A split second of fame. #KRMF
人生是黑白的.
11:37 PM <3
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Finally attended my first and last Kent Ridge Ministerial Forum today, with DPM Tharman as the guest of honour. Compared to the 2 relatively informal close-door dialogues over the past 2 weeks, today's forum was more formal with all the media attention and formalities.
I felt that the time for Q+A wasn't adequate. Just slightly more than an hour for Q+A isn't quite enough for a 200-strong audience (or so). Even the 2 recent close-door dialogues had almost 3 hours each, for the 30-40 people then. I felt sorry for the 9 people who were queueing behind the microphones when the time was up, and also felt regrettable for not being able to hear the issues that they were about to raise. All the questions raised during the session had been great, relevant and interesting. Although most, if not all, of the issues had been raised in the recent dialogues I attended, and that I had already heard the official answers, I still looked forward to hear how DPM explained them.
I have no qualms accepting that DPM is one of the best speakers in Cabinet now, after watching his Budget speeches all these years, and the televised political debate last year. Today's forum reaffirmed this, with some comparisons made with the 2 ex-Generals-turned-politicians whom I heard over the past 2 weeks. It's really 一个比一个好。
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After the forum ended, and while the VIPs were busy taking group photos at the banner, we headed to the refreshment area and were the first in line. We opened the lids by ourselves and got our food. Just as we were done with the final tray and started to walk away from the food, we walked straight into DPM and his entourage of media cameras.
He was there, few metres away, with many cameras awaiting.
He started to walk over to our direction, fast, and smiling, and greeted us. Cameras clicking away, following his movement.
And the next 10 minutes were our 10-minutes of fame. DPM was right next to me on my left, and 2 friends were on my right. The 3 of us were still holding on to our plate, full of food. The cameras and flashes were continuous in that 10 minutes. The shots were especially fast and furious at moments whenever DPM said something that prompted the 3 of us to smile and laugh along.
What transpired during the 10 minutes? I might have sensed a tiny tinge of wayang engagement when the opening question was how we got to the venue at Utown--by shuttle bus or walking. But soon enough, we got off to more depth, eventually discussing about why engineers do not enter the industry when they graduate. To be frank, I might have enjoyed this short little engagement more than the entire Forum.
And so there it was, our 10-minutes of 'fame', when a hundred photos were taken within minutes. Over the past 2 weeks, other than feeling that the Ministers 一个比一个好, I also felt that my interaction with the Ministers 一个比一个多, in a very funny way.
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That marks the end of the series of dialogues and forums, which all came quite last minute, with these last-minute lobangs. I admit each of the 3 Ministers were remarkable in their conviction and values, and that I had gained insights. There were questions that got answered, and there were those that didn't convince me. Insights were still gained, nevertheless, and that is because I had let myself think through the issues, and subsequently, make a stand. I'm definitely glad to have the chance to be part of these events, while still in campus.
人生是黑白的.
1:12 AM <3
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A split second of fame. #KRMF