"The Best I Could"

For my non-FB friends, a review of a book that I just read:

"The Best I Could", by Suhhas Anandan
An interesting read indeed into the minds and early years of Singapore's best criminal lawyer. About what makes him tick; the early years that he experiences that shapes him to what he is today, a brazen, but dedicated defence lawyer that will almost go all out to defend his clients, no matter that most of them are people whom the public have already 'convict'. What sets him apart is not the fact that he defends them for the sake of defending them, but more so in the belief that the system works and that it should and ought to work even for those that the public have already made up their minds. It's about the very ideals that even the worst of criminals do deserve a fair hearing at the courts. And interestingly, his own reflections also mentioned about possibilities, about whether some of the things that he has done are correct, especially so when one hears of criminals returning back to their old ways because they had gotten away in their earlier transgressions. The last chapter about keeping promises also throws a light on his innate character, of one who would keep up to his end of the deal, and seems to me to be the most touching too.

When the butterfly flutter its wings?

Have you heard of the butterfly effect? The effect that theorizes the possibility that when a butterfly flaps its wings in China, it can actually cause a storm in the West. Well it is really hard to believe that such a thing can possibly happen, but after having several bouts and moments of the 'fluttering butterfly effect' over the last few years, I just can't help but to revisit some of the milestones in my life, and reflect about the decisions and possibilities that I have made. You know those forked paths in your live that forces you to make a decision, to choose a path to move ahead, to select a major one that perhaps could have repercussions and implications to what is going to happen to you further down your journeys. I know I have a couple of those, in fact I think quite a number of those, some of which I must say still left me with that niggling feeling of, 'What would happen to me if I chose the other one?'. I must say there were a few major ones that I came across, perhaps to name one is that time when I rejected the PSC scholarship that was offered to me way back in early 1990's! Sometimes I do wonder what would happen to me right now if I were to take up that scholarship, I mean it might just be a life-changer, but then again, it might not be after all! No one would ever know right?

And how about that decision by my father to travel southwards from his hometown in Johor down to Singapore, when he was just a teenager? What would happen if he did not even want to make that move, that journey! Maybe, just maybe i might not even exist, or perhaps might be know as irfan 'something', or might be known by any other name except irfan darian. Funny how things just seems to fall in place, somehow...everytime.

Maybe that is why I am an optimist, a cynical idealistic optimist! Because I also do believe that everything happens for a reason, whether good or bad...there's always a reason! They call it 'Hikmah'.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

It has been a wild ride so far, a ride that surprisingly I won't trade places for anything else, a ride perhaps that could only happen once, or even twice in a person's life, much like marriage I guess. It is one of those things that would sap almost everything out of you, but would then reward you with an infinite degree of satisfaction. Crazy? Sadistic? Haha, nah...it is just one of those things that I feel I just needed to do, to perhaps be the change, or to make that change, rather than waiting for someone to make that change, or something to happen! After all, it is not everyday in your life that you'll be part of something new, or exciting, and in my case, both!

But people do ask why do we want to change at all? Why after the work that I have done and established, do I want to fix something that ain't broke! Well I think it is not about fixing something that is broke. And firstly, it ain't even broke! It is about teaching and educating after all, not about teaching the subject, but about teaching the child, no, it is about EDUCATING the child. Because i do feel that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, we'll just make it better!

Tolerance of an idealist

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's National Day Rally speech spoke about how so very important religious and cultural tolerance is in this pluralistic society of ours. About how the need for one group to be socially, culturally and religiously (SCR) aware of others is so important, less we become an Asian Bosnia! There could never be a place, or space, for any form of SCR chauvinism of sorts in our society, and these was clearly demonstrated when PM Lee talks in great length, and in fact apportioned a significant portion of his speech on this. This is something that perhaps must be constantly, and continually be emphasised, especially to the younger generations, as they are the ones who are ill-equipped with the experiential accounts of what going along the wrong path have led to in the past, and more so with the instant connectivity that the world has to offer right now, and their greater exposure to external influences, both good and bad.

Which led to one idea that pops up in my head during one of my intellectual discourses with my significant other a few days ago. The fact here is that we do have Muslims, or for that matter, non-Christian students studying in mission schools; why can't we then extend this concept to the local madrasahs (Islamic religious schools)? Is it possible for our madrasahs to open up their schools to non-Muslim students, who just wants to study about Islam a little deeper, without perhaps being burdened with the pressure of becoming a Muslim in the end, or without being proselytized by the academic staff and/or others? Would our educational landscape generally, and perhaps the Islamic one specifically, be open to such an idea? Perhaps only time can tell.

Testing out Google Maps function

I'm just testing out a Google Maps function by embedding this into one of my blog entries. It's a route map to travel from Clementi Avenue 6, where my current school is located, to Tampines Avenue 1 (just a hypothetical destination).


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