Scary, this...
Kyodo News
Monday August 6, 11:03 AM
Wrong drug combination may be behind S. Korean diplomat's death(Kyodo)
A mistake in the administration of intravenous drugs by a Beijing clinic may have been behind last week's death of a senior diplomat at the South Korean Embassy in the Chinese capital, a source informed about the incident said Monday.
Whang Joung Il, 52-year-old minister for political affairs, died July 29 after receiving intravenous solutions at the clinic he visited for treatment of abdominal pain.
As part of his treatment, Whang received Ringer's solution and an antibiotic that should not be administered simultaneously with calcium-containing solutions, according to the source. Ringer's solution contains calcium.
A written instruction for the antibiotic used in the procedure, obtained by Kyodo News says, "Do not use diluents containing calcium, such as Ringer's solution" with the drug as "particulate formation can result."
The possibility of the clinic's improper use of the drugs emerged as a cause of the minister's death after an investigation into the incident by the South Korean Embassy found that numerous blood clots were discovered in the minister's body.
The clinic has yet to formally inform the embassy about the reasons behind the minister's death, and has not offered an apology over the incident, according to the source.
The Chinese authorities, which are also investigating the incident, have yet to issue a formal report, the source said.
The South Korean Embassy has issued a notice on its website warning South Koreans in China not to visit the clinic in central Beijing, which caters mainly to foreign expatriates, for any kind of treatment.
Whang visited the clinic after falling ill eating a sandwich.
Imagine that. Dying from a stomach ache. I wonder which antibiotic it was that they used.
I am NOT going to that clinic. Ever.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Impressions from China - Clearing the Air
This is Beijing's attempt at clearing the air for next year's Olympics:
Vehicles ordered off road for Olympics drill
By Liu Weifeng (China Daily)Updated: 2007-08-10 07:06
Beijing yesterday announced a drill to test the effectiveness of the Olympic host city's efforts to improve air quality and ease traffic congestion.
From August 17 to 20, about 1.3 million vehicles - nearly half of the total 3 million in the city - will be ordered off the roads as part of pre-Olympic tests, according to the capital city's environmental and traffic authorities.
On August 17 and 19 (Friday and Sunday), only vehicles with the license plate number ending with the odd numeral will be allowed on the roads.
On August 18 and August 20 (Saturday and Monday), it's plates ending with an even number.
The rule applies to Beijing-registered vehicles as well as those from outside the city.
Du Shaozhong, spokesman for the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said air quality will be monitored during the vehicle-reduction days.
"Let's see the correlation between air quality and the number of running vehicles," he said.
"Data from the tests will be collected and analyzed to improve air quality," Du said, adding vehicle emissions are a leading cause of urban pollution.
In addition to the 27 air quality monitoring stations spread across all the 18 districts and counties, three new stations and two new mobile monitor vehicles will be put to use, he added.
Vehicles which will be exempt from the drill will include those of the police, ambulance, fire, postal and breakdown services and the public transit system as well as those belonging to embassies and international organizations.
Zhai Shuanghe, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Traffic Management Bureau said the drill will test the city's public transport.
Rush hour services of the bus and metro systems will be extended to three hours, 6:30 am to 9:30 am, from the usual two hours, 7 am to 9 am.
Civic servants are supposed to arrive in office half an hour earlier at 8 am, and shopping malls will open doors one hour later at 10 am.
Currently, the public transit system carries 31 percent of the traveling public and is the most popular means of transport after walking.
Beijing runs 19,105 buses, two metro lines and two light rail transits lines.
During the test period, the public transit system will operate at full capacity. Besides, another 700 to 800 backup buses will be used, Zhai said.
Some cities around the world - such as Athens, Manila and Sao Paolo - restrict vehicles according to odd or even numbers on license plates.
(China Daily 08/10/2007 page1)
Vehicles ordered off road for Olympics drill
By Liu Weifeng (China Daily)Updated: 2007-08-10 07:06
Beijing yesterday announced a drill to test the effectiveness of the Olympic host city's efforts to improve air quality and ease traffic congestion.
From August 17 to 20, about 1.3 million vehicles - nearly half of the total 3 million in the city - will be ordered off the roads as part of pre-Olympic tests, according to the capital city's environmental and traffic authorities.
On August 17 and 19 (Friday and Sunday), only vehicles with the license plate number ending with the odd numeral will be allowed on the roads.
On August 18 and August 20 (Saturday and Monday), it's plates ending with an even number.
The rule applies to Beijing-registered vehicles as well as those from outside the city.
Du Shaozhong, spokesman for the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said air quality will be monitored during the vehicle-reduction days.
"Let's see the correlation between air quality and the number of running vehicles," he said.
"Data from the tests will be collected and analyzed to improve air quality," Du said, adding vehicle emissions are a leading cause of urban pollution.
In addition to the 27 air quality monitoring stations spread across all the 18 districts and counties, three new stations and two new mobile monitor vehicles will be put to use, he added.
Vehicles which will be exempt from the drill will include those of the police, ambulance, fire, postal and breakdown services and the public transit system as well as those belonging to embassies and international organizations.
Zhai Shuanghe, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Traffic Management Bureau said the drill will test the city's public transport.
Rush hour services of the bus and metro systems will be extended to three hours, 6:30 am to 9:30 am, from the usual two hours, 7 am to 9 am.
Civic servants are supposed to arrive in office half an hour earlier at 8 am, and shopping malls will open doors one hour later at 10 am.
Currently, the public transit system carries 31 percent of the traveling public and is the most popular means of transport after walking.
Beijing runs 19,105 buses, two metro lines and two light rail transits lines.
During the test period, the public transit system will operate at full capacity. Besides, another 700 to 800 backup buses will be used, Zhai said.
Some cities around the world - such as Athens, Manila and Sao Paolo - restrict vehicles according to odd or even numbers on license plates.
(China Daily 08/10/2007 page1)
This is a valiant attempt at reducing that gray haze that seems to hang perpetually over the city. I am sure it will work, because the traffic situation here is horrendous. The congestion you see on a regular workday is ridiculous. And it is quite common to see the PSI exceed 100.
What I wish is that they would make such efforts, not just for the Olympics, but, for the sake of the environment (& our health!), that it will continue past the Olympics. Maybe something not as drastic but perhaps some incentives to encourage car pooling or use of hybrid cars.
Monday, August 13, 2007
The End
I finished reading the final installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows last week.
Spoilers ahead...
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I've always enjoyed the Harry Potter books. I think JK Rowling is a wonderful writer, managing to capture her readers' imaginations & drawing them into the story so that one is loathe to put down the book until the end.
It was the same with the Deathly Hallows, although I got rather frustrated with Harry's reluctance to let others in on his secret mission just because Dumbledore said so. And this despite his own doubts about Dumbledore's sincerity & truthfulness. These people- Remus, Moody, the Weasleys - were willing to sacrifice their own safety to save his life, for crying out loud! So I didn't quite get Harry's very child-like loyalty to Dumbledore's confidence.
The final battle sequence was enthralling although Voldemort's demise was quite anti-climactic...downed by a reflection of his own Killing Spell??? I wonder if Ms Rowling's creative energy was running out of steam at this point.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book overall, & is quite sad to see it end. I hope Ms Rowling will change her mind about not writing anymore about the Harry Potter universe, as I am sure many fans will wonder at how the various relationships develop (i.e. Harry-Ginny, Ron-Hermione) between the time when this book ended, to the Epilogue of Nineteen Years Later.
Spoilers ahead...
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I've always enjoyed the Harry Potter books. I think JK Rowling is a wonderful writer, managing to capture her readers' imaginations & drawing them into the story so that one is loathe to put down the book until the end.
It was the same with the Deathly Hallows, although I got rather frustrated with Harry's reluctance to let others in on his secret mission just because Dumbledore said so. And this despite his own doubts about Dumbledore's sincerity & truthfulness. These people- Remus, Moody, the Weasleys - were willing to sacrifice their own safety to save his life, for crying out loud! So I didn't quite get Harry's very child-like loyalty to Dumbledore's confidence.
The final battle sequence was enthralling although Voldemort's demise was quite anti-climactic...downed by a reflection of his own Killing Spell??? I wonder if Ms Rowling's creative energy was running out of steam at this point.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book overall, & is quite sad to see it end. I hope Ms Rowling will change her mind about not writing anymore about the Harry Potter universe, as I am sure many fans will wonder at how the various relationships develop (i.e. Harry-Ginny, Ron-Hermione) between the time when this book ended, to the Epilogue of Nineteen Years Later.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Impressions from China - Interesting Finds & Factoids
I discovered amazing/unusual finds during our recent trip to Xi'an:
...no, not an ancient way of watering trees in China. We saw quite a number of trees hooked up to IV's!!! We think this is how they treat diseases in the trees.
- Manchurian writing looks like there is some Indian influence, but vertical...try turning the picture around & you see what I mean...
- Ingenious inventions like the no-spill water pot which reminds me of child-proof cups I used to buy for my sons to use when they were toddlers. Same principle, different time period.
- the versatile heater-in-the-winter/air-cooler-in-the-summer device from the Qin dynasty - put heated coal in it to warm up a room, or ice carved out from the river (& stored underground) to cool it down & voilá!
- Sudoku! Actually, they used this (replica below)as a charm to ward off evil back in the Tang, I think, Dynasty, because they didn't understand the magic of Mathematics. They thought that this combination of numbers had magical powers because no matter which row it is, the sum of the numbers is always 111!!!
- the Tang Dynasty ideal of the perfect woman had a full figure...hmm...I wonder how I might be able to bring that fad back into the 21st century! (apologies for the flash reflected in the picture...museum was crowded & huge & was rushing through so didn't have time to review pictures)
- plumbing actually existed way back then! Remnants of pipes were excavated from the foundations of old buildings. (no picture, sorry)
- and finally, something not quite ancient but I thought rather unusual...
...no, not an ancient way of watering trees in China. We saw quite a number of trees hooked up to IV's!!! We think this is how they treat diseases in the trees.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Impressions from China - The 8th Wonder of the World
I figured this deserved its very own blog entry. A designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, the immense proportions of the place together with the enormity of the task of creating it is astounding.
Did you know that when first discovered, the warriors were actually colored with paint replicating the real color of skin, armor etc? And that within hours, the colors slowly disappeared due to exposure to oxygen, CO2 & light?
In this picture, the imprint of a fallen warrior that has been left behind together with the red paint that used to be on its armor.
Officers wear a flat leather headpiece, infantrymen wore armor & had single topknots on their heads; generals had two topknots & also wore accessories which designated them as "2 or 3 star"! 
Did you know that most of the warriors were found in pieces which had to be painstakingly put together by the archeologists?
Did you know that the excavated area covers only 1/13th of the estimated entire site which covers approximately 56 sq. km?
Did you know that the first warriors were constructed for Emperor when he was only 13 years old? And that it took over 3 decades to complete (continuing even till after his death)?
Did you know that the bronze weapons found at the site were plated with chromium?
This is 2,000 years ago. How's that for a high tech ancient civilization!
Did you know that when first discovered, the warriors were actually colored with paint replicating the real color of skin, armor etc? And that within hours, the colors slowly disappeared due to exposure to oxygen, CO2 & light?
The pictures below were taken just after the unearthing of the warriors. Note the skin colored faces & bluish tinge on their armor. Now, the exposed warriors are completely clay-colored, and further excavation has been postponed indefinitely...I suppose till there comes a time when they have developed a technique of preventing such degradation.
In this picture, the imprint of a fallen warrior that has been left behind together with the red paint that used to be on its armor.Did you know that you can tell an archer from an infantryman from an officer from a general just by looking at what's on their heads & what they were wearing?
This is a first-row archer. Note the single top knot on his head, his half kneeling position & his armor.
The archers were grouped in threes - the first row (as above) helped to shield, the second row would shoot & the 3rd row getting ready to shoot (below - note: no armor).
Officers wear a flat leather headpiece, infantrymen wore armor & had single topknots on their heads; generals had two topknots & also wore accessories which designated them as "2 or 3 star"! Did you know that each soldier is a "different person"?
Check out their faces below. The Emperor handpicked "models" for the warriors, ensuring that they were all tall & strapping lads! So most of the warriors are taller than the average Chinese!
Did you know that most of the warriors were found in pieces which had to be painstakingly put together by the archeologists?
Talk about a difficult jigsaw puzzle!
In the picture below, the fragments are in the foreground waiting for the archeologists to put them together.
Did you know that Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of a unified China, for whom these warriors were made, still lies interred under a huge mound of dirt (which looks like a small hill) & it's believed that his tomb lies among a replica of the map of China with the rivers represented by quicksilver (mercury) to deter grave robbers (due to the poisonous nature of this substance)?
Our visit to Xi'an has been an eye-opener. This ancient city, which used to be the capital of China, has given us a greater appreciation of the richness of Chinese history & civilization.
Impressions from China - Xi'an
We went on a short sojourn to Xi'an, where we...
Built in 582 A.D., it is still fully intact & just over 13 km long. It encircles the city center. the bricks are held together by a mixture of clay, lime & powdered glutinous rice.
In ancient China, the bell rang at 12 noon everyday to help the people tell the time.
This pagoda remains intact after over 1,500 years despite an earthquake & massive bombing in WW2. Only the corners of the tiered roofs fell off.
Built to house Buddhist scriptures translated by the monk XuanZang who travelled along the old Silk Road to India to learn about Buddhism. This journey inspired the famous Chinese classic 西游记(XiYouJi or Journey to the West). It also survived earthquakes & WW2 bombinh blitzes.
Xi'an is home to 100,000 Muslims, descendants of settlers from the Middle East. And though this structure looks more like a Chinese temple, it really is part of the mosque, built during the Tang dynasty. It was built in a Chinese style to try to enhance assimilation of the Muslims with the local Chinese population. Apparently, it wasn't terribly successful then! Now, the Muslims live in harmony with the rest of the poulation. The children learn the Koran in a mixture of the Shaanxi dialect & Arabian.
Another fine example of the English translations we see in China, something that the Chinese government is trying to correct before the Olympics. They have a HUGE task ahead of them!
Confucius's teachings are etched onto these stone tablets (there were at least 10 rows of these tablets I saw!!!). Scholars in ancient China had to memorise the ENTIRE SCRIPTURE in order to pass their exams (ouch), & poorer scholars who couldn't afford to buy a copy would come to these tablets & make rubbings.
...walked on the City Wall...
Built in 582 A.D., it is still fully intact & just over 13 km long. It encircles the city center. the bricks are held together by a mixture of clay, lime & powdered glutinous rice.
...visited the Bell Tower...
In ancient China, the bell rang at 12 noon everyday to help the people tell the time.
...saw the Little Wild Goose Pagoda...
This pagoda remains intact after over 1,500 years despite an earthquake & massive bombing in WW2. Only the corners of the tiered roofs fell off.
...saw the Big Wild Goose Pagoda...
Built to house Buddhist scriptures translated by the monk XuanZang who travelled along the old Silk Road to India to learn about Buddhism. This journey inspired the famous Chinese classic 西游记(XiYouJi or Journey to the West). It also survived earthquakes & WW2 bombinh blitzes.
...visited a mosque...
Xi'an is home to 100,000 Muslims, descendants of settlers from the Middle East. And though this structure looks more like a Chinese temple, it really is part of the mosque, built during the Tang dynasty. It was built in a Chinese style to try to enhance assimilation of the Muslims with the local Chinese population. Apparently, it wasn't terribly successful then! Now, the Muslims live in harmony with the rest of the poulation. The children learn the Koran in a mixture of the Shaanxi dialect & Arabian.
...visited the Shaanxi History Museum...
Another fine example of the English translations we see in China, something that the Chinese government is trying to correct before the Olympics. They have a HUGE task ahead of them!
...visited the Forest of Stone Tablets...
Confucius's teachings are etched onto these stone tablets (there were at least 10 rows of these tablets I saw!!!). Scholars in ancient China had to memorise the ENTIRE SCRIPTURE in order to pass their exams (ouch), & poorer scholars who couldn't afford to buy a copy would come to these tablets & make rubbings.
...& the highlight of the trip, we saw the 8th wonder of the world, the famed Terracotta Warriors
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.This is Pit 1. There are a total of 7 pits, some only partially excavated.
More on this in another entry.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
CME
I've been trying to fulfil my CME requirements since I left Singapore just over 6 months ago. I am still short about 12 points which I need to earn by Dec 31, 2007.
Originally, CME requirements for overseas doctors were prorated according to how much time you actually spent in Singapore, with a one-time waiver if you were away for the entire 2-year period. Then just after I leave, the policy changes & now I have the same requirement as any other doctor practising in Singapore. Darn.
I don't have anything against CMEs in general. I used to attend CMEs quite religiously (especially those held in nice hotels & restaurants - heh heh - though I understand there are some restrictions now on such sponsored events).
But try finding a CME lecture/conference/seminar in English to attend in China. You see what I mean?
I've been doing the distance learning programs from SMA as well as Medscape. But then there is a cap on how many points one can earn within each category. Not to mention that some of the SMA stuff is just plain boring (i.e. ECG interpretations - ugh).
So now I need to go back to Singapore to attend something that has mucho points at one go so that I can renew my license in Jan 08. Fortunately I have some expat benefits which will pay for a return air ticket to do so, so it looks like its "Singapore here I come again!" in September.
Originally, CME requirements for overseas doctors were prorated according to how much time you actually spent in Singapore, with a one-time waiver if you were away for the entire 2-year period. Then just after I leave, the policy changes & now I have the same requirement as any other doctor practising in Singapore. Darn.
I don't have anything against CMEs in general. I used to attend CMEs quite religiously (especially those held in nice hotels & restaurants - heh heh - though I understand there are some restrictions now on such sponsored events).
But try finding a CME lecture/conference/seminar in English to attend in China. You see what I mean?
I've been doing the distance learning programs from SMA as well as Medscape. But then there is a cap on how many points one can earn within each category. Not to mention that some of the SMA stuff is just plain boring (i.e. ECG interpretations - ugh).
So now I need to go back to Singapore to attend something that has mucho points at one go so that I can renew my license in Jan 08. Fortunately I have some expat benefits which will pay for a return air ticket to do so, so it looks like its "Singapore here I come again!" in September.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Impressions from China - Fake Magic
Heh heh, I was amused to read this article from the New York Times.
Looks like spells & potions & charms are not going to protect Harry Potter from the rampages of Chinese piracy. This takes copyright violation to a whole new level.
The lure of making a buck is so strong in this country; the response of a Chinese publisher of bootleg Harry Potter books says it all:
“We published the book out of a very common incentive. Harry Potter was so popular that we wanted to enjoy the fruits of its widely accepted publicity in China.”
Bootleg DVDs & CDs, clothes, handbags, shoes....the list goes on. It is SOOOO rampant here, I don't see how the Chinese government is going to clamp down on it in its on-going attempt to put on a good "face" for the 2008 Olympics.
It's an uphill battle. Especially when the Chinese people themselves don't really understand (or probably, don't really care about) the concept of intellectual property & copyright. See what another Chinese publisher says:
“Everything would have been fine if they hadn’t made the cover so obvious, even if you copied some sections of the original story,” she said. “But the cover was so outstanding, and foreign people care a lot about things like that.”
Well, until the Chinese people also care a lot about "things like that", I don't think piracy is going to go away anytime soon. Right now, they're talking the talk. But it will be some time yet before they walk the walk.
Looks like spells & potions & charms are not going to protect Harry Potter from the rampages of Chinese piracy. This takes copyright violation to a whole new level.
The lure of making a buck is so strong in this country; the response of a Chinese publisher of bootleg Harry Potter books says it all:
“We published the book out of a very common incentive. Harry Potter was so popular that we wanted to enjoy the fruits of its widely accepted publicity in China.”
Bootleg DVDs & CDs, clothes, handbags, shoes....the list goes on. It is SOOOO rampant here, I don't see how the Chinese government is going to clamp down on it in its on-going attempt to put on a good "face" for the 2008 Olympics.
It's an uphill battle. Especially when the Chinese people themselves don't really understand (or probably, don't really care about) the concept of intellectual property & copyright. See what another Chinese publisher says:
“Everything would have been fine if they hadn’t made the cover so obvious, even if you copied some sections of the original story,” she said. “But the cover was so outstanding, and foreign people care a lot about things like that.”
Well, until the Chinese people also care a lot about "things like that", I don't think piracy is going to go away anytime soon. Right now, they're talking the talk. But it will be some time yet before they walk the walk.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Learning Mandarin
This writer has it spot on:
30 July,ST Forum
Review mother tongue as success path in school
MR KELVIN Chia's view that 'a certain degree of regurgitation is not only well placed, but also very necessary' for language acquisition is a perception that needs to be debunked ('Current system may not be the problem'; ST, July 23).
The ability to regurgitate words and phrases simply proves a student's good memory but does not necessarily reflect ability to understand or appreciate the context of their use - a fundamental aspect of effective language acquisition.
With the dynamic nature of challenges ahead, rote learning cannot be the order of the day in schools.
Mr Chia also likens the teaching of Mandarin to that of English. The process of acquiring English as described by him is not in line with current best practices.
Backed by research, enlightened preschools in Singapore and many parts of the world have moved away from spelling lists and teaching the alphabet through repeated writing.
Pedagogy has evolved to focus on the development of long-term appreciation and love of the language.
By suggesting it 'makes better sense to promote the use of Mandarin at home than to adjust the current system', Mr Chia assumes every parent is effectively bilingual and able to speak Mandarin fluently.
The truth is many lost touch with Mandarin once they left school, for the simple reason that the working world is English-speaking and the language of business is predominantly English. Hence the language of choice for most is English.
This is a point acknowledged by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when he cited the example of his children's choice of English as their predominant language even though they were educated in Chinese-medium schools.
Those who attempt to keep up their Mandarin proficiency inevitably end up peppering their speech with words and phrases in English, Singlish and dialects.
To speak Mandarin at home, as Mr Chia proposes, is in effect more detrimental than beneficial.
So many parents are unable to help their children tackle Mandarin at the pace and standards set by the Ministry of Education. The solution for a long time has been to engage private tutors but this should not be perpetuated.
Past approaches have failed to produce a generation of Singaporeans who can remain sufficiently fluent in Mandarin beyond their school years. We cannot afford to make the same mistake with the next generation.
It is time to review the criteria of mother-tongue proficiency as a requisite and determinant for progress in our education system.
Jocelyn Lim Chieh Ying (Mdm)
Fact: The average Singaporean does NOT speak proper Mandarin. And I am not just talking about the accent; but when I ride the MRT & listen to the surrounding "Mandarin speakers"conversing, I hear a Chinese sentences with liberal sprinklings of English words & even Singlish colloquailisms, as described by Ms Lim.
Fact: Students from English-speaking homes have been having trouble with learning Mandarin since my school days (back in the 70's & 80's). No matter what changes in policies & pedagogy have been applied by MOE, it did not & does not seem to be working, as evidenced by the groans & moans of my friends who have kids in Primary school. Mandarin has become the bane of their lives. Their kids hate learning it, & probably spend more time on trying to pass tests/spelling/exams than on any other subject.
Fact: Yes, Mandarin is an important language to learn, given China's economical growth & potential. No one is disputing this at all. But KNOWING that it is important does not make learning the language any easier.
I am sure that MOE is aware of what I have stated & what Ms Lim has said. My question is: why the reluctance to re-look & possibly re-vamp the whole approach to this problem (and yes, it IS a problem). Why don't we hear the same complaints from the Malays or the Indians whose children learn Malay & Tamil as a second language? Someone should analyse these differences & figure out what's wrong (& what's right) about the teaching of second language in Singapore.
30 July,ST Forum
Review mother tongue as success path in school
MR KELVIN Chia's view that 'a certain degree of regurgitation is not only well placed, but also very necessary' for language acquisition is a perception that needs to be debunked ('Current system may not be the problem'; ST, July 23).
The ability to regurgitate words and phrases simply proves a student's good memory but does not necessarily reflect ability to understand or appreciate the context of their use - a fundamental aspect of effective language acquisition.
With the dynamic nature of challenges ahead, rote learning cannot be the order of the day in schools.
Mr Chia also likens the teaching of Mandarin to that of English. The process of acquiring English as described by him is not in line with current best practices.
Backed by research, enlightened preschools in Singapore and many parts of the world have moved away from spelling lists and teaching the alphabet through repeated writing.
Pedagogy has evolved to focus on the development of long-term appreciation and love of the language.
By suggesting it 'makes better sense to promote the use of Mandarin at home than to adjust the current system', Mr Chia assumes every parent is effectively bilingual and able to speak Mandarin fluently.
The truth is many lost touch with Mandarin once they left school, for the simple reason that the working world is English-speaking and the language of business is predominantly English. Hence the language of choice for most is English.
This is a point acknowledged by Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when he cited the example of his children's choice of English as their predominant language even though they were educated in Chinese-medium schools.
Those who attempt to keep up their Mandarin proficiency inevitably end up peppering their speech with words and phrases in English, Singlish and dialects.
To speak Mandarin at home, as Mr Chia proposes, is in effect more detrimental than beneficial.
So many parents are unable to help their children tackle Mandarin at the pace and standards set by the Ministry of Education. The solution for a long time has been to engage private tutors but this should not be perpetuated.
Past approaches have failed to produce a generation of Singaporeans who can remain sufficiently fluent in Mandarin beyond their school years. We cannot afford to make the same mistake with the next generation.
It is time to review the criteria of mother-tongue proficiency as a requisite and determinant for progress in our education system.
Jocelyn Lim Chieh Ying (Mdm)
Fact: The average Singaporean does NOT speak proper Mandarin. And I am not just talking about the accent; but when I ride the MRT & listen to the surrounding "Mandarin speakers"conversing, I hear a Chinese sentences with liberal sprinklings of English words & even Singlish colloquailisms, as described by Ms Lim.
Fact: Students from English-speaking homes have been having trouble with learning Mandarin since my school days (back in the 70's & 80's). No matter what changes in policies & pedagogy have been applied by MOE, it did not & does not seem to be working, as evidenced by the groans & moans of my friends who have kids in Primary school. Mandarin has become the bane of their lives. Their kids hate learning it, & probably spend more time on trying to pass tests/spelling/exams than on any other subject.
Fact: Yes, Mandarin is an important language to learn, given China's economical growth & potential. No one is disputing this at all. But KNOWING that it is important does not make learning the language any easier.
I am sure that MOE is aware of what I have stated & what Ms Lim has said. My question is: why the reluctance to re-look & possibly re-vamp the whole approach to this problem (and yes, it IS a problem). Why don't we hear the same complaints from the Malays or the Indians whose children learn Malay & Tamil as a second language? Someone should analyse these differences & figure out what's wrong (& what's right) about the teaching of second language in Singapore.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Impressions from China - Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
Or DDT, for short.
Apparently they still use this here, in the land of tainted toothpaste, dubious dog food & contaminated cough syrup. Naive person that I am, I was shocked when my ayi told me to warn the kids not to touch the leaves of the trees in our front yard as the gardener had just sprayed DDT.
Yikes, I thought.
DDT has been banned in countries like the USA, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland for some time now. But it's still being used here although China did ratify the Stockholm Convention back in 2004 whose aim is to eliminate persistent organic pollutants. It has 5 years to stop production & use of such pollutants.
DDT had its uses in reducing insect-borne diseases like malaria & yellow fever. Problem is, DDT persists in the environment, and is stored & accumulated in animal fat. There has been some controversy over whether it should be banned in the first place, & whether there is any link between DDT & cancer.
Who to believe? Tough call.
Meantime, I think I will stick to organic tea leaves & washing my fresh fruits & veges with detergent before consumption. Can't take things for granted here...
Apparently they still use this here, in the land of tainted toothpaste, dubious dog food & contaminated cough syrup. Naive person that I am, I was shocked when my ayi told me to warn the kids not to touch the leaves of the trees in our front yard as the gardener had just sprayed DDT.
Yikes, I thought.
DDT has been banned in countries like the USA, Canada, Singapore, Switzerland for some time now. But it's still being used here although China did ratify the Stockholm Convention back in 2004 whose aim is to eliminate persistent organic pollutants. It has 5 years to stop production & use of such pollutants.
DDT had its uses in reducing insect-borne diseases like malaria & yellow fever. Problem is, DDT persists in the environment, and is stored & accumulated in animal fat. There has been some controversy over whether it should be banned in the first place, & whether there is any link between DDT & cancer.
Who to believe? Tough call.
Meantime, I think I will stick to organic tea leaves & washing my fresh fruits & veges with detergent before consumption. Can't take things for granted here...
Back & Forth, To & Fro
There has been such a spate of letters in the Straits Times over the issue of decriminalizing homosexuality lately, and arguments about the wrongness or rightness of homosexuality. Angry Doc gives his very nicely written take on this issue.
It seems to me like a good majority of Singaporeans are still very homophobic. Not only that, but they seem to have a very closed-minded & tunnelled-vision view of homosexuality. Lots of generalizations have been used about how homosexuals are sexual predators/spread HIV rampantly/can corrupt young minds/are perverts & so on & so forth.
It saddens me to think that in the 21st century, in a so-called First World country, there are still these kinds of viewpoints. I shouldn't be surprised, should I, as many Singaporeans still have a very conservative stance where sexuality is concerned. What scares me is that these mistaken prejudices are used as excuses by these people to support their views.
The way things look, it doesn't look like Section 377A of the Penal Code will be repealed anytime soon...
It seems to me like a good majority of Singaporeans are still very homophobic. Not only that, but they seem to have a very closed-minded & tunnelled-vision view of homosexuality. Lots of generalizations have been used about how homosexuals are sexual predators/spread HIV rampantly/can corrupt young minds/are perverts & so on & so forth.
It saddens me to think that in the 21st century, in a so-called First World country, there are still these kinds of viewpoints. I shouldn't be surprised, should I, as many Singaporeans still have a very conservative stance where sexuality is concerned. What scares me is that these mistaken prejudices are used as excuses by these people to support their views.
The way things look, it doesn't look like Section 377A of the Penal Code will be repealed anytime soon...
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Back & Blocked Again
We are "home" again. As we descended through a gray haze of smog into Beijing International Airport, I thought, "Well, no more clear skies for a while now." At least I didn't detect any smell of fumes like the very first time we landed.
I'm being blocked again from viewing blogs again so have to use the roundabout way - GRRRR!
Have finally downloaded pictures of our break in paradise (Phuket) & Singapore...
I'm being blocked again from viewing blogs again so have to use the roundabout way - GRRRR!
Have finally downloaded pictures of our break in paradise (Phuket) & Singapore...
For some reason, I love sunsets. They give me a sense of peace & romance somehow.
This is a picture of Kata Beach taken at sunset. I like that bird flying over the beach. I didn't even realize it was there till I looked at the picture later. The waves don't look as violent as they really were (refer to next picture).
This was taken at high tide & yes, the waves were really that choppy. The red flag was up everyday we were there. Someone drowned the week after we were there off Patong Beach. Some people just ignore the warnings.
I tried to imagine how it was the day the tsunami happened. Scary.
This baby elephant was a special guest at the hotel for a romantic sunset wedding on one of the days we were there (I guess I am not the only one who like sunsets!).
I also took sunset pictures in Singapore...
...this is from the 62nd floor of the Swissotel Stamford....awesome view.
Another picture from the 62nd floor...not sunset this time! This is towards the Marina Bay area. The Singapore ferris wheel doesn't look like much from this angle, but from ground level, it looked pretty impressive.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Home again
It's back to Beijing tomorrow for us...back to the land of bootleg DVD's, tainted toothpaste, fake goods galore, & cardboard dumplings - oops, strike that, the story of the dumplings with the fake fillings was a falsehood too.
It's another one of those bittersweet moments where you hate to leave but are excited to go; a reluctance that is tempered with eagerness to go back to where you have set up home.
At the rate things are going, with so much knocking down & building up & roads diverted, the next time I am back here, I will hardly recognise many of the streets & buildings.
Au revoir!
It's another one of those bittersweet moments where you hate to leave but are excited to go; a reluctance that is tempered with eagerness to go back to where you have set up home.
At the rate things are going, with so much knocking down & building up & roads diverted, the next time I am back here, I will hardly recognise many of the streets & buildings.
Au revoir!
Bak Chor Mee!
Happiness is finally eating, IMHO, the no. 1 authentic Teochew Bak Chor Mee* in Singapore!
I am talking about the famous Hill Street Tai Wah Minced Meat Noodles previously located in Marina Square food court before the massive renovation. I think the last time I had it was at least 5 years ago (!!!). There were always horrendously long queues at the stall during the peak lunch or dinner hours.
It is hard to beat that unique combo of al dente "mee kia"* (I am a mee kia person, as opposed to many others who prefer "mee pok"*) with the slightly tangy taste of the sauce which is a combination of black vinegar, chilli paste & lard-flavored oil, mixed with minced pork, pork liver cooked just right, chinese mushroom & topped with dried fish (no clue what kind of fish they use).
I knew the stall had relocated to Crawford Lane some years ago. I watched it featured on Makan Places: Lost & Found (probably the only local production I actually enjoyed watching!) but only today, my last day of our vacation in Singapore, did I venture out to explore that part of Singapore which I hardly ever go to. I discovered that it's not that hard to find after all, located near the Immigration building at Lavendar MRT station.
So, dragging along my mom, & my two boys (who, surprisingly, like minced meat noodles), tempting them with exaltations of how delicious these noodles are, we managed to find the place after walking around a bit, & finally locating block 466!
Yippee!!! Now I can leave for Beijing satisfied....
*Minced meat noodles
mee kia = local version of linguine
mee pok = local version of fetuccini (sort of)
I am talking about the famous Hill Street Tai Wah Minced Meat Noodles previously located in Marina Square food court before the massive renovation. I think the last time I had it was at least 5 years ago (!!!). There were always horrendously long queues at the stall during the peak lunch or dinner hours.
It is hard to beat that unique combo of al dente "mee kia"* (I am a mee kia person, as opposed to many others who prefer "mee pok"*) with the slightly tangy taste of the sauce which is a combination of black vinegar, chilli paste & lard-flavored oil, mixed with minced pork, pork liver cooked just right, chinese mushroom & topped with dried fish (no clue what kind of fish they use).
I knew the stall had relocated to Crawford Lane some years ago. I watched it featured on Makan Places: Lost & Found (probably the only local production I actually enjoyed watching!) but only today, my last day of our vacation in Singapore, did I venture out to explore that part of Singapore which I hardly ever go to. I discovered that it's not that hard to find after all, located near the Immigration building at Lavendar MRT station.
So, dragging along my mom, & my two boys (who, surprisingly, like minced meat noodles), tempting them with exaltations of how delicious these noodles are, we managed to find the place after walking around a bit, & finally locating block 466!
Yippee!!! Now I can leave for Beijing satisfied....
*Minced meat noodles
mee kia = local version of linguine
mee pok = local version of fetuccini (sort of)
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Die Hard, or rather, Hard To Die
Man, that Det. McClane ought to be given The Ultimate Survivor award.
Spoilers ahead...
He managed to live through being shot at by multiple automatic weapons from multiple bad guys, shot at by a fighter jet, falling off aforementioned fighter jet onto semi-destroyed freeway slanted at an 80 degree angle then sliding into concrete debris, thrown out of a speeding cop car, blown up by a rigged computer, blown up by natural gas in a power plant, falling from a height equivalent to oh, about 3 flights of stairs.
Hmm...have I left anything out? I probably have.
Despite Det McClane's apparent immortality, I did enjoy the movie. It was mindless entertainment, with amusing dialogue, and fantabulous stunt work (although these days with the extremely high quality of CGI, it is sometimes hard to differentiate between what is virtual & what is real).
Spoilers ahead...
He managed to live through being shot at by multiple automatic weapons from multiple bad guys, shot at by a fighter jet, falling off aforementioned fighter jet onto semi-destroyed freeway slanted at an 80 degree angle then sliding into concrete debris, thrown out of a speeding cop car, blown up by a rigged computer, blown up by natural gas in a power plant, falling from a height equivalent to oh, about 3 flights of stairs.
Hmm...have I left anything out? I probably have.
Despite Det McClane's apparent immortality, I did enjoy the movie. It was mindless entertainment, with amusing dialogue, and fantabulous stunt work (although these days with the extremely high quality of CGI, it is sometimes hard to differentiate between what is virtual & what is real).
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Harry Potter: Losing Its Magic?
Possible spoilers ahead:
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Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix (henceforth to be referred to HPOP) was, I hate to say, a disappointment.
I felt like the whole movie had a subdued air to it. Yes, I know the story gets darker here, & the children are no longer children anymore. I miss the magic that was so apparent in the first three installments. During those movies, I didn't want it to end. But in HPOP, that childlike exuberance is gone, replaced by a moody, angst-filled Harry. The unique relationships between the three friends seems so superficial now - the movie didn't seem to dwell enough on it. There was no Quidditch, and the Cho Chang-Harry relationship was barely touched upon (despite the much hyped about first on-screen kiss).
Perhaps it's the fault of the screenplay, which felt so condensed that the editing looked sloppy with such clumsy & glaring cuts during some of the scene changes, that it left us with mouths gaping & asking "Huh?" I know it's hard to translate a book into film, especially one with so many elements in it, but this director (David Yates) & screenwriter (Michael Goldenberg) seem to have done a rush job on this movie, that even the credits at the end of the movie are "cheap" looking!
Bring back Steve Kloves, I say (and according to the IMDB website, he will be doing the screenplays for both the Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows - Yay!) and Chris Columbus too while they're at it, and finish off the series with a Bang!
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Harry Potter: The Order of the Phoenix (henceforth to be referred to HPOP) was, I hate to say, a disappointment.
I felt like the whole movie had a subdued air to it. Yes, I know the story gets darker here, & the children are no longer children anymore. I miss the magic that was so apparent in the first three installments. During those movies, I didn't want it to end. But in HPOP, that childlike exuberance is gone, replaced by a moody, angst-filled Harry. The unique relationships between the three friends seems so superficial now - the movie didn't seem to dwell enough on it. There was no Quidditch, and the Cho Chang-Harry relationship was barely touched upon (despite the much hyped about first on-screen kiss).
Perhaps it's the fault of the screenplay, which felt so condensed that the editing looked sloppy with such clumsy & glaring cuts during some of the scene changes, that it left us with mouths gaping & asking "Huh?" I know it's hard to translate a book into film, especially one with so many elements in it, but this director (David Yates) & screenwriter (Michael Goldenberg) seem to have done a rush job on this movie, that even the credits at the end of the movie are "cheap" looking!
Bring back Steve Kloves, I say (and according to the IMDB website, he will be doing the screenplays for both the Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows - Yay!) and Chris Columbus too while they're at it, and finish off the series with a Bang!
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Musing
It used to be that I could write effortlessly. Words would literally pour out of my brain through my hands & fingers & pen & on to the paper. Those were the days when my words & thoughts & literary creations were unimpeded by the fear, inhibitions, and caution that comes with getting older & experiencing life.
Emotions, augmented by the hormones of adolesence, ran high which in turn inspired essays & poems; sometimes my fingers would not be able to keep up with the words spilling over & I would leave out words here & there.
Now, I occasionally find myself groping for just the right words to form my sentences, looking for appropriate metaphors & adjectives to do justice to descriptions of things, places, people & experiences that I want to put down in words.
Is this part of aging, I sometimes wonder. Is this an example of the slow loss of cognitive function as my brain slowly atrophies? Or is it due to the many years of dis-use, when all I wrote were case reports, answers to essay questions related to the study of medicine & case notes in patients' records? Dormant neurons, unused for so long, are now finding themselves shocked into activity again, trying to find old connections which may or may not be there anymore.
My muse is playing hide & seek. Come out, come out, wherever you are......
Emotions, augmented by the hormones of adolesence, ran high which in turn inspired essays & poems; sometimes my fingers would not be able to keep up with the words spilling over & I would leave out words here & there.
Now, I occasionally find myself groping for just the right words to form my sentences, looking for appropriate metaphors & adjectives to do justice to descriptions of things, places, people & experiences that I want to put down in words.
Is this part of aging, I sometimes wonder. Is this an example of the slow loss of cognitive function as my brain slowly atrophies? Or is it due to the many years of dis-use, when all I wrote were case reports, answers to essay questions related to the study of medicine & case notes in patients' records? Dormant neurons, unused for so long, are now finding themselves shocked into activity again, trying to find old connections which may or may not be there anymore.
My muse is playing hide & seek. Come out, come out, wherever you are......
Movie-mania
My family has always been mad about movies. Preferred genres included romances/romantic comedies (moi), action (A,Z & W), sci-fi/fantasy (all of us), & comedies (Z & W). This pretty much covers 80% of the movies out in theatres at any one time.
We would catch the latest releases on opening weekend. So moving to Beijing with its limited number of English movies (I read somewhere that they get on average 20 English movies a year -20!) really bummed us out as far as this recreational activity was concerned. True there are bootleg copies of the latest releases out in the DVD stores usually within 2 weeks of the movies' release despite efforts of the copyright lobby. But nothing beats sitting in a movie theatre watching a movie on widescreen with Dolby/THX (or other system) sound blasting.
So having been back here in Singapore for about a month now, we have, so far, watched a total of 5 movies (not counting the 2 - Harry P. & Die Hard 4.0- that we will be watching this week).
Pirates 3 - a disappointment. Johnny Depp was great, but the storyline which continued from Pirates 2 lost me. No doubt the special effects were well done, but a movie can't live on SFX alone.
Fantastic Four 2 - loved it! I used to read FF comics as a kid (still do sometimes!) which is probably one reason why I enjoyed the movie. But Jessica Alba doesn't quite cut it as Invisible Girl though (ya, ya, I know she is probably one of the most downloaded celebrities in web-dom)...just something about that blonde hair which just doesn't go with the rest of her look.
Nancy Drew - Curiosity got the better of me & I succumbed to the temptation & greatly regretted it within a half hour of the show. I had previously blogged about it & my first impressions were not wrong. Sigh.
Transformers - Jaw dropping CGI, & awesome action sequences made for light entertainment. I think it's a "guy movie" as my kids LOVED it. I thought it was OK, worth the ticket price, but wouldn't want to go back & see it again. But my geeky car-loving son probably thought it was one of the greatest movies ever...hey, what more could a boy ask for? An intelligent Chevy Camaro that speaks & turns into a superhero 'bot when need be.
Shrek 3 - another disappointment. I watched Shrek & Shrek 2 on DVD & thought they were both excellent movies. But Shrek 3 was just plain corny. Weak dialogue, fairy tale characters springing up left right & center, predictable storyline all made me wish for the movie to end ASAP.
I am looking forward to more movies this week. Harry Potter/Det. McClane, here I come!
We would catch the latest releases on opening weekend. So moving to Beijing with its limited number of English movies (I read somewhere that they get on average 20 English movies a year -20!) really bummed us out as far as this recreational activity was concerned. True there are bootleg copies of the latest releases out in the DVD stores usually within 2 weeks of the movies' release despite efforts of the copyright lobby. But nothing beats sitting in a movie theatre watching a movie on widescreen with Dolby/THX (or other system) sound blasting.
So having been back here in Singapore for about a month now, we have, so far, watched a total of 5 movies (not counting the 2 - Harry P. & Die Hard 4.0- that we will be watching this week).
Pirates 3 - a disappointment. Johnny Depp was great, but the storyline which continued from Pirates 2 lost me. No doubt the special effects were well done, but a movie can't live on SFX alone.
Fantastic Four 2 - loved it! I used to read FF comics as a kid (still do sometimes!) which is probably one reason why I enjoyed the movie. But Jessica Alba doesn't quite cut it as Invisible Girl though (ya, ya, I know she is probably one of the most downloaded celebrities in web-dom)...just something about that blonde hair which just doesn't go with the rest of her look.
Nancy Drew - Curiosity got the better of me & I succumbed to the temptation & greatly regretted it within a half hour of the show. I had previously blogged about it & my first impressions were not wrong. Sigh.
Transformers - Jaw dropping CGI, & awesome action sequences made for light entertainment. I think it's a "guy movie" as my kids LOVED it. I thought it was OK, worth the ticket price, but wouldn't want to go back & see it again. But my geeky car-loving son probably thought it was one of the greatest movies ever...hey, what more could a boy ask for? An intelligent Chevy Camaro that speaks & turns into a superhero 'bot when need be.
Shrek 3 - another disappointment. I watched Shrek & Shrek 2 on DVD & thought they were both excellent movies. But Shrek 3 was just plain corny. Weak dialogue, fairy tale characters springing up left right & center, predictable storyline all made me wish for the movie to end ASAP.
I am looking forward to more movies this week. Harry Potter/Det. McClane, here I come!
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Phuket Paradise (1)
The Ocean
I close my eyes as the tangy salty ocean breeze fills my nostrils & rifles through my hair. The constant dull roar of the waves lull my senses into a sonorific stupor. I have always loved the seaside. It brings back childhood memories of countless hours of frolicking through the waves, back in the days when our greatest worry was when our parents would tell us to get out of the ocean.
Massage
I literally thought that I had an out of body experience, in retrospect! I swear, in the midst of my Thai massage, I felt myself suspended in that limbo state, that twilight zone between sleep & wakefulness. I was aware, yet unaware,almost like floating in space. It's hard to describe it. I could feel the masseuse applying pressure & kneading my stiff muscles; and yet, I couldn't hear, smell or feel anything else. I guess I must have attained "relaxation nirvana", for lack of a better description! Aaahhh...it was wonderful...
Will post pictures once I get home & download them into my computer.
I close my eyes as the tangy salty ocean breeze fills my nostrils & rifles through my hair. The constant dull roar of the waves lull my senses into a sonorific stupor. I have always loved the seaside. It brings back childhood memories of countless hours of frolicking through the waves, back in the days when our greatest worry was when our parents would tell us to get out of the ocean.
Massage
I literally thought that I had an out of body experience, in retrospect! I swear, in the midst of my Thai massage, I felt myself suspended in that limbo state, that twilight zone between sleep & wakefulness. I was aware, yet unaware,almost like floating in space. It's hard to describe it. I could feel the masseuse applying pressure & kneading my stiff muscles; and yet, I couldn't hear, smell or feel anything else. I guess I must have attained "relaxation nirvana", for lack of a better description! Aaahhh...it was wonderful...
Will post pictures once I get home & download them into my computer.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Changes
So many buildings have disappeared, new roads have appeared, the old have gone.
I went to Marina South for a seafood dinner last night & almost got lost because the whole layout of this reclaimed piece of land has been transformed. Lots of wooden walls, construction equipment, cranes can be seen on the future IR site; roads previously there are there no longer, replaced by new roads with unfamiliar names like Marina Lane & Central Blvd; buildings previously housing restaurants along the "food strip" are now vacant (except for the seafood restaurant - please don't take that away! Best Black Pepper Crab in Singapore, IMHO), even the football field that used to be crowded with people playing soccer or flying kites has been partitioned off. Lord knows what is going to be built here.
We've been gone a mere 6 months & so many changes have already taken place. Part of me feels like the home as I knew it is slowly fading away.
I went to Marina South for a seafood dinner last night & almost got lost because the whole layout of this reclaimed piece of land has been transformed. Lots of wooden walls, construction equipment, cranes can be seen on the future IR site; roads previously there are there no longer, replaced by new roads with unfamiliar names like Marina Lane & Central Blvd; buildings previously housing restaurants along the "food strip" are now vacant (except for the seafood restaurant - please don't take that away! Best Black Pepper Crab in Singapore, IMHO), even the football field that used to be crowded with people playing soccer or flying kites has been partitioned off. Lord knows what is going to be built here.
We've been gone a mere 6 months & so many changes have already taken place. Part of me feels like the home as I knew it is slowly fading away.
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