Thursday 13 December 2012

Ireland + China + Chiland?



To me, Gish Jen’s short story “Who’s Irish” is about the fusion of two very different ethnicities with two very different cultures and suggests that two largely different ethnic groups colliding in this way could have both a positive and negative impact on the family.

I think that I can really relate well to Gish Jen’s story Who’s Irish as I basically have the same ethnicity as Sophie, only my dad’s side is Chinese and vice versa. It’s true what Jen says in the story, that Chinese parents are much stricter and Chinese children and generally more well behaved than the Irish kids, and I think one of the many reasons for this would be what the children do in their spare time. In Ireland, children are generally more sporty, they typically would play rugby, football, gaelic football or hurling/camogie (a hockey-like sport from Ireland). After which, the kids would go home and complete their homework. Also, Irish children would only receive tuition once they are about to sit their Leaving Certificate (similar to GCE “O” Levels). Irish parents, like most European and American parents are also more tolerant of playfulness from their children and much less likely to punish their children by, for example, using a bamboo cane to hit children when they are either naughty or do not perform up to his/her parents expectations. For Chinese children however, life growing up is much much different. From an age as young as 9 children will be sent for tutoring classes, will sit exams at school and will experience the stress and anxiety that comes along with a national exam by the age of 12. After school and completing homework, Chinese children either attend tuition or attend classes for a musical instrument or do revision. Also, idioms and ideologies from Confucius are repeatedly drilled into the young minds of these children, almost always related to taking good care of your parents and respecting them. Chinese children are also told that if they are not filial to their parents, they will go to the 19nth level of hell in the afterlife. Now, I'm not just listing stereotypes of the Chinese here, I am half Chinese and I know what it's really like. Furthermore, I think that the major differences in the two cultures, Irish and Chinese, can greatly impact a family, and one possible impact is that the influence from the Chinese side of the family could be stronger than that of the Irish, and so the “Irishness” in the family could just die out as it is overpowered by the Chinese side. But, having a mix of such different cultures can also be a great thing for the child of mixed blood, because the child will get to experience twice the amount traditions and festivals as another “pure blooded” child. I think that the differences in the two cultures and the impact of this mix is greatly illustrated in the Jen’s story, as it is portrayed by the Chinese Grandmother. I think that Natalie, Sophie's mother is slightly more "Irish" in a sense that she is very tolerant, like the other parents, of what the grandmother perceives to be "misbehavior". Also I feel that this may have happened because Natalie has been living in a western environment for a long time and her view on things and the way she acts may have changed. However, like people say, old habits die hard. I think this could be why the grandmother's way of viewing things and characteristics haven't changed much, and also because she worked in a Chinese restaurant, which could have maybe prevented her from stepping out of her comfort zone.

Tuesday 9 October 2012

Different Points of View: The reasons behind it all.

Everything affects our point of view. The factors that would affect it the most, however, are things like one's past experiences, how one has been brought up and what our personal preferences and ideas are. How we see differently is different, it can be as separate as being the exact opposite of something or the difference can be merely the tiny details. Different points of view can change how one understands things, for example if I am not in the least interested in sports cars I can choose to not bother to understand things about them and vice versa. Going back to the table discussion, I think apart from the fact that I contributed more than usual I also took away with me more than I usually would. On the subject of stereotypes, I'd like to share something here that I couldn't in class. A few days ago Amy Cheong from NTUC posted a racist and stereotypical status update on her private Facebook wall concerning Malay weddings and using vulgar language, she complained about how long Malay weddings go on for at the void decks. For this she was fired and so I think that if you really have to be racist keep it to yourself so as to not hurt other peoples' and potentially your own feelings.





Wednesday 26 September 2012

the Man

     As I washed my hands after performing my call of nature I turned to leave the Takashimaya bathroom. As I left, I glanced at the mirror on my right and what I saw sent chills worthy of the Frost Giants themselves down my spine. I saw a man, about 6"7 wearing the kind of winter jackets that have synthetic fur around the edges of the hood, but where his head should have been was nothing but dark, empty space, a dark shadow (I only assumed it was a man as it was in the gent's toilet).
     I turned and ran out of the mysteriously empty shopping mall and onto the main road on Orchard Road. I looked over my left shoulder and saw the same man following me, walking briskly and talking great big steps like a giant would. As I turned to run down the empty road the man threw something at me, something sharp as when I looked down there was a great gash down my left thigh bleeding a lot. I ignored it and ran, and ran and ran. He was still following me. I was at the edge of a cliff now, and the man was right behind me. Before I could do anything I felt the force of a speeding train push me and the next thing I knew I was falling, falling into oblivion. 

Wednesday 19 September 2012

Supertrawlers~

At the rate humanity's going, the oceans will be absolutely clean of fish in about 50 years or so. I think that we should slow down the rate at which we consume fish, so as to prepare for the years ahead when fish in general will be scarce. On way to do so is to fully convert to vegetarianism as scientists have already been preparing for scenarios as bad as an all-out global nuclear war or nuclear winter spanning the entire globe. However I think planning for the near future is as important as planning for the long run; and to do so all we need to do is to slow down but not stop eating fish as stopping will also have a global impact on the economy, many families are fed with the money earned form the fishing industry. Fish farming is one possible way, and I think we as a species should put as much sweat blood and tears into this industry as we have for say, the technological industry. After all, fish is important and I think I speak for almost the world's entire population when I say that we simply cannot make extinct the fish like we have other animals like the dodo bird. And so comes what you've all been waiting for: Supertrawlers, yes or no? My view on the matter is a yes but with stringent fishing limits. After all, the economy is just as important and banning the supertrawler could deem many men and women unemployed.

Monday 10 September 2012

What questions will I ask?

How can I improve, not just my blog, but my work?
What steps can I take to do so?
What are the negative points of my blog and my work?
What are the positive points of my bog?

I hope these questions can help me achieve not only my full potential but beyond that, to be, as Ms Paula said in her blog, "Be a beacon burning bright and not a dim light flickering in the distance", to stand out from the crowd, to excel, to be thrive, and ultimately, to be prepared. To be prepared for situations that extend far beyond the classroom, to be prepared for the real world and to excel out there too. 


The question is, how?