Just read this article in the Straits Times talking about how children who only have siblings of the same sex should learn about gender differences early.

"National Serviceman Jonathan Ng recalls a classmate who went girl-crazy after years of being in all-boys schooling environments. 'In Junior College, he began to see every girl as a potential girlfriend', says the 20-year-old." This is insulting on so many levels. First of all, there are plenty of people I know who were in same-sex school environments all their lives and didn't go "girl/boy-crazy" in JC. Second, whether or not someone goes "crazy" looking for a relationship doesn't really depend on their schooling background. This goes back to how we shouldn't stereotype people into "girls" and "boys", or "mixed ed" or "single-sex ed" .__. 

"In hindsight, he says parents should not make sexuality an 'awkward thing' if they are to help their children socialize with members of the opposite sex." Okay I will agree with how his parents shouldn't have told him to look away from kissing scenes on TV, but why can't we just view people as..... people? Instead of 'oh this is a BOY' or 'oh this GIRL is talking to me' .__.

This winner Mr Leck also said how he himself started dating at 15 but he won't ALLOW his daughter to start dating at 15 because it's just different for boys. Who the fuck did you date at 15 then, Mr Leck? 

The best is how this Dr Carol Balhetchet, director of youth services at the Singapore Chilren's Society, thinks how parents should teach their children gender sensibilities. These include "boys are rough and girls can be cry babies". I want to cry about how sexist and unfair this is and then punch you and everyone else either interviewed or concurring with this article, Dr Balhetchet, what does that make me? 

Sigh the only person who has shown a proper level of disdain for this terrible, terrible article (worst one I've ever read in my life tbh and right before this I was reading something on Slate about how in the future humans are very likely to start having sex and marrying robots) is Beatrice, everyone else is completely chill. FFS did I not just pass you really really good articles on feminist issues? Did you just completely disregard how much time I spent crafting that e-mail, finding links and copying + pasting the most relevant parts of the articles to stir your interest? You dare to come tell me "oh I haven't read through them" and not express your incredulity regarding this poor written piece of garbage filled with the wrong information? FUCK YOU. You're a misguided sexist who's too stubborn to admit she's wrong. 

"Why are we signing ourselves up for so much sadness?"

Going will be difficult and coming back will be tough as well. I'm just hoping that somewhere in that mess is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It has to be worth the homesickness, the being alone, the being away from my family + friends, the learning to be independent (mostly emotionally, but also in the taking care of myself way), the having to adjust to a new culture, the learning of a new city, the danger of losing long cherished friendships among many, many other things.

"It's like a Gaussian beam!"

It's not so much drifting away from people as it is a gradual but definite diversion. It's odd, you believe in some friendships so much you'd think they'll be there forever (or as long as forever can seem to a teenager), but you'd be surprised. One day you'll meet up and everything's somehow different. You don't care as much what someone has to say anymore (or you think they're just plain wrong), and their reactions + comments seem a little contrived (or perhaps your storytelling is getting worse). And somehow the other person doesn't seem to be on the same page as you anymore.

One day you'll meet up and you realise you're spending your time unconsciously comparing them with other people. And you think oh she wouldn't say this if she were here, or I miss having him around, or perhaps I wish I were telling this to him instead or she would know what to say to make me feel better.

And then you realise things have changed, perhaps even irrevocably.

(Or maybe it was just an off day.)

I think I should make it a point to stop over-thinking things. 

Oh, and start spelling with a 'z' instead of an 's'. 

And definitely stop being so over-dramatic.

I've just begun to appreciate the many different kinds of friendships there are. There's the friend you talk to and laugh with every day of the week; the friend whom you don't talk to for months on end but when you do talk everything's perfect and like it always was; the friend you make because you're in the same situation [and it's not like you don't appreciate them for just being there because, frankly, you need all the friends you can get and they're pretty awesome people in their own right, but when you're not in the same situation anymore you don't stay in contact, and that's perfectly fine as well, just because you've either grown up or moved on doesn't mean the friendship wasn't real while it lasted]; the friend you miss with an acute pang when they're not around; and the friendship that's like a Gaussian beam - you're just slowly outgrowing each other [the worst part's when it's not lengthy silences where no one knows when to speak up or what to say, it's not wanting to hear anymore what the other person has to say].

Just let go and move on. 

Moving to

http://meandmygiraffe.blogspot.com

I don't think I'll be updating this blog anymore. It has served me long and well (3 years!) and it brings back many fond memories. I won't be deleting this blog since I like to look though my old posts :) Some of them I laugh at, some of them I get annoyed at but they're the best and only document of the last 3 years I have.

Post O Levels euphoria

The past 6 days have been both absolutely wonderful and terrifyingly scary.

I got the results I always dreamed of (never dared to dream about an A1 for Higher Chinese anyway). Freaked out a lot in the morning because I heard Joy got a call to go back to school from the general office and thought I didn't get 9 A1s. What I didn't realise was that that didn't include normal Chinese. Phew.

Then I had to make a decision about the JC I want to go to. Chose RJ in the end, after leaning towards HC for the better part of the year. I'm starting to think about all the scary stuff like being the last in class, not being able to cope academically, etc. I didn't think of that at all while submitting my choices. But I guess toughing it out for 2 years is worth it if I can get a scholarship to an overseas university. :/

Went out with Yiling to treat her to lunch (she'll treat me back if we both get into RJ, fingers crossed). I bought Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, The Beach Boy's Pet Sounds and Jason Mraz's Live on Earth from HMV on the way to Suntec City. I wanted to go to Oosters but it closed down ): Ended up at Tony Rama's, which was good, except the portions were huge. I bought a cute tulip-shaped skirt at Topshop, making my first ever real purchase from there. I read this mens' guide to clothes at Kinokuniya while Yiling looked at makeup books. I'm pretty glad I'm not a guy, because there are about a hundred rules per article of clothing.

My family celebrated my results at Lei Garden at CHIJMES. Wonderfully apt, in my opinion. The campus is beyond gorgeous and I wished I had studied there ): The dinner was fantastic but insanely expensive. We had this abalone dish with foie gras. Yummmmmy :)

Also, interspersed throughout the 6 days, I watched:

• Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
• New York, I Love You
• Invictus
• It's Not Me, I Swear!

Cirque du Freak was okay, I didn't hate it or love it. I read the first two books of the series beforehand. So I went HUH at the stuff (I assume) is from the third book which I haven't read, which made it quite confusing when it came to the vampire/vampaneze conflict. Chris Massoglia's quite nice to look at though. ;)

I loved some stories in New York, I Love You. Some left me WTF-ing and some I just hated. I don't really like how they tried to link all the stories with the girl filming New York. I think I liked Paris, Je T'aime better.

Invictus was yet another movie based off on the let's-inspire-people-to-something-better/feel good mould. I know it's a true story and I thought the message was great, it was just that the pacing sucked (it was too darn slow), the entire movie was predictable and Matt Damon's hair was especially ugly. And I hate rugby.

I loved loved loved loved It's Not Me, I Swear! I loved the pacing, how it was so stunning visually, I loved how insane Leon's antics were, but how I could still relate to him and how the funny parts were incredibly hilarious. I need this movie on DVD. So far, best movie I've watched in 2010, but the year's barely started. ;)

2010 is already shaping up to be better than 2009. Let's hope it stays that way.

First post in ages (and of 2010)

I haven't been doing anything! (proud smile) Other than watching a lot of TV. I've watched a few movies. I just came back home from watching An Education in the cinema and I thought it was brillant, except for the ending. I also watched Prison Break S4, House S5, Heroes S3, Dexter S1 and True Blood S1.

I disliked Prison Break and Dexter (thought Prison Break was such a letdown after the brillance of S1, just declined from there, in my opinion; Dexter I found too slow and didn't like the characters :/ ), liked Heroes and True Blood, loved House and Pushing Daisies. True Blood gets extra props for having Alexander Skargard as a cast member ;)









Can't wait for S2 of True Blood to be released on DVD. More Eric!

I'm looking forward to watching Cirque du Freak, Invictus, Up In The Air, Brothers, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus and a few others I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting right now. But for tomorrow, I'll be watching Avatar in 3D for the second time. It's such a visual treat, and I'm not just thinking of the animation. Sam Worthington is gorgeous :)