irreversible

If you’re going to put yourself above everybody else, you might end up alone.

— Joseph Gordon-Levitt (via fuckyeahjgl)

(more…)

My darling girl, this is the real world. The only way to get a man like Mr Darcy is to make him up.

- Miss Austen Regrets, 2008

dropped by the bookstore today to pick out something for a friend’s birthday gift, and somehow ended up spending more time among the shelves than originally expected (read: until store closing) hello, self-control?


some interesting reads i spotted:

screenplay of the Mummy which comes with japanese translations, meant for english learners.

having the book would really come in handy in situations such as:
- when you want to make an excuse to leave early, you say “This place… is cursed.”
- when describing someone who has just gotten botox, you say, “He’s fully rejuvenated.”
- when expressing gratitude on behalf of a transplant recipient, you say “[He] thanks you for your hospitality. And for your eyes, and for your tongue.”
mmm nifty.



singapore recipe book – co-written by a group of japanese, endorsed by a french
authenticity is obvious from what is written in the preface “hainanese chicken rice, national dish of singapore originates in hainan, china…”


what really alarmed me was the extent Twilight merchandise dominated the shelves.
(picture coming soon)
we can now safely deduce the sanity level of girls in japan.
im just really appreciative of the fact that noone in my social circle has tried to preach Twilight to me.

since ive left the nest…

sometimes i think im only flying forward because looking back seems to imply ive failed in some way or another.




on criminal justice in Singapore, an American peer comments

“How can police officers be allowed to patrol armed, while civilians are forbidden to own any weapons? … that’s ridiculous.”


now i know how LKY felt
i just wish i had the facility with words to express my indignance as well as he probably did

but what i really want to say is

i love you.


and im sorry i left you for another.
i dont know when i will be able to see you again, but i do know that the memories we built together will forever be irreplaceable.
without you, i wouldnt be who i am today.

thank you, Singapore.
(more…)

i met quite a handful of abcs who were born in usa but had parents originally from china, or had moved from china when they were very young. they asked if i could speak chinese, and to my surprise, confessed that they couldnt. even those few who could, didnt know how to read or write the language.

i wonder which is worse- not being able to converse with most of the world in English, or not knowing your own mother tongue and consequently, your own heritage and cultural roots. its equally sad, to learn that those parents didnt make enough effort to ensure that their children retain ties to their heritage.

sometimes when i look back, i realise that this is something i can never thank singapore enough for.

but clearly, our juggling of multiple languages has given us an accent which might be deemed incomprehensible to some at times. which is why ive been motivated to master multiple accents, not because im ashamed of my current style of speech, but because i want to excel at switching from one to another and prove those who discriminate against foreign accents wrong.

it also makes me want to hurl something heavy and life-threatening whenever someone makes the comment “oh you sound so bizarre! is it because you have an accent?” well, so do YOU, dimwit.


/linguistics 101/
1. everyone speaks with an accent. (yes, what most of you americans have is an AMERICAN accent.)
2. theres no such thing as a correct accent. or a wrong one. or neutral. or superior or inferior. accents might be associated with higher prestige but those associations are societal and cultural constructs, and therefore, should be .
3. technically noone speaks the Standard accent, because we all have idiosyncrasies in our idiolects, even if they are very very inconspicuous ones.

certainly a month of interaction would suffice, I had felt initially, to rid me of my irritation with being constantly mispronounced or misunderstood.
but in reality, one does not always get what she wants.

reactions to my self-introductions which I deal with on a daily basis border on either amusing the hell out of me or leaving me speechless.

no, my last name is not young
no, I do not have an english name
neither do I want one just because you cant be bothered to remember the one i have now
no, Im not japanese and do not have japanese ancestors
no, english is not a foreign lang for me
no, speaking mandarin does not necessarily mean I must come from china
neither does that mean singapore is in any way near china
no, I dont think asians look particularly exotic or mysterious but if you are looking for something like that in particular, I’d recommend the zoo.

yes, my first name is actually two words
yes, I can still speak English fairly well even if I don’t speak it in your idea of the native accent
yes, you should probably check the atlas if you obviously find a need to ask where singapore is (you miserable ignorant piece of shit)
yes, singapore is so small you cant even see it on the map
yes, singapore is where they caned an american and he deserved it.
yes yes yes for the 4191079817214329th time, we cant eat chewing gum we are squirming and suffering in pain because we are so emotionally deprived by not being allowed to consume toothpaste-flavoured elastic― happy? do you feel more liberated as a person now?