Resume blogging

I have not posted anything on my blog for a long time, though I have continued penning my thoughts offline. The reason was because my last post on the homeless issue seemed to have been picked up in several quarters, and concerns arose on whether my posts would be taken as the official position of the Reform Party. I deliberated over whether I should stop blogging or clear the content with the party before posting. The latter, frankly speaking, is something I will not like to do. But then, life is not always about my own personal likes/dislikes. The irony of becoming gagged or muffled upon joining a political party is not lost on me either. And so I mulled over this for a long time. Yes, I know 2 months is a long time to mull over this, but I am by nature a cautious person, and I wanted to be sure. [And yes, I know the question this begs asking is “If you are so cautious, why did you join an opposition party”. Ahh, the answer to that question is so complex, it would be like trying to tell my whole life story, and I am not about to commit political suicide by boring netizens to death. Instead, I shall attempt to give interested persons the means to draw their own conclusions, by writing more diligently on my blog.]

I place the blame of my previous dilemma squarely on Kor Kian Beng’s shoulders. [Kian Beng , if you are reading this, I am only half joking.] A press release from the party was sent to the Straits Times about our Education Seminar and a brief description of the speakers. I admit I totally did not see what was coming. I was naively expecting publicity on the education seminar and marveling at the support shown by the ST towards this event. The resulting article was all about scholars joining the opposition, and not a word about the seminar appeared. What an effective lesson on newsworthiness that was. I shall not make the same mistake twice.

Before the article, I was expecting to start my new journey in obscurity, taking my time to learn the ropes, for I feel I am but a baby in the new world that I have ventured into. Life seldom goes according to plan does it? Rightly or wrongly, because of the article, I have felt compelled to accelerate my learning curve, and it is a lot more work than I had anticipated. There is so much information that I need, but no easy way of finding it. Pouring through the Hansard required all my determination to keep at it. Sigh, fictions are so much easier reads. So please, anyone out there – journalist, researchers, librarians, students - who knows of any useful and reliable resources accessible to individuals, do let me know.

Justin told me I should not allow myself to be rushed just because of that article. But if there is one lesson I learnt very much to heart in my 17 years of working life, it is the importance of managing expectations. That article has raised expectations that I must recognize and take into account in my decisions. In any case, it is not pushing me into a path I do not wish to take, merely hurrying me along.

Hence the decision to continue blogging. This will be my way of managing expectations. What I am, what I am not, what I believe in, what I hope for, let it be out in the open way before any decision needs to be made. As indicated in my revised header, all opinions expressed here are my own, not to be taken as the Reform Party’s official position.

Please do not presume anything just because I was a scholar. It only meant I was very good in mathematics (and that is something I will unashamedly admit, I am very good in mathematics and modesty can go take a hike.) But whether I will be any good as a politician, please keep an open mind.

I have found the cyberworld to be a totally different world. What I see and hear on the net, and what I see and hear in my physical life, from friends, relatives, colleagues and people I meet on walkabouts form two totally different pictures. It would therefore be dangerous to start to believe that the cyberworld is reflective of the real, but I have found it a perfect environment to put one’s ideas under scrutiny. Nobody is going to hold any punches. If there are holes, somebody will find it. What better place to train yourself to think and write with discipline?

I am all in anticipation.