Thoughts… off the shower

Sometimes, I really despise the "work" of media.  I’m not talking about the mass media at large, but specifically the over-enthusiastic journalists/news stations, which I shall just refer to as "media", for convenience sake..

My sentiment is: the almost-fanatic scrapping for the "big breaking news", by the news stations and/or journalists, may have contributed to the tragedies that subjects of their stories afflict to themselves.  In particular, I’m thinking of 2 very recent cases in Australia: Joe Korp & John Brogden.

If you want to know the story on Joe Korp, I suggest you google "Maria Korp".  The first tragedy of this episode is the discovery of Maria Korp in the boot of her car, brain-damaged and in a coma, and had to be placed in life support.  The 2nd tragedy is the sentencing of Tania Herman (mistress of Maria’s husband, Joe) to 12 years’ imprisonment for attempted murder… read: infidelity of husband led to murder of wife.  The 3rd tragedy is the charge that Joe Korp engineered the attempted murder of his wife (we never knew if this is the case, due to the 4th tragedy).  The 4th is the suicide of Joe Korp.  My thoughts are: if the media had not been like vultures, circling over the head of Joe Korp, seeking to squeeze out every ounce of story from the tragedies that he is related to, Joe might not have committed suicide.  Well, he might have been suicidal in the 1st place, but to me, the relentless pressure applied to him by the media could have been the catalyst that pushed him over the edge.  Now, we’ll never know the full story (not that I really want to explore more about this chain of tragedies)… save for Joe Korp’s brother who claims he has some inside story… well now, another person who might profit from the cravings of the media for "the real story behind Maria Korp’s death".  I say, leave it!

I wouldn’t say I like John Borgden (in fact, I know too little of him to form an opinion).  You can’t blame me for disliking him for the racist slur he spat on the wife of Bob Carr (ex-Premier of NSW).  You can find out more via google (as usual).  Perhaps the fact that Mr Carr’s wife is from Malaysia might have irritated me a bit more… I mean, a racist comment is bad, but it’s even worse if the subject of insult is from the country my wife came from, horrible!  Anyways, a repentent (I hope) John Borgden issued a public apology for that inappropriate comment, and resigned from his position as leader of the opposition party in NSW.  This brought about a little tussle for the (arguably) 2nd most important position in NSW state politics - which, to my (occasionally) cynical mind, those NSW Liberals would not really complain about!  The tragedy is: 2 nights ago (30th Aug), John Brogden attempted suicide - he survived.  Yes, being a politician is high-profile; and making a comment, such as that he made, would most definitely land him as a "huge story" for the ravenous media.  Perhaps all the "attention" given him by the media, including such terms as "disgraced politician", might have been too much for him to bear, thus the attempt on his own life.

Don’t get me wrong - the media is generally good (thus explaining why I read news and blog), but too often (to me) they get over-board and could have been one of some major causes for a tragedy that occurred.  Reminds me of the paparazzi chasing the late Princess Di to her death… okay, save those theories and/or urban myths, I’ll just consider prima facie evidence for this…

So, I wonder, perhap we can have a new category in "causes of death"… being: "over-zealous pursuit for story by a relentless, ravenous media"…

How Great Thou Art
Words by Stuart K. Hine   Music: Swedish Folk Melody

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the works Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed!

Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in.
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin!

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!

The thought floated in… advice was sought… analysis commenced… in the end, it was really a command, I guess.

Yes, I’ve decided to plunge in and disciple another "spiritually younger" Christian… and why not?  …the amount of joy involved, the potential for growth personally, and the fact that another brother-in-Christ is receiving some accelerated building-up (provided that I don’t do it in my own strength), and hopefully move on to disciple someone else himself… yea, that’s a worth-while thing to do!

Now, who will the person be???  I’ve been quite excited/anxious to know…

Oh Lord God Almighty, reveal Your sovereign plan…

BTW, the process of though-advice-analysis-decision did not take 3 months or 2 days… I was zipped through that process in half an hour!  The point is: as a Christian, I aim to align myself fully to God’s Will.  Once you’re sure that’s partly/mostly the case, you can be confident that some things that appear in your mind can be from God.  Yes, we can’t really be sure, but if we compare the subject of that thought with the Will of God, we can determine if that thought is beneficial and we can decide if we should pursue that thought…

How can one align himself to God’s Will?  By the Word of God, which is the revealed Will of God.  We are confident that God does not self-contradict, therefore, by following His Revealed Will (i.e. the Bible), we can be sure that we’re aligning ourselves to God’s Will.

Also, keep in mind Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV) "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."

The last few nights have yielded an average of 7 hours of sleep.  According to scientific research, that is reasonable for the average adult - meaning I should be feeling fresh and good for the day ahead after sleep.  That is not the case!  I have been having trouble waking up, feeling as if I barely had enough sleep… either I’m becoming really lazy or something’s not quite right.  Shall I conclude on the latter?  Yes!

I’ll blame it on dreams…

Dreams… those imaginary escapades into unknown fictitious arenas, formed by the coagulation of images that flood our minds when in our conscious state.  They are wierd, aren’t they?  Have you flied in your dreams before?  Have you gone back in time to right a wrong?  Have you plunged from a high cliff into an endless pit, enjoying the "high" of free-fall?  Have you been chased by "undead creatures", whether they be zombies in the Stephen King mould or those chinese-costumed bouncing dudes who have their arms out-stretched? …or… Have you encountered angelic beings?  Have you had light shine upon you, so strongly that you can barely stand up?  Have you ever faced a pure-white "wall" of a person, so incredibly huge that you feel like you’re a grain of dirt before his body?

Well, I have…

I have a few informational booklets at home on sleep.  They say dreams are caused by REM (rapid eye movements) in the phase of one’s sleep where he/she is not in "deep sleep".  Right.  I know that I have always been a prolific dreamer, estimated 70% of my sleeps are "interupted" by dreams.  I like to think of dreams being more than REM’s, maybe some sub-conscious response of the unknown parts of the brains transmitting messages to the conscious… or even better, a message from the Eternal One.

Dreams… they are nice… they spark a host of emotions & feelings (which must be subdued)… and they give a sense of "lateral existence"…  Nothing mystical, just a vocation of this wonderful mind of ours the Lord has given us.

Y‘know, the break-through in my life, to sincerely approach the Lord God Jehovah, started with a dream… maybe, more of this next time…

The difference is just "C", "O", "U", "N"…

Collecting my "A" levels results from the hands of Mr John Smith should be a fairly "congratulatory" event.  This is the culmination of 2 years of "rigorous" study (coupled with unbridled teenage fun), and there should be a message of "well done for completing this chapter of your life, now go on to greater things".  The piece of paper that is being passed to me contains (among others) 4 important alphabets that will determine the rest of my life: whether I become the successful xxxxx (actually, I still didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life then), or I end up with a below-average job, toiling to make ends meet…  Yes, a favourable foursome of alphabetical delight will see me cruise into NUS or NTU, then unto greater achievement.  Failure… well, that has never been on my mind.  You see, I’ve always managed to cruised through exams, even though I spent minimal effort in studying; I may not score "A"s, but "B"s have always been my buddies (my "O" levels results were a remarkable "straight B3’s", safe for the 2 A1’s for "Elementary Maths" & "Chinese as 2nd Language").  But, that moment of paper exchanging hands, I can sense something strange - Mr Smith did not have his "big teddy bear smile" on his face, it was a look of solemn-ness.  The results slip was not sealed - he knew what was on it.  I gave a quick smile and a "thank you", took the paper and dissolved into the mass of people around.

Opening up the bi-folded results slip gave me the greatest shock of my life (thus far).  "General Paper - B3; Economics - E; Higher Chinese - E; History - E" …3 elephants!  This is bad, very bad!!!  What am I to tell my parents???  Folding the paper and forcing a smile, I approached the group of A2-ians.  The exchange of results amongst friends became a blur in my memory… I can only vaguely remember a few things: sadness/disappointment in some friends’ face, my insistence that I can accept my results, one girl crying because she didn’t get "straight A’s"… have I just wasted 2 years of my life in SAJC? …I know God brought me to SAJC to find Him, this is definitely the best things I got out of this phase of my life, but…  I can’t really remember my mum’s reactions, only her asking "so, what are you going to do now?"… I have no idea too!  Well, at least I have 2 more years of NS to think about that.

Universities will never give me entry with such horrendous results, I am convinced!  I thought about doing a diploma… but I still don’t know what I want to do with my life!  Maybe some overseas institutions may give me a chance… but I have never thought of studying overseas… my parents may not be able to afford.  9 months before my fulltime-NS life ends, I met up with a friend (I knew him from the drama club in Chinese High).  He had moved to New Zealand to study after sec. 3 and is now in his final year in uni.  We met up a few times and talked much… in the end, I felt inspired to pursue a career in theatre!  We looked at some options in Singapore and Australia: La Salle Arts School (Singapore), NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Arts, Australia), VCA (Victorian College of the Arts) and WADA (Western Australia Drama Academy)… I would have to compile a portfolio of works and prepare an audition tape…  6 months before my NS finishes, I went with a friend for an information session at IDP Australia, after which I asked my mum about the possibility of studying overseas… she said she can afford it, but I have no option of failure… she knows I want to go into theatre and supported me, even though she was convinced I’ll have to struggle financially to do theatre in Singapore.  What a great mum!  After months of searching through universities, I sent in 2 applications: Griffith University to do BA & Flinders University to do BA(Theatre Studies).  Both accepted my application, but Flinders Uni wanted me to do a foundations course (because of my appalling "A" level results).  I chose to go to Flinders (reason: if an uni allows me direct entry with a mere "3 elephants", this uni is probably not that flash).  So… Adelaide, here I come! (I first heard of this city called "Adelaide" when I applied to Flinders University.)

Nothing in the world can prepare me for, or cause me to make, this career change even before I began!  3 months into my 7 months foundations course at Eynesbury College, I start to wonder if I really should do theatre studies… I had yet to prepare my audition tape (being the lazy bum I am), though the "portfolio of my previous works" is almost prepared (I had to think very hard to squeeze the last ounce of drama experience I had since Primary 6) with the necessary referees contacted.  But now, I sense a change in my heart and mind… actually, it’s the mind… I start to wonder how I would survive in a Singaporean society where the theatre scene is yet to develope into a sustainable career path for talented artistes (like me!)… I had also found out that I can change the uni course I want to do, provided I do well enough for this foundations course… (hehehee… think about it, I could have chose to study medicine, if not for my not studying biology and chemistry in the foundations course!)  Time passed, ideas changed, the pragmatic Raymond starts to emerge… after a (not too difficult) decision, I decided to apply to Adelaide Uni to study Accounting if my results are good enough… now that’s a decision that came from left-field - I’ve never encountered accounting as a subject in my studies thus far, I don’t know anyone who’s an accountant, and heck, I don’t even know what an accountant really does (c’mon, don’t tell me they just punch a calculator all day long… you don’t need a degree to do that!).  Anyways, the course ended… I did extremely well (by God’s grace)… applied to Adelaide Uni… they said "no worries, mate!"… and in Feb 2000, I started my studies towards a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting)!

It has all been in God’s plan… I can only relate the happenings, but the "coincidences" and "snugly-fitted chain of events" were beyond anything but God.  I am convinced, from my perspective, from my experience, from the struggles that raged within my head and heart, that God has brought me, an "A"-level Arts student who’s just passed that exam, to become a graduate from the Adelaide University (and in the process, finding God again, and finding a wife).  What a beauty!

…and now, I finally realise that my mind & principles & thought-waves are more suited to a career in Commerce/Accounting…  Pragmatic Raymond has well & truly emerged… but, rest assured, Drama Raymond still yearns for his share of this life…

No, I’m not talking about any superheroes, or super-nannies…

DISCLAIMER: the below are purely my personal understanding and thoughts of Superannuation in Australia, and should not be based on solely for advice.

If you’re like me - an international student turned employee in Australia, or someone who’s in the opening stages of his exposure to employment in Australia (whether studying about or entering into), you would most definitely have heard of "Super", especially for the last few months as the Federal Government embarks on an "informative campaign" about this new thing called "Super Choice".

…"xia mi si Super?" you might ask (or "apa super?")…

Well, "super" is short for superannuation (y’know, these Aussies, they like to shorten everything…).  Superannuation is the Australian semi-equivalent of Singapore’s CPF or Malaysia’s EPF.  Basically, a component of an employees remuneration package that is locked away as a saving for retirement.  Where a person is self-employed, he can make his own contribution to a nominated superannuation fund (I’m not sure if this is compulsory).  An employee can also make his own extra contributions to the fund.  In Australia, one can access his/her superannuation monies only upon retiring or reaching the age of 65 (whichever comes first).  The SGC (superannuation guarantee contribution) rate is currently 9% - meaning employers must AT LEAST contribute an amount not less that 9% of the employee’s base salary into the employee’s super fund.  Of course, employers can (and do) increase their contributions above this base rate, as a method of improving an employee’s remuneration package.

I guess, for a person who’s starting work in Australia, he should know that "super" is paid (not to him, but to a superannuation fund) by the employer ON TOP OF his BASE salary.  Therefore, one thing to be sure of is: when you’re offered a job, take note if the remuneration is expressed "as a package" or "$xxxxx plus super" or "$xxxxx with/including super".  If it is a "package", you would have to clarify whether super in "included" or "on top of", whereas for "$xxxxx plus super", it’s quite obvious the super is "on top of", and more obvious for "$xxxxx with/including super".

Example A:  Ah Beng is offered a job with a remuneration of "$30,000 plus super", this means he gets $30,000 as base salary PLUS $2,700 of super per annum.

Example B:  Ah Lian is offered a job with a remuneration of "$30,000 including super", this means she gets ($30,000 - 9% =) $27,522.94 as base salary and $2,477.06 of super per annum.

Example C:  Ah Blur is offered a job with a "remuneration package" of $30,000, he should ask the employer "ji eh si plus super, ar si including super?" (or "ini plus super OR ini including super?)…

Why is it important to know?  Well, firstly it allows you to compare remunerations from a common base (for people who are kiasu/kay-poh/nosey like me).  Second, it helps you in budgeting (having a good idea of the amount of disposable income in your hands is definitely a GOOD starting point in the budgeting process… I’ll post something of this topic someday…).  My third and last/lame reason is: with such knowledge, you can ascertain if your employer is short-paying (at which point, you should COMPLAIN!!!) or over-paying (*hush hush* …hehehee…) your salary and/or super.

Super Choice - introduced by the Australian Federal Government, giving ELIGIBLE persons the right to nominate a super fund into which their employer must make the required contributions.  Before this, employers can determine a fund where contributions for employees are made, resulting in employees (who change jobs frequently, like me) to have multiple accounts in various super funds - they might lose track and lose some of their super monies.  With "Super Choice", the employee selects a preferred fund for the employer to make contributions.

If you’re interested, this is the Super Choice website.

*yawn* …I’m boring myself to bits, better stop now before I implode…

Laine feels that I should put this photo up…

Actually, this photo and many others can be seen in my blog photo album (it can also be found just to the right of this posting space).