So I was, am, and will undoubtedly still be bored after I put up this post. It is a beautiful picture of one of my dear friends with a favourite Korean superstar, Key from SHINee.
Edit: The picture has since been deleted. It was all in good fun and not meant to be offensive to anyone. I will still play around with photoshop but will no longer post anything up anymore.
Pearlyn
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Big Bang Minus Seungri?
I've been reading forums and blogs lately about people who believe Seungri should be cut from Big Bang because they think he is too arrogant and talentless.
Ever since I watched the Big Bang documentary (as well as Battle Shinhwa), I've felt kind of partial towards Seungri because I feel sorry for the things said to him and the things he has been through. I was glad that YG gave him a second chance when entertainment companies like SM did not.
He may not be the best singer or the best dancer (I believe the reason why he's touted as the dancer of the group is because he has no other role), but one thing to say is that I think he works really hard. Although he sleeps a lot, I think there's something about him that will shine at the end of the day.
Mostly he's just mediocre, and he tries too hard sometimes (I was not too fond of his Strong Baby period), but the effort is there for me to see, and I feel that people should support that.
That said, it is a very sad thing to read about how people have been saying that he is by far the most useless member, and that he should be cut out. Actually, I don't think he's arrogant. If you have followed through with how he was like pre-debut, he went through a ton of obstacles, and I think this over-confidence image he sets out is to get people to believe in him now. What he doesn't realize is that it turns people off more than they want to accept him.
He's still a kid, born in 1990. Came to Seoul alone at the age of 15, I think he's way mature beyond his years. He has explained many times before in interviews when the other members laugh at his over-confidence that he acts this way only because of the things he went through last time. And I think even now he faces the same sort of discrimination, about not being the best singer and the best dancer, so he has to project some form of confidence about himself because honestly, if you don't believe in yourself, then who will?
As for him not dancing well, I think he probably knows he's not extremely talented. The look on his face said it all when he battled Taeyang in the dance battle, he knew he was nowhere near Taeyang's level.
But give him a chance. He may or may not suck as a person but I don't think that's the issue at all. I think everyone deserves a chance.
Cut him some slack. If anything now, maybe he should just leave Big Bang so that all these fans can get off his back.
Being the maknae cannot be easy. I should know, I'm the youngest in my family.
Signed
Sincerely, me
P-Dragon
Ever since I watched the Big Bang documentary (as well as Battle Shinhwa), I've felt kind of partial towards Seungri because I feel sorry for the things said to him and the things he has been through. I was glad that YG gave him a second chance when entertainment companies like SM did not.
He may not be the best singer or the best dancer (I believe the reason why he's touted as the dancer of the group is because he has no other role), but one thing to say is that I think he works really hard. Although he sleeps a lot, I think there's something about him that will shine at the end of the day.
Mostly he's just mediocre, and he tries too hard sometimes (I was not too fond of his Strong Baby period), but the effort is there for me to see, and I feel that people should support that.
That said, it is a very sad thing to read about how people have been saying that he is by far the most useless member, and that he should be cut out. Actually, I don't think he's arrogant. If you have followed through with how he was like pre-debut, he went through a ton of obstacles, and I think this over-confidence image he sets out is to get people to believe in him now. What he doesn't realize is that it turns people off more than they want to accept him.
He's still a kid, born in 1990. Came to Seoul alone at the age of 15, I think he's way mature beyond his years. He has explained many times before in interviews when the other members laugh at his over-confidence that he acts this way only because of the things he went through last time. And I think even now he faces the same sort of discrimination, about not being the best singer and the best dancer, so he has to project some form of confidence about himself because honestly, if you don't believe in yourself, then who will?
As for him not dancing well, I think he probably knows he's not extremely talented. The look on his face said it all when he battled Taeyang in the dance battle, he knew he was nowhere near Taeyang's level.
But give him a chance. He may or may not suck as a person but I don't think that's the issue at all. I think everyone deserves a chance.
Cut him some slack. If anything now, maybe he should just leave Big Bang so that all these fans can get off his back.
Being the maknae cannot be easy. I should know, I'm the youngest in my family.
Signed
Sincerely, me
P-Dragon
Friday, July 3, 2009
The Ultimate State of Boredom Part 2
These questionnaire things are useless but I seem to be receiving them by mail a lot. Here is the next ridiculous questionnaire which I shall make Samantha do as well.
♥What/Who got you into kpop?
Super Junior Full House, Super Junior Mini Drama.
♥Favourite boy group?
I won't lie. Super Junior, Big Bang, SHINee, the occasional 2PM. Actually I'm really peaceful, I like almost any group. With different measures of love.
♥Favourite girl group?
SNSD, Wonder Girls, Kara, whatamIdoingI'mnamingeveryone. My guilty pleasures.
♥Favourite idol group overall?
It depends on how I feel when I get up in the morning. I will always like Super Junior, but I hate the "Only 13" nonsense. I think I like Big Bang mostly, but I also hate how people always say they're not an idol group. They obviously are.
♥Other groups you love?
How many times do they want me to say this, I like Super JuniorBigBangSHINee2PMSNSDWonderGirlsKaraIcan'tthinkofanymore.
♥Rank your favourites from each of your stated groups above?
I'm not THAT bored.
♥Favourite pairings from each of your stated groups?
Ignore.
♥Favourite idol group pairings?
Enough already.
♥Favourite solo female singer?
Myself. And Son Dambi.
♥Favourite solo male singer?
I really like Kyuhyun's voice. It'll be nice if I had such a voice, only problem being that I'm a girl.
♥Favourite idol overall?
I like everyone.
♥Favourite songs right now?
Muahaha. I was waiting for this question.
SHINee - Hit Me Baby, Juliette, Love Should Go On
Super Junior - Neorago, Smile (Kyuhyun)
Big Bang - Prayer (Taeyang), Babo, Heaven, Lollipop
2AM - What Do I Do
SNSD - I still like Gee because I do the dance from room to room in my house, Genie
HOT - Candy
Amongst about 10,000 more. Ignore the titles, I know they sound dubious.
♥Favourite fanclub(s)?
Oh god, none.
♥Favourite entertainment company?
No particular favourite.
♥Loved a group your not into anymore?
I have a lot of love.
♥First kpop song ever?
Can't remember.
♥First kpop music video ever?
Super Junior's Miracle.
♥First kpop love (group/solo)?
Super Junior.
♥First variety show (and with who)?
Super Junior Mini Drama games.
♥Group you could never get into no matter how much you tried.
DBSK, even though I have a poster of them. I am neutral towards them.
SS501, not my type.
♥Any dance you can do (from a MV etc) or want to learn?
Where do I even start with this question.
♥Any songs you memorised the lyrics to?
A fair few.
♥Hottest male in the industry to you?
Hmmm.
♥Prettiest female in the industry to you?
I have some in mind.
♥A person you want to be like/admire the most?
Onew from SHINee.
♥A song you must/always/usually listen to EVERY day?
Uh. SNSD's Genie.
♥Your favourite music video?
I don't like music videos, I like live performances. I'll say when Big Bang performed Heaven at the SBS Gayo Daejun.
♥Any of your friends into kpop and who?
A number who are too ashamed to be public about it.
♥Have any kpop merchandise?
They were gifts all right.
Do it too, Samantha!
Anyway, I'm not ashamed to say that I adore kpop. I still listen to lots of other things, so I get very irritated when people think I have stupid music taste.
No music is stupid, everything requires hard work. Be it instruments, digital equipment, everything needs creativity.
Enough no more! Tis not so sweet as it was before.
Signed,
Sincerely, Me
P-Dragon
♥What/Who got you into kpop?
Super Junior Full House, Super Junior Mini Drama.
♥Favourite boy group?
I won't lie. Super Junior, Big Bang, SHINee, the occasional 2PM. Actually I'm really peaceful, I like almost any group. With different measures of love.
♥Favourite girl group?
SNSD, Wonder Girls, Kara, whatamIdoingI'mnamingeveryone. My guilty pleasures.
♥Favourite idol group overall?
It depends on how I feel when I get up in the morning. I will always like Super Junior, but I hate the "Only 13" nonsense. I think I like Big Bang mostly, but I also hate how people always say they're not an idol group. They obviously are.
♥Other groups you love?
How many times do they want me to say this, I like Super JuniorBigBangSHINee2PMSNSDWonderGirlsKaraIcan'tthinkofanymore.
♥Rank your favourites from each of your stated groups above?
I'm not THAT bored.
♥Favourite pairings from each of your stated groups?
Ignore.
♥Favourite idol group pairings?
Enough already.
♥Favourite solo female singer?
Myself. And Son Dambi.
♥Favourite solo male singer?
I really like Kyuhyun's voice. It'll be nice if I had such a voice, only problem being that I'm a girl.
♥Favourite idol overall?
I like everyone.
♥Favourite songs right now?
Muahaha. I was waiting for this question.
SHINee - Hit Me Baby, Juliette, Love Should Go On
Super Junior - Neorago, Smile (Kyuhyun)
Big Bang - Prayer (Taeyang), Babo, Heaven, Lollipop
2AM - What Do I Do
SNSD - I still like Gee because I do the dance from room to room in my house, Genie
HOT - Candy
Amongst about 10,000 more. Ignore the titles, I know they sound dubious.
♥Favourite fanclub(s)?
Oh god, none.
♥Favourite entertainment company?
No particular favourite.
♥Loved a group your not into anymore?
I have a lot of love.
♥First kpop song ever?
Can't remember.
♥First kpop music video ever?
Super Junior's Miracle.
♥First kpop love (group/solo)?
Super Junior.
♥First variety show (and with who)?
Super Junior Mini Drama games.
♥Group you could never get into no matter how much you tried.
DBSK, even though I have a poster of them. I am neutral towards them.
SS501, not my type.
♥Any dance you can do (from a MV etc) or want to learn?
Where do I even start with this question.
♥Any songs you memorised the lyrics to?
A fair few.
♥Hottest male in the industry to you?
Hmmm.
♥Prettiest female in the industry to you?
I have some in mind.
♥A person you want to be like/admire the most?
Onew from SHINee.
♥A song you must/always/usually listen to EVERY day?
Uh. SNSD's Genie.
♥Your favourite music video?
I don't like music videos, I like live performances. I'll say when Big Bang performed Heaven at the SBS Gayo Daejun.
♥Any of your friends into kpop and who?
A number who are too ashamed to be public about it.
♥Have any kpop merchandise?
They were gifts all right.
Do it too, Samantha!
Anyway, I'm not ashamed to say that I adore kpop. I still listen to lots of other things, so I get very irritated when people think I have stupid music taste.
No music is stupid, everything requires hard work. Be it instruments, digital equipment, everything needs creativity.
Enough no more! Tis not so sweet as it was before.
Signed,
Sincerely, Me
P-Dragon
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Ultimate State of Boredom.
So I am always seeing those Facebook notes thingy things on, well, Facebook, and since I like keeping a low profile on Facebook, I decided to participate in such things not on Facebook. I usually make sense when I speak, just so you know. But my communication skills of late have been nada. Perhaps this is what you get when you immerse yourself too much into studying Korean.
So here is the Facebook note.
The rules are:You think of a person whose name starts with the letter. Choose the first name that appears. You must answer truthfully.
A is for Amanda
1) Do you love this person?
Yes, one of my closest friends in this world.
2) Is this person your enemy?
I hope not.
3) Would you hug this person?
She and anyone with a brain will know that I don't generally like touching people.
A is also for Adam (I apologize because the few friends I have all happen to have similar names)
1) Do you love this person?
I have a lot of love to share.
2) Is this person your enemy?
Maybe, because he attracts more males than I ever will.
3) Would you hug this person?
Hugging is reserved only for certain people or things in this world. Like Nuowen, my backpack...etc.
B is for Boon Ee
1) What do you really think of this person?
Very innocent and pure.
2) What’s their favorite color?
I think even the colour-blind will know that it's pink. The only way I could tell where her birthday party was was to follow the pinkness.
3) Ever danced with them?
Not really, because my idea of dancing is break-dancing, and I don't think Boon Ee will enjoy that very much.
C is for Chelsea
1) What do you think of this person?
Interesting sense of humour.
2) How far does this person live?
Currently? Malaysia. According to my map, that's far.
3) How old is he/she?
My age.
C is also for Chuang May
1) What do you think of this person?
So many words, can't pick one. Out of this world, mostly.
2) How far does this person live?
In a pretty little house near where Temasek Primary is. I hope I'm right.
3) How old is he/she?
My age.
D is for Don Teng
1) How long have you known him/her?
From my calculations, it's been over 4 years.
2) Do you like this person?
I like anybody who loves Rafa Benitez as much as I do.
3) Do you hate this person?
Only if he manages to touch Rafa's beard when he comes to Singapore and I don't.
D is also for Darren Sshi
1) How long have you known him/her?
Most recently, in Korean class.
2) Do you like this person?
Of course, it's so rare to be able to chat about SNSD with any sane Singaporean.
3) Do you hate this person?
I never hate.
E is for Evon
1) Have you met their parents?
Who is "their", Evon is only one person as far as I know. And no.
2) Worst thing about this person?
I send her perfectly innocent pictures of Korean boys and she ends up looking at all the wrong things.
3) Best thing about this person?
So interesting and amusing to talk to.
E is also for Ephraim Lin
1) Have you met their parents?
Mr. and Mrs. Lin? No.
2) Worst thing about this person?
He completely disappears during MSN conversations to do god-knows-what boy things.
3) Best thing about this person?
Will cheer you up instantly.
F is for Fatima Musa
1) Have you ever dated this person?
She did try to get fresh with me when we shared a bed in Sydney.
2) When is the next time you will see him/her?
August 6, when she returns from her stint in the American forest. Provided she has not been infected by swines.
3) Do you go to school with them?
Sadly for her, no.
F is also for Fernando Torres
1) Have you ever dated this person?
I don't think I ever have.
2) When is the next time you will see him/her?
You mean the first time? Perhaps if he deigns to show up for the Liverpool-Singapore match.
3) Do you go to school with them?
Last time I checked, he's not an SMU student.
G is for G-Dragon
1) Have you heard this person sing?
I hear him rap all the time.
2) What's his/her pet's name?
Seungri.
3) Will he/she repost this?
If he comes to know of this and if YG gives him some time off, maybe.
H is for Heechul
1) What grade are they in?
Already graduated I should think.
2) Is he/she your best friend?
In an alternate universe, yes.
3) Ever done something illegal with this person?
He will be off doing things illegally by himself.
I is for Izzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzah
1) What is this person's favorite food?
Miracle Popiah? Cup noodles? Brownies that taste like vegetables?
2) When are you next seeing him/her?
When she returns with The Fart on August 6.
3) Do you trust him/her?
Of course.
I is also for Iman Nabila. The Sex.
1) What is this person's favorite food?
Sex. Or chocolate-covered strawberries.
2) When are you next seeing him/her?
Maybe at a hula-hoop shop.
3) Do you trust him/her?
Yes.
J is for Jesus Navas
1) They have any siblings?
He has, like, four or five brothers.
2) Do you know their favorite song?
"Green Eyes" by Coldplay.
3) What would you do if they confessed they liked you?
I would try to enjoy the dream for as long as I can.
K is for Kang Daesung
1) How old were you when you first met?
Inapplicable.
2) Do you like him/her as a friend?
His only relevance is as a singer.
3) Would you go to disney world with this person?
Actually that might be quite fun.
L is for Lee Donghae
1) Is this person older than you?
Yes.
2) Is this person single?
So he claims, but I'm pretty sure no.
3) How many times do you talk to them in a week?
I sing to his poster sometimes.
M is for Makalingam
1) How old were you when you first met?
When we were 13.
2) Whats his/her pet's name?
Oh my god I should know this.
I don't.
3) Ever danced with this person?
Oh. Uh. If you consider that dreadful dance we did for a drama farewell.
N is for Nobody.
O is for Onew.
1) Are you related?
Maybe.
2) Could you live with this person?
He cooks well, so that solves almost everything.
3) What school do they go to?
SM Entertainment.
P is for Pearlyn (P-Dragon)
1) Have you been to the mall with this person?
Seeing as how I can't attach myself away from myself no matter how hard I try, I would say yes.
2) How about a sleepover with them?
Read above.
3) Does this person have a job?
Yes, like now.
R is for Ronaldo. Cristiano.
1) Have you heard this person sing?
Thank god no.
2) Will she/he repost this?
With the money he has now, he'll pay someone to do it for him.
3) When does this person look best?
Should I even attempt responding to this?
S is for Samantha Lee
1) Is this person taller than you?
All right yes yes. Since primary school! :(
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Of course. But all she ever talks about now is Kangin.
3) Is this person your friend?
Yes, in most cases.
S is also for Sang to the Ita
1) Is this person taller than you?
And she never lets me forget it.
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Yes, how else do you think I stay sane in that dreadful school.
3) Is this person your friend?
Yes, through a mutual friend called E****d.
S is also also for Sheen Yap
1) Is this person taller than you?
This is getting slightly depressing to answer now.
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Yes. Can't wait for when you're back!
3) Is this person your friend?
We have to be, we're related.
S is also also also for Sin Ee Sshi.
1) Is this person taller than you?
For once, I can reply no! But that's because she's a young girl.
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Of course, because nobody my age will entertain me with talk about SHINee.
3) Is this person your friend?
The SHINee love bonded us.
T is for Taeyang
1) What grade is this person in?
Supposed to be my grade.
2) Would you hug this person?
What a question.
3) Do they live close to you?
He doesn't live in Neptune, as far as I know.
U is for Usher.
1) How is this person related to you?
We practice dancing together.
2) Would you hug this person?
Enough with the hugging questions already.
3) Have you met any of his/her family?
Perhaps, in some other life.
V is for Vic
1) Would you do anything for him/her?
I clean his dog's shit for him.
2) Do you consider them a friend?
Yes, because he has nice PS3 games.
3) Have you met any of his/her family?
You mean, like myself? Yes, I've met myself.
W is for Wenpo
1) Is this person loud or quiet?
Loud with the harmonica.
2) Have you seen this person dance?
Dance?
3) What color eyes does this person have?
Seems somewhat black/brown. But maybe it's orange. I've not looked.
X is for Xueting
1) How old were you when you first met this person?
20 I think.
2) Do you like him/her as a friend?
Who else will tolerate my Spanish outbursts.
3) Would you go to disney world with this person?
Sure thing.
Y is for Yesung
1) How old were you when you first met this person?
Inapplicable.
2) What do you think of this person?
He has such a lovely sense of humour.
3) Have you heard this person sing?
Everyone has. It's beautiful.
Z is for Zara
1) Does this person have msn?
Yes. A harmless grinning smiling idiot or something is her nick.
2) What is their favorite sport?
Japanese samurai.
3) When did you last see this person?
Last day of school. Oh my god I still have her slippers.
Z is also for Zhuhuii
1) Does this person have msn?
Yes.
2) What is their favourite sport?
Mahjong.
3) When did you last see this person?
At Ming's band concert. Which was I cannot remember when.
A lot of people have asked me why I didn't put this on Facebook. I don't like Facebook, I don't ever go on it anyway.
Signed
Sincerely, Me
P-Dragon
So here is the Facebook note.
The rules are:You think of a person whose name starts with the letter. Choose the first name that appears. You must answer truthfully.
A is for Amanda
1) Do you love this person?
Yes, one of my closest friends in this world.
2) Is this person your enemy?
I hope not.
3) Would you hug this person?
She and anyone with a brain will know that I don't generally like touching people.
A is also for Adam (I apologize because the few friends I have all happen to have similar names)
1) Do you love this person?
I have a lot of love to share.
2) Is this person your enemy?
Maybe, because he attracts more males than I ever will.
3) Would you hug this person?
Hugging is reserved only for certain people or things in this world. Like Nuowen, my backpack...etc.
B is for Boon Ee
1) What do you really think of this person?
Very innocent and pure.
2) What’s their favorite color?
I think even the colour-blind will know that it's pink. The only way I could tell where her birthday party was was to follow the pinkness.
3) Ever danced with them?
Not really, because my idea of dancing is break-dancing, and I don't think Boon Ee will enjoy that very much.
C is for Chelsea
1) What do you think of this person?
Interesting sense of humour.
2) How far does this person live?
Currently? Malaysia. According to my map, that's far.
3) How old is he/she?
My age.
C is also for Chuang May
1) What do you think of this person?
So many words, can't pick one. Out of this world, mostly.
2) How far does this person live?
In a pretty little house near where Temasek Primary is. I hope I'm right.
3) How old is he/she?
My age.
D is for Don Teng
1) How long have you known him/her?
From my calculations, it's been over 4 years.
2) Do you like this person?
I like anybody who loves Rafa Benitez as much as I do.
3) Do you hate this person?
Only if he manages to touch Rafa's beard when he comes to Singapore and I don't.
D is also for Darren Sshi
1) How long have you known him/her?
Most recently, in Korean class.
2) Do you like this person?
Of course, it's so rare to be able to chat about SNSD with any sane Singaporean.
3) Do you hate this person?
I never hate.
E is for Evon
1) Have you met their parents?
Who is "their", Evon is only one person as far as I know. And no.
2) Worst thing about this person?
I send her perfectly innocent pictures of Korean boys and she ends up looking at all the wrong things.
3) Best thing about this person?
So interesting and amusing to talk to.
E is also for Ephraim Lin
1) Have you met their parents?
Mr. and Mrs. Lin? No.
2) Worst thing about this person?
He completely disappears during MSN conversations to do god-knows-what boy things.
3) Best thing about this person?
Will cheer you up instantly.
F is for Fatima Musa
1) Have you ever dated this person?
She did try to get fresh with me when we shared a bed in Sydney.
2) When is the next time you will see him/her?
August 6, when she returns from her stint in the American forest. Provided she has not been infected by swines.
3) Do you go to school with them?
Sadly for her, no.
F is also for Fernando Torres
1) Have you ever dated this person?
I don't think I ever have.
2) When is the next time you will see him/her?
You mean the first time? Perhaps if he deigns to show up for the Liverpool-Singapore match.
3) Do you go to school with them?
Last time I checked, he's not an SMU student.
G is for G-Dragon
1) Have you heard this person sing?
I hear him rap all the time.
2) What's his/her pet's name?
Seungri.
3) Will he/she repost this?
If he comes to know of this and if YG gives him some time off, maybe.
H is for Heechul
1) What grade are they in?
Already graduated I should think.
2) Is he/she your best friend?
In an alternate universe, yes.
3) Ever done something illegal with this person?
He will be off doing things illegally by himself.
I is for Izzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzah
1) What is this person's favorite food?
Miracle Popiah? Cup noodles? Brownies that taste like vegetables?
2) When are you next seeing him/her?
When she returns with The Fart on August 6.
3) Do you trust him/her?
Of course.
I is also for Iman Nabila. The Sex.
1) What is this person's favorite food?
Sex. Or chocolate-covered strawberries.
2) When are you next seeing him/her?
Maybe at a hula-hoop shop.
3) Do you trust him/her?
Yes.
J is for Jesus Navas
1) They have any siblings?
He has, like, four or five brothers.
2) Do you know their favorite song?
"Green Eyes" by Coldplay.
3) What would you do if they confessed they liked you?
I would try to enjoy the dream for as long as I can.
K is for Kang Daesung
1) How old were you when you first met?
Inapplicable.
2) Do you like him/her as a friend?
His only relevance is as a singer.
3) Would you go to disney world with this person?
Actually that might be quite fun.
L is for Lee Donghae
1) Is this person older than you?
Yes.
2) Is this person single?
So he claims, but I'm pretty sure no.
3) How many times do you talk to them in a week?
I sing to his poster sometimes.
M is for Makalingam
1) How old were you when you first met?
When we were 13.
2) Whats his/her pet's name?
Oh my god I should know this.
I don't.
3) Ever danced with this person?
Oh. Uh. If you consider that dreadful dance we did for a drama farewell.
N is for Nobody.
O is for Onew.
1) Are you related?
Maybe.
2) Could you live with this person?
He cooks well, so that solves almost everything.
3) What school do they go to?
SM Entertainment.
P is for Pearlyn (P-Dragon)
1) Have you been to the mall with this person?
Seeing as how I can't attach myself away from myself no matter how hard I try, I would say yes.
2) How about a sleepover with them?
Read above.
3) Does this person have a job?
Yes, like now.
R is for Ronaldo. Cristiano.
1) Have you heard this person sing?
Thank god no.
2) Will she/he repost this?
With the money he has now, he'll pay someone to do it for him.
3) When does this person look best?
Should I even attempt responding to this?
S is for Samantha Lee
1) Is this person taller than you?
All right yes yes. Since primary school! :(
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Of course. But all she ever talks about now is Kangin.
3) Is this person your friend?
Yes, in most cases.
S is also for Sang to the Ita
1) Is this person taller than you?
And she never lets me forget it.
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Yes, how else do you think I stay sane in that dreadful school.
3) Is this person your friend?
Yes, through a mutual friend called E****d.
S is also also for Sheen Yap
1) Is this person taller than you?
This is getting slightly depressing to answer now.
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Yes. Can't wait for when you're back!
3) Is this person your friend?
We have to be, we're related.
S is also also also for Sin Ee Sshi.
1) Is this person taller than you?
For once, I can reply no! But that's because she's a young girl.
2) Do you enjoy spending time with him/her?
Of course, because nobody my age will entertain me with talk about SHINee.
3) Is this person your friend?
The SHINee love bonded us.
T is for Taeyang
1) What grade is this person in?
Supposed to be my grade.
2) Would you hug this person?
What a question.
3) Do they live close to you?
He doesn't live in Neptune, as far as I know.
U is for Usher.
1) How is this person related to you?
We practice dancing together.
2) Would you hug this person?
Enough with the hugging questions already.
3) Have you met any of his/her family?
Perhaps, in some other life.
V is for Vic
1) Would you do anything for him/her?
I clean his dog's shit for him.
2) Do you consider them a friend?
Yes, because he has nice PS3 games.
3) Have you met any of his/her family?
You mean, like myself? Yes, I've met myself.
W is for Wenpo
1) Is this person loud or quiet?
Loud with the harmonica.
2) Have you seen this person dance?
Dance?
3) What color eyes does this person have?
Seems somewhat black/brown. But maybe it's orange. I've not looked.
X is for Xueting
1) How old were you when you first met this person?
20 I think.
2) Do you like him/her as a friend?
Who else will tolerate my Spanish outbursts.
3) Would you go to disney world with this person?
Sure thing.
Y is for Yesung
1) How old were you when you first met this person?
Inapplicable.
2) What do you think of this person?
He has such a lovely sense of humour.
3) Have you heard this person sing?
Everyone has. It's beautiful.
Z is for Zara
1) Does this person have msn?
Yes. A harmless grinning smiling idiot or something is her nick.
2) What is their favorite sport?
Japanese samurai.
3) When did you last see this person?
Last day of school. Oh my god I still have her slippers.
Z is also for Zhuhuii
1) Does this person have msn?
Yes.
2) What is their favourite sport?
Mahjong.
3) When did you last see this person?
At Ming's band concert. Which was I cannot remember when.
A lot of people have asked me why I didn't put this on Facebook. I don't like Facebook, I don't ever go on it anyway.
Signed
Sincerely, Me
P-Dragon
Monday, May 4, 2009
Homosexuality as a Neutral Word.
It's not easy trying to remember usernames for accounts I check up on once every 6 months or so. It took me a while to remember that I even had a blog! To be honest, it was mine and Sam's. Suddenly it became mine. And to further imprint that in everyone's brains, I am going to change the layout when I finally possess the technical ability to do so. The blog layout around here is unpleasant to the eye, whereas the new layout that I have in mind will feature 5 Korean boys who have, somehow, rapped their way into my little cloistered oyster. RAPPED. I don't even like rap, has anyone HEARD me beatbox?! Time and time again, it sounds like I am suffering from a terminal disease when I try. Korean rap is different, however. Perhaps because the teenybopper rap I listen to is so close to pop music that it can actually pass off as something you can actually pretend to dance to, rather than a real off-the-alleyways hip-hop beat.
In fact, I dance to such "pretty boy rap" when I think no one is looking, and when I am semi-sure that everybody in my family is safely in their beds or locked in their rooms. And after having done that for many months and after being lulled into a dull sense of complacency, I stopped paying attention to the possibility that someone would, one day, barge into my room when I least expect it (like when I am in the middle of a Korean dance battle with my mirror reflection). When that happened, I had to suddenly awkwardly PIROUETTE balletish style to pretend I was pulling a classical ballet move instead of the cringe-worthy dance moves to Big Bang's "Sunset Glow" song. I could have DIED. And it had to be the chorus, when they go "I love you girl" and they do that really embarrassing hand thing when they are crouched in a strange position (oh my god, go check it out if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm making it sound worse than it really is) and thank all the gods that I wasn't SINGING along, because that would just sound really narcissistic and self-indulgent (might I remind you, I was dancing to my REFLECTION). And I forgot my original point.
And don't even wonder what happened when I was inspired by 2pm's (Korean b-boy group) breakdancing abilities, and because I have no brains and no mental processing abilities, I thought it would be cool if I tried to replicate such moves in the comfort of my own bed and in full confidence of my non-existent arm muscles.
I could have lost my thumb that night? Pssh. The one thing I gained from this is perhaps sanity, and my mind back. I am now more careful about replicating moves that I see from Youtube videos, just because 2pm's b-boy performances don't have a "don't try this at home" tag doesn't mean I should go ahead and pretend that I am Tarzan.
Oh but if anyone wishes to teach me breakdancing, please holler. I think it's really cool when people do those FLIPS, you know? Like all of a sudden they're standing so calmly and stiffly, with these stony expressions, and suddenly they're flipping like dolphins on land, which is a weird expression of course because dolphins obviously don't flip on land without dying...but anyway it's cool. Suddenly it sounds more like Kungfu than breakdancing, but no I really mean breakdancing.
I think the above paragraphs started after I shared with the world that I wanted to change my layout to a Big Bang one. As in the Korean hippyhoppy/boyband/boy group, not the huge theory that has got all these scientists up in arms. Though that would be kinda cool too, if I could find a layout which has an explosion effect like the Big Bang, it will be stunning. You know, all this mindless chatter I am engaging in now is a result of not blogging for months on end, all that repressed speech, with only my reflection to dance to at home.
So anyway, there has been lots of...drama these days. The whole issue of homosexuality has been thrown up yet again, and it pains me that some people just don't get it? Or don't want to? That's your prerogative I guess. But if people come to me talking about stamping out minorities and disregarding them and not treating them as normal when they are obviously human enough...that's when I get frustrated, you know? It is ok if you don't like them, just stop the endless talk about how an alternative lifestyle will lead to this and that and this and that and hey, the world might end soon enough. Yeah, the power of the world these minorities possess in their hands.
Homosexuality, in my opinion, is a neutral word. Hey, it's a fair world. We all came the same way, we all live in the same space, we are all trying to survive, we are all trying to love, we are all trying to contribute. The minute people stop attaching a stigma to this socially-constructed term used to stamp out people who are different from the mainstream is the time when people have learnt to accept, and move on.
Neutral. That means it can go either way. To be honest, my individual opinions would even fall under pro-gay, but for the sake of society and for the sake of a balanced argument, I will say it's best to leave it as neutral if we talk about it in sex ed in schools. To say it's positive would be one extreme, that will disregard the religions that prohibit it. To say it's NEGATIVE, however, is scary as well. In such a case, we are doomed to marginalize the religions that do not consider it as wrong, as well as people who do not subscribe to any religion whatsoever.
If we were truly a sensitive society which promoted equality, which promoted inclusiveness of all mankind, then we would leave the word as it is. Neutral. Leave it to the young minds to decide on their own. They are smarter than we think. How naive is it to think that talking about homosexuality is promoting it in schools? In that case, maybe we shouldn't talk about Hitler in schools, what if there is a neo-Nazi movement? Maybe we shouldn't teach biology, what if the children realize that their body parts can be used for reproduction purposes? The horror.
Not talking about things make such things taboo, and perpetuates the stigma to a socially-constructed term that was neutral when some bright person first coined it. People learn to be scared of it, and people learn to avoid it. Prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes...it is endless what happens after that. Discussing such topics in schools, telling the children that it is neutral is not going to make a light bulb suddenly go off in the children's minds -- "Hey, homosexuality is a neutral term. Let's go engage in some after school." -- Sure, there is always that fear that such a thing might happen. You know, children have no minds of their own and do not know anything right? Riiiight.
Keeping it as a neutral term shows that we have advanced as a tolerant society. A mature society that accepts diversity in all its forms, as long as we are socially responsible in our behaviour and do not hurt anyone. Why fight it? Why try to change them? Remember that everyone is different, and that trying to change that not only makes you a tyrant, but a totalitarian and overbearing one at that. Accept it and move on. The scary thing about saying that homosexuality is negative will make those who fall under such a category feel dirty and guilty, through no fault of theirs. If you believe it is wrong, so be it. But remember that there are people here who do not believe that it is. So why force this ideology down on every single person? Isn't that similar to forcing down your opinions on others, and your lifestyle on others? Yep, you have a good life, just know that people will be suffering under your rules.
And for the last time, homosexuality is not contagious. Perhaps it's all this talk about the swine flu that is also capturing the news, and people just get confused and start thinking after that that acknowledging homosexuals in the society will lead to an inclination towards an "alternative lifestyle"...where do people even get such ideas? All this fear is just making people think irrationally. Honestly.
Basically, all that pish posh I've been rattling about is just my way of saying that taking on an extreme stand in a contentious issue is not the way to go. In every single thing we do, we should always take a balanced approach, because whatever you do and say will have an impact on someone else, believe it or not. The bad thing about being extremely pro or extremely anti is that you start to lose your rationality to even think in the minds of people on the other side. So what do we do as a compromise? You got it. Keep homosexuality as a neutral word.
And for the last time, for people who are wondering (and I know because people have asked me before), I'm not even homosexual. You don't have to be one to know that they deserve a place in society, that they are one of us. I hate this us-against-them idea, it shouldn't exist and I hope it doesn't by this lifetime. Then again, look at how civil rights have been extended to racial minorities, and rights have been extended to females in most countries. All in the span of this century. Let's add sexual minorities to this current century, shall we? Don't try to fight it, accept that societies evolve and societies change, just like our predecessors who lobbied for equal rights back then. Only then can we move on.
Who am I kidding? It'll take a long time before people change their mindsets. People in the mainstream just love enforcing social norms on others, don't they?
Since I'm so fond of writing once in every semester...I shall give you a round up of what I have been doing this semester. Got back my grades, and they aren't too bad. Because I'm possibly an alien, I did best in my business ethics module, maybe because I always smile politely when I see my professor. The ethical radiance and loving kindness glint in my eyes. That could have tweaked it.
I got Bs in my other modules. My Gender module, my Social Psychology module, and my Spanish module, surprise of all surprises.
Business ethics: A class that requires you to form your own opinions on whatever ethical issues you are made to write essays on. Not much of a problem because I usually feel strongly when I read about marginalized people, and much of the module makes you think about people (and animals!) who are powerless to free themselves of unequal transactions and unfair practices.
Speaking of animals. You know, I'm not really one who falls to peer pressure, mainly because my closest friends share similar beliefs to mine. I am, however, susceptible to familial pressure, because their opinions mean a fair bit to me. So just today, my dear sibling was talking about the suffering that animals go through before they are slaughtered and fast forward a couple of weeks, and they appear on your dinner plate.
I do not like eating meat. I just...never liked the taste. Never did as a child, not even now. I do eat some fish, and some chicken, the occasional pork. But i like them in minimal sizes, in small amounts. My mother always said it was because of my lazy teeth. Which I grew up believing was true, I went around in primary school telling my dental nurse that I had lazy teeth when she suggested me crunching on meat so that my baby teeth could fall out when they were shaky. Of course, it never really occurred to me that I was the lazy one, and that I just...did not like meat. When I grew up and my parents turned vegetarian, I cut down on meat even more, not that it was much difference because I never ate that much in the first place. The idea about the suffering of animals was clear to me of course, everybody knows. But unless you are made to kill the animals with your bare hands yourself will you realize how cruel the practice is. Which was what my dear sibling was yammering about today. Yep, we are paying for our food when we buy meat dishes, when we eat seafood (which I DETEST by the way, people find that weird?), but basically we are just paying someone else to kill for us. Isn't that what the transaction is all about?
So who are the guilty parties here, is it us or the food people? Both of course. And I feel really guilty about it, even though I hardly eat meat in the first place. So my dear sibling isn't vegetarian, neither am I, though we don't enjoy meat too much. Except for my other dear sibling, who as the middle child, is doomed to stand out.
So I told my mother today that I am going to cut down even more meat, and my mother was like, "What meat?" Which is her way of saying that I'm already a pseudo-vegetarian, but you know, I still have a long way to go. It's going to be hard, of course. I like salmon, but it has to be about 4cm by 8cm, anything bigger than that I will not eat. And being vegetarian is a lot harder than I can imagine, it's hard enough for my parents having to explain to dolthead relatives what being vegetarian is about. They imagine it to be all vegetables and no fun...ok they got that right. But meat isn't everything. And there are other ways to supplement your diet, not just vegetables. A vegetarian meal can be tasty. I should know, I eat that at home. My favourite restaurants are vegetarian ones.
Being vegetarian also means lots more vitamins, lots more extra additives that you have to down to pump in whatever you are lacking from the meat you have given up. I'm definitely not ready to become a full vegetarian, but I'm hoping to make it there someday. I will start by cutting down even more, I already warned my mother to relinquish whatever meat there is (which isn't much really) to the meat-loving dear sibling, and I will try to follow my parents' vegetarian ways at home. When I'm outside, for convenience, I will of course eat the little meat things I get, like chicken nuggets which is quite scrumptious I admit.
And I don't even know why I got started on this, but let's move on.
Social Psych: Very interesting module, even though I'm not really all that into psych as an actual major. Nothing else to say about this except that I kinda like my grade for this one too.
Gender: I'm not really a feminist, I just believe there needs to be gender equality. Some feminists (many women I have met around here) mistake feminism to being powerful, so much so that it is at the expense of men. Hello, we are talking about gender equality here. If you so much as order a man to carry your BAG or to open the door for you, that doesn't show love, but more like your incapability to do such things on your own. Gender inequality right there.
And being a housewife doesn't mean you are unequal, doesn't make you a weak helpless woman. I am appalled that many "feminists" around here think that. No way. It is only unequal if the husband locks you up and forces you to stay at home. But hey, if someone wishes to do it if family finances allow it, then why not? That makes me frustrated and disappointed, when some women equate success to climbing up the corporate ladder. If that is their choice, then lovely. But remember that some women choose to go different paths, and that doesn't make them weaker. Being a housewife is a tough job as well, my mother is one. It's like a million jobs stuffed into one, with no rest. Working mothers is another issue, I don't want to go there. But it sickens me when I hear stuff from girls (yes, girls!) like, "I don't wanna be a housewife and just rot away and slack off at home."
Shows how little understanding one has and how little appreciation some people have for those who do relatively menial tasks. Yes, household chores are boring, and I have made it a point to do it even if I have an exam the next day. And yes, they are "brainless". Doesn't make a woman weaker. These are the people who may overlook the hard work of, say, construction workers and cleaners.
How did I even get here? I don't know, my brain bounces from one topic to another, I think I have 50 different brains? That explains my big head.
Anyway, I did pretty ok for this module too. I liked its relevance, and the issues discussed. And if you want to know more about my opinion for this module, you can try hacking into the school website to find out what I wrote in my midterm and end-of term course feedback sheet.
Spanish: Remember I had a post about how grades do not reflect reality? Like say, you can fail a module even though you know very much about it and is as informed as those who ace it? I feel that way all the time, because sometimes I read the "model essays" and I don't like it. Especially the model GP essays we used to read in JC, I always found some of them so structured and rigid, like the people were writing what they were taught and run-of-the-mill examples. My friends who did not do well knew so much more in terms of broad examples and unconventional viewpoints (which made sense if read with an open, liberal mind). And I have always told these friends, your grades do not reflect what you know. Of course, since I am not of high authority and I am usually somewhat mentally unstable and deranged when I'm around my friends, no one would really believe me.
And also because I did badly in GP myself, and I failed at one point, so of course I was not the best person to judge. People adviced me to change my writing style, to change my EXAMPLES (how on earth can you tell a student to do that, talk about stamping out creativity here!), to change my approach to writing essays. I said no. I said that I don't care if I consistently do badly, I'm NOT going to change my thinking just because some person (who, no doubt, has the power to FAIL me) doesn't like it. The unheard of examples I gave were not discussed in class, but from stuff that I read outside, from the random history books that I flip through when I stand for hours on end at Kino sneakily reading them. They didn't like it, they asked me to stick to what was discussed in class. Which was where I saw the flaw in GP in the first place, you cannot teach things like how to approach essays, and how to form opinions on issues, and what examples to use. Because it shows. To anyone with half a brain, if you learn by hard stuff that is taught in school, your essay will show your lack of passion and your lack of awareness. Forget it, I'm not changing my style, I said...not to my teacher of course. But in my head. And hey, it turned out well in the end for the a-levels.
My grade jumped up about 5 grades for the a-levels. Exactly the same thing that happened to me in the o-levels for English (same thing, I was told that my examples were too obscure, too different...). But for anyone who reads this and for anyone who has suffered under teachers telling you what style to pursue, and telling you to change this and that about yourself...don't. Just don't. I learnt from the mistakes where applicable, like if I missed the entire point of the essay question, then of course a fail would be expected. But if a fail was granted because of something like writing style and obscurity of examples...then forget it. Realize that your fail was only because the person who read the essay didn't share the same idea. Accept it and move on, but don't try to change and stamp out your ideas. Stay determined, and someone along the way, hopefully, will acknowledge it. Don't write to please people. Write to please yourself.
Hmmm. Long tirade, and I forgot again what I was talking about.
Oh right. So there you go, I don't think my Spanish grade accurately reflects my understanding of the language. A B- should indicate some form of understanding, some semi-talent in conducting conversations with a Spanish person, yes? If I am stuck in a lift with a Mexican person, will he understand me? Of course, I think the term "swine flu" is universal, so he should be able to understand me. All in jest, no offense.
I think I was lucky. I got through the examinable stuff, I reproduced what I was supposed to know. But I still don't think it accurately reflects my understanding. I know way less than what the grade showed. I can't even remember what to say anymore if I see Rafael Benitez and I want to tell him in Spanish that he looks much more handsome without his facial hair. That definitely means an F in Spanish, yes?
Just as a grade shortchanges your genuine understanding of a certain subject, it can also overreward you when you basically know next to nothing.
Since we are on the subject of my language inadequacies, I shall announce to the world that I am currently taking up Korean. Since my dream is to one day go to North Korea and write a book about it (I went public about my dream to many of the people in my Finishing Touch business module and people were kinda creeped out by me, it's not like I'm going to be doing jumping jacks with Kim Jong Il anytime soon, relax!), the Korean language would be a good thing to tackle. Of course, I am also highly inspired by the entertaining K-pop scene, and their endless variety shows. Hey, everyone has a guilty pleasure.
Since my Korean vocabulary from K-pop and variety shows is restricted much to the love arena (I love you, you love me, don't leave me, you are an idiot, you bastard) and whatnot, I decided that official lessons might do me much good.
Oh I'm exhausted. And what is this about Barca thrashing Real 6-2 in the Bernabeu?
And the news about Michel being Getafe coach, he's going to send the current team to relegation. And he has a knack of showing up in teams where his son is playing. Or semi-playing. I don't know what Adrian does anymore. He seems more like the guy stationed to usher Getafe fans to their seats before games. I feel like I've not heard about him for a lifetime. He might even be buried under the Getafe grounds for all we know, especially since his dad is the new coach and all. Should I check to see if it is confirmed?
I shall sometime in this lifetime. For now, goodbye.
Signed,
Sincerely, Me
Pearlyn
Or P-Dragon. Only those who know me AND G-Dragon will get it. Which narrows it down to hardly anyone in this world.
In fact, I dance to such "pretty boy rap" when I think no one is looking, and when I am semi-sure that everybody in my family is safely in their beds or locked in their rooms. And after having done that for many months and after being lulled into a dull sense of complacency, I stopped paying attention to the possibility that someone would, one day, barge into my room when I least expect it (like when I am in the middle of a Korean dance battle with my mirror reflection). When that happened, I had to suddenly awkwardly PIROUETTE balletish style to pretend I was pulling a classical ballet move instead of the cringe-worthy dance moves to Big Bang's "Sunset Glow" song. I could have DIED. And it had to be the chorus, when they go "I love you girl" and they do that really embarrassing hand thing when they are crouched in a strange position (oh my god, go check it out if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm making it sound worse than it really is) and thank all the gods that I wasn't SINGING along, because that would just sound really narcissistic and self-indulgent (might I remind you, I was dancing to my REFLECTION). And I forgot my original point.
And don't even wonder what happened when I was inspired by 2pm's (Korean b-boy group) breakdancing abilities, and because I have no brains and no mental processing abilities, I thought it would be cool if I tried to replicate such moves in the comfort of my own bed and in full confidence of my non-existent arm muscles.
I could have lost my thumb that night? Pssh. The one thing I gained from this is perhaps sanity, and my mind back. I am now more careful about replicating moves that I see from Youtube videos, just because 2pm's b-boy performances don't have a "don't try this at home" tag doesn't mean I should go ahead and pretend that I am Tarzan.
Oh but if anyone wishes to teach me breakdancing, please holler. I think it's really cool when people do those FLIPS, you know? Like all of a sudden they're standing so calmly and stiffly, with these stony expressions, and suddenly they're flipping like dolphins on land, which is a weird expression of course because dolphins obviously don't flip on land without dying...but anyway it's cool. Suddenly it sounds more like Kungfu than breakdancing, but no I really mean breakdancing.
I think the above paragraphs started after I shared with the world that I wanted to change my layout to a Big Bang one. As in the Korean hippyhoppy/boyband/boy group, not the huge theory that has got all these scientists up in arms. Though that would be kinda cool too, if I could find a layout which has an explosion effect like the Big Bang, it will be stunning. You know, all this mindless chatter I am engaging in now is a result of not blogging for months on end, all that repressed speech, with only my reflection to dance to at home.
So anyway, there has been lots of...drama these days. The whole issue of homosexuality has been thrown up yet again, and it pains me that some people just don't get it? Or don't want to? That's your prerogative I guess. But if people come to me talking about stamping out minorities and disregarding them and not treating them as normal when they are obviously human enough...that's when I get frustrated, you know? It is ok if you don't like them, just stop the endless talk about how an alternative lifestyle will lead to this and that and this and that and hey, the world might end soon enough. Yeah, the power of the world these minorities possess in their hands.
Homosexuality, in my opinion, is a neutral word. Hey, it's a fair world. We all came the same way, we all live in the same space, we are all trying to survive, we are all trying to love, we are all trying to contribute. The minute people stop attaching a stigma to this socially-constructed term used to stamp out people who are different from the mainstream is the time when people have learnt to accept, and move on.
Neutral. That means it can go either way. To be honest, my individual opinions would even fall under pro-gay, but for the sake of society and for the sake of a balanced argument, I will say it's best to leave it as neutral if we talk about it in sex ed in schools. To say it's positive would be one extreme, that will disregard the religions that prohibit it. To say it's NEGATIVE, however, is scary as well. In such a case, we are doomed to marginalize the religions that do not consider it as wrong, as well as people who do not subscribe to any religion whatsoever.
If we were truly a sensitive society which promoted equality, which promoted inclusiveness of all mankind, then we would leave the word as it is. Neutral. Leave it to the young minds to decide on their own. They are smarter than we think. How naive is it to think that talking about homosexuality is promoting it in schools? In that case, maybe we shouldn't talk about Hitler in schools, what if there is a neo-Nazi movement? Maybe we shouldn't teach biology, what if the children realize that their body parts can be used for reproduction purposes? The horror.
Not talking about things make such things taboo, and perpetuates the stigma to a socially-constructed term that was neutral when some bright person first coined it. People learn to be scared of it, and people learn to avoid it. Prejudice, discrimination, stereotypes...it is endless what happens after that. Discussing such topics in schools, telling the children that it is neutral is not going to make a light bulb suddenly go off in the children's minds -- "Hey, homosexuality is a neutral term. Let's go engage in some after school." -- Sure, there is always that fear that such a thing might happen. You know, children have no minds of their own and do not know anything right? Riiiight.
Keeping it as a neutral term shows that we have advanced as a tolerant society. A mature society that accepts diversity in all its forms, as long as we are socially responsible in our behaviour and do not hurt anyone. Why fight it? Why try to change them? Remember that everyone is different, and that trying to change that not only makes you a tyrant, but a totalitarian and overbearing one at that. Accept it and move on. The scary thing about saying that homosexuality is negative will make those who fall under such a category feel dirty and guilty, through no fault of theirs. If you believe it is wrong, so be it. But remember that there are people here who do not believe that it is. So why force this ideology down on every single person? Isn't that similar to forcing down your opinions on others, and your lifestyle on others? Yep, you have a good life, just know that people will be suffering under your rules.
And for the last time, homosexuality is not contagious. Perhaps it's all this talk about the swine flu that is also capturing the news, and people just get confused and start thinking after that that acknowledging homosexuals in the society will lead to an inclination towards an "alternative lifestyle"...where do people even get such ideas? All this fear is just making people think irrationally. Honestly.
Basically, all that pish posh I've been rattling about is just my way of saying that taking on an extreme stand in a contentious issue is not the way to go. In every single thing we do, we should always take a balanced approach, because whatever you do and say will have an impact on someone else, believe it or not. The bad thing about being extremely pro or extremely anti is that you start to lose your rationality to even think in the minds of people on the other side. So what do we do as a compromise? You got it. Keep homosexuality as a neutral word.
And for the last time, for people who are wondering (and I know because people have asked me before), I'm not even homosexual. You don't have to be one to know that they deserve a place in society, that they are one of us. I hate this us-against-them idea, it shouldn't exist and I hope it doesn't by this lifetime. Then again, look at how civil rights have been extended to racial minorities, and rights have been extended to females in most countries. All in the span of this century. Let's add sexual minorities to this current century, shall we? Don't try to fight it, accept that societies evolve and societies change, just like our predecessors who lobbied for equal rights back then. Only then can we move on.
Who am I kidding? It'll take a long time before people change their mindsets. People in the mainstream just love enforcing social norms on others, don't they?
Since I'm so fond of writing once in every semester...I shall give you a round up of what I have been doing this semester. Got back my grades, and they aren't too bad. Because I'm possibly an alien, I did best in my business ethics module, maybe because I always smile politely when I see my professor. The ethical radiance and loving kindness glint in my eyes. That could have tweaked it.
I got Bs in my other modules. My Gender module, my Social Psychology module, and my Spanish module, surprise of all surprises.
Business ethics: A class that requires you to form your own opinions on whatever ethical issues you are made to write essays on. Not much of a problem because I usually feel strongly when I read about marginalized people, and much of the module makes you think about people (and animals!) who are powerless to free themselves of unequal transactions and unfair practices.
Speaking of animals. You know, I'm not really one who falls to peer pressure, mainly because my closest friends share similar beliefs to mine. I am, however, susceptible to familial pressure, because their opinions mean a fair bit to me. So just today, my dear sibling was talking about the suffering that animals go through before they are slaughtered and fast forward a couple of weeks, and they appear on your dinner plate.
I do not like eating meat. I just...never liked the taste. Never did as a child, not even now. I do eat some fish, and some chicken, the occasional pork. But i like them in minimal sizes, in small amounts. My mother always said it was because of my lazy teeth. Which I grew up believing was true, I went around in primary school telling my dental nurse that I had lazy teeth when she suggested me crunching on meat so that my baby teeth could fall out when they were shaky. Of course, it never really occurred to me that I was the lazy one, and that I just...did not like meat. When I grew up and my parents turned vegetarian, I cut down on meat even more, not that it was much difference because I never ate that much in the first place. The idea about the suffering of animals was clear to me of course, everybody knows. But unless you are made to kill the animals with your bare hands yourself will you realize how cruel the practice is. Which was what my dear sibling was yammering about today. Yep, we are paying for our food when we buy meat dishes, when we eat seafood (which I DETEST by the way, people find that weird?), but basically we are just paying someone else to kill for us. Isn't that what the transaction is all about?
So who are the guilty parties here, is it us or the food people? Both of course. And I feel really guilty about it, even though I hardly eat meat in the first place. So my dear sibling isn't vegetarian, neither am I, though we don't enjoy meat too much. Except for my other dear sibling, who as the middle child, is doomed to stand out.
So I told my mother today that I am going to cut down even more meat, and my mother was like, "What meat?" Which is her way of saying that I'm already a pseudo-vegetarian, but you know, I still have a long way to go. It's going to be hard, of course. I like salmon, but it has to be about 4cm by 8cm, anything bigger than that I will not eat. And being vegetarian is a lot harder than I can imagine, it's hard enough for my parents having to explain to dolthead relatives what being vegetarian is about. They imagine it to be all vegetables and no fun...ok they got that right. But meat isn't everything. And there are other ways to supplement your diet, not just vegetables. A vegetarian meal can be tasty. I should know, I eat that at home. My favourite restaurants are vegetarian ones.
Being vegetarian also means lots more vitamins, lots more extra additives that you have to down to pump in whatever you are lacking from the meat you have given up. I'm definitely not ready to become a full vegetarian, but I'm hoping to make it there someday. I will start by cutting down even more, I already warned my mother to relinquish whatever meat there is (which isn't much really) to the meat-loving dear sibling, and I will try to follow my parents' vegetarian ways at home. When I'm outside, for convenience, I will of course eat the little meat things I get, like chicken nuggets which is quite scrumptious I admit.
And I don't even know why I got started on this, but let's move on.
Social Psych: Very interesting module, even though I'm not really all that into psych as an actual major. Nothing else to say about this except that I kinda like my grade for this one too.
Gender: I'm not really a feminist, I just believe there needs to be gender equality. Some feminists (many women I have met around here) mistake feminism to being powerful, so much so that it is at the expense of men. Hello, we are talking about gender equality here. If you so much as order a man to carry your BAG or to open the door for you, that doesn't show love, but more like your incapability to do such things on your own. Gender inequality right there.
And being a housewife doesn't mean you are unequal, doesn't make you a weak helpless woman. I am appalled that many "feminists" around here think that. No way. It is only unequal if the husband locks you up and forces you to stay at home. But hey, if someone wishes to do it if family finances allow it, then why not? That makes me frustrated and disappointed, when some women equate success to climbing up the corporate ladder. If that is their choice, then lovely. But remember that some women choose to go different paths, and that doesn't make them weaker. Being a housewife is a tough job as well, my mother is one. It's like a million jobs stuffed into one, with no rest. Working mothers is another issue, I don't want to go there. But it sickens me when I hear stuff from girls (yes, girls!) like, "I don't wanna be a housewife and just rot away and slack off at home."
Shows how little understanding one has and how little appreciation some people have for those who do relatively menial tasks. Yes, household chores are boring, and I have made it a point to do it even if I have an exam the next day. And yes, they are "brainless". Doesn't make a woman weaker. These are the people who may overlook the hard work of, say, construction workers and cleaners.
How did I even get here? I don't know, my brain bounces from one topic to another, I think I have 50 different brains? That explains my big head.
Anyway, I did pretty ok for this module too. I liked its relevance, and the issues discussed. And if you want to know more about my opinion for this module, you can try hacking into the school website to find out what I wrote in my midterm and end-of term course feedback sheet.
Spanish: Remember I had a post about how grades do not reflect reality? Like say, you can fail a module even though you know very much about it and is as informed as those who ace it? I feel that way all the time, because sometimes I read the "model essays" and I don't like it. Especially the model GP essays we used to read in JC, I always found some of them so structured and rigid, like the people were writing what they were taught and run-of-the-mill examples. My friends who did not do well knew so much more in terms of broad examples and unconventional viewpoints (which made sense if read with an open, liberal mind). And I have always told these friends, your grades do not reflect what you know. Of course, since I am not of high authority and I am usually somewhat mentally unstable and deranged when I'm around my friends, no one would really believe me.
And also because I did badly in GP myself, and I failed at one point, so of course I was not the best person to judge. People adviced me to change my writing style, to change my EXAMPLES (how on earth can you tell a student to do that, talk about stamping out creativity here!), to change my approach to writing essays. I said no. I said that I don't care if I consistently do badly, I'm NOT going to change my thinking just because some person (who, no doubt, has the power to FAIL me) doesn't like it. The unheard of examples I gave were not discussed in class, but from stuff that I read outside, from the random history books that I flip through when I stand for hours on end at Kino sneakily reading them. They didn't like it, they asked me to stick to what was discussed in class. Which was where I saw the flaw in GP in the first place, you cannot teach things like how to approach essays, and how to form opinions on issues, and what examples to use. Because it shows. To anyone with half a brain, if you learn by hard stuff that is taught in school, your essay will show your lack of passion and your lack of awareness. Forget it, I'm not changing my style, I said...not to my teacher of course. But in my head. And hey, it turned out well in the end for the a-levels.
My grade jumped up about 5 grades for the a-levels. Exactly the same thing that happened to me in the o-levels for English (same thing, I was told that my examples were too obscure, too different...). But for anyone who reads this and for anyone who has suffered under teachers telling you what style to pursue, and telling you to change this and that about yourself...don't. Just don't. I learnt from the mistakes where applicable, like if I missed the entire point of the essay question, then of course a fail would be expected. But if a fail was granted because of something like writing style and obscurity of examples...then forget it. Realize that your fail was only because the person who read the essay didn't share the same idea. Accept it and move on, but don't try to change and stamp out your ideas. Stay determined, and someone along the way, hopefully, will acknowledge it. Don't write to please people. Write to please yourself.
Hmmm. Long tirade, and I forgot again what I was talking about.
Oh right. So there you go, I don't think my Spanish grade accurately reflects my understanding of the language. A B- should indicate some form of understanding, some semi-talent in conducting conversations with a Spanish person, yes? If I am stuck in a lift with a Mexican person, will he understand me? Of course, I think the term "swine flu" is universal, so he should be able to understand me. All in jest, no offense.
I think I was lucky. I got through the examinable stuff, I reproduced what I was supposed to know. But I still don't think it accurately reflects my understanding. I know way less than what the grade showed. I can't even remember what to say anymore if I see Rafael Benitez and I want to tell him in Spanish that he looks much more handsome without his facial hair. That definitely means an F in Spanish, yes?
Just as a grade shortchanges your genuine understanding of a certain subject, it can also overreward you when you basically know next to nothing.
Since we are on the subject of my language inadequacies, I shall announce to the world that I am currently taking up Korean. Since my dream is to one day go to North Korea and write a book about it (I went public about my dream to many of the people in my Finishing Touch business module and people were kinda creeped out by me, it's not like I'm going to be doing jumping jacks with Kim Jong Il anytime soon, relax!), the Korean language would be a good thing to tackle. Of course, I am also highly inspired by the entertaining K-pop scene, and their endless variety shows. Hey, everyone has a guilty pleasure.
Since my Korean vocabulary from K-pop and variety shows is restricted much to the love arena (I love you, you love me, don't leave me, you are an idiot, you bastard) and whatnot, I decided that official lessons might do me much good.
Oh I'm exhausted. And what is this about Barca thrashing Real 6-2 in the Bernabeu?
And the news about Michel being Getafe coach, he's going to send the current team to relegation. And he has a knack of showing up in teams where his son is playing. Or semi-playing. I don't know what Adrian does anymore. He seems more like the guy stationed to usher Getafe fans to their seats before games. I feel like I've not heard about him for a lifetime. He might even be buried under the Getafe grounds for all we know, especially since his dad is the new coach and all. Should I check to see if it is confirmed?
I shall sometime in this lifetime. For now, goodbye.
Signed,
Sincerely, Me
Pearlyn
Or P-Dragon. Only those who know me AND G-Dragon will get it. Which narrows it down to hardly anyone in this world.
Friday, January 23, 2009
First post of 2009...and it's almost the end of January!
Just a few minutes ago, my mother asked me, "How come you don't seem to have any work to do at all since school started?"
Note to myself: Lower the volume of those Korean variety shows I have been indulging in of late.
Anyway, what work? It's just week 3, the school semester has hardly begun!
For now, my mother seems satisfied that I look as if I'm meticulously typing out a term paper. I'll throw in a couple of deep sighs as well and frowns and wrinkled foreheads for dramatic effects. If I want to lie, then I might as well do it in a classy manner.
So, lots has happened since the last time I came on here. Actually I don't remember when that was, it was in another life I think. But anyway, here's a summary of happenings in the last few months of 2008.
1) Sat for finals without knowing what was going on, nothing shocking there.
2) Went to Paris with the parents, proudly navigated my way in sub-zero temperatures in the icy rain all by myself (all right, with my mother in tow). Met some Spanish people in a random Parisian park, was overwhelmed by the speed at which they communicated. As brain was not quick and intelligent enough, I responded by nodding to all sorts of things that I had no idea about.
3) Dear cousins came to Singapore. One will be back for good to do his national service, all the very best muahaha. Better start learning some Chinese/Malay/local phrases!
4) School has started. For the unenthusiastic like me, school is nothing but a place to attend lessons and skip off as soon as possible.
I'm getting lazy, so this post will be short. Besides, I have to start doing some "work". Will have to sort out all my notes to see what I should do first. I will sort that out all the way to my bed.
Chinese New Year is on its way, hence the red that I am proudly displaying right now. Some of my neighbours have gone a bit overzealous with their decorations, it's like there's this unspoken competition to see who can hang the most lanterns in the neighbourhood, it's becoming a red-light district around here. In contrast, all my house has is PLANTS. I stood outside my house for the longest time today, just looking to see if there was anything distinctive about my house.
Plants. Plants? Plants!
And a skate scooter that is in danger of falling apart, after the dear sibling and I tried to ride it. AT THE SAME TIME. I have no balance skills.
Speaking of balance skills. I do not understand why unfortunate happenings always seem to befall upon me. Last month, I was at ToysRUs with my dear cousin.
Whenever I start this story, I'd be so excited to continue, but apparently it seems like the highlight of the story stopped there. Everybody seemed to want to know what I was doing in ToysRUs with my equally grown cousin (20 years of age like me). WE STILL LIKE PLAYING WITH TOYS OKAYYYYYYY. There.
So we were both having fun experimenting with all sorts of gadgets. Toys have gotten so much more complicated since we were children. Even normal balloons have become pet-looking balloons which you can WALK. That is incredibly unfair. What next, will my children have balloons which can be controlled by their phones?
Anyway. As we were playing with the toys, we noticed this lonesome skateboard just SITTING there. So the cousin and I thought it would be so fun to attempt some "tricks". We bounced, we jumped, we vroomed, I tried manouevering it with my foot...and then we noticed this dude just standing there staring at us, looking very perturbed.
So rightly so, we started to feel really self-conscious. We tried to look cool making our exit to the next aisle. And I think I managed to pull off looking cool.
Until I turned back and saw the dude briskly walking over, snapping up the skateboard, and hastily walking out of the store.
IT WAS HIS SKATEBOARD.
How in hell could we have known that it was not a random skateboard for sale in ToysRUs? :(
Argh, he could have said something instead of letting us destroy his skateboard.
Sorry dude, if you are reading this.
Where was I? Talking about Chinese New Year yeah? My mother has put much thought into this year's decorations, she went out and bought a pair of firecracker things to hang on our main staircase.
They were huge, and actually very nice, now that I observe it. My mother was very hurt, however, because it took me a few days to realize their existence. Even the dear sibling noticed it, and my dad, which spells bad news for my attention span.
I am a bit sad that my mother is not going to be buying too many snacks this year. Why o why o why o. Does she not know that her daughter is a blubber whale? She caught me today trying to open one of the VERY FEW tins, and she stopped me immediately. I'm not even allowed to eat this cake thing. What will my stomach feed on, mother?
Also, my mother went out today and got us some new fish to put in our pond. Not that I realized anything, my mother is always talking about the fishes in our pond, but I can never find any. Phantom fishes.
Yet today I saw some! My mother got 12 new fishes. Small tiny ones. I made sure to name them all. Because it was hard to name all the fishes in one go, I took the way out and decided to name them after a Korean boyband. Super Junior. They have 13 members, but unfortunately I can only use 12 names. There is a horrendously HUGE fish swimming around though, I don't know if my mother knows of its existence, because she's never mentioned it before. I wonder where it came from? Anyway, I will name that one Kangin. Kangin from Super Junior. Kangin is the strongest and biggest of Super Junior, so it is only right that I name the big unknown fish after him. The other 12 small fishes will be named after the comparatively smaller Super Junior members.
There are some other random fishes that are swimming about as well, different from the 13 I just mentioned. I will name 5 of them after another Korean boyband, Big Bang. In particular, there's a naughty one that my mother says is always eating the hyacinth plants, I will name that one Seungri, after the cheekiest member of Big Bang.
On another note, I have revamped my room a little. But I will be very unkind to people who barge into my room during Chinese New Year when they come to my house to visit. I do not mind entertaining people, but I don't like it when they wander up and down my stairs and enter my room and stare in confusion at the disturbing posters I have put up. If they like entering rooms, go to the dear sibling's room. Which reminds me of the time when my father brought a distant cousin up to the dear sibling's room without warning and the dear sibling had just had a shower. Muahahahaha I don't know who was more awkward.
Oh I'm taking Spanish officially now. And I'm no good. I think I'll just pretend I can't speak Spanish if I ever go back there again.
The internet is being really agonizing today. With this, I leave.
Happy Lunar New Year to all!
Pearlyn
Note to myself: Lower the volume of those Korean variety shows I have been indulging in of late.
Anyway, what work? It's just week 3, the school semester has hardly begun!
For now, my mother seems satisfied that I look as if I'm meticulously typing out a term paper. I'll throw in a couple of deep sighs as well and frowns and wrinkled foreheads for dramatic effects. If I want to lie, then I might as well do it in a classy manner.
So, lots has happened since the last time I came on here. Actually I don't remember when that was, it was in another life I think. But anyway, here's a summary of happenings in the last few months of 2008.
1) Sat for finals without knowing what was going on, nothing shocking there.
2) Went to Paris with the parents, proudly navigated my way in sub-zero temperatures in the icy rain all by myself (all right, with my mother in tow). Met some Spanish people in a random Parisian park, was overwhelmed by the speed at which they communicated. As brain was not quick and intelligent enough, I responded by nodding to all sorts of things that I had no idea about.
3) Dear cousins came to Singapore. One will be back for good to do his national service, all the very best muahaha. Better start learning some Chinese/Malay/local phrases!
4) School has started. For the unenthusiastic like me, school is nothing but a place to attend lessons and skip off as soon as possible.
I'm getting lazy, so this post will be short. Besides, I have to start doing some "work". Will have to sort out all my notes to see what I should do first. I will sort that out all the way to my bed.
Chinese New Year is on its way, hence the red that I am proudly displaying right now. Some of my neighbours have gone a bit overzealous with their decorations, it's like there's this unspoken competition to see who can hang the most lanterns in the neighbourhood, it's becoming a red-light district around here. In contrast, all my house has is PLANTS. I stood outside my house for the longest time today, just looking to see if there was anything distinctive about my house.
Plants. Plants? Plants!
And a skate scooter that is in danger of falling apart, after the dear sibling and I tried to ride it. AT THE SAME TIME. I have no balance skills.
Speaking of balance skills. I do not understand why unfortunate happenings always seem to befall upon me. Last month, I was at ToysRUs with my dear cousin.
Whenever I start this story, I'd be so excited to continue, but apparently it seems like the highlight of the story stopped there. Everybody seemed to want to know what I was doing in ToysRUs with my equally grown cousin (20 years of age like me). WE STILL LIKE PLAYING WITH TOYS OKAYYYYYYY. There.
So we were both having fun experimenting with all sorts of gadgets. Toys have gotten so much more complicated since we were children. Even normal balloons have become pet-looking balloons which you can WALK. That is incredibly unfair. What next, will my children have balloons which can be controlled by their phones?
Anyway. As we were playing with the toys, we noticed this lonesome skateboard just SITTING there. So the cousin and I thought it would be so fun to attempt some "tricks". We bounced, we jumped, we vroomed, I tried manouevering it with my foot...and then we noticed this dude just standing there staring at us, looking very perturbed.
So rightly so, we started to feel really self-conscious. We tried to look cool making our exit to the next aisle. And I think I managed to pull off looking cool.
Until I turned back and saw the dude briskly walking over, snapping up the skateboard, and hastily walking out of the store.
IT WAS HIS SKATEBOARD.
How in hell could we have known that it was not a random skateboard for sale in ToysRUs? :(
Argh, he could have said something instead of letting us destroy his skateboard.
Sorry dude, if you are reading this.
Where was I? Talking about Chinese New Year yeah? My mother has put much thought into this year's decorations, she went out and bought a pair of firecracker things to hang on our main staircase.
They were huge, and actually very nice, now that I observe it. My mother was very hurt, however, because it took me a few days to realize their existence. Even the dear sibling noticed it, and my dad, which spells bad news for my attention span.
I am a bit sad that my mother is not going to be buying too many snacks this year. Why o why o why o. Does she not know that her daughter is a blubber whale? She caught me today trying to open one of the VERY FEW tins, and she stopped me immediately. I'm not even allowed to eat this cake thing. What will my stomach feed on, mother?
Also, my mother went out today and got us some new fish to put in our pond. Not that I realized anything, my mother is always talking about the fishes in our pond, but I can never find any. Phantom fishes.
Yet today I saw some! My mother got 12 new fishes. Small tiny ones. I made sure to name them all. Because it was hard to name all the fishes in one go, I took the way out and decided to name them after a Korean boyband. Super Junior. They have 13 members, but unfortunately I can only use 12 names. There is a horrendously HUGE fish swimming around though, I don't know if my mother knows of its existence, because she's never mentioned it before. I wonder where it came from? Anyway, I will name that one Kangin. Kangin from Super Junior. Kangin is the strongest and biggest of Super Junior, so it is only right that I name the big unknown fish after him. The other 12 small fishes will be named after the comparatively smaller Super Junior members.
There are some other random fishes that are swimming about as well, different from the 13 I just mentioned. I will name 5 of them after another Korean boyband, Big Bang. In particular, there's a naughty one that my mother says is always eating the hyacinth plants, I will name that one Seungri, after the cheekiest member of Big Bang.
On another note, I have revamped my room a little. But I will be very unkind to people who barge into my room during Chinese New Year when they come to my house to visit. I do not mind entertaining people, but I don't like it when they wander up and down my stairs and enter my room and stare in confusion at the disturbing posters I have put up. If they like entering rooms, go to the dear sibling's room. Which reminds me of the time when my father brought a distant cousin up to the dear sibling's room without warning and the dear sibling had just had a shower. Muahahahaha I don't know who was more awkward.
Oh I'm taking Spanish officially now. And I'm no good. I think I'll just pretend I can't speak Spanish if I ever go back there again.
The internet is being really agonizing today. With this, I leave.
Happy Lunar New Year to all!
Pearlyn
Saturday, November 15, 2008
HELLO CYBER WORLD!
As usual, I have no concept of time. Whoever invented clocks would be turning in his grave right now, looking at how I manage my time.
It's break week next week, but I've got an International Political Economy term paper due Monday, a Research Methods for the Social Sciences term paper due Wednesday, and the exciting Finishing Touch interview also on that dark day.
Let's run through a list of what I've completed.
...
Oh yeah, none.
Let's look at what I'm at least halfway through.
...
So halfway is a bit of a grand ambition. How about looking at what I've already started?
...
Heh? No such records.
Today is Friday, the last day of school, and as usual I'm acting as if my entire semester is over.
When will I start on my term papers?
Manana, manana.
Which means tomorrow, tomorrow in Spanish. But I'm missing that squiggly "n" letter thing which is used in the Spanish alphabet, so I'm effectively talking about manly bananas instead.
Because I feel it is important to reflect upon my life at some point, and to take pride (or a lack thereof) in what I have done, I shall look back at my semester and my life in general to see what I've been up to.
International Economics A:
How exciting, I've gotten back some of my grades for this.
It seems the professor only knows one letter, and that is C. But what am I complaining, considering I opened my textbook for the first time during the midterms and I spent the time during the test READING my textbook for the first time (a fact which surprisingly wasn't lost on the people sitting beside me...were people so confident in their midterms that they spent most of their time looking at me bonding with my textbook? Wah.), I guess I am pretty contented with my grades.
I think I have frightened some of the people in class with my low expectations in life. I think it's pretty clear that my priority in life isn't comprehending balance of payments theories or doing well for this module. In fact, I didn't even know we were allowed to bring our notes in for the midterms. I thought it was just the book?
Me: (Burst into class triumphantly, after having snuck in right on time before the midterms started) Hello! (Waves at friend, sits down beside friend)
Friend: WHERE ARE YOUR NOTES?!
Me: Notes?
Friend: Notes!
Me: (Flashback to previous classes...what notes...) Oh, I don't have any. (Not to mention the fact that I didn't even know we were allowed notes)
Friend: (Eyes wide, mouth wide, nose wide? Everything wide!) HUH?!
Me: (Looked around at classroom, notices stacks of notes on every person's desk) Oh all right all right, I think I'll use what I have. (Takes out my "notes" --> If you read the previous entries, the notes that I effectively have are those that I scanned...a mish-mesh of notes in fake Chinese?! Drawings of everything somewhat related but yet totally unrelated to Econs?! Go me!)
Friend: Huh...you're using THAT?
I think he was more concerned than I was. Ah, as much as I don't believe it myself, there is some Econs wisdom hidden beneath some of the junk and gunk in my notes, if you look carefully. Of course, it would have helped if I actually completed some of the sentences I wrote in my Econs notes, because some of the notes came out like this.
"Singapore is an open economy which does not fix its interest rates because it is DAVID SILVA SITTING ON GRASS." Followed by a drawing of David Silva sitting on grass. Singapore's open economy is not as important as David Silva sitting on grass.
Did I mention that I like drawing David Silva? His head is really simply-shaped, and round.
So that was how my midterms went. Got a C- for it, which honestly I can't complain. Frankly, I don't even care. I don't care for things that don't interest me, which I've been told off for, but I absolutely hate being forced to do things that I don't like to do. Econs is one. Remind me never to invest my money in anything in the future. My notes about hedge funds ended up as a beautiful drawing of the scary house in "The King of the Castle", hidden behind a plethora of hedges.
Research Methods for the Social Sciences:
Probably more useful if I was considering Psychology, which I am not, so adios.
Finishing Touch:
Hahahahaha. What can I say about this module?
To be honest, business has NEVER appealed to me. Working in a 9-to-5 is, to me, a pretty stifling option. This module is very useful...if you fit into that kind of mould. The mould that every parent would be proud of. The academic, the white-collared job, the money-making child.
Thank god my parents aren't like that.
I have always been really clear about what I didn't want. And it still hasn't changed. Possibly, people were hoping to change my mindset with this module, but nope, I don't let people change my mind. I went into class knowing I didn't want a 9-to-5, and I still don't. I find it admirable that people in the class have all sorts of grandiose dreams, and even a little sad that I lack such mighty plans of my own, but I think I'm happier than a lot of the people I talk to, not just in that class, but people in general.
It doesn't take much to please me, I'm not looking for a high-paying job with an inflated status. I don't see the importance in that. However, I had such a hard time writing my Career Essay (a detailed career goal and plans for the future) because I was so sure about what I didn't want, but not entirely sure about what it is that I wanted.
That said, I made myself think late one night. While looking out the window at a non-existent moon (I mean, they ALWAYS did that in the movies, but there was always a moon conveniently outside the window, which is really unfair), I decided to think back to my childhood days, when everything seemed possible and I was too young to know what I could and couldn't do. It was pretty easy to see where my interests laid as a child.
1) Archaeology -- Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones! Did I mention that I love the adventures so much that I spent THREE ENTIRE DAYS JUST SITTING DOWN PLAYING my dear sibling's PS3 game, the Indiana Jones one. I was so into it that I pulled my arm muscle trying to hoist Indiana over this ridiculous lava-filled hole, which if he had any sense in the first place, he would have avoided. And I completed the entire game in 3 days, which is no mean feat I tell ya. My other dear sibling helped me out at some point, but I was mostly left battling all those enemies on my own, which gave me such a headache that my dog started to look concerned with my well-being because I was groaning everytime Indiana did something wrong...why am I talking about this?
So, I wanted to be an archaeologist. A lot. As a kid, I used to borrow those archaeology/history encyclopedias and just peruse through them everyday. At my old house, there was this playground and a small hill and I used to pretend that I was climbing some sacred mountain and all the other kids were the tribal people and the swings were tree vines and the monkey bars were tree branches and the sand was really quicksand and the pebbles were the only places that you could walk on or you'd die a painful death...no wonder I didn't have many friends when I was younger, I clearly had issues.
So AHHH whatever. I wanted to do archaeology. I remember asking my parents once if I could be that and if I could live in a pyramid and they were appalled. Aish.
2) Actress -- CLEARLY a childhood dream. I really liked acting, I used to pull a lot of acting nonsense here and there to freak people out as a child. The fake crying and things like that, which being the youngest, usually worked.
3) Writer -- I liked writing, I still do. Which, I'm sure, isn't lost on you if you're reading this. Of course, I'm too long-winded for my own good, and I know no one would ever pay to read any of my stuff, but I just like doing it for myself, it's a nice way to document thoughts.
This is probably the most realistic dream I've got, the nearest profession I can think of is that of a journalist. A foreign correspondent of some sort, that would be really cool. Exploration is key, and I love writing about things that we don't know the answers to. Which is why I secretly dream of going to North Korea...I think I'm really strange. People are dreaming to get out and I'm dreaming to go in. I'd just like to explore that society for myself and see the 2 extremes of Korean culture. North and South Korea. One culture, two ways of life. Why? It'll be nice to see for myself how that came about. So culture is not that important to a society after all, but the political systems instead.
So my Career Essay was about this. And I don't think anyone would be really impressed with how small my dream is, but to me, it's big enough, it'll make my world if I could even be like that in the future.
It's easy to feel out of place in that class. It also sucks knowing that most of my ideas aren't realistic to begin with, at least not here. But well, I'm hoping by the time I graduate, there'd be something for me to do that I can seek solace in.
International Political Economy:
Oh, I like this module. I apologize for always looking so dazed in class, but it's just that FT before that would have totally killed my brain cells. I mean, we're forced to think about our careers in that class. And since I have NONE of such plans, the energy I put into creating an imaginary career just for class is enough to wipe me out for the rest of the day.
Development, Underdevelopment and Poverty:
I really like this module too. In fact, I really enjoyed the 2 Political Science modules I did this semester, it made me even more certain that Political Science is my calling. of course, I would have preferred doing History or Anthropology as a degree, because I would do such things for fun, but at some point I gotta not get so carried away by my interests...
Dare I say it? I'm sad that school is over because I really did not want my 2 Political Science modules to end. It sounds like I'm going insane yea? Well, at least I'm documenting all this down for future reference.
I dunno, it just seemed like I learnt a lot from these modules. Uni is seen as a drag mostly, when it comes to doing things I have to do, like Econs. But the good thing about doing a degree in something you're interested in is that you'd willingly read up on all the notes, and I like it so much that I don't even mind being examined for it. I'm a nutcase, I know.
Is it weird that I'm also looking forward to next semester? Mostly because I got my bid for Spanish, which is something that I've been meaning to do since I was, what, a zygote?
I'll be doing Gender & Family (Sociology), Social Psychology, Ethics and Social Responsibility (bore of a core module) and SPANISH. Fantastic.
Is it weird that I have not watched A SINGLE FOOTBALL MATCH ALL SEASON? And it's already almost mid-season. I like football and all, but it's dying down. I think everyone goes through that, my dear sibling stopped watching at some point too, which explains why I've got a mad number of football collectibles dumped in my room, because my dear sibling did not know what to do with all the things.
Looking at my room, I feel like doing something radical to it. Right now, there is my bed obviously, with a Torres scarf cohabiting with me. I'm really not into soft toys at all, never was, so I don't have any huggable items on my bed. I've only got some Brazilian bear and Scottish bear thing which were given to me, and that's all. Then there's my radio, which I doubt even receives anything remotely human-like anymore? It sounds like I'm communicating with UFOs when I turn it on, so I gave up a long time ago. I should dump it out at some point. I've got a stack of CDs as well, which I should clear at some point, because I don't even listen to half the things I used to listen to anymore. Right now, I'm going through a weird Korean phase, so I listen to that a lot. I still listen to my old Aussie favourites like Motor Ace and all, but not as much. So...will clear that area soon.
I've got a football poster up as well, that of the Spanish team, it was a gift because I spent so much time gawking at it that my friend got it for me. Which is really nice, so I put it up. I never noticed that Iker Casillas was looking so much like a warlord, he looked really peeved in the picture. He has his arms around Antonio Lopez and Ruben Baraja and with his massive gloves on, he looked like he was holding them hostage. They both looked really pale too. Also, Michel Salgado is squatting in a rather awkward manner, I don't even wish to comment further. And Carles Puyol, as usual, looking cool with Steven Tyler hair.
So the main problem is that my poster likes falling down sometimes. Like I'd get up and have Awkward Salgado staring straight at me, because the poster would fall on my head, and it's not a very enjoyable moment at 5 plus in the morning, waking up to see Awkward Salgado and his indecent pose.
At some point, I'd like to clear the newspaper cuttings and pictures I have on my wall at my desk. It's a bit odd whenever I'm feeling wise, reading about Escobar's idea of development in third world nations, and then I look up and I see Fernando Torres scratching his ear. It's a really nice picture, but his fingers are busy scratching away.
There's also a picture of Raul, from a long time ago, back when I used to like Raul. So there I am, reading about colonization in the African nations, and I look up and I see Raul and his slightly open mouth.
There's also a picture of my dog, looking really peaceful before she lunged at the camera after the picture was taken. A picture of Fernando Torres again, this time from a Spanish newspaper article about his contribution to a match against poverty. This is the one inspiring picture that I try to look at whenever I'm doing my readings for my poverty class, because Fernando Torres is looking pleased in the picture wearing a jersey that says "MATCH AGAINST POVERTY".
Then there's this nice Cesc Fabregas art thing that my dear sibling bought from Thailand, so that's sitting coolly beside Fernando Torres. And for some reason, I have a Chinese sticker stuck on my wall...I think it was from the TJ Chinese teacher that Sandy fancied. Then there's a nice drawing from my tutee, an old Juventus poster courtesy of the dear sibling, even though I don't even like Juve. Mini ballet shoes stuck on the wall too, from when I was 6 or 7, a gift from my ballet teacher. And also...a non-working clock. It says 5.26pm. I think it's said that since the year 2006. No wonder I have no concept of time.
Maybe I don't want to clear all this up after all, it's got such nice memories attached to it. There are a ton of other stuff but I'm writing too much. I started out writing this to kill time while waiting for my friend, but I got carried away.
So goodbye!
Abrupt ending as always.
Pearlynnnnnnnnn
It's break week next week, but I've got an International Political Economy term paper due Monday, a Research Methods for the Social Sciences term paper due Wednesday, and the exciting Finishing Touch interview also on that dark day.
Let's run through a list of what I've completed.
...
Oh yeah, none.
Let's look at what I'm at least halfway through.
...
So halfway is a bit of a grand ambition. How about looking at what I've already started?
...
Heh? No such records.
Today is Friday, the last day of school, and as usual I'm acting as if my entire semester is over.
When will I start on my term papers?
Manana, manana.
Which means tomorrow, tomorrow in Spanish. But I'm missing that squiggly "n" letter thing which is used in the Spanish alphabet, so I'm effectively talking about manly bananas instead.
Because I feel it is important to reflect upon my life at some point, and to take pride (or a lack thereof) in what I have done, I shall look back at my semester and my life in general to see what I've been up to.
International Economics A:
How exciting, I've gotten back some of my grades for this.
It seems the professor only knows one letter, and that is C. But what am I complaining, considering I opened my textbook for the first time during the midterms and I spent the time during the test READING my textbook for the first time (a fact which surprisingly wasn't lost on the people sitting beside me...were people so confident in their midterms that they spent most of their time looking at me bonding with my textbook? Wah.), I guess I am pretty contented with my grades.
I think I have frightened some of the people in class with my low expectations in life. I think it's pretty clear that my priority in life isn't comprehending balance of payments theories or doing well for this module. In fact, I didn't even know we were allowed to bring our notes in for the midterms. I thought it was just the book?
Me: (Burst into class triumphantly, after having snuck in right on time before the midterms started) Hello! (Waves at friend, sits down beside friend)
Friend: WHERE ARE YOUR NOTES?!
Me: Notes?
Friend: Notes!
Me: (Flashback to previous classes...what notes...) Oh, I don't have any. (Not to mention the fact that I didn't even know we were allowed notes)
Friend: (Eyes wide, mouth wide, nose wide? Everything wide!) HUH?!
Me: (Looked around at classroom, notices stacks of notes on every person's desk) Oh all right all right, I think I'll use what I have. (Takes out my "notes" --> If you read the previous entries, the notes that I effectively have are those that I scanned...a mish-mesh of notes in fake Chinese?! Drawings of everything somewhat related but yet totally unrelated to Econs?! Go me!)
Friend: Huh...you're using THAT?
I think he was more concerned than I was. Ah, as much as I don't believe it myself, there is some Econs wisdom hidden beneath some of the junk and gunk in my notes, if you look carefully. Of course, it would have helped if I actually completed some of the sentences I wrote in my Econs notes, because some of the notes came out like this.
"Singapore is an open economy which does not fix its interest rates because it is DAVID SILVA SITTING ON GRASS." Followed by a drawing of David Silva sitting on grass. Singapore's open economy is not as important as David Silva sitting on grass.
Did I mention that I like drawing David Silva? His head is really simply-shaped, and round.
So that was how my midterms went. Got a C- for it, which honestly I can't complain. Frankly, I don't even care. I don't care for things that don't interest me, which I've been told off for, but I absolutely hate being forced to do things that I don't like to do. Econs is one. Remind me never to invest my money in anything in the future. My notes about hedge funds ended up as a beautiful drawing of the scary house in "The King of the Castle", hidden behind a plethora of hedges.
Research Methods for the Social Sciences:
Probably more useful if I was considering Psychology, which I am not, so adios.
Finishing Touch:
Hahahahaha. What can I say about this module?
To be honest, business has NEVER appealed to me. Working in a 9-to-5 is, to me, a pretty stifling option. This module is very useful...if you fit into that kind of mould. The mould that every parent would be proud of. The academic, the white-collared job, the money-making child.
Thank god my parents aren't like that.
I have always been really clear about what I didn't want. And it still hasn't changed. Possibly, people were hoping to change my mindset with this module, but nope, I don't let people change my mind. I went into class knowing I didn't want a 9-to-5, and I still don't. I find it admirable that people in the class have all sorts of grandiose dreams, and even a little sad that I lack such mighty plans of my own, but I think I'm happier than a lot of the people I talk to, not just in that class, but people in general.
It doesn't take much to please me, I'm not looking for a high-paying job with an inflated status. I don't see the importance in that. However, I had such a hard time writing my Career Essay (a detailed career goal and plans for the future) because I was so sure about what I didn't want, but not entirely sure about what it is that I wanted.
That said, I made myself think late one night. While looking out the window at a non-existent moon (I mean, they ALWAYS did that in the movies, but there was always a moon conveniently outside the window, which is really unfair), I decided to think back to my childhood days, when everything seemed possible and I was too young to know what I could and couldn't do. It was pretty easy to see where my interests laid as a child.
1) Archaeology -- Indiana Jones, Indiana Jones! Did I mention that I love the adventures so much that I spent THREE ENTIRE DAYS JUST SITTING DOWN PLAYING my dear sibling's PS3 game, the Indiana Jones one. I was so into it that I pulled my arm muscle trying to hoist Indiana over this ridiculous lava-filled hole, which if he had any sense in the first place, he would have avoided. And I completed the entire game in 3 days, which is no mean feat I tell ya. My other dear sibling helped me out at some point, but I was mostly left battling all those enemies on my own, which gave me such a headache that my dog started to look concerned with my well-being because I was groaning everytime Indiana did something wrong...why am I talking about this?
So, I wanted to be an archaeologist. A lot. As a kid, I used to borrow those archaeology/history encyclopedias and just peruse through them everyday. At my old house, there was this playground and a small hill and I used to pretend that I was climbing some sacred mountain and all the other kids were the tribal people and the swings were tree vines and the monkey bars were tree branches and the sand was really quicksand and the pebbles were the only places that you could walk on or you'd die a painful death...no wonder I didn't have many friends when I was younger, I clearly had issues.
So AHHH whatever. I wanted to do archaeology. I remember asking my parents once if I could be that and if I could live in a pyramid and they were appalled. Aish.
2) Actress -- CLEARLY a childhood dream. I really liked acting, I used to pull a lot of acting nonsense here and there to freak people out as a child. The fake crying and things like that, which being the youngest, usually worked.
3) Writer -- I liked writing, I still do. Which, I'm sure, isn't lost on you if you're reading this. Of course, I'm too long-winded for my own good, and I know no one would ever pay to read any of my stuff, but I just like doing it for myself, it's a nice way to document thoughts.
This is probably the most realistic dream I've got, the nearest profession I can think of is that of a journalist. A foreign correspondent of some sort, that would be really cool. Exploration is key, and I love writing about things that we don't know the answers to. Which is why I secretly dream of going to North Korea...I think I'm really strange. People are dreaming to get out and I'm dreaming to go in. I'd just like to explore that society for myself and see the 2 extremes of Korean culture. North and South Korea. One culture, two ways of life. Why? It'll be nice to see for myself how that came about. So culture is not that important to a society after all, but the political systems instead.
So my Career Essay was about this. And I don't think anyone would be really impressed with how small my dream is, but to me, it's big enough, it'll make my world if I could even be like that in the future.
It's easy to feel out of place in that class. It also sucks knowing that most of my ideas aren't realistic to begin with, at least not here. But well, I'm hoping by the time I graduate, there'd be something for me to do that I can seek solace in.
International Political Economy:
Oh, I like this module. I apologize for always looking so dazed in class, but it's just that FT before that would have totally killed my brain cells. I mean, we're forced to think about our careers in that class. And since I have NONE of such plans, the energy I put into creating an imaginary career just for class is enough to wipe me out for the rest of the day.
Development, Underdevelopment and Poverty:
I really like this module too. In fact, I really enjoyed the 2 Political Science modules I did this semester, it made me even more certain that Political Science is my calling. of course, I would have preferred doing History or Anthropology as a degree, because I would do such things for fun, but at some point I gotta not get so carried away by my interests...
Dare I say it? I'm sad that school is over because I really did not want my 2 Political Science modules to end. It sounds like I'm going insane yea? Well, at least I'm documenting all this down for future reference.
I dunno, it just seemed like I learnt a lot from these modules. Uni is seen as a drag mostly, when it comes to doing things I have to do, like Econs. But the good thing about doing a degree in something you're interested in is that you'd willingly read up on all the notes, and I like it so much that I don't even mind being examined for it. I'm a nutcase, I know.
Is it weird that I'm also looking forward to next semester? Mostly because I got my bid for Spanish, which is something that I've been meaning to do since I was, what, a zygote?
I'll be doing Gender & Family (Sociology), Social Psychology, Ethics and Social Responsibility (bore of a core module) and SPANISH. Fantastic.
Is it weird that I have not watched A SINGLE FOOTBALL MATCH ALL SEASON? And it's already almost mid-season. I like football and all, but it's dying down. I think everyone goes through that, my dear sibling stopped watching at some point too, which explains why I've got a mad number of football collectibles dumped in my room, because my dear sibling did not know what to do with all the things.
Looking at my room, I feel like doing something radical to it. Right now, there is my bed obviously, with a Torres scarf cohabiting with me. I'm really not into soft toys at all, never was, so I don't have any huggable items on my bed. I've only got some Brazilian bear and Scottish bear thing which were given to me, and that's all. Then there's my radio, which I doubt even receives anything remotely human-like anymore? It sounds like I'm communicating with UFOs when I turn it on, so I gave up a long time ago. I should dump it out at some point. I've got a stack of CDs as well, which I should clear at some point, because I don't even listen to half the things I used to listen to anymore. Right now, I'm going through a weird Korean phase, so I listen to that a lot. I still listen to my old Aussie favourites like Motor Ace and all, but not as much. So...will clear that area soon.
I've got a football poster up as well, that of the Spanish team, it was a gift because I spent so much time gawking at it that my friend got it for me. Which is really nice, so I put it up. I never noticed that Iker Casillas was looking so much like a warlord, he looked really peeved in the picture. He has his arms around Antonio Lopez and Ruben Baraja and with his massive gloves on, he looked like he was holding them hostage. They both looked really pale too. Also, Michel Salgado is squatting in a rather awkward manner, I don't even wish to comment further. And Carles Puyol, as usual, looking cool with Steven Tyler hair.
So the main problem is that my poster likes falling down sometimes. Like I'd get up and have Awkward Salgado staring straight at me, because the poster would fall on my head, and it's not a very enjoyable moment at 5 plus in the morning, waking up to see Awkward Salgado and his indecent pose.
At some point, I'd like to clear the newspaper cuttings and pictures I have on my wall at my desk. It's a bit odd whenever I'm feeling wise, reading about Escobar's idea of development in third world nations, and then I look up and I see Fernando Torres scratching his ear. It's a really nice picture, but his fingers are busy scratching away.
There's also a picture of Raul, from a long time ago, back when I used to like Raul. So there I am, reading about colonization in the African nations, and I look up and I see Raul and his slightly open mouth.
There's also a picture of my dog, looking really peaceful before she lunged at the camera after the picture was taken. A picture of Fernando Torres again, this time from a Spanish newspaper article about his contribution to a match against poverty. This is the one inspiring picture that I try to look at whenever I'm doing my readings for my poverty class, because Fernando Torres is looking pleased in the picture wearing a jersey that says "MATCH AGAINST POVERTY".
Then there's this nice Cesc Fabregas art thing that my dear sibling bought from Thailand, so that's sitting coolly beside Fernando Torres. And for some reason, I have a Chinese sticker stuck on my wall...I think it was from the TJ Chinese teacher that Sandy fancied. Then there's a nice drawing from my tutee, an old Juventus poster courtesy of the dear sibling, even though I don't even like Juve. Mini ballet shoes stuck on the wall too, from when I was 6 or 7, a gift from my ballet teacher. And also...a non-working clock. It says 5.26pm. I think it's said that since the year 2006. No wonder I have no concept of time.
Maybe I don't want to clear all this up after all, it's got such nice memories attached to it. There are a ton of other stuff but I'm writing too much. I started out writing this to kill time while waiting for my friend, but I got carried away.
So goodbye!
Abrupt ending as always.
Pearlynnnnnnnnn
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