Saturday, May 21, 2011
I'd recommend Nineteen Minutes to all bullies in this world, and that's how much I wish Sing You Home can extend to the homophobes within our society.
Yet the thing is, you can't get an American to read a CSC textbook and, likewise, a Chinaman to read any of Jodi Picoult's titles.
Bullies reading anti-bully prints? That's probably the end of the world.
Which is why there will be no end to such deviant acts.
And if you've read these 2 books, this "deviant" ain't tagged on a murderous nerd or a misplaced teenager or a gay couple. Instead, it's on the people who victimise the minority as though they haven't had enough frustrations of their own.
Imagine if you wake up to a world of exact opposites.
Where girls assume dominance; where popular kids turn into outcasts; where autism is the norm; where being straight becomes a sin; or where parents take on no role in the family.
Imagine that.
How are you going to face this foreign world for the rest of your forever?
Everyday, someone reminds you that you're weird and mocks you for that.
Sometimes, that someone can be your supposed friend.
Sometimes, that someone is youself.
You are not accepted by others.
You are not special, just abnormal.
Nerds/emos/autistic adults/gays are abnormal.
That's how people look at things.
But the thing is, are they really that different?
They still love their family and friends, and probably even more than an average Joe would, because it means everything to them.
Because they are afraid.
Afraid that they'd lose them, all of them, when they realise their 'abnormality', even if they've never planned to give it away.
The irony is, this shroud of secrecy prevents them from getting nearer, closer and true to their loved ones.
And it's not easy to live your secret life alone.
Especially if it's complicated to start with.
Next time, just think on behalf of them.
What if you're ugly, autistic, gay, emo, nerd, depressed, black or jewish?
And people look at you from the corner of their eyes, and snorts and struts away.
And finding all eyes on you, even if it may not be the case.
I am scared of eyeballs, aren't you?
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Religion is a fanciful word.
I mean, not only is it interesting, people literally fancy it.
And I know, that being in this island means that we need to be really careful with words, and I don't wanna offend anyone anyways.
I respect people who look up to a greater someone, believing in a being that is always there for you, guiding your way, taking care of you.
Everyone needs some form of spiritual/emotional support and religion is a great way of achieving them.
When life sucks, you need to know that it's all gonna get better.
When life rocks, you want to know that someone is responsible for it.
What's different is this:
An atheist will think that life sucks/rocks because you made it so.
You work for your own destiny.
I have no idea what other people, with their faiths, think of this.
Do they give full credit, of their lives, to God?
It's great to have a religion, but it's just not my thing.
Obsession irks me.
I just wanna say that, if you do not belong to any religion, please respect others with their respective faiths and beliefs.
And to those who prays to God, any God, ALL THE MORE should you respect everyone else.
Conversion can be quite offensive, if you want people to honour your God, please do the same to others. Such things are mutual.
I am quite sure I'd stay an atheist for life.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Politics, right.
According to everyone, I am supposed to be part of the 100% of youths who are apathetic to whatever the government is doing.
When you cast such stereotypes on us, do we rebut or should we just play along?
The thing is, there is no need for us to even attempt to make a connection with politics.
We are like Biliebers on the ground floor of a 100-storey architecture, trying to scream and command the attention of the teenage sensation at the very top.
Even if he notices that small dot from the skies, he's never gonna catch your message.
So, I tell myself, why bother?
Because we are not the passive lot who stops on the 1st floor; we ascend, even if it takes ages, to make ourselves be heard.
I know that PAP has modelled Singapore into what we are today.
No doubt they deserve our respect for that.
But significant changes were observed in the early stages of independence and reconstruction.
Now, honestly, I don't see anything.
All those economic policies and overheating treatment are things we've learnt in Economics.
Maybe they're more complex then what we received in print, but I do believe that there are directives for these problems to be solved.
After all, these are recurring issues aren't they?
I belong to the Aljunied GRC, and have only seen the MP 3-4 times in my life.
All when I went to receive scholarships/bursaries from him.
I've been hearing people saying that MPs reach out to the heartlanders and truely understand how and what the people are experiencing in the district.
I know you can't possibly attend to every household under this constituency, but sometimes, I really wonder if anything is done to address our requests.
Ok, we didn't really ask for anything.
I am one of those people waiting for the government to serve me.
And we are short of carpark lots, and please not make this place a dumping ground for foreign nationals.
Noone likes to live by hostels that home packs of foreign labour.
Hygiene becomes a problem, and people don't feel secured.
Especially with those hack-and-slash/robbery cases in recent news, I try not to get home too late.
I've been here for almost 10 years and in this period I've seen an additional playground to the other two some 5-minute walk away; Demolish and construction of new overhead bridges on the exact some spot - I don't even see why there's a need for that; and a decorative tomb-like craft rooted to the ground around the corner into the district.
Am I happy with that?
Maybe you are, but not me.
It's not like I can vote, but this is my two cents worth.
Some are saying that the opposition will never be the ones calling the shots for Singapore.
But why not?
I mean, even if they don't, their addition serves as a 'motivation' for PAP to work harder to gain the trust and allegiance of the citizens.
Monopolies tend to be complacent because they have no rivals and competition.
With opposition in the Parliament, you can't afford to be complacent or risk being voted out the next election.
And if they are never given the chance to display their potential, then you'd never know if they can do this right.
We always talk about second chances, but before we get to that, can we grant them their very first first?
When you are comfortable with what you have, you don't want change.
Because we fear that change will confiscate the satisfaction we enjoy.
But with no change, you stay where you are.
You won't lose what you've been clinging onto, but it also means that there's no room for ascension, for you to achieve much more, and enjoy that much more.
Of course, there may be bad changes.
But until then, we can let them try can't we?
They have the qualifications, and the relevant experience in their respective fields.
Given the same amount of resources, I believe that they will do their best to bring the best to us.
PAP does too, but the system you created rewards merit, and sadly merit only/mostly.
When we don't see what you do, the belief we once held erodes away.
All parties, do portray your merits and good luck.