The TAU family...

Hey...I juz read the papers (Today). I'm not sure if you have heard of Mr Brown but i have been following his column for awhile since I found it...he writes well, is humourous yet critical abt local issues, w/o offending higher authorities...tt takes some skills here... Was also touched by his commitment towards his child with autism...and i did read up on the condition after finding out abt it in his column too. Opens my eye to different sides of life...and different kinds of people...and how people r coping wif difficulties in life... :)

Today he wrote abt the Taupok incident and the recent complaint letter in ST...BOY! was he funny... abt the Tau family...Tauhuay, Taunee, Taugay...and even our own Singapore Idol, Taufik kena involved! :þ haha...

Ok, i HAVE been thru JC...but maybe i'm not from the same generation or I've been thru JC wif my eyes closed..but the 'premier JC in the Bukit Timah Area" that i studied in, seems not to have this kind of extra cirriculum activities while I was thr. I haven't even seen pillaring, though i have heard of it AFTER JC times... so is it cuz my 'grey uniform' JC is really so boring...that the students do not engage in such EXCITING and DANGEROUS activities...or am I juz out of tt loop? :(

I tink it wld have been interested to juz stand around and watch... ask me to go under the pile? oh no... I really dun wanna be tau kee, u know... the flat flat kind! :þ haha..

On a serious note, I do agree that it can be rather hazardous and dangerous to engage in such activities...since it can cause long term health problems to do wif the spine and if i'm not wrong, injury to the spine can cause paralysis of parts of body rite? Yes, it's dangerous...no doubt!

BUT parents, tink abt the times when u went to catch spiders wif ur frens in the Kampong, or playing catching around the forest near ur house... is thr no danger at all? I mean thr's probably a dozen species of spiders which are poisionous rite? and forests r well known for dangerous animals like lions? tigers? even snakes are enuff to give u the kiss of death.... So were u disallowed to go about ur activities during those times or were u allowed the freedom to roam and grow up and toughen yourself?

I mean, maybe such an example is a little too far fetched cuz lions and tigers r not common in S'pore, ya? But it's the same principle. U allow ur kids to have their own space for growth and to toughen up for their own life ahead, with or without u... For how long can you be protecting them? Not for the whole lifetime, I'm sure... And i agree wif Mr Brown that the son should have the courage to stand up for himself if he doesn't wan to join in the taupoking acitivities, instead of getting the father to write a letter. The father should have more sense than tt, shouldm't he? I wonder wat lengths parents are going to protect their precious kids...from apparent dangers...

*No doubt I am not a parent yet, And i have not joined in such activities before but I intend to give my kids the space to choose wat they wan or not wan to do...Hopefuly i will be able to do tt*

OK, and i oso hold the view that youngsters are definitely more able to withstand such weight above them rite? I mean...their bodies and bones are supposed to be stronger rite? As u grow older, your bones get weaker and all... dun tell me you want to be playing Taupok at age of 50 cuz u missed it in your youth....tt's courting your own death man!

Therefore, it's impt that our youths experience SOME hardships in the course of their life...even if it's juz some of these silly games that they play in school... It's enuff to let them know, if they were to perform badly in smtg, they will kena from the rest of the team! haha.. that they hv to suffer from the stress... it's impt survival skills for life!

If u r int to read the online version, click the link and search for "The Tao of Pok" for the column, careful not to fall off your chair though...tt's rather hazardous and life-threatening as well...if i cld quote the particular father who complained.. :þ And may i oso remind u that u might become the laughing stock in ur office for the rest of the yr...and this yr has juz started!

Go to http://www.mrbrown.com/blog/musings/index.html for more of his rantings abt the matter...and for more laughs...

I tink he's one funny man! You rockz, Brownie! :)

P/S: http://www.quotesoflaozi.blogspot.com/ oso has some stuff on the topic. feel free to drop by thr...