"How To Save A Life"
Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it's just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you've told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life
As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you've followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he'll say he's just not the same
And you'll begin to wonder why you came
Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a lifeSuch a nice and beautiful song. I've recently been thinking back at all the things that has happened. So many people I've seen walk past and left an imprint in my life but none has lasted.
It all started with Farhan in primary 1. my dear neighbour. unfortunately, he transferred school in Primary 4 when he moved to Bukit Panjang. Now that was such a sad thing for one of my first good friend.
Next was Haikal, whom i met in primary 2 on the school bus. That was such an experience and we continued on to become close friends till beginning of our secondary one days where we unfortunately drifted apart. I remember he was the first friend who smsed me. Its so nostalgic thinking of all the fun we had with Hakim, Khairul and even Hafiz. IN fact, I have to give credit to you for making me love sports.
My primary school days saw so many people fly past like Nadiah, Zawani, Azyan, Jonathan Tan, Zhi Ying, June and Heather. All the drama we had. Its just hilarious to think about it.
Flashback to secondary school where I made friends with the likes of Sara, Sham, Izzati, Hakim, Andy, Nani and Adam. As well as my dear classmates of John Tay, Louis, Kai Wu, Hongshan and Kuan Wei. Even my dear senior who has shown me so much: William Julianto.
Even now, I ponder over my future and who might even be around. So many promises made yet even now i forsee so many of them being made empty and unfulfilled. Even when someone like Adam is in the same course as me, we hardly even talk now. Even as I try to make the effort to connect with him I feel like fighting a losing battle.
I do understand that everyone changes and that change will come. In fact, I have been telling so many people about change but I feel that I cannot accept all of it. I have watched too many people who have claimed to be my friends walk past without so much of a hint of saying goodbye.
And now, I take my leave, knowing that my words here will have no effect against the winds of change.
Nathaniel Iman sprouted nonsense at
10:08 PM
yesterday night's discussion was very interesting. In a way, it took someone's tragedy for the whole group to get together and clear things out.
Many things were said and though not all were very pleasent, in the end, the outcome was good and that is all that matters. I do love all of you and i sincerely hope that all of my efforts will bear fruit.
In any case, I want to talk about this issue that is highlighted in today's Straits Times. Regarding our language.
It felt so wierd for me to speak to my friend in malay just now. It justs highlights how much i actually miss malay classes. This might sound ironic but I do love my mother tongue and I recognize that it is a part of me. I applaud PM Lee's decision to attarct more students to learn and speak malay as a third language. One of the regrets I have is that I didn't take manadarin as a third language. Unfortunately, its proving difficult for me to learn it now due to time constraints.
Singaporeans should be able to communicate with each other well in a plethora of languages. As was mentioned in the article, malay used to be the lingua franca of Singapore yet it has now been degraded to such an extent that even the malays rarely use the language.
To me, a language is one of the most important components to a race's culture and heritage and it should be preserved. I strongly detest what is currently happening now with my language where people are corrupting its use. For example, the vulgarities and crude usage of the language is embarrasing. How did such words ever exist in such a beautiful language is beyond me.
Therefore I certainly hope that more will be done to further this language and weed out filthy and crude words.
Nathaniel Iman sprouted nonsense at
5:02 PM
Here's what i wrote for media and society's first assignment.
Television causes the erosion of culture in today’s society.The debate on whether television (TV) is beneficial to society has been dragged on for countless of years, even before the debate on the internet which is mainly due to the fact that the internet was founded years later. Both sides of the debate have reasons and evidence to support their stand which led to the creation of the populist-elitist model. The populists’ support the stand that TV should be showing shows that are wanted by the mass audiences be it informative or not. However, the elitists believe that TV has a responsibility to ‘contribute to a better society and a refinement of the culture regardless of whether the media attract large audiences.’(John Vivian (2008))
I believe that TV has a responsibility to both educate as well as entertain the mass audiences. This is where my concerns regarding the television industry in Singapore comes in. Due to the effects of globalization, Singapore’s culture is slowly slipping into the shadows. Although I must laud the efforts of the government for coming up with unique and interesting ways to try preserve our culture, I fear, they are fighting a losing battle.
TV is one of the most widely viewed and used media in Singapore. Almost every household owns at least one. Although shows are regulated, screened and censored by the TV stations as well as the Media Development Authority (MDA), it is impossible to censor and change some of the most basic messages of every show. For example, the hit series Desperate Housewives, it is simply not possible to change the actors and actresses as well as the settings to reflect our society. Thus, it shows the viewers in Singapore that perhaps the grass is greener on the other side and that their culture, the Western culture is indeed superior to our own culture. This unfortunately is not the only case. Even shows such as Ugly Betty, Lost and Grey’s Anatomy have become hits in Singapore which subtly increases Singaporean’s perception of the superiority of the Western culture.
Based on the North-South Hypothesis which states that the flow of information is vertical whereby information flows from the north which constitutes the more developed countries to the south which constitutes the less developed countries, this clearly indicates that the more developed countries which are mainly western have a great deal of influence over the less developed countries. This is theory proves that slowly, our culture is slowly fading into oblivion as the western media continue to exert their subtle influence over other country’s media.
The effects can be seen easily. Every single time a western star visits Singapore; his every move would be shadowed by the paparazzi as well as many of the locals. However, a local celebrity can easily stroll into a public restaurant and have a meal undisturbed.
MDA’s efforts to influence media content have been quite successful. With support from MDA, local shows such as Phua Chu Kang, Under One Roof and Living with Lydia have become hits in Singapore as they cater to both the elitists as well as the populists. The shows poke fun at the lives of over-dramatic Singaporeans which caters to the populists but it also has underlying messages such as the importance of family to cater to the elitists.
However, I feel that more needs to be done. Even though MDA tries to preserve our traditional Asian values, their efforts have yet to bear fruit. Most Singaporeans have already become tired of local comedies that have been aired on Channel 5, the main English local TV channel. Perhaps, the local media should follow in the footsteps of other countries in creating our own media content that can become hits.
An example would be the regional media giant, South Korea. After the passing of the Korean Broadcasting Act and Regulation, TV stations have to show native films in at least 146 days of each year. That is almost half of the year. This new ruling forced the local media to produce new shows to be shown to their viewers. Competition amongst the local media there has forced the quality of TV shows produced to improve by leaps and bounds. The result is clear. Dramas such as Princess Hours and Winter Sonata have not only become local hits, they have also become favourites in Korea’s neighboring countries such as Japan, Taiwan and even Singapore.
The success of Korean dramas have given rise to the K-Wave or the Korean Wave where legions of fans have fallen with almost all things Korean, from Kim Chi to boy bands such as DBSK. This has ensured the preservation of the Korean culture simply due to several factors. Firstly, the high quality of the Korean dramas that are produced has ensured that the dramas become regional hits. This creates a sense of pride amongst the Koreans which in turns causes the Koreans to believe in their superiority of their culture.
Although many may argue that the K-Wave is just another example of cultural imperialism and is no different from the Western media’s influence, I believe that they are different. The main difference is that the K-Wave is actually a response to the cultural imperialism from the west. It is a means of retaliation with the original purpose to protect, restore and enhance the Korean culture.
Other countries have also followed suit. Taiwan for instance, has produced its own brand of TV dramas that have widespread popularity such as the hit drama, Hanazakarino Kimitachihe. Indonesia also has its own brand of dramas called Sinetrons.
With the case study above, it clearly illustrates the need to galvanize the media in Singapore to protect the local culture. With so many imported dramas from neighboring countries, there is an urgent need to produce our own brand of quality TV shows that portray our unique and distinct local culture.
I feel that now, more than ever, there is a need to protect and promote our culture amongst the locals in the face of globalization. The way we respond to the media development from other nations will show if our society is truly prepared to defend and be proud of our own culture or if we truly believe that the grass is truly greener on the other side and that our culture is inferior compared to others. It is now time for us to step up to the plate.
Nathaniel Iman sprouted nonsense at
6:22 PM
Well, here i am.... supposed to be studying. actually i am but i got distracted as usual. i'm at Jupiter Cafe now with huijing and martin.
i was just thinking about what it s that i actually want to do during the holidays and for the future. i feel a need to take up some projects. as you all know, i hate doing nothing. Though i usually complain alot when i have a milion and one things to do, i hate it more when i have abslutely nothing to do. i'll probably get bored to death.
I do realise how elitist i actually am. i dont look down on people, unless they are so pitiful that they dont even want to do anything to help themselves and unfortunately, those people really deserve to be pitied because i feel that you should only help those that want to be helped. That is one of the pillars of my principles.
I feel that every single person has a moral obligation to help improve the quality and standard of society because we cannot afford to stagnate. In the face of competition from the rest of the world, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels.
I was reading through PM Lee's National Day rally speech and i realised that may things that problems that were brought up have been highlighted quite some time ago. for example, the aging population problem is currently part of social studies in secondary school.
BUt i seriously applaud the governments decision to open at least one more publicly funded university. In this time and age, a diploma is almost useless. A degree is the minimum required. Yet, the biggest question is who stand t profit the most from the opening of another university. Still, many students will be jostling for places at NUS. I for one hope to be able to secure a place there just because of NUS's reputation as the number one university in Singapore.
Nathaniel Iman sprouted nonsense at
3:42 PM
Well, i think it is time i reopen my blog as people seem to read it even though its supposed to be closed. to all of those who have read my previous post, rest assured its not for the general public. unfortunately, it seems that the people who were meant to read it have read the post and then they spread it aroud claiming that its for every single person in existance. well, rest assured its for you out there who first read the post and not for the poeple whom you spread it to.
oh and another thing, the fact that i speak good english does not mean that i am not in touch of my heritage. i am proud of my roots. proud that my people were the original inhabitants of the archipelago. in fact, i feel that i did way better for my mother tongue than most people in our course so dont go there with me. in any case, i will speak to my dear friend personally on this issue.
i have come to realise that many people feel that just because i do not like to speak singlish, means that i hate or forget my roots. well i think that is utter nonsense. singlish has never been and never is part of any heritage. i agree that it is widely used in Singapore today but that doesnt mean it is acceptable to be used formally. the very fact that it is not an official language in any country in the world speaks volumes.
We need to realise that singlish is not an official language. it is acceptable to be used at home or when speaking informally but it should not be used to such an extent as it undermines our ability to speak good english.
Nathaniel Iman sprouted nonsense at
12:54 PM
I think i have seenand had enough of people from my course. Its getting too out of hand. like what Ms Lau said, who cares what others think, just do what you think is right. and i totally agree with her. heck with them all, i will no longer tolerate nonsense from them. I dont care anymore if my classmates love me or hate me. Who caresif u guys hate me? there will always be others who love me and it is these people whowill keep me going and not the nonsensities of the other group.
I have proven that i do have what it takes to get the desired results and my track record is far better then the rest of you so screw yourselves if you think you all are all that and try to compete with me for this is my last and final warning, you will lose. you won't just lose, you will lose badly and i will grind all those who stand against me into pulp.
I am no longer the idiot who tries to accomodate and please everyone. I cld hardly care less about your outcome. what i care about now is about my grades,marks and to nake sure i achieve my goals and ambitions.
This is my last warning to you, I will win and you will lose.
Nathaniel Iman sprouted nonsense at
11:58 PM
