Apathetic Avenger

New Year's Day.

As I write this, its not quite New Year's Day yet. One would expect me to be wearing some stupid party hat, half-empty bottle of vodka in my hand, writhing around in some primitive form of dance, amongst a gyrating mass of sweaty fragrant young people, as we play in foam, counting down the minutes. However, I do not feel any sense of elation or joyousness. On the contrary, I feel a sense of indifference. Put rather crudely, I don't give a damn. I am, after all, the apathetic avenger. This lack of interest is a vast contrast to the state of mind others may be in as of this moment.

People dance around. Sing. Count drunkenly. Yay. Dance some more. Sing badly off-key. Drink more. Count backwards. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Woo. Loud noises. Annoying piercing screams. Frenzied jumping. Stare at the sky. See fireworks. Keep dancing. Become tired. Go home. Sleep.

One is expected to be at least somewhat interested in the coming of a New Year. But no matter how hard I try, I can't help but feel there is no reason to celebrate. Interesting sidetrack, did you know that New Year's Day wasn't always celebrated on the 1st of January? In like, medieval Europe, the 1st of April was New Year's Day. Essentially, it was the Old New Year's Day. Laugh. But then in like mid 1500s, the French wanted to screw with everyone, and changed New Year's Day to the one that we use today. As a result April Fool's Day was also born. This is how it started. On the 1st of April, mid 1500s + 1 year, this peasant, who forget that the French King wanted to screw with everyone, said to his fellow peasant, "Happy New Year!". The fellow French peasant, being the prick that he was, proceeded to point, and laugh, at his ignorant peasant friend, and said, "Haha! New Year's Day was 4 months ago! You suck! n0013!!!11!!!!11!!!eleven! You're such a fool!". Yes, that was how it began.

Anyway, back on topic. I find celebrating New Year's Day to be... ludicrous. It's a new year. Big deal. It doesn't have any special meaning. If I wanted to be especially calculating, I would say "Years were created as a method to simplify the telling of time. After all, the only thing a year signifies is the time it takes the Earth to revolve around the Sun, 365.25 days. So, we say, the first time I tried smoking was about 4 years ago, instead of, the first time I tried smoking was about 1461 days ago. Much simpler, isn't it?" Yes, that was what I would say if I wanted to be especially calculating. But I'm not, so I won't.

Now, I don't mind at all if someone told me that they thought of the New Year as just another excuse to party, to have a good time, to be surrounded by friends and family, to be happy, I wouldn't mind. If fact, I would think they were making a good decision. But it's when people tell me things, foolish things, like the New Year represents "whole new possibilities", "turning over a new leaf", "new beginnings" or some other hocus pocus mumbo jumbo, I get annoyed. Very annoyed. That's bullshit. A new year doesn't signify anything. It's just another day. Some people will be very annoyed with what I say. "New Year is a time when you make resolutions and make yourself a better person! Stupid!

I would reply, once again, with "That's bullshit.". Yes. Why must you make new year resolutions? Why can't you make June 23rd resolutions? Why not September 14th resolutions? Are you only allowed to think of improvements to yourself once in 365 days? If you can think of things to improve, must you wait until 1st of January to start? Don't make excuses for laziness. If you want to do something, do it.

See the true meaning of New Year's Day. An inane reason, but a reason nonetheless, to have a public holiday. As I finish this post, a new year has begun. Crap, now I must remember to write 2007 instead of 2006 for dates. I always forget.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 10:47 PM

Merry Christmas... I guess...

I'm not particularly excited about today being Christmas. To me, it just seems that people have forgotten about the true meaning of this holiday. This seems especially sad, given that I'm not even Christian. Perhaps I should begin by describing the way I celebrate Christmas. Up until the eve of Christmas, my family does nothing. Absolutely nothing. If you came to my house on the 23rd of December, and again on, say, the 6th of April, you wouldn't be able to find any differences between the two. Then on the eve of Christmas, the magic begins. My entire family is dragged into this frenzied whirlwind of preparations, where we are forced to do cleaning that we had put off for many weeks, set up tables and chairs, and prepare lots and lots of food. The stress of having a party for forty over people has various strange and wonderful effects on the members of my family. It's rather interesting to watch, but that's a story for another time. Anyway, so we have the party. Eat, socialize, eat some more. Clean up, go to sleep. The next day, on Christmas day itself, our lives go on normally.

So, in short, my Christmas celebration can be summed up simply. It's all about food. Honestly. Christmas, for us, is just an excuse (a very good one) to have very good food. The birth of Christ is great, it is. But I think there are more than enough people celebrating it for him around the world. So, what is my point in telling you about my Christmas? I'm not really sure.

(Oh yes! Now I remember. It is meant to get a reaction from all my clever witty cool handsome pretty beautiful readers. Now you are meant to condemn me for my lack of Christmas spirit. You now list all the things that I should do, like setting up a tree, buying presents, santa claus, because after all, is it not Christmas?)

But, I must tell you, many of these Christmas "traditions" actually have nothing to do with Christmas. Christmas is celebrating the birth of Christ, so how did pine trees, reindeer, and buying presents, get involved? The involvement of trees with Christmas is actually a Christian adaptation of pagan tradition and ritual surrounding the Winter Solstice and pagan tree worship. Modern use of trees began in 18th century Germany, then spread around Europe to France, Belgium, England. It then spread to the USA. Since the USA is the center of the world, this tradition is now continued by billions of people around the world, who learn from the great and wise America.

Santa Claus was based on St. Nicholas, however, his amazing reindeer that can fly and pull a massive sled filled with billions of toys were created in the poem "A Visit From St. Nicholas". The poem is the one responsible for forming the general conception of Santa Claus and his relations to Christmas and all the good stuff. However, the most famous reindeer of all, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, was CREATED by the American department store Montgomery Ward in 1939.

Gift giving was originally related to St. Nicholas, but had very little to do with Christmas, until "A Visit From St. Nicholas". But commercialism, greed, and capitalism has caused what was once a meaningful gesture to metamorphose into a retailers eyes alight with glee rubbing theirs together in delight while calculating their earnings, pushing and shoving in crowded malls buying crap for people you don't even like, wrapping up heaps of presents with colorful paper and tying little bow ties while trying to write some forced message of love and joy in a small card kind of event.

So what have I done with this post? Destroyed Christmas forever? Caused little children to weep with despair? Made enemies with every single retailer in the world? Perhaps none, perhaps all three. But, I would just like to say, that Christmas shouldn't be about materialistic things. You don't have to spend money buying trees or presents to enjoy it. Christmas can be about family, friends, food, kind gestures, charity, togetherness. All the good stuff. It's what you make of it.

Merry Christmas.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 12:08 PM

The Beatles: Love

I recently bought Love, the new album by The Beatles.

Okay, that was a lie. It's not that I downloaded it. I paid $20 for it, and I would say it was money well spent. But Love is not the new album by The Beatles, because they haven't made a new album in over 30 years. Why? Well, thats probably because two of them are dead. Instead this album is a compilation of their old songs, produced by George Martin, who did work on pretty much all of the Beatles' albums, and his son, Giles.

I would like to assume that everyone knows The Beatles. I mean, they are only the most the most commercially successful band in history. Everyone must've heard "Yesterday" or "I Want To Hold Your Hand" at least once in their life. For those of you who delve into the lives of celebrities, you would have read about Paul McCartney's divorce from his wife, Heather, and the big hoo-hah over their private affairs.

Anyway, the album has been done so that it sounds as though its one long massive track. Many of the songs have been remixed, they take one part of a song as insert it into another song, creating something different, yet familiar, to the millions of fans around the world. The album contains songs that span the entire decade long career of The Beatles, and as such, it is a good introduction to those who have never heard them before. This album was created to be listened to from start to finish, and it is an exceedingly good experience. Some may feel that since The Beatles were from the previous generation, and the fact that our parents listened to their music, to be off-putting. But, take a chance, just give them a listen, and I'm sure you will find yourself pleasantly surprised.

Labels: Music

Blogged @ 1:31 PM

SM Goh : Rename Our Streets.

For those of you who are bored out of your minds, you would have probably read in our local papers about SM Goh Chok Tong suggestion to have several roads named after minor colonial officials changed to honour Singapore's pioneers instead. "Those names really had not much significance for future Singaporeans. For another generation of Singaporeans or two generations from here, I think those names would have very little meaning," said Mr Goh.

Okayyy, but, what makes him think that future generations of Singaporeans will find meaning in Singapore's pioneers? Maybe he's out of touch with the youth of our nation, being like old and all. I guess he doesn't know this, but teenagers, the future of our nation, the ones who will raise Singapore to greater glory, the pride and joy of our hardworking parents, don't really care about anything, other than ourselves. To us, life is just a potpourri of Crumpler bags, movies, overpriced cellphones, bitching about others, and billabong (interesting sidetrack. Billabong actually refers to a part of a river, where it leads to a dead-end channel. It is not some word made up by pot-smoking beer-drinking Aussie surfer dudes after a night of putting shrimp on the barbi, while wrestling crocs and calling each other "mate".) Sad, but very true. How do I know about the degree of our apathy? Just ask your average teenager, "What are your thoughts on Temasek's takeover of ShinCorp?". Be prepared for a stunned look, with perhaps slack jaws or wide eyes for added effect. So, my point is, that teenagers, to put in bluntly (and in our crude language), don't give a shit about our road names.

The thing is, I feel that none of our street names have any meaning or significance at all. To me they are just places, however, it's the memories that took place at the specific locations that conjure up feelings. Like "Oh that's Changi Village, where I had my first, of many, sexual encounters with men. (not true)", or "******* Road, where I go to buy Ecstacy (also not true)". In the past road names had meanings. Orchard Road was called Orchard Road because it was full of orchards. (Surprising, isn't it?) Beach Road was next to the beach, and Dhoby Gaut was where people went to do laundry. What about now? Orchard Road and Dhoby Gaut are big shopping centres, and Beach Road is the centre for buying army crap.

Changing road names is an impractical idea. A few of you will remember when our pragmatic government hired some FT (Foreign Talent) to rename Marina Bay. In the end, at the fair price of $400,000, they renamed Marina Bay... Marina Bay. Now, imagine if they had actually renamed it something else, it would have been SO much more trouble! (Not to mention cost our pragmatic government much more money) Not only that, it would wreak havoc among taxi drivers and travel guides and tour agencies. Imagine the chaos. Taxi drivers driving around in circles, foaming at the mouth, lost in Toa Payoh, which has been renamed LKY Road. Construction workers furiously knocking down those thingies that say Yio Chu Kang Gardens, and putting up Zubir Said Gardens. Tour agencies becoming bankrupt from having to reprint all their brochures. Babies crying, women weeping, men screaming. Oh the humanity!

You know what I think Singapore should do, instead of renaming our streets? Calculate the supposed amount of money needed to rename all our streets, including replacement of signs, payment of workers, and other miscellaneous fees. When they arrive at a lump sum, write a check, and give it to me. That way, at least one person will be happy.

Labels: Current Affairs

Blogged @ 10:59 PM

Land Of Four Million Smiles? (Part Two)

I have a theory. A radical new theory that arose out of weeks of sleepless nights and pot after pot of coffee. I believe this theory is essential if we are to discover why Singaporeans aren't as courteous as we could be. The reason is that the majority of Singaporeans are Chinese.

Yes. Chinese people aren't really recognized for their compassion. We are known to be a hardy, crafy, hardworking people. That is the reason why Chinese people can be found everywhere. Singapore, Australia, USA, Canada, England. We're EVERYWHERE. You see, we realized that in order to survive, we had to get out of that massive communist country, and that was why we all ran away. This would explain out rude manner perfectly. Our lack of manners simply rose out of our lack of compassion. You see, to us, our personal wellbeing is of utmost importance. We don't really give a damn about you. Though now we are not quite as ruthless, this mindset has been passed on from generation to generation, which now becomes something like this. "So what if it makes it more convenient for you? I don't care. I'm not gonna waste my effort, and move 50 cm! Get out of my elite uncaring face."

Some of you may think I'm completely wrong, that I observed Chinese people are less courteous because the Chinese are the majority in Singapore, so that greatly increases the chance of meeting one that is inconsiderate. HAH! WOOHOO! Maybe that's true, but I doubt so. Maybe its because all of us are descendants of peasants and laborers. Or perhaps it could be due to the fact I see Chinese people can be at times rather disgusting. Just recently, I saw this elderly Chinese lady, who was dressed well enough, on the bus. Halfway on the journey, I saw her take out a pair of nail clippers... and cut her fingernails. Honestly. I had to dodge the flying shrapnel of sharp old lady splinters. I was lucky to escape unharmed. Recently as well, I saw a white collared worker, who was wearing a blue collared shirt, sitting on the bus, contentedly picking his nose. The fact that I was staring (which was rude, I'm sorry) didn't seem to bother him in the slightest bit.

So just how do we begin to transform our society? I think we all have a part to play. We can't rely on some stupid mascot, neither can we depend on any catchy slogan or inane commercials to do it. It's easy. I think it all begins with the "aura" and mood people perceive around them. Whenever I'm on a bus or train, except for the group of annoying teenagers chatting too loudy, all I see are sad sad faces. Why the hell does everyone look so damn sad? SMILE! I don't mean those forced grimaces that you show to your distant relatives whom you see once a year, while you endure their unwanted comments about your looks and intelligence. It doesn't have to be a wide toothy smile that blinds everyone in a 4 foot radius as well. It doesn't even really have to be a smile. Just don't look sad. Don't look as if you want to fight with anyone. Show a little bit of teeth. Look upbeat.

You know sometimes when you are on a bus, and there's no TVMobile to entertain you, you start to look around, and accidentally catch someone's eye? Then both of you will look away immediately, and keep your eyes on the floor awkwardly. You know what I'm gonna do the next time that happens? I'm gonna blow peoples' minds. I'm gonna smile at the other person. Perhaps I'll get beaten up, accused of being a pervert or a homosexual, even shunned and pointed at like some freak. I don't care. I honestly believe that if everyone just a little more positive, it will change the mood of your dreary commute, and everyone will have a better day. That's the complexity of the human mind. Even the smallest actions will have the greatest effects.

Another thing that is essential in a courteous society is, well, having people being courteous. Say "excuse me" instead of "SIAM". Resist the urge to give "the glare" or do "the tsk". You know what it means to be courteous. I don't have to tell you. Now all that remains is to actually do it. Don't be afraid to act first. And if you see, on a train or a bus, a fat chinese boy smiling at you look some deranged mutant, smile back and return a cheery wave.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 12:06 AM

Land Of Four Million Smiles? (Part One)

Face it. Singaporeans aren't the most courteous bunch. You know it. Step out, anywhere, and you will witness countless incidences of our anti-social behaviour. Nowhere is this more apparant than in our MRT stations. At the train stations, teenagers loiter, hang around, sit on the floor. Some sit ON THE FLOOR, blocking people's path, others choose to relax at the staircase steps, sitting, ironically, next to signs with stern warnings of "DO NOT SIT ON THE STAIRS", printed in bold letters, of course.

It isn't much better on the trains and at the train platforms. Whenever a train arrives, people rush frantically to the train doors, elbowing, kicking, punching all the other people who are doing EXACTLY the same thing to everyone else. Those unfortunate saps who chose to alight are faced with the battle of their lives. The doors slide open, try as they might, they are unable to surpass the awesome force of those rushing into the train, and are overwhelmed within moments, and soon trampled under the feel of heels boots and sneakers, their arms thrown up in desperation, clinging to any metal pole in a last-ditch effort to live. To Live!!!

After the train begins moving, a natural phenomenon presents itself. People crowd and squeeze at the entrances of the train, but the middle is completely empty, save for occupied seats. Scientists have been studying this phenomenon, which the have named "Dumbass Singaporean Syndrome" DSS, for short. Top graduates from Harvard Oxford Stamford MIT have been doing research for decades, but are still unable to come up with any theories. One thing the scientists have noticed is that those few who try to move to the center are always met with growls and "tsks" of annoyance, often with a glare for good measure.

The ecosystem of the MRT train is a delicate balance. Scientists have discovered that there are several organisms that are always present on each and every train. First of all, there is the loudtalker. Either male or female, shabbily or well dressed. These annoying pricks will be screaming into their mobile phones, forcing everyone in the vicinity to be unwilling eavesdroppers. They even have the nerve to give people the "glare" and the "tsk" when told politely to keep it down. Next, there are the teenagers. When solitary, these creatures are harmless, choosing to keep to themselves, content with listening to their MP3 players, silently bobbing their heads to the unheard music, unaware that they look like utter morons. However, when these shy mammals come together in groups, ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE. These creatures metamorphose into loud, unreasonable assfaces, chatting with each other, swinging from pole to pole, like the primitive primates they are. Last but not least, there will be the mother, traveling with her young. Her maternal instincts command her to bring her children wherever she goes, and these dear sweet children, more often than not, piss people off with their childish games.

Now, what exactly causes Singaporeans to be such annoying pricks? Is it nature or nurture? Is this some modern day equivalent to Darwinism? Survival of the fittest? And just how can we turn Singaporeans into rational, friendly, normal human beings? We need to solve this problem, so that the next time foreigners come to Singapore, we will truly welcome them with four million smiles, so that they will be impressed with this little red dot, and in the future, come and spend all their money at our casinos.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 5:06 PM

Asian Games. Go Team Chin... I mean Singapore!!!

I'm certain that everyone in Singapore is aware of the Asian Games at Doha, which is under way right now. I am also certain that some of you are as excited as me, glued to your TV screens every night, wearing your Team Singapore headbands, with your right fist clenched tightly over your chest, proudly waving your Singapore flats in your living rooms, with fertile tears of nationalistic joy rolling down your cheeks.

As a vital and integral member of Team Singapore (4 million strong!) you would undoubtedly know that Singapore is doing pretty well. You would also surely know that one of the greatest achievements of Team Singapore would be winning a gold medal in swimming, something we haven't done in many years. The winner of the 50m butterfly would of course be Tao Li. Take a look at today's newspaper and you would a massive shot of her grinning face, splashed right on the front page. I'm not saying that I don't respect her as an athlete. She can do many things that I cannot do, that I admit. She won, good for her. However, I just don't really think it's that appropriate that our media places such a great emphasis on her victory, and how it has brought pride to our dear nation, simply for the fact that I do not consider her to be a Singaporean.

Perhaps she has already converted to becoming a Singapore citizen, I am not certain of this. But the fact remains that she was born in China. For that reason, and for that reason alone, I do not consider her to be Singaporean. The same goes for all the other athletes that Singapore imports from China, Indonesia, or other nearby countries. Li Jia Wei, Ronald Susilo, or whoever else they may be. Singaporeans are expected to have a sense of loyalty and pride for our country, but how can we do that, if the role models of our nation, the athletes who have achieved glory for Singapore, weren't even loyal to THEIR OWN countries in the first place, and instead decided to represent Team Singapore, no doubt because of certain incentives.

Some people may be thinking that perhaps I am suffering from jealousy, a bad case of sour grapes, due to Tao Li being so popular and famous at the moment, and the sizable amount of money she receives from our government for her victory, but this is not the case. I'm just disappointed that so much is being given to a foreigner. I have nothing but respect for real Singaporean athletes, like those teenage girls, girls of my age, who managed to win a silver in the shooting competition. Unfortunately, I am unable to recall their names at this moment, due to the fact that there wasn't much hype and focus on their medal winning performance. I am also unable to recall the name of the gold medal winning body builder, or the pair of bowlers who also accomplished the same feat.

I honestly would prefer if Singapore did not import any foreign athletes, and not win any medals, than if Singapore brought over hundreds of athletes and won many medals. I mean, seriously, so what if we don't win any medals? It's not as if Singaporean have no other talents. Some people are good at running, some are good at thinking, and some are good at writing nonsensical crap on the internet.

Labels: Current Affairs

Blogged @ 10:33 PM

I Buy CDs

Yes, its true. I do buy CDs. No, I am not a complete and utter moron. I know how to work P2P programs, Limewire, Bittorent or what have you. I know it's free and I know that the chances of getting caught are slim, but I just don't like to do it. There are a few simple reasons for my apparant stupidity. First of all, I believe that if you like a singer's music, you should show your support, and buy the CD. Simple as that.

That is the only noble/honourable/righteous/self-praising reason. My other reasons for buying CDs are totally selfish. Second reason. Most of the music that I enjoy, is not really what you would call popular and mainstream music. In fact, I despise most types of "in" and "hot" music. Rap? Hip-Hop? Pop? Hate, Hate, Hate. (Javier, I guess this is the one and only way in which you could call me a snob.)

Third reason. In the incredibly slim chance that I do find free copies of music that I like, it is almost certainly of poor quality. Many people do not know this, but MP3s are compressed files. In fact, most uncompressed WAV files, (those that you find on CDs) are about 50mbs for roughly a 3 minute song. Most MP3s files are around 3mbs. That means that a lot of the music has been lost, which is why some MP3s that people listen to sound so hollow and empty.
You know sometimes when you are bored at home with nothing to do and you just start messing around with your computer and you click on an MP3 file and you go properties and you mess around some more and you see somewhere 128kbps? That means the song has been compressed to 128kilobits per second. For this reason, I prefer to buy my own CD, rip the files myself, in order to ensure that they sound good.

So what does my third reason for buying CDs tell you? One, that I am a loser who has way too much useless information stored in my brain. Two, that I am audiophile. You may ask, well, what is an audiophile? This word has the misfortune of ALWAYS being associated with the word pedophile. People's minds are wired in strange ways. Their train of thought usually goes something like this. Hmm, audiophile and pedophile share the "phile" part, since pedophile is a guy who likes having sex with children, then I can confidently conclude, without any doubt, that the word audiophile is most definitely a person who has sex with CDs! Woohoo! I rock!

No. An audiophile is basically a person who is especially interested in high-fidelity sound reproduction. What does that mean? It means I'm a big geeky nerd who enjoys music. A LOT. But I have to admit it, I do download music. Sometimes in order to demo a CD, I download it. If I like it, I go to the store and buy it. If I don't I delete it. I believe that there is a 24hour grace period in which people are allowed to be in possession of MP3s. However, once you do own the CD, you are allowed to own copies of the songs, meaning you can store them in MP3 format, as long as you don't sell them.

I am often labeled "freak" "weirdo" "assface" by my friends for my taste in music, and I feel that I have been misrepresented. For that reason, I would like to use this blog as an avenue to express my taste in music. Recently, I bought a new CD.

Jack Johnson
Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George

The name is weird. For those of you who do not know Jack Johnson, he's this former professional surfer who know writes music and sings songs, and is an active conservationist. He's kind of music is like the relaxing beach-side with a cold drink in your hand, lying in a hammock looking at the sunset kind of music. You know what I mean. His music is so laid-back and so relaxing, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Very easy listening. Most of the album is great, I particularly like "Upside Down" and " People Watching", but I find "The 3 R's" (reduce reuse...) not to my taste. Its the kind of song Barney the Purple Dinosaur from our imagination would sing. Overall, a decent album. I like.

Labels: Music, Musings

Blogged @ 8:47 PM

Commercialism At It's Best!

Oh and as Christmas season is nearly upon us, my greedy, capitalistic and entrepreneurial spirit leads me on to recommend you visiting Threadless. The link is on the left, but if you're too lazy to move your mouse 15cm across the screen, you can also use this link, http://www.threadless.com/?streetteam=themanster. Threadless is clothing website, where they sell clothing. T-shirts, Girl T-shirts, kids T-shirts, and well... hooded sweatshirts, a must for the tropical climate of lovely Singapore. I personally have bought several of their t-shirts. The quality is good, and the prints are done using silkscreen. I find their designs to be unique, something a little different from the sea of Billabongs and Quiksilvers that stretch as far as the eye can see, here in this little read dot I call home.

But wait! There's more! As of now, Threadless is having a sale, all their t-shirts are going for the LOW LOW LOW price of $10(USD). That comes to about $16 SGD, but with shipping, expect about $20, very affordable, I would say. The sale will end in about 7 days. SO ORDER NOW! Those of you who don't have credit cards, it's time to renew your relationship with your parents, in order to benefit from the sweet, sweet pleasure that comes from shopping in the comforts of your own home. Now I must admit, I am not doing this completely for free, I do get something out of it. For every order made with the link I supplied, I get about $5 SGD. However, it does not affect your order in any manner, except for you gaining my thanks and appreciation.

Blogged @ 9:51 PM

A New Look... and... other stuff...

For the 5 or so people who have visited my humble site so far, you would notice a different look to the blog. Thanks to my very good friend Javier, also known by his internet persona as jetflame. The reasons for this choice of alter ego is still a mystery (at least to me). To me, the word jet signifies something that is speedy, agile, and quick, and let me assure you, he is none of these. Flame suggests something that is spiteful, with moments of intense emotion. I guess in this case, it would describe his personality aptly, his freaky laughter and quickness to put down others come to mind. Right now you may be thinking of me as a terrible friend, but I will have you know that Javier is MEANT to read this, and he will read it. His ego is just about as big as they come. For Javier, I know you too well, you are sick of self-love, and taste with a distempered appetite. Heh.

Anyway, I really like the blogskin that Javier has made for me. I remember Javier consulting me, asking me what I would like my blog to look like. I didn't really know what I wanted, so I asked him to "let the creativity flow through your soul. Harness its power, use it in your fingers, when you go clickity clickity your mouse and do the stuff on photoshop". However, after several moments, I reflected back on several designs Javier had made before, and I was quick to change my mind, and I said "I like clouds."

It's true. I like clouds. I also enjoy long moonlit walks on the beach, romantic dinners illuminated only by candlelight, old movies, and World Peace. But seriously, I do like clouds. There is just something that I find so soothing and calming about them. When I was still in SJI, during recess, I would hang around the third floor foyer, and just sit, and stare at the clouds. Perhaps this grew out of my dislike of the overcrowded and noisy canteen hall, but now this habit has stuck with me. Sometimes I find myself looking outside my room, or during a bus ride, at those beautiful billowing masses. I would marvel at the brilliant contrast between the stark white clouds and deep blue sky. The clouds are at times, thin and wispy, like the exhaust of an old car, other times like massive shapes that dominate the sky. The clouds travel across the sky, sometimes cascading, tumbling and rolling like water in a turbulent stream, other times floating peacefully. As I turn away, almost reluctantly, I feel as if all the problems in my life had turned into the clouds themselves, and sailed away. Everyone should try this at least once in their life.

Blogged @ 9:05 PM

Over-Generalisations Of Any Group Or Organisation Based On Unfounded Half Truths

Also known as stereotypes.

In Singapore, most of the "name brand" schools all have their stereotypes. According to experts, each student that passes through the various gates of each proud institution will come out with uncanny similar characteristics to the thousands of others who have followed the same path. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. RI boys are nerds, HCI boys are Communist nerds, with RGS and Nanyang being the respective female counterparts. ACS(I) boys are rich, while ACS(Barker) boys are rich and dumb. While all the CHIJ girls are... well, easy. Last and definitely not least, SJI boys, who are either, A) Gay, B) Indian, or C) Gay and Indian.

I don't know about the other schools, but maybe some of the stereotypes regarding SJI are somewhat based on observations, and may be true to a certain extent. SJI does have quite a few Indians, I would say the percentage is slightly above that of the national average. Now, the belief that all SJI boys are homosexual is not true at all. There may be a percentage of homosexuals in SJI, but I am quite certain that it has nothing to do with the school's influence or teachings. I have nothing agaisnt homosexuals, it is their choice of lifestyle, and it is absolutely none of my business. However, I, as does everyone else, enjoy making fun of others that are different from me, this does not only include gay people, it also encompasses tall, short, skinny, fat(or fatter than me), smart and dumb people. Don't judge me, you do it too. However this does NOT mean I dislike them, I do not hate people as a group, I dislike individuals.

Anyway, the issue at hand, is why do people think of Josephians as homosexual? I believe the answer lies in the things we are taught. One of SJI's teachings is to be Men Of Integrity, Men For Others. As such, we are taught to be sensitive to feelings, of other peoples' faith and cultures, suffering, humanity, love. Thus, we become sensitive boys. Hence, when teenagers of other schools observe us, we seem to them more compassionate, more receptive to feelings, more sensitive. This observation, coupled with their views of boys should be tough and strong, makes them feel as if we are all homosexuals.

I would like to once again state that I have nothing against people of any racial, religious or lifestyle group. I also love my alma mater, even though I did not sing the songs or cheer as loudly as I could have. The final message of this post is that stereotypes, are more often than not, untrue. It would be a shame to not get to know somebody, just because of his background, education, race or religion. Get to know someone well enough, before you even think of classifying him as friend or foe.

Labels: Musings

Blogged @ 6:28 PM