My parents were not rich but they did leave behind a bit of money; not enough to make each of us siblings rich but would surely have made their own lives more enjoyable if they had spent it. However my mum who held the family purse string was insecure about money and had also intended to leave a little bit of money as insurance for her children. So instead of spending on travel or some other luxuries they measured each item of expenditure on its neccesity etc. The habits or insecurity of their generation has passed on to us the baby boomers.
Reading an article in today's papers threw some light on what might have been a subtle indoctrination over the last half century or a collective neurosis if you will. First of all, do you know that unlike other countries like Hong Kong proceeds from land sales by the Singapore government goes directly into our reserves and is not considered as income for the year. This is despite the sale of freehold land as leasehold land of 99 years or 60 years and premium is collected from developers to extend land leases. At least some form of capital gain or revaluation gain can be considered as income. What is the significance of recognising it as income? This will impact the amount that can be allocated for social expenditure each year.
In addition the constitution states that only a maximum of 50% of net investment income from GIC, MAS and Temasek Holdings can be considered as government income. Most analysts that Business Times spoke to feel that the actual percentage considered as income hovers only around 30 to 40% of net returns of these institutions.
If you have missed the interesting interview ST journalist Susan Long had with the ex-GIC chief economist Yeoh Lam Keong in the article "Singapore's social policies are not future ready" here are some interesting extracts:
"He notes that the Government's spending, as a share of GDP, of around 17 per cent is among the lowest in the developed world, compared to 35-40 per cent in most OECD countries and 25-30 per cent in other advanced Asian economies.
'Our current levels of spending are low even by our own historical standards of up to 25 per cent of GDP seen in the mid-1980s and early 1990s. These are levels of a public spending we can afford to return to while maintaining competitiveness and long-term fiscal sustainability,' he says.
He applauds the Government's pledge announced by Health Minister Gan Kim Yong to double health-care expenditure from $4 billion to $8 billion in 2017, which will raise it from 1.5 per cent to 2.2 per cent of GDP. However, he points out, Taiwan was already spending 3.5 to 4 per cent of GDP on health care in 2001.
Notwithstanding the superiority of quality and efficiency of Singapore's health care, he asks: 'Is it enough for Singapore, which is steadily ageing, to spend half of Taiwan's 2001 budget in 2017?' "
Now you know what I mean when I talk about the national neurosis of perceived financial insecurity. It filters down to our parents and ourselves. At least my mum was not so paranoid as to view necessity as luxury. For the government however some form of psycho analysis is urgently called for when it can not see social obligations as neccesities.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Mother's Day
When my daughter asked me what gift I fancied for Mother's Day, I told her I want an all year round present instead of a one-off thingy on the one-day thingy of the year. I want her to co-operate to keep her room neater to save my frustration everytime I clean it. She thought it was too much to ask for and settled with a dinner.
Ever since my mum passed away my side of the family has not celebrated Mother's Day jointly. My husband's family still continues with the tradition of dining together, usually a week earlier or later to beat the crowd. I used to crack my head to buy my mother-in-law a present until I ran out of ideas and stopped. This one-day thingy when everyone tries to make the mothers in the family happy has become a tradition to the delight of restaurants, spas, hotels etc. Other than it being too commercialised it is quite useful in that it reminds people to reflect on their relationship with their parents and their children. So the newspaper without fail carries tributes from readers. This year the journalist who writes about her mum makes you feel she was tasked to do so this year ie. its her turn. She rambles irrelevantly about her mum's growing up years and talks mundanely about mum being very liberal in bringing up children, respecting their choices and decisions etc. It is not an interesting article, not really worth reading in short.
On second thought however, maybe it is her hidden intention to say "Hey, what is this hoohah all about?" Perhaps there is really nothing very interesting to relate or nothing to be emotional about. Then again maybe there is stuff which is not appropriate to talk about and since she has to be positive the list is short!. If you think about it, you only appreciate your mum more or understands her feelings better when you become a mum/parent yourself.
My own relationship with my mother was a love/blame/guilt/regret/gratitude mixed pot of feelings. From the time I was an adolescent beginning to read psychoanalytical stuff to understand the root of my insecurities, I have acquired the blaming attitude, possibly as a defensive mechanism, defending my inability to overcome my weaknesses. Gratitude was not so prominent in those early years even though acts of filial piety predominated out of cultural upbringing. Love and blame rolled along throughout the years, love when you ran "home" to her through all the ups and downs in adult life; blame when you fought the inner battle of anxieties and despondencies. In later years after becoming a mother and as your children grew from babies to children to adolescents, gratitude towards your mum surfaced and grew deeper. It dawned on you perhaps for the first time where she was coming from, why she felt the way she felt, why the advice which seemed so jaded was after all relevant and how you could have hurt her feelings. You began to recall snipets of advice and long forgotten conversation flashed back. That was when the regret and guilt set in. Appreciation and regret mingled when you marveled at the never ending care and concern which now extended to your spouse and children, and regret tormented when you realised too late you should have given more of your time and care. Despite this "awakening" the blame still lurked like a haunting ghost. In recent years however when you reflect upon the impact your behaviour, values and weaknesses impact your own children's character and values, you begin to develop empathy for your mother and this "blaming" ghost begins to diminish. You now understand it is never easy to be a mother; for loving your children alone is not enough and wisdom (which god knows where you can acquire from) is ever ever so important.
Very so often these wisdom came a bit too late.
Ever since my mum passed away my side of the family has not celebrated Mother's Day jointly. My husband's family still continues with the tradition of dining together, usually a week earlier or later to beat the crowd. I used to crack my head to buy my mother-in-law a present until I ran out of ideas and stopped. This one-day thingy when everyone tries to make the mothers in the family happy has become a tradition to the delight of restaurants, spas, hotels etc. Other than it being too commercialised it is quite useful in that it reminds people to reflect on their relationship with their parents and their children. So the newspaper without fail carries tributes from readers. This year the journalist who writes about her mum makes you feel she was tasked to do so this year ie. its her turn. She rambles irrelevantly about her mum's growing up years and talks mundanely about mum being very liberal in bringing up children, respecting their choices and decisions etc. It is not an interesting article, not really worth reading in short.
On second thought however, maybe it is her hidden intention to say "Hey, what is this hoohah all about?" Perhaps there is really nothing very interesting to relate or nothing to be emotional about. Then again maybe there is stuff which is not appropriate to talk about and since she has to be positive the list is short!. If you think about it, you only appreciate your mum more or understands her feelings better when you become a mum/parent yourself.
My own relationship with my mother was a love/blame/guilt/regret/gratitude mixed pot of feelings. From the time I was an adolescent beginning to read psychoanalytical stuff to understand the root of my insecurities, I have acquired the blaming attitude, possibly as a defensive mechanism, defending my inability to overcome my weaknesses. Gratitude was not so prominent in those early years even though acts of filial piety predominated out of cultural upbringing. Love and blame rolled along throughout the years, love when you ran "home" to her through all the ups and downs in adult life; blame when you fought the inner battle of anxieties and despondencies. In later years after becoming a mother and as your children grew from babies to children to adolescents, gratitude towards your mum surfaced and grew deeper. It dawned on you perhaps for the first time where she was coming from, why she felt the way she felt, why the advice which seemed so jaded was after all relevant and how you could have hurt her feelings. You began to recall snipets of advice and long forgotten conversation flashed back. That was when the regret and guilt set in. Appreciation and regret mingled when you marveled at the never ending care and concern which now extended to your spouse and children, and regret tormented when you realised too late you should have given more of your time and care. Despite this "awakening" the blame still lurked like a haunting ghost. In recent years however when you reflect upon the impact your behaviour, values and weaknesses impact your own children's character and values, you begin to develop empathy for your mother and this "blaming" ghost begins to diminish. You now understand it is never easy to be a mother; for loving your children alone is not enough and wisdom (which god knows where you can acquire from) is ever ever so important.
Very so often these wisdom came a bit too late.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Feeding Religious Perceptions
The week before last I was mired in gloomy disillusionment over my job. Out of the blue a ray of sunshine cleared the dark gloomy sky. A chance meeting with the mother of an ex-student last week lifted my spirits. At times like these you are drawn to believing in the divine which somehow always recharges your battery in the nick of time,
Is this what is often termed as God's Mercy when something good happens? What if something bad happens? It is called God's trial I suppose. It is quite a different concept in Buddhist teachings. You are taught to be aware of your feelings be it bad or good and not to be affected by them, reason being they are impermanent in nature. If one feeds the continuous hunger for emotional food, there will inevitably be sufferings. So in my case for example my gloomy feelings should not have affected me in the first instance if I have not been so focused on the big "I". Both religious concepts are plausible.
The other day I heard over podcast the plight of both Christians and Muslims in refugee camps in Nigeria after being driven out of their home towns because of the religious strifes and killings. It is quite heart wrenching to hear how both sides mourn the loss of loved ones and homes. I just feel very perplexed why there is so much hatred towards people who do not share one's belief. This is another form of craving isn't it? The crave to feed one's thoughts and perceptions.
On yet another day I tuned to the "Thinking Atheist" podcast and heard with amusement (maybe a bit wicked on my part) the frustrations and cynicsm expressed by both a Christian and an atheist debating on whether there is morality without a Christian God. Both sounded as if they wanted to tear their hair out. The atheist implored for logic whilst the Christian kept asking "how do you know your reasoning is valid?" and maintained that God is the ultimate authority for reasoning. I see both can argue until the cow comes home to no conclusion because they are talking on different planes. How I wish one day our world will be so open and enlightened that all the young of this world will be taught the teachings of various religions. After that they can choose to align with the religion that is comfortable for them. Above all they must also learn to avoid the crave to feed on their perceptions and taught never ever to resort to killings and insults to feed this hunger.
Is this what is often termed as God's Mercy when something good happens? What if something bad happens? It is called God's trial I suppose. It is quite a different concept in Buddhist teachings. You are taught to be aware of your feelings be it bad or good and not to be affected by them, reason being they are impermanent in nature. If one feeds the continuous hunger for emotional food, there will inevitably be sufferings. So in my case for example my gloomy feelings should not have affected me in the first instance if I have not been so focused on the big "I". Both religious concepts are plausible.
The other day I heard over podcast the plight of both Christians and Muslims in refugee camps in Nigeria after being driven out of their home towns because of the religious strifes and killings. It is quite heart wrenching to hear how both sides mourn the loss of loved ones and homes. I just feel very perplexed why there is so much hatred towards people who do not share one's belief. This is another form of craving isn't it? The crave to feed one's thoughts and perceptions.
On yet another day I tuned to the "Thinking Atheist" podcast and heard with amusement (maybe a bit wicked on my part) the frustrations and cynicsm expressed by both a Christian and an atheist debating on whether there is morality without a Christian God. Both sounded as if they wanted to tear their hair out. The atheist implored for logic whilst the Christian kept asking "how do you know your reasoning is valid?" and maintained that God is the ultimate authority for reasoning. I see both can argue until the cow comes home to no conclusion because they are talking on different planes. How I wish one day our world will be so open and enlightened that all the young of this world will be taught the teachings of various religions. After that they can choose to align with the religion that is comfortable for them. Above all they must also learn to avoid the crave to feed on their perceptions and taught never ever to resort to killings and insults to feed this hunger.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Where is the Magic Pill?
Some days are bad like today. You receive not one, not two but three accounts of the bad behaviour of students under your charge. OK not all 3 came from the teachers, one was a self confession by the student, if that is of any comfort. The case which makes you feel the worst is when the teacher tells you the boy is no angel as he pretends to be and that he knows what the counselor likes to hear, in other words you, the counselor, are a fool to be taken in.
Then there is another case, a boy who is under your charge for 3 years and and who has shown no marked improvement in his disruptive class behaviour. You got to accustom yourself to comments like "still the same" from the teachers. You explain your ineffectiveness by ascribing it to his fractured relationship with his family. The social workers at the Family Service Centre which is helping the family has difficulty making the parents keep their counselling appointments (mum is under MCYS monitoring for physical abuse of the boy). You feel helpless, stuck, disillusioned and useless with this lack of progress.
Of more heartache perhaps is when the third student confessed he committed a serious offence and ruefully admitted "I wasn't thinking". So you hanged on to his thin straw of conscience and affirmed him for realising his wrong doing. You explored with him the legal consequences of his acts and you brainstormed with him ways which can remind him to "think" before he acts. But this wasn't the first time he realised his mistake isn't it? So is he like the first student, saying things he knows the counselor likes to hear? Am I being deceived again? However his ash looking face draws your empathy and you believe him once again. You know it is very very difficult not to empathise with a child whose face shows great despair. It is very hurting to see children suffer.
On deeper reflection I must admit I am a lousy behaviourist ie. using methods to change behaviour. I am better handling students with emotional issues. My greatest satisfaction is putting a smile back on the face of a child who comes in crestfallen and sad. However in these days that expect quick results, there is little patience for emotional healing before behavioural transformation. A quick fix is demanded like the popping of a pyschiatrist pill.
Where can I find this magic pill? Should I give up looking for this imaginary pill or should I quit imagining myself a doctor ?
Then there is another case, a boy who is under your charge for 3 years and and who has shown no marked improvement in his disruptive class behaviour. You got to accustom yourself to comments like "still the same" from the teachers. You explain your ineffectiveness by ascribing it to his fractured relationship with his family. The social workers at the Family Service Centre which is helping the family has difficulty making the parents keep their counselling appointments (mum is under MCYS monitoring for physical abuse of the boy). You feel helpless, stuck, disillusioned and useless with this lack of progress.
Of more heartache perhaps is when the third student confessed he committed a serious offence and ruefully admitted "I wasn't thinking". So you hanged on to his thin straw of conscience and affirmed him for realising his wrong doing. You explored with him the legal consequences of his acts and you brainstormed with him ways which can remind him to "think" before he acts. But this wasn't the first time he realised his mistake isn't it? So is he like the first student, saying things he knows the counselor likes to hear? Am I being deceived again? However his ash looking face draws your empathy and you believe him once again. You know it is very very difficult not to empathise with a child whose face shows great despair. It is very hurting to see children suffer.
On deeper reflection I must admit I am a lousy behaviourist ie. using methods to change behaviour. I am better handling students with emotional issues. My greatest satisfaction is putting a smile back on the face of a child who comes in crestfallen and sad. However in these days that expect quick results, there is little patience for emotional healing before behavioural transformation. A quick fix is demanded like the popping of a pyschiatrist pill.
Where can I find this magic pill? Should I give up looking for this imaginary pill or should I quit imagining myself a doctor ?
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Juicy Questions
The recent round up of 80 men in Singapore by the police for having sex with an underaged girl makes me wonder aloud as follow:
1) Does the police need a fresh perspective to run the force hence rounding up a herd of men from various professions with some foreign talents thrown in. Maybe whilst serving their short jail term they can offer new ideas in running the force recommending changes and improvements eg. in the administration, IT system, education program of prisoners etc. It is hard to come by such a large pool of talents ranging from school principals, teachers, bankers, senior civil servants, grass root leaders, green activists, IT professionals, entreprenaurs. (Hey how come no accountants? Maybe they were spared because they did an audit first)
2) Is something terribly lacking in Singapore wives' performance in some aspects of marriage? If so maybe it calls for a panel of inquiry to find the ROOT cause of such breakdown. Surely it is not too much to ask given the train breakdown warrants 3 panels of inquiry.
3) Is our local newspaper running low in distribution revenue or are they running short of ideas and more news-worthy articles? Look at how they spice up the papers by splashing gigantic photos of the men, sparing no thoughts on how it impacts their families.
4) If things go a bit too far from here,will somebody in the police force be hauled up for grilling and somebody in the national press be given a slap on the wrist by somebody in the ruling party for destroying the image of our spick and span city state?
5) Am I being a real big idler and procratinator? I am supposed to start on my course assignment due soon. Instead I just can't get started and ramble about such juicy news!
1) Does the police need a fresh perspective to run the force hence rounding up a herd of men from various professions with some foreign talents thrown in. Maybe whilst serving their short jail term they can offer new ideas in running the force recommending changes and improvements eg. in the administration, IT system, education program of prisoners etc. It is hard to come by such a large pool of talents ranging from school principals, teachers, bankers, senior civil servants, grass root leaders, green activists, IT professionals, entreprenaurs. (Hey how come no accountants? Maybe they were spared because they did an audit first)
2) Is something terribly lacking in Singapore wives' performance in some aspects of marriage? If so maybe it calls for a panel of inquiry to find the ROOT cause of such breakdown. Surely it is not too much to ask given the train breakdown warrants 3 panels of inquiry.
3) Is our local newspaper running low in distribution revenue or are they running short of ideas and more news-worthy articles? Look at how they spice up the papers by splashing gigantic photos of the men, sparing no thoughts on how it impacts their families.
4) If things go a bit too far from here,will somebody in the police force be hauled up for grilling and somebody in the national press be given a slap on the wrist by somebody in the ruling party for destroying the image of our spick and span city state?
5) Am I being a real big idler and procratinator? I am supposed to start on my course assignment due soon. Instead I just can't get started and ramble about such juicy news!
Friday, April 13, 2012
The Opportunity to Excel
In another step forward to cater to different skills/abilities of our school going children, the government is starting a new school for primary school leaving students who may not be so academically inclined. Students wishing to be admitted to this new specialised Normal (Technical) school, Crest Secondary School, will be students who qualify for the Normal (Technical) stream based on their PSLE results and who are assessed by teachers to benefit more from hands-on activity based learning.
Apparently, this new school will have some flexibility to customise its teaching approach to suit students' learning styles, with an emphasis on practical learning. Graduates can go on to ITE, apprenticeship at trade-based institutes or seek employment.
On whether there will be a stigma that may be attached to attending a school specialising in N(T) education, Mr Chris Lee, who is on the school's board of directors, said: "Between stigma and an opportunity to excel, I would choose opportunity to excel, rather than stick to a mainstream academic stream and slowly see your interest dwindle away."
From my own engagement with my student counselees, I can attest to the aptness of this remark. Nothing can crush a student's confidence and interest more quickly than allowing a student to continue lagging behind in class failing to grasp the contents of what is being taught. The child's self esteem also takes a tremendous toll. The only means to restore hope and self worth is to let the student feel that there is some field or area which he/she can master. I had a case of a girl whose presenting issue was high absenteeism due to lack of interest in school coupled with not being able to fit in a class dominated by rowdy and badly behaved boys. She was also unable to speak audibly. However she loved to draw and her initial communication with me was through her drawings and short written phrases. Slowly through my affirmation of her drawing skills we went on to explore other abilities she was capable of. When she discovered she could spell if she put in enough effort, she would inevitably start our counselling sessions by writing profusely on a piece of paper all the words in the spelling list for the week. From thereon I also taught her how to look straight into the naughty boys' eyes and told them to get lost. As her confidence picked up she also began to speak up audibly.
Then there was another case of a boy who was diagnosed with dyslexia only this year when he was in primary 5. His presenting issue for counselling was disruptive behaviour in class. He shared with me that he was bored in class because most of the time he didn't know what was going on. During one session I showed him a video, a cartoon entitled "What is it like being dyslexic". At first I was rather disappointed when he told me he had already watched the video. However as we watched he eagerly highlighted to me the parts that left deep impression in him. One of the part was when the teacher in the cartoon bowed down to the dyslexic child to ask for forgiveness for calling him stupid and lazy before understanding his learning difficulty. Another point he remembered very clearly was the statement that each and every one is good in different field. It seems to me it is his impassioned cry not to be dismissed as not good in anything and that he too can be strong in other ways.
It is rather unfortunate that our social culture predominantly admires people who are very smart academically. Indeed Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence includes: Spatial,Linguistic,Logical/mathematical,Bodily/kinesthetic,Musical,Interpersonal,intrapersonal and Naturalistic. Traditionally our education system has too much emphasis on the logical/mathematical and linguistic skills (maths and reading/writing).
Let us hope that going forward our education system will be flexible and dynamic enough to discover the particular type of intelligence each child is endowed with and help the child to excel in that field. Although it may not be directly relevant but I do think that narrowing the differences in salaries in different fields will also promote social attitude and respect for all types of occupations and people with different skills. Sad, but that's the only way in our materialistic society of clever but not so wise people.
Apparently, this new school will have some flexibility to customise its teaching approach to suit students' learning styles, with an emphasis on practical learning. Graduates can go on to ITE, apprenticeship at trade-based institutes or seek employment.
On whether there will be a stigma that may be attached to attending a school specialising in N(T) education, Mr Chris Lee, who is on the school's board of directors, said: "Between stigma and an opportunity to excel, I would choose opportunity to excel, rather than stick to a mainstream academic stream and slowly see your interest dwindle away."
From my own engagement with my student counselees, I can attest to the aptness of this remark. Nothing can crush a student's confidence and interest more quickly than allowing a student to continue lagging behind in class failing to grasp the contents of what is being taught. The child's self esteem also takes a tremendous toll. The only means to restore hope and self worth is to let the student feel that there is some field or area which he/she can master. I had a case of a girl whose presenting issue was high absenteeism due to lack of interest in school coupled with not being able to fit in a class dominated by rowdy and badly behaved boys. She was also unable to speak audibly. However she loved to draw and her initial communication with me was through her drawings and short written phrases. Slowly through my affirmation of her drawing skills we went on to explore other abilities she was capable of. When she discovered she could spell if she put in enough effort, she would inevitably start our counselling sessions by writing profusely on a piece of paper all the words in the spelling list for the week. From thereon I also taught her how to look straight into the naughty boys' eyes and told them to get lost. As her confidence picked up she also began to speak up audibly.
Then there was another case of a boy who was diagnosed with dyslexia only this year when he was in primary 5. His presenting issue for counselling was disruptive behaviour in class. He shared with me that he was bored in class because most of the time he didn't know what was going on. During one session I showed him a video, a cartoon entitled "What is it like being dyslexic". At first I was rather disappointed when he told me he had already watched the video. However as we watched he eagerly highlighted to me the parts that left deep impression in him. One of the part was when the teacher in the cartoon bowed down to the dyslexic child to ask for forgiveness for calling him stupid and lazy before understanding his learning difficulty. Another point he remembered very clearly was the statement that each and every one is good in different field. It seems to me it is his impassioned cry not to be dismissed as not good in anything and that he too can be strong in other ways.
It is rather unfortunate that our social culture predominantly admires people who are very smart academically. Indeed Gardner's theory of multiple intelligence includes: Spatial,Linguistic,Logical/mathematical,Bodily/kinesthetic,Musical,Interpersonal,intrapersonal and Naturalistic. Traditionally our education system has too much emphasis on the logical/mathematical and linguistic skills (maths and reading/writing).
Let us hope that going forward our education system will be flexible and dynamic enough to discover the particular type of intelligence each child is endowed with and help the child to excel in that field. Although it may not be directly relevant but I do think that narrowing the differences in salaries in different fields will also promote social attitude and respect for all types of occupations and people with different skills. Sad, but that's the only way in our materialistic society of clever but not so wise people.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Memories of that Box
I read in the papers about Redifussion closing shop at the end of this month. It has been in operation for more than 6 decades, 63 years to be precise. I am a bit surprised though that it is just 6 years older than me because my earliest childhood memory includes this square wooden box perched at a height on the wall. It provided whole day entertainment to the tailors working in our home in KL for my father's tailoring business. Needless to say their favourites were myths, legends and historical epics told by Li Dai Soh. Some of our tailors were illiterate too and depended on redifussion to receive the latest news update in Cantonese. Redifussion had other uses as well. I can still vividly remember the exact melody that blared from the brown box waking me with a shudder for school. It was the music which announced the start of broadcast at 6am daily. As an alarm clock it never ever failed us. Other than Li Dai Soh's animated story telling there were also various audio dramas which depended on dialogue, music and sound effects to stir our imagination. Indeed we the children became so addicted that my mum worried that we were too distracted to do our homework properly. Thus she imposed a curfew much to the distress of our workers. No one was allowed to turn on the Redifussion when the children were home from school. What a pity, I could have gathered so much more about Chinese history through Li Dai Soh's historical epics.
Almost every family subscribed to Redifussion. When I was 15 my elder sister, younger brother and I moved from KL to stay at my aunty's shophouse in Selegie Road, Singapore. I could enjoy Redifusssion again. On Sundays the shop house was deserted as my aunty and her family would spend the weekends at their new house. The Selegie shop house was haunted and I could bear witness to that. Can you imagine the nervous thrill of listening to ghost dramas in a haunted house every Sunday evening! My sister, little brother and I would huddle together near the Redifussion almost feeling the presence of other audience.
In 1982 when the Singapore government banned all broadcast in dialects my grandmother was in rage and scolded LKY. When not playing mahjong she would be listening to Redifussion's Cantonese programs whilst sewing, preparing meals or meddling with the contents of her cupboard. How pathetically docile our generation was then. We didnt even fight for our parents or grandparents' rights to simple entertainment. Redifussion was for her what the ipod is for us today. Can you imagine taking the ipod/iphone away from a youngster. No wonder she cried foul and murder. That box will always remain as part of the sweet memories cherished by people of my generation.
Almost every family subscribed to Redifussion. When I was 15 my elder sister, younger brother and I moved from KL to stay at my aunty's shophouse in Selegie Road, Singapore. I could enjoy Redifusssion again. On Sundays the shop house was deserted as my aunty and her family would spend the weekends at their new house. The Selegie shop house was haunted and I could bear witness to that. Can you imagine the nervous thrill of listening to ghost dramas in a haunted house every Sunday evening! My sister, little brother and I would huddle together near the Redifussion almost feeling the presence of other audience.
In 1982 when the Singapore government banned all broadcast in dialects my grandmother was in rage and scolded LKY. When not playing mahjong she would be listening to Redifussion's Cantonese programs whilst sewing, preparing meals or meddling with the contents of her cupboard. How pathetically docile our generation was then. We didnt even fight for our parents or grandparents' rights to simple entertainment. Redifussion was for her what the ipod is for us today. Can you imagine taking the ipod/iphone away from a youngster. No wonder she cried foul and murder. That box will always remain as part of the sweet memories cherished by people of my generation.
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