As the Rev Wright talks endlessly on CNN, one cannot but admires his stamina and learning. Yes, he is controversial and intentionally provocative, but he does bring across some interesting viewpoints. His passion is palpable and he minces not his words. You may not agree with all his arguments but you cannot but admire his breadth of learning and understanding. He is the epitome of the African American civil rights religious leaders.
But I partake not of any of this. To me lies the daily struggles of putting food on the table and putting kids through school. I am perhaps the epitome of the apathetic Singaporean, brought up to leave politics alone because there is a great deal of personal risks to be seen to be too outspoken, to be too visible and to be perceived a firebrand. America is different, yes, there is passionate argument, always the strive to provide different views, to allow all and sundry to bring forth their side of the picture, to parry and thrust, to challenge and question. But I only watch from the sidelines, musing, mildly interested but mostly they wash over me like the water of a stream over the stones and pebbles on its bed. This is perhaps the most interesting US presidential election in a long long time with the possibility of either the first American woman president or the first non-white American president. But I have little energy to devote to following the in's and out's, the primaries and scandals. It is hard to shake off the years of self preservation, of material pursuits above democratic rights and freedom of speech, of avoiding all politics if one so as not to jeopardize one's rice bowl.
And that is what makes it sad for Singapore and Singaporeans...
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
EWB
I am in Boulder, Colorado, after a long day of visits and presentations on renewable, alternative, sustainable energy and humanitarian engineering. It has been interesting but also a lot of information download. We landed at Denver yesterday, drove to Golden, checked into a hotel and immediately began our learning group discussions and activities. By the time, we called it a night, it was way after 10 and I was tired. But sleep eluded to my utter annoyance and disbelief. How could it be? I should be sound asleep.
It was snowing lightly when we arrived in Denver and a bit more in Golden. After a restless night of tossing, the sight of snow dusted mountains rimming the town and trees covered with pretty clumps of snow was strangely calming. Despite the snow, it was not too cold. We drove to the Colorado School of Mines where we toured the fuel cell and geology labs and learned about humanitarian engineering and the university's many faceted alternative energy research over lunch. Then off to NREL where unfortunately, my documents were not submitted so not being a citizen, I was not allowed on the tour of the grounds. Alone in the visitor center, I spent two quiet hours in the exhibit area reading all about the research into solar, hydro, goethermal, biofuel, biomass and house designs that capture or avoid heat depending on seasons and latitudes. Then the group came back and we sat through several more hours of talks on the subjects where I struggled to keep my sleep deprived mind from recklessly dropping my head on the table.
Then off to Boulder where we checked into this century old hotel that looked so small from the outside but had a skywalk inside that linked to another much bigger part of the hotel. Very interesting old America style architecture - stained glass ceiling, flowered wallpaper everywhere, old Victorian style furniture, a 100-year old manned elevator and beautiful courtyard. Over dinner, we had a very inspiring talk from a professor from the local university who has been a leader of Engineers without Borders in the US since 1997. He talked about how he got into working with third world countries, and showed us all the different projects he and his students had done to help make life more bearable for poor people in so many different parts of the world. French American, he did not seem very interesting at first when we first sat down to dinner but his talk was the best event of the entire trip so far. The engineers and professors we had met all day long all talked about projects of grand scales to reduce carbon emissions, greenhouse gases and find alternative sources of energy to feed ever increasing demands of a world grown used to more and more power hungry growth. And now here was this professor who spends three months of his year, working with his students on small engineering projects of $800, $1000 or $15000 on a century old pumping system that America had long forgotten that uses potential energy from a 7-foot waterfall to bring water to a village so a little girl could go to school instead of fetching water all day long from a nearby stream, putting in equipment in a school in Nepal where the smiles on the kids' faces as they gazed into a donated computer could light up the universe, digging 300 feet wells into an acquifier away from an existing contaminated well helped ensured kids who traditionally would not be named till they were 6 because most never lived to 5 could grow up healthy, putting in school programs in Palestine and Israel so kids would be busy learning instead of throwing rocks at each other, setting up programs to bring vocational skills to children at risk in Africa so they could earn a living... And he gave us the talk in a most unassuming, humorous way, pleading almost for the people who earn $1 a day and whose daily concern was to live another day. And his message was so profound - our schools don't teach engineers on the interaction of health, social interactions, economics and engineering so that the things we build in the less developed countries are appropriate and sustainable. And there is so much to do because UN and Unicef statistics tell us there is so much poverty, malnutrition and death each day from totally un-necessary and totally avoidable causes. Meanwhile the world spends $31,000 a second on arms.
My problems all seem so small now. Tomorrow, more activities and then home.
It was snowing lightly when we arrived in Denver and a bit more in Golden. After a restless night of tossing, the sight of snow dusted mountains rimming the town and trees covered with pretty clumps of snow was strangely calming. Despite the snow, it was not too cold. We drove to the Colorado School of Mines where we toured the fuel cell and geology labs and learned about humanitarian engineering and the university's many faceted alternative energy research over lunch. Then off to NREL where unfortunately, my documents were not submitted so not being a citizen, I was not allowed on the tour of the grounds. Alone in the visitor center, I spent two quiet hours in the exhibit area reading all about the research into solar, hydro, goethermal, biofuel, biomass and house designs that capture or avoid heat depending on seasons and latitudes. Then the group came back and we sat through several more hours of talks on the subjects where I struggled to keep my sleep deprived mind from recklessly dropping my head on the table.
Then off to Boulder where we checked into this century old hotel that looked so small from the outside but had a skywalk inside that linked to another much bigger part of the hotel. Very interesting old America style architecture - stained glass ceiling, flowered wallpaper everywhere, old Victorian style furniture, a 100-year old manned elevator and beautiful courtyard. Over dinner, we had a very inspiring talk from a professor from the local university who has been a leader of Engineers without Borders in the US since 1997. He talked about how he got into working with third world countries, and showed us all the different projects he and his students had done to help make life more bearable for poor people in so many different parts of the world. French American, he did not seem very interesting at first when we first sat down to dinner but his talk was the best event of the entire trip so far. The engineers and professors we had met all day long all talked about projects of grand scales to reduce carbon emissions, greenhouse gases and find alternative sources of energy to feed ever increasing demands of a world grown used to more and more power hungry growth. And now here was this professor who spends three months of his year, working with his students on small engineering projects of $800, $1000 or $15000 on a century old pumping system that America had long forgotten that uses potential energy from a 7-foot waterfall to bring water to a village so a little girl could go to school instead of fetching water all day long from a nearby stream, putting in equipment in a school in Nepal where the smiles on the kids' faces as they gazed into a donated computer could light up the universe, digging 300 feet wells into an acquifier away from an existing contaminated well helped ensured kids who traditionally would not be named till they were 6 because most never lived to 5 could grow up healthy, putting in school programs in Palestine and Israel so kids would be busy learning instead of throwing rocks at each other, setting up programs to bring vocational skills to children at risk in Africa so they could earn a living... And he gave us the talk in a most unassuming, humorous way, pleading almost for the people who earn $1 a day and whose daily concern was to live another day. And his message was so profound - our schools don't teach engineers on the interaction of health, social interactions, economics and engineering so that the things we build in the less developed countries are appropriate and sustainable. And there is so much to do because UN and Unicef statistics tell us there is so much poverty, malnutrition and death each day from totally un-necessary and totally avoidable causes. Meanwhile the world spends $31,000 a second on arms.
My problems all seem so small now. Tomorrow, more activities and then home.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
CalDay
Boy, is it ever so hot today. Freakish to think that not too many days ago, we were all still pretty much all wrapped up in sweats and fleece, reluctant to go downstairs because it is a few degrees colder than the bedroom. We played four hours of tennis under a sweltering 87 or 90 degrees F from 9:00 am. California spring is very quickly turning into summer. Too quickly if you ask me.
Yesterday was hot too when we were trudging up and down the gentle slopes of the UC Berkeley campus. It was Cal Day, open house for all new students and their families. We were very lucky first to find parking right in front of a Chinese restaurant where we took a quick lunch. I did not realise it was paid parking and glad to get away scot free. And we were very lucky to be just around when a car pulled out of a nice parking spot in a multi-storey car park just in front of the campus.
There were information booths, wheels of fortune where we got a free t-shirt (large unfortunately) and a recyclable luggage tag (what else would you expect from UCB). There was a carnival atmosphere with a 1920's jazz band of oldies that we listened to on the steps for a bit and free trolleys reminiscient of San Francisco that took people round the campus and into Berkeley. Considering how briskly cold it had been just the day before, the summer like weather played to UCB's advantage. People were out sitting on the grass, enjoying the sun, frisbees flew and the drinks stalls did a brisk trade. Here are some pics:
After the trolley ride, it was off to the new student mixer at Nic's college where she met other students, new and existing, and the Half Man and I got our hands on a couple of bottles of water and some free snacks. Then to the School of Life Sciences to gaze at the most complete fossil of a T-Rex in the world and some mushrooms and flowers before trekking back to the car and the drive home.
Yesterday was hot too when we were trudging up and down the gentle slopes of the UC Berkeley campus. It was Cal Day, open house for all new students and their families. We were very lucky first to find parking right in front of a Chinese restaurant where we took a quick lunch. I did not realise it was paid parking and glad to get away scot free. And we were very lucky to be just around when a car pulled out of a nice parking spot in a multi-storey car park just in front of the campus.
There were information booths, wheels of fortune where we got a free t-shirt (large unfortunately) and a recyclable luggage tag (what else would you expect from UCB). There was a carnival atmosphere with a 1920's jazz band of oldies that we listened to on the steps for a bit and free trolleys reminiscient of San Francisco that took people round the campus and into Berkeley. Considering how briskly cold it had been just the day before, the summer like weather played to UCB's advantage. People were out sitting on the grass, enjoying the sun, frisbees flew and the drinks stalls did a brisk trade. Here are some pics:
After the trolley ride, it was off to the new student mixer at Nic's college where she met other students, new and existing, and the Half Man and I got our hands on a couple of bottles of water and some free snacks. Then to the School of Life Sciences to gaze at the most complete fossil of a T-Rex in the world and some mushrooms and flowers before trekking back to the car and the drive home.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Weekend
I am sore. Today, my left knee hurt a lot and I just could not run or bend when playing tennis. It was very uncomfortable and made worst by the fact that with no one else playing, I was up against the Man himself. It was like my knee cap had disintegrated. Paying the price for the years of driving myself, running long laps around Hwa Chong's stadium and around Serangoon Gardens on the asphalt in an effort to prevent further loss of bone mass. Then the Half Man came during the break between Chinese class and chess and I had a bit of respite, nursing and rubbing the knee and its surrounds. And to my surprise, the second half of playing against the Man did not hurt anymore. I could actually run and bend again. I don't understand. But I was grateful.
And I came home to a mountain of laundry to fold and put away. Sigh. There has to be more to life than housework on Saturdays and laundry on Sundays.
Last night was fun. Makan time at the Lai's with the usual suspects, talking about Singapore and like any true blue Singapore, about char kway teow, teh tarik, dirty/squatting toilets and national service for the sons, even those born here. Getting together with all these friends we have made here are the highlights. They always make us feel wanted and included. We are grateful.
And I came home to a mountain of laundry to fold and put away. Sigh. There has to be more to life than housework on Saturdays and laundry on Sundays.
Last night was fun. Makan time at the Lai's with the usual suspects, talking about Singapore and like any true blue Singapore, about char kway teow, teh tarik, dirty/squatting toilets and national service for the sons, even those born here. Getting together with all these friends we have made here are the highlights. They always make us feel wanted and included. We are grateful.
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