A Major Rant

Singapore opens matchmaking institute in May
SINGAPORE : Singapore will have a new institute that provides
matchmaking services from next month. Called the Matchmaking Institute Southeast Asia, it also provides training to matchmaking companies. Finding love is
getting more difficult because many Singaporeans simply do not have the time. So
the new matchmaking institute aims to give singles a hand.

The Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) received 44
feedback and queries about matchmaking agencies in 2007. This was up from 37 in
2006 and just 16 the year before. Most were complaints about unsatisfactory
services. A key concern among customers is how their personal data will be
used. So the institute plans to have two databases, both accessible with
consent. One will hold all the personal information submitted by interested
singles, and another will be shared with companies.
"All the companies or matchmakers (...) have to let their clients know that some of the information, but not (their) personal information or contact information, might
be shared with other matchmakers," said Violet Lim, Executive Director, Matching
Institute Southeast Asia. The new institute aims to raise the standards of
matchmaking service in Singapore. It is offering a S$1,000 scholarship to the
first 10 people to sign up for the courses offered. Currently, more than 200
businesses are registered with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory
Authority providing friendship, matchmaking and dating services, up from 192
in April last year. —
CNA /ls

Serious? Are you freakin, kidding me?

caveat: Ive toned this down a bit, because I am very much aware that it might hurt some sensibilities (to the tune of 'langhyang babae ito, porke't may jowa na't masaya, ayaw kaming mga single na biyan ng chance' (in english: we're single, you are not. why are you complaining?)). Anyway, the only piece of advise I can give to 'those' people who claim they can't find the right person, and have not much time doing so, 'therefore fill up the matching making agency forms' pay lots of money and trust a computer can generate a good match is this: if you dont have the time to search for one, what made you so sure you'll have the time to keep one, anyway? Getting the right person does not equate to buying an expensive plant (on one hand, plants need attention as well). You can't just buy it, display it, and leave it in your house while you go about being busy, expecting it to be at its best whenever you're around. Anu ka, hilo?

Talk about institutionalising three things which frankly, I dont think should be related: bad taste, finding love and governance. As if getting a partner from an agency assures you eternal bliss. Hello—if you dont have the time to find a partner or even better, get into a relationship, who says you can afford to keep it? Any reasonable person can see that match making is not the key to this special case of first world countries called ‘underpopulation’. Its called improvement of quality of life, honey. Business execs call it time management, but really—its just about improving your social skills and freeing up some time in your hectic schedule to accomodate a relationship. Its not just about getting some ‘institution’ to fix you up with someone, anu ba. People who are perfect for each other even have troubles in keeping it together. Im not sure if this is ‘baby’ propaganda, and if it is—sadly, they are not getting the point. Why would governments venture into ‘pairing up’ their citizens in the first place, if not for a certain purpose? Boosting the population rate via match making may be cute, it its myopic. How many dysfunctional families can result to such measures which involve speed dating or filling up a form indicating all your likes and dislikes? Getting your people to have kids and have a family is not even supposed to be your business. Relationships, like economic tools are complicated, and believe me—they take time. They are more complicated than birth rates and economic statistics primarily becuase, well—they are not bound by figures and goals ‘towards building the thriving national economy’. They are based on long term decisions which bring about ‘valuables’ that no monetary absolute can peg against, like happiness and love which then again are not as simple as they seem. So please, let your citizens mind their own business, and provide a better life for families instead. Thats basically it. Kung hindi naman kayo parang teenagers mag-isip. Its not just about getting one—its about keeping one.