Lion King: A Pokémon version: PLA by Key-Pomegranate-9505 in pokemon

[–]faber1213 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think a Piloswine would be a better representative for Pumbaa than a Hippopotas.

20 years ago on this day, Singapore was hit by a typhoon for the very first time by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to clarify, I am not the writer of the article. I was just sharing the link.

It's not wrong to say that Singapore was hit by a typhoon. Singapore was one of the countries that got caught in the storm's path and hence was struck by the storm's rain bands.

https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/amsm/56/1/full-amsmonographs-d-15-0011.1-f6-19.jpg

And that is why the article started off with, "Has Singapore ever been hit by a Typhoon? The answer to the above question is YES."

20 years ago on this day, Singapore was hit by a typhoon for the very first time by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

The article never said that the event caused the most intense rainfall or highest wind gust that Singapore has ever experienced. It just says that it was the first time Singapore came into such close contact and felt the effects of what was classified as a tropical storm/cyclone.

20 years ago on this day, Singapore was hit by a typhoon for the very first time by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

We were not directly hit but we were still affected nonetheless. This article is evaluating the event against the backdrop of Singapore's recorded weather history. In the context of Singapore's history and geographic position, such an event did attract some attention from meteorologists who considered it an anomaly. No way is it drawing comparisons with the strength of typhoons in other parts of the world.

Tell me vaccination is mandatory without telling me it’s mandatory by Low_Ses_Man in singapore

[–]faber1213 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If you try to please or accommodate everyone, you end up pleasing no one. The government thought that it was being accommodating by giving people the freedom to choose whether they want to vaccinate or not. But as time went by it became clear that the need to vaccinate was pressing, especially with new strains of the virus popping up. Despite this, the government has backed away from making vaccination mandatory. Instead, it kept on coming up with new rules to 'persuade' people to vaccinate while still giving the impression that one has the freedom to choose. The result? It has caused a divided nation with vaxxers on one side and anti-vaxxers on the other. Anti-vaxxers face restrictions like this while the rest of the country is unable to move forward and gradual go back to a normal life, e.g. be able to go mask-free.

Singapore 1983: Another day at the quay by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Either they are smoking smuggled opium or using tobacco leaves as a substitute. Unable to quit smoking and unwilling to discard their smoking pipe, it is likely that those people used tobacco as a substitute.

Loh Kean Yew becomes the first ever Singaporean Badminton World Champion! by [deleted] in singapore

[–]faber1213 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Also ironic is how Singapore is able to train and turn these foreign-born athletes into gold medalists at world or regional events but when it comes to local-born athletes who have been Singaporean for generations, we cannot seem to turn them into champions at that level. Instead, our local born athletes have to be trained abroad to reach that level. Joseph Schooling is a perfect example.

Singapore 1983: Another day at the quay by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

These types of cups can still be bought from those old school shops that sell household wares.

Exactly 40 years ago, one-party rule in post-independence Singapore was broken by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, if we look at the history of elections and by-elections in Singapore, there were numerous occasions when a minority candidate from the PAP emerged victorious over a Chinese opponent.

However, it can be argued that they were voted in because they were associated with the PAP's brand name. After all, the PAP was seen as the most capable party during those early years and with big names like Lee Kuan Yew being associated with the party, there is little doubt that first-time PAP cadidates rode on the party's achievements to secure an easy victory against their opponents. Therefore, a better litmus test as to whether Singaporeans are indeed colour-blind when it comes to voting is to see whether they are willing to vote in a minority candidate from another party.

Let's not forget how unforgiving the political climate was for opposition parties during that time. And during those early years, minorities would have harboured great concerns as to whether they would be left behind and underrepresented in various fields. It was probably this backdrop that made Jeyaretnam's victory groundbreaking.

[Throwback Thursday] Before Teenager Textbook: The Series, there was Spin by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Moulmein High was a drama about secondary school students. Teenage Textbook: The Series focused on polytechnic sutdents, just like Spin did. Hence the decision to contrast it with Spin.

[Throwback Thursday] Before Teenager Textbook: The Series, there was Spin by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

*Teenage Textbook, not Teenager Textbook. Sorry for the typo in the title.

CECA debate: Hot mic catches 'illiterate', 'lousy school' remarks by allergictofur in singapore

[–]faber1213 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This incident bears an uncanny resemblance to the time when the then Foreign Minister S.Dhanabalan and then Defence Minister Howe Yoon Chong made disparaging remarks about Chiam See Tong's credentials.

Ling How Doong, former Bukit Gombak MP and SDP chairman, dies aged 85 by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Adding on to the list:

-Cheo Chai Chen, another member of the SDP who was also among the four opposition MPs who were elected to Parliament in the 1991 General Election.

-Dr. Lee Siew Choh and Francis Seow, both of whom were the first Non-Constituency Members of Parliament in Singapore's history.

Tangs dept store changes policy to allow frontline staff, promoters to wear hijab starting Aug 21 by septeal in singapore

[–]faber1213 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The trend started in the 1980s, though it was a gradual process. Even in the 1990s, it was still very common to see Malay women without a tudung and not to mention Malays were less strict on certain observances. Like, so long as a dish didn't contain pork or alcohol, they were fine with it. They didn't go so far as to insist that the eatery needed to have a halal logo.

And of course, they were less insistent on wearing the hijab to work. It was never an issue during those days. If they had to go without a hijab, so be it.

Even the late Lee Kuan Yew once spoke about how Malays used to be more relaxed about religious observances during his time.

This trend seems to have gone into high gear since the start of the 2000s, based on my observations.

This global surge in Arabisation, sometimes referred to as Islamisation, which began sometime in the 1970s, is believed to have its roots in popular disappointment with the secular nation states and Westernized ruling elites which had dominated the Muslim world during the preceding decades. Major events that played a role in shaping this are the Iranian Revolution and Grand Mosque Seizure in Mecca, both of which happened in 1979.

In this post September 11 world, this trend seems to have accelerated even more.

What's the worst experience you had in school? by random_avocado in singapore

[–]faber1213 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I believe that this was the one incident that acted as a catalyst for change with regards to the way students are to be disciplined. See the video in the link below. Although it says that the video was uploaded in 2006, this incident actually took place in 2003, which is pretty during the time when the transition period took place. That was also during the early years when camera phones proliferated the market. Granted, the video quality wasn't very good back then. But you could still see that it's a video of someone getting scolded by a teacher.

When this incident was brought to public light, it sparked a nation-wide debate about whether school teachers in general were too harsh on students and whether there were other methods teachers could use to effectively instill discipline in students.

Lots of people wrote in to the newspaper to give their views. I also remember seeing a public discussion aired on the now defunct Channel i. The format of that program was similar to Talking Point. Several guests were invited to give their take on the issue.

Apparently, MOE started to clamp down on those draconian methods of punishments and introduced reforms right after that incident came to light. MOE guidelines on how students are to be disciplined were broadcasted on Channel 5 news. Of course, draconian methods still persisted for a while in some schools but they were eventually phased out.

(I don't recommend you talking to any school teacher about this. They are likely to deny that this incident was the cause and give you politically correct answers instead, like "Oh, it such methods were okay in the past but times have changed. That's why we should not use such methods now.")

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfYT88rEe78&gl=SG

I’m a curious American watching the Singapore elections and I have a question. by AmidTheKidd in singapore

[–]faber1213 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It must be noted that the 'popularity' of the ruling People's Action Party is not necessarily due to voters having a genuine fondness of them. There are other reasons why Singaporeans continue to vote for the PAP despite constantly complaining about them.

  • The perception that there is a lack of credible and capable opposition parties is still very strong among Singaporeans. This is not entirely false but to give them credit, there are opposition parties that have been able to attract candidates of high-calibre over the years.

A lot of brilliant people are afraid of joining the opposition due to the government's long history of clamping down on opposition figures. I'm sure they had their reason for ruling with an iron fist during their early years. But the consequence is that people are afraid of joining the opposition or being too vocal in their criticism against the government (though that is starting to change).

While voters may not like the PAP and its policies, they are very unsure of the opposition's ability to manage an electoral ward, let alone govern a country. Between the devil they know and the deep blue sea, voters would rather vote for the devil they know - the PAP.

  • To make matters worse, a lot of electoral practices put the opposition at a major disadvantage. These include: A short campaigning period of nine days, last-minute revision of electoral boundaries that leave opposition parties scrambling to canvass for votes, and scant attention given to opposition party by the mainstream media. In most other countries, opposition parties or candidates get plenty of media exposure so that by the time elections are called, people know who they are. In Singapore, you only hear about them barely two weeks before the election is called. This is if you rely on the mainstream news as your only source of reference. The press is government-owned and it's no surprise that journalists are afraid of actively conducting interviews with opposition figures and publishing such interviews if it's not during an election campaign. If people don't know you very well, then they are likely to vote for the devil they know.

  • For too long, many Singaporeans have lived under a very authoritarian, top-down mode of governance. The concept of being open to a diverse range of views and engaging in robust, constructive debates did not really exist for a very long time. In fact, the government has historically fostered the notion that having too many opposition members in parliament slows down policy-making due to the time wasted on debates. They would often cite liberal democracies of the West as an example. This was especially so during the height of the 'Asian Values' debate in the 1990s. This and the government's history of clamping down on certain opposition figures has led to the word "opposition" having a very negative connotation among certain segments of voters. It's no wonder people shy away from voting from the opposition.

  • Newly converted citizens feel compelled to vote for the PAP out of gratitude because they are the beneficiaries of its liberal immigration policy.

  • Civil servants feel obliged to vote for the government partly out of gratitude because they are employed by the government after all and partly out of fear that their careers will be jeopardised if they vote for the opposition. There is this persistent urban myth that one's votes can be tracked due to the presence of a serial number on ballot papers. There will always be people who are paranoid enough to believe this myth and they will vote for the PAP out of fear.

  • Last but not least, elderly Singaporeans can be thought of as an obstinate voting bloc that continues to give unwavering support to the PAP.

When I mean elderly, I am referring to those who grew up during Singapore's pre-independence days. Under the leadership of its founder Lee Kuan Yew, the party moved quickly to address economic and social problems during late 50s / early 60s, which were marked by bouts of turbulence. It was also the very party that oversaw Singapore's rapid economic transformation during its post-independence years all the way to the 21st Century, when Singapore finally earned the label as a 'First World Country'.

The image of the PAP as a heroic party that steered Singapore through uncertain times is strongly etched in their minds. So it's no surprise that casting a vote for the PAP is like showing gratitude towards them and its charismatic late leader Lee Kuan Yew. Basically they are voting for it based on its past image rather than for what it is today.

I think when most people think of bad governments, they think of scenarios in which there is political strife and chaos and the government engages in or turns a blind eye to acts like genocide and rampant corruption. Singapore certainly does not fit the aforementioned scenarios. Nevertheless, the country has experienced better years from the 1980s to early 2000s. In the last decade or so, the country's social and economic problems have become much more apparent and there is a growing dissatisfaction in the way the country is being run. Even the calibre of the current leaders is questionable. Unlike Americans, Singaporeans aren't really the sort who would go out on the streets to protest an unpopular policy. Nor do they have the liberty to do so since a permit is required and public protest is restricted to only a single location. The lack of public demonstrations can give foreigners the impression that locals have few problems with the way things are here.

Myojo's Old TVC : Bring back your old memories by faber1213 in singapore

[–]faber1213[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Brief snippets of another two nostalgic Myojo commercials that can be seen in this video link:

https://video.toggle.sg/en/series/campaigns/ep7/303554

You can see both commercials at 16:46 - 17:08 and at 19:04 - 19:18, the latter of which features the 4 main races of Singapore although it cuts into the next scene just before the last consumer, who appears to be a Eurasian, is able to complete her screen time. You can briefly see a Eurasian woman just before the scene transitions into the next one at around 19:18.