| The West Wing |
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| Thursday, 21 February 2008 21:52 | |
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I"ve been watching The West Wing DVD every night, at least one episode every night, without fail. I"m hooked. Now I"m in Season 2. I"ve bought 6 seasons worth of The West Wing. Thank goodness Page One is having a promotion where the second set enjoys 50% discount. When it first started showing in local free-to-air channel and after winning so many accolades, I tried watching an episode in mid-season. I didn"t understand the show! Everyone was talking so fast and everything just seemed to be happening within the offices in the White House and there were many terms spoken which I didn"t understand. I didn"t understand what"s the appeal was then. Something happened after Singapore"s last election. After the election, I wasn"t apolitical anymore. I became aware and was more interested in the happenings of the World. I realised politics affect us, whether you want it or not. Everything is linked to politics. Why some countries admonished while others sat on the fence watching another country carrying out the atrocities, it is not morally driven but usually politically-driven. Watching The West Wing has also become somewhat relevant due to the coming America"s Presidential election. It is particularly interesting to see Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama fighting for to be the representative of their Democratic party. I enjoy the DVDs because of the quick and often intelligent discussion. There are many issues and topics debated. Sometimes it is important to have public discussion so to raise the awareness of various issues. Everyone has differing views but it is paramount to have them openly talked about to foster greater understanding between the people and the government. It is good to have open debate. There was a particularly interesting exchange: I also like the camaraderie between the president and the senior staff. There was a scene between The President (Jed Bartlet) and his Chief of Staff (Leo McGarry) and it goes something like this: President: I heard there is a problem. Leo: Don"t worry, I"ll take care of it. President: Do I need to know anything about it? Leo: No, I"ll fix the problem. President: Ok, good. Moving forward, as I bring my company to the next phase of growth, I"ll also need to have a team of capable staff who"ll help me to take care of the day-to-day problems while allowing me to focus on the long term plans and broader goals. There are so many things I want to do and I am finally comfortable in sharing my responsibilities. Managerial wise, I think I"ve grown in the past year. It is exhilarating to think of the potential of what I can achieve if I have a strong and effective team. Darn! I need my own West Wing! ;p |