MINDS - Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore

I had a chance to do some volunteering today, for MINDS (aka Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore). One of my seniors (old boy) from my university used to work as senior management at MINDS, but I never had the chance to work with them until today. It was indeed an eye-opener to see how the staff at MINDS work, and how we volunteers can do our parts, no matter how small it may be. Just spending time with the people at MINDS can help elevate the burden placed on the small number of staff there, as well as make the day more interesting. It made me think about how fortunate I am that I and those around me are without handicaps. And while it may be hard to fathom what they are thinking, and sometimes we are just lost as to how to handle them, it is a lesson in life that we must always be ready to give what we can to help those in need.

White tigers

I have always liked the big cats, especially tigers, which I find to be majestic animals.

Recently, someone jumped into the white tiger section at the Singapore zoo, and was killed by the two female tigers there. It was an apparent case of suicide, though why would anyone want to get himself killed by tigers is beyond me. After all, it is a messy way to die...

I remember visiting the white tigers at the zoo. Back then, the zoo didn't have resident white tigers, they were on loan from somewhere else, and thus were sort of a "for a limited time only" exhibit. But now, the zoo has its own resident white tigers (2 females and 1 male), all 9 years of age.
The big cats, especially tigers, fascinate me because they move with power, confidence and yet do not act aggressively without reason. They stalk their prey, prowl, and only move in for the kill when they are ready. There is something about tigers that set them apart from the other big cats. And white tigers are so much more beautiful, the white colour like a sort of symbol for purity, the purest of tigers.

Having fun during festivals

I was watching The Amazing Race today, and was reminded of the Hindu festival Holi, which I had the fortune (misfortune?) to be part of earlier this year. I was reminded of how carefree the Indians were when they were celebrating the festival, how they let their hair down and painted the whole place red (and green and yellow and blue and purple and orange and...)

Thailand has the water festival, Songkran, during which they pour/splash water at each other. All these festivals are fun (if you think of it...) and let people forget being their usual uptight selves and do something that they will normally not do (like throw coloured powder or water at each other). Comparing with Singapore, we don't have festivals like these... or rather, we don't celebrate such festivals, even though they are an integral part of festivities in most part of Asia. I guess our uptight selves with the British history just cannot allow ourselves to detract from the prim and proper behaviour that we are supposed to uphold.

Maybe we should let down our hair once in a while, it can be good in aiding to relieve stress at a national level...

Discipline

There was a time when teachers and parents believed in disciplining the kids, and enforced discipline in school and at home. The kids respected and even feared the teachers, for they know that if they cross the line, they will be dealt with.

Yet, in recent times, we have seen an erosion of discipline, allowing students to run amok in school and outside, and teachers being either unable or unwilling to enforce discipline. Teachers now no longer have the same respect from their students (generally) which is a very sad thing, since to me, I feel that teaching is a very noble profession. After all, what can be as important as educating the next generation?

But why did we lose focus on discipline?

There are some who think that enforcing discipline is stifling creativity, that discipline forces everyone into the same mold and implies conformity. I think these people should look beyond the letter of discipline, to look at the spirit of discipline. Discipline is about inculcating values. It is about making sure that people learn the right values, values that will see them through life by helping them make the difficult decisions in life. By taking away discipline, our kids now have lost the guiding beacon that steers them onto the right track when they step out of line. Our kids have lost the guiding beacon that brings them towards learning the right values for life.

Have we done a disservice to our kids, by depriving them of the tools that they need to succeed in life? Maybe parents and teachers should rethink how they see discipline, for the real benefit of their kids.

Behind times...

I think I am getting old... or maybe, the younger generation is catching up. I mean, when I was half my age, I just started learning about electronic BBSs and started posting on them. Now? People younger than that are blogging! My cousins have their own blogs, and they have been teaching me how to get better looking skins from blogskins.com, instead of using the generic ones provided by blogspot.com. Guess I am really falling behind the curve...

Audrey's blog
Angie's blog

Denying the past

See this article (Air force chief fired over essay denying Japan's aggression during World War II) on JapanToday.com, of a high-ranking Japanese military officer who tries to deny the past.

I wonder why people would want to deny the past, except in shame. Sigh. Isn't it time to face the past, accept what has happened, and move on to prevent similar mistakes?