Showing posts with label musing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label musing. Show all posts

Away and back again

I was recently back in Asia for a short holiday and work. All I can say is phew! For someone who’s on her first international job posting, coming back to home base brings immense joy and at the same time, an acute sense of nostalgia. You go back to the things that you love with family and friends who’ve been there for the ride. And there is simply nothing better :)
 
Prior to the Little Red Dot, I first landed in Hong Kong for a short three-day stint of press interviews for the company. One thing I have to say is that, boy it feels good to be back in Asia. For all its trappings, Dubai can’t seem to capture the authenticity of the food and hospitality found in Asia. Hear that dim sum makers? Even Malaysia has you beat in this one.
It was all gloomy on the outside plus work interviews and a partial food coma thereafter
Then it was home-bound! One thing I have to say is that, home is a lot more bearable when you don’t live with your parents. Ironically, it feels that mum and I are a lot closer now that we are out of each other’s hair.
 
So what really is the difference between Singapore and Dubai, you ask? Well, to me it's a case of convenience vs familiarity. On home ground, you have sop much less to worry about. You have your friends, your family, you know how everything works, your home is there and you know where to get things, should anything happen to fail.

In Dubai, I learnt that you can have almost anything and everything that you want. At a certain price…. Aha! You can get groceries delivered, maids will come clean your house, you can book a massage and have the masseuse come to your door step. So many conveniences! But at the same time, it takes ages to get paper work filled out, there is just too many red tape to get through when you need something done at work and people just cling to their archaic beliefs no matter what. I guess familiarity is something that you will eventually grasp.
 
Heh, so what did I get up to at home then?
 
It happened to be the worst haze that Singapore has ever had. To capitalize on it, we had our demo at the top of the Marina Bay Sands so that we can get our haze on!
And of course, when you are in Singapore, there is always time for indulgence of the gastronomic kind 
And this is just the tip of the iceberg...
I think it’s a give and take. While I certainly do love my conveniences, I am not so set in my ways that I insist on doing things in certain ways. I believe in learning new things and adapting to other ways too. Therefore, I am quite happy to report that I quite like it here in sandy Dubai. It’s much easier to adapt when you’ve made solid connections with really lovely people. There are lesser things to whinge about, espeically in times where you wake up and think: how the hell did I end up here?
 
Well, everything happens for a reason, right? ;)

Racism. Is there still room for it?

While Singaporeans were all up in arms over Amy Cheong's ugly remarks over the past few weeks, it got me thinking: is there really room for the race card now that there is a growing number of children and adults of mixed races?

As we become more globalized  couples of all races are inter-marrying and creating children of mixed races. It's a reality that we have to wake up to. Sure, there are people who prefer to date and marry within their race, that is a personal choice.

The world has evolved and so must we. Instead of making childish or ignorant comments in the vein of 'my race is better than yours', why don't we teach our kids more about their roots?

Being a child, or rather, woman of mixed race myself, I don't condone what Amy has done. I also don't support small-minded Singaporeans who jump on the support or disparage bandwagon blindly. The issue here is not simply about one race against another. Admit it, we all make fun of the weird aspects of each other's races. Ribbing is part of growing up but it should remain just that. Don't be a moron and take it online.

When I was growing up, I was part of a tiny minority. Teachers had no idea how to classify me, the kids were a bit more forgiving. If you've seen me, I look anything from Chinese to Indian or Malay, at times Eurasian, I speak three of the national languages, two of its dialects and still celebrate almost all the traditional festivals. People just had no idea of what to make if kids like me. Sounds sad, right?

Not at all. I had a great childhood because I had the best of all my worlds. Growing up, I had the most diverse set of friends. They came from all walks of life and from all sorts of cultures. Some have remained my closest comrades. I attended parties for almost every kid in the estate. I was never part of any cliques (seriously, what clique?)  I learnt more about who I am as a Chinese/Indian/Peranakan kid. On the religious front, I was exposed to more religions for which I am grateful. One aspect of my race doesn't define me. I am defined by ALL aspects of my races.

This is probably the reason why I have never thought it was wrong or different if couples from other races got together. Personally, I dated whomever I wanted to, not because of their race but because of who they are. What I thought was weird was kids or adults who only had single race friends. It feels weird because it seems like they are too afraid to venture outside of their comfort zones to see  that there are so many other great people.

Consider this little nugget before I go: Today, people of single-races may be the majority. But what will happen when multi-cultural people become the majority? Would you want yourself or your children to be discriminated against or would you rather have people learn and carry the values of your race through the ages? We have to open our eyes and hearts and start learning now. There is no room for racism. 

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Ever prodded a sleeping dragon, only to have it whip up and bite you in the ass? Well, neither have I. But I advocate that you should try everything...once ;P

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