Snowy @ 7 Months

When she's awake she plays

And plays...

And when she's tired... (Yawn...)


She dozes...


...off

Don't Thrash It Out On Parents

They say, bad upbringing and parenting results in bad behaviour or attitude. And that the values we hold dear reflects on what values our parents hold dear.

Our parents must have taught us a lot, so if our parents have good values, they will surely impart the good values to us and we too will have good values. On the other hand, if our parents have bad values, we too will have bad values.

I cannot disagree more. These statements are not entirely accurate.

First of all, think about the word "bad". How long ago was it that everyone around you agreed in unison about something you thought was "bad"? I'm not talking about the clear-cut issues like murder or rape here, because even the idiots will know they are bad. I'm talking about the issues people debate about everyday, like whether Westernisation is beneficial, and whether the death penalty should be abolished in the country - the grey areas.

If I thought Westernisation to be detrimental, should I then go ahead to say that everyone who embrace Westernisation has bad values, and therefore their parents must also have bad values? If I did, wouldn't I be looking at things from a very subjective point of view?

Sadly, this is the case with the self-righteous. They are somehow unable to see things objectively, not to say they even try to anyway. Whatever they think is bad must be bad. Therefore, if they thought exposure to violence on television is bad, then people who watch too many violent movies surely have bad values and their parents also surely have bad values.

Grey areas can only become black in the eyes of the self-righteous. To others they remain grey areas. Thus, if nobody can be a perfect judge for debatable issues which ultimately forms part of the values we hold dear, how can they be considered to be bad values, and what more, how can parents who inculcate such values in their children be bad as well?

Secondly, I believe that values are not inculcated in children solely by their parents.

My parents never taught me anything about the freedom of expression, but boy do I love it! My parents never educated me on the importance of democracy or the oppressiveness of communism but I learnt about them when I studied History in school.

Besides, if having "good" values is a result of "good parenting", then why are some parents of several children, using similar and consistent methods of upbringing, only successful in imparting so-called "good" values in some? That's because some children may be intrinsically rebellious, or may have been led astray by their peers.

But don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that parenting has nothing to do with behavioural problems. I am only reinforcing the fact that "good" values do not necessarily stem from effective parenting, and that likewise, "bad" values do not necessarily stem from bad parenting. Other factors such as peer influence and self-learning do come into place as well.

So, bad values as a result of bad parenting? That's for typical Singaporean losers who seek to find scapegoats for everything that has gone wrong in their lives; in their subjective, make-belief world where everyone conforms to their mindset.

C'mon people! Speak up against this oppression! How long more will you allow the self-righteous to criticise you for practising your rights, or to criticise your parents for not imparting good values to you, whenever you do not conform to the practices in the self-centered, imaginary world of theirs!! Don't let people blame your parents for everything you do! Because sometimes you feel that special way for things your parents never did.

You have a life! Live it!

I Remember 63SIB

It has been more than a year since I ORD-ed so I thought I'd say I remember.

I remember the fun.

I remember the pains.

I remember how we would fall so strangely ill whenever we were required to attend life runs, but then "recover" strangely fast whenever we were given permission to play soccer.

I remember how we had to stop whatever we were doing to search for the brigade madman who had run away to hide somewhere in the building.

I remember how we were asked to assist in investigations when a brigade mate was "sentenced" to 40 days in the detention barracks for malingering.

I remember the brigade jersey and how we all wore it on the same day as a sign of unity. Except a few of course - those who didn't deserve to be part of us.

I remember making the calls. You know, the ones that landed you in hot soup, Rama? Oh yeah, bite me, now that you know who did it.

I remember taking those one hour naps inside our bunks during lunchtime and extending them whenever no officers were around.

I remember going for roti prata at Upper Thomson or KFC at Sembawang Plaza with my mates during lunchtime.

I remember how we ordered pizza on duty days, and consumed them while watching television or DVDs.

I remember how inefficient the army system was, and how it would take at least 8 months to complete a procedure which would have easily taken less than a month in the real working world.

I remember how we visited and posted on forums during office hours.

I remember how the downgrade to C9L3 landed me in 63SIB.

I remember the things worth remembering. Like these.

Humour Mail 3

Jimmy received a parrot for his birthday.

The parrot was fully grown, with a very bad attitude and worse vocabulary. Every other word was an expletive; those that weren't expletives were, to say the least, rude. Jimmy tried to change the bird's attitude by constantly saying polite words, playing soft music... anything he could think of.

Nothing worked. He yelled at the bird, and the bird got worse. He shook the bird, and the bird got madder and more rude. Finally, in a moment of desperation, Jimmy put the parrot in the freezer.

For a few moments he heard the bird swearing, squawking, kicking and screaming and then, suddenly, there was absolute quiet. Jimmy was frightened that he might have actually hurt the bird, and quickly opened the freezer door.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto Jimmy's extended arm and said, "I'm sorry that I offended you with my language and my actions, and I ask your forgiveness. I will endeavor to correct my behavior".

Jimmy was astounded at the changes in the bird's attitude and was about to ask what had changed him, when the parrot continued, "May I ask what the Chicken did?"

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A little old lady answered a knock on the door one day, only to be confronted by a well-dressed young man carrying a vacuum cleaner.

"Good morning," said the young man. "If I could take a couple minutes of your time, I would like to demonstrate the very latest in high-powered vacuum cleaners."

"Go away!" said the old lady. "I haven't got any money" and she tried to close the door.

Quick as a flash, the young man wedged his foot in the door and pushed it wide open. "Don't be too hasty!" he said. "Not until you have at least seen my demonstration." And with that, he emptied a bucket of horse shit all over her hallway carpet. "If this vacuum cleaner does not remove all traces of this horse shit from your carpet, Madam, I will personally eat the remainder."

"Well," she said, "I hope you've got a good appetite, because the electricity was cut off this morning."

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An old man was driving down the Interstate at 22 miles per hour, never going faster or slower. A police officer noticed and followed him for a while, then pulled him over.

Before the officer could even get to the car, the man was saying, 'I was not speeding, the speed limit is 22 miles per hour and that is exactly what I was doing, I was not speeding.'

The police officer said, 'I didn't pull you over for speeding, I pulled you over for going too slow.'

'But the sign says 22.'

The officer explained that he was on Interstate 22. As the man shook his head, the officer noticed that there were three older ladies in the back of the car. All of them were sitting with their mouths hanging open and spit drooling down the side. Their faces were very white and their hair was completely messy. The police officer leaned toward the man and asked, 'What's wrong with them?'

'Well, we just came off Interstate 134.'

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Peter decided to go skiing with his buddy, Bob. They loaded up Peter's station wagon and headed north. After driving for a few hours, they got caught in a terrible blizzard. They pulled into a nearby farm house and asked the attractive lady of the house if they could spend the night.

"I'm recently widowed," she explained, "and I'm afraid the neighbors will talk if I let you stay in my house."

"Not to worry," Peter said, "we'll be happy to sleep in the barn."

Nine months later, Peter got a letter from the widow's attorney. He then went up to visit his friend Bob and said, "Bob, do you remember that good-looking widow at the farm we stayed at?"

"Yes, I do."

"Did you happen to get up in the middle of the night, go up to the house and have sex with her?"

"Yes, I have to admit that I did."

"Did you happen to use my name instead of telling her your name?"

Bob's face turned red and he said, "Yeah, I'm afraid I did."

"Well, thanks! She just died and left me everything!"