I don't understand why people place so much emphasis on exam results. In this time, it is just as ridiculous to judge a student based on exams results as it is defining heroism by the amount of food one consumes.
I also don't understand why some very talented and educated people do not use their gifts for any useful means. These are usually spent on chatting up girls (kao lui) rather than helping people in need or benefiting society in any way.
I need more discipline to update my blog regularly. It's just… it's been very busy lately, the QuGee headquarters has now moved to Lancaster Gate (And I haven't even blogged about that!) Shame on you, Xiao!
It takes me an hour and a half every school day to wake up properly. Shower, make myself a cup of coffee and bread with butter, do my hair, decide what to wear, put on make-up, decide on shoes. In that order. Everyday, in that routine fashion. It used to take me five minutes to get to school when we still lived at Queen's Gate; now it takes me a good 20 mins to walk through Hyde Park, past the Prince Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall, down the front steps that lead to the Royal College of Music. And everyday it is that same path back again, sometimes earlier, sometimes later, in a hurried way, afraid of being locked behind the iron gates that face home.
But rain or shine, there is always time to contemplate now. More time that there was when we lived at Queen's Gate. And more to appreciate around me, meticulously notice the beauty around me. And today I allowed my thoughts to linger…
Today I take Hyde Park for granted,
tomorrow it will be the Swiss Alps.
Today I put on my fashionable trainers,
tomorrow these will be my hiking boots.
Today I see the Korean tourists,
tomorrow I'd be lucky to sight one.
Today the scar of suppression fades,
tomorrow I love with caution.
Today I bid you all goodbye,
tomorrow I return with passionate kisses.
It is so much easier to summarise one's thoughts into a few lines (of non-poetry) than to write an anecdote. I wonder what I will think of tonight…
I have a Waterman ballpoint pen and a matching fountain pen. They were gifts for my 22nd birthday from my biology coursemates. The fountain pen hasn't been put to use, for I have yet to fill it with ink. The ballpoint pen, though, I have brought around with me sometimes. I do remember there being some debate when it was bought, if the engraving should read 'Xiao' or 'Xiaoyun'. And as usual, the nostalgic me says, 'Xiao' is fine, it reminds me of you all. I think I am starting to miss London.
What is deja vu and why do we experience it?
Those who believe in reincarnation propose that these are scenes from previous lives. Perhaps because I have been trained to think scientifically, everything has to be presented with evidence before I am willing to believe. How accurate then is Ian Stevenson's work on reincarnation?
'Tis the Sunday before my third project begins tomorrow. Another 12 weeks holding my breath before freedom comes again. It is Mothers' Day today, and under pressure from the QuGeeians, this post has to be written. Not that I am against writing this anyway, it is simply laziness.
The song is <<真的愛妳>> by Beyond. Meaningful lyrics, not the usual "I love you"s or "You dumped me"s typical of pop songs.
《真的愛妳》
曲：黃家駒 詞：小美 編：BEYOND
> Xiaoyun, Jac, YSS
無法可修飾的一對手 帶出溫暖永遠在背後
縱使囉唆始終關注 不懂珍惜太內咎
> Kwok Hei, YGG
沉醉於音階她不讚賞 母親的愛卻永未退讓
決心衝開心中掙扎 親恩終可報答
> Terry, Vincent, Kamil
春風化雨暖透我的心 一生眷顧無言地送贈
> All
是妳多麼溫馨的目光 教我堅毅望著前路
叮囑我跌倒不應放棄
沒法解釋怎可報盡親恩 愛意寬大是無限
請准我說聲真的愛妳
> Kwok Hei, YGG
仍記起溫馨的一對手 始終給我照顧未變樣
理想今天終於等到 分享光輝盼做到
Apologies to those trained to read simplified chinese. It took us an hour to record this, tampering with noise reduction and the like. I don't quite understand what the engineers did to it. Kamil added his voice using a mixer, goes to show how international QuGee is getting!
See related blog posts in QuGee: Jacq, Terry, Kamil, Vincent
This blog could make do with some light-hearted posts.
I just happened to take a glance at a R's blog today in L's presence, the both of us having absolutely nothing to do after her exams and after my report's been handed in. And I mean absolutely nothing. I still cannot understand why we did what we did. I haven't actually watched a beauty pageant since I was 7 or 8.
We first started scrutinising Miss Sg Universe 2007 contestants, then convinced there weren't any that fit our idea of beauty, we went on to look at Miss HK 2006 including past winners, thinking we would find something better. Boy, were we shocked! Then a rather silly thought occurred, and we actually checked out their masculine equivalents - all I can say is that… it will take me some time to recover from the horror. Better to check out the real thing, we thought. So guess where we went next? Yes, it's none other than Miss U and Miss W! Now we're talking… And then we finally arrived at the homepage of Mr W… dear me, I think some of them can use more clothes…
Imagine two researchers, less than perfect figures, supposedly well-educated and learned, spending a whole hour in front of an old Toshiba, laughing, giggling at photos of women AND men… I don't know which is worse - the action itself or the actual idea of it…
"Cultural norms can dictate how romance is expressed, but never the passion with which it's felt."
James L. Stanfield
National Geographic Photojournalist
National Geographic January 2007
I deleted a post I've saved for 3 months now. It was titled 'Ode to an exceptional character'. I finally see the point that there's no 'perfect' person, and if anything we are all very much flawed in our own ways.
K commented on Tuesday while we were looking through high school photos that I looked different from those days back in JC. It wasn't my physical appearance. "Your eyes," she said, "they look like they've seen much more…'
Have I really? I am always assessing others for myself. For my own interest. I find people fascinating. How we are all flawed so much such that we are unique. If there was one thing I'd say about this WMUN07 trip, it is that my perception of some of those around me have changed. I wouldn't say how here, that is for me to keep to myself. But yes, there is no such thing as a perfect being. It is also time I assessed myself.
Jane Austen - why the fuss?
The text below delineates the broadness of activities which are included in abuse:
Physical Abuse:
- slapping, punching, hitting, kicking, shoving, scratching, biting, throwing objects
- threatening/attacking you with a weapon
- locking you in/out of the house
- abandoning you in a dangerous place
- refusing to help you when you are injured, sick or pregnant
- deprivation of food
- choking, pushing, tying up
- murder
- disfiguration
Sexual Abuse:
- making you wear clothes or to do sexual things that make you uncomfortable or do not want to do
- forcing you to have sex when you do not want to; raping you or threatening to rape you
- forcing you to have sex with other people
- minimized the importance of your feelings about sex
- criticized you sexually
- withheld sex and affection
Emotional (psychological) Abuse:
- insulting/ignoring you
- making you feel stupid/worthless; name calling and criticism
- ridiculing your beliefs
- humiliating you in public/private
- intimidating or harassing you; monitoring your movements
- being overly jealous or possessive
- isolating you from family and friends
- preventing you from going to work/school
- attacking your children/pets
- threatening to kill you/leave you/throw you out
- threatening to kill himself or go mad if you leave or do not do what he wants
- threatening to harm family or property
- coercing you into doing things that you find humiliating or against your moral/religious principles
- lying, breaking promises, destroying trust
- false accusations and blaming you
Financial/Material Abuse:
- taking/spending your money
- preventing you from having a job
- taking or destroying your possessions
- spending most of the money on himself or giving you a small allowance
- expecting you to account for every cent or to do more with the money than is possible
- refusing to give you information about your joint financial situation
- harassing you to the point that you turn over your money or paycheck as a way of avoiding further abuse
- restricting access to resources
Source: UNIFEM Study Guide, WorldMUN2007
