My Stupid Knee, and Organization

It's been a while, as usual. Posting consistently isn't easy for me, even though I used to be pretty good at it. Things worth talking about have been happening though, so it's time for a blog entry.

First off, I've hurt my knee some way or another. I think it started from Chingay rehearsal and got worse when I fell, but what I do know is that it's currently in a black knee brace now. I'm not a huge fan of the brace, but I have stay largely unbroken until after the parade.

Second, Chingay parade rehearsals are exhausting! We had to wait two hours for food last night (which my group didn't eat, since we didn't eat anything at the rehearsal prior), and then we started "rehearsal". I really don't understand why this rehearsal was on a school night. If you do, let me know.

At least Singaporeans are quite nice, at least the ones we were hanging out with while waiting. A bunch of them were playing some card game and doing press-ups when they lost. It was rather entertaining, especially since some of their press-ups weren't very good. My teacher and I agreed that one boy was doing "butt-ups" rather than "press-ups" since he wasn't using his arms!

I ought to be dancing now, but I'm taking it easy with my stupid knee and not dancing until the parade. The athletic trainer person called Tomo here has been really great helping me not fall apart, which is nice. I didn't know Tomo was a person at first, since "TOMO" could be an acronym for something, and the phrase "going to Tomo" could be a person or a location! Whoops XD

Singaporeans?

Isn't this an interesting point of view? It's worth watching the whole thing, or at least getting through her major points. The fact that she's going out and speaking her mind on this is pretty amazing. She says it better than what I can say myself, from a Singaporean point of view. Being an expat, I've had this impression of Singaporeans for a while. Also, she's wicked talented, so you should check out her videos even though she doesn't have many.

That being said, I think Singapore is still a nicer place than New England at times. If this girl thinks Singaporeans are rude, she's obviously seen the eyes-forward-no-stopping-almost-sprint that is the New England gait. New Englanders are often seen as the rudest/meanest in the USA, but they are ultimately tough cookies.

The creativity thing is something to note, though. I'm in Chingay parade as a travelling dancer with my school, and I have to note that the Singaporean costumes are amazing. However, many are extremely traditionally based with only minor alternations. Singaporeans may be able to put on a great show, but it's not a creative show. The music (excerpt of lyrics: "we are so happy to be here today"), the reassurance that together as a country we are great... I'm all for national pride (and heaven's knows cultural cleavage rich Singapore needs it), but it's laid on thick and gets swallowed like cod-liver oil.
Also, the American group (us) is the only travelling group dance that I'm aware of that changes formation. Isn't that strange?

Make of this video what you will. I thought it was worth talking about.

Shallow Singapore Problems

• When your bag of coffee leaks everywhere. 
• When your chocolate bar melts because you left it in a bag outside for 2 minutes. 
• When you miss the MRT and have to wait all of 4 minutes for another one, or 8 if it's a really bad day. 
• Losing your MRT card and having to buy one from the machine. 
• The closet BreadTalk not carrying your favourite roll, so you have to walk all the way to the next one in the next mall over. 

And to think, these horrific Singapore problems continue!

• Being asked to like everything on Facebook, from businesses to celebrities. 
• "Singapore" not trending on Twitter. 
• Chicken rice costing $6 at food courts in the city, but $3 at a hawker centre
• Foreigners+Singlish= "Sorry, what? Huh? Say it again?"
• No bubble gum for sale (but it's okay to chew it)

Race, and Why I Might Keep My Maiden Name

I am really tired of people telling me that racism isn't a problem anymore, and that everyone should move on. Seriously, are these people listening to themselves? Living in Singapore, race is incredibly apparent. I've been over this before, but in case you were curious, expats (Westerners in particular) float in their own bubble, while ethnic Chinese Singaporeans sit on the top of the pile. On the bottom lay Tamil Indians, who are generally foreign (cheap) labor workers. Above them are the housemaids who are Filipino or Malay or whatever else. You get the idea.

Race plays a role in how I, and everyone else in this world, get treated.  My parents get more "really nice, polite, chatty taxi drivers" than I ever will, and they overall seem to get better customer service. I may get cheaper prices when bargaining, but that's about it.

I can't even imagine what it's like to be another minority even more stepped on, like Filipino in Singapore or African-American in the USA. I found this article really disturbing, read it here. I'm sure there were several factors at play when using a job-search site, but come on, really?

I've got a "white" sounding name, and when people meet me they are often surprised that I'm Chinese. They generally then say I look half Chinese, implying my mother is Chinese (and often that she married my father to move to America, but maybe I'm reading into things). On paper, my name is as neutral as any white girl's, which is useful.

If I marry an Asian and take his surname, my name would instantly identify my race. Could this hurt me getting a job? Who knows, but it's something to think about.  What if you have an Asian-sounding surname but are White? Apparently YouTuber Shane Dawson started using that surname because his real surname, Yaw, made him sound Asian and he thought it was hurting his chances of employment.


Make of that what you will.

Vietnam!

Well, I'm back in school so it's about time to post pictures of my vacation. While I could have posted them earlier, that would have been too much effort. So without further ado: Vietnam!