As we wander about our daily lives, we are excited by the various offerings our senses can feast on; good food, cheap products, entertainment and gossip news.
Father’s day has just passed and most fortunate families would had typically had a mini-family reunion of sorts by gathering for a family dinner. Some would even top it out with a family outing.
As we go about pursuing our dreams, do take a pause and be thankful for all the goodness you currently have. And how your parents had nurtured your in one way or another, through their love for you.
Have a look at the video below, created by the Singapore National Family Council. Maybe it’s time to log off and give your parents a call to tell them that you love them too.
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In our earlier post in OCT 2009, we wrote about Singaporeans relocating during tough economic times to Johor Bahru. Conversely, there had been Johoreans who had relocated to Singapore, some eventually taking up Singapore citizenship.
In his post below, Andrew Ho shares the thought process he went through before deciding to convert his citizenship to Singaporean, and about life as a Singaporean now.
Most Chinese in Johor Bahru grew up watching Channel 8 (and nowadays Channel U as well). I still remember the good old days when SBC (Singapore Broadcasting Corporation) was showing 飞越银河, 青春123, 迷离夜and the list goes on.. While most of the dramas which fascinated me were fiction in nature, these serial dramas relate to people in both Singapore and Johor Bahru – they were touching, heart-warming, simple yet leaves a lasting memory.
I continued watching these serial dramas even all the way through to college, when I was studying in NTU. Life was carefree and I return to JB every weekend to be with my family, where my father would come into Singapore to pick me up. The trip was grueling due to the usual bad Friday jams but it was also a time for me to have a chat with my father.
As I stepped into my final year in NTU, trips to JB became less due to my final year projects where I had to meet up with my project mates over the weekends. My parents too, encouraged me not to head back to prevent time “wasted” while traveling. On Saturday and Sunday nights, I would occupy my time in hall watching SBC and subsequently Mediacorp dramas.
One of those late Saturday nights when I had nothing to do, I started switching on the TV again and while I can’t remember the name of the drama, it had something to do about a group of career young adults in Singapore. I looked at the scene of familiar CBD and started to realize how different Singapore and Malaysia had developed since the SBC days – there were MRTs, air-conditioned libraries, township developments and even a new Supreme Court building in the pipeline. Contrast that with Johor Bahru – there had been no central initiatives that would improve the infrastructure of the city. Neither was there any convincing master plan on how the city or nation would progress (back then, Iskandar Malaysia was still only on the drawing board).
And then, there was the issue with the Bumiputera policy.
Before the readers argue, please note that I do not dispute anything about Bumiputera policy in Malaysia. If the land had belonged to the natives (or sons of the land) in the first place, it might be fair that some policies be created to accord them more privilege. However, as a Chinese, this actually disadvantaged me. Agreeing that the Bumiputera policy should exist does not mean that I agree to live with the policy. Too often had I heard that just to get a deal from the central government, a Bumi partner had to be roped in for namesake and without doing anything, gets a cut of the revenue. If there was nothing I can change with regards to this policy, the least I could do is to plan ahead and give myself an environment with a more level playing field. And I do not have to look too far.. there is this land just across the causeway for me.
Agreeing that the Bumiputera policy should exist does not mean that I agree to live with the policy.
From that moment on, I began to put more thoughts into my future – what I am going to do after graduation and beyond that, where I should start my family (my girlfriend back then was also a Johorean). Immediately after graduation, I applied for Permanent Residency (PR) Read on…
Editor’s Note: This post has nothing to do with Johor Bahru – Just one of the occasional blog from us..
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time.
We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…
Remember – Spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember- To say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
