Critical Inquiry

MY DAUGHTER'S recent applications for entry to the three local universities - Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University - were all rejected . The reasons given were an overwhelming response, limited places in the universities and stiff competition. My daughter is an above-average student who had excelled in sports. She has met all the criteria for entry to a local university. Is being eligible not enough? Must one now get extraordinary grades to be granted a place in university? ... Are my daughter's grades of an A, B, C (General Paper) and an E not good enough ? My son, who is 27 years old and had A-level grades of A, B and C, graduated with a Second Upper Class Honours degree in the Arts and Social Sciences at NUS. See Chee Wee The Straits Times, 29 May 2007 All sorts of letters are making it into The Straits Times forums these days without regard for whether the letters are truly of merit or not. This is jus

Person 1: Will you like to drink Anything? Person 2: Whatever... Person 1: Whatever? Person 2: Whatever. Person 1: Here's your Whatever. Person 2: ... A new beverage has just been launched and it is the "Anything" and "Whatever" product range. This is a surprise-packaging concept where every beverage has a generic design which makes consumers unaware of the flavour of the purchased beverage until they drink it. The Anything and Whatever range features six flavours each, with "Anything" containing carbonated soft drinks and "Whatever" yielding non-carbonated flavours. This is a very innovative product that latches upon the common observation that people are not able to decide when trying to purchase a beverage. The responses of "Anything" or "Whatever" frequently placed the person tasked with making the purchase on behalf in a bind. With these 2 new products, you better think twice before casually answering questions as to

If you cannot decipher anything, then try pulling the corner of your eyes or squint your eyes. The truth will shock you...

The recommendations on Makan Places Lost and Found by Gurmit and Michelle Chia on 8 May 2007 can be obtained via SMS for $1 per episode but here you get it for free as follows: Geylang Lorong 20 Goreng Pisang Old Airport Hawker Centre (Temporary) #01-23 King Fish Head Noodles Marine Parade Food Centre 84 Marine Parade Central #01-182 Target Cafe Thomson Community Club 194 Upper Thomson Road Song Huat Fishball Noodles Orchard Hawker Food Square 100 Orchard Road

When exactly is Mothers' Day? The date will depend on where you are from but many countries celebrate Mothers' Day on the 2nd Sunday of May. On Mothers' Day, the restaurants are packed and so many people go round trying to get presents for their mums to show how nice they are. But do we really need to celebrate Mothers' Day? I guess my mum's views summed it up quite nicely... There is no need for any special celebration be it Mothers' Day or Fathers' Day. To our parents, there is nothing better than to have the children demonstrate their fillial piety on a daily and continuous basis. What is the point of making an effort to celebrate once a year when the other 364 days the parents are ignored? Furthermore, these special days are fast losing their meaning as retailers try to latch on to up their sales via promotions and tie-ups. Instead of making a special effort once a year, let us make a dedicated effort to transform each and every day into a Mothers'/F