Disloyal Children, Disgruntled Parents
093245Y (Group 4)
I was surfing through the net when I came across a video. It was about an elderly woman staying with her son. She knew little about using a phone and so he forbade her from using it, claiming he had taught her many times before. In another scene, the woman urinates on the sofa and her son then chides her for it, claiming it is an expensive sofa. The old lady then recalls when she was younger and took care of her infant son, bathing him when he soiled himself. She then tells him aloud, and his young son then tells him that if he does that in the future, he will put her in an old folks’ home.
From that, I realized the differences acquired as generations proceed. Children grow up and they seem to inductively forget the effort their parents took to raise them well. The thought that followed was even more disturbing. If children who had grew up under their parents’ direct care could show such lack of filial piety, what about the children of Generation Y, who came from families where both parents were breadwinners? They were raised by their maids, so to speak. The first person they saw when they came home from school was their maid. The person who cleaned their room and sent them to school was also their maid. Where would the bond be between parent and child then?
I feel the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports foresee the possibility of a pending dilemma and has decided to take precautions. This comes in the form of a new campaign launched this year which teaches the baby boomer generation of today to lead by example should they want their offspring to care for them in old age.
However, I just wasn’t satisfied. How did we come to this? A state so bad we needed a campaign to tell us to take care of our parents. What happened to good old fashioned Asian values? Respect, loyalty and obedience. Did they become unimportant?
Was it something we read? Something lost in translation? Or worse, could it be the Grim Reaper of everything “proper”, MTV?
Think about it, was it globalization? With the influx of Western movies and TV shows on our screens, did we somehow get subconsciously involved in their culture that we followed their ideals of individualism and independence?
Either way, it doesn’t matter how we got where we are now, it is how we’re going to get past it and make something out of it. In today’s context, maybe legislating filial piety is the only way to ensure it takes place. The idea that parents have to fill out an application form with Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents seems appropriate enough. In fact, it is the most justified thing deemed possible. Children who are disloyal would have no choice but to pay whether they liked it or not. Also, no elderly would be left abandoned and ill-treated.
Legislation of filial piety? After all we’ve seen of the world today, that seems just about right.
(518 words)
Social Networking: good Or Bad?
094116Q (Group 4)
Social networking sites are all the more popular as people discover the ease of which they can meet new people (as far away as from France), maintain contact and have fun with their friends online. Websites like Facebook and Twitter are amongst the top few websites when ranked in popularity. Even government bodies and companies see the benefits in social media and are using these sites to gain support and followers from a tech-savvy nation.
It is not difficult to multi-task with efficiency when all the information and facilities you need is right underneath your fingertips. For example: On Facebook, you can talk to different groups of people all at once through Facebook chat while playing games at the same time. Sharing photos and personal videos has become an easy thing to do. All you have to do is upload the files and wait for people to see what is going on in your life. Just click that button.
Social networking sites are like giant spider-webs that connect people together and have the added bonus of curing you of boredom through games, fan clubs and friends.
The Internet has been so infused into the lives of people nowadays that if asked, some of them would confess to being unable to ‘survive’ without online entertainment. It has come to a day and age where people do not just lead one normal life, but also multiple online lives. One never knows what to expect with so many possibilities opened up by the pure freedom of the Internet, and one might never know if one is met with positive or negative possibility.
That is also exactly what could go wrong. Attractive possibilities and freedom of escape from your responsibilities can be addictive. Gradually, real life loses its luster as eyes become accustomed to the colourful, vibrant lives on the Internet. Real world merges into the virtual world. Until real is no longer real and therefore, can be neglected. Less accustomed to physical contact and the face-to-face communication, these people become social outcasts. No need to mention the presence of online predators, lurking around the dark corners of your average social networking site.
Social networking sites may help one widen your circle of “friends”, but there is another factor to note as well: Is it really good to have an easy way out for building true relationships?
If it is so easy to connect with others it might be just as easy to lose them. True relationships are built and maintained with effort, not a few clicks of a button. When maintaining contact with old friends, what is “contact” to you? Virtual messages sent through the virtual world, or sitting face to face, feeling his/her presence and looking at the person you treasure in all the glory of his/her mannerisms and quirky expressions?
Social networking can do be a positive thing, but it also can do harm. It is hard to find a balance between these two; and maintain that balance.
(497words)
Movie Review: Singapore Dreaming
A Sentimental Film About Dreams, Expectations and Condos in Singapore
092307D (Group 4)
And just when you thought that local cinema industry could no longer make significant thought-provoking movies anymore, Singapore Dreaming breathes life into the rather lackluster industry. With realistic characters that local audience can connect to and backed up by a terrific and sincere screenplay, this is Singapore’s filmmaking at its best.
Singapore Dreaming tells a story of the Loh family that pin their hope on their freshly graduated son from the United States, expecting him to make it big on his own and bring some money into the family. As things began to look better for them when the patriarch won S$2 million through the lottery, he dies of an heart attack without spending his money on things he want the most. The family is then left to grieve over his death and also to discover what they really want in life.Richard Low plays Loh Poh Huat, the elderly traditional father, whose idea of the Singapore Dream is to attain the 5Cs has been inserted into the minds of his family members. Mum Siew Luan (Alice Lim) plays the pillar that supports the family but is usually taken for granted. Being the only graduate, Seng (Dick Su) tries to look for a job with a respectful pay to repay the debts of his father and of his live-in girlfriend Irene (Serene Chen), who had used their savings to send him overseas. Mei Loh (Yeo Yann Yann) completes the family being the capable secretary but neglected daughter of the family. Lim Yu Beng plays Mei’s husband, CK, an ex-army regular turned insurance agent, and is expecting their first child.
What makes this movie such an achievement is that it tackles the topical issues that Singaporeans face with seeming preachy or satirical. Despite of their well-known satire movie Talking Cock, couple directors and scriptwriters Woo Yen Yen and Colin Goh succeed in conjuring up a story that has the perfect mix of ingredients for a poignant local film.
Under the duo’s direction, they elicited strong emotional performances from the ensemble of actors that never seemed forced or fake. Special mention goes to Yeo Yann Yann for her emotionally vulnerable portrayal of Mei and her character displays an aura of melancholy that escalates over time in the movie. The actress carries a quiet confidence and is solid throughout. I dare say, that among the ensemble cast, she gave the most authentic and likeable performance.The strikingly beautiful cinematography that captures the backdrop of Singapore gave depth to the various languages and culture that we inhabit. The directors fully understand the elements that make Singapore truly what it is and depict it without overdoing. And Composer Sydney Tan’s contribution provided the emotional punch during the tender moments and it gave the scenes personality, driving it home with its sorrowful melody.
Others may perceive Singapore Dreaming as a comedy-drama, but the humourous bits are part of the drama it portrays. The humour is subtle, wry and very localized for the Singapore audience. With a script that fleshes out the characters like no other local movies in recent years, the actors involved are very fortunate to sink their teeth into the meaty roles that the scriptwriters had written.
This is truly an excellent film made for Singaporeans by Singaporeans. Even Jack Neo could not make films as good as this.
(555 words)