This post is a commentary on an article taken from The New Paper (03/08/08)-'Wishing for more family time'
After I read this article, I remember my time before I moved to Singapore. The article was about MPs who felt that they do not spend enough time with their family because of their busy daily schedule. They said that they must put the residents and communities at the top of their list, but still family was number one for them. I agreed that residents and people are important, but family is too. However, their professions are time consuming. One said that he cannot have dinner or with his children on weekday and one said that outing with family on weekend is priceless because weekend is the only time he can spend with his family. Time on weekday is not enough for them to spend in their office and at home.
I recounted my life 10 months ago when I still live in Indonesia with my family. Time is definitely not enough for me. Yes, me, a secondary 3 student now; I was a 9th grade student then. You may say that my case is different since I am a student and they are a working adult and it only happens to adult, not to children. You may think that it is only to children whose parents are working. But, for me, children also feel the same and it is even worse for children whose parents are working.
I had piles of projects and homework when I was in my year 7 until year 9. One hundred questions for homework were just a daily bread for me. I always sit down in front of my desk and start to do my homework after around 7pm or 8pm everyday, after I went home from tuitions and had my dinner. It took me about three to 6 hours to finish my projects and homework. I did not procrastinate. The teachers assigned projects to be done on the next day, ignoring the other homework they had given before. During those three years, I rarely have time to speak to my family or to just watch TV shows with them. It was really hard to spend time for leisure when you always went to sleep around 2-5am every school day. Moreover, during school breaks on July or Christmas Holiday on December, I just could not spend my time with my parent since they are working. I just merely played with my brothers or sat in front of my computer. If I had extra time, I would rather to spend it with my friends instead and my parents understood me. I did it because I do not feel comfortable to be near to them and also because I interact with my friends at school everyday.
Also I saw that other children or teenagers also had the same problem like me, same amount of homework and similar case of parents who work in their offices. I realized that limited time to interact with family made a huge impact to our family. Our blood is easily to get boiled for simple problems and we felt that we are strangers for others.
Albeit, I personally regret that I did not spend enough time with my family and try to find the timeslot in my packed schedule to interact more with them when I was able to despite my limited time because of the assignments and projects. Now, they are thousands miles away and there is really no way for me to interact with them unless I wanted to spend hundreds of dollar for my phone bill. Now, I want you to think if you are living my life. Have you spend enough time with your family?
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Vandalism. I think not.
A commentary of article:En bloc tussles take nasty turn as market cools (by Lim Wei Chean, Melissa Sim, The Straits Times, 11/08/08)
I wonder if there is no other way to persuade people effectively besides using vandalism. In Laguna Park case where vandalism is used to persuade residents who do not want to sell their units in the en-bloc sale. I guess that the residents in favour to the collective sale are trying to terrorize who against them and hence, the deal between all the units’ holders and the investor will prevail thereafter.
However, I do not want to talk about persuading people via vandalism. What I want to highlight here is expressing emotions via vandalism. In Laguna case, we can infer that the motif behind is not only because of those in favour are persuading those not-in-favour, but also because of the pending deal between them and the investor. They cannot wait to sell their property in this cooling property market to avoid the fall of the price of their units. They need something to express their feeling towards those who against without using any verbal method, but with vandalism.
More than a decade ago, the similar issue rose to the height when Michael Fay vandalized public facility to express his emotion. His action brought furies over the people reside in the island and also the government. It continued to happen until finally he, with his fellow ‘gang’ members were charged and caned. The latter caused protest from foreign government and human right activists due to the action taken by the government as the punishment for them.
Vandalism, as what we know, is an action of obstructing or destroying property (ies). This may caused fear from people who worry that their possession will be destroyed by vandals and they will suffer from material loss.
Vandal may say that vandalize people’s property is the only way to show their hate to the particular people if they cannot speak out their emotion and expression. They say that this is merely a way to speak out. If it is a way to express views and emotions, what is wrong about it? Should it be considered as good?
We live in a society where freedom to speak is protected as long as it does not offend other groups of people, touch sensitive issue such as race and religion and cause loss or damage materially. Thus, vandalize is totally wrong as it does not fulfil the requirement of not causing loss or damage materially. Vandalism is not a way to express views or emotions; it is a destructive manner of irresponsible people who damaging other’s possession for their own pleasure in expense of the possessor. The action can be described as a crime and the vandal could then be punished.
On the other hand, there are also people supporting this cause as a freedom. They put it as freedom of expression. People have the right to speak up and express their emotions. I dare say those people never take into account that there are people agonise from the action of vandals. It is a freedom that seizing others’ right to obtain security in life due to the anxiety to suffer from losses. It is no longer a freedom if it is depriving people from their own freedom, freedom to live safely. Should we still say that it is a freedom of expression or maybe should we call it a freedom to oppress and terrorise?
Vandalism, once again, is wrong. If people keep ignoring this issue and it grows in this society, people will inevitable feel vulnerable. Thereafter, it may fuel distrust to each other and slowly but surely will dynamite our peaceful society to a society full of havoc.
I wonder if there is no other way to persuade people effectively besides using vandalism. In Laguna Park case where vandalism is used to persuade residents who do not want to sell their units in the en-bloc sale. I guess that the residents in favour to the collective sale are trying to terrorize who against them and hence, the deal between all the units’ holders and the investor will prevail thereafter.
However, I do not want to talk about persuading people via vandalism. What I want to highlight here is expressing emotions via vandalism. In Laguna case, we can infer that the motif behind is not only because of those in favour are persuading those not-in-favour, but also because of the pending deal between them and the investor. They cannot wait to sell their property in this cooling property market to avoid the fall of the price of their units. They need something to express their feeling towards those who against without using any verbal method, but with vandalism.
More than a decade ago, the similar issue rose to the height when Michael Fay vandalized public facility to express his emotion. His action brought furies over the people reside in the island and also the government. It continued to happen until finally he, with his fellow ‘gang’ members were charged and caned. The latter caused protest from foreign government and human right activists due to the action taken by the government as the punishment for them.
Vandalism, as what we know, is an action of obstructing or destroying property (ies). This may caused fear from people who worry that their possession will be destroyed by vandals and they will suffer from material loss.
Vandal may say that vandalize people’s property is the only way to show their hate to the particular people if they cannot speak out their emotion and expression. They say that this is merely a way to speak out. If it is a way to express views and emotions, what is wrong about it? Should it be considered as good?
We live in a society where freedom to speak is protected as long as it does not offend other groups of people, touch sensitive issue such as race and religion and cause loss or damage materially. Thus, vandalize is totally wrong as it does not fulfil the requirement of not causing loss or damage materially. Vandalism is not a way to express views or emotions; it is a destructive manner of irresponsible people who damaging other’s possession for their own pleasure in expense of the possessor. The action can be described as a crime and the vandal could then be punished.
On the other hand, there are also people supporting this cause as a freedom. They put it as freedom of expression. People have the right to speak up and express their emotions. I dare say those people never take into account that there are people agonise from the action of vandals. It is a freedom that seizing others’ right to obtain security in life due to the anxiety to suffer from losses. It is no longer a freedom if it is depriving people from their own freedom, freedom to live safely. Should we still say that it is a freedom of expression or maybe should we call it a freedom to oppress and terrorise?
Vandalism, once again, is wrong. If people keep ignoring this issue and it grows in this society, people will inevitable feel vulnerable. Thereafter, it may fuel distrust to each other and slowly but surely will dynamite our peaceful society to a society full of havoc.
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