The Blogging Debate

Recently posted on STOMP…

Star Blogger or Vulgarity Blogger?

woofie98 says…
I’m to read posting from one of the star bloggers. Apparently, the so called ‘Star Blogger’ (aka XX) still nonchalantly punctuate her postings with the ‘F’ word and blowing her own trumpet. I strongly feel that readers should not be succumbed to vulgarities.

As much as Freedom of Speech is concerned, there should be a certain amount of restraint when it comes to expression of one’s opinion especially in a virtual community targeted at ST readers.

Moreover, a star blogger should maintain a certain degree of dignity and gain respect from the community.There’s a saying, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” As much as I’m impressed with STOMP since its launch and the amount of publicity given to it , I certainly do not wish to “stomp” off in disgust after reading profanities in it. No pun intended.

nonpareildoll says…
Oh comon people.XX’s fanbase has never decreased just cause she uses vulgarities. In fact, it has made her posts even more interesting. & there are millions of bloggers out there who use vulgarities far worse than her.& so what if her blog is full of complaining & whining?

That’s the way she writes and that’s the way people like it. I admit, sometimes i do find some of her posts endearing, but all in all, she is human & has the right to write whatever she wants to.

phoenixjade says…
I just read XX’s reply to some users’ criticisms of her post on entrapment. And I was totally disgusted by her arrogance. I mean, I’m not against using F-words but I just feel that … I don’t want to see it used the way she used it.How do I put it… I mean, ST’s a credible newspaper and STOMP ought to be of some standard too.

I take her point about having alternative views… but I don’t think alternative views come with swearing at STOMP viewers. There’s a difference between alternative views and outright/blatant rudeness and dissing others. I think, it would be nicer if she show some respect for herself and her readers and most importantly, ST. I read her blog, and I thought I was quite alright with her boldness at airing her views.But after her rant asking viewers to “F-off” if they don’t like her post on entrapment, I just feel disgusted.

Just don’t understand why ST is inviting her to be a star blogger… If she is paid, it’s a waste of money because she doesn’t really share alternative views, which people want to read. Isn’t the whole point about inviting “stars” as bloggers is to increase viewership? I don’t think I wanna come here to be subjected to “F-offs” when I respond to something. I know that her actions and words have caused controversy and has attracted many to visit her website to see what she wrote… but.. oh well, maybe that’s the intention and way to increase viewership.I regret reading her post cos now I feel offended though I did not post in reply to her views on entrapment.

It’s so spiteful. I had this mental image of her middle finger sticking out at me and then her swearing F-off to me. Sorry, abit emo… cos I’m just offended. Really. Ranting now too… cos I am so pissed off… argh! Can XX’s picture disappear from the starblog banner? X_X

[Edit: Hey! How come the F word became **** here and yet in her blog, it's in full! Double-standard!]


xiaxue says…
Aiyoh people – relax. The whole reason why there are 7 bloggers and not one is so that there is an array of opinions, be it from ignorant and superficial people like me, or highly intelligent people like the KTM (or the rest of the other girls, if you insist…).

If you want to read scholastic entries, read the other people’s blog, lah! I am not interested to blog anything but frivolous stuff. I intend to live the rest of my life in this comfortably cocooned way, applying make up, eating good food, getting attention, having great sex, finding great clothes, and fighting the everlasting battle against cellulite.

I have no intentions of challenging the people who are so eager to prove their superior luminosity, nor joining their ranks.I hope the next blog topic won’t be so dull. Quarrelling with me over my views on entrapment is futile. Before your first paragraph of lengthy illustrations, I have already given up reading. ST asked me to blog here not to give you another heavy ST-worthy article, but to give something different for a change.

The classic response? If you don’t like it, don’t read it. Why waste your time criticising? Is my inferior blog entry causing you to lose your hair? How’s it gonna affect you if you simply decide not to read, instead of whining and whining like the loser you are? Hey you people who asked me to cut down on vulgarities! Here’s what I say to you.. FUCK YOU!

Jonathan Grundy says…
I was unfortunate enough to see the profane and puerile garbage churned out by your so-called ‘star blogger’ Xiaxue on 26/6/06.

I suggest that, if you wish to be taken seriously as a publication, you drop her quickly as a contributor. If you do not, it just reinforces the existing impression that you have no respect for your readership, and that you are merely trying to appear trendy at the expense of normal manners.

The hypocrisy of SPH is staggering when you have the gall to spout off about ‘decline in moral standards’ while encouraging, publishing and championing such drivel.Your presentation of ‘Stomp’ is to encourage young people to show an interest in newspapers/current affairs; I doubt very much that the majority of parents will want their children anywhere near it.

Khoo Lih-Han says…
It is a question of responsibility. Bloggers should be brave enough to identify themselves on their blogs and be accountable of what they blog about.

Blogs are platforms for bloggers to have the privilege to comment freely and it should remain like this. Bloggers should practise a certain form of self-discipline when they post comments and not post nonsensical comments. We should make full use of the freedom given by the Government and not abuse it. If it is abused, it is only right for the Government to take it away and we do not have the right to request it back.

Staying anonymous does not mean that the blogger can “run” away with their comments. The authorities can track down these blog abusers but the fact is that it is not possible for the authorities to catch every single one of them, thus it boils down to the personal integrity of the blogger to ensure that they are responsible individuals who blog intelligently.

Blogs are a form of media that can be viewed by any Internet user around the world. If nonsensical comments about Singapore’s issues are posted, it will certainly not speak well of the Government and its citizens.

KarL_G says…
Firstly, I have no idea whether XX’s constant use of the f bomb is a case of true blue emotion or some publicity stint thing.But secondly, I think blogging is a form of social commentary. Let’s face it, everyone has things they want to say. Everyone will have doubts about their friends, has some thing to gripe about when they see rudeness, unconsiderate behavior, or read about something on some publication.

And if they so choose to express that emotion in vulgarities, THEN WHO ARE WE TO STOP THEM?It’s their blog, those are their thoughts, those are real emotions being expressed in writing. Recently, today, in fact, on The New Paper, there was this article about the Singaporean exchange student who slammed China nationals on her blog and got a hellotta angry strikebacks.

Frankly, I think it’s her business whether she wants to slam China nationals or not. I am not slamming them either here, but my personal opinion is that if she thinks they are bad, and that they are lousy, have lousy facilities and whatever, then THAT IS WHAT SHE THINKS. If she thinks that the nationals she has met so far are selfish, rude, lousy, ‘mainlanders’, then that is WHAT SHE THINKS.If the China Nationals disagree, then fair enough. It’s their country, they are commenting on themselves, so if they disagree with her, fair enough.

BUT the infuriating thing is that SHE WAS FORCED TO APOLOGIZE! She publicly apologized because people started insulting her and suggesting very very crude and brash ways of ‘dealing with her’. And I laughed out loud as I read that some China national suggested torturing her. Such comments PROVE HER RIGHT, DON’T THEY? That they are crude and rough?If they disagree, fair enough. They keep to their side of their views, and she keeps to hers. There is no need to go so far as to enter her side of her viewpoints, and interfere in what her opinion is. Agree?

And as far as I think, unless the blogger has made blasphemical or some other comments that may threaten the national security of a country, I see no reason that she is made to apologize, or sued, or whatever the crap it may be.

Same goes for the XX issue.She is vulgar, she says the F word. Frankly, on my blog, I do too. If I am angry enough, the F word comes up. People might find it offensive, but I tell them, “Why should you care? My viewpoints, MY THOUGHTS! If you want to read it, read and don’t complain. This is my take on it, and MY TAKE ONLY! If you don’t like the F word, then write up your own blog entry with vulgarity-less perfect-grammar paragraphs!”

Hence, whether or not she writes the F word in her blog concerns nothing of you, the readers. Because if you choose to read it, then you choose to see all her many variations of vulgarities in different languages. If you think she is too vulgar, then it is AS SIMPLE AS NOT READING HER BLOG! Don’t type in her URL then, if you find her too deragatory and whatever nonsense, and then all would be fine, no?

So if you want to read her blog, and then later come back and complain about her use of language, then DON’T READ IT IN THE FIRST PLACE!She writes for herself, not for us. She wants to express her views in the best way she feels possible, and if it means it’s in the F words then so be it. We are NOTHING, and WE CANNOT influence her or stifle her creative powers.So those who think you cannot take it, leave her blog alone.

Go to whichever blog rocks your world, and stick to it. TO each his own, and I see no reason to slam her for her views.

zi_jing87 says…
I read with disgust KarL_G’s post.

We are not slamming her for her views, neither are we insisting that she not use vulgarities in her posts. the main point is, she is absurdly considered a “starblogger” by the ST, & her posts, because being linked to Stomp, bear the possibility of being read by the young & old alike.

therefore, people suggest she be dropped as a contributor of this site because letting profanities flood even a small portion of this website would be disrespecting readership in general. xx can continue her expletives for all we care, as long as she has no particular attachment to the ST. we should see that the main cause for concern is not her excessive use of profanities, but the fact that she currently has the honour of being a starblogger of the straits times. Hence, xx has to be a responsible & respectful contributor, otherwise, ST should seriously consider scraping her from the list.

kenken says…
I too read with disgust KarL_G’s post.

The impressions I got are :
- We have equal rights, but bloggers’ right are more equal than others.
- Bloggers are free to complain using vulgar words, but we are not even entitled to just complain (UNLESS we use vulgar words like xx ?).
- xx can write what she wants AND KarL_G is asking us not to look, etc. Walau ! Bloggers have to right to control us ?! Then why don’t we write about what we want including complaining about xx, then you do not look, ok ?

KarL_G says…
I’m not saying you, as readers, have no right to read. All I’m saying is that what you are doing is that you are trying to stifle XX’s freedom of speech and creative ability.

The original post requested XX to be taken off STOMP’s Star Blogger section.And I ask, WHY?Because she uses vulgarities? It could be offensive to certain people, but there are 7 blogs to choose and read from. If you do not like her blog then don’t read it!You can complain, that’s no problem, but the eventual thing is that if you are going to read her blog and then gripe about it might as well don’t read in the first place!

What do you think? Are profanities on a blog insulting to the readers and what is your take on the issue?

A Man called E

I am very busy this week, soo busy and my week is totally and completely packed. I’m terribly sorry, Sue and Wangling, I can’t post up pics of you guys in this week. Actually I didn’t even plan to blog at all this week due to my heavy workload, but something just happened that I MUST VOICE OUT!

There is a man in our school, he works as a security guard, and his name is, shall we say, E.

Now, as a security guard of one of the highest secondary institutions in Singapore (head security guard somemore), one might say he knows his job very well, and takes it very seriously.

I, personally, have not had any clashes with him since the start of my secondary school life 3 years ago. I just thought he was okay. Since I had never had anything to do with him, I could not really pass judgment when friends and classmates all said he was idiotic and a total asshole.

Now all that changed in a matter of a month.

Recently, my RE group stayed behind in school, after Drama Feste rehearsals, to do some research and also to catch the World Cup start (Toni Braxton feat. Il Divo opening ceremony), and just when we were in one of the seminar rooms (MY classroom), going to get our bags and leave… ’cause we left them in there for basic fear of theft lah.

Then all of a sudden this security guard enters, sees us about to leave, and then he walkie-talkies E and E suddenly rides by on his bike. The first thing he says is, “WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL DOING IN HERE?!”

That was what he said. No preemptive warning, no nothing, just one big in-your-face shout. I opened my mouth to say something in defense, but he said, “DON’T TRY TO BE FUNNY WITH ME OKAY!”

And then I was stunned. Without finding out the truth, without making so much as a statement, he immediately started raising his voice at us. JunM, who was with me and SH, was pissed, and he showed it. He started being really sarcastic and rude, to E, and then E actually demanded that he apologize!

Now, see here the logic.

He comes in, raises his voice at us, so LOUDLY until I’ll bet even the people who were gathered at the Atrium preparing to watch World Cup could even hear, and then when my friend so RIGHTFULLY makes a point, E actually demands him to apologize first!

SH said quickly, “But sir, we did not do anything wrong, and you raised our voice at us. We would naturally be hostile without reason, right?”

Fair enough. We were in the wrong. We didn’t alert anybody when we put our bags in the classroom after the rehearsal (when the classrooms were still unlocked) and we did not tell any of the guards we were going in to retrieve the bags when we found the classroom doors locked later. Fair enough.

E apologized first for raising his voice, and explained to us nicely and kindly that it was an offence to ‘trespass’ through an area without permission, especially since the door was locked. With all due respect we should have contacted one of the guards. Fair enough. We apologized.

E rode off on his bike. I wondered, then, why some people I knew were so mean and hostile to him, scolding him ‘F’ words and whatnot. I thought he was pretty nice, if not a bit gruff, but open to persuasion. On the contrary, he HAD served our school for 8 years. Pretty decent.

Now, just today, about 3 hours earlier, me and SH had another encounter with E. This encounter made us SO PISSED OFF I HAVE A GOOD MIND TO COMPLAIN TO A HIGHER AUTHORITY!

As you’ve read before, I said that E takes his job seriously and knows his job well.

However, there is a line, a very THICK line between taking a job seriously and completely being a complete bastard.

Today, while waiting, again, for Drama Feste to begin at around 7.00 pm, SH and I decided to take a rest somewhere. And then we saw 3K. SH’s classroom. The lights were on, the air-con was on, the doors were unlocked and one of them was even wide open for us. Now it would be common sense that some rude student had left in a hurry and did not turn off the elctricity, expecting that some cleaner would do it.

So SH and I thought, what the heck, since it’s one of the few rooms already open, we might as well go in, take a breather, come out when Drama Feste rehearsals begin in the English studio, and then on-the-way turn off the lights and air-con for the poor cleaner.

So we went in, and SH turned on his spanking new I-mac Powerbook (read post below for more technical geek stuff) and we just started working on RE and taking oddly-distorted photos to add to the Freak Show Photo Album which already had twisted photos of me, Mathan, Jiahao, Anzhen, SH himself, Joel, Daniel and SH’s sisters.

Imagine our surprise, when out of nowhere, E popped in, one hand on the doorframe, and he immediately yelled, “GET OUT OF HERE NOW!”

And the first thing that entered my mind was, “What a rude fuck!”

E continued, “You again! I catch you again in some classroom, TRESPASSING! You want me to report to your teacher-in-charge?”

I said, “No…”

E rudely cut me off. “You think this is your room ah, suka-suka come in here turn on lights enjoy AIR-CON?”

SH began, “It is my form class….”

Again, he is rudely cut off by E. “You know, maybe I should tell your teachers! Your form teacher, form teacher of 3K! And you…” He recognized me as one of the students of one of the teachers who corresponds to him most often. “I shall call Mr Teo and tell him of this! I shall tell Mr Teo all your stupid nonsense!”

And I was like, “But we weren’t doing anything!”

He said, “YOU ALL AH, GOOD ACTORS! ACT VERY GOOD! Turn on air-con turn on light, think this is where? I tell you ah, first thing tomorrow morning, Mr Teo will know about this.”

Fury grabbed me and SH. He grabbed his laptop and stormed out. I walked out too, but I tried to reason with E. “Come on, sir, we weren’t doing anything! The classroom lights, aircon and fans were already on when we entered!”

And E replied, “DON’T LIE!”

And I thought, “Wah, I lie to you win prize ah, like I like lying to you for fun and enjoyment hor?!”

And then he kept saying that we were troublemakers, and that he would contact Mr Teo, and even, at one point in time, said “You want me to call your Mr Teo Chun Meng now and TALK TO HIM?!”

Now, I don’t really fear Mr. Teo. I really respect Mr Teo and like him as a teacher. E here was being a complete ass and thinking he could use teacher support for this.

I was very pissed. My temper had reached breaking point. I said, “We DID NOT do anything! We were minding our own business when you came ALONG!”

SH entered the English studio and I followed, amidst E’s yells and threats of calling Mr Teo and ‘watch(ing) out first thing in the morning’. I slammed the door in his face.

Firstly. Trespassing. He accused me of trespassing. Okay, can I say, WHAT THE FUCK?

This is my school too. I STUDY here. Unlike E, I PAY to STUDY, not like him, who is PAID to ride a bike and insult random students! Unlike E, I treasure my education, whereas he probably screwed up his and now takes it out on students. I PAY to STUDY in this school, in this prestigious institution of higher learning, and WHO IS HE to come in and start throwing threats at me?

Trespassing is a serious word. Granted, maybe we should not have been in the classroom. BUT THE ROOM WAS WIDE OPEN. Will it be trespassing if we could actually have gone in to turn off the lights or something? Sure, maybe we didn’t have permission, but in that case SCOLD THE FUCKER WHO LEFT THE DOOR WIDE OPEN LAH!

Besides, HE YELLED AT US! Without even making sure of things he yelled at me and SH, and not just yelled, but he threw AN ENTIRE TANTRUM, and THREATENED me! I also distinctly heard something like “Trespassing is an offence.”

Fair enough lah. But slander is an offence too. Threatening people, verbal abuse, all those are offences too. Besides, we didn’t smash up the classroom or destroy computer equipment (unlike some people I know who destroy school property DURING SCHOOL HOURS), so what makes us criminals and ‘troublemakers’?

Okay, E, tell us then, WHAT ROOM IS NOT COUNTED AS TRESPASSING? How about the toilet? Lights are on. Electricity is on. Water supply is running. So we cannot enter toilet lah, cos we would be TRESPASSING then, right?

On top of that, he THREATENED us with TEACHERS!

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?

What BEHAVIOR DID HE EXHIBIT?

He had no proof we were up to anything. Which we were not. He did nt listen to us and rather, insulted us and became quite rude. And then he started threatening to call teachers when all I tried to do was explain our innocence.

HE WAS DOWNRIGHT, FUCKING, RUDE!

There is a very clear boundary between doing your job and being a total bastard. The first time he misunderstood us, yes, he was doing his job. He was being correct and righteous. THIS TIME, he was a complete bastard.

Now, E has served in our school for 8 long years.

The wonder is, HOW DID HE STAY SO LONG?

I wonder how come there are no complaints about him? If everybody were to write a complaint letter like I AM THINKING OF DOING SO NOW, then the Headmaster’s Office would be up to necks in complaint letters! I know for a fact that A LOT of the students are openly pissed with E, and that they do not respect him and in fact, despise him.

At first I didn’t know why. I thought my classmates were being unreasonable. After today’s incident, I know why. I know why they call him a fucker, I know why they dislike him, HATE him so much. Because I honestly do now. And not many people have had true blue, in-your-face run-ins with him. Not many people have seen how E behaves. I just did. And I most certainly am not happy about it.

If tomorrow I get word from Mr Teo that somehow I was accused in something I DID NOT DO, then trust me, E WILL PAY HELL.

New Look!

With the recent passing of my 15th birthday, my blog’s 1st birthday, and a sudden streak of fun, I decided to change my blogskin!

New look now.

How do y’all like it?

Tag and comment. Kinda neat now, really.

WTDDTH – Go out with some close friends!

WTDDTH – Go out with some close friends!

Okay.

After a slightly-more serious post, it’s back to the fun What To Do During the Holidays!

Of course, the popular favorite is to go out with close friends.

What could possibly be more fun and thrilling than going out with some friends from school, totally crashing and chilling out in a theater, or perhaps going window-shopping, or even just playing games in an arcade, or eating junk at the nearest Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf or Burger King?

Nothing, probably. That’s why i love going out with friends so much. There’s a level of difference between going out with friends, parents and others.

With friends there’s a level of closeness and familiarity that everyone in the group can relate to. Everyone will enjoy each other’s company, and the topics will be things that everyone knows and can understand.

That said, I would also love to spend more time with my parents, who are recently very busy I hardly get to talk to them. But that is another post for another day.

I’ve been out with friends a lot this holidays. For proof see all the photos in previous posts below.

Went out with Shawn and Issac yesterday to watch She’s The Man, which frankly is about the coolest chick flick-styled movie this year. In fact, about the coolest chick flick I’ve watched at all. Beats Cinderella Story. But I guess it’s because there was a lot more humor in the movie compared to Cinderella Story, cranked up to almost an absurd notch. This movie is modelled after one of the scenes in. Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night.

Plus, I’m a big fan of Amanda Bynes, especially her stellar performance in the ever-popular What I Like About You.

Amanda Bynes puts up an amazing performance as a Viola Hastings, a girl whose female soccer team is cut from the school. In a bid to prove that girls can play soccer as good as, if not better than, boys, she joins another school disguised as her twin brother, Sebastian Hastings, in order to get onto the team and beat her former school.

Because of something so simple, an entire two hour movie spans, with sometimes cliched-lines and often-obvious jokes, but the acting is phenomenal. Channing Tatum puts up a great performance as Duke, Viola/Sebastian’s roommate whom Viola develops a serious crush for.

At times the movie seems a little too sappy, especially with all the intimate moments shared. At times, the jokes fall a little flat, because of the lack of proper scripting, but the movie picks itself up at the end, with very good acting and revelations.

That said, however, the ending is also very predictable, but in a better way, and very easily guessed at by audiences. However, Bynes and Tatum has chemistry that pieces together seamlessly, and forms a backing so strong it turns the movie around completely.

The end also provides a more intelligent twist. The director, trying to veer away from cliched endings in chick flicks, makes the ending more unique. Viola is standing in front of the goalpost. preparing to do her final kick. Audiences would expect her kick to work and win the game, but no, the goalkeeper Justin successfully blocks her kick, only to have it headbutted back by Duke. Then Viola delivers a sideways bicycle kick, the one kick she could not do successfully earlier in the movie. The teamwork pulls off well as the winning goal is scored.

Fair enough. Some effort is made to make the movie more unique. However, it doesn’t need it. She’s The Man is good enough for a few laughs, a heartwarming tale, and a message to all to BE YOURSELF. The effort itself is a true bonus for the attempt, making the movie even more that all commendable.

P.S The movie soundtrack is really phenomenal. Tracks from All-American Rejects, The Veronicas, and others form a really good musical backing, which, if on soundtrack, would be amazing.

*** 4 Stars!

And of course, here are a couple of photos of Shawn. He and Issac went with me throughout the entire day, but Issac left first because of some stuff he needed to do. So Shawn and I had a really good talk over a few drinks after he left at some Food Court. Guy stuff, you know. Had a really good time just talking. Couldn’t take too many photos, though. He wasn’t shy, but hey, where’s the fun in being bold?

Haha.

Humans Will Destroy The World

You noe, everyone speaks about how Armageddon will be caused by some meteor, or some unknown Ice Age happening again, or some explosion like the Big Bang on Earth, or something like that.

Way back in the days of Aristotle and stuff, the church predicted 6 disasters that befell the Earth. Can’t remember them, but there were some in the recent movie The Omen. One being ‘Fire will fall from the sky’ when some angel blew his trumpet, and it was signified as a rocket crashing to Earth, and another being ‘the sea will open up and swallow all’, that of course being the tsunami incident.

You know, with all this omen stuff, one would think indeed the devil’s child will rise on 6/6/06 and terrorize the world, but the fact is, I think ANY child could destory the world, not just the devil’s. In fact, I think almost any human could destroy the world.

This post diverts from my usual WTDDTH series of posts, that I think eventually all humans will kill one another and that will result in the end of the world.

Now, for people who watch Alias, this prediction sounds a lot like the one the villian prophet Rambaldi made, but there may be some fact in that.

The end of the world will not come from space. Granted, meteorites will crash onto Earth. But humans will still survive. Granted, there are aliens out there, some waiting to fire weird green beams from the sky. But the end of the world will come from homo sapiens themselves.

Let’s face it. Humans are not the only beings who exist in space. If people insist that homo sapiens are the only sentient species in the entire three gazillion light years worth of space and non-matter, then these people are really dumb. Humans cannot be the only beings evolved after so much time. It’s like a lizard saying no other place exists beyond the human home it resides in.

And when a space war comes down to Earth’s solar system, we would be the first species to be wiped out. Because most of us would kill one another.

Humans are perhaps the weirdest things on Earth. Humans are sentient. They can think. They can understand. They are logical, well, most of the time. And yet, with all these sentience comes an incredibly weird behavior. Humans can, and WILL, turn on their own kind.

Throughout time, this has shown itself. World War I, World War II, The Cold War, the Civil War, the George-Bush-against-Afghan-war, even terrorists bombing World Trade Center. The one question still remains? WHY THE FUCK would humans kill one another?

It’s weird. And already this behavior shows in modern times. Anywhere on the street, some black woman is being discriminated, is being viewed as a minority, because she a) is a woman, and b) is black.

Out there somewhere, a Jewish gay is being mistreated and verbally insulted and maybe even physically abused, because a) He’s a Jew, and b) He’s homosexual.

Why are these people subjected to such unfair treatment?

It pains me, it truly does, to see people being treated like crap. Everyday, people are being viewed as minority, being scorned, being made fun of, being abused, and I do not see WHY, WHY they are being subjected to such crap.

Maybe that is why the terrorists bomb places. Because it pains them. It pains the people of many countries, to see that fellow humans, fellow beings of the same species, are unable to understand one another and live in peace.

I am thinking this over and writing it one hour away from my birthday. And I think, WHY and HOW can humans be so crap? Sometimes, seeing humans behave the way they behave, makes me wish humans were never born.

I really do not get it. You know, recently, on my blog someone posted, “You’re an ass lah. Go to hell.”

Now Marvin Loh is one thing. He says stuff like “Go to hell lah, gay,” and “Gays should rot in hell,” and what not, to me and other people every time. I don’t really care what he says, cause that’s what he ALWAYS says, really.

But that anonymous person is another thing. I want to ask him. “Do you know me? Do you know me for who I am? Do you know me inside out? Do you know, even, for a fact, whether I am an ass or not? Do you know my character, my personality, my life, my behavior? Are you me? If you are not, then how do you know whether I’m an ass or not?”

It truly makes no sense. Everyone is human. Everyone is equal. Democracy exists because of the mindset that everyone exists equally. Yet what gives someone, someone for example, like Marvin, to say and determine whether someone should rot in hell or not?

Because that someone is gay? Because that someone is a woman? Because that someone is a Jew? Because that someone is black? Because that someone is an albino? Because someone is… different?

It is only natural that humans are different. Would anything make sense if everyone was to be the same? And yet this difference, being what defines each and every one of us, is the object of scorn and ridicule.

It’s completely absurd.

Humans will destroy the world in their own hands. In OUR own hands. Because I predict, one day a war will start, one so big, it will escalate. It will involve everyone on Earth. And with the passing of the war, is a lesson. A lesson that has to be learnt, but has NOT yet been learnt.

Has World War II taught homo sapiens nothing? Hitler killed thousands, MILLIONS of Jews just because they believed in something different. Everyone was in shock. Everyone still remembers the deeds of Hitler. And yet, I will say that Hitler is great. Because even though his plans may have been evil, he served to teach us that humans, however different we may be, still need to co-exist together, because of the same reason we must.

What is history for if not to teach us lessons from the past that we can use for the future? And yet, with all the education people are getting nowadays, the education they are not getting is the education of life, the teachings of moral values, the learning of the fact that everyone is different and everyone else will have to accept it.

History will repeat itself. History will serve nothing more than being a repetition for the future if nothing is gained out of each and every war, each and every death. Someone will be unhappy that someone else is gay, or black, or yellow, or Muslim, or something, and World War III will start.

Small wars are being fought everyday, in a person’s psyche and his surroundings. Humans will destroy the world eventually, because of differences that escalated beyond control. Unless people can learn that the world is beautiful because the world is different, then wars will still continue to be fought every day of our lives, until the point we are all dead.

WTDDTH – A Tribute to Daniel Franco (Watch good TV!)

A Tribute to Daniel Franco

Just finished watching Project Runway Season 2, the one where Daniel Franco was booted.
And can I say, Daniel Franco is a man in every sense of the word MAN.

M-A-N.

Here are the reasons why.

a) He is straight, not like the other weirdo gays on the show.
b) When he was booted, he did not break down and bawl (like Andrae, who bawled even when he wasn’t booted).
c) Instead, he politely and gentlemanly thanked the judges for the opportunity.
d) When his team was slammed, he took full responsibility and did not blame it on the two girls.
e) He does not buckle under pressure (unlike Andrae and Santino).
d) He is true to his word (unlike Santino, who turned on Emmett first chance he got).
e) Everything he says is real and genuine and from the heart.

Daniel Franco.

Daniel Franco is really a complete good guy. Good guy with the good nature. He has good creative ideas, plus the best part is, he has excellent moral values. And in life, the moral values are what defines you.

There are two kinds of people. The people who are willing to do whatever it takes to win, and the ones who know the fine line between, well, crossing the line.

Santino is the first kind of person. Haughty, rude, arrogant, snobbish, buckles easily under pressure, refuses to take responsibility of any kind, and most of all, a complete nutcase.

The total opposite of Daniel. Perhaps that is why I hate Santino and like Daniel so much. Because Daniel’s character, EVERYONE likes. Who doesn’t like a nice person who is kind and polite and smiles a whole lotta the time?

Daniel Franco. Thanks for making the show such a real thing.

Okay. Now on to other stuff.

There are some TV shows you really have to catch this holidays. If not, when school starts, chances are you’ll be so caught up in homework you won’t even find the time.

Commander In Chief
Starring: Geena Davis, Donald Sutherland
Timeslot: Thursdays 11pm

Commander in Chief is perhaps one of the better shows to hit TV now, with politically-correct lines. Starring Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland, CIC features Geena playing Mackenzie Allen, the female Vice President who becomes the first female President of the United States when the running president dies of a stroke. Donald Sutherland plays her archenemy Nathan Templeton, who was pining for the Presidential post and was recommended for the job when the President died.

However, Mackenzie stepped up instead, to the disapproval of many, because the Cabinet knows she was elected just to gain popularity amongst the female voters. However Mackenzie has much to prove, with her being an Independent, and a female minority, plus her having to juggle family with work, as well as the constant demands with being a President.

Memorable lines:
Mackenzie Allen: What a town. You can’t even trust the backstabbers.

Grace Bridges (ex-First Lady): If Moses had been a woman, leading the Jews out of Egypt, she’d have stopped to ask for directions. They would’ve found Israel within a week.

(Mackenzie Allen enters the meeting room for the first time after being elected as President)
Mackenzie: (sitting down) All right, let’s get straight to it. Who else wants to quit?

(Templeton and the President disagree on anti-crime measures)
Reporter: Least she’s doing something. You’re just talking.
Nathan Templeton: You don’t get it, do you? She’s doing something to cause a lot of talk; I’m talking something to cause a lot to get done.

Nathan Templeton: If you become the President, you will have the power to rule the world! Do you want to rule the world?
Mackenzie Allen: (shakes her head) That’s not me.
Nathan Templeton: Well then that’s the problem!

Very cool show.

Veronica Mars
Starring: Kirsten Bell, Teddy Dunn
Timeslot: Sundays 6pm

Veronica Mars is complicated like hell. To go through everything of Veronica Mars would take quite an eternity. The shortened version is that Veronica Mars’ dad has pissed off the rich man in town. This rich man in town also happens to be the father of her boyfriend. And in the town of Neptune, nothing is ever what it seems. Class and wealth take first place, with friendship coming in close to last. Many crimes take place in Neptune, and the mysterious thing is something always gets covered up. People are being framed, and it’s up to Veronica Mars to right the wrongs and save her father from being accused wrongly of a crime!

Memorable lines:
Veronica: Did you guys know that 90 per cent of all identity theft is committed by relatives of the victim? That’s an interesting fact. At least I think so.
Caitlin Ford: But you know what? Nobody cares what you think, Veronica Mars. Not any more. Not since you stabbed all of your friends in the back.
Veronica: You seem to care a bit what I think.

Logan: [standing in front of Veronica's car] Do you have any idea what your little joke cost me? Veronica: Well, I’m pretty sure you won’t be getting your bong back.
Logan: [smashes Veronica's headlights with a crowbar] Wrong answer. Would you care to guess again?
Veronica: Clearly your sense of humor…

Lilly on’t you watch any horror movies? My soul is doomed to walk the earth until justice has been served…
Veronica: Really?
Lilly: Yeah that, and as kind of a side project, I dispense fashion advice.

Logan: Do you even know how to play poker?
Veronica: No, but it must be really hard if all you guys play it.

Jackson Douglas: I hear you do detective stuff for people.
Veronica: I do favors for friends.
Jackson Douglas: I can pay.
Veronica: Sit down, friend.

Logan: There’s a witness who said they saw my mom get in a white van.
Veronica: There’s also a jungle tribe that worships Donald Trump’s hair. It’s called a tabloid.

Keith: [to Veronica in next room] Hey! Earth to Mars!

Keith: You’ll never guess who stopped by today.
Veronica: If you say Josh Hartnett, I am going to be so bummed.

Not your typical chick flick. A teenage soap-like drama with good comedic lines and timing. It’s Desperate Housewives meet One Tree Hill meet Missing. It’s a good mix.

Note: Thanks to Internet Movie Database (http://www.imdb.com) for some info!

WTDDTH – The Green Mile

WTDDTH
If there is one more movie that you die-die must watch during the holidays, and it also falls under timeless classics, then it should be The Green Mile.

The Green Mile is a touching story that tells of a black man in earlier times, earlier years of the decade. He is suspected and accused of killing two young white girls.

However, the black man seems innocent and far too guiltless to have killed the girls. He prays in God, believes in the Lord, and hopes that one day a saviour will save him from the death sentence he has been assigned to, with hardly much of a trial. The jury and judge who decreed the decision, of course, were mostly white.

Tom Hanks plays a man who believes in God and miracles. He thinks that this black man is truly innocent, but no one believes him. In those days there was a lot of racism, and Tom Hanks’s character thinks that the only way to prove his innocence is to catch the real criminal.

But there seems no evidence… at least, all the evidence points to the black man. There is a conspiracy at work here, and it is obvious. It will take nothing short of a miracle to right the wrongdoings and save the innocents. Tom Hanks’s character must now assume the role of God’s saviour as imagined by the black man, in order to save him.

A miracle does happen. A miracle so real and true it brings out the faith and love of every human being. One of the best movies to catch this holidays, and it is very touching and inspiring.