Maybe I am just being a free-thinker. Maybe I am almost too weary of the so-called claims out there by others who are the 'academics'. Maybe I am just someone who thinks people are so sick nowadays to often condemn this and that, when already the Islamic religion is many a times, misunderstood. YES, I TELL YOU! Maybe I am just...too tired now. Or maybe I have been living in a secular society for my entire lifetime.
Guess the recent repeat of 5 Takes episode on Discovery Travel & Living on here (yes, the Singapore episode I once talk about...ha!) will tell you that we here had been so exposed to different cultures that it is just already, a Singapore thing (as I will call it). The five TJs (travel journalists) were invited to their new friend's house and have a meal and the mother said about Singapore's multi-racial mix. I had been watching the past 5 Takes episodes before this and this time round I watched the repeat on Tuesday and yesterday (I know...because my brother and sister were using the two computers each then) of the Singapore episode, I was giggling half the time. I don't know, I had always like to see those westerners especially the Americans (given the country prides itself as being the most influential in the world, or so it is...) give their take of my birthplace on TV shows.
From what I especially noticed on the Singapore episode, it's still kind of alright. At least some basic facts about here was raised. And I actually never realised (now where the heck I was at actually...) - we are the second most densely populated country in the world. When it was showing some of the facts and info about here, I almost became flabbergasted over there. Just like any of those shows showcasing Singapore, I always try to point out those places myself. Haha!
Despite I was actually not really happy that yesterday I cannot come online because my sister use this computer first than I do, I was watching TV shows half the time. Suddenly those weekday afternoon movies on Channel 5 are what I look forward nowadays. Suddenly I became jumpy whenever there is a show relating to The Da Vinci Code now. You know actually the reason of the first paragraph? That is why. The latter reason. Last week or so, CNA was showing their upcoming episode of Insight and it will be about The Da Vinci Code. It made me jumped, for no apparent reason.
Because maybe somehow I always have the feeling after CNA aired in one of their Documentary of the Week - Breaking The Da Vinci Code, the local media is (maybe) going on the attacking ever since the movie came out. Since I never got the chance to read TODAY newspaper's review of the movie (I only get to read that free newspaper recently because of the World Cup news), I am very afraid whenever any new shows relating to The Da Vinci Code, I will squirm. I saw the ST's review, saw The New Paper's (not that bad actually you know), but never saw the 8-Days one (Mother stopped me from reading that for some time already and so Dad never bought it as a result). But it almost freaked me out (okay, I am not aware over this beforehand, fine) that there's actually an Opus Dei branch here when I saw the Insight trailer (it was featuring an Opus Dei member from here). It's like, I don't know, the idea of such an organisation even having a branch here is kind of...interesting, I say. I am keeping all the other comments for myself.
Almost for the very first time, I am kind of disappointed in the kind of documentary being shown here on the local TV. I am talking about Breaking The Da Vinci Code. Clearly supporting the mainstream Christianity, from what I see. But Arts Central's Beyond The Da Vinci Code is a good and refreshing change. Excuse me, is getting those so-called academics good enough to judge what is being raised in the book, eh? Or getting also those who wrote about the bloodline an everything in between as well to stake their claims too? Though maybe not all will accept what they want to say, but at least it is a good start. For the first time, I like what Arts Central has come out with in terms of good documentaries which present both sides of the story. I don't see it in Breaking The Da Vinci Code. Hmm! And the latter was shown on CNA too!
Just recently, the MDA (Media Development Authority...the board reviewing the state of media we have here and it was they together with the Board of Film Censors of Singapore which passed the green light to screen The Da Vinci Code movie with no cuts) gave their comment on the Mandarin television scene here. Saying about maybe slightly more coarse language (hope it's the right term) is coming on the Mandarin TV shows. Speaking of that, I seemed to kind of noticing it too.
Now, another thing which has been on the news lately and on the forum pages of the papers which is making me almost pissed off and becoming more emotional. Our standard of the English language. The MOE (Ministry of Education) is considering hiring native English speakers to teach in our local schools. Given what the public has been saying (time and again...ugh!!!!) about the state of our English language being slacking. Another 'age-old' Singapore debate is back in the spotlight.
How many times I feel so pissed off whenever those who write to the press will complain about our English standards? OY! It doesn't mean that the students of today is all learning the language, comparing to not all in the yesteryears, has slack so much that it cannot be saved. It is almost sounding like that in the press from those who wrote to it saying about the situation. Okay, my two alma maters (I am referring to my primary and secondary school days) emphasised slightly more on the English language, and I remembered this was being raised in one of the papers I read (forgot is it the ST's forum page or the TODAY's one) that schools traditionally being good in their English language standards...nowadays their students are not speaking better English. They might as well come and attack me! I can dare say, though I come from neighbourhood schools, the English standards where I noticed on both sides are not bad. If ain't for those teachers I once had who drill us in those grammar exericses, those worksheets, those tips on succeeding in comprehension and oral, telling us how to survive the English papers and all that in between...I don't think I will be able to appreciate what my past English teachers has done for my class and I.
Eh yes, maybe many of us have the same sentiments that our teachers are just...troublesome (I once thought that way before...oops!) in the way they teach us English, I began to realise what they did (especially more after post-secondary for me) was right in a way or another. Cliche, but it's true. In my ITE days, my friends are always the ones who say I am the English 'expert'. Oh, come off it. I only got the B3 in my O Levels for English. Unless I got the highest one which is A1, I will keep quiet. I mean, I always tell that whenever my friends made that comment.
Mother did told me once that I will mark my brother's English comprehension exercises on those ten-year series my brother is doing. I had been doing that and I often think, if that brother of mine kept commenting that his elder sister keep asking him about his past comprehension exercises or something like that (because I always did that, I know), I am going to be a 'nuisance', or is it? I was aware the English syllabus changed somewhat for the O Levels because back then when I was in Sec Four, our English teacher said that it will be a change after our batch. When I think back the question I picked to attempt during the Paper One (Section A is like that), there is always a lump in my throat.
Because for the very first time then, I 'killed' one of my characters in my English composition (and in a major exam paper even) towards the end of it. I have no choice. I actually almost cried whenever I think back. Because it was saying about a teacher's mistake which lead to the student having an unfortunate ending. The subject matter on the paper itself. And I make the student 'die' in a car accident. The last time where I have no choice in terms of the ending was back then in my Sec Two English class, we were practising our composition and our teacher was telling us to write a sad ending to the short story we were learning about. I was like thinking then - 'Impossible!' I am someone who likes a happy ending...but there's no choice!
Guess what I have to say in the end like the title for this entry - putting views across...is it, easy?
