"... it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished...'
- Jason Mraz, Life is Wonderful

Maudlin Monday? Perhaps...It is also the state of my head. Ah well. sometimes things are just weird and we just have no idea of where to go from here.

One thing's for sure though. I'm going home to lie down.

The week in music brings much needed new aural inspiration and stimulation indeed, especially for me It is also a welcome return to form for some of my musical favorites :o)

There is something distinctly evocative about ex-Suede frontman Brett Anderson. Whether he is the voice of a new generation singing about youth getting high on diesel and gasoline or declaring that love is dead, when you hear his voice, all you want to do is stop and listen. It is that voice that drew me back to his sophomore release, Wilderness. That sad, haunting voice that is showcased to perfection in this album, accompanied by only a guitar and piano. This is a much tighter album than 2007’s Brett Anderson, with songs such as Clowns where he describes broken relationships “We're like clowns/Tumbled into town now/Love is on its way down now/It's such a lonely sound.” As always, the lyrics are simple, they are emotive, hitting the heart squarely. Rating: 3.5/5

This second album, Enjoy by Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra is introduced by a friend and wow, it blew me away. Bjork's music can be really hard to relate to, lyrically and her sound is rather sinister but the musical arrangements on this album are pretty phenomenal. That and the vocals by the talented Becca Stevens made the listening experience sublime, especially for a jazz novice like yours truly. Rating: 4/5

Now, on to a different soundscape. Bloc Party's third album, Intimacy, which will be released this October. Thus far, these guys have been pretty unstoppable. Commercially, they have not been too well-received but their music is made for a more discerning audience than simply the radio fans. Picture an arena with lots of fans screaming and dancing - that's the size of the audience and the atmosphere. This album reminds me of their debut, Silent Alarm and speeds along at a more frenetic pace than 2007's breezy A Weekend in the City. Another definite winner. Rating: 4/5

I'm still previewing The Verve's Forth...and will let it sit for now, my head is bursting with happiness.

Lately, the government’s call for more babies and promoting family life just pisses me off. I was looking through the 2008 Marriage & Parenthood Package and it just sets me off. Why? Because, while the government is getting all magnanimous with handing out the cash packages and bonuses for babies, they seem to be neglecting a sub-section of the women; the single mothers.

So we’re Asian, so what? Can’t Asian or Singaporean women choose to be single mothers too? And why are single mothers not entitled to the same benefits as the married ones? Single mothers’ experience the same things are married mothers, right? Or is there something here I don’t understand? My question is…why does the government choose to overlook single mothers? It can’t just be because of the conservative nature of the society that we live in. That’s too simplistic. Or is it?

Admittedly, not every woman desires or aspires toward motherhood but what if it is an accidental baby? Then would the single mother be forced to abort simply because the government frowns upon babies born out of wedlock? Or give her baby up to a married couple who would then be entitled to the bonus? What nonsense if that? Then I’d ask what if the said woman simply does not want a husband but was fully capable of raising a child on her own?

Adult women today are far more capable of raising a family and taking care of their careers than their counterparts from years before. It made me wonder: in trying to do the right thing, why can’t the government be humane as well? Why can’t we prevent cruel abortions and help these single mothers out instead? Understandably, the single mother may choose not to take up the incentive. That’s her prerogative. Would this increase irresponsible promiscuous behavior? I doubt so…because if you really do not want to undertake parenthood, you’d do everything in your power to prevent it.

At the end of the day, no matter how much incentives are handed out or dangled in front of us, getting married and having babies is a personal choice. I don’t see why as a single woman, I have to shackle myself to some guy if all I wanted was a child. I am completely capable of raising a child and working. Now why won’t the government support me? The child that I birth will go towards increasing the birth rate, right? What about the couples who marry but do not want to have children? Why can’t they be left alone without seeing all the nauseous family posters and shit around?

Sometimes, I wonder what goes on in the head of policy-makers…do they simply propose incentives to make themselves look good or is it really for the benefit of others?

I’d rather the government supported everyone who wanted to have a child instead of just saying only married couples are entitled to have children. What happened to giving people more options and choices and letting them decide for themselves?