For the next few weeks ...

I will be more busy for the next few weeks to meet up with more people to discuss on careers. Hopefully, it will be fruitful and many a time, I would remind myself to be patient for the sake. Patience definitely goes the long way. My friends keep on telling me to be patient as the organisations may not always get back to us quickly. Anyway, I continue to manage my mind though it can be quite tough and frustrating especially with no reply from any organisations. How I wish that there is a law mandating that every company should reply to the candidates with positive or negative reply to all those applicants!

This week, I will meet up with my friend who is a boss of the video company. He told me that he has to work closely with NGC or Discovery Channel and this job requires him to fly frequently. It looks interesting though. I need to explore more on that!


Yesterday night, earlier than usual, I went home and wanted to rest earlier cos for the past few weeks, I was quite exhausted running here and there and participating in many races. I went to bed around 9pm! So early hee and now I feel much fresh and mentally alert. I am able to plan out better. Another friend has given me the contact of head-recruitment company and I am going to give it a try with that company.

Today I saw a promising article from ChannelNewsAsia website. It is quite a good news for the disabled that the new Women MPs would focus on employment of those Singaporeans with special needs. How I and other representatives from other disabled groups, wish to sit in the committee with those Women MPs to share my insight with them rather than letting them implement their policies based on their feedback from the general public. It could be more effective platform for them to work out closely with these disabled groups.

I have spoken to one of the NTU students who explore with me on media discrimination. I have met up with her last week to discuss on video-making which focuses on media discrimination. I provided her with relevant background about how the deaf is being disadvantaged from this media.

See the excerpt from the website

GROUP 6: OneforAll

OneforAll will tackle the issue of discrimination against the physically handicapped in the media. A critique of conventional media programming that caters only to a mainstream audience, their video will offer an alternative way of presenting television content that will be mindful of the needs of blind and deaf audiences.

I have explained to her that in USA, or other developed countries, every program or channel comes with closed-captioning which definitely allows the deaf to understand all the program with little glitches. Over here, it is so difficult for the deaf or hard-of-hearing to understand what the English program is all about. She will explore with her team members on this media discrimination and I hope that this video would send a strong signal to the community that disabled community cannot be ignored at the expense of the majority!

Here is the excerpt of the article from ChannelNewsAsia.

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Helping more Singaporeans stay employable and those with special needs.

These are just two of key issues three new women Members of Parliament want to focus on.

There are 17 women MPs in the new Parliament, including the seven new additions from the recent General Election.

Although there are more of them in Parliament, do not expect them to just harp on issues concerning women.

From employment to educating the young, these are issues that cut across the whole population.

And because women make up slightly more than half the population in Singapore, they will stand to benefit as well with any improvement in policies.

So issues like helping Singaporeans update their skills to stay employable are important.

Jessica Tan, MP for East Coast GRC, said that employability is the 'key' because 'it allows individuals to stay financially independent as well as be connected to society'.

Another issue is how to help mothers get back into the workforce.

One MP says that a housewife would not want to work from morning till night because she will have no time to care for her family.

But if companies can hire two women to perform shift work, they will be attracting more workers and help solve manpower needs.

"For this to happen, we need to understand that from the employer's, the shopkeepers' point of view, it's not just a question of paying two salaries," said Josephine Teo, MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

"He would also have to contribute to two sets of CPF. He may likely have to extend two sets of benefits to the two women," she said.

"But from a cost point of view, he'll have to find a way to manage it and I think going forward, we have to find ways to keep the cost affordable for him so that it's possible for him to hire the two women instead of one," added the MP.

For MP Denise Phua, she wants to do more for those with special needs and look at enhanced financial assistance such as foreign worker levy reductions and better tax relief for families with elderly parents.

The MP for Jalan Besar GRC said: "We have to specifically analyse to see if these amounts are sufficient, to look at how much does it cost to support an elderly person at home, especially if the elderly are ill, especially if they're immobile and especially if they don't fit within the current means-testing group that avails them subsidies.

"What will be the reasonable amounts so that it (Singapore) wouldn't be a welfare state but a state that pays attention to those who need a leg up to help them in their lives."

The new Parliament will open in November. - CNA/ir