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Ok this has been a long time coming but I’m so disappointed with Singapore’s drivers. After catching cabs and buses around I know too well why the MRT is so popular.

For a country with some well constructed and maintained roads the drivers certainly don’t match. They just don’t know what they’re doing half the time drifting in and out of lanes, they’ll suddenly slow to a crawl in the right lane of a freeway without reason and completely ignore roadsigns and do whatever they feel like merely because they’re oblivious and not paying attention. This happens in Australia every so often but they do this all of the time here.

Now the thing that gets to me the most is that people aren’t taught how to operate the simple controls of a car properly. I live near a driving school and the instructors never have them at full speed, they’re always going 10-20kph where I’m from you’re expected to do the speed limit from your first lessson on the road, none of this pussy footing around.

Singaporean drivers seem to think that the brake and accelorator are digital on/off inputs. So follows are some basic diagrams and pointers for those uninitiated:

Now at driving school I was taught to brake like the diagram above. Good braking is like a good poo. It’s tapered at both ends. Now for the most part accelerating is the same and you can replace the words brake with accelerating in most of my diagrams. Now I’m talking for the everyday operation of vehicles on the road that this is the desired pattern for braking and accelerating. Come raceday you’ll find all sorts of other things going on through the pedals, heel and toeing, trailbraking, double declutching, flat changes but you need not know any of those just to drive your auto-econobox around Singapore.

Ok so jump in a bus, train or taxi in Singapore and you’ll experience braking and acceleration per the diagram below.

Now that’s not a seismic graph from an earthquake but how your average Singaporean brakes. They jolt the pedal the full amount repeatedly on and off until all the passengers are scattered all over the floor or your neck is feeling like you’ve been to a Bon Jovi concert. So they erratically pump the pedal and think they’ve slowed enough, that’s the pause in the middle and then go crazy again. Basically when you get on public transport grab the nearest pole and hold on tight so you’ll be ok when the driver decides he wants to do his best Eddie Van Halen impression (or have an epileptic fit, whichever you find more appropriate). As you alight the bus take a deep breath before the doors open to prevent being overcome by the smell of molten asbestos.

It would seem that not everyone here drives in the manner above consistently yet there is an entirely different form of braking that’s worth a mention.

This should be called Horror Movie braking since things slowly get more and more tense then all of a sudden blam! you’re launched through the windscreen. It’s the worst on public transport because you’re slowly moving to the tips of your toes trying to stay upright and then they spike the brake and you’ve found yourself in some auntie’s lap.

Gears are another matter all together since drivers here seriously don’t understand how things really work. There’s rarely been a taxi ride that the driver hasn’t tried taking off from a set of lights in 3rd gear and you can hear the poor little motor choking as it tries to put out the torque to get you moving. It’s funny that they love their turbos so much here, even though you can only get to boost when you’ve picked the right gear. Although too much power makes for bad driving too as I saw some tool riding the clutch in his Lambo for the length of a road the other night. If you buy something like that learn to drive it.

When it comes to understanding road holding Taxi drivers are quite scary since they drive the same in the wet as the dry and attack corners like Schumacher on acid. Although one taxi driver I was with takes the cake when he first dropped me at the goods entrance to a mall and had difficulty going up the tiled incline to get to it. It was wet and he hesitated when he first turned in and then proceeded to just keep applying more power and wondered by the car wasn’t moving. He said something in Chinese which I think must have been “what the hell is going on” from the look on his face. He rolled back down and let me out as I walked past the two rich black ones he’d left on the white tiles.

The other day I saw a driving school car break down in the middle lane of a road, coolant was pissing out the bottom of it. Another driving school car, driven by a student who was directed by the instructor to stop next to the broken car in the remaining lane. Traffic ground to a halt as the instructor then hopped out and began walking around the car talking and gesturing. I offered to help push the car off the road but was refused and then they first tried pushing the car in Park, not once did they look under the car or hood. Yeah I’d feel confident learning from those guys.

So yeah don’t come to Singapore expecting to find driving any fun.

A Study in Contraditions

Australian PM-elect seen as a ‘glass that holds our hopes’

A MAN of obscure beginnings turned leader of a continent. A left-winger from one of Australia’s most conservative states. A pious Christian who got drunk in a New York strip club.

Australia’s Prime Minister-elect Kevin Rudd - who led his Labor Party to a sweeping victory over outgoing PM John Howard in Saturday’s general elections - is a study in contradictions.

Intelligent and articulate, the 50-year old Mr Rudd’s first words to the Australian public as PM-elect were “Okay guys” as he gestured for quiet.

The boy who grew up to become a left-wing leader from Queensland was born to a farmer who was a member of the conservative Country Party. His father’s death in a car accident in 1969 left the family reliant on the charity of relatives and neighbours - a period that shaped his socialist leanings.

Now after a meteoric rise from obscurity, Mr Rudd - a former diplomat who spent 10 years as a state bureaucrat - is a public figure whom Australia and the world is still getting to know. And the question on their minds: Can he deliver?

——-

That’s the opening excerpt from this free newspaper, Today which is delivered to your doorstep for free each day, that is akin to the MX newpaper in Melbourne . It’s trash and propaganda most of the time but often if there’s a big story they’ll cover it. To their credit, Kevin Rudd’s win in the Australian Election was front page news unlike the full page adverts of the last week. (It’s also the first paper I’ve seen to have advertising impinging visually on editorial content).

Interesting to see how people in other places in the world want to spin Australia’s news. Singapore being a capitalist focused non-democratic state didn’t mind spinning this later in the article “Mr Rudd’s pledge to revoke Mr Howard’s controversial labour laws….because of the perception that the laws erode worker rights.”

It’s a bit sad that Singaporeans don’t get to hear the real state of play but what’s worse is they don’t really care. Kinda sounds like another country I know….

In the face of this world’s graft and injustice
I’ll praise You
Through shit and sorrow
You’re still greater than anything that of this world
Your authority is supreme in my impotence
Your justice is peerless to my corruption

With you there’s nothing to expose because you know it all

I know her approval won’t save me
I know his acceptance won’t either
I know their praise matters not since they can’t fulfill the depths of love that this heart needs.
Only You are great enough to uphold this life of your creation

When I feel ashamed of my life
You will still Love me
When I fear my own negligence
You still Love me
When I’m overcome with insolence
You still Love me

You are faithful when all the people of this world cut and run
You are steadfast when all my success tastes bitter
You are unswerving when I lose faith

Crash my heart
Rebuild it a new

Sometimes (rarely) lyrics to songs do a better job of expressing feelings than the gaping whole in my face. Now all these songs are a from when I was in school and funnily enough one was written in part by a classmate. Yet sometimes the lyrics don’t reach fruition until long after the song has lost it’s concurrence. That said the Seraph’s track is timeless and that’s why one day I want it played at my funeral.

Seraph’s Coal - Long Distance Call

There is a way
That seems right to a Man
But in the end leads to destruction
There is a means
A means set to it’s end
Fulfilment found finds destruction.
And there’s no other way
Within distance of our Reasoning
And there’s no other way
Save sweet surrender,
Every tower that we build
In the name of Mind and power of Man
Will be levelled to the ground
Leaving us render, a call for sweet surrender.
Remember the thoughts of yester-Man
easy come, easy go, easy gone.

STR - Never The Less

Through all that I’ve accomplished, what have I learned
to stop the suffering that I still cause
Living by example but falling short
of what you called me to be
and now I say
what’s meant to be is not reality
just fantasy

And now the promised life I strive for
A better life than what we had before
To know that I will fall down, on my knees (I’m falling)
And it never seems to end
And now I fall down, on my knees (I’m falling)
To know one day my hopelessness will end

And yes I fall but it never seems to….

Emery - Ponytail Parades

three sleepless nights
this isn’t how its supposed to be
but you’re so good at taking your time to get back to me
and i will wait for you forever
if you would just ask me
and i thought that i could change you, but you’ve changed me

it doesn’t feel right holding someone elses hand
together on phone lines, living at two opposite ends
it scares me to think that you could find takers other than me
and better than me

but your head is elsewhere and i’m talking enough for the both of us
when will you see? it’s not (it’s not) so easy for me

But youre careless (i fall from ) and whisper (your eyes)
(i trusted) insulting and bruising (i thought that you said forever)
and i thought that you said things were improving
these laces are untied, but my feet are walking away.walking away.
(laces .. are .. untied .. but my feet .. are walking away)

i never thought that you could say these words, is this really happening?
i never thought that you could say these words, is this really happening?
(don’t say ..)
i never thought that you could say these words, is this really happening?
(don’t say that we ..)
i never thought that you could say these words, is this really happening?
(don’t say that we can still be .. )
i never thought that you could say these words, is this really happening?
(don’t say that we can still be friends.. )

how can you take all these days?
(what is inside me, what have i done?)

and throw them away
(is this the only way that you’ll notice me?)

as i sit here waiting for you.
(dead words for closed ears all this is sung for you)

i stay up nights
(if youre still pretending this is whats right)

until stars leave the sky
(why cant you look at me can you only see)

knowing what my dreams take away
(one side your side, can take away)
And given that the two Adelaide bands have long since broken up I’m going to stick their Mp3’s here under the condition that you only listen to them once and delete them (and there’s only here for a little while eg. a week or until Dan or Josh tell me to get rid of them.) Emery you can get on their purevolume.com page and hell even download it there for free.

STR - Never the Less

Seraphs Coal - Long Distance Call

He was probably the last person you’d want to listen to talk about sex. I’d found my way at the last minute to the 5pm young adults meeting held at the St. Andrews Anglican in the centre of City district and the talk was being given by a middle aged Indian man, yeah as far away from my expectation could be. As I squirmed away in the pew the second floor of this subterranean church building that had been rather eloquently constructed in the grounds next to the grand old cathedral, I became intrigued as he laid a framework for what Christian sexuality looks like. It was simple yet on the other hand it had a lot of weight behind it.

The things of note that I took away from it is that when looking at what sexuality should look like was the re-integration of the body into our concept of our identity with Christ (so our relationship with Christ isn’t just spiritual, ok something that Willard spends a long time explaining in Renovation of the Heart) and secondly that our sexuality needs to be viewed through loving (which I read as: healthy God glorifying) relationships, that’s all of them of all gender combinations. When working from the concept that our sexuality was created perfect yet it’s been corrupted. Sexuality without a external anchor becomes a self-centred act that can be restored through the way we bring our lives to Christ. For some reason typing this here makes me realise it’s nothing I haven’t heard before just there’s something different about the way I heard it today.

Something I always struggle with is discussing sexuality with people without a similar faith as myself yet they still experience the painful and unfulfilling side of it. If loving relationships are the crux of the matter then you can’t be experiencing the destructive side of it without your relationship being unloving. Ouch really starts getting messy here. From what I’ve experienced through to what I’ve discussed with Christians, non-Christians and hell even rapists is that sexuality is really one of the most important parts of our character and defines how we relate to and perceive those around us. It’s something that I want to see transformed in my life more than most!

Well I’ve been in Singapore for a few days and I’m trying to get settled but it’s really hard. My only point of reference is the Philips office whereas every other time I’ve moved I’ve always made contact with a church prior to arriving and that made a huge difference.

One of the recommendations that I had was to head to City Harvest (Singapore’s biggest church) because it has great worship and “the spirit of God is moving there”. Hey I love great worship times as much as the next guy but it’s something that it’s style comes down to taste thus it’s not critical to choice. Also given that sometimes “feeling the spirit of God” can just come down to what you ate before you went to church that’s neither a good selection criteria. Hey I need to feel good about a place but then if you’re willing to overlook that it’s not really challenging you because it makes you feel good then that’s not right.

So to get some better understandings of what these churches are on about I’ve been listening to sermons online which is such a good help. It helps you to understand what the leaders in the church are really focused on. I listened to one entitled “money, marriage & mortgage” by Kong Hee from City Harvest and it was a hour long investment seminar without one reference to Christ. It was also littered with subjective statements of “truth” that had no biblical or even quantitative basis. Sure there was some good points about using money but when you exhort people to budget and then round out with a story of throwing everything you’ve got into the offering, encouraging people to do likewise, you’ve got some problems. A fair statement about Singapore would be that the national objective is improving their status and financial position so if you’ve got a church (or should I say churches) that feed that then you’re going to be popular, which unfortunately discipleship of Christ isn’t. Don’t know how you can spend an hour telling us that “Our God is a debt cancelling God.” and not mention the real debt that Christ cancelled when he took the fall for us.

Something that I’ve become aware of after doing MTP and other work with Mark at Christ Church is how groups need tasks to unify around. Whilst I only have a juvenile understanding of such group dynamics it’s clear that all too often churches fall into the trap of spending their piety focused on building programs, bringing about the full reformation of the state of Israel (so Jesus can come back…), single handedly saving the world for Christ, ending global poverty, defending their group from dissolution or appeasing God through ritual acts. Whether or not doing these things are right or wrong isn’t the point of this discussion but when they become the core objective of the church and not the pursuit of lives lived in relationship with Christ is when they actually stop operating as a church, they’re just community programs with a spiritual bent.

I really want to want to find a Church, I’m sure they’re here but I’m starting to wonder how you find one and a group of like minded, similarly aged and interested people who are of a culture I can relate to if they don’t even have a website. Where do the international knowledge professionals who don’t want to be consumed with their lives and rather who want to be disciples of Christ meet in Singapore?

Ok enough about trying to find a church. My real problem at hand is trying to find a house. I’m more than a little miffed that it would seem that Singapore’s real estate industry doesn’t know what a 1 bedroom apartment or something smaller than 800sq ft is because I would more than happily trade that space so I can get closer to work! I’ve been left with a choice, live an hour away from work in a nice apartment or live half hour away in something that I’m just not going to be comfortable in without dropping a lot of cash on dressing up. So this is where my question about church is fair and valid as I don’t want to have to travel >1 hour to just get to church on a Sunday. Also why haven’t Singaporean Churches got evening services! What’s up with that! (correction: Charlotte pointed me to one but hey it’s just one!)

Ok as much as Singapore gets praise for thinking about infrastructure they waste so much space on things that appear to have been culturalised in their financial growth. One example is privately developed condominiums. The state housing (HDB) is better planned for building communities with sections set aside for shops, clinics, markets and easy access to transport. Condo’s on the other hand are often designed around plusher looks and ego stroking features; kitsch themes, pools, gyms, courts (tho not basketball) and leave the other (read: real) needs of a residential location to the regions surrounding the complex which may or may not be just more condo’s. As a foreigner you’re stuck with the Condos and really they’re getting just getting more features and fancier, whilst reducing the size of an apartment and without adding what you really want; easy access to the other parts of your life with a unique environment that’s developed by the people living there. These developments are the Singaporean equivalent to the gated satellite towns being developed in Australia that lack any real culture. It’s part of our security, comfort and out-sourcing attitude that’s just pushing us further away from genuine relationships with other people. Someone I was talking to tonight made a good comment that these places are for people who have families and thus you don’t need to travel around and meet people because you want to live in your own bubble. Being young and single I can’t think of anything worse.

One thing I’ve noticed about the HDB flats is the big spacious labyrinths of concrete around the grounds of each complex. It amazes me as if we built these things in Australia, they’d become “ghettos” (in the American usage, I don’t think Warsaw could happen there!) as people would end up loitering around getting into trouble yet here they’re squeaky clean assumedly due to the strong arm of the law.

So I’m trying to figure out what’s the lesser of two evils; Spending 2 hours travelling to work, to Church & to spend time with friends or living in an apartment that makes me feel depressed. Rather than making a choice for the better it seems like which one is going to make me feel less crap!

Ok it’s time for an official announcement.

My visa application has been accepted by the Singapore govt. to take up a role with Philips Design (yes the people who make TVs, Lights and CT Scanners) for the role of Senior Designer, Visual Interface focused on Consumer Electronics (TV, DVD/PVR and Remotes). The dead simple way of explaining what I’ll be doing is  designing what happens on the screen when you press a button on the remote. The fancy sounding version is I’ll be working with the interaction design team to devise simpler and more elegant ways of navigating your media.

It’s a 3 year contract and I’ll be moving there on the 12th of Sept after some time out in Adelaide. It’s an awesome opportunity so I’m happy to be taking it up.

Now it would also be true to say that I’ve got a lot of nerves about this, a lot more than any other move after things went so bad in HK. Deep down I do want this, I wouldn’t have fought so hard to get  the interview otherwise but I’m also freaking scared. It’s certainly something worth feeling great about and praising God for just I’d still appreciate prayer for my knotted heart at the moment.

I hope to catch up with as many of you as I can before I head off on the next leg of my life!

I’m so thankful that I serve a creator who’s greatest delight is taking what was once barren, desolate and neglected, and to then restore them beyond their first creation. What was once a place of shame and depression is now smarting with beauty and radiance. Although such amazing transformation is never forced upon the recipient, it can only occur when the poverty and destruction is offered in full clarity of what it is. No matter how it may try the broken place can never rebuild itself under it’s own power, as how can what is failed beget righteousness alone. Oh how wonderful it is to walk in this city renovated from abandon. It’s just peaceful.

Dear Father, I have experienced the selfishness of others as they’ve sought to fulfill their insecurities through the lives of others. I’d dearly ask that you wont allow these sins to go on unpunished. For it is not vengance I seek but I long to see their cycle broken. Lord stand for the oppressed and bring these sins to the full awareness of their perpetrators. These people have been making victims of your children. So I call upon you to arise and bring justice. I do long to see you bring these people back to you, yet if that is not your will then I know your perfect justice and love will see to the payment of these misdeeds.

My creator, I come to you in petition once more.

I have cast my eyes upon this world and again have been filled with sorrow. For all we strive for and celebrate is yet but a glimmer of the world you concieved. Alongside your beauty and elegant design we have sought to build our own and it is nothing but a cheap imitaion. We applaud our own accomplishments through which we seek to further our own miniscule fame and glory. How I long for you to bring yourself to us so we can see that all we hold dear is just a falicy of mind. I long for you to bring down your justice. Lord vanquish evil. Lord reconcile the people of this world to you. Let us not strive for the vanity of life apart from you.