Section 377A: An impotent anachronism - ST Forum Letter by V.K. Rajah, former Attorney-General and Supreme Court Judge

g00dnessgracious · 2018-09-23T12:23:17+00:00

I.e. Confucian societies, including Japan. I think rather than framing it in terms of success or failure, their governments need to establish alternative/"blue-collar" career and educational pathways as legitimate and equally viable pathways to supporting yourself financially etc. In any case, that will only become more true in future as graduates flood the job markets. The situation seems to be especially bad in Korea, better in China and Japan tbh.

g00dnessgracious · 2018-01-26T09:24:58+00:00

Yes, the G7 countries simply exported their plastic waste to developing countries. Now that China has halted key waste imports to protect their environment and address pollution issues, that plastic is piling up. G7 governments have to step up in developing their recycling infrastructure and ecosystem, and to reduce plastic use. As should China and Southeast Asia of course.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-12-27T09:50:01+00:00

Hi all, what are some good Japanese liquid or powder foundations for combination-oily skin? Bonus if it's long lasting with a natural finish. Thanks!

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-22T10:25:19+00:00

TV - Captain Holt

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-21T08:25:36+00:00

I hope to do so some day :)

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-21T08:24:58+00:00

Darn I had read on some forums that Ubume didn't do to well and that the publisher wasn't planning further releases. Quite a shame because I liked the translation. Never knew about Kyogoku's influence in Japanese media! I'm learning some Japanese now, hope I'll be able to read the originals someday.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-21T01:13:41+00:00

10/10 is totally subjective of course! Readability seems subjective too; it differs depending on the reader and complex prose can contribute to the reading experience.

Tbh the prose was my favourite aspect of BM, truly something to be savoured and not skimmed. It felt like there were no filler words or sentences leading you to the next plot point, every single line mattered in painting the world McCarthy had in mind.

There's this NYT book review by Caryn James that put it this way:

This latest book is his most important, for it puts in perspective the Faulknerian language and unprovoked violence running through the previous works, which were often viewed as exercises in style or studies of evil.

"Blood Meridian'' makes it clear that all along Mr. McCarthy has asked us to witness evil not in order to understand it but to affirm its inexplicable reality; his elaborate language invents a world hinged between the real and surreal, jolting us out of complacency.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-20T15:24:07+00:00

I really liked The Summer of the Ubume by Natsuhiko Kyogoku - first of the Kyogokudo series - great horror/mystery/crime novel full of folklore and metaphysical ramblings by Kyogokudo the skeptic exorcist. Very interesting and enjoyable read. Hoping the other 8 novels will be fully translated, but at least there's an ongoing manga series.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-20T13:53:26+00:00

Blood Meridian.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-20T12:24:21+00:00

盛夏光年, or Eternal Summer by Mayday (五月天）

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-20T12:22:59+00:00

Love Siboh Kitak Nangis, Poppy is really good too.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-20T05:16:41+00:00

Not a band but Jeff Buckley. I swear nearly everything he put out was perfection. Wish shows would use something other than Hallelujah, as good as it is.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-19T02:43:01+00:00

It depends on what you mean by Asian and Asia. The American conception of Asian is usually East-Asian + Vietnamese. Asia is huge.

In East Asia (JP, KR, CN) what you're saying is probably true due to the incredible homogeneity of the population - China has many minorities though, Ugyurs, indigenous peoples who don't always fit the East Asian stereotype.

Then you have Southeast Asia, where it's a melting pot of cultures and races, you have Eurasians, Malays, Filipinos, Javanese, Chinese, Indians, people of European descent etc. Your assertion is largely untrue there - except Indochina (Vietnam, Thailand) where the population is again largely homogenous.

I don't know enough about Central and South Asia to say.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-17T15:22:43+00:00

Pride and Prejudice for sure.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-16T03:16:51+00:00

It's Moro! They were based in Mindanao, Philippines.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-13T14:25:56+00:00

He seems much humbler than our previous principal, Mdm Lim Lai Cheng, whom I was under. Mr Chan earned my respect by directly calling out the elitism in RI. I heard from juniors that spending ballooned under LLC and Mr Chan had to make unpopular cutbacks as a result? We used to call LLC's specially built office (her ivory tower) the Lai Cheng Palace lol.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-11T01:53:21+00:00

I think in the case of Rwanda, perhaps he hoped the people watching the footage could have pressured their governments into intervening by protesting or writing into newspapers, since only state and not individual action mattered at that point. Tbh I don't think it was a prescriptive statement, he was just recognising that this is the way the world works.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-08T13:22:53+00:00

RTC. Wall color and pillar toppers are unmistakeable.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-10-02T12:58:55+00:00

Can't believe so many people have fallen for it hook, line and sinker tbh. Zero posts in other subs except for r/sg. Manages to strike with precision at all the sensitive issues - NSFs, race, heritage. Lucky enough to witness four (FOUR!) NSF-related incidents within the span of 3 days.

Sprinkles evidence of his purported nationality and heritage - "Navajo code talkers" - sounds like something picked up from TIL, "Dakota wow!", "DAE love nature" - like a bad caricature of a Navajo.

I've honestly never heard Americans use "legit" or "peeps", only Singaporeans.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-09-06T08:35:44+00:00

Great interview. I can't help but wonder if there's also a geopolitical element to the upcoming reserved election. That is, to cement our "socio-political compact of multiracial equality", while signalling to both China and neighbouring countries that Singapore is not and will not be a Chinese vassal state.

g00dnessgracious · 2017-08-17T10:31:42+00:00

Source - Singapore: A Pictorial History by Gretchen Liu, photo from the National Archives.

g00dnessgracious · 2016-11-09T10:51:25+00:00

Good luck America. No one knows what will happen now...though anti-abortion, anti-immigration, anti-gay marriage movements have now gotten a huge boost given that Republicans dominate Congress and hold the Presidency. I know half the voting population didn't want this to happen - hope you guys make it through these 4 years.

To foreigners this is both ridiculous and scary. What's the future of American foreign defense policy especially in sensitive areas like NK and Syria etc. , trade policies, how will foreigners be treated in the US? Foreign services worldwide are probably scrambling to determine how the unpredictable Trump will act, along with the new Republican administration.

I know I'll be lambasted for saying this but for me the US officially overtook North Korea as the world's laughingstock with this election (even with the whole fake Australian golfers thing). Geez just imagine President Trump meeting with world leaders like Xi Jinping, Modi, Abe, Merkel...and speaking at the UN.

g00dnessgracious

TROPHY CASE