Gap Year

In Strait Times today, there is an article on young adults taking a gap year. A gap year is a year of break from school that high school graduates take before entering colleges/universities. It is an Australian/New Zealand tradition which can trace its history to the old English tradition. It is customary for well to do English young men to have a "Great European" tour-a trip around the continent Europe that can last between 9 to 12 months. Today, however, the Australians and New Zealanders, took gap year to travel and finance their travel by working part time where they travel.

Gap year are gaining popularity among the young in Singapore. It is mainly the privilege of only a few who have well to do parents to finance the venture. One girl is getting a $100,000 loan to start a small business. Another travel overseas under the banner of volunteer works -parents bear most of the travel expenses. As one girl who did not take a gap year puts it, gap year usually "zapped" the parents' retirement funds.

What's the rationale? Was it really to facilitate better self awareness and allow time for the young involved to shape up their future? Or is it more of a break from any cognitive and mental activities after a grueling 12 years of formal education?

In my opinion, if your child is the type who cannot bear the thought of another year of schooling after their 18th birthday, a gap year will just break the momentum of learning. If your child is not sure about what they want to do with their future, maybe a gap year, in which they are exposed to the adult working world, is a good idea. Otherwise it will just be a big drain off your retirement fund. As for my children, I've made it clear to them that after they turn 18, if they are not in school or serving National Service, they will have to pay room and board to live under my roof.

Travelling light

I once aspired to be a turtle: to have so little 'stuff'' that I'd be able to carry all my belongings on my back. How did I come to be the owner of so many things?

I have a lot of 'good stuff' that I can't bear to throw away or give away. Many of these 'good stuff' are classic books that have shaped my mind and influenced the way I think. They have mostly been sitting in a storage space for the past 11 years. It's paper are turning yellow some are already brownish.

Then, there are stuffs that have sentimental values, such as old photos, love letters, and diaries. The digital age actually made my 'turtle aspiration' a possibility. Many books are available in electronic form. I have completed the digitization of the precious baby photos. Still to be digitized are old letters, diaries, and pre-baby photos. One external hard drive would suffice to contain all that. And all these, if I choose to post it on internet sites like flickr, blogspot or personal website, I don't even have to have a memory device.

I sometime imagine, if i can only bring a small carry-on-full of 'stuff'' and leave the rest behind without hope of getting it back, what will I choose to bring? I would pack my hard drive, some of my most comfortable clothes, my hand phone with all my recent contacts, my little 22-year-old address book with my old c0ntacts, and of course the important document folder.

Free Speech and Innocent Until Proven Guilty

James Von Brunn had a long history of hateful writing, but he had not committed a crime according to US laws until now. He has been in the radar of the FBI for a long time. But because of the freedom of speech guaranteed by the US constitution, he was never prosecuted. This past week, this 88 year old man went into the the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. with murder in mind.

In Singapore, posting hateful and racist rants on the internet is a punishable crime. Many had been prosecuted for posting hateful racist writings. If Von Brunn were a Singaporean, he would have been dealt with a long time ago. Racist attitude is not tolerated in Singapore, and the government takes it very seriously. In this regard, I believe, the Singapore government gets it right.

Staycation

The idea of staycation was mentioned in the Strait Times. The idea is to stay in town but do things as though you are on vacation. So you check yourself into a hotel, and visit the tourist hot spots, shop, take pictures and eat out. I always wonder why one would want to do that. Some of my friends have done it, and they found that it's a cheap and quick way to have a vacation. Is a vacation just that? Staying away from your home base? I am the kind of people so attached to my home that if I can drive back so I can sleep in my own bed, in my own bedroom, use my own bathroom, I'd do it. In fact, when going on vacation, I don't mind bringing my own home if I can. As long as all four of us are doing things together and concentrating on one another, then I consider the objective of a family vacation is accomplished.

I can think of a couple of reasons why one would consider a staycation:

1. The home has fallen under long period of neglect that you just can't wait to get away from it. It is sad when you can't find rest, peace and comfort in your own home.
   
2. You are living with people that you need to get away from. This is the toughest situation. Many people live with their in-laws and things do not always work out. Instead of a place of refuge, the home become a place you dreaded going back to and can't wait to get away from.

If these are the mitigating circumstances, then I understand. As for me and my family, every time we came home from a vacation, its always "Home Sweet Home" instead of "Back to Reality," leaving behind a five-star resort not withstanding. I thank God for that.