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 :)

Recently, the only thing that gets me out of bed in the mornings is the thought of a yummy breakfast. Coupled with inactivity (my daily schedule reads: eat, watch TV, use the computer, sleep) and the fact that Bishan Park is closed for some kind of reconstruction, I'm getting a bit concerned.

Life after O Levels is bliss

Monday was New Moon day with the vampires (aka Abii, Yiling, Crystal and Debbie). Laughed at rpattz's failed imitation at being brooding and sexy, swooned at Taylor Lautner's wonderful abs and generally annoyed the entire theatre by having the wrong responses to everything.

Tuesday/Wednesday was the sleepover where we OD-ed on TV. House, Milk, Give My Regards to Broad Street (couldn't even finish it), Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist and A Hard Day's Night. Managed to convince Abii of Keith Moon's and the Beatles' awesomeness. Jump shots with Debbie on my balcony and creeping prom pictures on Facebook.

If you want to be successful in life, you gotta push.

Gold Coast was so fun! It'll be too exhausting to type out in full chronological order, so I'll just put it in point form:

• Tangalooma: sand tobogganing, ATVs, wild dolphins and the amazing beach.
• Saw an accident on the highway. The cars actually moved out of the way for the ambulances. It shouldn't be a surprising sight, but it was.
• Tasted wines at ILNAM Winery in Tweeds Heads, NSW. I'm well on my way to being an alcoholic, judging by the fact I liked the wine with the highest alcohol content the best.
• Went down to Point Danger. New South Wales/Queensland border with an amazing beach with surfers surfing.
• There was this guy at Superbee who was really passionate about his bees who showed us how they rob the hive.
• Hugging koalas and rollercoasters at Dream World.
• Keith Moon's shirt, Elvis' pants and a Beatles gallery at Hard Rock Cafe!!!!! And seeing a Schoolie strip on a balcony was pretty interesting too.
• So I was running for the lift and shouted "Wait!!!!" (assuming that the lift would be mostly empty) and faced an elevator's worth of human beings packed liked sardines. When one ang moh teenager said we could still squeeze me in, I told them that I had to wait for the rest of my 5 member family. Then another ang moh teen said, "If you wanna be successful in life, you gotta push." Hahahahahahahahahahahha
• Springbrook National Park. Saw 1500 year old trees and a natural waterfall and a cave with glow worms. Slightly humid, but cooling. In other words, the most amazing walk I've ever taken.
• Star gazing in a random field.
• A Superman rollercoaster, the Gotham City cafe (ate "The Bat"), a Bat shop with a lot of Batman merchandise, a guy in a Batman suit and general awesomeness at Movieworld. Freezing too, considering it's supposed to be summer. I was so psyched. C:
• Got my bag checked while leaving City Beach. It was hilarious since I got a huge shock by the guy speaking (wasn't expecting to hear an unfamiliar voice asking for my bag) and scared my sister into thinking I had embarrasing or illict things in her Patrick bag. (By Patrick bag I mean the Spongebob one. It literally is a bag-sized soft toy with an opening large enough to put in a phone and some cash.) After leaving, I said to my sister, "What could I possibly put in Patrick? Marijuana?" Then she told me, "Don't say that so loudly, or the Schoolies will rob you." WIN. C:
• Visited the world's largest tropical fruit farm, tasted a lot of fruits I can't even remember the names of, cracked a macadamia nut and ate it on the spot, feeding a greedy-ass horse who snatched the entire packet of oats from my hand, bottle-feeding a calf, feeding ducks on a boat and seeing a wild koala.
• Shopping at Harbourtown. Bought Who Are You for SGD$10 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), Milk and The Who Live at the Isle of Wright, Keds for AUD$20, cute shirts and an amazing bag in the shape of a gumball dispenser.
• Went to Video Ezy and got True Blood and Dexter.
• Watched 500 Days of Summer and Valentino: The Last Emperor on the plane while nursing a bad case of diarrhoea.

Despite starting off the trip with a bad omen (wiped out the contents of my iPod thanks to the stupid iTunes system and forgot to bring my new headphones), Gold Coast, filled with Schoolies and in all its touristyness turned out to be amazing fun. I loved the activities, I was amused by the tour group (putting a little kid on a monkey leash, for starters) and I'd go back in a heartbeat, despite the horrible hotel looking like no one's touched it since the '80s and the horrible toilet smelling like drunk puke.

A Hard Day's Night

Ringo: Books are good.
Grandfather: Parading's better.
Ringo: Parading?
Grandfather: Parading the streets! Trailing your coat! Bowling along! Living!

I realise my blog's somewhat abandoned right now, but when you have the luxury of being tired enough of shopping to not want to go out anymore, the internet seems somewhat boring in comparison.

In the past two weeks, I've finished doing the O Levels, had my hopes severely dashed, finished watching Pushing Daisies Season 2 and Prison Break Season 4, bought my new Sennheiser HD238 headphones, been to every shopping centre I like in Singapore, cut my hair for the first time in over a year, attended prom, slept over at a hotel without my parents for the first time and caught up on my sleep.

The reason I'm using the computer is to re-rip all of my CDs and make them pretty in time for my flight to Australia tomorrow night. I probably should have started a little earlier, since I have about, oh, I don't know, only about a hundred CDs to rip, but being the great procrastinator that I am... I haven't even packed. x.x Besides the time factor, I'm facing a little bit of a crisis. Apparently I don't have enough underwear to last me for a week without washing.

I wish I could get a guitar like that just for fun

Jonas Kesseler

I love it when my iPod decides to be good and play songs that are perfect for the situation. Like when it played Plane when we went to the airport and how it played I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement when we were parking the other day.

Goldfish like rock 'n roll/Moby Dick

Just ordered:

• House Season 5
• Prison Break Season 4
• Heroes Season 3
• The Kids Are Alright

I hope it arrives on the 13th of November since the last two Amazon orders arrived within 10 days of ordering. Something to look forward to (other than the end of the O Levels, which in itself is great too)!

The Who

BRB SHAKING AND CRYING RN.

I got an iPod touch (32GB) for my birthday!

And, in less exclamation-worthy news, I bought 5 CDs:

1) Tommy - The Who

2) Led Zeppelin II

3) Tattoo You - The Rolling Stones

4) Rubber Soul - The Beatles

5) The White Album - The Beatles

So exciting! :) Even if I now only have $50 to spend on both my prom dress and a new pair of heels to go along with the dress. I think I may end up having to go barefoot lwowl.

Arsenal 6 - 2 Blackburn

1) THE VERMINATOR! YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING! NAME ME A CENTRE HALF IN THE WORLD WHO COULD DO THAT! NAME ME ONE!

2) IF ONLY WE WERE AS GOOD IN THE BACK AS WE ARE GOING FORWARD. I'LL TELL YOU WHAT. THAT IS WORLD CLASS. HE IS A WORLD CLASS FOOTBALLER. NOW MR WENGER, CAN WE SORT THE DEFENSE OUT. GET YOUR WALLET OUT IN THE TRANSFER WINDOW AND BUY ANYONE.

3) WE'RE IN IT AGAIN! IT'S ANDREI ARSHAVIN! FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE.

4) HE DOESN'T NEED TO LOOK, DOES HE? GIVE IT A BIG LICK, THAT'S MY CORNER!

5) HE'S BACK. AARON LENNON GET OUT OF THE WAY. HE'S RECLAIMING HIS PLACE. THAT WAS FOR THEIRRY HENRY. BECAUSE HE LOVES THEIRRY, IT'S THE NAME ON HIS SHIRT.

6) NICKLAS! HE'S HAD A CAR CRASH. THAT'S WHAT IT DID SHOOK HIM UP.