07 Aug 23 Monday Briefing

Merdeka week for Singapore

Grain for me but not for thee

It’s been 1 year, 5 months, 2 weeks and 1 day since Russia moved on Ukraine, and after a couple of exhausting hours going back and forth with a Ukrainian online acquaintance (living and working in the rich west for the longest time, I might add) who considers all non-aligned states to be allies of Russia and therefore enemies of his, I’ve decided to call a personal moratorium on all future discussions on hot takes. It ended with me urging him to focus his efforts on helping NATO find its metaphorical spheres. There may be no coming back from that.

But do poorer countries have bandwidth to care about geopolitical posturing and these futile keyboard-warrior exchanges? Not when grain and starvation are on the line. Talk is cheap, after all. And to some people, the rest of the world are all complicit and guilty because we do not bay for zero-sum measures. What a way to win hearts and minds.

🎶 Lonely, I'm Mr. Lonely, I have nobody, For my owwnnn 🎶

Are we truly lonely (at night, especially), or have we forgotten how to make and maintain friendships? Is this “epidemic” unique to atomistic societies or a potential eventuality for any society? (Meador thinks that contemporary America simply isn’t set up to promote mutuality, care, or common life.) Is anyone entitled to attention and social connection, especially if they’ve done nothing to foster connections and give back to their communities? Oh the horror, if this social disconnect were to be exploited… if it isn’t already?

ZIRP DERP

As a Millennial in a developed country, most of my working life has been shaped by ZIRP, whether I realised or liked it or not. Lifestyle consumption was subsidised, startups which morphed into FAANGs became attractive places to bet career trajectories on, and everyone with a laptop fancied themselves a global nomad at some point. It was arrested development, en masse, and now adulting reality has bitten hard. How do we, in Rao’s words, exit unnarratable conditions? P. S. Jamie’s big mad and says it’s “ridiculous” that other countries are rated higher than the U.S. when they depend on the stability created by the U.S. and its military. Thanks for your candour, Jamie. Do answer Rajan’s question: “at what point would debt be too much?” We’re all waiting.

Quelle Horreur

Being “lazy” or “mediocre” is anathema to our high-hustle, high-key, late-stage capitalist culture, so much so that writing articles about the pleasure of being mediocre or doing a “lazy girl job” is actually a thing. I think it is great that we are finally embracing the joys of a quiet life filled with dignity and “just enough”. Besides, what is the alternative to mediocre? Everything and everyone is exceptional? How exhausting.

Curry

Am I obsessive enough to recreate a 2,000-year old Southeast Asian curry like Noel did? Why yes, yes I am. Results soon, maybe after next weekend.