We have moved to keemin.blogspot.com. Sorry for the inconvenience caused.

adieu, to you and you and you...

Well, the time has come. I'm folding up this tent and moving on to another quarter of the blogosphere. It was fun to be "A Christian Goes to Law School." But ultimately I decided that I am more than just those labels, and it was getting a little too tedious to maintain multiple blogs that segmented the various areas of my life that I wanted to record for posterity (or therapy). Plus, it always got a little fuzzy at the margins, where Christianity, the law, and my personal life intersected. 'Twas a slippery slope.


If you want to find me... ask. seek. knock. Or just know who am I. (yes, that was an attempt to be enigmatic. If you figured it out, bully for you. Now don't go blabbing about it.)

I sense a trend here...

Apparently CL LA MC (don't you just love acronyms?) has become somewhat of a popular place for law students to post procrastinatory notes to each other:

LUKE... hot surfer law student

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Reply to: pers-156838508@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-05-02, 2:05PM PDT


Luke, the trinity misses you.

We arrive at the library with the anticipation of stalking, aka "running into" you. But then we remember you finished an exam just yesterday and are avoiding this place and an unsettling feeling of disappointment washes over us as we are forced to make sense of the jibber jabber that is property.

As we read and memorize and listen to bad pop music, we long to go surfing. to get hit in the face by our boards and to hold our bodily fluids for unhealthy amts of time. Save us!

But wait, one of us has seen the light! The light wearing a red shit with white lettering and jeans...is that you? Have you come to rescue us? Please see specific location for our crisis location.

• this is in or around library reading room
  
• no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
  

156838508

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Copyright © 2006 craigslist, inc. terms of use privacy policy feedback forum

A Law Student Missed Connection

Spotted on Craiglist Los Angeles' Missed Connections:

Goodbye 'Law Library'

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Reply to: pers-158571340@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-05-07, 9:33PM PDT


So, yes, I'm finally leaving you.
When I was with you you made me feel hollow and drained, and when we were apart I felt guilty for being away.
Yes, your strange academic beauty was compelling, even exciting at first, but that initial flush has faded. I'm tired of you and your rules- we couldn't even eat together. And your Puritanical 'you can't even enter me until Sunday after noon.' Whatever.
I've had enough for now. (but we'll see what next winter brings...)
Ciao.

• no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
  

158571340

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Copyright © 2006 craigslist, inc. terms of use privacy policy feedback forum

(and yes, I do read MC for its entertainment value. Sometimes you need all the procrastination tools you can get.)

you know the stress is getting to you when...

You actually find a corporate promotional video funny. Check out this one from Westlaw, I think they call it "Stressboy." And if you're a Westlaw Rewards member, you can get 400 points just for watching it. Boy, I really sound like a Westlaw addict, don't I? It's probably not going to help that perception of me, but I heard from an anonymous source that Lexis doesn't automatically reward you points for conducting a search anymore; apparently you need to do more than just enter a random citation. Another reason why I prefer Westlaw. (oh yes, and because they uhm, help me do legal research.)

waking or sleeping still?

Well, the elections in Singapore are over. The opposition parties held on to their 2 seats, but gained no new ones. So the ruling PAP holds 82 out of the 84 seats in Parliament, with an aggregate 66% of the popular vote, a decline from the 75% that they garnered in the last election. Congratulations to the victors all around.

While I can't deny being disappointed that the opposition did not receive a stronger showing, I must admit that I'm not surprised either. It is hard to argue with two things that probably brought about this result: (1) the PAP's track record of success; (2) the materialistic and hardnosed pragmatism of your average Singaporean. Those two facts in combination, made it almost certain that the PAP would win most of the contested seats.

But those who clamor for change need not be disheartened or brokenhearted. The polling results show that the opposition gained a greater percentage of the vote in every constituency that they challenged. In the Prime Minister's own constituency, which had never before been challenged, a fully 1/3 of the electorate voted against the Prime Minister! In terms of asking for a mandate or vote of confidence from the people, that's hardly overwhelming. Especially given the lack of press freedom in Singapore and the Government's strong disapproval of political dissent.

There will be a lot of spin put upon the election in the days ahead, rationalization and justification of the results. Nonetheless, I think it is undeniable that this election was a landmark in many ways.

1) The use of the Internet to provide an alternative media source to the Singaporean public, despite the Government's stern warning that political expresion would not be tolerated. Yet many Singaporean bloggers decided to blog on anyway, some quite blatantly, others quite circumspectly. But there can be no denying that the Government failed to squelch Singaporean voices. I think it's a little silly to expect Singaporeans to steadfastly ignore the election while it's going on. I mean, if the entire Singaporean online community kept completely mum about the most important political event of the year, what sort of message would that imply about the importance of politics in Singapore? At this point, I don't know how the Government will react to the defiance of some members of the online community. Sadly, I expect them to actually arrest some people, and possibly fine them or even throw them into prison, for caring about their country. The Singapore Government is not used to being disobeyed. Ultimately, however, I think this experience will force the Government to re-think its stance on blogging and the Internet. Hopefully it chooses to not be China.

2) The maturing of the political opposition. For a long time, the opposition in Singapore had a credibility problem; they did not field candidates who could inspire confidence in the people. Opposition political rallies really did use to be nothing more than just entertainment. But from listening and hearing to some of the online broadcasts of the rallies, the opposition has managed to capture the hearts of a larger percentage of the people, and even, to a limited extent, their minds as well. It was astounding to hear the crowds, thousands strong, chanting the parties' names, reciting the Singapore pledge, and genuinely caring about the political future of Singapore. Beyond just populist sentimentality, however, the opposition has also managed to attract an increasing number of young, well-educated, English-speaking professionals, exactly the type of voter that has historically supported the PAP. What is more, it's these professionals that the PAP is relying on to drive the Singapore economy. It must be worrying to see an increasing proportion of them feel that the PAP is not enough.

3) The campaigning gaffes. In past elections, the opposition always seemed to commit more gaffes than the PAP, in terms of picking their words poorly, or employing less than productive tactics and campaign strategies. But this year, it truly felt like the shoe was on the other foot. After Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew denounced third world gutter politics, his party began a campaign of personal attacks against the opposition, outright character assassination. That certainly does not seem like the behavior of civilized first world politicians. The PAP then embarked on a hardcore campaign of pork barrel politics, waving multi-million dollar bribes under voters' noses, warning them that if they didn't vote for the PAP, they would be denied government money that would go to the constituencies that did support the PAP. This is, to varying degrees, a tactic employed by politicians all over the world. But the PAP is certainly one of the most blatant and in-your-face political parties when it comes to "vote-buying." The Prime Minister was caught in a speech talking about how, if the opposition increased its seats in Parliament, he would need to spend more time thinking about how to "fix the opposition" and "buy [voters'] votes." He probably didn't mean for it to come out that way, but they were certainly ill-chosen turns of phrase.

This election will hopefully be a wake-up call for the PAP. Ruling Singapore is not a right, and they cannot rest on their laurels forever, arrogant and assured that their historical success has earned them future security. Political capital was spent on this election, and the Government must go ahead now knowing that at least a full third of Singapore disapproves of their policies and how they are running the country. In established democracies like the U.K. or U.S., a 66% approval rate would be much coveted. In hegemonic Singapore, however, it should be nothing short of alarming.

I should make it clear that my support for the opposition has nothing to do with animosity toward the PAP. But I do think they need to change, and they need to be willing to let go of the past, and their arrogance, and remember to serve the people with humility, ruling not just from their heads, but also their hearts. At the end of the day, they lead "we, the people of Singapore," not "Singapore, Inc."

Technorati Tag: singaporeelections

jubilatio

Almost done with finals now, just Monday's exam for Deals, worth the princely proportion of 10% of my grade. Here's a word of friendly advice for law professors (or indeed, any teacher) and registrars/exam schedulers: exams that are worth 10-20% of the final grade should always be put on the first day or two of an exam period. When they come at the end, they become pesky hindrances to students' freedom. Your student isn't thinking, "Man, I've really got to study hard and ace that 10% final." No, instead after his penultimate final, he's thinking, "Yes! I'm done! Free! What should I do this weekend? Maybe I'll take a trip to- oh wait, do I have one more? Argh! Foiled by a 10% final! NOOOOOO!!!!" And yet another glorious sun-soaked Southern Californian weekend is foiled, consigned to the heap of wasted-weekends-that-you'll-never-have-again.

Alright, to be fair, I'm indulging in the traditional law school pasttime known as "whining" or "whinging" or "being a baby." It's really not all that bad, in the grand scheme of things. It could be a 10% 20-page paper. And he's promised to go easy on us. And, truth be told, it's really not going to stop me from enjoying my weekend. I've already lined up a game of Settlers, a free lunch on the law school (to say hi to diversity admits who were admitted late and convince them that despite the administration's insulting gaffe, they really do want to come to UCLaw), an early morning foray to REI, and church on Sunday. Somewhere in there, I might even crack open my Deals notes.

Oh, and if anyone's thinking of doing law school at Boulder, I highly recommend taking Victor Fleischer's Deals class. It's a shame UCLA's losing him (and all the Corporate Law concentration people who didn't take him this time round are kicking themselves for it). :)

no s**t!

Really, I'm more excited about the upcoming election in Singapore than my Business Associations final tomorrow. Excited. About an election in SINGAPORE!!! (Okay, so it really wouldn't take much to get anyone with a pulse more excited about it, versus a B.A. final. But for a political election in Singapore to manage that. Wow.)

My meanderings through the blogosphere have also wised me up to the relatively large number of Singaporeans overseas who are unable to vote, either because: a) their GRC isn't contested anyway; or b) they've been abroad for over 2 years without the Singapore Government's explicit backing (i.e. they're not a government scholar, employee, etc.). (a) I can understand, I mean, if your district isn't up for grabs, voting for a walkover candidate's rather silly, right? (b) is, however, a little much. What about being overseas for more than 2 years renders a Singaporean citizen ineligible to vote? Do you become less Singaporean by virtue of the fact that you live overseas? (Many sons and daughters of Singapore's government ministers have lived overseas for years and years) Does living in a foreign country somehow taint you and make you, oh I don't know, unable to make a well-reasoned political choice? Yeesh. (Alright, some of you might ask what would one expect from a country that banned chewing gum. I avert mine eyes in embarassment. No comment, please.)

Alright. Sleep. B.A. final tomorrow. Sigh. Think I'd be more excited about going to the dentist...

Technorati tag: singaporeelections

Dissolution of a Political Hegemony?

Okay, I really should be studying Business Associations. But what was once a lack of motivation (partly the class, partly my lack of effort through the semester, partly the professor, partly being sick) has been replaced by an avid interest in Singaporean politics. Here in the US, voting is a right, but certainly not an obligation. And although we have the chance to, every four years, elect the leader of the free world (the President really is, like it or not), not all of us exercise that right. In Singapore, voting is not just a right, but an obligation. It's an offense not to vote in the election, should your particular constituency be contested. The irony of it is that for a long time, voting was always somewhat futile; there was no real possibility that the ruling People's Action Party would lose, or that your vote would bring about any sort of meaningful change.

But things are changing, as my previous post mentioned (although I apologize for its terrible prose. I plead diminished mental capacity as a result of physical illness). Sitting here in LA, eight thousand miles from my heartland and not even a citizen, I can feel it. And you know what? It's exciting. It's exciting because the opposition is gaining strength, and if nothing else, this election shows that in years to come, Singapore may actually have "first-world" politics (which is what Lee Kuan Yew apparently wants), with political parties on both sides being strong and credible checks on each other (and hopefully they can do it in a genteel and civilized manner, without the use of ad hominem attacks or suit at law).

For my regular American readership (okay, that was probably a little bit of egoism on my part, to think that I have a regular readership. Indulge me, will you?), I apologize for talking about something seemingly unrelated to my usual topics (like they're all that interesting anyway). I'm struggling to fully convey the excitement that I feel. But imagine that for forty years, as long as you can remember, a single political party has controlled all levels of federal and state government, and never been meaningfully challenged: a political hegemony. Finally, after forty-one years, a credible challenge is being mounted, and the winds of change have begun to blow. Surely that would stir up some excitement in you, the thought of freedom steadily marching on?

If you're interested in finding out more, I'm recommending several blogs that I've found quite worth reading:

Yawning Bread (several really good photo essays. Start with the one on April 28)
SG Election '06 (personal commentary, persistently apolitical in keeping with the Singapore Government's strict warnings against persistently political blogging/podcasting/vodcasting)
SG Rally (excellent site that tries to cover all the rallies and television broadcasts. The only way I managed to hear the four leading political parties' televised speeches)
Singabloodypore (another apolitical commentary site)

Alright. I'm going to study B.A. now, I swear.

Technorati tag: singaporeelections

The Times They Are A-Changing (in Singapore's Politics)

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the facts, Singapore is a tiny island-nation in Southeast Asia, unremarkable in almost every way except for its people and what they have achieved; a level of economic growth and development that is envied by every other post-colonial country out there. It has not, however, come without a price (albeit one that most Singaporeans were, for a long time, willing to pay): a lack of political freedom. The People's Action Party (PAP) and its undisputed helmsman, Lee Kuan Yew, have been in power since Singapore gained complete independence in 1965, an achievement that was arguably made possible by the heavy-handed silencing of opposition politicians and any sounds of dissent.

Growing up in Singapore, I remember never being very impressed by the opposition parties that would, every once in a while, try to contest an election. Few of their candidates were well-educated, and they didn't really seem to have much of a plan or platform. Many Singaporeans apparently agreed with me, because the opposition was, for a very long time, viewed as simply not being credible.

But the times, they are a-changing. Singapore goes to the polls this Saturday, and for the first time that I can remember (and probably for the first time that a lot of Singaporeans can remember), the opposition is fielding candidates to challenge half of all the seats that are up for grabs in Parliament. It's symbolic more than anything else, really; no one expects them to be able to unseat the PAP. But it is well-timed symbolism; Singaporeans are increasingly dissatisfied with the PAP and how it stifles any expression of freedom that can be seen as deleterious to the government (or as Singaporeans are fond of calling it, the gahmen). There is, at least online, a certain sense that this election will be different.

A lot of that has to do with the Internet, especially the proliferation of blogs. The Singapore Government has naturally clamped down, chiefly by imposing a moratorium on political blogging in Singapore during the election campaigning. Yet a quick blogsearch for "singapore elections" will turn up many blogs that discuss the elections, oftentimes in a way calculated to not run afoul of the law (as some of them cheekily remark, "Prison got no broadband!"). A search for the Technorati tag "singaporeelections" will pull up many more blog posts. The Asia Times Online also has a good article on how the PAP is trying to control political expression on the Internet, arguably an exercise in inevitable futility.

And I must say: I never thought I'd see the day that the PAP would actually be afraid. Well, okay, perhaps I did think that I would live to see the day, but I certainly never thought it would appear so soon. I now have some small inkling of the heady rush of freedom that East Germans had in 1989. Well, except that I don't live there anymore, but still. Merdeka!

Technorati tag: singaporeelections