YYYMonday, October 23, 2006
The mark of an intelligent person, in my opinion, is the ability to formulate well thought through opinions on issues.
I should think more about important matters.
Just blindly reading and receiving is not enough. In this day and age when information comes to us so quickly and from various media we must be able to piece together all of these to formulate a stand.
I did not know about the recent incident even though it had been blown up to such proportions, until my father told me about it today.
I feel sorry for her. There are many people I know who think the same way as she does. In a sense she was unlucky and unwise, to post such a blog entry, and to have it discovered by the internet community. But I think this also serves as a wake up call for people sharing her sentiments. It reminds everyone with the same 'elitist' view that the rest of Singapore doesn't feel the same way; and that the rest of Singapore will not respond kindly to such views when articulated.
Whether her views are right, or whether they were put across the right way, I feel that the internet community has been overly harsh in condemning her. It is fine to comment on her views, but you should not single her out and make her face publicly known by posting up her photos- and photos of her in a bikini, no less! Vulgarities and comments on how her parents have raised their children are also uncalled for.
This thing, the internet, can be mean and cruel, especially since everyone is hiding behind a comfortable screen of annoymity.
This is a really good article on the incident. I aspire to be like the author. I want to write as well as she does, and argue as persuasively!
http://kitana.wordpress.com/2006/10/21/class-disconnect/
Scary thing about reading all this is that I realised I did not have a opinion on this whole issue. I know the arguments on both sides, but which side do I believe in?
Sometimes it's so hard to decide!
Enough of thinking for tonight! I shall blog a little about family, which is what I have felt quite strongly about this weekend and some time before as well.
My mother always reminded me that family was the most important. She said, at the end of the day, it is your family that will be there for you. Of course there will be friends. But in the end, blood ties are the most lasting and blood connections are the deepest.
This year I have been worried that time was passing so fast, that I would soon have to leave secondary school, that I would have to grow up so soon. But it never struck me that all this growing up would mean that in addition to becoming more distant from my secondary school friends, my carefree life, my happy days etc., I would become more distant from my family.
Oh sure it is an inevitable thing. Eventually I will have to leave my family, live on my own, get married, start my own family and so on. But the only way the bonds of family will withstand distance and time is if they are strong enough. This strength will need to be built up very early on.
My relationship with my parents are good I would say. But with my sister and brother I am not too sure. The three of us, we are not very close. My sister respects me as someone older and cooler and smarter I suppose, but she doesn't trust me enough to tell me her secrets, neither does she listen to me when I tell her to do things (even when they are in her best interests). With my brother it is worse. I find him annoying and he finds me annoying too. Not to say that we don't love each other- I am sure we do.
Whatever it is, this isn't the best our relationships can get. I want them to become better but I am also aware that there is very little time. We are all growing up, and before long my brother and sister will change, refuse to talk much anymore, blast loud music in their rooms, stay out late etc. Then it might be harder to reach them and connect with them.
So I shall start today! I shall try to get closer to my siblings. 20 years from now I want us to be to each other how my mother's siblings are to one another. And we must stick even closer than ever, because while my mother has 10 siblings, there are only the 3 of us.
Okay it's late. GOODNIGHT WORLD!
11:40 PM
