Lee Kuan Yew Speaks...

Minister Mentor, Lee Kuan Yew addressed a group of young PAP members this week. He spoke on several topics including homosexuality and was quoted as saying 'In in fact it is true, and I have asked doctors this, that you are genetically born a homosexual, you can't help it - why should we criminalise it? We are now confronted with a persisting aberration. But is it an aberration? It's genetic variation. I think we pragmatically adjust, don't upset (the people), and suddenly upset their sense of propriety. But at the same time, let's not go around acting like the moral police.'

This seems to reflect a liberalisation of the views in Singapore around the Pantechnion community. It is also in line with the recent announcement that while homosexuality would remain illegal here, there would be less focus on prosecution, while between 'consenting adults in the privacy of their own bedrooms' (noting the emphasis on bedrooms - the same applies for the lesbians, for whom being gay is legal, but again only in their own bedrooms). It does beg the question, is the Singaporean gay community just unimaginative? Mind you, they will need to keep the windows closed, as you can still be prosecuted here for being seen through your curtains naked, gay or straight.

In a follow up quote this week, MM Lee said 'They tell me homosexuals are creative writers, dancers. If we want creative people then we have to put up with their idiosyncrasies.' Quite who 'they' are who supplied this sterling piece of wisdom was not revealed, but the hairdressers union is already reported to be up in arms.

'Wear Sunscreen' for the new millenium

I saw that Kurt Vonnegut had passed away last week. One piece of work that was erroneously attributed to him was a column from the Chicago Tribune, later set to music and released at the end of the 90's as a record, that starts (give or take) with the advice to 'wear sunscreen'.

Every decade 'needs' such a hero (hmm), so here is the candidate for the 00's...


Email subscribers, get it here

Singapore - getting cooler daily

When I came to Singapore I was pretty worried that I would be unable to find the kind of esoteric entertainment that I'd become so fond of in London (Hip Hip, Lost Vagueness, Punchdrunk to name a few).

While I think we are still some way off that level of kookiness, it's been heartening to see more experimentation in the arts. Last weekend there was a play utilising the moniker 'site specific', which in this case only meant sitting on the stage, but it's a start. There is a thriving arts community in place that is becoming increasingly more brave in critique of the government.

Anyway, as part of the 'Red' AIDS awareness campaign, Motorola got together with a bunch of local bands and DJs with Bugz in the Attic as headliners and put together a gig on the top of a downtown carpark, surrounded by the skyscrapers of the CBD. Best of all they made it totally free! I would say this was 'world class cool' - if this had been done in London or New York it would have been critically acclaimed. The only downside was that you had to register for tickets and being free (and Singapore) they easily got rid of the 1500 tickets. Equally, being Singapore a lot of people didn't show up or came and left (complaining it wasn't air conditioned), meaning that there were only a few hundred people there at the end.

Still, you have to start somewhere... enjoy the video (Click here).

Check out Das Pop, Check out Das Pop, Check Out Das Pop...

http://www.myspace.com/daspop

What's not to like..?

Popbitch say 'We can't stop listening to Das Pop. The Belgian band channel 60s Britpop energy, New York garage band attitude, Pet Shop Boys melodies and Magic Numbers sweetness, especially on perfect summer single You. Their forthcoming Soulwax-produced album is red-hot. '

I'm Lovin' It.

Well, I finally cracked. 142 days after arriving in Singapore, I went to McDonalds for food. I had a shitty day. As people who read my earlier travel diaries (as such things were known before the blogosphere took over the world) will know, at some point when travelling I usually go and see what the country I'm in offers as an alternative to a 'Royale wit'cheese'. Singapore doesn't appear to have an equivalent to a quarter pounder with cheese (they got the metric system...) though it didn't stop me forlornly asking for one and looking like the biggest tourist in the world. This of course caused a massive panic behind the counter, as it was a deviation from the script and Singaporeans in the service industry don't like that one bit. I could see the girl trying to work out what I could possibly mean and throwing out random items from the menu in order to meet my insistent demands for something totally alien to her comprehension. In what was a somewhat mean spirited gesture, I compounded the issue by offering the balance of the transaction in change to make the returning change an even dollar amount. Now this doesn't seem evil, but in fact it's a great way to get revenge on shop assistants here as it's not a common practise and it makes them do maths in their head, which they don't like very much, preferring to read off what the till tells them to give you.

The thing about going into McDonalds is that I always feel guilty. I always feel uncool. I always think that the people in there are looking at me, silently screaming 'you're eating crap' in their heads. It always takes me a while to realise that in fact they are also customers who have chosen to patronise the golden arches through choice and are in fact, probably looking forward to their McSpicys, which turned out to be the most esoteric thing on the menu, though as it was made of chicken I ruled that it couldn't be the 'Royale wit'cheese' equivalent. The other thing is that in Singapore you can eat much much better food for a lot less cash at any hawker centre you care to throw a kway teow at. Which shows you how shitty my day was.

The thing that I find really obscene (and this is probably to parry the low cost of hawker centres) is that you can get McDelivery here. ANYTHING from the menu, even if it is an apple pie at 1 SGD (about 30p). Sure they will charge you 2 SGD to deliver your order, but for your £1 a man will drive a fossil fuel consuming scooter to your over air conditioned place of work to stuff your fat face with an apple pie, 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. Nice.

Oddly, the McDonalds was full of children studying. I'm not sure if this is because the library had closed, or this is a different version of the Hamburger University that you read about but it was a bit odd. "Still", I thought. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em" and pulled out my French coursework. Pass the chilli ketchup?