in addition to the below

Oops. i don't normally write so much in 1 night! gosh. Where do i start? Oh yes! Josie Lau! This is taken from the press release by DBS regarding their employee one Josie Lau, who became AWARE's president.

The bank takes pride in the fact that many DBS employees pursue their interests and passion outside work, and are involved with various community/charity/volunteer organisations in their personal capacity. These employees had sought and obtained prior approval to do so, in accordance with the Bank's staff code of conduct. Approval is granted on a case-by-case basis, depending on the demands of the proposed external appointment as well as the job responsibilities that the individual holds in the bank.

Josie informed the bank of her appointment as AWARE Exco member on 13 April, over 2 weeks after she was appointed on 28 March. She had not sought prior approval for this appointment and thereby breached the staff code of conduct. Nevertheless, DBS made a concession and agreed to support her involvement as Exco member.

Early this week, Josie broached the subject of her intent to run for President of AWARE. We reviewed her request and subsequently informed her that while the Bank continues to support her involvement in AWARE, we could not support her intent to run for President, given the demands associated with the top post of a leading advocacy group in Singapore. Banks worldwide are facing very challenging times and her role as VP in the credit card space today is even more challenging, given the environment we are in.

Every year, all employees are required to acknowledge that they will abide by the bank’s policies. We are disappointed that Josie knowingly disregarded DBS’ staff code of conduct twice. Such attitude is not one that DBS, or any other organisation, can condone in a leader. We are now reviewing the matter internally.

-- DBS spokesperson, 17 April 2009.

So. Josie Lau already made the decision to run for presidency as early as mid april. Yet in an Interview on Channel News Asia 2 days after this press release was made, Ms Josie Lau literally slapped herself silly with an outright lie.

“There were 5 of us, we went around the table and none wanted to take up the position (of President). I was the last woman standing. And I felt that I had to pick up the baton, to run and to continue to lead this organisation that has been marred in controversies in the last one, two weeks.”

Does this not give the impression that she never intended to run for presidency but that circumstances forced her to do so? Did she forgot her talk with her supervisors early that week?

Makes you wonder if any of it were real...

I'm so tired of these people who ride the moral high horses. What's so good about your brand of religion anyway?

anyone caught unAWARE by the recent flimshams?

I must admit, i am a very lazy person. See, i cannot even remember to blog about my first day at work. Okay, admittedly there was nothing to blog about. BUT!! AWARE! The recent issues surrounding AWARE's power tussle really got me itching to write.

A Little History:

quoted from www.we-are-aware.sg
On March 28, AWARE was taken over by a group of newcomers who had only recently joined the organisation. 102 people turned up for AWARE's annual general meeting (AGM), which had been relatively less well-attended in the past. 80 of these attendants had only recently joined AWARE between January and March 2009.

When the election of office bearers began, almost every position was challenged by a member of this group. 9 out of 12 of the executive committee memberships went to newcomers, who were voted in by wide majorities.

Claire Nazar nominated by out-going President, Constance Singam, was the only one voted in unopposed. She resigned the Presidency 11 days into office. Josie Lau was subsequently appointed by the new Exco to take her place.

There are wide-ranging suspicions that this "leadership grab" has been orchestrated by women seeking to use the name and the resources of a well-respected institution to further their own agenda.

These concerns have been expressed not only by onlookers, but by older members of Aware.

• The new group at the AGM felt that it was not relevant to make known their “religion and views on homosexuality”.



• Except for Jenica Chua (and old AWARE members, Caris Lim and Chew I-Jin) other members of the new Exco joined AWARE only in the last five months; none of them has served in AWARE committees nor participated in AWARE initiatives as volunteers.



• The new Exco has terminated all the current heads of the AWARE sub-committees, including Braema Mathi, Chairperson of AWARE's CEDAW Committee (CEDAW stands for Convention for the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, an international bill of rights for women adopted by the UN).



• The new Exco has kept ex-President, Constance Singam out of Exco meetings, which is unconstitutional.
• Constance Singam and Claire Nazar have resigned from the new Exco on the grounds that their advice and direction have been totally disregarded by members of the new Exco.



• The new president, Josie Lau and 5 other Exco members belong to the same church, Church of Our Saviour. Given this, it is very likely, in our view, that they have acted in concert to take over AWARE. We do not know why as they have refused to disclose their reasons to either members of AWARE or to the press and this makes us even more worried. They, or persons whom they have been associated with, have written homophobic letters to the press. While that is their personal conviction to which they are entitled, we do not want AWARE to be made into a vehicle for any hidden agenda.



• Josie Lau, was in charge of the DBS Charity Drive in support of Focus On The Family, US-based Christian organisation that is opposed to abortion and equal rights for sexual minorities. This created a controversy last year which was well-documented.



• 160 members, including former AWARE committee members and founder members, petitioned for an extraordinary general meeting to consider a vote of no confidence in the New Exco on the basis that the New Exco has not acted and is not acting in the best interest of AWARE; does not appreciate or share the values of AWARE and does not have the requisite experience of carrying out AWARE's work or is otherwise inadequate to further AWARE's objectives. An EGM will be held on 2 May 2009.

What Happened Since:

April 23 - Mother Superior Thio emerged from the shadows. This effectively runs counter to their claims that no one instigated them since the new guard acknowledges her as their "feminist mentor". If they needed a mentor in feminism, what are they doing on the exco of AWARE - a feminist movement?! Also, Mother Superior claims "... She(sic) go round Singapore teaching, counselling. So when all these problems about Comprehensive Sex Education came forth, then she(sic) started thinking: Hey, parents, you better know what’s happening, you better know what’s happening… She(sic) talked to parents, (she) said, you better do something about this, otherwise your daughter will come back and say, “Mum, I want to marry my girlfriend” or your son will say, “Dad, I want to marry my boyfriend.”

April 25 - "The Straits Times : Too Diversified or Too Focused; which is it?" article appears, throwing further doubts on the exco's agenda, which, hitherto appears to be nothing more than a confused mambo jumbo.

Oh and they fired the centre manager, accusing her of logging the president out of the system. Funny. SHE said the case was logged but the silly president did not know how to access her email. Oooo.

April 27 - It has been reported that the church in question - Church Of Our Saviour, supports their congregation joining AWARE to sway more votes towards what a Pastor termed "...a necessity to ensure that the nation does not cross the line drawn by God". Yet official spokesman for the church claims the church does not have a policy of engaging in secular affairs. Right. So what does the email by your pastors mean? An altar call?!

MOE also rebutted Mother Superior, challenging her to substantiate her claims that schools allow talks promoting homosexual lifestyle to take place.

All in all, it was quite a show. Now, comrades, stand up for freedom and say an emphatic NO to any religion who tries to play the role of moral vigilantes and force their religion on us!

A meet up with an old friend...

I went out with an old friend (A) cause he saw me online and asked if i'd like to meet. Said he just broke up and was feeling very down.

Okay - sure! i'll play aunt agony, plan something that'll help to get his mind off the matter, at least for a while.

Went to NParks website, downloaded a couple of maps, print them and set off. Met at Tampines 1 (did you guys note how crowded it was in there?!), and took a train to Buena Vista in order to reach Kent Ridge Park. I found out just how bad it was when A started telling me about tarot cards and spells and astrology, and how he plans to use them to win back his (ex)lover.

erm. okay. Wasn't sure if using spells counts as fairplay but if he's not harming anyone, it's cool.

Alight at the station, took bus service number 200 and almost ended up at the wrong stop since the place marker (its in the wilderness after all - no buildings!) was mouldy and overgrown with weeds. Found the entrace up Kent Ridge Park. The regret piles on almost immediately. Man! the slope is steep! Make that S.T.E.E.P. !! I was smirking at the nice bespectacled chap who looked like a Doctor (or at least a Houseman) walking slower than my grandma, until i started to pant. ARGH!! The deceptive slope took more effort than we both thought! Bet the Doctor (i know there's a possibility that he ain't one but i don't care - he looks like one!) is smirking now!

Anyway we trudged up the slope, walked the little patch of green, went downslope on some broadwalk, found Reflections @ Bukit Chandu (Chandu means opium/drugs in bahasa malayu), found a map, decided we were at the wrong spot, and walked back up broadwalk. Tada!! found the sign that says "Southern Ridges"!! Went down hill (again!) and found ourselves in the very beautiful Hort Park! We saw daisies (real daisies!!), roses and all manner of flowers and took tons of pictures before setting foot on our true destination - the famed bridges and canopy walks of Telok Blangah and Faber hills.

More climbing (i know there aint steps but since we are going uphill, we must be climbing!) and a lot of squeezing later (what the.. oh its saturday - of course everyone's there), we found a rather large garden, complete with landscpaed terraces in gradually expanding concentric circles lined in aged balustrade along the style of the grand early Rennaissance period. The only thing missing from this expansive garden was an equally grand palace - only a sad gazebo grace the top terrace. (Just read that this "Terrace Gardens" was part of the Alkaff Mansion!!)

Further on, we found the now abandoned Alkaff Mansion. OMG!! its lovely even in it's dilapidated state! Snapped some pictures and continued on to the Henderson Waves. Man! It's beautiful against the darkening sky - like some golden shimmery stairway to Heaven!Finished our trip with a walk down Marang Trail (which remains unlight - had to rely on the torches i brought) taking us to the base of Mount Faber. Went for dinner at Vivocity - where we were promptly mistaken for Indonesian tourists.

Time was 8:30. Decided to go for the Songs Of The Sea musical fountain show at Siloso Beach in Sentosa - crazy huh? Fed myself a giant sized Malibu Dream from Coffee Bean and a cake before heading back. Laughed at near non-stop screening of "Just For Laughs" on the bus ride home. Bought some more water and sat at the playground near my home. And that was where i heard the shocking news.

My friend's been tested positive. For HIV!! OMG. Now i understand why he is so keen on winning back his (ex)lover. i mean, he has nothing else. So, even though i do not condone his using spells to cause his Ex to break up with the current lover and return to him, i couldn't blame him. Just kept telling him to reconsider and that it doesn't do him any good if he wins the body but not the soul. Nothing goes in as expected.

I really don't know what to say. And after much pressing, he did tell me that if all his attempts should fail, he might as well die as there is nothing without Jaz. Oh dear... I honestly don't know what to say. I am violently against the idea of imposing one's will on others but at the same time can't let him die like that! Big headache.. Please, pray for A. And for Jaz, who's been avoiding his calls. I sincerely hope that a resolution will be found soon..