“When I was sick I was reading the paper. I saw a group of activists in Japan protecting against the fur trade. I saw the word “activist” below the picture. I thought “that’s interesting; I want to be an activist”. I told myself (I was very sick) “if I can survive this I want to do something meaningful in life”. That picture really helped. (I was nine-years-old.)”

The rest of the interview can be found here, and yes, you will realise that I ramble a lot and am unable to stay on the topic at times… :p well that’s because whenever I am speaking to a person, I am also having a conversation with my brain – one of my greatest flaw ever.

Note: Here is another interview of me done by Kieran done much earlier.

I must confess that I was stalking you and I sincerely apologise for perhaps… frightening you with my aggressiveness. Oh wait, let me explain.

You see I have a soft spot for a cute guy like you, especially when you are employed under the police force partially funded by the tax I am obligated to pay. This is what made me stalk you throughout the event. Being so shy the way I am, I did not know how to broach the topic… I really wanted to ask you out for tea. Unfortunately you were intimidated and ran away from me. Well, at first you dodged and tried to move into the crowd but I had my stalker-eyes affixed on you. It was not entirely difficult you see… you aren’t very much taller than I am. Perhaps that was why I became so obsessed with you in the first place.

Really, this is embarrassing but yes, I was stalking you. I wished to tell you many things… I wished to thank you for your presence because it made me feel safer as a participant of the event (Singaporeans in Solidarity with Malaysians). Erm… I also wished to apologise to you that because of this event, you probably missed having dinner with your mother. It was Mother’s Day afterall, honey. 

Well anyway all of that was before you put your camera in my face and took a picture of me with the powerful flashlight on. What an anti-climax. I wish you had been more polite. By the way, I hope that you’ve taken a good photo of me because I am really not a very photogenic person. 

Hmm… I hope you’ve enjoyed the event and hope to see you soon at the next event. Maybe the time round you will be friendlier and we can talk about catching up over a glass of Milo-Dinosaur?

Oh before I forget… do thank the whole team who was there with you too – all 15 to 20 of them – thank you for being there to maintain peace. We really appreciate your presence and hope that perhaps the next time, you can mobilise 50 more officers to keep us company and to make up the numbers. Thank you for coming in solidarity with the Malaysians. I love you, all of you, my dear plainclothes police woman (there was one) and men.

With so much gratitude and love,
Rachel the activist-police stalker

Reblogged from Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign:

Working closely with Ravi for the past few years on our campaign against the death penalty (among others), reading about Ravi’s experiences and lessons learnt in life was important for me – both as a friend as well as a fellow human rights campaigner.

In his book, Ravi takes us through a journey of his life til now. The vivid descriptions of his personal experiences – from growing up in a multi-racial kampong (village) to his legal battles for various causes – gives the reader a better understanding of how he became who he is today.

Personally, I feel that Kampong Boy is not just a story about Ravi but about human experiences and development, the lessons that one can learn in life as well as about Singapore from the past to present. I believe that some parts of the book have been difficult to write about and as Ravi had mentioned during his book launch, the part about his mother was especially difficult. Indeed as a reader, it was one of the most difficult part to read with a straight face too. In fact, the reading experience was emotional for me as I interacted with various parts of the story with laughter, knowing chuckles and tears in my eyes.

I would like to thank Ravi for sharing his story with us. It is a beautiful book with a touching story and through his journey, I was able to reflect on my own.

For those who are interested, Kampong Boy is available at the following book stores:

1. Grassroots Bookroom @ 420 North Bridge Road, #03-06, North Bridge Centre
2. Kinokuniya Bookstore Mainstore @ Ngee Ann City mall, Bugis Junction, Liang Court.
3. Select Books @ 51 Armenian Street
4. Times Bookstores @ the following malls: Centrepoint, Paragon, Tampines One, Jelita, Marina Square, Plaza Singapura, JCube)

Reblogged from Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign:

Thank you for sharing all your thoughts as well as the kind words of support that you have always given me.

Reblogged from Singapore Anti-Death Penalty Campaign:

“Starting in New York City in 1857, women workers made a tradition of labor actions and protests on March 8. In 1910, the first International Women’s Day was celebrated on the same day. This photo shows an early Women’s Day protest.”

102 years have passed since the first International Women’s Day was commemorated and we are celebrating the 103rd IWD this year. Although the rights and political and social contributions of women are more valued than before, we must realise that the work does not end here.

More than ever, women are being objectified and there is still a set of fallacies about their “natural instincts” and “social behaviour” adhered to them (common across most cultures). Most women are overworked and under-appreciated as they are responsible for contributing towards the family income AND do what they “naturally do best” – housework, being a nurturing mother and wife. Housewives are considered “non-working” members of the society although they sometimes work from day to night, ensuring that the household is in order. In some cultures and communities, violence committed towards women is still considered a common phenomenon. This stems from the fact that such cultures and communities still hold on to the fact that women should be “punished” and “suppressed”, because they are mere objects whose existence are not considered too important to society-at-large.

Gender inequality affects men too. When men choose to become house husbands, they are considered “lazy” and “useless” members of society. When men choose to pursue their occupational passion in any of the sectors dominated by women such as becoming an educator in a childcare centre, they are considered “unmanly” and many times, barred from doing certain duties because of the general assumption that men have a higher tendency to be pedophiles (a gross misconception). Also, men are expected to hold “masculine” traits, become the main breadwinners of their families and protectors of the “weaker gender”. Those who fall out of the expected set of behaviours and attitudes in life are being labeled and discriminated.

We need to recognise that nurture plays a very important role in shaping behaviours, preferences and attitudes in life among both women and men. No women was naturally born to love pink, diamonds, children or shopping. Likewise, no men was naturally born to love blue, soldiers, adventurers or become leaders in the community. All of these are results of nurture and in order to be fair to our generations to come, we need to work on exposing children to various forms of activities from sports to fine arts without pushing children towards conforming to gender stereotypes.

This is not about inciting a war between the various genders. This is about educating our future generations towards creating a progressive society that gives equal opportunities and respect towards each gender. And to do so, we have to first change our own flawed perceptions about gender roles and the messages we are sending to the young.

I think we can all do it, if we hold enough respect for all human beings in general. What are your thoughts on this?

(28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013)

“We must confront the privileged elite who have destroyed a large part of the world.“

- Hugo Chávez, September 2002

Hugo Chávez was one of those who have inspired me, especially in his earlier days as the President of Venezuela although I don’t quite agree with some of his later decisions. It was sad to hear about his passing but I know that the legacy of the man who genuinely wanted to improve the lives of the poor in Venezuela will forever live on, despite the efforts of many in the world who have sought and are still seeking to destroy his name.

Rest in peace, Chávez, and thank you for being one of the teachers in my life although we have never met.