I dropped by Orchard on my way to run some errands.
1. Get my birkies from an online seller (I got my birk's for $70)
2. Exchange my defective Gio tees (Good customer service i say)
It ended up berserk. I only noticed i forgot to bring my ATM card when i arrived at orchard mrt. How the hell was i going to pay for the Birkies?? Penniless, i tried calling for help. No help came. Ross stuck in traffic. Other friends i could think of didn't have enough. My bro? That one worst lor. So, with no one to make the alternative fund transfer and no pin to withdraw money from my credit cards(blardy useless in cases like these), i decided to go to the nearest POSB to make a new ATM card. Couldn't send the poor girl back without her money right? 1 catch though, i only had my photocopy IC with me (besides my school pass and others). Thankfully, the bank accepted my identity and reissued me with a new (with enhanced features) ATM debit card. Real stylo looking thing i tell you =)
I gave the girl her money and a little extra for the trouble (taxi fare back) cause i felt really bad. So in the end, my online discount saved me zilch. Wahaha.. (mf, cb, knn etc)
The Briefing Part I
And as usual, i arrived late for the debate briefing. This time i made an improvement. Only late by 1/2hr. Luckily Mr Lian was late too.
I found the discussion on the topic(Abortion should not be legalized in Singapore) really interesting. We were assigned roles and asked to speak from the perspective of our roles. It made me really more aware and better able to reflect on the different emotions that could manifest in that given situation.
Like i said before,
the world is never fully black or white. It's in shades of grey until you can convince yourself which extreme it tapers more to
It went like this:
A lady(Farhana) is pregnant with her first child. Her doctor(Mr Lian) has just diagnosed her child with a congenital disorder and the likelihood of survival is slim. The pregnancy has progressed into the second trimester and the mother has made the decision to terminate the pregnancy. Her husband(Halim) is strongly against the idea.
A female activist (Fara) is brought in to share her views, with all the rest and states their case in front of the government (me).
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The estranged mother was the 1st to voice her views. She spoke of the difficulty in choosing the abortion. However, she felt that it would be in the best interest of the child that the pregnancy be terminated (Reduced quality of life, cost of healthcare, psychological stress ôn her, child and family etc). Her soft voice echoed across the walls. I could almost feel her pain when she spoke.
Halim asked her : What gives you the right to abort the child? And went on giving us the nitty gritty details of fetal abortion etc
Farhana answered : I would not want to see my child suffer. Stating the emotional trauma would be far greater after the birth of the child as the child would have had a deeper bond with the mother.
The doctor reinforced Farhana's views, stating he would do what was in the best interest of the client (at this point, the Mother). He stated that with all stress verbalized by the mother, any further progress of the pregnancy, would be detrimental to the mental and emotional health of the mother. And with the advancement of modern medicine, abortions have fewer risks.
Mr Lian spoke with such conviction, he had me really believing he was a doctor.Wahaha..
Halim shot : Wouldn't the same advancement in medicine then, have the possibility to save the child?
Rebuttal : Regrettably, medicine has not been able to cure all diseases. In this case, with the child's survival rate tiered so low, he would do everything in his power to safeguard the interest of his client.
Mother's Health Vs Child's Health
Next came the view of the father. He voiced that since he too was involved in the conception proccess, he should have the authority to object to the abortion. He spoke on the sanctity of life -regardless of the health status. Life is precious. He also said that there would be a possibilty of the child to survive, given the advancement in medical technology.
Sanctity Of Life - Quality Vs Quantity
Mr Lian shot : Halim, does that mean that you are willing to sacrifice the mental and emotional wellbeing of your wife? Someone that is currently suffering in front of your eyes for only possibilities of the baby's survival?
Rebuttal : Yes! (I go hmmmm...)
Next came the views of the female activist, Fara. She spoke that pro-choice doesnt equate to pro-abortion. It simply highlights the right of the individual to make decisions over her own body. The fetus is living with the support from the woman's body. If the woman chooses not to continue to allow the fetus to remain in her body, she can exercise the right to remove it.
Halim shot : (not much lah... cause we all think he has a soft spot for Fara)
My turn. As the government, my stance is to continue to make abortion illegal (as majority of the country has oppossed its legalization. The taxpayers do not want their tax dollars to be pumped into healthcare subsidies like this, so being the government, i have to make them happy - else they'll kick me out). I brought up my policies:
1. Contraception
2. Education
3. Alternatives to abortions -
(i) Adoption Facilities (for every abortion, there are 10 families who want a child)there have also been many cases of families adopting very sick children
(ii) Support Groups and Psychological assessments
For families to network and provide support (ie. emotional, physical) and to allow the family and mother to actually decide if they will be able to handle the situation after the birth of the child
iii) Financial Help for families
Grants, subsidized hospital bills etc
Mr Lian shot : Wouldn't you just drive the mother to back alley abortion?
Rebuttal : The government is on withholding any of the mothers' rights. She can make the choice to leave the country and abort overseas. When you live under your parents' roof, you obey them, similarly, you have to abide by the law of the nation.
Mr Lian again : Then how about the mother?! You are forcing her to care for a child that may not be wanted.
Rebuttal : (i was desperate already) Lastly, the Government will take on the responsibilty to care for the child should the parent relinquish their rights.
Mr Lian : The government would? Really?
Rebuttal : Yes. If that is what the people have decided, that is what the government will give.
Halim to Farhana : What are your views towards the government's package?
Farhana : You leave me with no choice. It seems that i have no other choice but to leave the country to abort the baby. It's added stress
Rebuttal : The government is in no way stopping you to do what you wish. Your passport and documents will not be frozen. Again, i stress that you wil be free to have your abortion overseas, but not locally.
So ends our discussion on abortion.
Went to Mac to eat dinner. Lousy food.
Halim and Fara drama continues...wahahha (private joke)
The Briefing Part II
Then we made our way to the next debrief - Ang Moh Potato (external lecturer for our debate).We had a new member. Real externally stylized guy. I never asked for his name, mainly because it would be easier to just call him by a nickname(Ang Moh Potato Jr) as i would forget it anyway. He spoke with such a slang and kept restyling his hair. Wah lao. We were asked to form into teams to start the debate. Wah lao again... impromtu man.
The chosen topic - Capital Punishment
Halim + Fara + Moonie = Preposition
Edwin + Me + Ang Moh Potato(AMP) junior = Opposition
During the discussion, AMP Jr kept citing that he had done this topic before. He gave examples on american legislations etc. Mainly everything pertaining to the US. So much so, i just had to ask him, "Are you local?"
AMP Jr "Yeah" (avoids eye contact)
I had to press on...wahahha.. "Then have you ever been schooled overseas??"
AMP Jr, "No, never. I'm local" (now shifts uncomfortably in seat and maintains avoidance of eye contact). I found the drama extremely amusing.
I felt there was tension between Edwin (they call him Norbita) and AMP Jr. Both insisted on the strengths of their points. I decided to be neutral and just take a backseat. Edwin kept bringing in random ancedotes. Without any explaination he was only being clear (or so he thought) to himself. And AMP Jr kept going on and on about america. And throughout the debate, both were hissing and bitching so much i got so irritated it erased whatever smile had creased over my saggy face.
I felt there was tension between Edwin (they call him Norbita) and AMP Jr. Both insisted on the strengths of their points. I decided to be neutral and just take a backseat. Edwin kept bringing in random ancedotes. Without any explaination he was only being clear (or so he thought) to himself. And AMP Jr kept going on and on about america. And throughout the debate, both were hissing and bitching so much i got so irritated it erased whatever smile had creased over my saggy face.
I would like to continue on with the nitty gritty details of what went on but frankly, i'm too tired of the drama. What went on, if you really my must know, was that... i learnt some important lessons.
1. Support from your peers are important (Cheers to the opposing team for the encouragement..even though they tried very hard to drag me down =) )
2. Some people are downright irritating.
3. People DO think i'm stupid cause someone commented on my rebuttal being "intellectual"
(i never knew i was stupid..wahahha)
4. I need to brush up on my general knowledge
So ends the debate saga for the week. Be sure to tune in the week after next for more.
