Realized that my last 2 posts have been uncharacteristically long, maybe because i just wrote without thinking. a historical figure was quoted as saying, "i'd write you a shorter letter, but i didn't have the time". so, i'm aiming to go shorter, use more concise sentences, be direct to the points, and to spend more time proofreading before publishing.
information on JET came, but it was information that there was a delay in actual information. apparently the JET people needs more time to make a decision. for the record, i'm incredibly grateful that the embassy has been good on giving us updates within their stipulated deadlines. objectively, that's not saying much in terms of whether or not the program will go on as planned, so i'm trying to keep my perspective balanced. but there's this nagging fear that's been caused by the delay, because the outcomes linked to a delay generally aren't positive in my mind. well...i should remember that a delay may not always be bad - think of the people who got delayed going to work at the world trade centre on 11 september 2001; and try to keep neutral until the next update comes. the email said that a "few more days" are needed, so a reasonable time to gently request for an update would be...the middle of the month? i don't want to speculate too much, but it seems that schools in japan have been offering existing JETs (even those at the end of their candidature) the option to extend their contracts in view of COVID. so, available positions may be fewer than anticipated.
sent the car for servicing today, after making a carousell delivery. on the way to the buyer's house, i noticed that the mileage was dangerously close to the mileage where the next service was due. in getting to the workshop, i think i exceeded that by a couple of tens of km, but no harm done in the end. i'm sure they have some buffer time planned in, and the car won't just break down upon hitting 10000km after a servicing. i was in two minds about whether to service the car or not, considering that i might not be able to use it for very long more, but i figured that i should treat it well. after all, it's never let me down. and if i do end up selling it to my uncle, there's accountability on my end too.
while at the workshop, i was talking to the lady boss about politics. you know, upcoming election and all. apparently, more people are dissatisfied with the ruling party. but this same phenomenon was also observed last election, yet the ruling party came out of it stronger. i wonder if there's truth to the "silent majority, vocal minority" thing. or maybe it's confirmation bias. people who support a particular side will be more likely to surround themselves with fellow supporters, and be less interested in the goings-on of the other side. it also got me wondering about exactly how effective this campaigning is going to be. i'd actually be surprised to learn about any fence-sitters. singapore's political landscape is quite simple, i think. for me, i don't even bother with any of the party manifestos or whatever, because i already know exactly who i'm going to vote for, and no amount of campaigning by either side will change my mind. as i was driving around today, i noticed campaigning ads on lampposts. interestingly, the ruling party's ads were on top of the opposition's. i'm sure that there's no hidden meaning intended, but it could be read as the ruling party being "above" the opposition. i choose to read it a different way, though - that the opposition is closer to the (literal) grassroots.
got an income tax bill, for the first time ever! i'm only paying slightly above the bare minimum, so i think that's acceptable. now i can finally use "as a taxpayer..." in arguments. although realistically, the amount of tax i'm due to pay is what an MP makes in like, a quarter of a day. oh, that reminds me. i need to find out about the tax arrangements if i work in japan.
last point, on scambaiting (refer to yesterday's post for details). i realize that i feel vindictively happy that the scammers are getting scammed. what the guy said was true - the longer the scammers were tied up on the phone with him, the less time they had to scam unsuspecting people. still amazes me that people fall for the scams, because the scammers are stupid and can't hold a lie together. but at the same time, i acknowledge old people who are unfamiliar with technology may feel pressured or intimidated into following the instructions. the reason i feel joy, and vindictive joy in particular when these scammers fall for the bait, is because those scammers are getting a taste of their own medicine. i've heard them get downright abusive to who they think is an old lady on the other end of the line, with shouting, cursing, etc. i wonder if that's a problem with india. granted, i don't know much about the country or its culture, but news reports about gang rape and torture seem to suggest that it's still very male-centric, and women are treated as inferior, or even as objects to serve men. quite infuriating. that's how prejudice starts, i guess. something negative about a race/country/religion becomes a stereotype, and that stereotype spreads far and wide to the point where an average person from that race/country/religion gets profiled. i guess it's important to remember that not everyone is bad, but the few bad eggs cause the whole image to be tainted.
information on JET came, but it was information that there was a delay in actual information. apparently the JET people needs more time to make a decision. for the record, i'm incredibly grateful that the embassy has been good on giving us updates within their stipulated deadlines. objectively, that's not saying much in terms of whether or not the program will go on as planned, so i'm trying to keep my perspective balanced. but there's this nagging fear that's been caused by the delay, because the outcomes linked to a delay generally aren't positive in my mind. well...i should remember that a delay may not always be bad - think of the people who got delayed going to work at the world trade centre on 11 september 2001; and try to keep neutral until the next update comes. the email said that a "few more days" are needed, so a reasonable time to gently request for an update would be...the middle of the month? i don't want to speculate too much, but it seems that schools in japan have been offering existing JETs (even those at the end of their candidature) the option to extend their contracts in view of COVID. so, available positions may be fewer than anticipated.
sent the car for servicing today, after making a carousell delivery. on the way to the buyer's house, i noticed that the mileage was dangerously close to the mileage where the next service was due. in getting to the workshop, i think i exceeded that by a couple of tens of km, but no harm done in the end. i'm sure they have some buffer time planned in, and the car won't just break down upon hitting 10000km after a servicing. i was in two minds about whether to service the car or not, considering that i might not be able to use it for very long more, but i figured that i should treat it well. after all, it's never let me down. and if i do end up selling it to my uncle, there's accountability on my end too.
while at the workshop, i was talking to the lady boss about politics. you know, upcoming election and all. apparently, more people are dissatisfied with the ruling party. but this same phenomenon was also observed last election, yet the ruling party came out of it stronger. i wonder if there's truth to the "silent majority, vocal minority" thing. or maybe it's confirmation bias. people who support a particular side will be more likely to surround themselves with fellow supporters, and be less interested in the goings-on of the other side. it also got me wondering about exactly how effective this campaigning is going to be. i'd actually be surprised to learn about any fence-sitters. singapore's political landscape is quite simple, i think. for me, i don't even bother with any of the party manifestos or whatever, because i already know exactly who i'm going to vote for, and no amount of campaigning by either side will change my mind. as i was driving around today, i noticed campaigning ads on lampposts. interestingly, the ruling party's ads were on top of the opposition's. i'm sure that there's no hidden meaning intended, but it could be read as the ruling party being "above" the opposition. i choose to read it a different way, though - that the opposition is closer to the (literal) grassroots.
got an income tax bill, for the first time ever! i'm only paying slightly above the bare minimum, so i think that's acceptable. now i can finally use "as a taxpayer..." in arguments. although realistically, the amount of tax i'm due to pay is what an MP makes in like, a quarter of a day. oh, that reminds me. i need to find out about the tax arrangements if i work in japan.
last point, on scambaiting (refer to yesterday's post for details). i realize that i feel vindictively happy that the scammers are getting scammed. what the guy said was true - the longer the scammers were tied up on the phone with him, the less time they had to scam unsuspecting people. still amazes me that people fall for the scams, because the scammers are stupid and can't hold a lie together. but at the same time, i acknowledge old people who are unfamiliar with technology may feel pressured or intimidated into following the instructions. the reason i feel joy, and vindictive joy in particular when these scammers fall for the bait, is because those scammers are getting a taste of their own medicine. i've heard them get downright abusive to who they think is an old lady on the other end of the line, with shouting, cursing, etc. i wonder if that's a problem with india. granted, i don't know much about the country or its culture, but news reports about gang rape and torture seem to suggest that it's still very male-centric, and women are treated as inferior, or even as objects to serve men. quite infuriating. that's how prejudice starts, i guess. something negative about a race/country/religion becomes a stereotype, and that stereotype spreads far and wide to the point where an average person from that race/country/religion gets profiled. i guess it's important to remember that not everyone is bad, but the few bad eggs cause the whole image to be tainted.
-random thought of the day: Hoping for change.-
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