Singapore's national day

SIngapore's National Day is coming on 9th of August. Well what is the meaning behind Singapore's National Day? Singapore celebrated its first Natiornal Day in 1966, one year after Singapore's independence from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. The theme for this year is "Live Our Dreams, Fly Our Flag". I wondered what do you think of this theme? I find this theme very meaningful. We should work towards our goal and always remember our own country when we realised our dreams. We should never forget how our country's had nurtured us. Let us have a nationalistic national day!

Graffiti in SIngapore

Do feel that graffiti should be allowed in Singapore? Before I answer this question, let be brief you on how the Singapore government treat graffiti. There was a recent arrest and sentencing of the Oliver Fricker, 32, who graffitied an MRT train to 3 strokes of the cane that had come into spotlight in SIngapore. In 1994, Michael Peter Fay was also sentenced to caning in Singapore for theft and vandalism. The above reports showed how strict SIngapore deals towards graffiti. They count street art as vandalism and showed no mercy to bring the offenders to court. But personally, I felt that the punishment of Oliver is too strict. He may be punished, but not till the extent of caning. "This is what I see from where I stand:- Fricker’s act has caused no one physical harm.- Fricker’s act has not damaged anyone’s property. Sure, the MRT was vandalised, but it’s not that hard to clean off, right? Besides, quite a lot of us Singaporeans actually think it makes the MRT look more interesting, a refreshing difference from the boring standard trains.- Fricker’s act has alerted SMRT to the flaws and shortcomings of their security system (or lack of one). SMRT could not have learned this lesson in a way that was cheaper or safer; they could have been learning it from an overpaid security consultant, or from the aftermath of a planted bomb. Now they have the opportunity to bolster up their security and improve their system, all without having to spend money on an expert evaluation and without the loss of civilian lives!" ----------------------------------Quoted from http://kixes.wordpress.com/2010/06/08/how-dare-he-make-the-mrt-look-nicer/ Well, personally, I felt that there should be places set aside especially for street art. We need to let the people living in Singapore appreciate that street art is still an art.

Racial Harmony Day

Racial Harmony Day is celebrated annually on 21 July in Singapore. The event is to commemorate the 1964 Race Riots, which took place on 21 July 1964. It is a day worth to remember. Throughout the world, there had been many riots due the disagreement of different races. It is important to ensure peace and harmony between races. Especially in SIngapore, there are many races living together. The peace and cooperation of different races is important for the progress in SIngapore. I cherished the days in my primary school where one do not feel the differences between races. We treat students in other races equally. However, when we grow older, there tends to be racist remarks circulating around unavoidably. I am really frustrated by this. I felt that the students who passed these remarks are really childish. Personally, i felt that the kids in Singapore are taking racial harmony as granted. I presumed that this is because that had not endured the sufferings during racial disagreement . They must not have realised that the trust built over the years between races could be destroyed in a matter of seconds. We need to preserve the current state of peace and harmony for the good of everybody.

Sprtsmanship

I am really worried about the kids in Singapore nowadays. They seemed to lack sportsmanship in many of the areas. It could be seen most obviously in the ACS- St Andrew’s Secondary School ruby match, where a brawl occurred and many of the students were hurt.

I felt that the greatest reason for this is that the schools are focusing more on winning. Nowadays, schools are selecting kids for CCA through their strength in the sports. Gone are the days where one could choose a CCA for enjoyment and interest. Many schools had even gone to the extent where kids who are really good in sports could enter the school through direct school admission. This show how Singapore is focusing on winning. Winning. That’s the key word here. Winning could improve a school’s placing and attract more good students to that school. No longer do schools see the need of instilling the values of fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. I felt that we really need to buck up in fair play.

Youth Olympic Games

Singapore is hosting the Youth Olympic Games from 14th Aug to 26th Aug. How exciting is that to have Youth Olympic Games being held at your doorstep! Anyway, you may ask what Youth Olympic Games is. Just for the benefit for those who do not know, it is an international multi-sport event held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consistent with the current Olympic Games format, just that it will only feature athletes between the ages of 14 and 18. And furthermore, it is the 1st first time that the Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held. I will definitely support the Youth Olympic Games at all costs. Just like the world cup, there would surely be a craze going on in Singapore. The objective of the Youth Olympic Games is to educate, engage and influence the athletes to develop true sportsmanship and to live by the Olympics' values of excellence, respect and friendship, while having fun at the same time. May we await the excitement of the Youth Olympic Games.