SCHOOL UNIFORM
January 30, 2002
4 singapore primary 1 girls face suspension because they wear a tudong to school. A tudong is the traditional muslim head scarf.
QUOTA FOR WOMEN
January 30, 2002
in the national university of singapore medical school, there is a quota for the number of female medicine students it can accepts. it’s not a good investment they say because female doctors marry, bear children and stop working.
WHEN DOES IT FEEL LIKE HOME?
January 9, 2002
last january 6th marked my 5th month stay here in singapore. it’s been good really. it feels like home already.
when does it feel like home?
when you walk the streets and you feel like its the most natural thing to do in the world. there’s no alienation anymore – just a normal feeling of belonging.
"ON WRITING"
January 9, 2002
i got a copy of stephen king’s “on writing” at the airport on my way home to manila. it’s in my bag and keeping me company on my bus ride to and from work. very interesting – makes me want to go ahead and write my own story about the couple in new york he mentions in his exercise.
in my version though, it happens in the slum area of bagong barrio, kalookan. the husband abuses the wife and has incest with his daughter. one night in a fit of rage, the husband accidentally hits his wife in the face and head. she goes crazy. he goes to jail. the daughter grows up in the streets of monumento – sniffing glue and selling her body to the bus drivers who ply the UE Kalookan – Baclaran route. they do it at night in a makeshift banig, right below the statue of andres bonifacio.
happy new year 2002!
fresh start, new country, new job. oh the possibilities are endless.
SERIAL ARSONIST
January 3, 2002
i learned a new phrase today – “Serial Arsonist”
apparently there are people in australia who deliberately set those forest fires currently raging accross sydney. the people who are doing this are doing it repeatedly in many different areas.
we are living in a twisted world.
batjay\'s world 