http://connie.sg Connie writes about the topics close to her heart, such as music, literature, ideas, people, life, and her undying love for learning. Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:58:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en I am a very tolerant person. I respect all races, all religions. Indeed I celebrate multi-culturalism. So I am rather disturbed by my own discomfort over the increasing number of foreigners in our midst. Why am I uncomfortable? Why am I irritated when I confront language difficulties with service staff? ... http://connie.sg/2010/09/03/why-do-i-feel-like-a-foreigner-in-my-own-country/ I made my first visit to Colombo last week to find a city that has lost its shine through the years of ethnic violence. It survives like an old lady, once gracious and grand and now fallen on hard times. Its people divided; many of its citizens in refugee camps ... http://connie.sg/2010/07/11/my-life-and-times-a-visit-to-colombo/ Somebody famous noted that the anticipation and the preparation for a holiday is more delightful than the holiday itself. I disagree. For me preparation is filled with anxiety about making arrangements to water the plants, pay the bills, cancel deliveries, secure the house, decide what to pack - not ... http://connie.sg/2010/07/07/holidays/ Festivals are my favourite time of the year. They do come one after another. First the Hari Raya Puasa, then Deepavali, followed by Christmas and finally Christmas. I visited Little India the day after Deepavali with my friend Lilly, who to my amazement was visiting Little India and eating Dosai ... http://connie.sg/2009/10/30/deepavali-lights-in-little-india/ I promised to write about my discussion with my groups of friends about our beliefs, our sense of who we are , our values and makes us happy. My group had a lively discussion on the subject of identity. I think the problem is that we can't get away from our 'roles' ... http://connie.sg/2009/10/28/who-am-i/ It has been a week since my fall and I am still confined to home and nursing a painful ankle and wrist. I can see myself thus confined for some weeks and it is in times like these that I am reminded of  the increasing vulnerability of aging, especially for ... http://connie.sg/2009/09/20/poverty-of-spirit/ Maybe you should come to Perth and learn to live a quiet life and learn that you are no longer the centre of things, my sister said. My term as president of AWARE was over and the trauma of the take over by a group of women who had a different ... http://connie.sg/2009/09/18/86/ The scene was the newly upgraded and landscaped entrance of the MacRitchie Reservoir and I was enjoying the sun-drenched morning. The sun  glistened through the freshly watered plants; the sunbirds flitted about, flying from one wet bush to another. The morning was fresh. The garden was lush, green, and delightful. Suddenly ... http://connie.sg/2009/09/01/the-ugly-singaporean/ I cannot helping thinking of the role of prisons in preparing prisoners to re-enter society? I have been following the court case of three inmates who assaulted a fellow cell mate and inflicted the  most degrading acts on a fellow prisoner and human being. Should the objective of imprisonment be only punishment ... http://connie.sg/2009/07/15/prisons-and-prisoners/ I am going through what is referred to as 'a pause'. A 'pause' is a time, an 'inbetween' time between 'projects' 'life transformations' , jobs etc anyway you got my drift. it is also an important point of time in one's life for reflection and relaxation. I have just stepped down ... http://connie.sg/2009/07/11/a-pause/