Random movies and sensitive thoughts

Scary movie - Jesus Camp

Cool movie - 49 Up

Tried to run my long run today, but just didn't have the mental stamina today. It's all right, i figure i'll try again on Wednesday.

Went to the library today and got around to borrowing some books on management and leadership. I've resolved to spend more time learning about areas relevant to both my personal life and work. Some of the key areas i want to read up on :

1) Management/leadership (and all related aspects)
2) Knowledge management
3) Team learning
4) Change management
5) Budgeting and accounts (ugh)

Part of me wants to blog about how frustrating life can be in Singapore but i can't seem to put my finger on what to write about. I wrote about how Singapore Dreaming resonated with me when i watched it a few weeks ago. Perhaps it's the sense of frustrated potential and opportunities in the movie that i feel when i think about life in Singapore. I like a lot about life here. The safety, the predictability, the meritocracy. But it often feels like there is no time to stop and smell the roses, to take alternative paths and the path less trodden. The risk of expressing oneself in "unsafe" ways makes it so much easier to take the normal path and swallow the conventional wisdom. The government can engage religious groups and other segments of society as part of its consultation process, but it refuses to engage the GLBT Singaporeans, because doing so would mean recognising it as a segment of society, an action too politically sensitive with too little economic upsides for the government to consider. Yes, one of the key strengths of the Singaopre government is its ability to mobilise and act with uncanny swiftness and coherence, and much of that strength is predicated on the fact that it does not need to deal with too many dissenting voices. Me? I prefer a little messiness in my life. I would rather trade some tideness for the mental freedom to consider alternative lifestyles, alternative choices, alternative voices.

I once read a political science text about American politics. Something in that text really stuck with me. It defined power as 3 levels. The first level of power is about deciding between items on the agenda. The second level of power comes when you get to decide what gets on the agenda. And the third level of power happesn when you can even define the problems/items that could get on the agenda.

It strikes me that the Singapore government has in effect achieved the 3rd level of power. It has control over what gets on the agenda. Nothing wrong with that, if that's how you want to live.

Ajantis is kinda cynical tonight....