I have moved!

After blogging here for so long, I have decided to move on to WordPress to better integrate all my different blogs!

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Liege.

If you were my friend on Facebook, you would realize that I characterized Liege as underwhelming. Totally under my expectations would be a more apt description, I suppose. When we first came to Maastricht, a professor describe this little French city as "scenic" and "pretty". What we found were dilapidated monuments left to the harsh hands of weather, and dirty streets. Possibly the most impressive sight was a simple staircase that stretched on forever.

What a convenient way of creating a tourist attraction! Maybe STB should consider building a staircase all the way up Mt Faber and call it a new attraction.

In all fairness, there are some things that were nice in Liege. Like this retro Suzuki that I saw there...

Selling for a total of EUR 5400. It's quite a steal! Almost as beautiful as the MINI Coopers that I like. And possibly the cleanest thing that I saw in Liege!

And you know what's really ironic? There aren't even any Liege Waffles in Liege!

The Mute Mimi

I have taken to listening to Jay Chou's magnificient music since it's my free day today. There are so many thoughts running through my head now, but I shall attempt to put down what has been dominating my mind lately...

The foremost in my mind would have to be the realization that our short time in exchange is coming to an end. Besides spending time to plan the last month of travelling, I am also beginning to be quite scared of the unknowns that home might bring. After all, I would have been abroad for almost 6 months. Friends in college have lasted a semester without me, my family has also lasted the same amount of time, Singapore has had an election, even MM and SM are stepping down. It's just not the same Singapore anymore. How do I face the new pressures of being a year 3, how do I even cope with the workload? These are questions that keep popping up in my head these days.

Then of course, there's the present to worry about. My modules this block are hellish because I can't seem to click with any of my classmates, not to mention my groupmates. The content is hardly as interesting as the mods I've had for the previous block. All these make studying dry as a bark.

And at the back of my head is always the money that's quickly diminishing in my bank and the places we still have to plan for for the last month. Seems like I am the only one here without a blank cheque to base my exchange on. And it's really starting to get me worried that I might overspend and not be able to go home or something.

And perhaps the most depressing is the fact that I have no one to talk to at all. Beyond the people who are here, of course. I feel like I need to have some place to decompress a little, but no such place exists here. Haix. I guess I am ready to go home after all.

P.S.: If you were wondering about the title, it's 不能说的秘密

Delores from 7-Eleven

It can become easy for concepts to become abstract when we are studying it in class, especially when studying in Maastricht where the focus is on the text and readings so much of the time. Sometimes, it's great to see examples at work, like what we see here in Delores. Customer relationships at the core of service!

I thought it would be good to share this article too by the Harvard Business Review, where I got this video from...

It's My Birthday!

Yes, as you might know, it's my birthday today! I got two surprises today from email. One from my dearest Mother, and another from the International Relations Office in Maastricht University.

My mother sent me this really cute e-Card from 123greetings.com. I didn't know that these things still existed! In a time of social networks and "Happy Birthdays" on Walls, it was heartwarming to see an actual e-Card that she picked out for me. It had these little elephants and bears holding balloons and cakes. CUTE TTM!

Another pleasant surprise was from the IRO office in Maastricht. I didn't think that they would have bothered sending me a birthday greeting, but they did! It was something from Hallmark with a customized message as shown below:

On behalf of the whole staff of the International Relations Office of Maastricht University, we wish you a Happy Birthday! Enjoy your day!

Kind Regards,

International Relations Office

Truly warming, even though it might have been pre-programmed. NUS should have this too if we don't already!

OSAMA IS DEAD!

Photo by the New York Times

But what does it all mean? With Osama bin Laden being nothing more than a symbolic leader of Al Qaeda more than a functional one, what meaning does his death hold for the world, other than allowing the U.S. to claim vengeance?

What I think about the General Elections.

5 years ago, I wrote an article about the political awakening of the youth of Singapore in my 'A' levels GP essay. I argued against the view that our youth are politically apathetic and indifferent to the way our country was run. With the increasing popularity of blogs then, wrote about the increasing importance for the Government to engage the youth in conversation, to listen to the opinions we had about our country.

For 2006, they did just that. A P-65 blog was set up for MPs who were born after our Independence to talk about government policies. I remember a youth forum where MM Lee Kuan Yew spoke to JC students. Look how far we have come!

Today, my Facebook newsfeed is rife with news and videos about political rallies from both the PAP and the Opposition with encouraging frequency. I say encouraging because for the first time ever, I finally feel like we do have a say in how our country is being run. Our voices are finally being heard. Indeed, this is a watershed in Singapore history and politics, a time where citizens are filling daring to speak their mind, to talk about the issues that have been at the back of our heads for the last 5 years -- all these are enabled by social media.

To me, the results of the elections are inconsequential. Something has already changed in the air, with or without the changing of government. The PAP should recognise by now that our youth are no longer silent lambs in the realm of political discourse. Serious efforts should be made in talking to the citizens, and understanding our concerns. That's what it truly means to be a democracy!

A recent check on the P65 blog shows a blog that was last updated in 2010. The footprint of candidates on social media is paltry at best, with those who are in it becoming the most popular despite their humble "track record". Therein lies the potential of social media. Any political party that wants to gain power or stay in power in a country would have to earnestly engage in conversation with its citizens, or risk becoming irrelevant and demonized by those who dominate the social media discourse.

The SDP understands that, and has uploaded their campaign videos on YouTube. The NSP's Nicole Seah has the most number of "Likes" on Facebook other than our MM Lee Kuan Yew. On the flip-side, PAP's Tin Pei Ling has drawn criticism for her Kate Spade bag. Conversation is less about facts and figures, than about talking about the things that the people are interested in. Can your party deliver? Are you competent as a candidate? Or are you just materialistic and off-base with common sentiments? In a world where Friday is the YouTube clip with the most views in history despite being possibly the worst song in the world, hard truths and track records are no longer as relevant.

The biggest question for all the parties out there now is: "Are you listening?"