This will be a bullet point style update to cover several different things.
1. “Once a Jolly Hangman” in Polish / Poland
I still remember the first time I read Jolly Hangman back in 2014! (Book review can be read here.)
By coincidence, Poland’s neighbour Belarus still has the death penalty and 40% of the population speak Polish, so it’d be interesting to see the reception of this mind-blowing and eye-opening book. Do consider supporting the book by making a purchase if you’re in the area or are fluent in Polish.
I think this quote from 2019 sums it up nicely re: death penalty by hanging:
Surendran, who is also the founder of the Malaysian human rights and law reform organisation, said: “Can you hang a person who has got [an] IQ [of] 69, and who an independent psychiatrist has declared as [having a] mental disability? … We are saying you cannot. That is in breach of international law and even Singapore’s laws.”
(Source: The Online Citizen)
2. Coronavirus
Stay safe during these crazy times, everyone! I’ve been staying at home most of the time here in Florida (and gratefully been working from home for the past several years).
I try to drink green tea with raw honey quite frequently to boost my immune system.
3. Lee Hsien Yang
It’s Singapore elections time!
Lee Hsien Yang told Reuters he had joined the new Progress Singapore Party (PSP), an opposition party competing against his sibling.
Key quotes from the article:
“The PAP has lost its way,” Lee Hsien Yang said in a video posted on PSP’s Facebook page, adding that the current government is “distinctly different” from when his father was prime minister.
“It is possible to be loyal Singaporeans… to love Singapore and yet not vote PAP,” he said.
Source: Reuters.com
4. My Visit to Singapore Last Year
My boyfriend and I had a good (albeit a little rushed) visit to Singapore late last year, just before the COVID-19 broke out.
We met up with my relatives, friends, and the iconic Singapore Recalcitrant. Lots of sumptuous food (including a couple of very fancy and unusual soup dishes) was enjoyed amid great conversation and good times.
I believe I scribbled down some thoughts about the visit last year — the good and not-so-good observations of the country. I’ve forgotten if I wrote this down by hand or saved it as a digital draft somewhere. I will have to check…
5. Mr. Yoong’s New Blog
Mr. Yoong continues to have a strong readership. He is in his nineties, so utmost respect to him for continuing to blog and keep his mental faculties razor sharp.
His new blog can be found here:
https://singaporerecalcitrant2.blogspot.com/
I will continue collating some quotes to build upon the first two (Mr. Yoong Quotes Part 1 and Quotes Part 2).
The points below are of a more personal nature.
6. Mental Health
My mental health took a bit of a hit earlier this year due to ruminating about a number of bad (or downright stupid) mistakes I made throughout my twenties. Mostly they were career or financially related. I only got into personal finance in my late twenties, and it’s something I wish I’d spent more time on sooner.
During secondary school days, one of my schoolmates once cautioned me that I was “throwing my future away” by choosing to go to the arts steam instead of pure science stream. For international readers who don’t really know what this means, this post from CocoTutors, How taking Combined Science Almost Ruined My Future, illustrates the constraints.
I know my schoolmate meant well, but holy cow, it really got me to think all these years later about whether I DID throw away my future with that one choice!
As things turned out, I’ve been doing okay here in the US. No matter where a person is or where they start from, I believe a person has several options to take educationally and professionally, once they’re clear on what they would like to do.
I should be okay moving forward. I prioritize things that I like to do (like reading and writing) as part of my mental health plan.
7. A Few Milestones
1) It was my sweet rescue cat Breadloaf’s first birthday yesterday (she turned 5 years old). Her second birthday is in July — her adoption papers and original vet check-up papers listed a different birth date. However the estimate is June/July 2015 as her DOB…so she’s most likely 5 years old.
She was found wandering at a dumpster before being taken in by animal control. Hopefully she has few memories of that time of her life.
2) My dragon website turned 21 years old this month. That’s right, it’s older than two decades (OMG, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN…). I’ve been taking my time transferring material from the old, not mobile-friendly website to the new platform.
You can check it out here and give suggestions or contributions to the monthly themed ezine:
3) Journaling posts on my employer’s company blog. My close friends and family members know that I’m as good as obsessed with journaling. I’ve always enjoyed it because of the process of personal reflection involved with it, along with the therapeutic nature of having a judgment-free zone for self expression.
Writing about it and letting others know about the benefits of journaling is something I’m very passionate about. That I can do it as part of my daily work duties is a bonus. I’ll be adding more posts over the next few weeks and they’ll appear on the jounaling category section of the podcast blog.
4) I might blog a little bit more about my personal life (nothing overly dramatic or provocative!). I’ve never posted a ton about my personal life on my blogs or social media.
However, I do remember a time when people would write it to me from my dragon site or indie publishing site (the latter is now defunct as I have new goals for a renewed creative writing chapter of my life). It was fun to hear from like-minded people, and it’s fascinating when these friendly connections happen online through sharing thoughts.
I may do it on my portfolio blog/website as I have a passion projects section there where casual blogging would fall neatly into.
Singapore Politics: Blog 
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