Can You Speak Mandarin
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: jobs
Have you ever tried looking for a job and all you see is that they want Mandarin-speaking staff? How low can your moral go when you are unemployed and have mouths to feed, let alone yours?
This is every non-Mandarin speaker's nightmare and the only reason why there are so many people out of job. Not because we are choosy, not because the jobs have gone to the foreigners.
This is also my nightmare everytime I have to find a new job.
I thought the government had it all ironed out, telling the people at classified ads to tone down their staff requirements and racial preferences. I remember this to be many years ago but now the problem is regurgitating again.
Everytime I look into the papers for job vacancies, it's not the Mandarin-speaking requirement that amazes me. It's more than that. The irony of it all.
Here is an example. Some shops that operates in the airport requires you to speak Mandarin. How weird can that be? Of all the places, it's the airport. If it is Chinatown, I can understand. But it's the airport. I mean, duh, why would you need Mandarin-speaking staff when passengers that travel through our famous airport speak thousands of languages?
Then, recently, I also saw an ad in an exquisite English language council. They were looking for a native trainer to teach English to foreigners but their requirement is that he or she must be Mandarin-speaking! Ain't that a bitch!
Is Singapore that bad that nobody can speak English anymore? The reason why our corroded English are like that are because there are just too many Mandarin speakers to the point that they are tongue-tied when it comes to translating English. Don't get me wrong. I am a non-Chinese, I speak Mandarin and Hokkien and I have lots of Chinese friends.
Just today, the TV news interviewed a few Singaporeans who were unharmed in the Bali bombings. One ese couple goes like this, "Then hor, we sit down and eat lah. Then after that we blah blah blah. Then we blah blah blah. Some more than, we blah blah blah. Then I heard got sound like Bam! Like that."
So can you imagine if she were to serve a customer?
Many a times, I made phone calls asking for a job vacancy but I politely ask if they have any racial preferences.

Me: So what preferences do you need? Malay or Chinese or Indian?
They: Chinese.
Me: Why? Do you need them to speak Mandarin?
They: Yes.
M: I can speak Mandarin and Hokkien but I am (race).
T: How come you can speak Mandarin and Hokkien?
M: Why not? All my friends, neighbours and ex-girlfriends are Chinese.
T: But I thought you (race)?
M: Singapore is multi-racial what? Everybody speaks everybody else language.
T: So you speak Hua-yi? Fluent or not?
M: No, not really. Just enough to get by, conversational.
T: Then sorry. I need good-speaking Mandarin. I hope you understand, it's because most of our customers...
M: (interrupting her) Well, no need to explain to me. I tell you, that you are a fucking racist!!!
And I slammed down the phone.
Surprisingly, this company that I was looking forward to work with is an Indian-owned company that deals with telecommunication in Kaki Bukit area!

An Open Letter To The World's Terrorists
Mood:  bright
Why do you need to kill innocent people? Why do you need to kill your own countrymen and countrywomen? Why do you need to kill someone's fathers, mothers, sons and daughters? For what purpose does it serve you? Do you sleep peacefully afterwards, knowing that your hands are smeared with dried blood of innocent people who are just trying to earn a living?
Whatever your agenda is, it serve no purpose. No matter how evil America and Britain is, that doesn't mean you can make them change their mind just by bombing and tearing apart your body strapped with bombs.
I dread to think that it will happen to my loved ones. My loved ones that go about everyday doing everyday things, like going to the shops or working to earn some money.
Don't you ever stop to think that the innocent people you killed could most probably be your neighbour? They could be your babysitter when you are young? They could be your teacher you loved? They could be some strangers who helped your mother in distress once? You never know cos your eyes are blind to these.
These people may very well support your idea that America and Britain is bad but because they have to earn a living, they just keep the matter at bay. Not unlike you who have so much hatred and keen in destructing human life.
I come from the same religion as you. I may not be as pious as you. I drink, I smoke, I swear, I don't pray five times a day, but at least I appreciate the beauty of human life. Nobody can take another human life away as they see fit. Only god can do that. If you sit down and think, what you did is not jihad because nobody is controlling your life, nobody is occupying your country so what the fuck are you talking about jihad? But here is what I can tell you. Whatever you are doing, it is not jihad, it is murder and genocide. It is telling your god that you can kill more people than god and at will and as you please.
So Mr. Terrorist, please sit down and think what you have done. This letter alone can never make any change to your ways but if it does, I am happy for the human race.