Wednesday 27 June 2012
Tuesday 26 June 2012
Pasta mania
My lunch: Macaroni + tomatoes + fresh basil + olives + a pinch of salt + peppercorn
Yummy!
Yummy!
Last trip before domestic mayhem
Spent a good 2 weeks back in Singapore and was glad to have done all I intended to: Spending lots of time with my family, meeting up with people precious to me and stocking up on Utt's essentials. Glad that I have accomplished them all.
Crawling out of bed in the mornings and spending time groceries shopping with my mum in the neighbourhood wet market is something I've tried to do every time I get back home. It's an interesting sight to watch and it offers a different experience from the hustle and bustle in the city. Having morning breakfast in the local coffeeshop with my folks and doing the so mundane yet necessary things with them was simply my way of saying the good old daughter is back. And then also going around town with them, exploring and re-exploring places that has warped over time was I hope quality time well-spent together.
As I always do, I appreciate the efforts of family and friends for organising get-togethers, putting off plans, rearranging schedules to catch up. It has become so enjoyable just to sit back and chat and it certainly shows how much we have grown (aged/ matured, whatever).
Utt will learn about all these soon enough.
Friday 15 June 2012
Goodbye Phnom Penh
The work trip to Phnom Penh had been incredible even with the scorching heat and impolite stall vendors at the Russian market. One visit to the partner's left an impression hard to erase: hearing from the horses' mouth about the fight put up by the urban poor in the now famous and backed by Washington "Free the 15" campaign. Land grabbing is such a huge issue in Cambodia and I believe that the corporates involved should be shamed in their home countries. It's unbelievable what some put others through in their acquisition of power and wealth.
Wednesday 13 June 2012
Utt mama going bonkers!
Tops currently selling at SGD7.90 at H&M, Mama got them for SGD3.20!
Utt this Christmas!
Plain onesies from Carter's at 4 for SGD6.50
From our partner, who was very sweet to have prepared this for baby Utt, something to wear at one!
Purchase for Utt in 2 days
Newborn - 6 onesies and 2 sleepsuits
3 months - 9 onesies and 3 sleepsuits, 3 pants
6 months - 6 onesies, 6 tops, 4 pants
Tuesday 12 June 2012
First time shopping for Utt
On Day 1 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, some of what I found in the Russian market from Carter's and Old Navy at $4+ per piece:
More hunting tomorrow!
Monday 11 June 2012
Going solo and baby thoughts
Getting on the plane in 3 hours time, probably the last time that I would be heading home alone (and strictly speaking I am hardly alone now with Utt in my pouch). With P joining me in Singapore next week, this is going to be quite a special trip for us - we will be returning the next time with Utt in our arms and as parents of a newborn.
And although I have endless complains about the political situation in Singapore, the lack of freedom of speech and expression and the crazily one-sided mainstream media reporting which is increasingly getting on my nerves, I love my country not a bit less than the day I left. I love my family and I love my friends. Not matter how long I have spent away from Singapore, it doesn't dilute my love for the people dear to my heart. And so, I would like Utt to be blessed with the same love these people show me, and I would love Utt to be able to share and experience what Mama had gone through as a toddler, teenage and young adult. My greatest hope for Utt is for him to grow up a Thai-Singaporean that is conscious about his roots and appreciate the multiculturalism in the Singaporean society. I would make sure that Utt has the privilege to experience the life of a Thai, and the life of a Singaporean and choose for himself in future what he sees best for himself.
Dear Utt,
As you are growing at a rapid speed in the last month, Mama starts to imagine life with you and how things might be different for me and Papa. Mama love Papa alot and it is beyond words can describe how much I have appreciated him in my life and how much we have adjusted and changed over the years to accomodate each other. Mama can't help but feel curious how Papa and I will adjust our largely self-centered style of living to one that is going to be probably revolving around you. Mama does not believe in losing the intimacy as couple and being someone who has lost track of her own wants and needs as a new life arrives in her life, and Mama will try her best to cope and find a balance in the midst of playing the multiple roles of being a nurturing mum, an understanding wife and an individual who continues to blossom.
Love,
Mama
And although I have endless complains about the political situation in Singapore, the lack of freedom of speech and expression and the crazily one-sided mainstream media reporting which is increasingly getting on my nerves, I love my country not a bit less than the day I left. I love my family and I love my friends. Not matter how long I have spent away from Singapore, it doesn't dilute my love for the people dear to my heart. And so, I would like Utt to be blessed with the same love these people show me, and I would love Utt to be able to share and experience what Mama had gone through as a toddler, teenage and young adult. My greatest hope for Utt is for him to grow up a Thai-Singaporean that is conscious about his roots and appreciate the multiculturalism in the Singaporean society. I would make sure that Utt has the privilege to experience the life of a Thai, and the life of a Singaporean and choose for himself in future what he sees best for himself.
Dear Utt,
As you are growing at a rapid speed in the last month, Mama starts to imagine life with you and how things might be different for me and Papa. Mama love Papa alot and it is beyond words can describe how much I have appreciated him in my life and how much we have adjusted and changed over the years to accomodate each other. Mama can't help but feel curious how Papa and I will adjust our largely self-centered style of living to one that is going to be probably revolving around you. Mama does not believe in losing the intimacy as couple and being someone who has lost track of her own wants and needs as a new life arrives in her life, and Mama will try her best to cope and find a balance in the midst of playing the multiple roles of being a nurturing mum, an understanding wife and an individual who continues to blossom.
Love,
Mama
Saturday 9 June 2012
Friday 1 June 2012
To fellow Singaporeans who are not aware of what's going on in the development sector: What exactly is a NGO and why is foreign aid (un)important?
What is a NGO (from Wikipedia)
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any form of government. The term originated from the United Nations (UN), and is normally used to refer to organizations that are not a part of the government and are not conventional for-profit business. In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government representatives from membership in the organization. The term is usually applied only to organizations that pursue wider social aims that have political aspects, but are not openly political organizations such as political parties.
NGOs are difficult to define and classify, and the term 'NGO' is not used consistently. As a result, there are many different classifications in use. The most common use a framework that includes orientation and level of operation. An NGO's orientation refers to the type of activities it takes on. These activities might include human rights, environmental, or development work. An NGO's level of operation indicates the scale at which an organization works, such as local, international or national.
One of the earliest mentions of the acronym "NGO" was in 1945, when the UN was created. The UN, which is an inter-governmental organization, made it possible for certain approved specialized international non-state agencies - or non-governmental organisations - to be awarded observer status at its assemblies and some of its meetings. Later the term became used more widely.
NGOs vary in their methods. Some act primarily as lobbyists, while others primarily conduct programs and activities. For instance, an NGO such as Oxfam, concerned with poverty alleviation, might provide needy people with the equipment and skills to find food and clean drinking water, whereas an NGO like the FFDA helps through investigation and documentation of human rights violations and provides legal assistance to victims of human rights abuses. Others, such as Afghanistan Information Management Services, provide specialized technical products and services to support development activities implemented on the ground by other organizations.
NGOs were intended to fill a gap in government services, but in countries like India, NGOs are gaining a powerful stronghold in decision making.
Reasons for Foreign Aid (by Chandramita Bora)
The term foreign aid usually refers to financial assistance that is provided on intergovernmental or international level. It may take the form of economic, technical or military assistance. It generally involves transfer of resources like capital, goods and services from the donor to the recipient countries.
There can be varied reasons for giving foreign aid, such as economic, political, strategic as well as cultural; the most important reason being, augmenting economic development of the recipient country. Less developed countries (LDCs) are characterized by low income and unemployment, which results in low savings and investment. Therefore, capital stock is small in these countries, while the population growth is comparatively high. In order to sustain such large populations, they need rapid economic development, which is simply not possible due to low levels of saving and investment. As a result they turn to richer countries for external help in the form of financial and technical assistance. Financial assistance given by the developed countries (DCs) not only aims at economic development of the recipient country, but also for the balanced growth of the world economy.
It is now an indispensable part of foreign policy and is sometimes used as an instrument to establish better ties with other countries. It is also used as a means to expand the market of the donor countries: for example in case of 'tied' foreign aid, the recipient country is required to make certain purchases only from the donor country, or countries suggested by it. Clearly, economic development in recipient countries would also enlarge the market for the products of developed countries. It is also given on humanitarian grounds, to cope with the crises caused by man-made or natural disasters. Another important reason is military assistance, to establish strong military ties as well as to strengthen the military defenses of the recipient country.
The term foreign aid usually refers to financial assistance that is provided on intergovernmental or international level. It may take the form of economic, technical or military assistance. It generally involves transfer of resources like capital, goods and services from the donor to the recipient countries.
There can be varied reasons for giving foreign aid, such as economic, political, strategic as well as cultural; the most important reason being, augmenting economic development of the recipient country. Less developed countries (LDCs) are characterized by low income and unemployment, which results in low savings and investment. Therefore, capital stock is small in these countries, while the population growth is comparatively high. In order to sustain such large populations, they need rapid economic development, which is simply not possible due to low levels of saving and investment. As a result they turn to richer countries for external help in the form of financial and technical assistance. Financial assistance given by the developed countries (DCs) not only aims at economic development of the recipient country, but also for the balanced growth of the world economy.
It is now an indispensable part of foreign policy and is sometimes used as an instrument to establish better ties with other countries. It is also used as a means to expand the market of the donor countries: for example in case of 'tied' foreign aid, the recipient country is required to make certain purchases only from the donor country, or countries suggested by it. Clearly, economic development in recipient countries would also enlarge the market for the products of developed countries. It is also given on humanitarian grounds, to cope with the crises caused by man-made or natural disasters. Another important reason is military assistance, to establish strong military ties as well as to strengthen the military defenses of the recipient country.
It is generally provided in the context of strengthening social and economic development of the developing and less developed countries, and it is in fact playing a key role in the development process of these countries. In less developed countries, it helps to reduce the shortage of domestic saving and investment. Besides, it also helps the LDCs in overcoming technical backwardness through technical assistance along with financial and physical capital. All this helps in raising the productivity of labor and capital in these countries.
LDCs lag behind in basic infrastructure development, like, transport and communication, power, education, health services and heavy industries such as iron, steel, oil and heavy engineering. Development of these key areas is a prerequisite for economic growth and development, but the public and the private sectors of the LDCs are not strong enough to undertake such high capital intensive projects which require huge investments. In such circumstances, foreign aid aimed in this direction, can go a long way in developing these economies. By investing in these key areas, it plays an important role in increasing the level of income and employment of LDCs. Besides, this aid also helps these economies in tidying over problems related to balance of payments (BOP) and inflation.
However, despite all the merits associated with foreign aid, it is often criticized as a wasteful investment. It is found that in many countries, it is invested in wasteful projects and production of luxury goods instead of essential commodities. This increases the burden of public debt, besides increasing external dependency. It has also been argued that it is not always essential for economic development as it inhibits domestic savings and investment. Most of all, this assistance is alleged to be an instrument of influencing the domestic policies of LDCs. It has also been observed that much of this financial help goes into the pockets of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats of the recipient countries, instead of being invested in developmental projects.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it has been instrumental in facilitating economic development in many less developed economies. If both the donor and recipient countries take appropriate measures to prevent misutilization of funds, then it could play a significant role in fostering rapid growth and development of the less developed economies. However, foreign aid should not be considered as a permanent solution to the economic problems of the LDCs and hence should be supplemented by adequate efforts to raise the level of domestic savings and investment.
Critics of Western Aid
More information
And here I am ending off with a clip by Mr. Bill Gates:
A non-governmental organization (NGO) is a legally constituted organization created by natural or legal persons that operates independently from any form of government. The term originated from the United Nations (UN), and is normally used to refer to organizations that are not a part of the government and are not conventional for-profit business. In the cases in which NGOs are funded totally or partially by governments, the NGO maintains its non-governmental status by excluding government representatives from membership in the organization. The term is usually applied only to organizations that pursue wider social aims that have political aspects, but are not openly political organizations such as political parties.
NGOs are difficult to define and classify, and the term 'NGO' is not used consistently. As a result, there are many different classifications in use. The most common use a framework that includes orientation and level of operation. An NGO's orientation refers to the type of activities it takes on. These activities might include human rights, environmental, or development work. An NGO's level of operation indicates the scale at which an organization works, such as local, international or national.
One of the earliest mentions of the acronym "NGO" was in 1945, when the UN was created. The UN, which is an inter-governmental organization, made it possible for certain approved specialized international non-state agencies - or non-governmental organisations - to be awarded observer status at its assemblies and some of its meetings. Later the term became used more widely.
NGOs vary in their methods. Some act primarily as lobbyists, while others primarily conduct programs and activities. For instance, an NGO such as Oxfam, concerned with poverty alleviation, might provide needy people with the equipment and skills to find food and clean drinking water, whereas an NGO like the FFDA helps through investigation and documentation of human rights violations and provides legal assistance to victims of human rights abuses. Others, such as Afghanistan Information Management Services, provide specialized technical products and services to support development activities implemented on the ground by other organizations.
NGOs were intended to fill a gap in government services, but in countries like India, NGOs are gaining a powerful stronghold in decision making.
Reasons for Foreign Aid (by Chandramita Bora)
The term foreign aid usually refers to financial assistance that is provided on intergovernmental or international level. It may take the form of economic, technical or military assistance. It generally involves transfer of resources like capital, goods and services from the donor to the recipient countries.
There can be varied reasons for giving foreign aid, such as economic, political, strategic as well as cultural; the most important reason being, augmenting economic development of the recipient country. Less developed countries (LDCs) are characterized by low income and unemployment, which results in low savings and investment. Therefore, capital stock is small in these countries, while the population growth is comparatively high. In order to sustain such large populations, they need rapid economic development, which is simply not possible due to low levels of saving and investment. As a result they turn to richer countries for external help in the form of financial and technical assistance. Financial assistance given by the developed countries (DCs) not only aims at economic development of the recipient country, but also for the balanced growth of the world economy.
It is now an indispensable part of foreign policy and is sometimes used as an instrument to establish better ties with other countries. It is also used as a means to expand the market of the donor countries: for example in case of 'tied' foreign aid, the recipient country is required to make certain purchases only from the donor country, or countries suggested by it. Clearly, economic development in recipient countries would also enlarge the market for the products of developed countries. It is also given on humanitarian grounds, to cope with the crises caused by man-made or natural disasters. Another important reason is military assistance, to establish strong military ties as well as to strengthen the military defenses of the recipient country.
The term foreign aid usually refers to financial assistance that is provided on intergovernmental or international level. It may take the form of economic, technical or military assistance. It generally involves transfer of resources like capital, goods and services from the donor to the recipient countries.
There can be varied reasons for giving foreign aid, such as economic, political, strategic as well as cultural; the most important reason being, augmenting economic development of the recipient country. Less developed countries (LDCs) are characterized by low income and unemployment, which results in low savings and investment. Therefore, capital stock is small in these countries, while the population growth is comparatively high. In order to sustain such large populations, they need rapid economic development, which is simply not possible due to low levels of saving and investment. As a result they turn to richer countries for external help in the form of financial and technical assistance. Financial assistance given by the developed countries (DCs) not only aims at economic development of the recipient country, but also for the balanced growth of the world economy.
It is now an indispensable part of foreign policy and is sometimes used as an instrument to establish better ties with other countries. It is also used as a means to expand the market of the donor countries: for example in case of 'tied' foreign aid, the recipient country is required to make certain purchases only from the donor country, or countries suggested by it. Clearly, economic development in recipient countries would also enlarge the market for the products of developed countries. It is also given on humanitarian grounds, to cope with the crises caused by man-made or natural disasters. Another important reason is military assistance, to establish strong military ties as well as to strengthen the military defenses of the recipient country.
It is generally provided in the context of strengthening social and economic development of the developing and less developed countries, and it is in fact playing a key role in the development process of these countries. In less developed countries, it helps to reduce the shortage of domestic saving and investment. Besides, it also helps the LDCs in overcoming technical backwardness through technical assistance along with financial and physical capital. All this helps in raising the productivity of labor and capital in these countries.
LDCs lag behind in basic infrastructure development, like, transport and communication, power, education, health services and heavy industries such as iron, steel, oil and heavy engineering. Development of these key areas is a prerequisite for economic growth and development, but the public and the private sectors of the LDCs are not strong enough to undertake such high capital intensive projects which require huge investments. In such circumstances, foreign aid aimed in this direction, can go a long way in developing these economies. By investing in these key areas, it plays an important role in increasing the level of income and employment of LDCs. Besides, this aid also helps these economies in tidying over problems related to balance of payments (BOP) and inflation.
However, despite all the merits associated with foreign aid, it is often criticized as a wasteful investment. It is found that in many countries, it is invested in wasteful projects and production of luxury goods instead of essential commodities. This increases the burden of public debt, besides increasing external dependency. It has also been argued that it is not always essential for economic development as it inhibits domestic savings and investment. Most of all, this assistance is alleged to be an instrument of influencing the domestic policies of LDCs. It has also been observed that much of this financial help goes into the pockets of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats of the recipient countries, instead of being invested in developmental projects.
Nevertheless, there is no doubt that it has been instrumental in facilitating economic development in many less developed economies. If both the donor and recipient countries take appropriate measures to prevent misutilization of funds, then it could play a significant role in fostering rapid growth and development of the less developed economies. However, foreign aid should not be considered as a permanent solution to the economic problems of the LDCs and hence should be supplemented by adequate efforts to raise the level of domestic savings and investment.
Critics of Western Aid
And then, there are also critics and the current big talk surrounding the effectiveness of development and aid. Here is an interesting article by Kishore MAHBUBANI, Dean and Professor in the Practice of Public Policy also the first Dean of the new Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKY School) on the myth of western aid
More information
Official Development Assistance by country as a percentage of Gross National Income in 2009 (April 2010)
And here I am ending off with a clip by Mr. Bill Gates:
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