After many months…
New layout by my sister, whee! I used to like Duo Lon a lot during the KOF days, then the new company took over and added a load of French people, like Ash Gay Crimson, whose significance is still unknown to me. He wears a hair band for goodness sake.
Well, I successfully managed to drop Chinese, wheepeedoo.
I can’t believe that I’m going to look back and tell my children how I’d gotten a C for Chinese. It’s kind of like a life-imprinting thing.
One thing which bugged me lately regarding languages is language-elitist people. I seem to be meeting more and more people who regard their proficiency in English as a reason for their superiority. In fact, these people go to the extent of dismissing Mother Tongue as a peasant’s language. I’m definitely no spokesperson for Mandarin, but I think anyone who uses condescending reasons to justify their lack in proficiency in the language is an absolute shithead.
My Chinese friend goes, “Chinese is useless lah, I can’t push my grade from a C to a A in a month’s time anyway. What, watch lame Chinese serials and read Chinese newspaper issit? It’s all gossip and trash.”
A Malay guy whines, “Not like I watch those lame Malay dramas all day wad, not like I speak Malay all the time at home also.”
And many, many more. These statements would appear harmless on paper, but with their tone of voice, the meaning is entirely different. Their tone of voice implied that only people good in MT are “losers” who speak their MT at home or watch those “loserish” TV shows 24/7. So what are the oh-so fabulous English shows? Days of Our Lives? Deal or No Deal? The Simple Life? MTV? Days of Our-freakin’-Lives?!
I wonder, what makes them think that being good in English is superior to being good in MT (aside from L1R5 reasons)? These are the times when I think that despite our (pathetic) racial-harmony attempt, white supremacy is still dominant. Thanks to several distorted mediums such as MTV (aka trash tv), we’re desperately trying to mimic bloody Beverly Hills all the time.
I tried watching The Hills once on MTV. One word: Whatthebloodyhell? I think in its obvious attempt to squeeze a whole day’s drama into half an hour, they cut a bunch of footage, hence highlighting the more outrageous/stupid/ohnohedidn’t dialogue and actions which would further enhance the different characters’ distinct personalities given by the producers. Yeah, the jerkiness in the sequence of the scenes was a big clue.
But MTV’s trash would be another post, another day.
I suppose the shining, branded Beverly Hills would seem more glamorous compared to the foggy, cold mountains in China. Anyway, my point is that underneath this stupid language superiority complex these people have, I think it all boils down to how they perceive the Western culture to be better than their own.
People, like my [subject] teacher who disses China non-stop and wears ridiculous $300 onion-coloured belts from branded French stores whose names I can’t even pronounce, aren’t exactly helping to repair Singapore’s fraying racial morale either. I think she ought to take a look at her own skin colour again and be reminded of where her damn roots are.
I don’t mean to sound preachy, like, oh MT is important so we can learn more about our cultures [regurgitate MT Oral speech], but on some level, it is true.
Isn’t it pathetic to see someone desperately wanting to be Chinese even though he’s Malay? Isn’t it pathetic to see someone so obsessed over Abercrombie and Fitch/GAP just because it’s an American brand? Isn’t it pathetic to see someone dissing his own race? I think it’s ironic the way they feel so superior when everybody else are actually disgusted by them. Well, I am.
I don’t mean to say we can’t indulge in some pleasures which the Western cultures bring. Spaghetti’s pretty good.
But to go to the extent of attempting to wash away your race and roots with meaningless materials and clothing is pathetic, because it’s so damn evident and obvious.
Anyway, the whole point is about language-elitist people. I’m all for speaking good English, but not the arrogance in it.
I wonder how these people would feel if one day China took over the world and everyone spoke Chinese. Language is just another propaganda thing isn’t it?
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Prelims are coming! I think studying Lit is depressing sometimes. There’s a story called The Boss which I find quite depressing, whenever Lily Posen pops into the picture, those hormones just start flooding through my veins man. The writer portrays her in such a pathetic state, I just feel sick and overwhelmed whenever I read it.
Another depressing story would be Limits of Trooghaft. It’s about aliens taking over the world. The way the aliens treat humans in the story mirrors the way we treat animals now Eg. watching them have sex in cages, segregating them, eating them. That story alone is enough to convince me to go into vegetarianism. It’s awful.
Plus, I went into a crazy mood-swing-fit after studying Lit. I moved on to Relative Velocity, and I started bursting into tears because I couldn’t do the first question. After thoroughly trashing my pillow around, sobbing into it, pulling my hair, banging the sink and curling up into a fetal position, I suddenly realized that I knew how to do the question and went back to doing the worksheet. It was a rather odd moment. I think the stress is really getting to me.
Well, back to more depressing Lit stories…
3 Responses to “After many months…”
Ohoh! SHEN WOO. Aiyah, sounds close enough to something-Long, anyway.
Btw, i forgot to add, sweet layout.
Going back to the KOF theme, and it looks really good.
Though i prefer Mai, but hey, that’s jus my opinion.
Ahahaha which reminds me: remember Big Show and Ah Long? HAHAHAHAHHA OMG SO FUNNY.
Anyway, you’re having prelims now right? Good luck!!! Love ya!