Hi to all out there who wondered if I have killed my blog.
Or worse, I didn't kill it. I just consigned her to languish in life-long imprisonment without further improvement. Still. Stopped growing. Gosh what could be worse than that?
Meanwhile the world beyond changed...now looking back at my old self from two years ago, I don't think I would have imagined where I would be now, after switching cities and countries thrice :p Since I assume that only friends would be reading this, I guess this is self-explanatory. Right, that was a pithy but adequate attempt at a preamble to bridge the space of two years, now to the main.
America woke up with a new president on 20. January 2009. It is almost scary how much of a rock-star personality the new one has, he is almost viewed as a kind of messiah to come save the country from the doldrums, where, as widely perceived, the previous president landed the country into. The preparations for the festival were astonishing enough, even with the millions of people being herded very docilely like sheep. What surprised me even more was the morning after, when everything about the pres. was analysed, from his wife's impeccable yet adventurous sense of style to his groove during the presidential ball that very night. Not wanting to miss the spectacle, I must admit that I joined the millions of 'pilgrims' (mark my word) who made their way to the Mall in the first light of dawn to stand in the subzero temperatures (celsius, not fahrenheit) in order to try to catch a glimpse of his star, a hint of his husky tones, a touch of his exhortative accent. It was, in every sense of the word, an amazing demonstration of American mobilisation.
Perhaps, coming from a very conservative background, with an arguably benevolent but definitely authoritative state has conditioned me to be very sceptical of press pictures of the new pres. signing off the bill to close Guatanamo, surrounded by an entourage of staff and reporters, all beaming at the good work that was being done at that very moment. The moment when America shall be freed from the conflict of security and upholding their Wilsonian ideals of personal liberty and rights. I applaud the action, despite its pomp and circumstance. However, there remains at the very back of my mind a niggling thought: would it have been very different if America was under the stewardship of another president than W., in facing down America's biggest safety threat after 9/11?
It's definitely a time of excitement, a time of change, a time for America to prove its mettle. I am keeping my eyes peeled.
*Another anecdote from W. Upon hearing Vietnamese consent to build churches in its central highlands due to possibility of a Chinese threat, W. responded, "Do you mean that the Vietnamese are more afraid of the Chinese than of...God?"
Have a great weekend... LT.
P.S. Sometimes I do wonder at the verity of these stories though!
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
byebye friends...for now
A photo of my bus friends...since i have moved, i won't be taking the same bus as they do, so we thought of taking a photo to celebrate our many intellectual conversations on the bus=)
We had lunch together, and boy was it a discussion to remember. Andreas was explaining sth about der physiker, the play by Alfred Dürrenmatt which was a classic, talking about many issues such as information management, the power of atomic energy, etc. This group of students of namely political science, american and english literature, ancient greek and cultural sciences bravely fronted a lively debate over the existence of black holes, existence of parallel worlds, orbital of the moon around the Earth (how the moon actually has a 'verbundene' rotation around the Earth, so that we can always only see the SAME side of the moon when we look at it from Earth, and how Aristoteles was the first Greek to find that out, but the first discovery of that should go to the Oriental pple)...we could have talked the day away. But Andreas is leaving for China tmr, Orsi, Martin and I have Hausarbeits to write.
Sometimes I wonder to myself, how amazing this all is. Uni life is really the prime of one's life. There doesn't seem to be an end to all this quirky entertainment. =D I mean, at which other time of your life can you pretend to be an expert at modernism and help another with his paper on Ernest Hemingway and his contribution to Expressionist art and Modernism?
Here's a pic of the group of four...i.e. the group who always travel on the bus service number 4.
Left to right: Andreas the poet, Orsi (pronounced aw-shi) from Hungary, Martin the greek expert, Me
=) ting
We had lunch together, and boy was it a discussion to remember. Andreas was explaining sth about der physiker, the play by Alfred Dürrenmatt which was a classic, talking about many issues such as information management, the power of atomic energy, etc. This group of students of namely political science, american and english literature, ancient greek and cultural sciences bravely fronted a lively debate over the existence of black holes, existence of parallel worlds, orbital of the moon around the Earth (how the moon actually has a 'verbundene' rotation around the Earth, so that we can always only see the SAME side of the moon when we look at it from Earth, and how Aristoteles was the first Greek to find that out, but the first discovery of that should go to the Oriental pple)...we could have talked the day away. But Andreas is leaving for China tmr, Orsi, Martin and I have Hausarbeits to write.
Sometimes I wonder to myself, how amazing this all is. Uni life is really the prime of one's life. There doesn't seem to be an end to all this quirky entertainment. =D I mean, at which other time of your life can you pretend to be an expert at modernism and help another with his paper on Ernest Hemingway and his contribution to Expressionist art and Modernism?
Here's a pic of the group of four...i.e. the group who always travel on the bus service number 4.
Left to right: Andreas the poet, Orsi (pronounced aw-shi) from Hungary, Martin the greek expert, Me
=) ting
Thursday, July 20, 2006
klausurs...again
Now it is the time to complain about term examinations and the lack of time.
Nahhh, i shan't do that. There are lots of other interesting things to talk about=) One of my fav biology profs has done it again, with a magnificent faux pas during the lecture. He was talking about how we can tell the origins of different peoples by analysing the strains of a particular bacteria they have in their stomachs, and while he was talking about the bacteria...
"The Indo-Europeans, they are all bastards." *Split second later* "I mean the bacteria."
He was mixing his lecture in three languages, speaking in English, explaining some terminology in German, and wondering about stuff he had on his slides in French. E.G, "Now I will show you the bacterium, which was unterschiedlich in other peoples...(while searching for his pic)..C'est quoi?"
Europe...now this is a melting pot.
Wore a dress for the first time to Uni yesterday, (for the simple reason that I haven't been able to do my laundry for the past 2 weeks, yucks, i know, so the only presentable thing to wear was that simple dress), but apparently that was so out of the blue that almost all my friends asked what's up. (Had to tell them the truth, which never fails to elicit laughter.) =)
We were debating about installing Airconditionaing systems in the entire uni today. I think this is the first time that I was speaking...or the second time, for the entire 7 minutes. I actually had things to say for the whole of 7 minutes! Though not in perfect German, but well enough to make myself understood, I guess. =D It is rather funny, but sometimes I think it is an advantage NOT to be a native speaker. People are kinda more considerate (the other students of course) as they know how it is. Too bad they speak rather good English though=) We all thought it would be like a fun fun debate, but it turned out so serious...and kinda aggressive too. Poof. But at the end I was laughing almost half the entire time, we were looking at the photos of the German Debating Championships, and they were commenting about stuff all the time. I do admire people who speak well, there seems to be so much that they can do, for amusement, to convince, to reason... echt cool.
Have to go and catch my bus now. =p
*ting
Worthwhile quote from ST: Ronald Reagan once said,"I know they said that hard work never killed anyone, but I figured, why take the chance?"
Terrible thing to think of in times of exams.
Nahhh, i shan't do that. There are lots of other interesting things to talk about=) One of my fav biology profs has done it again, with a magnificent faux pas during the lecture. He was talking about how we can tell the origins of different peoples by analysing the strains of a particular bacteria they have in their stomachs, and while he was talking about the bacteria...
"The Indo-Europeans, they are all bastards." *Split second later* "I mean the bacteria."
He was mixing his lecture in three languages, speaking in English, explaining some terminology in German, and wondering about stuff he had on his slides in French. E.G, "Now I will show you the bacterium, which was unterschiedlich in other peoples...(while searching for his pic)..C'est quoi?"
Europe...now this is a melting pot.
Wore a dress for the first time to Uni yesterday, (for the simple reason that I haven't been able to do my laundry for the past 2 weeks, yucks, i know, so the only presentable thing to wear was that simple dress), but apparently that was so out of the blue that almost all my friends asked what's up. (Had to tell them the truth, which never fails to elicit laughter.) =)
We were debating about installing Airconditionaing systems in the entire uni today. I think this is the first time that I was speaking...or the second time, for the entire 7 minutes. I actually had things to say for the whole of 7 minutes! Though not in perfect German, but well enough to make myself understood, I guess. =D It is rather funny, but sometimes I think it is an advantage NOT to be a native speaker. People are kinda more considerate (the other students of course) as they know how it is. Too bad they speak rather good English though=) We all thought it would be like a fun fun debate, but it turned out so serious...and kinda aggressive too. Poof. But at the end I was laughing almost half the entire time, we were looking at the photos of the German Debating Championships, and they were commenting about stuff all the time. I do admire people who speak well, there seems to be so much that they can do, for amusement, to convince, to reason... echt cool.
Have to go and catch my bus now. =p
*ting
Worthwhile quote from ST: Ronald Reagan once said,"I know they said that hard work never killed anyone, but I figured, why take the chance?"
Terrible thing to think of in times of exams.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Deutschland...the remnants of hope
I've never experienced a "deutscher Niederlage" before. No cars hooted, the streets were full of people heading straight home from the game, people were waving the German flag bravely, the dignity of a good loser. A few lone italian flags, a few people showing the third finger at that jubilant minority, but most took it in good spirit. But the police were out in full force, directing the traffic, stopping scuffles before they could break out. They wouldn't have needed to do that if Germany had won.
How great it would have been, though, if Germany, as host, could have won the game. Now the commentators can no longer say that no german team has lost in Dortmund before. Nor can they continue singing that funny song "wir werden Weltmeister."
Depressive mood again? No mention of the defeat was mentioned in the Frankfurter Allgemeine. Headlines were about the constant disputes over health issues, the Bundesnachrichtendienst question, and today is Steuergedenktag, the day when the country's proletariats start to work for their pay, instead of paying it all to tax.
Come on, Deutschland. Surely you can do better than this?!
This is a country in which every little "kaff" (or tiny village) has some technological invention they can be proud of, in which precision is prided on, where the poor wouldn't be left on their own, where the politics can't help stumbling a little in their search for the perfect solution or compromise. Heads up, Germany! C'est la vie!
Sometimes, it is not the attainment of a goal that counts, but the pursuit of it.
How great it would have been, though, if Germany, as host, could have won the game. Now the commentators can no longer say that no german team has lost in Dortmund before. Nor can they continue singing that funny song "wir werden Weltmeister."
Depressive mood again? No mention of the defeat was mentioned in the Frankfurter Allgemeine. Headlines were about the constant disputes over health issues, the Bundesnachrichtendienst question, and today is Steuergedenktag, the day when the country's proletariats start to work for their pay, instead of paying it all to tax.
Come on, Deutschland. Surely you can do better than this?!
This is a country in which every little "kaff" (or tiny village) has some technological invention they can be proud of, in which precision is prided on, where the poor wouldn't be left on their own, where the politics can't help stumbling a little in their search for the perfect solution or compromise. Heads up, Germany! C'est la vie!
Sometimes, it is not the attainment of a goal that counts, but the pursuit of it.
Sunday, June 18, 2006
thoughts...
I have been thinking about what I have been doing so far, especially after my conversation with my grandpa today. Ironically, I seem to talk more to him now that i am thousands of miles away from him, thanks to the telephone. How much is our generation losing nowadays actually, simply by non-effective communication or non-communication with the older ones? Their wisdom of the years, their implicit understanding of how things are...sometimes I want to weep when I think back on the bonds we had when I was still a kid, and how they are currently...just not there anymore. But the hope is there. It just takes a step, on my part, picking up the phone and calling.
In front of my eyes is a scene of a little 6 year old girl, running around the void deck in an attempt to see how many pillars she can reach in the shortest time, while waiting for her grandpa to catch his breath on the walk home from the Kindergarten. The girl is impatient, but she knows the importance of rest for grandpa.
How I wish I could go back to that time. When was the last time I took a walk with grandpa? How many years ago was that?
_______________
Below is an article from the Straits Times, Singapore's National Newspapers, which I think everyone really should read. (This particular article, i mean) Mikhail Gorbachev is really a man who has changed the world. How much courage does that take, in following your beliefs, knowing that what you do is right, and with a sureness that is unwavering, to go on a path that you know might cause you to lose everything you have achieved so far? That is truly the measure of a man's character.
Remembering how one man made history
By Warren Fernandez, Foreign Editor
HE LEFT A LEGACY: Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.' -- AFP
IT MUST not be easy being Mikhail Gorbachev.
Remember him? He was the first and last president of the Soviet Union, whose reformative polices of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) contributed to the end of the Cold War, the break-up of the Soviet Union and, ultimately, him losing his job.
I encountered this political giant recently, at a lunchtime talk on the sidelines of a newspaper conference in Moscow.
He was speaking to journalists from around the world in his deep baritone, wagging his finger pointedly at times, as if addressing one of the Politburo meetings he used to preside over in the Kremlin, right next door to where we were.
At 75, he was sprightly, even feisty, his distinctive birthmark on his forehead as pronounced as before.
Somewhat poignantly, he delivered a robust defence of perestroika, his empire-shattering policy, which literally changed the world.
Some people, he noted, felt that it was all a big mistake. This included the old Soviet ruling classes, former communists and those who held positions of privilege. Life had become harder for them, and many others, he acknowledged.
But without the transformation he unleashed, wittingly or otherwise, there would not be today's Russia, where the world's editors were meeting to discuss their trade and debate the state of freedom of the press around the world, from Moscow to Manila.
Indeed, just a day before, Russia's current President Vladimir Putin had sat impassively listening to a sharp critique of his government's dealings with the media, albeit delivered politely by president of the World Association of Newspapers Gavin O'Reilly. This had happened in the Kremlin State Palace, the heart of the Russian government.
'Gosh, this would have been unthinkable in the past,' a veteran Moscow correspondent from a news agency whispered to me.
In a sign of how things have changed, Mr Gorbachev also announced at his lunch talk that he was becoming a publisher himself, taking a 49 per cent share of the newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, which he helped set up in 1993, using part of the money he had received from winning the Nobel Peace Prize three years earlier.
The paper - known for its investigations into corruption and its critical reports on Chechnya and the government - would be relaunched with a new format in January, but its editorial policy would remain independent, he added.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, Mr Gorbachev had also noted: 'Seventy-seven per cent of Russians say they want to live in a free and democratic country. That is the legacy of perestroika. People now think that we are on an optimistic path; they have hope.'
Without perestroika, there would be no economic reforms in Russia, which are only now beginning to unleash the potential of this vast, old country.
His successor, Mr Boris Yeltsin, he charged somewhat bitterly, had messed things up, allowing Russia's wealth to fall into a few hands. President Putin was putting things right, restoring order, stabilising the economy, improving the health and education systems, he noted.
Yet, Mr Yeltsin was feted in the West, and Mr Putin is viewed with suspicion, he noted ironically, adding that the United States should not wish for a Russia that was weak, which would play second fiddle to Washington.
Without perestroika, there would not have been an end to the Cold War, the end to Soviet domination over Europe, a receding of the nuclear threat that once hung over the world, perhaps not even the rise of today's globalisation.
So, despite these gains, did he think there were mistakes made in his push for perestroika, someone asked him at the conference.
After all, might not a more gradual approach have enabled a stable transition, as the Chinese are now trying to manage?
Yes, he thundered, there were many mistakes made. But, on balance, it had been worthwhile.
'Read my new book, there's something on this in it,' he quipped with a smile, plugging his latest work, Understanding Perestroika, which has just been published. In it, he argues that the introduction of perestroika in the Soviet Union in 1985 was one of the three most significant events in Soviet history - the others being the 1917 revolution and the victory in World War II.
The parallel he draws with these events is telling, since each reshaped his country - and the world - forever.
It must be difficult being Mr Gorbachev. For someone who has made history, he has to live with the knowledge that he is reviled by many at home, and also abroad, as having blundered in office and lost a once-mighty empire, unleashed capitalism on a generation brought up to believe it was evil, and plunged the country into a wrenching period of economic and social change.
Indeed, Singaporeans might well ask just what bearing this forgotten figure from the 1980s and a faraway land has on their busy lives?
Well, quite simply, were it not for this man and his actions, your life and mine would be very different today.
Instead of terror threats, we would still be worrying about the Soviet totalitarian menace, the risk of the world being plunged into a nuclear nightmare, not to mention the countless number of lives wasted in the pursuit of futile ideological battles between East and West.
Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.'
So I found it touching when a young Russian girl rose during the lunch discussion, simply to express her gratitude to him for helping to bring about changes to her country, which enabled her to enjoy a better life today.
Later, a middle-aged German editor approached him, clasped his hand and thanked him for all he had done, not just for Russia, but for Europe and the world. 'History will remember,' the man in a bow tie declared.
Mr Gorbachev fell silent. He reached out, put a hand on the man's shoulder, and smiled, a gesture that hinted at his innate humaneness.
I read later that when asked by Time magazine if he was now enjoying his life, this man of history replied simply: 'Yes, but there are some difficulties. Travelling is physically hard. And my (government) pension is only 40,000 roubles (S$2,350) a month.'
In a candid moment, he revealed that his other passion, apart from politics and power, was something which many Singaporeans would share - food.
'We like to cook. I love Russian food most, but also Italian and Mediterranean. I am more involved as the theoretical director of meals, but when they are ready, I get involved at the consumption stage too. (Laughs) Then I have to explain to people why I can't seem to lose weight.'
warren@sph.com.sg
In front of my eyes is a scene of a little 6 year old girl, running around the void deck in an attempt to see how many pillars she can reach in the shortest time, while waiting for her grandpa to catch his breath on the walk home from the Kindergarten. The girl is impatient, but she knows the importance of rest for grandpa.
How I wish I could go back to that time. When was the last time I took a walk with grandpa? How many years ago was that?
_______________
Below is an article from the Straits Times, Singapore's National Newspapers, which I think everyone really should read. (This particular article, i mean) Mikhail Gorbachev is really a man who has changed the world. How much courage does that take, in following your beliefs, knowing that what you do is right, and with a sureness that is unwavering, to go on a path that you know might cause you to lose everything you have achieved so far? That is truly the measure of a man's character.
Remembering how one man made history
By Warren Fernandez, Foreign Editor
HE LEFT A LEGACY: Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.' -- AFP
IT MUST not be easy being Mikhail Gorbachev.
Remember him? He was the first and last president of the Soviet Union, whose reformative polices of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) contributed to the end of the Cold War, the break-up of the Soviet Union and, ultimately, him losing his job.
I encountered this political giant recently, at a lunchtime talk on the sidelines of a newspaper conference in Moscow.
He was speaking to journalists from around the world in his deep baritone, wagging his finger pointedly at times, as if addressing one of the Politburo meetings he used to preside over in the Kremlin, right next door to where we were.
At 75, he was sprightly, even feisty, his distinctive birthmark on his forehead as pronounced as before.
Somewhat poignantly, he delivered a robust defence of perestroika, his empire-shattering policy, which literally changed the world.
Some people, he noted, felt that it was all a big mistake. This included the old Soviet ruling classes, former communists and those who held positions of privilege. Life had become harder for them, and many others, he acknowledged.
But without the transformation he unleashed, wittingly or otherwise, there would not be today's Russia, where the world's editors were meeting to discuss their trade and debate the state of freedom of the press around the world, from Moscow to Manila.
Indeed, just a day before, Russia's current President Vladimir Putin had sat impassively listening to a sharp critique of his government's dealings with the media, albeit delivered politely by president of the World Association of Newspapers Gavin O'Reilly. This had happened in the Kremlin State Palace, the heart of the Russian government.
'Gosh, this would have been unthinkable in the past,' a veteran Moscow correspondent from a news agency whispered to me.
In a sign of how things have changed, Mr Gorbachev also announced at his lunch talk that he was becoming a publisher himself, taking a 49 per cent share of the newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, which he helped set up in 1993, using part of the money he had received from winning the Nobel Peace Prize three years earlier.
The paper - known for its investigations into corruption and its critical reports on Chechnya and the government - would be relaunched with a new format in January, but its editorial policy would remain independent, he added.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, Mr Gorbachev had also noted: 'Seventy-seven per cent of Russians say they want to live in a free and democratic country. That is the legacy of perestroika. People now think that we are on an optimistic path; they have hope.'
Without perestroika, there would be no economic reforms in Russia, which are only now beginning to unleash the potential of this vast, old country.
His successor, Mr Boris Yeltsin, he charged somewhat bitterly, had messed things up, allowing Russia's wealth to fall into a few hands. President Putin was putting things right, restoring order, stabilising the economy, improving the health and education systems, he noted.
Yet, Mr Yeltsin was feted in the West, and Mr Putin is viewed with suspicion, he noted ironically, adding that the United States should not wish for a Russia that was weak, which would play second fiddle to Washington.
Without perestroika, there would not have been an end to the Cold War, the end to Soviet domination over Europe, a receding of the nuclear threat that once hung over the world, perhaps not even the rise of today's globalisation.
So, despite these gains, did he think there were mistakes made in his push for perestroika, someone asked him at the conference.
After all, might not a more gradual approach have enabled a stable transition, as the Chinese are now trying to manage?
Yes, he thundered, there were many mistakes made. But, on balance, it had been worthwhile.
'Read my new book, there's something on this in it,' he quipped with a smile, plugging his latest work, Understanding Perestroika, which has just been published. In it, he argues that the introduction of perestroika in the Soviet Union in 1985 was one of the three most significant events in Soviet history - the others being the 1917 revolution and the victory in World War II.
The parallel he draws with these events is telling, since each reshaped his country - and the world - forever.
It must be difficult being Mr Gorbachev. For someone who has made history, he has to live with the knowledge that he is reviled by many at home, and also abroad, as having blundered in office and lost a once-mighty empire, unleashed capitalism on a generation brought up to believe it was evil, and plunged the country into a wrenching period of economic and social change.
Indeed, Singaporeans might well ask just what bearing this forgotten figure from the 1980s and a faraway land has on their busy lives?
Well, quite simply, were it not for this man and his actions, your life and mine would be very different today.
Instead of terror threats, we would still be worrying about the Soviet totalitarian menace, the risk of the world being plunged into a nuclear nightmare, not to mention the countless number of lives wasted in the pursuit of futile ideological battles between East and West.
Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.'
So I found it touching when a young Russian girl rose during the lunch discussion, simply to express her gratitude to him for helping to bring about changes to her country, which enabled her to enjoy a better life today.
Later, a middle-aged German editor approached him, clasped his hand and thanked him for all he had done, not just for Russia, but for Europe and the world. 'History will remember,' the man in a bow tie declared.
Mr Gorbachev fell silent. He reached out, put a hand on the man's shoulder, and smiled, a gesture that hinted at his innate humaneness.
I read later that when asked by Time magazine if he was now enjoying his life, this man of history replied simply: 'Yes, but there are some difficulties. Travelling is physically hard. And my (government) pension is only 40,000 roubles (S$2,350) a month.'
In a candid moment, he revealed that his other passion, apart from politics and power, was something which many Singaporeans would share - food.
'We like to cook. I love Russian food most, but also Italian and Mediterranean. I am more involved as the theoretical director of meals, but when they are ready, I get involved at the consumption stage too. (Laughs) Then I have to explain to people why I can't seem to lose weight.'
warren@sph.com.sg
thoughts...
I have been thinking about what I have been doing so far, especially after my conversation with my grandpa today. Ironically, I seem to talk more to him now that i am thousands of miles away from him, thanks to the telephone. How much is our generation losing nowadays actually, simply by non-effective communication or non-communication with the older ones? Their wisdom of the years, their implicit understanding of how things are...sometimes I want to weep when I think back on the bonds we had when I was still a kid, and how they are currently...just not there anymore. But the hope is there. It just takes a step, on my part, picking up the phone and calling.
In front of my eyes is a scene of a little 6 year old girl, running around the void deck in an attempt to see how many pillars she can reach in the shortest time, while waiting for her grandpa to catch his breath on the walk home from the Kindergarten. The girl is impatient, but she knows the importance of rest for grandpa.
How I wish I could go back to that time. When was the last time I took a walk with grandpa? How many years ago was that?
_______________
Below is an article from the Straits Times, Singapore's National Newspapers, which I think everyone really should read. (This particular article, i mean) Mikhail Gorbachev is really a man who has changed the world. How much courage does that take, in following your beliefs, knowing that what you do is right, and with a sureness that is unwavering, to go on a path that you know might cause you to lose everything you have achieved so far? That is truly the measure of a man's character.
Remembering how one man made history
By Warren Fernandez, Foreign Editor
HE LEFT A LEGACY: Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.' -- AFP
IT MUST not be easy being Mikhail Gorbachev.
Remember him? He was the first and last president of the Soviet Union, whose reformative polices of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) contributed to the end of the Cold War, the break-up of the Soviet Union and, ultimately, him losing his job.
I encountered this political giant recently, at a lunchtime talk on the sidelines of a newspaper conference in Moscow.
He was speaking to journalists from around the world in his deep baritone, wagging his finger pointedly at times, as if addressing one of the Politburo meetings he used to preside over in the Kremlin, right next door to where we were.
At 75, he was sprightly, even feisty, his distinctive birthmark on his forehead as pronounced as before.
Somewhat poignantly, he delivered a robust defence of perestroika, his empire-shattering policy, which literally changed the world.
Some people, he noted, felt that it was all a big mistake. This included the old Soviet ruling classes, former communists and those who held positions of privilege. Life had become harder for them, and many others, he acknowledged.
But without the transformation he unleashed, wittingly or otherwise, there would not be today's Russia, where the world's editors were meeting to discuss their trade and debate the state of freedom of the press around the world, from Moscow to Manila.
Indeed, just a day before, Russia's current President Vladimir Putin had sat impassively listening to a sharp critique of his government's dealings with the media, albeit delivered politely by president of the World Association of Newspapers Gavin O'Reilly. This had happened in the Kremlin State Palace, the heart of the Russian government.
'Gosh, this would have been unthinkable in the past,' a veteran Moscow correspondent from a news agency whispered to me.
In a sign of how things have changed, Mr Gorbachev also announced at his lunch talk that he was becoming a publisher himself, taking a 49 per cent share of the newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, which he helped set up in 1993, using part of the money he had received from winning the Nobel Peace Prize three years earlier.
The paper - known for its investigations into corruption and its critical reports on Chechnya and the government - would be relaunched with a new format in January, but its editorial policy would remain independent, he added.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, Mr Gorbachev had also noted: 'Seventy-seven per cent of Russians say they want to live in a free and democratic country. That is the legacy of perestroika. People now think that we are on an optimistic path; they have hope.'
Without perestroika, there would be no economic reforms in Russia, which are only now beginning to unleash the potential of this vast, old country.
His successor, Mr Boris Yeltsin, he charged somewhat bitterly, had messed things up, allowing Russia's wealth to fall into a few hands. President Putin was putting things right, restoring order, stabilising the economy, improving the health and education systems, he noted.
Yet, Mr Yeltsin was feted in the West, and Mr Putin is viewed with suspicion, he noted ironically, adding that the United States should not wish for a Russia that was weak, which would play second fiddle to Washington.
Without perestroika, there would not have been an end to the Cold War, the end to Soviet domination over Europe, a receding of the nuclear threat that once hung over the world, perhaps not even the rise of today's globalisation.
So, despite these gains, did he think there were mistakes made in his push for perestroika, someone asked him at the conference.
After all, might not a more gradual approach have enabled a stable transition, as the Chinese are now trying to manage?
Yes, he thundered, there were many mistakes made. But, on balance, it had been worthwhile.
'Read my new book, there's something on this in it,' he quipped with a smile, plugging his latest work, Understanding Perestroika, which has just been published. In it, he argues that the introduction of perestroika in the Soviet Union in 1985 was one of the three most significant events in Soviet history - the others being the 1917 revolution and the victory in World War II.
The parallel he draws with these events is telling, since each reshaped his country - and the world - forever.
It must be difficult being Mr Gorbachev. For someone who has made history, he has to live with the knowledge that he is reviled by many at home, and also abroad, as having blundered in office and lost a once-mighty empire, unleashed capitalism on a generation brought up to believe it was evil, and plunged the country into a wrenching period of economic and social change.
Indeed, Singaporeans might well ask just what bearing this forgotten figure from the 1980s and a faraway land has on their busy lives?
Well, quite simply, were it not for this man and his actions, your life and mine would be very different today.
Instead of terror threats, we would still be worrying about the Soviet totalitarian menace, the risk of the world being plunged into a nuclear nightmare, not to mention the countless number of lives wasted in the pursuit of futile ideological battles between East and West.
Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.'
So I found it touching when a young Russian girl rose during the lunch discussion, simply to express her gratitude to him for helping to bring about changes to her country, which enabled her to enjoy a better life today.
Later, a middle-aged German editor approached him, clasped his hand and thanked him for all he had done, not just for Russia, but for Europe and the world. 'History will remember,' the man in a bow tie declared.
Mr Gorbachev fell silent. He reached out, put a hand on the man's shoulder, and smiled, a gesture that hinted at his innate humaneness.
I read later that when asked by Time magazine if he was now enjoying his life, this man of history replied simply: 'Yes, but there are some difficulties. Travelling is physically hard. And my (government) pension is only 40,000 roubles (S$2,350) a month.'
In a candid moment, he revealed that his other passion, apart from politics and power, was something which many Singaporeans would share - food.
'We like to cook. I love Russian food most, but also Italian and Mediterranean. I am more involved as the theoretical director of meals, but when they are ready, I get involved at the consumption stage too. (Laughs) Then I have to explain to people why I can't seem to lose weight.'
warren@sph.com.sg
In front of my eyes is a scene of a little 6 year old girl, running around the void deck in an attempt to see how many pillars she can reach in the shortest time, while waiting for her grandpa to catch his breath on the walk home from the Kindergarten. The girl is impatient, but she knows the importance of rest for grandpa.
How I wish I could go back to that time. When was the last time I took a walk with grandpa? How many years ago was that?
_______________
Below is an article from the Straits Times, Singapore's National Newspapers, which I think everyone really should read. (This particular article, i mean) Mikhail Gorbachev is really a man who has changed the world. How much courage does that take, in following your beliefs, knowing that what you do is right, and with a sureness that is unwavering, to go on a path that you know might cause you to lose everything you have achieved so far? That is truly the measure of a man's character.
Remembering how one man made history
By Warren Fernandez, Foreign Editor
HE LEFT A LEGACY: Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.' -- AFP
IT MUST not be easy being Mikhail Gorbachev.
Remember him? He was the first and last president of the Soviet Union, whose reformative polices of glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) contributed to the end of the Cold War, the break-up of the Soviet Union and, ultimately, him losing his job.
I encountered this political giant recently, at a lunchtime talk on the sidelines of a newspaper conference in Moscow.
He was speaking to journalists from around the world in his deep baritone, wagging his finger pointedly at times, as if addressing one of the Politburo meetings he used to preside over in the Kremlin, right next door to where we were.
At 75, he was sprightly, even feisty, his distinctive birthmark on his forehead as pronounced as before.
Somewhat poignantly, he delivered a robust defence of perestroika, his empire-shattering policy, which literally changed the world.
Some people, he noted, felt that it was all a big mistake. This included the old Soviet ruling classes, former communists and those who held positions of privilege. Life had become harder for them, and many others, he acknowledged.
But without the transformation he unleashed, wittingly or otherwise, there would not be today's Russia, where the world's editors were meeting to discuss their trade and debate the state of freedom of the press around the world, from Moscow to Manila.
Indeed, just a day before, Russia's current President Vladimir Putin had sat impassively listening to a sharp critique of his government's dealings with the media, albeit delivered politely by president of the World Association of Newspapers Gavin O'Reilly. This had happened in the Kremlin State Palace, the heart of the Russian government.
'Gosh, this would have been unthinkable in the past,' a veteran Moscow correspondent from a news agency whispered to me.
In a sign of how things have changed, Mr Gorbachev also announced at his lunch talk that he was becoming a publisher himself, taking a 49 per cent share of the newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, which he helped set up in 1993, using part of the money he had received from winning the Nobel Peace Prize three years earlier.
The paper - known for its investigations into corruption and its critical reports on Chechnya and the government - would be relaunched with a new format in January, but its editorial policy would remain independent, he added.
In a recent interview with Time magazine, Mr Gorbachev had also noted: 'Seventy-seven per cent of Russians say they want to live in a free and democratic country. That is the legacy of perestroika. People now think that we are on an optimistic path; they have hope.'
Without perestroika, there would be no economic reforms in Russia, which are only now beginning to unleash the potential of this vast, old country.
His successor, Mr Boris Yeltsin, he charged somewhat bitterly, had messed things up, allowing Russia's wealth to fall into a few hands. President Putin was putting things right, restoring order, stabilising the economy, improving the health and education systems, he noted.
Yet, Mr Yeltsin was feted in the West, and Mr Putin is viewed with suspicion, he noted ironically, adding that the United States should not wish for a Russia that was weak, which would play second fiddle to Washington.
Without perestroika, there would not have been an end to the Cold War, the end to Soviet domination over Europe, a receding of the nuclear threat that once hung over the world, perhaps not even the rise of today's globalisation.
So, despite these gains, did he think there were mistakes made in his push for perestroika, someone asked him at the conference.
After all, might not a more gradual approach have enabled a stable transition, as the Chinese are now trying to manage?
Yes, he thundered, there were many mistakes made. But, on balance, it had been worthwhile.
'Read my new book, there's something on this in it,' he quipped with a smile, plugging his latest work, Understanding Perestroika, which has just been published. In it, he argues that the introduction of perestroika in the Soviet Union in 1985 was one of the three most significant events in Soviet history - the others being the 1917 revolution and the victory in World War II.
The parallel he draws with these events is telling, since each reshaped his country - and the world - forever.
It must be difficult being Mr Gorbachev. For someone who has made history, he has to live with the knowledge that he is reviled by many at home, and also abroad, as having blundered in office and lost a once-mighty empire, unleashed capitalism on a generation brought up to believe it was evil, and plunged the country into a wrenching period of economic and social change.
Indeed, Singaporeans might well ask just what bearing this forgotten figure from the 1980s and a faraway land has on their busy lives?
Well, quite simply, were it not for this man and his actions, your life and mine would be very different today.
Instead of terror threats, we would still be worrying about the Soviet totalitarian menace, the risk of the world being plunged into a nuclear nightmare, not to mention the countless number of lives wasted in the pursuit of futile ideological battles between East and West.
Whatever his faults, to my mind, Mr Gorbachev is living testimony to the saying once attributed to American president John F. Kennedy: 'One man can make a difference, and every man should try.'
So I found it touching when a young Russian girl rose during the lunch discussion, simply to express her gratitude to him for helping to bring about changes to her country, which enabled her to enjoy a better life today.
Later, a middle-aged German editor approached him, clasped his hand and thanked him for all he had done, not just for Russia, but for Europe and the world. 'History will remember,' the man in a bow tie declared.
Mr Gorbachev fell silent. He reached out, put a hand on the man's shoulder, and smiled, a gesture that hinted at his innate humaneness.
I read later that when asked by Time magazine if he was now enjoying his life, this man of history replied simply: 'Yes, but there are some difficulties. Travelling is physically hard. And my (government) pension is only 40,000 roubles (S$2,350) a month.'
In a candid moment, he revealed that his other passion, apart from politics and power, was something which many Singaporeans would share - food.
'We like to cook. I love Russian food most, but also Italian and Mediterranean. I am more involved as the theoretical director of meals, but when they are ready, I get involved at the consumption stage too. (Laughs) Then I have to explain to people why I can't seem to lose weight.'
warren@sph.com.sg
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Football fever!
Once again I have too much to say, i don't even know where to start.
Debattierclub, jujutsu, africafest in Würzburg, AGM at Titisee, Sam's visit, the Weltmeisterschaft or World cup now in Germany...I am too lazy even to type it all out. Maybe I should just stop and leave this entry as it is. =)
...
Nah. The football fever is too good to miss out on. I must admit that even I, the perpetual Cinderella (ie the girl who always runs away from the ball if possible), have even become a convert. How not to be, when the frank enthusiasm among my german friends is so starkly there, decked out all in German colours schwarz-rot-gold, belting out the German national anthem proudly while holding beer mugs in their hands and waving them in beat with the national anthem... The Germans are crazy, but i do love their quirkyness. The atmosphere is almost to be 'tasted' in the tents when Germany is playing. Craning our necks to peek over the shoulders of those in front just to get a good look at the screen in front, showing fully grown-up man risking limb and bone to get at a white speck against a field of green, standing up when the white speck nears the goal, letting out disappointed 'awws' when it doesn't, jumping for joy and waving your arms when it finally does...watching people watch the WM is a spectacle in itself.
Football fever. Now that's really catching! =D
Debattierclub, jujutsu, africafest in Würzburg, AGM at Titisee, Sam's visit, the Weltmeisterschaft or World cup now in Germany...I am too lazy even to type it all out. Maybe I should just stop and leave this entry as it is. =)
...
Nah. The football fever is too good to miss out on. I must admit that even I, the perpetual Cinderella (ie the girl who always runs away from the ball if possible), have even become a convert. How not to be, when the frank enthusiasm among my german friends is so starkly there, decked out all in German colours schwarz-rot-gold, belting out the German national anthem proudly while holding beer mugs in their hands and waving them in beat with the national anthem... The Germans are crazy, but i do love their quirkyness. The atmosphere is almost to be 'tasted' in the tents when Germany is playing. Craning our necks to peek over the shoulders of those in front just to get a good look at the screen in front, showing fully grown-up man risking limb and bone to get at a white speck against a field of green, standing up when the white speck nears the goal, letting out disappointed 'awws' when it doesn't, jumping for joy and waving your arms when it finally does...watching people watch the WM is a spectacle in itself.
Football fever. Now that's really catching! =D
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
