Tempering Dreams With Harsh Reality
Photo: Flickr User Yan Arief
TANKING economy, check; struggling newspaper industry, check; few opportunities for fresh young talent, check.
So why would any fresh graduate choose to quadruple his student debt by going straight into graduate journalism school, only to enter an industry that is seemingly devoid of opportunities?
Well, I did. My friends thought I was insane, but I could not imagine doing anything else. I guess I also wanted to attend Columbia Journalism School because the idea of hazarding a calculated risk appealed to me.
Economic Logic Alone Does Not Make a “Home”
Photo: Flickr User besar bear
What makes a country a home? Is it emotional ties or pure economic self-interest?
Linda Lim posed this question in a Straits Times article published June 19 and it has lingered in my mind ever since, particularly at the Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum held Aug. 31 at the NUS Theatrette.
Singapore’s manpower minister, Ng Eng Hen was the minister in attendance as he suggested how the Singapore graduate can “stand tall in a shrinking world”. He talked about the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the Singapore graduate and suggested we have to improve if we were to take advantage of future opportunities in an increasingly globalised world.
It all sounded so familiar. Ng cached his argument in an unmistakable economic paradigm that has come to characterize the PAP government. But should the only logic that prevails on most occasions be economic in a home? While it is important to embrace this global human flow, is Singapore embracing this at the risk of alienating Singaporeans?
A Glimpse of the Little Red Dot
Singapore Lights Timelapse from Weehan Yeo on Vimeo.
This beautiful visual multimedia collage of the Singapore landscape was found via @mrbrown/mrbrown.com.
ClementTan.com goes live!
It’s a little symbolic: this site is going ‘live’ as I am preparing to graduate from the Columbia Journalism School. I am so ready to be a real journalist for a real publication. Now for the task of convincing somebody in Washington D.C. to give me my big break. In the mean time, this site will contain my thoughts and observations on news, politics, economics and culture. Let me know what you think.
A Singaporean journalist most recently based in Washington, DC, I am into all things political and economic, particularly stories on how policy affects ordinary people. I also drink tea, love food and films, watch most sports with a vengeance, dig live bands at cafes and always hope to travel more. This is my website and will remain a fairly static online repository of my work.