Life For Rent

What sparks off a quarrel? When one party has an issue and the other does not compromise perhaps. Someone just smsed me that he had a quarrel with the bf. Another had an issue with his bf too. It seems like a spell that couples are having.

It is rare to find 2 alphas or 2 betas in a relationship. Doubt it can work well. For the record, betas aren’t just givers. To lead a compromise can be considered alpha too. In that case, the line is very much blurred. The question is, can you date someone like you? I cannot picture dating someone just like me. Maybe others can. Maybe it appears that for these people, dating someone else like them would be perfect. I guess we won’t know at all unless we’re in their shoes. How bad and how much blood gets involved, pretty depends on the 2 of them.

Perhaps some people thrive best when alone. For others, 2 makes one whole. Must there be quarrels to prove communication lines are functioning? Does peae for an extended time imply a tsunami is about to form?

So many questions. No answers. Time to get back to work then.

I listened to Carol King when I was younger… and I remember holding her Tapestry album at a time where I couldn’t appreciate talent, but more of the phonics and tune of the song. Sappy songs relate to my emotional side and although  I may not comprehend the lyrics behind a track, I am able to feel the song. Some give me a very floaty feeling, yet others are sinking. Some remind you of the good times, while others remind you of pain. Some are love at first hearing, while others grow on you.

Walking around Gramophone, I heard the track again. Not once, not twice, but quite a few times. It sounded more jazzy, amid a calming sentiment in the vocals. Never got to find out the artiste but I’ll look through it the next time round.

Sometimes a song really sticks cause, cause it really relates to your state of mind and all. I got very drawn to the track and I thought maybe it brought back those days I used to listen to the radio and CDs. Or maybe since I knew the lyrics, it stuck onto me cause it says what’s inside?

When I was in UK, Corinne Bailey Rae came up with Trouble Sleeping and I heard it over someone’s laptop which was playing her CD. I listened to the whole album and this was the only track that appealed to me. It stuck out. I never studied the lyrics there and then while basking in the lovely tune, yet when I did look at the lyrics eventually, it appears to relate what I really wanted then. It wasn’t worth it but the events changed me. For better or worse, I do not know. I once commented to rach that the heart is heaven on earth. She replied that it is cold and all. I thought bout it for a while, and felt that maybe, that is how I am like to now.  “Some kind of therapy, some instant remedy” as how Corinne sings, is what I was in need. Interestingly, the trip did the trick. By the time I got back, I was very much different. But yes, the song still stuck in my head till today.

For now, It’s too late strums in my head-

 ”Stayed in bed all morning just to pass the time
There’s something wrong here
There can be no denying
One of us is changing
Or maybe we’ve just stopped trying

And it’s too late baby, now it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it
Something inside has died and I can’t hide
And I just can’t fake it

It used to be so easy living here with you
You were light and breezy
And I knew just what to do
Now you look so unhappy
And I feel like a fool

And it’s too late baby, now it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it
Something inside has died
and I can’t hide it
And I just can’t fake it

There’ll be good times again for me and you
But we just can’t stay together
Don’t you feel it too
Still I’m glad for what we had
And how I once loved you

But it’s too late baby, now it’s too late
Though we really did try to make it
Something inside has died and I can’t hide
And I just can’t fake it

Don’t you know that I…
I just can’t fake it
Oh it’s too late my baby
Too late my baby
You know
It’s too late my baby” 

And so I am still ill. Yes… nasty weather. But I will live. Glad I took out my tonsils years ago else I will be in a lot of trouble today.

Visited the escape theme park yesterday. A totally whacko place. Run by kids 10 years younger than me. I guess I expected a lot, like how the sentosa staff will ensure a queue never gets too long. Down in that darn park, with kids running all round I felt like an overgrown boy. And waiting 90 mins for a 1 min ride just doesn’t cut it. If I owned that place.. and I don’t think it cost that much to own it anyway…

And I know I spoiled the day for my dear. Dear must have been cursing and swearing that it was such a dumb idea to go down on such a hot day when I am still sick. I’m sorry but I couldn’t help it.. breathing was so hard under that sun and I was trying hard to control my movements so I won’t cough like crazy. I know it appears like I always make him feel dumb coming up with some plans that go horribly wrong. But it is never wrong to try and do something and spend some time together still.

I have researched, contemplated, and decided, yes I shall go ahead with my major travel plans slated for December next year. It has always been my thought to do stuff with my grandma. I know she wanna do so many stuff too but I have been keeping it off. No more. I will start action from now. From ensuring her medical checkups are in place, to taking her traveling while she still can. My dad and I shall discuss and plan this one and it is gonna be exciting hopefully. I know my dear wants to go with us, and June is not a time where he can. Maybe by december his role would have changed to allow him to. But I really wanna take this trip. It isn’t for me. It is for my grandma. She took care of me all those years and I wanna give back the love and concern given. In terms of cost this will cost me an arm and a leg and I thought about it from an investment point of view. I have decided however, money can be earned back. Opportunity cost in this case, pales in comparison if I didn’t do anything and lived to regret it for the rest of my life. Plans to unfold soon. But saving up for it begins, NOW.  I also know some of the reservations of hers, and as I type, I found solutions for at least one of them. It will take time but I think I am gonna build towards it too. How do I handle a thought that she loves dogs but refuses to keep anymore since the last one died many years ago, cause she is afraid the dog will outlive her and the dog will be very sad that the owner is no longer around. I know how she thinks. Always thinking out for others. How do you not love someone like that? But what if, one day she lives with me, and I have a dog? Honestly, an elderly’s mood will be far better if he/she is in the companion of an animal. A friendly dog works wonders you know. She may actually fight and stay fit and alive for the dog. But if the dog dies then she could crash. I can counter that risk by having multiple dogs and all. Keep her busy. She will never keep one on her own. But she might if there is a co-owner. I can convince her. You know, among the whole family I probably have the most convincing power on her. But not even I can talk her into keeping a pet. I don’t want her to keep thinking when is her last holiday and all. Just 2 days ago during a lunch she passed a comment, thinking no one heard. But of course, I pick up sounds very well and very little is missed by my ears. I have a duty. As the eldest grandson, a grandson that will never have a marriage (not one with a female anyway). I can’t do anything bout that, but I can try to make her remaining years happy. Maybe she can live for another 20 years, that would be great really.

But anything can happen, anytime. There is so much I can do. Ensure she goes for her checks, she is healthy etc. Anything beyond what a mortal can do is out of my hands. But I am determined to do what I can. And hopefully, no one will be upset bout the whole thing cause I aint single and I don’t want anyone to be unhappy.

But I have been a problem solver. Not a good one that is adhoc but give me time and I will figure out something. Since I have that, I shall use it to me advantage. Nothing is impossible!

The Prime Minister of China called President Bush to console him after the attack on the Pentagon:
“I’m sorry to hear about the attack. It is a very big tragedy. But in case, you are missing any documents from the Pentagon, we have copies of everything.”
===============================================
Musharraf calls Bush on 11th Sept 2001:
Musharraf: Mr President, I would like to express my condolences to you. It is a real tragedy. So many people, such great buildings… I would like to ensure that we had nothing in connection with that..
Bush: What buildings? What people??
Musharraf: Oh, and what time is it in America now?
Bush: It’s eight in the morning.
Musharraf: Oops…I will call back in an hour!===============================================
Vajpayee and Bush are sitting in a bar. A guy walks in and asks the barman, “Isn’t that Bush and Vajpayee?”
The barman says “Yep, that’s them.”
So the guy walks over and says, “Hello, what are you guys doing?”
Bush says, “We’re planning world war 3″
The guy says, “Really? What’s going to happen?”and Vajpayee says, “Well, we’re going to kill 14 million Pakistanis and one bicycle repairman.”
And the guy exclaimed, “A bicycle repairman?!!!”
Vajpayee turns to Bush and says, “See, I told you no-one would worry about the 14 million Pakistanis!” ===============================================
*Pakistani on the moon:*
Q: What do you call 1 Pakistani on the moon?
A: Problem…
Q: What do you call 10 Pakistanis on the moon?
A: Problem…
Q: What do you call a 100 Pakistanis on the moon?
A: Problem…
Q: What do you call ALL the Pakistanis on the moon?
A: ……. Problem Solved!!!===============================================
A man is taking a walk in Central park in New York …. Suddenly he sees a little girl being attacked by a pit bull dog. He runs over and starts fighting with the dog. He succeeds in killing the dog and saving the girl’s life. A policeman who was watching the scene walks over and says: “You are a hero, tomorrow you can read it in all the newspapers: “Brave New Yorker saves the life of little girl”. The man says: “But I am not a New Yorker!” Oh then it will say in newspapers in the morning: Brave American saves life of little girl” the policeman answers. “But I am not an American!” – says the man. Oh, what are you then?” The man says: “I am a Pakistani!” The next day the newspapers say: “A TERRORIST kills innocent AMERICAN dog”.

A drunk man who smelled strongly of beer sat down on a subway seat next to a priest. The man’s tie was stained, his face was plastered with red lipstick and a half empty bottle of gin was sticking out of his torn coat pocket. He opened his newspaper and began reading.

After a few minutes the man turned to the priest and asked, “Say, Father, what causes arthritis?”

The priest replied, “My son, it’s caused by loose living, being with cheap, wicked women, too much alcohol and a contempt for your fellow man, sleeping around with prostitutes and lack of a bath.”

Drunk muttered in response, “Well, I’ll be damned,” then returned to his paper.

The priest, thinking about what he had said, nudged the man and apologized. “I’m very sorry. I didn’t mean to come on so strong. How long have you had arthritis?”

The drunk answered, “I don’t have it, Father…….. I was just reading here that the Pope does .

Yet another report on gene alteration that seems to reinforce the fact that sexual orientation is in-born. However, the implications could be, if it can be altered/turned on, then it can be ‘fixed’ or turned off. If you know how to turn it on, surely someday you will figure how to turn it off? Would this be an attempt to play God and in the long run, create the perfect human. Turn on and off defective genes so no one gets sick, and slow down the aging process and all.

I guess the argument isn’t about is being homosexual an in-born thing or an ‘accquired’ thing. But if you can identify and conclude for certain, then you can find ways to fix it. Does anyone remember the cute little boy from X-men, named The Cure? He can cure anything, however results were but temporary.

I know a lot of people have been spammed through emails. 20% of the time it is not your fault. Your email addresses were circulated via emails your friends forwarded to everyone else.. etc. 80% however, the result of spam in your email inbox is entirely your own fault. Let us not include yahoo and hotmail addresses. They fall under a different category altogether.

One of the top reasons how your email addresses get into the hands of the bad guys are:

- You posted your email address online. Be it on blogs, or signup forms, anywhere on the web. There are bots (scripted programs) that crawl through the internet to collect these email addresses. They are then sold to spammers. Somewhere along the line of 50 thousand email addresses for nothing more than a few dollars.

Mitigate by: Modifying how you write your address IF you have to post it online, such that it is understandable by a human but not by a bot. Example, yourname -at- sillypore [dot] com Better still, use a “Junk” email account whenever you have to give your address to a site that you do not trust. YOu can use any of the free email websites available.

- You submitted your email address in registration forms online. Many are legit, yet there are many more who will resell your email addresses. Use the Junk email account for this. After all when you register, they only need  your address to send a temporary password. The whole email account can be spammed and you don’t really care cause you will only use it to receive adhoc emails from sites as and when you register.

There are quite a few instructions for system admins, but for all end users like us, the following will be useful:

1. “Don’t open unexpected attachments. If you weren’t expecting an email, even if you know the person, send an email to them asking if they meant to send you a file and with the particular subject line that was included.
2. Don’t click on links in email. Pull up a new browser, manually type the website address in from memory. You just avoided ebay and paypal fraud without breaking a sweat.
3. Use the BCC (blind carbon copy) field when emailing to groups. One way spammers get email addresses by infecting peoples PCs and collecting all the email addresses they find on the box. Well, less email addresses showing up, less people who get spam.
4. If you don’t have anti-virus software on your box, you don’t get my email address.
5. You don’t get my email address if you aren’t family and I can’t figure out how you are making a profit.
6. Never forward anything that ‘MUST BE FORWARDED’ to everyone, ever. And if you do (see the first rule), clear off all the extra from addresses, clean up the subject, and send it on using BCC.”

The maiden flight took off on board the new A380 today! SQ380 took off from Changi Airport at 8am and headed towards Sydney. Here’s a report on it with some pictures. Aint she pretty? 7 story high tail. Huge wingspans… she’s the prettiest bird in the sky. At least for today. 9VSKA is the aircraft registration name for this bird.

While everyone rejoices the birth of the A380, I know a group of people who are not pleased at all. While this flight carries 31 cabin crew, the other flights on A380 will only have 23 crew members. And that number is too small to support the number of passengers on board. No extra pay, and you work a lot harder. Geez. Life isn’t fair isn’t it?

–

SINGAPORE Airlines’ first A380 superjumbo took off from Changi Airport at 8 am on Thursday for its maiden commercial flight to Sydney, with nearly a full load of passengers.
On board are 450 passengers, from the youngest, a 10-month-old boy, to the oldest, a 91-year-old man, who are travelling with their families, 75 journalists from all over the world, and many of the successful bidders.
Eager beavers started streaming in as early as 4.30 am when the counters opened, to check in for the historic flight on the world’s largest passenger jet.

SIA, the first to operate the double-decker giant had sold 662 one-way seats to Sydney and back in a charity auction, which saw people from all around the word – 35 nationalities in all – paying anything from US$560 (S$820) for an economy seat to US$100,380 (S$147,000) for a pair of one-way suite tickets.

About four in 10 passengers are Singaporeans or Australians. The rest include Britons, Americans, Indonesians and Malaysians.

Close to $2 million was raised for charity.

Some of the passengers came dressed in special T-shirts with the A380 logo emblazoned on them.

Businessman K.S. Quek, 43, brought his whole family along – his wife Jai Soon, 38, two daughters Li Yan, three, and Li Jun, five, 10-month old son Pin Liang and their maid. The two girls came dressed in SIA crew uniform, the sarong kebaya.

Mr Quek said he was glad that the delivery of the A380 had been delayed for nearly two years as his son would have missed the first flight otherwise.

Among those in the first class suite are Mr Julian Hayward, who paid US$100,380 for him and a friend, and Mr Thomas Lee, from California, who was a passenger on the world’s first Boeing 747 commercial flight between New York and London in 1970. Flying with him are his wife and daughter.

Also onboard is Ms Isabelle Chu, a travel agent from Perth, who is flying in both directions on the A380. Ms Chu flew in both directions on the first Singapore Airlines A340-500 flights between Singapore and Los Angeles, and Singapore and New York, non-stop in 2004, with just time for shower between flights. This time, she will enjoy an overnight stopover in Sydney.

There was no show of 15 economy class passengers.

After all the passengers have boarded by about 7 am, there was a simple ribbon cutting ceremony officiated by SIA chief executive Chew Choon Seng.

He also presented a cheque for $615,000 to Ms Jennie Chua, Chairman of Singapore Community Chest. The rest of the money raised from the sale of tickets in the charity auction will go to two children’s hospitals in Sydney, as well as to Medecins Sans Frontieres – also known as Doctors Without Borders – an independent medical-humanitarian organisation that offers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics and natural and man-made disasters in more than 70 countries.

The flight to Sydney, which will take just under seven hours, is piloted by Captain Robert Ting, and three other pilots. There are 31 cabin crew members.

The commercial debut of the A380 – a double-decker jet as long as a soccer pitch and with a tail seven storeys high – will be remembered as the biggest thing to hit aviation in over three decades.

Not since the Boeing 747 jumbo took to the skies in 1970 and the supersonic Concorde made its first non-stop crossing of the Atlantic in record time in 1973, has an aircraft attracted as much awe, curiosity, excitement and anticipation.

Capable of carrying more than 500 passengers in a three-class configuration, the A380 burns less fuel per seat – 2.9 litres – than any other big aircraft flying today.

SIA has fitted its jets with just 471 seats – 12 ‘beyond first-class’ Suites, 60 in business class and 399 in economy.

The jet’s entry into service is almost two years behind schedule because of production hiccups that hit its European maker Airbus.

Aircraft wiring and assembly problems due to lack of communication and integration between separate teams working in France and Germany, where the principal assembly sites are located, resulted in three rounds of delays to delivery dates.

It also sparked off a chain of events that saw Airbus lose three chiefs and two A380 customers, and end last year with a net loss of 572 million euros ($1.2 billion).

Parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) has not been spared either.

Recent reports of insider trading suggest that executives had sold shares and exercised stock options on learning about the delays to the programme.

Airbus which has so far secured 189 orders for the A380 from 16 airline customers is keeping its fingers crossed for a second wave of buys now that the plane has started flying commercially.

With a four-year recovery programme in place, it aims to deliver 13 A380s next year, 25 in 2009, and 45 every year after that, said CEO and president Thomas Enders recently in Toulouse, France, where the company is based.

SIA, which has ordered 19 of the jets, will start daily scheduled services to Sydney from Sunday, after which it will fly the superjumbo to London, Tokyo’s Narita, Hong Kong and San Francisco.

I boarded bus service 66 today and found that the driver’s a familiar face. The same face I saw on the service when I first moved to where I live now, some 14 years ago. Wow, he has been driving on the route for possibly longer than that now cause I have seen him on and off on his rounds. There are 2 reasons why he stands out. First, he places his center mirror quite low. So when you’re on his bus, you get to see his full face. Other drivers place them at eye level so when you glance at the mirror all you see is the upper forehead and hair. The second reason is, from the mirror, he looks like SM Goh Chok Tong to me. Don’t laugh. But it is true. 14 years though. Wow. If he knew me since I was 14, I doubt he will recognise me now anyway but I may be wrong.

On 377a, and I do hope this will be one of my last entries on it (if not the last) for a while. Just to wrap things up after a good debate yesterday. Over two days, 16 MPs spoke on the law that deems sex between men a crime. Three PAP MPs – Mr Hri Kumar, Mr Baey Yam Keng and Mr Charles Chong – expressed reservations about continuing with a law they found variously to be inconsistent and unfair. Others, along with Workers’ Party chairman Sylvia Lim and NMP Thio Li-ann, opted for the status quo.

Prof Thio will have to bite her lip and take back some of the words though. Her point that the term ‘majority’ is what the activists coined. Yet time and time again we see statements by the government who used the word ‘majority’, and other terms like ‘most’. I asked, if majority of Singaporeans are homosexual, will the result be what it is today? I highly doubt so. The term ‘majority’ is NOT what the activists coined. It was what others had used, possibly to harp on ‘majority wins’ kinda rule, and it became a strong point for contention simply because should a law be only for a majority group and not as a whole country? It is a very open point that will see no end.

Mr Lee noted Singapore’s gradual progress towards a balance of the various interests. Today, gays work in all sectors. Gay films, clubs, websites are available. Section 377A is not proactively enforced.

‘I don’t think we will ever get the perfect balance, but I think that we have a better arrangement now than was the case 10 or 20 years ago.’

Repealing 377A, he said, would not give gay activists what they want – full acceptance and more space. So ‘it’s better to accept the legal untidiness and the ambiguity’.

I don’t know if the government had ‘checkmate’ itself. If the clock could be turned back, would they write 377A in the same way it is written today? S377A appears to be purely sex, which became a very strong point of contention. No matter how you look at it, everyone looks at 377A like the holy grail now. It is no longer about sex or bedroom. It is about the recognition of the existence of homosexuals (namely gays) and their rights, amongst other stuff. Funny thing how females are not involved. The lesbians are not in contention so they are probably sitting on the fence on this one. I wonder why no one brought this up. So a female can have a relationship and sex together now? Or is this a sexist thing? I shall not stir up more debatable points though, cause it won’t really go anywhere. This is the sorta thing I will talk about over tea or dinner with people from different walks of lives, hear their points and opinions and by the time desert is done, we would have all learnt something bout how another person sees it and it was all good fun. I like to challenge concepts and thoughts, to break out of the comforted and conceited views that everyone of us hold. Only when challenged, do you realise sometimes your own views are outdated and it is time to relook at things. I cannot have chats with closed minded people however and I will not attend a dinner session even if it is for free.

PM Lee ended it all by saying “‘So it’s better to let the situation evolve gradually.’ ‘So I suggest to the members of the House, we keep this balance, leave Section 377A alone. I think there is space in Singapore and room for us to live harmoniously and practically all as Singapore citizens together.’”

I can see how hard he is trying to please both sides and I feel it was a rationale thing to do and say. Things have been alright and he rather err on the safe side. Mr Siew contents that it is never a wrong time to set things right. I too agree in that perspective, and I think repeal377 has achieved a lot more than it thought it did. Such topics were never considered for debate, and no one ever talked about it in the open. It has evovled over time to ‘you leave me alone and I will leave you alone’ thing. There are actually laws (not sure if it has been abolished/repealed yet) but a person can get arrested when the actions of the person causes the vast majority of the public to feel uncomfortable. Eg, I smooch another guy in public and everyone around is uneasy and they can call the cops and I can be taken away. However if one were to hold hands, kiss in public now, I doubt the police will take the person away. It will result in a very fierce backlash from the community, and I must say, Singaporeans have not seen the kind of backlash the community is capable yet.

The next progressive step is not about repealing anything. It is to see that men too, can hold hands and kiss discreetly in public, just like any straight couple would. If they could, why can’t homosexuals? And don’t even talk about protecting kids and all. The precise reason why so many gay teens are unhappy is because of that so called protection. Do you know how it feels to feel a certain way about yourself, yet you don’t know why or what it is? You feel alone, troubled, thinking you are born weird. Queer.

So many people feel homosexuals are suicidal. Depressed. The gay movies portray it. Music says it. And homosexuals themselves, do it. You know, people kill themselves all the time, but when a certain mega superstar in Hong Kong who declared he’s gay and was with his lover in a suicide note, it became sensational news. Gays are not suicidal because they like cocks. They can be depressed because of how they are perceived. I honestly do not think it is fair to make another person feel small, or queer. We simply cannot comment on something we do not understand. How do we know if we understand a topic? Simple. If you can rationalise, argue on both sides, it suggests you understand quite a fair bit of it. Being able to argue from one side suggests you do get a flipside of the coin, but not the whole coin (picture).

I do not think it is repeal377a’s intention to contest that it is right being gay. However, to be treat equal, is a right isn’t it? How is it equal when 377 is removed yet 377A is retained?

And here’s what is in the news today. Usually I don’t see reports of rape and all that making the top 10 most read news online. Today we have a certain Soh Beng Huat, being charged for 16 counts of unnatural sex with boys. He faces a life sentence. Is it just me, or does it appear pheodophiles are always after boys. But we do hear of molest cases on girls. Yesterday there was this guy who used to molest school girls on buses. He was arrested yesterday. Ok so I guess it is something across the board.

There is a law suit against Novena Church though, over an alleged exorcism. Apparently, Ms Amutha fainted on that fateful day, and was dragged into a room, restrained and an exorcism was performed on her. The focus of dispute is on how she was brought to the room, first aid procedures that should have been followed, etc. She was to hire Subhas Anandan but was declined as the top lawyer was with a law firm that had a policy of not acting against a place of worship. Mr Bajwa, her lawyer said that he is prepared to defend anyone with a just case, as that was his solemn creed as a lawyer. Well said. Let’s see how this drama will unfold…

Parliament became a ring, with Mr Siew Kum Hong VS Prof Thio Li Ann. Mr Siew is of course, the underdog.  I went through Prof Thio’s dialog and felt that I had to do a blog post. A humourous one at that.

Comments from Prof Thio:

“Race is a fixed trait. It remains controversial whether homosexual orientation is genetic or environmental, perhaps both. There are no ex-blacks but there are ex-gays.”

Obviously she has not met Michael Jackson. 

“While homosexuals are a numerical minority, there is no such thing as ’sexual minorities’ at law. Activists have coined this term to draw a beguiling but fallacious association between homosexuals and legally recognised minorities like racial groups.”

 Which activist? Last I remember, it was the ‘majority’ who declared homosexuals are a minority and  majority wins.

“The ‘argument from consent’ says the state should keep out of the bedroom, to safeguard ’sexual autonomy’. While we cherish racial and religious diversity, sexual diversity is a different kettle of fish.”

Since gender is not in the list, therefore gender equality is a different kettle of fish too I guess. So in a twisted way, do I argue it is a women’s job to be in the kitchen while men do the talking? I remember how someone living in the same house as I do put it. Women should never be in command. They were born to serve. It is because women these days fight for equality, that perhaps the world mutated with the existence of gays to balance the equation. Huh? A discrimination is a discrimination. Salmon, tuna, Sturgeon, are all different but they are all still fish. So what if it is different?

Statements from Mr Siew:

“Furthermore, it is accepted that the criminal law addresses activities that harm others, but the Government seems to accept that 377A does not cause harm. So how can 377A possibly be linked to a legitimate purpose of the Penal Code? The answer is that it does not and it cannot.”

Unfortunately, I think the government do suggests gay sex is high risk. Go check the blood donation checklist. Check anything out there. Men who have sex with men are put in the high risk group along with drug abusers, people who have casual sex, unprotected sex, etc. Homosexuals are not permitted to donate blood. Wait a minute, I stand corrected. Lesbians can, gays cannot. That is what i interpret from the above.

“Instead, its reasons for retaining 377A are that the majority of Singaporeans disapprove of homosexuality, and so 377A should be retained to reflect, or ’signpost’, this majority view of Singaporeans. But reflecting the morality of the majority is not a stated aim of the Penal Code…”

Unfortunately I feel majority counts. Race wise, although the malays and indians are minorities and the law protects them too, in a racial riot, do they not protect the chinese from bloodshed too? 

”

The amendment of Section 377 permits heterosexual adults to engage in private, consensual oral and anal sex. By definition, then, we are saying there is no harm arising from such private and consensual acts between heterosexual adults.

Why should it be any different when those acts are performed between adult men? It is not harm that results from such acts being performed between adult men, but the moral disgust the majority says it feels.”

Good point. I can find no fault. The fact is if the majority feels it should be done away with, I don’t think the ministers will use terms like ‘majority’ and ’society at large’. Tell me that if 70% signed the repeal form, that it will be indifferent.

“And taking the ’signposting’ argument to its logical conclusion, if we repeal Section 498, are we then telling the world that seducing a married woman, and hence adultery, are acceptable activities? By lifting the marital rape defence in limited circumstances, are we endorsing marital rape in the other circumstances?”

It is said that the penal code has to be revised to reflect the changes in society. Such a clause no longer stands in today’s terms. Women are more educated and can stand up for themselves. Don’t quote me but that is what is being said. I argued that removing a clause does not imply it is acceptable. It means it is NOT unacceptable. There is a difference. If this is in line with 377A, it implies the act of men who have sex with men is unacceptable. Fair enough. But you say it is unacceptable yet you will not actively enforce it. What does that tell our kids? That we have laws for the sake of having them?

”

Some have said that Singapore is not ready, that this is not the right time to repeal 377A, that the petitioners should not have petitioned Parliament and I should not have agreed to present the petition.

I disagree. I say there is no wrong time to do the right thing.’”

Well said my friend. I applaud your effort. I think we all know that the law will not be changed at the end of the day. But it makes a difference that people come out and talk about it. This is not a victory for keep377a, nor a defeat for repeal377a. This is a right to voice things out, regardless of outcome. The real victory is not in the law of the country, but in the mindset of each individual. All the laws in the world cannot change anything if the individual decides he/she hates a certain race (for example). Sure you can throw one in jail for violating the law, but you can never make him a better person if he retains his old self still. We say our pledge with our fist on our hearts. But do we really mean it? The government is more worried bout what else homosexual activists will ask for if this is repealed and this I feel is a major reason why it was retained. No one I know, not even myself, is confident the section will be repealed. We know how things will turn out. We’re fellow Singaporeans too, are we not? 

It is not unusual for the Singapore government to leave S377A alone. I accept that and partially agree to the statements given by PM Lee. There is one fundamental flaw though.

“Abolition of Section 377A, he pointed out, will not give gay rights activists what they really want – more space and full acceptance by Singaporeans. ”

Yes, gay activists and homosexuals alike will want full acceptance. Who doesn’t? But I don’t believe this whole thing is about that. It is about against discrimmination. That, and acceptance, are 2 different things. I do agree however that if this is repealed, it is likely the activists will push forward for more. But I don’t think this is the end to things, and Singapore and the government will need to face it very soon, again. You escape from it once, but you can’t hide from it for long.

Our pledge mentions something on race, language and religion. But I Very much doubt the vast majority practice what we say in the pledge. So in terms of sexuality, I don’t really expect a whole lot.

Interestingly, in the global representation of which countries accept gay marriages and those who have laws that penalises homosexual acitivities, I think Singapore will be the first one who has made it official. The remark could read “It is illegal, but we do not actively pursue the enforcement of the law”. Is this their attempt of making both sides happy? Probably. But like I said, this will not be the last of it.

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PM Lee: Why Singapore must ‘leave Section 377A alone’ 
PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Tuesday weighed in on the two-day Parliamentary debate over Section 377A, which criminalises sex between men.
Stating his own position and the Govermment’s position, Mr Lee explained why the status quo must remain, despite the ‘legal untidiness and ambiguity’.

Quoting Stuart Koe from Fridae.com, an initiator of the Repeal 377A petition who called on the Government to either ‘put the gun down’ or ‘pull the trigger’, Mr Lee pointed out it will be ‘unwise’ to do so.

‘If we force the issue and settle the matter definitively one way or the other, we will never reach an agreement… Instead of forging a consensus, we will divide and polarise our society’, he explained.

Mr Lee pointed out that many who oppose homosexuality, do so in deeply held religious convictions, especially Christians and Muslims.

Abolition of Section 377A, he pointed out, will not give gay rights activists what they really want – more space and full acceptance by Singaporeans.

The more gay activists push their agenda, he said, the stronger will be the push back from conservative forces in society.

Mr Lee pointed to the current wave of support shown by those who want to keep Section 377A. ‘The result will be counterproductive, as it will lead to less space for homosexuals in Singapore,’ he said.

The Prime Minister also believes that if Section 377A was repealed, ‘gay activists will push for more’ – for example, changing what is taught in schools, advocating same-sex marriages and parenting.

Stressing yet again that Singapore is still a conservative society that values the conventional family unit, Mr Lee said what’s needed is to ’strike a balance’.

‘We will stay one step behind the frontline of change… Watch how things work out elsewhere, before making any any irrevocable moves.

‘We were right to uphold the family unit when Western countries went for experimental lifestyles in the 1960s. We are right to accomodate homosexuals in our society, but not to encourage activists to champion gay rights the way they do in the West.’

His bottomline: ‘Let us keep this balance and leave S377A alone.’