The HIV/AIDS and gay debate has been going on for so long and I’ve decided to stop being fed-up with all the heterosexist remarks and comments. I mean people are all entitled to their opinions so am I. So since I’m an abomination to society, a person who spreads HIV/AIDS (no heterosexuals NEVER spread the virus, they are immune, since HIV/AIDS is a “gay disease”). So laws against my kind is okay to “protect” the innocent heterosexuals, who by the way, are all faithful to their partners (both females and males) and only gays have promiscuous sex and sex outside of marriage. Oops I forgot, we can only have sex outside marriage because it is NEVER for us because it breaks up the family unit and society. I mean, there are no such things as single mothers or fathers in the heterosexual world, no abuse cases, I mean these things only happen because there are gays around. Without gays, these problems will all be solved. The “family” will be sacred again.
So heterosexist people in my book will henceforth be called idiots and ass-holes (or idiotic ass-holes). They spread stupidity and intolerance. So in my book they are incurable. So if you are heterosexist, just remember you are an idiot and ass-hole. Simple. We are gays with a gay disease that is incurable and you are heterosexist with a heterosexist disease that is also incurable. So idiots, try to use condoms and stop spreading your idiotic ass-holism around. The world would be a better place if you don’t have children to spread your idiotic ass-holism in.
Gosh, I feel better now knowing that idiotic ass-holes live just to irritate the world. This would be the last time (I promise myself) that I'll be bothered with idiotic ass-holes. They can believe what they want and I will believe that they are idiots who aren't worth my time at all.
With that done, I’ll now go on to my Church, the Catholic Church. Imagine the first time in 2000 years, the Pope couldn’t give his Easter blessings. It is so very embarrassing. The head of a Church who can’t even do this simple task. Isn’t time he retired? Yes, for those who don’t know, the Pope has to declare that he wants to retire or step down as the Pope then a new one will be elected. But then again the Vatican is more of a political machine than a spiritual place. So please don’t mix the 2 up. The Vatican is the place where politics is played which has nothing to do with the Church proper where spirituality is preached.
30 March 2005
29 March 2005
Another earthquake in Indonesia
Gosh, like Indonesia needed another earthquake. It is so sad to realised that another one struck Indonesia, south of Sumatra. This time the death toll is said to be about 1000 but I have my doubts. It usually is never this low, especially when the tremors could be felt in Singapore. It seems worse than the last one but it wasn’t in fact it was less (8.2) but it doesn’t make things any better for the people who are still trying to get their lives back together.
Let us offer up a moment of silence for the dead and also to pray to whichever higher power you believe in to help the people in their grief and woes.
Let us offer up a moment of silence for the dead and also to pray to whichever higher power you believe in to help the people in their grief and woes.
20 March 2005
The birthtday aftermath
It was so nice. My birthday was yesterday and I got to spend about 28 hours with T. It was great. It is things like this that make me wish we could get married and the live together. Since the first option is not possible, the living together would be nice. But that would also have problems of its own. Like having to ‘justify’ to parents (on both sides) why we have a ‘room-mate’ or why are we not getting our own place but ‘renting’. *sigh* life is just full of problems when you are gay and in love. It is wonderful too, to sneek away from the problems that gays face and enjoy the company of each other (without the problems) for just one day. Short as it might be.
On this day (or was it yesterday), the movie “Moulin Rouge” came to mind where Ewan McGregor said that “Everyone wants to love and to be loved in return”. I think it was said by him in “Moulin Rouge” I could be wrong. But I do realise how true this statement this. I think this is one of the things everyone in the world is looking for be it the love of a friend, family member, partner or even a pet.
All the time I’ve spent with T made me realise how much I have come to love him and how much he loves me. This love seems to grow and not diminish with being with him for about 18 months now. Wow, 18 months, this would be the second longest relationship I’ve been in till date. My longest was 3.5 years long with A, that went bust when his depression took over his logic. So sad, he believed that he could bet his depression by himself but in the end it almost destroyed him. Last I heard he was seeing a shrink. It wasn’t a good parting…… but I survived and moved on.
Well, one shouldn’t dwell too much into the past but remember the good times in it and learn from the bad. After A, I was serious with D but that lasted for a year. A very trying year of the both of us. D and I were so different and this time opposites repelled. But we parted as friends and till now we still keep in touch and meet up once in a while to catch up. We both agreed that we made a very bad couple but at least we tried (boy did we try to work out our differences). Goes to show that good friends don’t necessarily make great couples.
On this day (or was it yesterday), the movie “Moulin Rouge” came to mind where Ewan McGregor said that “Everyone wants to love and to be loved in return”. I think it was said by him in “Moulin Rouge” I could be wrong. But I do realise how true this statement this. I think this is one of the things everyone in the world is looking for be it the love of a friend, family member, partner or even a pet.
All the time I’ve spent with T made me realise how much I have come to love him and how much he loves me. This love seems to grow and not diminish with being with him for about 18 months now. Wow, 18 months, this would be the second longest relationship I’ve been in till date. My longest was 3.5 years long with A, that went bust when his depression took over his logic. So sad, he believed that he could bet his depression by himself but in the end it almost destroyed him. Last I heard he was seeing a shrink. It wasn’t a good parting…… but I survived and moved on.
Well, one shouldn’t dwell too much into the past but remember the good times in it and learn from the bad. After A, I was serious with D but that lasted for a year. A very trying year of the both of us. D and I were so different and this time opposites repelled. But we parted as friends and till now we still keep in touch and meet up once in a while to catch up. We both agreed that we made a very bad couple but at least we tried (boy did we try to work out our differences). Goes to show that good friends don’t necessarily make great couples.
19 March 2005
BIRTHDAY TIME!
My birthday today. T has planned a full day for me :). We are going to spend at least the next 24 hours together. So exciting.
16 March 2005
If you believe
“People believe what they want to believe”
How true this statement is! Today in the Straits Times, a mother of 2 rebutted to the AIDS problem and the banning of snowball’04. She believed that gays and lesbians are made (nurture) and she believed that they can be ‘converted’ to the ‘alternative lifestyle’.
And here I am a gay man trying to figure out what the ‘gay/lesbian lifestyle’ and ‘alternative lifestyle’ is? According to dictionary.com lifestyle is “A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group”. I have to presume the ‘lifestyle’ of the gay/lesbian community (according to the heterosexist) is party, sex, all the immoral and things that are detrimental to the family and society. What about those that don’t party? Those that don’t use drugs or even have casual sex? Those that have been faithful to one partner for the past 40 years*?
Most of us GLBT want to fall in love and grow old with the person we love. Is there anything wrong with that? And most of us don’t believe in casual sex. There are those that do but then there are also these people in the straight community that do to, even some of the married ones.
The stigmas that the heterosexist people have placed upon the gay/lesbian community is not something that doesn’t happen to the straight community. Talk about anything the gay/lesbian community does that is the ‘gay (alternative) lifestyle’ and I’ll show you that it can also be found in the straight community.
But then again, you can place scientific evidence# before heterosexist people they still will not believe that we are born (nature) this way. Who in the right mind would want to choose to be gay/lesbian? To be scorned by majority of society? To not have support from friends and family? Even Allan Pease, Barbara Pease, the authors of “Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps: How We're Different and What to Do About It” (ISBN 0767907639) states that being gay/lesbian is NOT a choice. People believe what they want to believe.
I have to add that sexuality is a spectrum and not black and white issue. If people start realising that, thanks would be easier. I think this article explains this very well but……
I think that lots of misconception stems from ignorance, something that narrow/closed minded people can never get rid of. Recently I spoke to a Muslim friend of mine and realised that he hate the Jews because he said they were dirty, not fearful of God (pagans in fact) and that he would never be friends or get to know a Jew because he/she was a Jew. Gosh, I was astounded! I could not believe that the deep resentment for a group of people is because of ignorance and that he and people like him will never bother to open their minds to know the other party before making judgements. And mind you he’s not a very devout Muslim either (not gay).
Armed with that I went to talk to my Jewish friends and found out that they felt the same way. Wow! No wonder there can never be any reconciliation between the 2 peoples. I’ve also found out that the gay Jews were more willing to get to know the Muslims (or try and they said) then their heterosexual counterparts. I have a feeling this is because we know what it is like to be judged by labels and we (the GLBT community) is trying (most of us anyway) not to do that.
I believe that being discriminated against has it merits. It makes us more mindful that there are other different people out there and that nobody should be judged especially not by preconceived ideas. Understanding comes after tolerance.
* There are a lot of same sex couples that have not been in the 'limelight' because their relationships last without the bond (binding) of marriage. It is a cause for celebration as it is not easy without the support of government and society. I take my hat off to all couples (straight or otherwise) that are not married and yet have built a life together.
# There have been lots of scientific papers published that shows that homosexuals are born not made. One of the best papers that I’ve read is “Sexually dimorphic gene expression in mouse brain precedes gonadal differentiation” by Phoebe Dewing et al, Molecular Brain Research 118 (2003) 82-90.
How true this statement is! Today in the Straits Times, a mother of 2 rebutted to the AIDS problem and the banning of snowball’04. She believed that gays and lesbians are made (nurture) and she believed that they can be ‘converted’ to the ‘alternative lifestyle’.
And here I am a gay man trying to figure out what the ‘gay/lesbian lifestyle’ and ‘alternative lifestyle’ is? According to dictionary.com lifestyle is “A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group”. I have to presume the ‘lifestyle’ of the gay/lesbian community (according to the heterosexist) is party, sex, all the immoral and things that are detrimental to the family and society. What about those that don’t party? Those that don’t use drugs or even have casual sex? Those that have been faithful to one partner for the past 40 years*?
Most of us GLBT want to fall in love and grow old with the person we love. Is there anything wrong with that? And most of us don’t believe in casual sex. There are those that do but then there are also these people in the straight community that do to, even some of the married ones.
The stigmas that the heterosexist people have placed upon the gay/lesbian community is not something that doesn’t happen to the straight community. Talk about anything the gay/lesbian community does that is the ‘gay (alternative) lifestyle’ and I’ll show you that it can also be found in the straight community.
But then again, you can place scientific evidence# before heterosexist people they still will not believe that we are born (nature) this way. Who in the right mind would want to choose to be gay/lesbian? To be scorned by majority of society? To not have support from friends and family? Even Allan Pease, Barbara Pease, the authors of “Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps: How We're Different and What to Do About It” (ISBN 0767907639) states that being gay/lesbian is NOT a choice. People believe what they want to believe.
I have to add that sexuality is a spectrum and not black and white issue. If people start realising that, thanks would be easier. I think this article explains this very well but……
I think that lots of misconception stems from ignorance, something that narrow/closed minded people can never get rid of. Recently I spoke to a Muslim friend of mine and realised that he hate the Jews because he said they were dirty, not fearful of God (pagans in fact) and that he would never be friends or get to know a Jew because he/she was a Jew. Gosh, I was astounded! I could not believe that the deep resentment for a group of people is because of ignorance and that he and people like him will never bother to open their minds to know the other party before making judgements. And mind you he’s not a very devout Muslim either (not gay).
Armed with that I went to talk to my Jewish friends and found out that they felt the same way. Wow! No wonder there can never be any reconciliation between the 2 peoples. I’ve also found out that the gay Jews were more willing to get to know the Muslims (or try and they said) then their heterosexual counterparts. I have a feeling this is because we know what it is like to be judged by labels and we (the GLBT community) is trying (most of us anyway) not to do that.
I believe that being discriminated against has it merits. It makes us more mindful that there are other different people out there and that nobody should be judged especially not by preconceived ideas. Understanding comes after tolerance.
* There are a lot of same sex couples that have not been in the 'limelight' because their relationships last without the bond (binding) of marriage. It is a cause for celebration as it is not easy without the support of government and society. I take my hat off to all couples (straight or otherwise) that are not married and yet have built a life together.
# There have been lots of scientific papers published that shows that homosexuals are born not made. One of the best papers that I’ve read is “Sexually dimorphic gene expression in mouse brain precedes gonadal differentiation” by Phoebe Dewing et al, Molecular Brain Research 118 (2003) 82-90.
14 March 2005
As I said before......
My parents can NEVER listen to my opinions. As I suspected, they rearranged my room when I was out of the house! So pissed.
They really don't realise that their bloody ideas are not welcomed at all!
They really don't realise that their bloody ideas are not welcomed at all!
OM......
12 March 2005
My room? Yea riiiiiiiiight...
My parents want to ‘renovate’ my room again. And again, they tell me what they want to do, not asking for my opinion mind you, telling.
“So we’ll be changing your window chest of drawers,” my mom.
“What? Why?” me
“So that you have more space to put your stuff.”
“But I don’t need more space.”
“It would be better.”
I said I didn’t want it and it was insisted on me saying that it would be better for me and then the justification comes in. When it comes to my room, or more like my pseudo-room, my opinions never matters, their opinions are the only ones that matter.
So fed-up, it is always like that. They make a decision and just do it. No consultation, just “we are going to this to ‘your’ room, it is for your own good so it is no use saying you don’t want it”.
Gosh, I need to move out!
Yea, if I did I wouldn’t hear the end of it. So now I just have to sit back and wait till I’m 35 to get an apartment of my own. *sigh* long time more to go. Which means that there’ll be lots of bitching and being angry about the lack of freedom. This isn’t good. Must try to be patient and just accept the things that I cannot change. Ha! This coming from an impatient and hot-tempered person. But must try. Om......
“So we’ll be changing your window chest of drawers,” my mom.
“What? Why?” me
“So that you have more space to put your stuff.”
“But I don’t need more space.”
“It would be better.”
I said I didn’t want it and it was insisted on me saying that it would be better for me and then the justification comes in. When it comes to my room, or more like my pseudo-room, my opinions never matters, their opinions are the only ones that matter.
So fed-up, it is always like that. They make a decision and just do it. No consultation, just “we are going to this to ‘your’ room, it is for your own good so it is no use saying you don’t want it”.
Gosh, I need to move out!
Yea, if I did I wouldn’t hear the end of it. So now I just have to sit back and wait till I’m 35 to get an apartment of my own. *sigh* long time more to go. Which means that there’ll be lots of bitching and being angry about the lack of freedom. This isn’t good. Must try to be patient and just accept the things that I cannot change. Ha! This coming from an impatient and hot-tempered person. But must try. Om......
11 March 2005
The rise of HIV infection in Singapore
It is amazing that our ministers are allowed to spew nonsense and nobody contradicts them, especially when it concerns the GLBT community.
I think that it is time the gahmen of Singapore realises that we are also their citizens and that since we are a secular society where religion has no part to pay in politics or gahmen policies, they should stop trying to marginalise us anymore. Yes, we are different, we love people of the same sex but making us out to be criminals and the bearer of death is not going to solve the problem. The gahmen has always been like this for as long as I know, in order to please the majority, they would sacrifice the minority, in order to get re-elected they would prefer to fan stereotypes then to allow groups or societies to educate the masses. And no, we DO NOT recruit, being gay is not a choice, even though I believe that most of our members of parliament believe that it is. Gosh, are they still living in the Victorian era? Why is it what people do in private is of concern to the gahmen? They are even trying to decriminalise oral sex! Gosh.
As a so-called 'first world' country, we still have decade to catch up with the other first world countries in terms of opinions and mind-sets and policies that don't discriminate. Even Taiwan and Hong Kong, countries that have not obtained their first world status is even more open minded and accepting of different types of people than we are. Taiwan is talking about giving equal rights to same-sex couples and Hong Kong has been holding a gay and lesbian film festival for the past 16 years and they had a gay and lesbian conference last year that was organised by the government of Hong Kong.
Yes, the rise is a concern, but making unjust, homophobic and baseless statements in parliament by the senior minister of health will not help the already bad situation, in fact it would make it worse, gay men or more correctly, men have sex with men (some who don't call themselves gay) will go underground and stop testing themselves. The straight community would start to think that HIV/AIDS is a 'gay disease' and become complacent. Too bad he didn't engage what little brains he had before starting his mouth. Oh by the way Balaji Sadasivan (the aforementioned minister) won an "Just Shut Up" Award.
Taken from mrbrown.com
Hypothesis: Aids MAY be spread by gays breathing on you!!!
I propose that the Government ban all gay parties, especially on our National Day. I read that nine out of 10 of the new Aids sufferers in Singapore last year, are men and a third of them are gay. It’s them darn homo parties, I tell you.
Dr Balaji Sadasivan, who won a spot in David Salyer's "Just Shut Up" Awards, did say it was only a hypothesis, and more research needs to be done.
Sure, hypothesis only, but can get mentioned on the front page of ST first.
And what's up with the "unnamed expert"? Why? Scared all the angry homos go and scold this expert, issit? Or worse, go there and breathe on him to give him Aids, issit?
You don't know, meh? Aids MAY be spread by gay people breathing on the rest of us "normal" people. It's so far only a hypothesis by an expert who shall remain unnamed, and more research needs to be done. But I thought I'd mention it first.
Even Mr Miyagi made a great points.
Two-thirds of AIDS sufferers may say Straits Times is spot-on
They cannot possibly be so dumb, folks.
Don't buy it. In every sense of the word. The statement, and especially, the reporting of the statement. They cannot possibly be so gong.
I'm pulling a very long bow here, but I think the ST may be just trying to make itself more relevant, albeit in a very, very perverse way. So, don't buy a word they're saying. They may be just pulling your chains so you'll talk about them. They may be just making you wonder who that 'unnamed expert' is, whether he/she is from the CDC, the MOH or from some department totally unrelated to health and medicine, but so happens to be an epidemiologist.
I mean, they may just want you to do the math and get worked up: 1/3 of new AIDS cases are gay means 'gay parties may have led to a sharp rise in new AIDS cases'.
They also may just want you to know how they're tackling the epidemic, and how it is global, because gays from high prevalent societies, they come to party and end up 'seeding the local community with infection'.
Right now, you may be thinking about what the MOH is doing to work and manage a cure, whether anyone at the Biopolis Hub Thing is working on something, whether there are drug trials, whether they'll do something once Snowball and Nation moves to Bangkok and the number of AIDS cases rises anyway, and whether they'll say 1/3 of new AIDS cases are gay means gay parties in Bangkok may have led to a sharp rise in AIDS cases because gay men went to Bangkok, whether we may be living in the Dark Ages.
You may say what you want, but don't say Straits Times never make you think!
P.S. mrbrown and Mr Miyagi are straight and married but NOT narrow*
* This 'clause' is there just in case some people think that only the GLBT community think this way.
I think that it is time the gahmen of Singapore realises that we are also their citizens and that since we are a secular society where religion has no part to pay in politics or gahmen policies, they should stop trying to marginalise us anymore. Yes, we are different, we love people of the same sex but making us out to be criminals and the bearer of death is not going to solve the problem. The gahmen has always been like this for as long as I know, in order to please the majority, they would sacrifice the minority, in order to get re-elected they would prefer to fan stereotypes then to allow groups or societies to educate the masses. And no, we DO NOT recruit, being gay is not a choice, even though I believe that most of our members of parliament believe that it is. Gosh, are they still living in the Victorian era? Why is it what people do in private is of concern to the gahmen? They are even trying to decriminalise oral sex! Gosh.
As a so-called 'first world' country, we still have decade to catch up with the other first world countries in terms of opinions and mind-sets and policies that don't discriminate. Even Taiwan and Hong Kong, countries that have not obtained their first world status is even more open minded and accepting of different types of people than we are. Taiwan is talking about giving equal rights to same-sex couples and Hong Kong has been holding a gay and lesbian film festival for the past 16 years and they had a gay and lesbian conference last year that was organised by the government of Hong Kong.
Yes, the rise is a concern, but making unjust, homophobic and baseless statements in parliament by the senior minister of health will not help the already bad situation, in fact it would make it worse, gay men or more correctly, men have sex with men (some who don't call themselves gay) will go underground and stop testing themselves. The straight community would start to think that HIV/AIDS is a 'gay disease' and become complacent. Too bad he didn't engage what little brains he had before starting his mouth. Oh by the way Balaji Sadasivan (the aforementioned minister) won an "Just Shut Up" Award.
Taken from mrbrown.com
Hypothesis: Aids MAY be spread by gays breathing on you!!!
I propose that the Government ban all gay parties, especially on our National Day. I read that nine out of 10 of the new Aids sufferers in Singapore last year, are men and a third of them are gay. It’s them darn homo parties, I tell you.
Dr Balaji Sadasivan, who won a spot in David Salyer's "Just Shut Up" Awards, did say it was only a hypothesis, and more research needs to be done.
Sure, hypothesis only, but can get mentioned on the front page of ST first.
And what's up with the "unnamed expert"? Why? Scared all the angry homos go and scold this expert, issit? Or worse, go there and breathe on him to give him Aids, issit?
You don't know, meh? Aids MAY be spread by gay people breathing on the rest of us "normal" people. It's so far only a hypothesis by an expert who shall remain unnamed, and more research needs to be done. But I thought I'd mention it first.
Even Mr Miyagi made a great points.
Two-thirds of AIDS sufferers may say Straits Times is spot-on
They cannot possibly be so dumb, folks.
Don't buy it. In every sense of the word. The statement, and especially, the reporting of the statement. They cannot possibly be so gong.
I'm pulling a very long bow here, but I think the ST may be just trying to make itself more relevant, albeit in a very, very perverse way. So, don't buy a word they're saying. They may be just pulling your chains so you'll talk about them. They may be just making you wonder who that 'unnamed expert' is, whether he/she is from the CDC, the MOH or from some department totally unrelated to health and medicine, but so happens to be an epidemiologist.
I mean, they may just want you to do the math and get worked up: 1/3 of new AIDS cases are gay means 'gay parties may have led to a sharp rise in new AIDS cases'.
They also may just want you to know how they're tackling the epidemic, and how it is global, because gays from high prevalent societies, they come to party and end up 'seeding the local community with infection'.
Right now, you may be thinking about what the MOH is doing to work and manage a cure, whether anyone at the Biopolis Hub Thing is working on something, whether there are drug trials, whether they'll do something once Snowball and Nation moves to Bangkok and the number of AIDS cases rises anyway, and whether they'll say 1/3 of new AIDS cases are gay means gay parties in Bangkok may have led to a sharp rise in AIDS cases because gay men went to Bangkok, whether we may be living in the Dark Ages.
You may say what you want, but don't say Straits Times never make you think!
P.S. mrbrown and Mr Miyagi are straight and married but NOT narrow*
* This 'clause' is there just in case some people think that only the GLBT community think this way.
22 February 2005
Very good rebuttal
I came from NUS and when I read the article in the Straits Times stating that "NUS has beaten Princeton and Cornell" in social sciences I couldn't help but read it with disbelief. Now at least I'm not the only one who doesn't agree. The following rebuttal (taken from Scroobal from Sammyboy forum) really takes the cake and I totally agree with it.
-------------------------------------------------
I think it is a sparkling testament to NUS and the country.
It is no surprise as we have repeatedly achieved high accolades in the various disciplines that have been unanimously identified as Singaporean in nature and in form.
Singapore remarkable credits include the nobel prize in a number of fields. Our Patent applications flood the Patent office around the world. We discovered the cure for aids, sent women to the moon, changed iron to gold and found the holy grail. We invented the tissue paper, the condom and the printing press. Our latest invention is Newater and the product name won the award for most innovative branding name in the history of marketing.
Our automobiles ply the O'Bahns, the expressways and the turnpikes of the every city in the developed world. Our trademark highrise apartments caricatured by lift lendings on every 5th floor is the bedrock of modern town planning and found in many parts of the world.
We taught the Chinese in PRC how to develop their econmomy, their townships and their superannuation for their old age. Our deeds are now adopted as part of the English Language by the entry of the word "Suzhoued" in the Oxford Dictionary meaning "screwed by peasants"
We changed the face of aviation by developing the the world's first Vertical Takeoff aircraft called the Harry Jet. We sell submarines to Sweden, we teach US pilots to fly supersonic jets at Luke Air force base. Our Shipyards launch the largest ocean going passenger vessels and our naval architects designed the hovercraft.
Our world class universities receive scholars all over the world that for the lack of space we send ours to Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Oxford and Cambridge. Works of our academics are published in distinguished journals like the New England journal of medicine, the New York Law Review and the Oxford Journal of Nuclear Physics. We wrote the book about Plate Tectonics, assembled the human genome and pioneered foot reflexology. We discovered the most elements in the periodic table and predicted that the world was round.
Our alumni include the secretary general of the United Nations, the Prime Ministers of many countries, the Pope, the Ayatollah of Iran, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Steve Jobs and at least half a dozen CEOs of Asia Fortune 500 companies.
Yep, we are indeed better than Princeton.
ps. we unfortunately are still trying to pick out a national dress.
-------------------------------------------------
I think it is a sparkling testament to NUS and the country.
It is no surprise as we have repeatedly achieved high accolades in the various disciplines that have been unanimously identified as Singaporean in nature and in form.
Singapore remarkable credits include the nobel prize in a number of fields. Our Patent applications flood the Patent office around the world. We discovered the cure for aids, sent women to the moon, changed iron to gold and found the holy grail. We invented the tissue paper, the condom and the printing press. Our latest invention is Newater and the product name won the award for most innovative branding name in the history of marketing.
Our automobiles ply the O'Bahns, the expressways and the turnpikes of the every city in the developed world. Our trademark highrise apartments caricatured by lift lendings on every 5th floor is the bedrock of modern town planning and found in many parts of the world.
We taught the Chinese in PRC how to develop their econmomy, their townships and their superannuation for their old age. Our deeds are now adopted as part of the English Language by the entry of the word "Suzhoued" in the Oxford Dictionary meaning "screwed by peasants"
We changed the face of aviation by developing the the world's first Vertical Takeoff aircraft called the Harry Jet. We sell submarines to Sweden, we teach US pilots to fly supersonic jets at Luke Air force base. Our Shipyards launch the largest ocean going passenger vessels and our naval architects designed the hovercraft.
Our world class universities receive scholars all over the world that for the lack of space we send ours to Princeton, Cornell, Columbia, Oxford and Cambridge. Works of our academics are published in distinguished journals like the New England journal of medicine, the New York Law Review and the Oxford Journal of Nuclear Physics. We wrote the book about Plate Tectonics, assembled the human genome and pioneered foot reflexology. We discovered the most elements in the periodic table and predicted that the world was round.
Our alumni include the secretary general of the United Nations, the Prime Ministers of many countries, the Pope, the Ayatollah of Iran, astronaut Neil Armstrong, Steve Jobs and at least half a dozen CEOs of Asia Fortune 500 companies.
Yep, we are indeed better than Princeton.
ps. we unfortunately are still trying to pick out a national dress.
20 February 2005
Tolerance
It seems in this world the more we progress the more we become intolerant of other people. I'm not only talking about sexual diversity but also of language, race and creed. This is happening everyone, even in the places where all people are considered equal. I’m talking about the Church here. Every time the Christian church makes a notice about gay rights and so on, I get worked up about it and then get sad, realising that the one place that I was suppose to feel safe in not there for me at all. I wonder if this is the church the Christ founded.
I’m a cradle Catholic and from the time I realised that I’m gay, I’ve felt nothing but God’s love for me. I became very spiritual and really love the church. The church, not the hierarchy. I couldn’t care less about the hierarchy, which is the Vatican, the people who can never seen beyond their own noses. I personally feel the hierarchy of the church is like the Pharisees of the Jesus’ time. I know a lot of religious rights people who would crucify me because of this but to say the least, I don’t really care. I believe that if my God is as petty and narrow-minded as they are, then I don’t think heaven would be a place for me. We can actually throw away the hymns that say “God is love” and etc. as apparently these churches believe that God actually hates some people.
Can you believe a church that doesn’t learn from its own mistakes? The chuch believed that the Africans who they believed were the spawn of the devil (this is recorded in the Catholic church achieves) on account of their skin colour, the burnt women on the stack because they believe that they were witches, they the protestants were cults of the devil because they broke off from the ‘true’ church, places Galileo under house arrest because he said the earth revolved around the sun, etc. Up till today, the ‘Pharisees’ in the Vatican and its hierarchy still think they are infallible.
I have a feeling that people are not happy until they can discriminate against some people or another. It was the Africans before then the Jews, the feminist and now the GLTB community. Well, all I can say it is a privilege to be able to know the ‘evils’ of discrimination. If I’m not gay, I wouldn’t be able to see the world as I see it now. A place that is beautiful but ……
People have to start realising that being spiritual and being religious are 2 different things. A country that is ruled by religion is a country that is doomed to fail. Europe is the best example, a continent that allowed the Church to rule. Where the rich were exalted and the poor stepped upon. It is only when they separated church and state, i.e. became a secular government, that we see society progressing as it should. We all know that the darkest periods in the history of Europe was when the Church ruled it.
I believe the site www.tolerance.org really is a wonderful site. Also this www.soulforce.org which believes in educating people and that the enemy is not the homophobes/heterosexist but untruths, really wonderful site. Really have to be a saint to love the people who hate you.
There is a book by Philip Yancey, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" (ISBN: 0310245656) It is a book that lots of churches hate (the truth hurts I always say). It is not even sold in the Catholic bookshops in Singapore! It takes about the church being not being the grace giver that Christ was. Churches tend to pick and choose the ‘members’ that they want. It is really a wonderful book, I would ask all who are interested to read it, it would really open your eyes about the state of Churches in the world and the hypocrisy involved.
I’m a cradle Catholic and from the time I realised that I’m gay, I’ve felt nothing but God’s love for me. I became very spiritual and really love the church. The church, not the hierarchy. I couldn’t care less about the hierarchy, which is the Vatican, the people who can never seen beyond their own noses. I personally feel the hierarchy of the church is like the Pharisees of the Jesus’ time. I know a lot of religious rights people who would crucify me because of this but to say the least, I don’t really care. I believe that if my God is as petty and narrow-minded as they are, then I don’t think heaven would be a place for me. We can actually throw away the hymns that say “God is love” and etc. as apparently these churches believe that God actually hates some people.
Can you believe a church that doesn’t learn from its own mistakes? The chuch believed that the Africans who they believed were the spawn of the devil (this is recorded in the Catholic church achieves) on account of their skin colour, the burnt women on the stack because they believe that they were witches, they the protestants were cults of the devil because they broke off from the ‘true’ church, places Galileo under house arrest because he said the earth revolved around the sun, etc. Up till today, the ‘Pharisees’ in the Vatican and its hierarchy still think they are infallible.
I have a feeling that people are not happy until they can discriminate against some people or another. It was the Africans before then the Jews, the feminist and now the GLTB community. Well, all I can say it is a privilege to be able to know the ‘evils’ of discrimination. If I’m not gay, I wouldn’t be able to see the world as I see it now. A place that is beautiful but ……
People have to start realising that being spiritual and being religious are 2 different things. A country that is ruled by religion is a country that is doomed to fail. Europe is the best example, a continent that allowed the Church to rule. Where the rich were exalted and the poor stepped upon. It is only when they separated church and state, i.e. became a secular government, that we see society progressing as it should. We all know that the darkest periods in the history of Europe was when the Church ruled it.
I believe the site www.tolerance.org really is a wonderful site. Also this www.soulforce.org which believes in educating people and that the enemy is not the homophobes/heterosexist but untruths, really wonderful site. Really have to be a saint to love the people who hate you.
There is a book by Philip Yancey, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" (ISBN: 0310245656) It is a book that lots of churches hate (the truth hurts I always say). It is not even sold in the Catholic bookshops in Singapore! It takes about the church being not being the grace giver that Christ was. Churches tend to pick and choose the ‘members’ that they want. It is really a wonderful book, I would ask all who are interested to read it, it would really open your eyes about the state of Churches in the world and the hypocrisy involved.
11 February 2005
The next day
Another holiday and today I really love it. It is my own day, unlike yesterday.
Went to gym to spin today. It was really great. I do think that this spinning instructor is cute, though a lot of people would disagree with me. It really makes me realise that there is a ‘type’ of person for everyone. T and I have so different taste in men that it doesn’t seem so amazing that we find each other attractive. Of course there will be some people that we agree is cute but most of the time we don’t. I love diversity and celebrate it. Okay, digressing again, well, I teased him a lot today (the spinning instructor not T). Hehehe… most of us would agree it is flirting actually. It was really fun.
After a long break, spinning today was really wonderful. It got my body moving again. Even though this morning I wanted to skip it. :P
What happened to T? Well, the first day of the Lunar New Year is always a time for family to get together and his is no exception, hmmm… I would how many ‘marriage’ questions he had.
Meeting him later today to watch ‘Constantine’.
......
Not a bad show but there were so many ‘teachings’ that were Catholic in nature that I wonder how many non-Catholics really understand it. I was translating the Latin parts to T, it was fun, hmmm… at least I can still remember some of my Latin. He was actually surprised that I knew Latin. It is not a movie in the ledge of ‘Spiderman’ but it has its merits.
Went to gym to spin today. It was really great. I do think that this spinning instructor is cute, though a lot of people would disagree with me. It really makes me realise that there is a ‘type’ of person for everyone. T and I have so different taste in men that it doesn’t seem so amazing that we find each other attractive. Of course there will be some people that we agree is cute but most of the time we don’t. I love diversity and celebrate it. Okay, digressing again, well, I teased him a lot today (the spinning instructor not T). Hehehe… most of us would agree it is flirting actually. It was really fun.
After a long break, spinning today was really wonderful. It got my body moving again. Even though this morning I wanted to skip it. :P
What happened to T? Well, the first day of the Lunar New Year is always a time for family to get together and his is no exception, hmmm… I would how many ‘marriage’ questions he had.
Meeting him later today to watch ‘Constantine’.
......
Not a bad show but there were so many ‘teachings’ that were Catholic in nature that I wonder how many non-Catholics really understand it. I was translating the Latin parts to T, it was fun, hmmm… at least I can still remember some of my Latin. He was actually surprised that I knew Latin. It is not a movie in the ledge of ‘Spiderman’ but it has its merits.
10 February 2005
Happy Lunar New Year... sort of
The first day of the Lunar New Year.
I never really enjoyed the Lunar New Year pass the age of 12, to many people and too much hob-nobbing around with family. Family, I will add who don't like me. Family politics. But then again that is my paternal side. My maternal side loves me. ;)
We had only 1 person to visit and that is my maternal aunt. It is rather fun to be there but I always wait for the dreaded question, which all GLBT people hate, “when are you getting married” ahhhhhhhhhhh…
Living in a society like Singapore, where the older generation doesn’t seem to understand that being single is okay, is really frustrating sometimes. Especially, it seems that they seem to want to marry everyone off. Of course I know that they have my interest at heart, but they just don’t get the fact that I can still live without someone in my life, who would I need a woman to take care of me? Or why would a single girl need a man to take care of her?
But then again, they have no idea I'm gay and that I'm already spoken for. Which actually is the sad part of any GLBT's life. We can never share the job of finding a boyfriend or girlfriend with our family. Most of us in this 'asian' society would never want to tell.
I do know of people who believe that being single in okay. A lot of my friends (straight, GLBT) who said that they would like to find someone to just grow old together, be it a lover, husband, wife or even a very close friend. I think that is the basic things that we look for when we want to find a partner in life, just someone who will grow old with us. That is the thing the world doesn't understand, it has nothing to do with sex but intimacy, the fact that we want to love and be loved in return by someone. We are no different from our straight counterparts, only difference is that we fall in love with the people of the same sex. Of course the religious people would have lots of things to say against this but that is for another time.
Well the day ended and I’ll still alive. Thank goodness tomorrow is my own day.
I never really enjoyed the Lunar New Year pass the age of 12, to many people and too much hob-nobbing around with family. Family, I will add who don't like me. Family politics. But then again that is my paternal side. My maternal side loves me. ;)
We had only 1 person to visit and that is my maternal aunt. It is rather fun to be there but I always wait for the dreaded question, which all GLBT people hate, “when are you getting married” ahhhhhhhhhhh…
Living in a society like Singapore, where the older generation doesn’t seem to understand that being single is okay, is really frustrating sometimes. Especially, it seems that they seem to want to marry everyone off. Of course I know that they have my interest at heart, but they just don’t get the fact that I can still live without someone in my life, who would I need a woman to take care of me? Or why would a single girl need a man to take care of her?
But then again, they have no idea I'm gay and that I'm already spoken for. Which actually is the sad part of any GLBT's life. We can never share the job of finding a boyfriend or girlfriend with our family. Most of us in this 'asian' society would never want to tell.
I do know of people who believe that being single in okay. A lot of my friends (straight, GLBT) who said that they would like to find someone to just grow old together, be it a lover, husband, wife or even a very close friend. I think that is the basic things that we look for when we want to find a partner in life, just someone who will grow old with us. That is the thing the world doesn't understand, it has nothing to do with sex but intimacy, the fact that we want to love and be loved in return by someone. We are no different from our straight counterparts, only difference is that we fall in love with the people of the same sex. Of course the religious people would have lots of things to say against this but that is for another time.
Well the day ended and I’ll still alive. Thank goodness tomorrow is my own day.
15 January 2005
Up and about
Thank God, I'm well again, even though my throat is not really back to normal. My body is though and that is good enough.
Last night was the lowest point in my sickness. Could only meet T for a short time and couldn't even keep our plan to be intimate that night. Felt sick and could only think of sleeping.
Well, I'm really happy that this flu has officially passed. Now to get by voice back to normal.
Last night was the lowest point in my sickness. Could only meet T for a short time and couldn't even keep our plan to be intimate that night. Felt sick and could only think of sleeping.
Well, I'm really happy that this flu has officially passed. Now to get by voice back to normal.
13 January 2005
Okay of sorts
Went out with my Australia friend today. Not really 'up and about' quite yet but I made this appointment ages ago and after not meeting him on Sunday, I should try.
It wasn't bad, except I keep wanting to lie down and sleep. :P
I still have a bad throat, so was struggling to talk.
Was so glad to come home and rest my voice. Really not well, going to sleep already and it is still so early.
It wasn't bad, except I keep wanting to lie down and sleep. :P
I still have a bad throat, so was struggling to talk.
Was so glad to come home and rest my voice. Really not well, going to sleep already and it is still so early.
11 January 2005
Things are starting to look up
I'm so bloody bored at home. I've finished reading the book that I had (only 1 book!) and I'm just surfing the net and doing goodness knows what.
I'm the type of person that CANNOT stay at home for more than 1 day at a time.
As all can see, I’m actually much better today. With 2 days of sleep (slept almost 18 hours a day) I’d better be better or there is something seriously wrong with my body. Well, I am thankful for this sickness actually (Thanks Lord), I realised that I’ve been taking my health for granted, never thankful for it but took it for granted. How many of us are like that?
I’m not the type that falls sick easily. The last time a bug hit me was about 4 years ago and luckily I caught it early so it lasted only a day but this time after 2.5 days, I’m still not up and about as yet. There is still some lingering ‘sickness’ floating around in my body. At least tomorrow I’ll be able to get out.
Gosh, this sickness really got me. I’ve even lost my libido. Which is so sad. I hope it didn’t leave me permanently, that would really be terrible especially in a gay man’s life, a gay man who has a boyfriend’s life. Hehehehe…
One thing I realised is I do miss T a lot when I don’t get to see him. I think the best times I have are the times we go on vacation together. Being with him 24 hours a day is great. I hope that one day, we can live together. Gosh, I’m so nostalgic today, hmmm… really must see T soon or I’ll be totally bonkers with nostalgia and this journal will be SO boring.
I'm the type of person that CANNOT stay at home for more than 1 day at a time.
As all can see, I’m actually much better today. With 2 days of sleep (slept almost 18 hours a day) I’d better be better or there is something seriously wrong with my body. Well, I am thankful for this sickness actually (Thanks Lord), I realised that I’ve been taking my health for granted, never thankful for it but took it for granted. How many of us are like that?
I’m not the type that falls sick easily. The last time a bug hit me was about 4 years ago and luckily I caught it early so it lasted only a day but this time after 2.5 days, I’m still not up and about as yet. There is still some lingering ‘sickness’ floating around in my body. At least tomorrow I’ll be able to get out.
Gosh, this sickness really got me. I’ve even lost my libido. Which is so sad. I hope it didn’t leave me permanently, that would really be terrible especially in a gay man’s life, a gay man who has a boyfriend’s life. Hehehehe…
One thing I realised is I do miss T a lot when I don’t get to see him. I think the best times I have are the times we go on vacation together. Being with him 24 hours a day is great. I hope that one day, we can live together. Gosh, I’m so nostalgic today, hmmm… really must see T soon or I’ll be totally bonkers with nostalgia and this journal will be SO boring.
10 January 2005
I REALLY, REALLY HATE THE FLU!!!
Woke up feeling worse than yesterday, which mean I really do have to visit the doctor.
......
Well, the doctor gave me 2 days sick leave and I refused antibiotics. I really hate what it does to my body. I really believe that my body should be able to fight of this infection by itself without antibiotics. Yes, I’m a researcher who believes in holistic medicine very much like what the Chinese believe. Little do people know but in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) the medicine you take in does not kill the germs, viruses, etc in your body but it boosts or strengthens your immune system to fight it off, that is the reason why TCM is never a quick fix, it takes a longer time for a person to recover from a sickness using TCM but the upside is that the immune system is stronger now and is less prone to the same sickness.
Hmmm… I seem to be rattling off a lot on this. Must be the drugs taking effect. I’m high, hehehehehe… stupid antihistamine.
Well, this would be another day of sleeping. Gosh, talk about overdose of sleep.
......
Well, the doctor gave me 2 days sick leave and I refused antibiotics. I really hate what it does to my body. I really believe that my body should be able to fight of this infection by itself without antibiotics. Yes, I’m a researcher who believes in holistic medicine very much like what the Chinese believe. Little do people know but in Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) the medicine you take in does not kill the germs, viruses, etc in your body but it boosts or strengthens your immune system to fight it off, that is the reason why TCM is never a quick fix, it takes a longer time for a person to recover from a sickness using TCM but the upside is that the immune system is stronger now and is less prone to the same sickness.
Hmmm… I seem to be rattling off a lot on this. Must be the drugs taking effect. I’m high, hehehehehe… stupid antihistamine.
Well, this would be another day of sleeping. Gosh, talk about overdose of sleep.
I HATE THE FLU!!!
Woke up and didn't feel right, had a sore throat. Not a big deal but as the day progressed (and I'm counting in hours here), I realised that my body was becoming rather hot (and not in the good way) and I was getting a temperature, I presume it was the start of flu. Tried hunting around the house for a thermometer, it's so odd, I know I had one and that the government gave us one but I can't find it anywhere in the house. In the end, I just took 2 Panadol.
I'm just so pissed off about this. I was so up and running yesterday and today. It was a great week for me. aaarrrrrrrrrrgh! I have a friend down from Australia and we were suppose to meet, I had to forget about it. Also told T about it. So the 2 of them decided to meet up and I was at home nursing a flu.
So slept for most of the day, taking 2 Panadol every 4 hours.
Hope that I'll be fine soon. Tomorrow would be great...... Lord you listening to me? :P Hehe… so demanding.
I'm just so pissed off about this. I was so up and running yesterday and today. It was a great week for me. aaarrrrrrrrrrgh! I have a friend down from Australia and we were suppose to meet, I had to forget about it. Also told T about it. So the 2 of them decided to meet up and I was at home nursing a flu.
So slept for most of the day, taking 2 Panadol every 4 hours.
Hope that I'll be fine soon. Tomorrow would be great...... Lord you listening to me? :P Hehe… so demanding.
01 January 2005
HAPPY 2005?
The New Year, so much grief.
This would be one New Year, which will be recorded as the biggest natural tragedies to befall men.
Recap:
On 26th of December, A magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the island of Sumatra in Indonesia struck at 0800 hours local time on December 26th. The massive earthquake generated a tsunami that has claimed lives in excess of 100,000 across countries including Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Somalia.
Even though it is not the biggest but it is the one which the world knows about. This is one time when the global village is becoming a reality.
I was talking to T the other day and said that this is not the worse disasters that we have come across in the history of humanity but it is the one that the world knew about almost instantaneously and the world was shocked and grieved with the people. The mass media, whether the internet, television, etc has brought this closer to home than previous disasters.
So this year, all New Year celebrations were toned downed all across the world. Those countries or cities that still had it had a minute of silence to remember the dead and their families. It was the first time the world has grieved together. The first time that the world was together as one in this.
Even as we enjoy this day and welcome the now year. Let us all remember the people that died in the year 2004 due to no fault of their own. The people who have been murdered in wars and hate crimes. The people who have been killed due to accidents and disasters.
This would be one New Year, which will be recorded as the biggest natural tragedies to befall men.
Recap:
On 26th of December, A magnitude 9.0 earthquake off the island of Sumatra in Indonesia struck at 0800 hours local time on December 26th. The massive earthquake generated a tsunami that has claimed lives in excess of 100,000 across countries including Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, the Maldives, and Somalia.
Even though it is not the biggest but it is the one which the world knows about. This is one time when the global village is becoming a reality.
I was talking to T the other day and said that this is not the worse disasters that we have come across in the history of humanity but it is the one that the world knew about almost instantaneously and the world was shocked and grieved with the people. The mass media, whether the internet, television, etc has brought this closer to home than previous disasters.
So this year, all New Year celebrations were toned downed all across the world. Those countries or cities that still had it had a minute of silence to remember the dead and their families. It was the first time the world has grieved together. The first time that the world was together as one in this.
Even as we enjoy this day and welcome the now year. Let us all remember the people that died in the year 2004 due to no fault of their own. The people who have been murdered in wars and hate crimes. The people who have been killed due to accidents and disasters.
25 December 2004
MERRY CHRISTMAS
This would be the 2nd Christmas T and I are spending together. It is so nice. Last year we were also in HK spending our Christmas together. Talk about history repeating itself but I'm not complaining just enjoying the every moment we are together.
11 November 2004
Happy Anniversary
Today is our anniversary. We actually met in beginning of August 2003 but got serious only around 10th of December 2003.
T is at Batam with his company.
We had a nice celebration last night, went to this quiet Japanese restaurant near St. Andrews Junior College for dinner. Great food, we had a Japanese paper steam boat. Yup you read right it was a paper steam boat, the container was made of paper. It was interesting. 3 Japanese men ran this restaurant and only 1 of them could speak English.
After which we had a nice walk and chat around Mount Faber ending up at the SAFRA Mount Faber near there. Where we had hot chocolate. It was a nice way to spend an anniversary.
Looking back it the past year, I realised how much I've change and him too. It started off being a one sided thing, where I was so totally smitten by him but he was new to the dating and relationship scene, so was rather non committal. But now, our love for each other has grown so much and we actually can't imagine us not being together.
I'm happy now, much happier than I've ever been with any of my previous boyfriends, though things are something difficult, we have really learnt to accept each other's idiosyncrasies and stubbornness and compromise, really compromise. Wow, never know I could be less pig-headed and compromise ;). One thing I've realised that I've got rid of my baggage left over from my 1st boyfriend, A. He was suffering from depression and had this thing about 'breaking-up' with me whenever there is a situation he can't handle. I was left with the baggage of my boyfriends doing that if I disagreed with them or had a situation with them. Was usually worried if I really showed my true feelings about a situation. T has made me discard that last piece of baggage, he would really try to work things out with me, no matter how painful or difficult the topic or situation is. That has really made our relationship stronger. And after a year, there was not once he every wanted to 'break-up' because of anything but have always used 'work things out'. To him there is no such thing as a situation that cannot be talked out and worked upon.
T is at Batam with his company.
We had a nice celebration last night, went to this quiet Japanese restaurant near St. Andrews Junior College for dinner. Great food, we had a Japanese paper steam boat. Yup you read right it was a paper steam boat, the container was made of paper. It was interesting. 3 Japanese men ran this restaurant and only 1 of them could speak English.
After which we had a nice walk and chat around Mount Faber ending up at the SAFRA Mount Faber near there. Where we had hot chocolate. It was a nice way to spend an anniversary.
Looking back it the past year, I realised how much I've change and him too. It started off being a one sided thing, where I was so totally smitten by him but he was new to the dating and relationship scene, so was rather non committal. But now, our love for each other has grown so much and we actually can't imagine us not being together.
I'm happy now, much happier than I've ever been with any of my previous boyfriends, though things are something difficult, we have really learnt to accept each other's idiosyncrasies and stubbornness and compromise, really compromise. Wow, never know I could be less pig-headed and compromise ;). One thing I've realised that I've got rid of my baggage left over from my 1st boyfriend, A. He was suffering from depression and had this thing about 'breaking-up' with me whenever there is a situation he can't handle. I was left with the baggage of my boyfriends doing that if I disagreed with them or had a situation with them. Was usually worried if I really showed my true feelings about a situation. T has made me discard that last piece of baggage, he would really try to work things out with me, no matter how painful or difficult the topic or situation is. That has really made our relationship stronger. And after a year, there was not once he every wanted to 'break-up' because of anything but have always used 'work things out'. To him there is no such thing as a situation that cannot be talked out and worked upon.
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