A Democratic Day

I had a Demo overdose today as I had to attend a dialogue called The (IN)Significance of Political Elections. I think the speakers talked about everything except the democratic process of elections... I guess it was rather disappointing... altho the Workers' PArty did talk about how they push to give every citizen the right to exercise their vote. In fact, I learnt that quite a number of Singaporeans have never voted in their lives. =(

BUt I can't quite agree with doing away with the Elected Presidency. Not that there this is in any way a form of check on the current Government by the PResident as proposed in Locke.. but anyway.. I believe the Elected President is important.

The only thing I learnt is... you need to be fluent in one language and I'm aghast at my standard of English and my zilch vocabulary. =( Must work hard on this aspect too... -dun remind me that my Demo paper suckz-

But I think the play Rosnah was mind-boggling. It is my first play. Yes, I know it is an unspoken rule that ARTS students take Literature but I never got (altho I craved it) to do it becos I got streamed into Geography. I kind of feel that I would never be able to discover the other side of me if truth must be told. I guess I kind of feel wasted but I know I am not alone. Hahha my other half didn't take Literature although he is really an ARTS student. No one can believe that we weren't ART students and yeah, we regret it too. But thats life.

Anyway, the actress Siti was good. How she can fit herself into character, bring out different emotions, look at her character through different viewpoints is just very challenging and she could pull it off. I literally felt the intensity of emotions and at points in the play, I just couldn't bring myself to meet her eyes.

First: She is in London studying... on her parents' hard earned money
- she knows she needs to go home and contribute to society
Why do I know this strikes a chord? Cos I know there I need to make a difference in this world I live in. But yet, I want to pursue my own dreams of travelling every known path Man has found.

Second: She sees her friend from Malaysia/Singapore... who gave up her -culture- to fit into London
-She hears the decline of West in its morals and values, but hey, the East is going down the same way
Why can't people see this and understand that there is no dichotomy with East and West? That the East is no better than the West?

Third: As what Rosnah said... she is in transit. Where the hand luggage is too heavy and you don't move, where the coffee is too expensive. But ultimately, you are there too long and you dunno where you are going.
-She wants to find the compromise between her dreams and her duty
Why can't people stop giving me their ideas and trying to socialise me? I am lost after 20 years of listening to you.

Fourth: London bombings
-The community you serve can hurt you
Why do you think what you, my community, are doing what is right for me and the world? Are the values you preach only serving your own interests, to fulfill your own desires at the expense of mine?

Fifth: When her grandma died; she is in the clouds but her grandma is on the ground, taking photos of the clouds
-Ultimately, your identity is with the community; when you leave, you are faced with the sorrow of losing
Why do this societal bonds hold me back to u? Why do I feel guilty when I want to fly?

Sixth: When she got together with a European guy who proposed
- She enacted a scene in which she showed what would have happened if her parents met the bf
Why do you reject him? Why do I reject him since he doesn't come from the same culture?

Seventh: When her parents found out and said she shamed the whole family, when she said she should not have a bf as she need to repay her parents by working hard
Why must I repay you back? IS this community love conditional? IS what I do opposing your wishes, but fulfilling mine, considered deviance and therefore, something you should shun?

Eight: When he said he would turn Muslim for the sake of the marriage even tho he is agnostic
Why do we argue how to worship our God? Why are we behaving irrationally when it regards religion? Why is this a community desire we must keep?
What is love?

Ninth: When she said that in order to fight in life with vengence, she mentioned how her grandma uprooted from Melaka to S'pore and how in the Malay legend, the heroine left her country to CHina to save her husband
Everywhere says to not be afraid to uproot and accept change. So that you can have self-actualisation. Look at how we are supposed to be cosmopolitan but the paradox is you have to be pro-family

As what Rosnah said... she is in transit. Where the hand luggage is too heavy and you don't move, where the coffee is too expensive. But ultimately, you are there too long and you dunno where you are going.

I am lost. I dunno what is my future. I dunno how to make my future. And like Rosnah, I pray.

On a lighter note, the London bombing story that was mentioned featured the guy saying he was going to Russell Square but stopped at Victoria Street for coffee before that... and got involved in the London bombings.

Funny, how our lives are interwined in London but played out in Singapore.