Lily Allen – The Fear

I somewhat think this aptly described what is going on with our society currently.  What is the fear, you asked? Fear of being “unknown” and being superficial.  

The Fear

I want to be rich and I want lots of money
I don't care about clever
I don't care about funny
I want loads of clothes and loads of diamonds
I heard people die while they are trying to find them

And I'll take my clothes off and it will be shameless
Cause everyone knows that's how you get famous
I'll look at the sun and I'll look in the mirror
I'm on the right track, yeah I'm on to a winner

I don't know what's right and what's real anymore
And I don't know how I'm meant to feel anymore
And when do you think it will all become clear?
Cause I'm being taken over by the Fear

Life's about film stars and less about mothers
It's all about fast cars and cussing each other
But it doesn't matter cause I'm packing plastic
And that's what makes my life so fucking fantastic

And I am a weapon of massive consumption
And its not my fault it's how I'm programmed to function
I'll look at the sun and I'll look in the mirror
I'm on the right track, yeah we're on to a winner

I don't know what's right and what's real anymore
And I don't know how I'm meant to feel anymore
And when do you think it will all become clear?
Cause I'm being taken over by the Fear

Forget about guns and forget ammunition
'Cause I'm killing them all on my own little mission
Now I'm not a saint but I'm not a sinner
Now everything is cool as long as I'm getting thinner

I don't know what's right and what's real anymore
And I don't know how I'm meant to feel anymore
And when do you think it will all become clear?
Cause I'm being taken over by the Fear

This is Asian Values…

Another good advertisement filmed by MCYS on Filial Piety. I think this is a good example of Asian Values .

I remembered some time ago, Mr Arty One asked during a class discussion what is Asian Values. No one in class could really explained properly what it is and I also haven’t got a clue on how to explain it.

Then months after it, I happened to chance upon an interview transcript of MM Lee with Mark Jacobson from National Geographic. In it, MM Lee elaborated cultural difference between Singapore and Western countries, which I believe could explain what Asian Values is. Asian Values is akin to concepts of Confucianism that “society is more important than the individual, that the individual must care for the society and the interests of the society must take precedence over the individual, which is contrary to the American or Western system which says the individual trumps everything…"

You can read the transcript here.

In additions to the above, Asian values also emphasised that family is the basic unit of society. There is also this saying in ancient China - 修身 齐家 治国 平天下 which essentially meant one needs to be self-disciplined, properly managed their household affairs well before they can go on to govern a country and rule the world. Family is regarded as an important aspect of one’s life and even career. If you cannot manage your family properly, how can you then do bigger things like governing a country?

Due to globalisation, Singapore is increasingly becoming westernised. Western culture which might seem innocent but actually exerted a lot of influences on us unknowingly, like Hollywood films, TV dramas, books, pop culture etc.

Those materials promoted values which are not typical of Singapore’s value. For example, westerners moved out of their parents’ house and encouraged to be independent when they became of age and start living on their own. This is very common in the western countries to the effect that if you are still living with your parents after a certain age, people began to see you as abnormal.

However, in context of Singapore, we are Asians nonetheless. We are brought up in a big extended family. People only move out of their parent’s flat when they are married. Some only child had to live with their parents.

I highlighted both examples to show that they are cultural differences and it is not fair to judge which of it is right and which of it is wrong. I do however see a problem in which young people who are increasingly westernized, think that by being independent, they can leave their parents to fend for themselves. I do not supposed that westerners who had left their parents’ house will essentially do not care about their parents anymore. I think they still care for their parents.

In the advertisement, the boy asked why did the father still care so much for the grandmother when she had treated them so badly. I interpreted it as an instant gratification characteristic which many young people, especially the generation Y readily adopt nowadays. Things are not just straightforward good or bad and then you tried to show them back. Sometimes there are many considerations in a situation which one might not know.

Parents are people who had brought you to this world. One basically owed everything they had to them. They might nag a lot and even scold us which we might not appreciate them now. However, do put yourself in their shoes. Do you want your children to treat you the way you are treating your parents? The kind of values you are imparting to them now is what you will receive back later in life.

Start cherishing your parents before they are gone. 

Stop Staring At Me!

Yes, I am fat. I am unhealthy. I have an unusually big body size. I know that.

But that does not give you the rights to stare at me!

Stop throwing dirty looks at me like I committed some unforgivable sins. I am a human too and I am sensitive. I can feel that you are disgusted with me. Those are your opinions. Does it meant that I do not have the rights to go out?  

Do you know how difficult it is for me to get decent plus size clothing in Singapore? Do you know how much internal struggle I had to fight and put up everyday before I can walk out of that door and face people? If I wore black, I am trying hard to stay low-key. I cannot help that you noticed me… I do not want that kind of attention too. But there you are sneering at me…Like I am some lowly creature and I deserve that?

What is that elbowing your husband or boyfriend to look at me about?How does it make you boost your self-esteem? He would agree with you that I am fat, but it does not make you much slimmer.

So what if you are slim? Given the way that you sneer at people, I wonder why your partner are willing to put up with you. There are people with better character out there, guys!

I am trying hard to do something too. I really am, but losing weight is not easy.

Just yesterday, I happened to chance upon a documentary on BBC lifestyle channel - “Too Fat Too Young”. In it, a little boy told the interview crew of how he was being bullied in school by other classmates with names calling.  The experts explained that he was depressed as a result and kept bingeing because he was stressed and that created a vicious cycle of weight gaining and eventually leading to health problems.

Poor boy. I could see the sadness in his eyes. He does not have much friends too. Another teenager went to a fat camp to try to lose weight and to gain some self-esteem. The camp did help him to be more cheerful and open up. He went back to “real world” and was thrown a dirty look by some girls on street. He felt so much about it and wrote a poem, cried halfway reading it.

I can so relate to them. Self-esteem is not something that we had and when we do have bits of it, someone somewhere just could not wait to crush that out of us. I could not remember how many times I was called names and being discriminated just because of my body size…

Why are you all so mean to fat people? You think we enjoy to be in this situation? Given a chance, we rather be normal, but we are not.

You can don’t understand our plight. Just leave us alone… That is all I am asking. Stop staring at me…

Leisure

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

William Henry Davies

So what if you have all the time in the world to stand and stare, I wonder…

Picture speaks a thousand words – part 3

I hoped you all are anticipating this series because I thought it is quite fun.

I could almost immediately relate the person to the pear when I first set my eyes on it. The same body shape. The leaf especially barely hanging, drying soon which symbolises passing age.

I cannot help but to think of the line which my teacher had once coined:

When you mature fast, you rot fast.

I wonder which is worse at times. Rot fast in pickers’ hands or left rotting on the tree… Unlike an apple, pear just do not have a “seductive” appeal. The forbidden fruit somehow taste sweeter but never a pear… 

Continue rotting…

Video: Cat gives a cardiac massage to an injured cat…

I was saddened by this video. This incident took place in Turkey.

A tom-cat tried to give a cardiac massage to another who was knocked down by a car. It was so protective of the injured cat that it prevented people to get near it.

Two hours later, vet came and tried to save the injured cat, but it was too late…

Sob Sob… I always say this – animals are sometimes more humane than human. Hur Hur…

May the cat rest in peace…