Freaks, Geeks & Divas

thelittlepinkcamera - Happy and very, very relieved!

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 16:53:51 GMT

The turnout was fantastic.
I had alot of champagne.
People had alot of fun.
It went better than I had ever thought it would.

I am so eff-ing grateful.

thelittlepinkcamera will sleep now.

Goodnight.
See you at Cuff Road.

Yay, Mummy!

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 04:22:30 GMT

Mummy's baking 100 pineapple tarts for the photo exhibit!
Her pineapple tarts are like her 2nd best creation.
Her first being me, lor.

I love you mummy for always being so supportive of me and my shenanigans! And for your slim thighs - cos, hey, guess who's benefitting from them beauties too! :D

2 more weeks until!!!

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:44:13 GMT

You are invited to:

Cuff Road

Through the lens of thelittlepinkcamera

This project is about putting a face to the people who come to Sutha’s Restaurant on as part of the Cuff Road Meals Programme (CRMP) by Transient Workers Count 2 (TWC2) for dinner every night. These are men who, incurring large debts for their agents’ fees, had come to Singapore with high hopes of earning a better livelihood for their families back home. For most of them, home would be Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India. Their legal cases and ensuing statuses are complex and often long drawn out: most who come to us are battling abusive bosses, unscrupulous agents and various intricacies of a system that even we, let alone the workers themselves, cannot fully understand. Their employment problems have left them jobless and homeless. Destitute.

Their portraits, along with stories of their struggles, their work journeys, their families and their quirks that you will see at this exhibit depart from the common way we know them. These men are not only a mass of bodies at the back of a lorry, a statistic, nor the subject of a hastily written, word-limit constrained newspaper article. Indeed, how often does the average Singaporean ever see, I mean, really see, the faces of these people who are so so crucial to our economy?

So this National Day weekend, come and really see.

Where: Post Museum, 109 Rowell Road (Telephone no.: 6396 7980)

When: 7^th of August, 2009. Doors open from 7.30pm to 11pm.

How much: $10 per ticket (incl. finger food and desserts). Free for all Special Pass holders and clients of CRMP. All proceeds will go directly towards funding the CRMP.

Please RSVP by August 1^st to:

thelittlepinkcamera@gmail.com

alittlepinkcamera (TM)

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 02:45:42 GMT

The photo project I'd talked about in the previous post has taken on a larger life of its own :D I love how the men just seem to know what to do when I take out the little pink Lumix. I think not having a DSLR helps in this sense - its less intimidating, lessening the distance btw the person I am shooting and myself. I love the whole process: explaining to them the project, getting them to relax in front of the camera (usually telling them I think they are "handsome/hot/sexybeast helps alot), conversations in between the pictures, getting them to choose the pictures they like best, giving them the developed pictures, writing their stories up in a more coherent fashion. So bloody awesome.

Something even awesomer?
This photo exhibit's been given the green light and funding from TWC2!!!
I'm looking at an early August date - publicity out soon!

On the research front: Things are looking exciting. After spending every evening at Cuff Road, getting to know the men and their struggles, I decided I needed to write something about them. They are now officially part of my research :) Jim has suggested I spend an extra few months in the field to collect more data - which is a relief cos I was wondering if he'd, say, disown me as an errant student. I also came up with a sexier new title for le dissertation :P

I dont know if things are ever "meant to be" but this time, I feel almost as if many things have happened - either by design or serendipity - that have eventually led to this. Cuff Road has really changed my life. And I am so so grateful.

Of Cuff Road by a little pink camera

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 07:48:55 GMT

I've taken on a new project. Ever since I started volunteering with TWC2, I've come into close contact daily with various Banglah boys. Many of them, like Israfil from my previous post, come for dinner first before starting to volunteer as well. They all have their own stories of their work journeys: From how they first decided to come work in Singapore to how they managed to pay their agent fees to the sort of work they did in Singapore to how they spent their days off to how they ended up at Cuff Road. Some are more open than others. Some are cheekier. But almost all of them are good natured. I don't know if I would be in their positions. But maybe its one of those "you never know until you're actually knee deep in the same shit" sortofathing. The friendships formed at Cuff Road can be very transient. We never know when they will be leaving. We never know when they might come across some alibaba job opening and take it on in spite of the legalities involved because they need to send money home or just to get by while waiting for their cases to process. This makes them illegal workers in Singapore. But the dirty secret is a significant portion of the Singaporean economy depends on these illegal/undocumented workers precisely because they have no rights, they have no status, they have no access to counsel.

But I digress. This is about my rather sexy photo project. I'm taking photos of them - as first, I just wanted it to be a gift for them. Take some phots of them at Cuff Road with nice dusk lighting. But then I decided to catalogue them - their presence may be transient but they dont have to be one dimensional. They shouldn't just be a statistic. We dont all have to forget them once they no longer appear at Cuff Road. I'mma take a bunch of photos, print the nicer ones out for them (maybe in one picture their bicep is more prominent than the other?!). They can pick the one they like best and I'd catalogue it in a collage book/album with blurbs about their stories. This catalogue can then go to TWC2 :) ~~Because I will keep their naked pictures for my personal calendar~~.

Swapon and Delwar

Pre-Konichiwa

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:35:40 GMT

... and already starting to think 10days isnt enough for Japan. Ack!

The Online Citizen Expose: Repatriation Companies

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:53:09 GMT

The Online Citizentheonlinecitizen.com/2009/01/toc-expose-repatriation-companies has various other articles written on foreign workers in Singapore. Oh and if you have the time, check out the comments that follow the articles: they can either amuse you or make your blood boil further.

The following is a clearly written piece by Jolovan Wham, social worker with HOME organization:

Is your foreign worker giving you problems? Are you afraid that he might be a bad influence on other workers? What if he runs away and you lose your $5000 security deposit*?

For approximately $300 per worker, you can engage the services of a ‘repatriation’ company who will help you deal with the cumbersome task of sending back these trouble makers and allay your fears.

Never mind that you don’t intend to pay this worker his outstanding salary, or that he had suffered an industrial accident at your work place and has not received his work injury compensation. Never mind that he has only worked for a few months for your company and is still trying to pay off the debt he incurred for the chance to work in Singapore.

‘Repatriation companies’ are businesses that are set up specifically to help employers manage ‘troublesome’ foreign workers by roughing them up and sending them back to their home countries forcefully. Many employers are more than happy to pay someone to do this since they find it difficult to handle work place disputes and get rid of foreign workers who do not toe the line.

Paid kidnappers or “service to society”?

‘We are providing a service to society’, claimed Mr Ravi when I met him for the first time.

Mr Ravi is the boss of UTR Services Pte Ltd, one of the more well known repatriation companies. ‘If we don’t provide this service, all these foreign workers will run away and there will be havoc.’

Indians, Bangladeshis, Burmese, Chinese, and Thai,—companies like UTR services have confined and repatriated them all. These guys work round the clock, nabbing workers from dormitories, work sites and even in public places such as coffee shops and outside shopping centers. Typical targets are workers with ‘bad attitudes’, who don’t meet up to employers’ expectations, or whose work permits are going to expire.

The South Asian workers call them ‘Tamil gangsters’: in reality, the people from repatriation companies are burly, rough looking men of all races who are paid to intimidate, assault and coerce workers into returning home.

Employers of course, will not tell workers that they will be sent home in this way. The shock of being repatriated suddenly is a fear many foreign workers have to live with. Once these workers are caught, they are sent to the premises of the repatriation company, locked up in a room and not allowed to leave the premises until the day of their departure. While in the premises, those who protest or refuse to return are routinely assaulted and verbally abused until they agree to go back.

Mind you, the repatriation companies take care to conceal their methods—their assaults do not leave any signs of a visible injury, making any allegation against them for physical abuse hard to prove. On the day of the departure, these workers are escorted to the airport and seen through Immigration. Threats of being blacklisted by the MOM so that they will never be allowed to work in Singapore again are other bullying tactics that are used to intimidate the workers into agreeing to leave.

Mr Xia is a construction worker whose employer called UTR Services because Mr Xia refused to leave until the settlement of these claims. His employer wanted to send him back to China quickly following a dispute He also injured himself while he was at work and he was waiting for his Work Injury Compensation Claim to be processed by the Ministry of Manpower.

What followed was the start of an ordeal that lasted a total of 36 days.

‘They beat me and they took my money’, Mr Xia told me in Mandarin. ‘They said they would only return my money if I agree to return to China. I am very angry—how could my employer do this to me? I am not a criminal. What right do those people have to lock me up, take my money and force me to go home? Why are they so afraid that I would run away? I’m just waiting for my work injury claim to be processed.’

While he was confined in the premises of the repatriation company, Mr Xia told me that he was also slapped and punched. However, he was resolute and refused to be intimidated into going home before he received his money and his work injury compensation.

Running way—a term often used by employers for workers who go missing - is one of the main reasons repatriation companies are in business. Employers stand to lose their deposit of $5000 to the Immigration Authorities if they fail to repatriate their workers. Rather than lose the money, they willingly shell out a couple of hundred dollars to companies like UTR just to make sure that these workers really go home.

Can the police help?

‘You can call the Police for all I care,’ said Francis, the Director of UTR Services, when I was trying to negotiate the release of another foreign worker who was confined. According to Mr Xia, he called the Police 3 times for help during the entire period but his pleas to them went unheeded.

On all three occasions when the Police responded, Mr Xia said that he was told since he was going to be sent home anyway, there was nothing the Police could do to help him. Finally, Mr Xia was given the number of HOME by another worker who was also going to be repatriated.

My colleague, Charanpal, went down to negotiate the release of Mr Xia. UTR only agreed to release the worker after we signed a letter of indemnity stating that we would reimburse the employer of the $5000 security bond should it be forfeited and Mr Xia goes missing.

After his release, Mr Xia made a Police report. The Officer in charge did not seem interested in investigating his complaint. Mr Xia then proceeded to lodge his complaint at the Magistrate’s Court and the Police was ordered to re-investigate.

This time, I accompanied Mr Xia down to the Police station for his statement to be taken. Once again, the police officer seemed uninterested, and even went on to justify the important role that these repatriation companies play in managing foreign workers. He said to me, ‘You have to understand sir, that the employer might lose his $5000 security deposit if this worker goes missing.’ The officer then went on to explain that UTR Services was not doing anything wrong.

Illegal

An interpretation of the Penal Code might yield a different answer. It states very clearly that, “Whoever wrongfully restrains any person in such a manner as to prevent that person from proceeding beyond certain circumscribing limits, is said “wrongfully to confine” that person.” UTR’s activities are clearly a violation of our laws.

I called the employer and brought up the issue of Mr Xia being confined and assaulted by the repatriation company. The employer retorted defensively that UTR is a licensed company and there was nothing wrong with him engaging their services. A search through ACRA reveals that UTR Services Pte Ltd is a company that provides ‘manpower repatriation and related services.’

What this entails is not described at all. UTR is obviously not just an escort service that ferries workers to the airport. Its methods, which include the wrongful restraint of people are clearly illegal.

There are many things wrong with how foreign workers are treated in this country: the presence and operations of repatriation companies is one of them.

By offering such services, these companies are taking advantage of employers’ fears of losing their $5000 security deposit. By utilising their services, employers are taking shortcuts in handling work place conflicts and industrial disputes. By turning a blind eye to them, the authorities seem to be openly endorsing activities which flout the law. All are complicit in the systemic abuse of the rights of migrant workers. As the recession deepens and more hapless foreign workers get laid off, repatriation companies may soon be doing a roaring business.

* The $5000 security bond is a law under the Immigration Act which states that employers who fail to repatriate a foreign worker under work permit will have to pay $5000 as a penalty

The author is a social worker with Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME). To volunteer with HOME, please email Jolovan at jolovan@gmail.com.

Israfil

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:52:25 GMT

When I met Israfil, he was quite shy. He was just coming by for his dinners at Cuff Road - the dates marked off his red card showing just how regularly he came by. The food, we've been told by many, isnt good. Yet, another 180 or so men like Israfil come every night because they have to. Many have come to seek their fortune in this garden-city of ours, this first world country who brags of clean streets and well-educated people. They had learnt of Singapore as a golden land of opportunity, where jobs are aplenty and monthly remittances will surely improve the lives of their families back home. The $9K they have to pay their agents? Pffffffft. No problem! That can be recovered within a year of working!

But this is Israfil's story. And he wasnt so lucky.

Israfil is from a village in Bangladesh. His upbringing was middle-class - he told me many times his father, a homeopathy doctor, emphasized on his children's education. He has the equivalent of A-levels qualifications. His sister is teaching Economics at a college in Dhaka city. He left home at 20 to work in Saudi as a driver - a move which his brother later on followed. He''d worked in Bangladesh after returning from Saudi. I'd playfully asked once if drivers in Bangladesh were all as well-educated as he. He said that many Bangladeshis are under-employed. There arent enough jobs to match their skill levels. He had left Saudi after 4 years to come to Singapore to work in a shipyard because he'd heard that money is better here. His parents were counting on his brother and he for financial support since his father retired.

He borrowed money from relatives, fellow villagers and the bank to fund his agent fees to get to Singapore. Upon arrival in Singapore, he was put up in one of the dorms in Geylang. He told me he felt disoriented. He didnt like it in Geylang. But he repeatedly said that "Singapore is a nice country. Many people good". I never know what to say whenever he tells me that.

A few months into the job, the accident happened. He was trying to hook his safety harness to a beam about 2 storeys high when he fell. He fractured his backbone. The insurance company - NTUC - contests his workmen compensation. His boss cut off his accomodation and food and tries to send him home. Israfil ran away. He said he wasnt going to settle for going home - "How go back? Owe many people money!" . Through his social network here, he learnt of TWC2. From there, he got his free dinners, legal advice and a place at a shelter run by HOME organization. Family ties were strained - his parents were not happy that he hasnt been sending money back. He felt ashamed. He couldnt bring himself to answer their phonecalls.

He decided to proceed his case to common law. This means its legally out of MOM's hands and between the lawyer and NTUC. It also means it could take up to a year to get any compensation.

Through all this, a few of us encouraged him to showcase his talent. Israfil could sing and play the guitar. He would often sing while we were walking or were having a slow time at the restaurant. Sha and I organized a time and space for him to perform for us at Post Museum one night, a few weeks before he left for Bangladesh. The New Paper covered the event. Cameras popped and people he'd never seen before congratulated him after. He was really smiling that night. We passed a tip hat around - he used some of the money to buy everyone at the shelter jalmuri (spicy puffed rice - delish!) and he bought me a tea. Sometimes we forget that being able to buy something, anything, gives us dignity.

After that event, Israfil became quite the minor celebrity. A media darling I call him! Journalists from CNA, Bangladesh and Japanese news, local theater groups came to speak with him. Some days he said to me, "Why so many reporters everyday? I migrant worker also so many reporters want to talk".*

He was repatriated on the 16th of February. His flight would be at 4pm that day. He was notified at 11am. He had no money with him. He had no time to buy anything even if he had money anyways. He ran around all day getting various administrative things settled. I met him at MOM at 1.45pm. The officer said, "Why you come so late?! Your flight is at 4pm!". He said he hadnt even time to have lunch. The officer barked, "I'm not asking if you've had lunch. I'm asking why you so late". GRAH!

I walked him to the departure gate. I asked when he'd do back in Bangladesh. He told me he didnt know. He goes home with an injured back, a massive debt and a whole lot of disappointment. He said he'd think about coming back to Singapore again because "Singapore is good country. But my luck no good. Boss no good." I again didnt know what to say.

*It pisses me off when so many journalists interview him and leave without giving him any compensation. Come on, we know you want your story and you probably got it out of him and a few others. But you are also exploiting them ok.

Sutha's

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 13:41:29 GMT

I headed down the the Cuff Road Free Meals programme organized by TWC2 yesterday. One glass of teh halia later, I met Debbie and Shelley - chief volunteers of the programme - who oriented me to the programme. 15 minutes later, a steady stream of workers arrived for their dinner. For many, this would be their one meal of the day. One of them said he was employed by Tipper Corporation (yes, that Tipper) and hadnt been paid for the past 7 months. He sat down to give his story to Shelley. I took down the particulars of another group of Bangladeshis who were found living in the streets - again because their bosses at Jericho Marine Services denied them their salary. Most of these workers are younger than I am. And yet for many, I think their lives are already royally screwed over.

There is an agent's fee that ranges between 8 to 10 thousand $$. To get the funds, they'd sell their farms, whatever jewellery they may have, borrow from their relatives and the banks. So really, by the time they get here, they are already up to their ears in debt. So ... uh... their situation kinda sucks.

The meals programme, while good in and of itself, isnt a resolution. It is a band-aid solution to a much bigger problem of bringing people in as disposable labour, without regard of their well-being, without regard of whether there is sufficient work for them even. Fear these workers? I think they should fear us much more than we do of them. The media often asks TWC2 if these workers show gratitude. Um. They're here to eke out a living, forsaking all their life's savings, only to be doused into such dire straits. Why should they show gratitude? When these men I met at Sutha's are finally deported back to their country - and many of them probably will be at some point, they will face the wrath of their relatives, the banks will come after them, they'll have no land and no assets to their names. All at 26 yrs of age.

The Banglah in Serangoon Gardens dilemma

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 07:35:28 GMT

I am ashamed of how our country and our culture treats our foreign workers. This is hardly a sentiment unique to me. After stewing in the xenophobic, racist and (big one for me) CLASSist broth for a while, I decided to write a letter to the Straits Times.

" I am writing in response to the recent debate over the settlement of foreign workers in an old school in Serangoon Gardens. Minister Mah Bow Tan had previously said that foreign workers cannot be segregated from the rest of Singaporean society and that more can be done to facilitate co-existence. Yet, some of the latest official developments seem to suggest otherwise. The recent decision to house foreign workers is accompanied by plans to create a buffer zone between the estate and the dormitory, with additional boundary fencing. I wonder if this measure does not prevent co-existence and mutual understanding between residents and foreign workers? Further, while the implementation of house-rules and curfews serve to assuage the worries of some residents, it seems also to further police and alienate these workers from Singaporeans. These measures could also serve to reinforce the common notion that there is a need to be fearful of these foreign workers. Could these barriers to co-existence not be removed to foster greater understanding between Singaporeans and those who work and live among us? I find this important especially since there are plans to set up more similar dormitories for foreign workers. Given the projected increase in foreign workers in our midst to meet the demands of our economy, there is a pressing need to recognize and accept these workers into our living spaces as a move to strengthen our social fabric. Serangoon Gardens could well serve to be an example of how locals and foreigners –both workers and talent – can truly share the same spaces, reinforcing that Singapore is really the multicultural society that it prides itself to be."

This afternoon, an email landed in my inbox.
My letter was deemed one of "more than 70 a day" which cannot be published.

You know what is a more pressing social issue for the Forum page?
"Why must Night Safari have Halloween themes? would it not scare the animals and small children?"

This is why Singaporeans will learn at a retarded rate. Cos the media are so goddamn scared of offending the status quo.

It ain't over till the fat queen sings.

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:17:40 GMT

Dear Garreth,

As I had said in the dvd, here's to another fab-O-lous 27 years to our utterly inappropriate, co-dependent and boundary-less friendship. And most importantly, to you. To your health and happiness. You are the Will to my Grace. The see hum to my char kway teow (ie: sometimes pple like to say its "unhealthy" but thats only bcos they don't know any better. Plus I don't bloody care.). You mah bestest friend and no one else comes close ... ok except maybe Shuxia but today is ur birthday lah. I love you.

XoXo,
Your best hag,
Jia

In transit

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:32:19 GMT

Wah lao. Sian leh, leaving Vancouver liao.

Evacuating 3120 Point Grey Road

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 23:00:28 GMT

I hate moving.
I got so attached to our little apartment. I'm glad we're bringing our couch back - the couch which has hosted various visitors and their bums. I remember how Lawrence and Guan and I would sprawl across it, esp during my comps period. They'd come over just to veg with me (ok and also cos mama's chicken curry - but I'm sure that is secondary. HaH!) and leave at midnight. We'd yell at Tyra, drool over hotties, get inspired by Jamie Oliver, wanderlust with Ian Wright on OLN and sing with American Idol.

Last night, Ma went for dinner with her colleagues and her bosses on Granville Island. She came back with a small stack of cards they'd given her, all Island and goodbye themed. I felt like bursting with pride when I read what her friends had to say about her - she really does have the biggest smile ever :) I'm so proud of her. I remember in JC, a certain Geography teacher (*ahem*) said to the class, "Whenever parents have to come collect report cards, Jiajia and her mum would look at each other and smile like they are each other's favourite person in the world".
I love you, Mummy!!

The best damn place on earth: part deux

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 06:45:30 GMT

I am a city girl at heart.

Yet, even the most urban of warriors enjoy taking in the sights and sounds of the country. Especially if the said warrior foresees the next year or so to being esconced in the concrete womb of nothing but city.

Let's just say this turned out to be one of those trips where it reallly wasnt much about the destination as it was about the (sheer wacky) journey there.
We headed out for Bralorne - where is this, you're asking. Frankly, I was asking myself that even as I was there. But more on that later...

A glacier barely 2 hrs outside of Vancouver - Mountains like woah! ( I dunno why I become inarticulate everytime I see these giants. )

We drove on. With me sputtering on about how mad cool those mountains are - sputtering... the way a car would while malfunctioning??? Ah right, more on that later....

Tucked beyond the Coast Mountains, past Whistler (Wot?!!!), lies Pemberton Meadows - recent claim to fame hosting Cold Play as one of the key acts for its music festival and more traditionally, known as "Spud Valley" to its local farming community. Because the land is so fertile, the powers that be have decided against hosting another music festival the following years.
Potatoes 1: Rock Stars 0.

Tell me this is not the picture of perfection. The green foreground on the left is a neverending field of potato crops. It made me want to savour a big basket of waffle fries right then. So the awesome-ness of the place was marred by my own greediness. Boo.

We missed a few turns to start heading onto the mountains - the first in a series of comedy....
After heading into the mountains like an hour behind schedule, the ride started getting really bumpy. Well, duh, its gravel we're travelling on right? But then the car starting veering to the right. My friend got out the car to check her suspicions. Turned out we had a flat tire. In the middle of no-bloody-where. We pumped up the tire (ok, my friend did. hehe) and off we continued up and over the mountains.

We pulled into ~~town, village~~, hamlet 5 hours after we'd left the city.

Well, clearly after I rolled in, population of Bralorne went up to 58. We stayed the night at an inn which used to be the mining office of Bralorne, which had its heyday in the 1930s (i think). Perhaps one of the most bizarre places I've ever stayed at - murals painted on the walls of its old foyer, showing the town in its mining glory, big rusting tin cans of oil as its only other decorations, creaking doors and a decrepit courtyard. Next to Bralorne was Radiane (sp??). Population: 0. Real life ghost town (get the paradox? harhar). These homes have been vacant for a while. Apparently, the couple who own the place have not been able to sell it. The whole area seemed like it would fit right into some Wes Craven movie. And I'd probably be like the 3rd person to die in the film - 1st being the black guy, 2nd in line would be the blonde bimbo who screamed so loud the psycho shut her up good plus it would have been too offensive to have 2 visible minorities die consecutively. Asian, in spite of being the model minority, takes 3rd place because 4th and 5th are usually reserved for the hot brunette leads who don't die no matter what and will hook up with each other by the end of the plot.

Oh and can I just say that I went without dinner that night because the one restaurant was closed for the night. Boo. A woman we'd met offered to cook dinner for us but we didnt want to impose, plus were too tired to make polite dinnertime conversation with - albeit very kind - strangers.

Morning came and we headed over to a town just down the hill to get the tire fixed by the legendary Pioneer Paul who charged us almost nothing. We ended up paying him double.

Gold Bridge, population: 43, where the name of the hotel is "Hotel" and of their one cafe is "Cafe".
Love it! lol.

I scarved down a triple decker sandwich along with the basket of fries which I'd been craving since ... oh i dun remember. Hunger clouds my brain so.
Pioneer Paul fixed our tire .... but it busted again an hour later.
We were once again in the middle of nowhere so had to roll into D'arcy to get some help.

Of course, we didnt have a jack in the car - don't ask. And the insurance company would only be able to reach us an hour later, given our ulu-ness. We were just going to wait for them when some N'quatqua natives called us to us. Turns out they ran a garage from their house! They made changing the tire look like child's play and the job was done in less than 15 mins. It would be silly and petty of me to let a couple of flat tires obscure the hospitality of the people I met during this trip. Sure, we stayed at less than lux lodgings, I was hungry at night and the ride was bumpy throughout. But the folks along the way more than made up for it. In fact, dare I even say, I'm almost glad we ran into these obstacles - how else would we have felt the warmth of these strange towns otherwise?

The best damn place on earth

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 06:57:28 GMT

I've been delinquent on the blog front for a number of reasons - getting my thesis proposal together (finally the fieldwork is going to happen!!!), settling the maddening logistics of the big move back, and, hehe, roadtripping every week to a different place in the province.

A key part of travelling around BC is by the ferry (and the ferry-waiting. Grrrrr....). The intricate networks of inlets and fjords and archipelagoes
(plus decent govt subsidies) in the area make water travel much faster and economical than driving. So two weeks ago, we went up to the Sunshine Coast - with a name like that, how could you not want to go! It took us 4 hrs of driving and 2 ferry rides to finally get to Lund - the very end of the road on the peninsula of the Sunshine Coast.

Yah lah yah lah, some boring sunset foto, you're thinking, you jaded reader. But it was really very chio ok! My Lund sunset will kick ur sunset's butt anyday loh.

We had wine on the balcony of our room to watch the sunset .... where I was eaten up by vicious, hungry Lund mosquitoes and still have some faint scars to show.

Lund reminded me of Cape Cod - ok, so I've nv been to Cape Cod nor know anyone who has but to my mind, this is what Cape Cod is like lah - idyllic, ocean as far as the eye can see, sail boats and nothing too ostentatious. The picture on the right is one of the cafe where we had breakfast - they make the most incredible ham and egg muffin. nyumnyumnyum.....

But there were times when the rosy picture was interrupted.
I was probably one of the only Asian persons around and they were curious about alot of things - my dress, my food, the way I talked. Sometimes, this curiosity manifested in stares that alienated me. Other times, it would be the noticeably brisk-ier service or the lack of a smile.
*Shrugs. There will be ignorance no matter how laid back a place is, i suppose.

On the way home on the ferry, I noticed some very Canadian signs onboard:

No smoking is not just a rule - but, perhaps more accurately, a request. And also, a directory - just to make sure smokers are still satisfied and don't get lost en route to their next puff, there is an arrow showing them which way to go in very clear terms.

Meanwhile, this is the view you'd get while being the Marlboro man:

... and it made me miss Dj even more.

Open house at 3120 Point Grey Road

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:54:41 GMT

People have been popping by all day, viewing the apartment.

Most of them have been quite nice and respectful.

There was a family who just left - daddy X, mummy X and two very pretty X-lettes in tow.
Mummy X walked into my room, snooty expression painted on and complained about how hot Vancouver is - hello? Is that my problem?
And then Mummy X looks at my degree on the wall and asked me what my PhD is in - hello? Is that your problem?
I told her what I'm doing and the nerve of that bitch - sniggers.

&^%$#@

I hope the house she finally chooses will be haunted.
With the ghosts of her own idiocy.

Edit: Actually, I hope she remains blissfully ignorant. Always.

Give me Liberte!

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 08:22:45 GMT

I just ate a whole i/2 litre container of LIberte Apple Pie yogurt.
It was so damn yummy.
And I am now so very very happy.
Must go to store tmr to pick more up!

Drinking across the Okanagan

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 09:51:30 GMT

... all 15 wineries worth in 2 days. No mean feat, even I'd say.

Our gang of 4 set off Tues morning for Oliver, an off-the-beaten-path town that is the fruit bowl of BC and home to clusters of young wineries. I'd told myself that I'd be happy this trip if we just sampled a couple of good vinos and go cherry-picking. Little did I expect a whirlwind tour of the Okanagan Valley and its myriad of little towns - Peachland, Summerland, Merrit, Hope - and even the fabled desert in Canada, Osoyoos!

For 2 days, we drank our lunch and dinner and ate meals in between. DELISH. By 4pm the first day, our palates were toast. We grabbed the last bottle of wine for the day and headed back to our B&B, which was a lovely organic farm run by a couple. We picked cherries on the way home ($1/lb and so sweet we were on sugar highs) and had to hide all 20lbs of our succulent, ruby-red guilt in the car because our hosts had expressed displeasure at non-organic fruit (cherries in particular :() the day b4.

We lucked out with more fruit-picking right on the O'Reilly's farm. Apricots were at their peak and soo sooo yumz right off the branch. We picked till our hands were sticky with juice and Guan was nagging at me to stop because apricots are "heaty".

We breakfast-ed on the deck on the last day since it was warm enough. Everything tastes better eaten outside :)
Thanks to this trip, the next cherry and apricot I eat just won't be as sweet anymore.
Good thing I still have a remaining 8lbs of the fruit in my fridge now :)

Always be my baby

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 06:32:33 GMT

In two days, Dj leaves for Bali in search of work. It has been a trying past year of doors closing in his face and various roadblocks. It has clouded me with uncertainty, made more difficult with the distance separating the two of us. Almost in a twist of poetic injustice, I'll be back in Singapore in less than 2 months. We'll just be missing each other by that much. It is difficult for me to put into words how I feel now; I have never been good at expressing uncertainty and insecurity, especially with a boy... I really wish we didn't have to deal with the tyranny of distance, that he would be there waiting for me at the airport when I come home, that his would again be the face I see first every morning. But I know I cannot keep harping on these feelings - I don't like victimizing myself. And I guess this is something he has to do. I'm trying to be supportive and hopeful. I know he would do the same for me too. Besides, this is only temporary.

Like menglang, I think this song is apt for the occasion.

You'll always be a part of me
I'm part of you indefinitely
Boy don't you know you can't escape me
Ooh darling 'cause you'll always be my baby
And we'll linger on
Time can't erase a feeling this strong
No way you're ever gonna shake me
Oh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby

Only a matter of time before I throw my arms around you and hug you silly.
Take care of your sweet self, Dj. I'll see you soon - thanks to Jetstar Asia and erm... my funding.

So You Think You Can Graduate? A Closer Look at Grad School Reality.

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:48:19 GMT

I keep thinking about a grad student reality tv show.

I think it could be like an amalgamation of existing reality shows.

Team tasks:
1) Groups must produce a major paper/ project for publication. The fun will be observing the group dynamics of each team, seeeing how members curse and swear (yet try to philosophize (sp)/ remain diplomatic??) when they take too long to finish and land publication in a journal with readership of like, 4.

2) Must go around the city looking for displaced archival material and return it to the archives by happy hour

3) look around city for cheapest beer/sushi/groceries.
Similar to: The Apprentice/ Survivor/Amazing Race.

Individual challenges:
1) Dress sense challenge: contestants must wear their office/TA wear for one round, a "conference dress" round and a "dress as your fave theorist" round. Winners get makeover or lifetime subscription to their fave journal - Yeah!!
Judges (tenure/emeritus profs) critique.

2) As KAt suggested: contestants compete to figure out their off-campus library connection.
Similar to: America's Next Top Model/ American Idol/ Beauty and the Geek.

3) Scenario challenges: these come up at any time for any one contestant of any group while they are working on their team tasks. Contestants may be "ambushed" to figure out how to :
   A) remove paper from a jammed photocopier
   B) change default font settings from WingDings (haha!) to Times New Roman font size 12
   C) (this is a big one) How to retrieve data from a hard disk crash.

Startup challenge:
1) All contestants given a stack of library books with different due dates. As the show progresses, tasks get more challenging, yet contestants must still remember to renew/return books. Demerit points otherwise. These points will count towards the calculation for the ultimate champion.

Because... there can only be One who knows He/She Can Graduate.
Winner gets funding (an unspecified amount as of now) for project of their choice, tenure at university of their choice and of course, bragging rights.

Success of this show will prompt a spinoff series only for PhDs, Post-Docs Contract Faculty:
"So You Think You Can Get Tenure?"

Bourdieu's "Distinction": The theoretical framework with which we can use to analyze Sex & The City?

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 23:50:23 GMT

" The consumption of the most legitimate cultural goods is a particular case of competition for rare goods and practices..."
- Bourdieu, Distinction, 1984: 99.

"Distinction, or better, class, the transfigured, misrecognized, legitimate form of social class, only exists through the struggles for the exclusive appropriation of hte distinctive signs which make "natural distinction""
- Bourdieu, Distinction, 1984: 250

"It's really hard to walk in a single woman's shoes - that's why sometimes, you need really special shoes"
- Carrie, SATC.

"Gucci, Fendi, Prada purses, purchasing them finer things,
Men they come a dime a dozen, Just give me them diamond rings...
No emotional baggage, just big bags filled with Dior"
- Fergie, "Labels or Love" from SATC soundtrack, 2008.

* oh, the way I procrastinate throughout the day...*

Proposing! To my thesis that is.

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 06:36:01 GMT

Guan and I had a very yummy, very fulfilling sushi lunch today with our new post-doc fellow, E, today, who, as if being Singaporean isnt coincidence enough, was one of the first people I started talking with about grad school.

I met her when I was finishing 3rd year and about to take on fieldwork for the honour's thesis. A prof at the Geog dept at NUS had suggested I get in touch with her and E kindly spent 2 hrs at the then Fat Frog (now Timbre) talking to me about what I wanted to do after my undergrad in spite of being in the thick of relocating-logistics for her PhD.
I blame her for my own PhD stint.
Joking only lah.

E was enthusiastic and very encouraging. She seemed so confident and happy about heading off to grad school that it inspired me to finish up my honour's thesis and get on with an academic career. 5 years later, she's still happy, still encouraging but now having been thru the gauntlet, is alot more grounded about the whole process. She's going to be a wonderful prof, I know. I think the department is going to benefit from her insights and, more importantly, non-cynical, utter passion towards teaching and research.

Talking to the two of them today reminded me that I am here for a reason and I'm doing this because I believe it is a story worthy to be told.
Sure, my research won't be saving lives or stopping world hunger. But I think its an important part of Singaporean history (and, hello, Geography, which is the sex) that needs to be recognized.

Full steam ahead - charge!

Ain't no mountain high enough, ain't no river wide enough

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:37:55 GMT

As much as I don't fancy tour groups - 50 people, 50 digicams snapping the same fotos, waiting around for so-and-so (whom i'd rather leave behind), strict time regulations for eating/peeing/sleeping - I gotta say I really enjoyed this trip to the Rockies :) The guide was knowledgeable and funny, without being obnoxious nor cheesy. The driver had a sharp eye for wildlife along the road - elk, grizzly and black bears, mountain goats, big-horned sheep (which looked an interesting mix of being silly and majestic). The food was pretty good and decently-priced. The rest of the tour group wasnt getting on my nerves except for one person who stole the sandwich ahead of me and made me wait another 15 minutes while they made another one (I hope you got diarrhoea for that, bitch).

And yes, the scenery was stunning.

Jasper National Park - something very Canadian about this picture: the railway that runs across the southern half of the country and the Rockies in the background.

Athabaska Falls - a pity we only got 30 mins at this one place.... :(

Hello Bambi?
One of the many elk we saw along the way!

My fave stop. Deceptively called "Moraine Lake" because that stuff isnt moraine! Those r giant rock piles ok. The guide told us later that there were a few geologists on his previous tours and they were just as outraged (although i am far far from being a geologist). Hmph. I managed to get a few moments of solitude while at this site - which added to its allure. There was a big bench which I sat on and for a few minutes, I was all alone. No clicks of the digicams, no tourists posing like they were flying/falling/mtv-video shooting. It was just quiet. And beautiful.

We went to the hot springs in Banff - very relaxing. Abit too much so, I'm afraid cos I could hardly walk after. It made me feel abit light-headed after and I had to wolf down half a bag of nuts to keep my energy up. And the place smelled of sulphur, which is supposed to be healing and therapeutic, blahblah. Ok ok, so it was shiok nonetheless.

This voyeuristic foto was taken while i was on this mad machine called the Ice Explorer. We went on this excursion to check out Columbia Ice Fields (which has an area much bigger than Singapore's). It was abit of a ripoff at $38 for just 20mins on the glacier itself, I suppose but we got to drink uber pure glacial water (I should have brought a drum of it back, dammit, that stuff was much better than any bottled water I've ever had). Then I saw these two kids running around on the ice and upon a closer look, I realized that kid in the front had an injured leg!

I won't put all of u thru the complete runthrough of my vacation. But to the person who stole my sandwich that afternooon, here's what I think of you:

Rock-ed out

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:23:11 GMT

Back from the Canadian Rockies.
Worth every penny and bump in the road.
Too tired to type much now... pics up soon!

Although I must let something on: Elaine and I are planning for a special vacation to a very exciting place in a few weeks.
The grass is definitely greener on our side :P

Banff tmr

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:18:28 GMT

And you know what sucks?
Going to bed sad and alone.