committing to a partner. My GP teacher had a hard time handling that one (she was a staunch Roman Catholic).

By that time I was already a Christian and there were two things that was impressed upon me very strongly: (1) cannot have VIRGINAL sexual intercourse before marriage (note how specific that is); and (2) cannot get pregnant before marriage (because cannot do abortion due to the SILENT SCREAM). Note that observing (1) does not necessarily lead to a prevention of (2), because obviously (1) does not exclude a myriad of other sexual activities.

BTW my mother did not do "The Talk" but there was a lot of guilt piled on me as she conveniently assumed that I was sexually active before I got married.

Sex education for Kayster (mission boy's school in Malaysia):

None other than an unplanned session with the biology teacher, who happened to be the Discipline Master. He sat down and took questions like "why does the penis get erected" and "why do women get wet". As you can tell, these boys were already getting some serious education from porn movies without understanding what the heck they were watching.

He was also taught how to masturbate during a boys' scout camp. "Put your right hand in (i.e. the pants), take your right hand out, put your right hand in and shake it all about..."

============

So Kayster was joking about MOE's decision:

"So they're going to stop the CSE ah? Do you know it's damn easy to get porn on the web? I guarantee that the birth rate wlll go down because in these porn movies, the men always ejaculate in the women's faces or on the breasts. Like that, how to increase birth rate?"

So MOE decides that the AWARE CSE is not in line with its framework. That's fine. MOE is the boss.

But I'm very perturbed by this paragraph:



"...mainstream views and values of Singapore society, where the social norm consists of the married heterosexual family unit."

I am perturbed because it seems I didn't grow up in the "mainstream... married heterosexual family unit". My dad died when I was young leh.

I also know of families whose parents are divorced, or where one or both parents are in jail and the children have to live with their grandparents or foster homes, or where the children are orphaned and they are being cared for by relatives. They don't fit into the "mainstream views and values of Singapore society". How?

What about those poor chaps who are not married? They are out of the mainstream, which means... they are deviant? What if they're monks living in monasteries? Okay fine, not all of us can be saints.

But really, what's with this Happy Family picture when in reality every one of us either grew up in or knew of families that do not fit into this mould? Can don't ostracise students coming from these "non standard" families or not?

And woe betide you if you cannot forsee your future fitted into this mould... Ahemz.

She saved us from the Indian Ocean tsunami/earthquate!!!

Assuming this report is true, can anyone still defend her participation in the AWARE takeover? I had said earlier that the involvement of this bunch of Christian fundamentalists will be detrimental to women's right in many ways. During the EGM, when questioned as to whether rape victims that got pregnant would be counselled as to all options available to her, including abortion, Josie replied evasively, "she will be counselled as to all legal options available to her."

If abortion is the "contraceptive of choice", then did Dementor Thio ask herself WHY? Could it be that our men and women are not receiving enough education on contraceptive choices? Could it be that our so-called "Asian values" and "conservatism", and the shame and guilt associated with sex promoted by the likes of Thio herself, make discussion of these topics very difficult? Isn't this where CSE comes in, to arm our youths with good information that they can rely on for life?

Not to mention the audacious claim that her prayers saved Singapore and Malaysia from the tsunami. It's like saying "God tells me it will rain this week!" How about prophesying something like a volcano will sprout up in the middle of Orchard Road and erupt for 7 days and nights in August this year (National Day mah)?

Anyway, I'm tired of hearing from these false prophets. I'm also tired of Christians who don't use their brains and call these people true prophets. Am I glad I have stopped attending church.

( How Prayer Can Avert Disaster )

From Ching Crackberry Sia's Facebook album. You have to be a member of We believe that recent events at AWARE concerns us all to view the albums.

I'm down with something. Have been feeling tired over the past few days and went to bed with a headache. Probably due to this stupid getai that didn't stop until 11pm. I was ready to call the police when the stupid singer finally sang her last 姚苏容 song.

And this morning, I woke up with a running nose and a scratchy throat. Tried getting up but really couldn't. So I joked to my colleagues that I was down with swine flu and was staying at home.

Anyway, am back at work now as I have to send out a letter. OINKZ!

Tactical Mistake moment - Josie Lau & co should have engaged the "old guard" prior to the meeting to agree on the agenda. The initial chaos was due mainly to disagreement of the EGM agenda. This was not helped by the perceived high-handedness of the "new exco" (turning off the mikes; throwing people out; no photography and video-taping etc). This is a pity because had it been done, the meeting would definitely have been more orderly.

Chinese Teacher moment - a stern-looking Sally Ang telling Margaret Thomas (ex President of AWARE mind you) to "Shut Up And Sit Down!" [TM]

Dignified moment - Josie Lau taking responsibility for Sally Ang's outburst.

Demented moment - THE Feminist DeMentor trying to "establish her credentials" by citing her mention in some book "on page 73", only to get into a shouting match with the members.

No Big No Small moment - Thio Su Mien scolding the meeting for not respecting elders, after members had enough of her "feminist credentials".

WTF moment - some guy saying he wanted to write a book titled "Women Are From Mars, Men Are From Venus" after seeing how aggressive we were. Then he ended with "I'm being touched by all these women! Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"

(EDIT: sorry, they were two different men. The "they're touching me all over" person is the one who also said Constance Singam reminded him of his mother. Video here!)

Persecution Complex moment - Thio Su Mien repeating the line "We have received death threats!" as if that would give her and her bunch legitimacy.

Low Blow moment - some guy who insulted Josie Lau & co's pronunciation. Frankly, that was uncalled for. We were there to listen to what she had to say, not how she said it.

Most Dignified Person Award - okay this is controversial but I really think Josie Lau deserves to be commended for remaining cool when she was under so much fire.

Most Motherly Person Award - Constance Singam. Afterall, one man said she reminded him of his own mother...

Sphincter Award - Sally Ang. See Chinese Teacher moment above. Relax, don't do it...

Iron Bum Award - all the members who sat through the 7 hour proceedings. This naturally excludes the "Red Shirts" and supporters who disappeared after the voting.

Jugular Award - IDENTIFIED! Chitra Sankaran who explained why Thio Su Mien, Josie Lau & co had no idea what feminism is and thus were not qualified to lead AWARE. See below for full quote.

Collectibles - already for sale: "I'm On Page 73!", "Shut Up And Sit Down", "Feminist Mentor", "1414 Must Buy 4D" t-shirts. Coming soon: Feminist Mentos; Feminist (pink) Dementor action figure; Black Eyed Peas "Shut Up (And Sit Down)" remix; "Shut Up And Sit Down" ringtone; commemorative "Page 73" with Thio Su Mien's original signature; Thio Su Mien action figure of her wagging her finger and scolding "respect your elders!"

Get yours today!!!


I am an academic in Singapore and I would like to clarify something about feminism. You can cannot speak out for a marginalized group like women without speaking up for all marginalized groups regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation. I have traveled all over the world and everybody I spoke to has high regards for Aware. Today, Aware has an international profile which is respected by human rights activists, please don’t undermine the international credibility of aware by your thoughtless actions. - Chitra Sankaran, A/P at NUS Dept of English/Literature

Those who accuse AWARE of being pro-gay, consider this: Claire Nazar, member of Cornerstone Community Church, was open about her views on homosexuality. If the "old guards" at AWARE were "pro-gay", why on earth would Constance Singham nominate Nazar to run for President?

If this whole saga was due to a clash of position on the homosexual issue, then theoretically, Claire Nazar should have gotten on fabulously with Josie Lau & co, right? So pray tell, why did she say this at the EGM yesterday:

"I resigned on 30 April 2009. The reason for my resignation is that if you have been more inclusive, I would not have resigned in the first place. I have been excluded from exco meetings and sidelined.”

There was no "Homosexual Agenda" (see they even import such terms from the US church, not just the theology) AWARE was promoting. There was, however, a very covert Christian Fundamentalist agenda that was rearing its ugly head in AWARE before AWARE members put a stop to it.