What the hell's wrong with this ad?

Today Newspaper Pg 4 - March 23 2006
Commercial for Australian Tourism Tripping Up with Censorship


Crude humour, the order of the day.

The new commercial for Australia's Tourism Campaign has been pulled up by several censorship boards across the world, the most recent being Canada.

First, it was censored for using the word "bloody", then it was "hell". Today in Canada, it was in the spotlight again because of the use of the word "beer"! The recently launched controversial advertisement concludes with the tagline "So where the bloody hell are you?" is meant to display the laid-back, casual attitude and ironically, friendly attitude of the Australian people. They are known for their delightful local slangs which more often than not would confuse blur tourists, but this time, it has made a few uptight people in the censorship boards cry foul!

Although I understand where these censorship boards are coming from, I am sorry to say that they should just LIGHTEN UP and not be such a PRUNE! Honestly, if that's the way the adorable Aussies want to portray themselves, what business is it of yours? After viewing the commercial myself, I think it truely showed the warm, straight-forward and humourously crude attitude of the Australians. I must commend whoever was responsible for the commercial because of I believe the commercial has achieved its purpose VERY effectively and that is to sell Australia as the place to be because Aussies are laid-back, unpretentious, and warm(think of the line in the ad "I got you a beer!")! It would be a tremendous shame if this ad was censored and not shown in its entirety.

Singaporeans more sporty, keen on fitness now

The Straits Times Pg 1 - March 23 2006
Singaporeans keen on working up a sweat

The latest National Sports Participation Survey has shown that there has been an increase in the percentage of Singaporeans who do some form of exercise or sports at least once a week. This can only prove that the awareness of the need for a balanced and healthy lifestyle is on the rise and this can only be a huge step forward for our nation!

I believe that we should not be victims of circumstances and go about complanining all day that Singaporeans are too busy for exercise. In fact, we should be getting busy exercising and keeping fit. Honestly, a Singaporean is bound to waste quite a substantial amount of time in front of the television watching tele or idling! So is the excuse that we are too busy for exercise really valid if we make an effort to halve our tv time and spend it on simple exercise such as jogging?

It is also very encouraging to see the authorities encourage the public to exercise through campaigns and surveys such as the one mentioned above. I believe they recognise the direct relation between having a healthy and fit workforce and a bustling economy, because if we have a healthy workforce, we have sufficient manpower to work efficiently and productively in order to drive our economy! With a workforce that is always unwell and unhealthy, we'd only be seeing an increase in the number of people taking medical leave and hence having to sacrifice precious time that could have been used productively. Same goes for students, if we are able to stay fit and not miss lessons because of illnesses, we can only get better and better in our studies! With good health, we're definitely better positioned to excel in whatever we are doing!

Muslims, Jews seek unity to confront fanatics.

The Straits Times Pg 17 -March 21 2006
Religious Leaders united at Peace Forum



On Sunday, Religious leaders from all around the world gathered in Seville to discuss how they can work together to prevent terrorists from carrying out their hideous activities in the Name of God.

To me, the gathering was more a symbol of unity of all the religions all over the world, rather than a conference to find the solution to curbing religious fanatics and extremists. I think the world needs this terribly. No matter how much we plan and discuss, terrorist activities WILL be carried out because a few deviants do not think and rationalise the way we do.

By uniting all religions, we are able to send out a message to fanatics and extremists that the Human Race is FOR peace and they are all chasing a lost cause. Because when the entire global community makes its stand together against such hideous crimes, we are sending out a message that says no attack no matter how devastating would be able to make us fight one another because we are united! It is only then, these extremists will know that the battle and the war has been lost and they should really go on and enjoy life instead of blowing up their bodies to make a statement or to "please" God.

At this particular conference, it was highlighted that the Muslim and Jew leaders made a public statement to unite and fight terrorism. I would like to congratulate and applaud them for this bold act of faith that I believe would certainly stir up a desire to pursue peace and harmony in the Middle East. This region is a region that has alot of potential of becoming one of the most developed and progressive regions of the world, however, civil war, violence and strife has stood in her way since the beginning of time. I hope that this would be the beginning of an effective peace process that will see harmony, prosperity and happiness restored to the oppressed people of the Middle East soon. At the way things have been going, one can only try to be as optimistic as possible.

Sing and Dance... And Win a Wife!

The Straits Times Pg 8 - March 17 2006
Life Imitating Reality TV

It is indeed apalling what people are doing these days to gain fame! A 20 year old chinese woman has offered her own hand in marriage with attractive prizes to the winner of a nation-wide song-and-dance competition. Even her parents have offered to chip in prize money in hope to make their daughter famous!

While I certainly understand her desire to want to be famous (who doesn't?!), I am utterly disgusted at her lack of self-respect and dignity! Surely there are better ways of getting famous? How about trying to rely on your own talents and gifts to make a name for yourself! I reckon that kind of fame would last longer and it would be a more positive kind of fame.

I believe one has to view the importance and severity of marriage more seriously. This woman's action is sending out the wrong kind of message to the youths of today. What does one look for in a husband or a wife? A special talent? Maybe juggling a few circus balls to the tune of Waltzing Matilda? How about the ability to burp out the melody of the Chinese National Anthem? Too cheesy? Ok let's try singing and dancing to a proper song & suitable song at the same time?! Honestly, it really takes more than that to have a marriage that works! I really don't know where this is going and what Ms Jiao Jiao is trying to achieve, but I would like to sincerely wish her the very best on her marriage and union with a circus monkey, i mean, husband.

No Mercy for Iranian Minors

The Straits Times Pg 26 - March 16 2006
Iran's Death Penalty for Juvenile Criminals

Aside from criticism for it's "nu-culear" (according to President Bush) program and suspected weapons, Iran has come under fire ONCE AGAIN (what's new) in the press, this time for executing minors. I don't know but is this ABSOLUTELY necessary? Maybe in their fight to rid the world of evil (everyone seems to be claiming they're doing that), they feel that executing a boy or girl under the age of 18 is imperative to make Iran a place that is safe and free of crime.

Some might argue that by doing so, people are deterred and discouraged from committing offences. However, I feel that execution is too extreme a deterrance for EVERY crime. A 15 year old boy was recently sentenced to hundreds of lashings and execution recently just because he had some alcohol! In Singapore, the number of under-aged drinkers are high and it is a major concern for many parents as well as the authorities, but we do not resort to extreme methods of punishment! In doing so, we're still able to keep the country safe and crime rates low!

A grand ayatollah who is known as the most liberal of all recently said that, "Why should someone get away with a crime just because they are below a certain age? People are reaching maturity at much younger ages these days. Maybe in a generation from now, we will be hanging five-year olds". And what for may I ask?! Stealing candies?!

There is no doubt we live in a fallen world. Temptation to commit offenses and sin is ALWAYS around us and us humans are imperfect, so naturally we are most likely to make mistakes. That is what life's all about, we make mistakes and learn from them! But how is one, especially a young kid with a long way to go, going to learn if his life is ended just because of 1 mistake?

Calls for More Women in Politics

The Straits Times H6 - March 16 2006




Once a rarity in politics, women today are making their mark in parliament and government systems today.

Pioneers such as former British PM Margaret Thatcher, US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice and President Arroyo of The Philippines are paving the way for more female leaders to rise up in the future. Contrary to belief that only members of the male gender can take up high posts, these ladies have proven that they have more than what it takes to rise above the pressures, the discrimination and other challenges their jobs pose.

Here in Singapore, the number of female members of parliament are on the rise. MP Irene Ng, Non-constituency MP and former beauty queen Ms Eunice Olsen are two of the more prominent female MPs we have here in Singapore. I believe that the introduction of female members in parliament is a good step towards progressing our government and nation. Not only are they able to provide a different perspective so as to make sure that a holistic approach is taken in dealing with issues discussed in parliament, they also possess many qualities that men do not have. Female members tend to be more sensitive compared to the often objective, calloused attitude of the men. They are willing to consider issues from all view points and make sure that whatever decisions are made, no one is made to suffer too great a loss as a result of that decision. This can only better our decision-making process in the Singapore government in the future!

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The old blog doesn't seem to be working. Don't know why it's inaccessible. So I'm making this my new GP blog.