k r i s a n d r o

Hey Singapore, I am sorry too.

Sorry to have been politically ignorant by choice for all of my life until recently. Living in Jurong West for as long as I can remember, I never had a chance to vote since turning 21 in 2002. My only joke/comment that I could make during election period in 2006 was, “Elections? Who cares. Jurong sure walkover one… Nobody wants the mutants of the west.” There were possibly half-truths in that statement but the fact is that I really didn’t care.

My view on politics was that it doesn’t affect me. Even politicians themselves look bored and uninterested as they sit in parliament, taking turns to speak. I have never seen my MP, nor find the need to visit him/her. See that I didn’t even know the gender of my MP. I was brought up to be self-sufficient and when I needed help, my mother was the one to go to; not my MP. I was a frog in a well; fully contented of where I am, what was available, and what was not. Like any Singaporean, I knew that nothing will be handed to me on a silver platter and I will have to work for what I want as mine. So even if I had a choice, why do I need someone to represent me, my neighbourhood and my country?

Just before the announcement on the Singapore General Elections 2011, I was entering into a stage where I need to think about settling down and that equates to financial planning and looking for a flat. I was looking at HDB’s website for BTOs and looking at affordability charts. These charts tell me that a combined salary with my future wife, I will be able to afford a 4-rm flat in Sengkang. It does sound expensive; paying almost 300k for a good 30 years of my life. Did I blink when I clicked to apply for one? Not really. I took it as status quo like the frog I still am. “Every regular Singaporean of my age look to be surviving with this. I think I can do the same.”

And then it struck me. My mother bought her 3-rm flat for a 5 figure sum and she is now able to sell it for a 6 figure sum if she wants to. Sounds impressive until I realize I am not earning much more than her when she was at her prime. If the price for a flat is 4 times as much compared to my Mum’s time of purchase, shouldn’t I be at least earning at least 4 times as much at this point? Was it my own fault? Did I not study hard enough? Did I make wrong career choices when younger? I look at my friends and I realize only a very, very small handful can claim to have such earning power.

A simple 3 lettered word that I should have asked…

“Why?”

Why is it so expensive? Why do I have to pay for my flat till I hit my 60s? Why do I feel like I need to work till my grave in order to survive. Why do I feel like I am unable to have more kids even if I wanted to. Why do I keep hearing awesome growth of the country but I don’t see it happening to my friends and me? Why are my ministers getting almost $2million a year when I don’t even know their gender or their names or what they actually do for me?

Then nomination day came and the Opposition parties marched. Some marched with experiences and plans. Some marched with a purpose or even agendas. All of them marched because they wanted to ask “Why?”. And “Why?” they asked for the days leading to 7th May. This time, I felt empowered for I can choose.

Through the power of social media and the internet, I was free to read up on the past and present of Singapore. I wasn’t stupid to think everything I read is true or even relevant to the present but we all know the truth is somewhere out there and definitely harder to find in our local news.

So here are my few thoughts after my political awakening.

1. No doubt that the PAP has a track record but we have been reminded to death about it. Your predecessors record is not yours. Most of you have a track record because you had the chance to do so. Can’t say the same about a chance for our Opposition candidates so what’s the point of saying that they don’t?
2. We are not stupid. Having such overwhelming numbers in parliament unchallenged, just means that one party’s voice is being heard. There are advantages to such a system and it’s benefits are of a dictatorship and not of a democratic society. How can an MP’s voice represent me when he/she is not accountable to me? I didn’t vote them in. The party brought them in. Guess whose loyalty do they owe it to?
3. GRCs – They do ensure a minority representation in parliament but my ONE vote can potentially bring in one or two MPs that I wanted to vote for and four to five others I didn’t care for. So should I vote for what I can live with or what I can live without?
4. In all considerations, I really think the PAP has it tough. Having been in the limelight and in power, their work is for all to be scrutinized. So when the Oppositions nitpick at your policies and your mistakes with the undeniable voices of citizens booing in unison, why in the world would you defend your policies in such a way that make you seem untouchable and never wrong? Where’s the empathy or even the attempt at conjuring some so that you may bring a stronger point across?
5. Mr Low Thia Kiang and Mr Chiam See Tong are my new found heroes. Both of them dug holes in the walls where JBJ left cracks at and managed to win over residents of their wards for 20-26 years. Both of them could have stayed in their SMCs in Hougang and Potong Pasir respectively for this GE and have high odds of winning but they left for a greater cause – To compete in Aljunied & Bishan/Toa Payoh GRCs so that they may bring more opposition voices to make it count in Parliament. Thanks to point #3, I would have undoubtedly voted for them over any PAP team if I was in the said GRCs.
   
6. Not every PAP candidate is a money grubbing, evil person with no regard for citizens and armed with bad analogies. I’m sure there are those who have the right mentality but they are unfortunate by association.
7. No Opposition team/candidate is worth your vote if you just want to go against PAP because you don’t like them.
8. Your vote is secret. It really is; so vote wisely.
9. “Your vote is secret” & “Vote wisely” are not calls for you to vote for the Opposition. Do your research.

To the Opposition parties: Thank you for showing us that our voices can be heard and are heard. Thank you for stepping forward even when most of you seem unprepared. Whatever the results will be after 7th May, I have no doubt that even with an 87-0 landslide, the PAP or shall I say the government, will definitely take bigger steps in the “right” direction.

To the PAP: Show empathy or at least hire a good PR team.

To Lee Kuan Yew: I have nothing much to say out of respect but I shall repent if given a choice.

[Advertorial]

I hope you have read my post about Sony’s make.believe (make-dot-believe) campaign and as of the time of this post’s publishing date, you have less than a week to submit your dream to Sony!

Sony has 2 contests running for this campaign; the 1st is the Dot Your Dream with Sony Contest and the 2nd is the Fifa World Cup Photo Contest.

Dot Your Dream With Sony Contest

Grand Prize: Winner to be sponsored by Sony up to S$100,000 to aid him/her in realizing a dream.

2nd Prize: BRAVIA 46″ LCD TV, Blu-ray Home Theatre System, Playstation®3, VAIO Notebook, Cyber-shot Digital Camera and Walkman® MP3 Player (worth S$10,000).

3rd Prize: BRAVIA 40″ LCD TV, Home Theatre System, VAIO Notebook, Cyber-shot Digital Camera and Walkman® MP3 Player (worth S$5,000).

How to take part: Point your browser to Sony’s make.believe website and submit your dream under any of the 4 categories (game, movie, music, technology) and within 250 characters. 8 finalists (2 from each category) will be chosen in a lucky draw and if your dream is one of the 8 after the announcement on 1st April, all you have to do after that is to rally for votes to win!

More details about the contest can be found in the FAQ sections.

Fifa World Cup Photo Contest

Prize: 8 winners will get to go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa as Fan Photographers where they will get to shoot all the action up close by the pitch!

How to take part: Visit Sony’s make.believe website and submit a photo of a special moment in your life and give it a good caption or title. If you are one of the 25 shortlisted participants, your photo will be up in an online voting contest from 1st April and the top 8 winners will be decided from there.

More details about the contest can be found in the FAQ sections.

Isn’t is so easy to enter both the contests and have a chance of making a special dream come true? If not for my company’s affiliation with Sony for this campaign, I would have submitted an entry for the Dot Your Dream contest.

Both contests’ closing date for submissions is on the 14th of March 2010, so don’t waste any more time and head down to Sony’s make.believe site!

I’ve been talking about it on Twitter, Plurk and telling friends about my recent change I made for running.

For the last 4 weeks, I have chucked away my Asics running shoe and got myself a pair of Vibram Five Fingers KSO.

If you cannot tell from the image above, it looks like someone decided to stick a thin layer of rubber on a toe sock and in fact, the actual product isn’t far from the truth.

“What? You chucked away a S$130 Asics cushioned shoe for a pair of rubber gloves for your feet and YOU RUN IN THEM?“

You have to understand the benefits of barefoot running and what modern shoes are offering to understand why I made the change but I shall not go too deep into that (Read this awesome article to change your perception about regular running shoes). I actually wanted to test the Vibram Five Fingers for another few more months before writing a post about it but I have to share with you how awesome it has been so far.

First, some personal history and the hard facts.

I have been suffering from plantar fasciitis in my left sole since 2003 and weak ankles in both my legs since 2002 from one too many sprains. I decided to quit soccer to keep my ankles (Yes I need em…). I picked up long distance running in May last year after failing my IPPT for the 1st time in 7 years.

Between May and October last year, I ran a total of 66 runs, clocking 218.35km and the longest run was 21km in 2hr 43mins.

I stopped running from October last year due to a cough that persisted for months and only started running again in January this year.

In my Vibram Five Fingers KSO for the last 4 weeks, I ran a total of 16 runs so far, clocking 78.59km and the longest run was 8.8km in 52mins 29secs.

Now, for the experience of running in Vibrams VS regular shoes.

Way before and also throughout the 220km I ran last year, I suffered sharp pains in my left sole due to plantar fasciitis and it happens so randomly but frequently that I come to regard it as being normal. After all, running so much has got to hurt right? I am running in thick, cushioned Asics shoes that is backed by decades of research and specifically chosen for me after an expert studied my feet and pronation and still it hurts. Running has got to hurt. Running is not natural. Injuries are common.

Or so they say…

After 3 months of not running, and doing research on barefoot running, I came across Vibram Five Fingers and they are arguably the next best thing to barefoot running. I am always up for radical solutions and I went ahead and got myself a pair of KSOs and went for runs…

1st run of 2.19km. The familiar pain in my left sole shot up my leg at the end of the run and I stopped.

2nd run of 3.3km. The pain occurred at the 2km mark but I kept at it and felt better from the 3km mark onwards.

3rd run of 4.5km. Pain started at the 3km mark and occurred frequently throughout the rest of the run.

4th run of 5km. No pain at all till the last 10metres from the finish.

Yup. "AMAZING SHIT" was what I described the Vibrams in my running log

Since then, I have not felt the same sharp pain from my sole till this date. That is 63.6km of running without my plantar fascia flaring up. And considering that I am running at a pace between 30-40seconds faster per km and twice as much mileage per month this year, I cannot describe this experience without mentioning the word ‘miracle’ and you can probably only share my joy if you suffer the same conditions as me.

Any idiot can tell that the odd looking Vibram Five Fingers that I have been wearing for the last 4 weeks are not miracle shoes. They did not cure me of my plantar facsiitis as I still feel some distant strain on my plantar fascia during my runs but the sharp pain never came. But they did however, allowed me to reap the benefits of barefoot running while I keep my feet away from elements such as the rough asphalt, gravel, occasional small stones and frogs (yes I think I stepped on one the other day. Sorry dude).

I strengthened my calves and ankles that have been so shielded by those thick running shoes. I naturally changed my style of running to a mid/forefoot landing strike and I feel a much stronger runner in me when I take off running. I tried running in my clunky Asics the other day after 4 weeks of running in Vibrams and hated my whole run. My feet were heavy and I had no feedback from the ground at all through those huge pads of rubber in between my sensitive sole and the ground.

I know it all sounds too good to be true and so I am letting you on a reality check.

The top of right foot, right above the ball of my foot is now hurt and I think I have been too overwhelmed with running with the Vibrams that I have neglected the fact that I have been walking/running for at least 2 decades in thick soled shoes. My nearly naked feet are not conditioned to the kind of pounding I do on the asphalt roads and cement and I ignored the fact that I actually had to do a more gradual transition.

While I listen to my body this time and take a good break to let my foot recover, I am almost certain that barefoot running or in minimalistic shoes like the Vibram Five Fingers is extremely good for me. I probably need a whole year of running and even more to be sure of the benefits that has graced me so far and of course to make sure that I don’t solve a few problems and uncover a whole nest of bigger injury troubles.

But as far as I can tell right now. This is AMAZING SHIT.

If you are still skeptical, you can always incorporate some barefoot running on softer grounds like grass or track on top of your normal running or go purchase minimalistic shoes like the Nike Free so that you can run in things you still regard as shoes.

Do go read Christopher McDougall’s book titled “Born to Run” and be blowned away. (Still in stock at Kinokuniya I think…)

Or if you are already convinced by this post of mine, Vibram Five Fingers are sold in Singapore in quite a number of stores and the locations can be found here.

I’ll definitely keep running in them with the aim of completing my 1st marathon at the end of the year and I will update you guys with my progress in this blog!

Update (6 June 2011): 1,000km in Vibram Five Fingers

[Advertorial]

Ever had a wild idea or an imagination or something that you have always wanted to do but never had the means to do it?

How many times have you pushed that idea or dream far back in the deep recesses of your mind and told yourself that it is too far fetched and beyond your means of fulfilling?

What if someone came up to you, listened to your dream, your idea; and said, “Anything you can imagine, you can make real. And here is $100,000 to help you realize your dream.”

This is what Sony is going to do for you with their new global brand message “make.believe” (make-dot-believe).

• make.believe: [make-dot-believe] stands for the power of Sony’s creativity, ability to turn ideas into reality and the belief that anything you can imagine, you can make real.
• make.believe unites: designers and engineers, hardware and software, electronics and entertainment, and Sony and consumers.
• The dot in make.believe symbolizes the place where great things begin. It is where inspiration meets creativity, where creativity meets reality.
• make = action, do, build and design
• believe = spirit, think, imagine and dream

If you are a Singapore resident or a PR, aged 18 years and above, Sony wants to hear from you. Take part in their “Dot Your Dream With Sony Contest” and submit your dream that relates to any of the 4 categories of gaming, movies, music or technology. Sony will be offering up to $100,000 worth of sponsorship to help one winner realize his or her dream.

Sony is also holding a photo contest that will bring 8 lucky winners to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in Africa as fan photographers where you will be able to be right next to the action!

Individuals may enter both contests, so please do not miss these great opportunities. Visit the link below to find out more.

Sony make.believe

I’ve always loved playing the guitar and If I was eligible for the “Dot Your Dream With Sony Contest”, I would ask Sony to sponsor me an electric guitar, an acoustic electric guitar and a classical guitar (all top of the line and basically very expensive. hehehee…) and fly me to various countries to learn the various styles of guitar playing and immerse myself in the cultures and music while I’m there.

What is your big dream?

Share with me your dream by commenting below or better yet, share them here AND submit them in the make.believe contest.