The Eve of Graduation

Tomorrow, I graduate from high school.

What a crazy statement to be able to write. Tomorrow, I'm going to be able to call myself an alumni of something. I wonder what freshman-year Natalie would have thought.  Graduating on a tiny island with a class I really don't know is so different from the small town I grew up in. There were kids that I went to preschool with that I would have graduated with. I wish I had been able to do so.

To be honest,  I think high school graduation has more significance to parents than students. Yes, graduating high school is an accomplishment... I guess. In this day and age in which having a bachelor's degree gets you an interview, not a job, a high school diploma doesn't really matter. It's not that hard to graduate from high school in the environment I live in. In many places, graduating from high school is in fact an achievement. But here in Singapore, if you don't graduate from high school, something is seriously wrong with you.

Here in Singapore, at least in expat-land Singapore, the accomplishment goes to the parents. The parents, who have managed to transplant their lives who knows how many times. The parents, who have managed to raise mostly-functioning kids despite strange circumstances and even stranger experiences at times, deserve the recognition. Graduating from a school that is willing to spoon-feed and hand-lead students to receiving their diploma is not an accomplishment. But to support and guide someone through this craziness certainly is.

So, on the eve of my high school graduation, I want to thank my parents. My parents, who have done more for me than I could ever name. Thank you.

Blog Related: Being a Blogger and Which Blogs I Read

This post is a response to a bunch of my classmate's questions about blogging. See, when I tell many of them I have a blog, the first two things they say are 1) how have you managed to keep it running so long and 2) how do you feel about having your personal life all over the internet?

Well, let me address these issues individually. I've managed to keep the blog running so long (which isn't really that long at all) because I love writing. I'm not the best writer by any means, and I don't have a particular product that I sell with this blog. I just talk about my opinions and observations, and occasionally give halfway decent advice. Contrary to the popular belief of my classmates, I don't make money off this in any way, shape or form. Now when I'm in college I'm considering making a new blog to follow that experience, and I might put a banner ad on it to generate some pocket money. But for right now, money isn't a motivating factor. I'm currently writing because I like it, and people seem to like reading.

The second part assumes I have a strong internet presence, which I do not. I am not followed by loads of people or anything, and though lots of people have read this blog, they have read it over nearly three years. So, while yes my personal life is out on the internet, it's not really in anyone's face. You do have to search to find this blog, it doesn't just pop up on its own.


So there are some answers to some questions. I doubt the people who asked me will ever actually read this, but hey, it's worth a shot.

Also, I feel like sharing some of the blogs that I read, because they are really cool. Also, I'm sure they won't mind the advertising. I read more than this, but these are my current favourites. It's always nice to have extra food for thought! Yes, they are kind of girly. But I have absolutely no shame about it :D

www.theproperlady.com

I like learning about being feminine ^.^ I think it's good to remember that men and women are complimentary to each other, not against each other.

www.dessertfortwo.com

Quite possibly my favourite food blog. I love that the recipes are for two people- the sweets easily stretch to three!

www.yummyhealthyeasy.com

I'm pretty certain everything on this blog is delicious.

Also, this website's peanut butter cookie in a mug rocks:
 http://www.number-2-pencil.com/2012/03/10/peanut-butter-cookie-in-cup/

My Thoughts on Miley Cyrus

Well, it seems like the newest, most popular thing to do these days on the Internet is to comment on Miley Cyrus outrageous VMA performance. Since I'm all about jumping on bandwagons, and was talking to someone at school about this today, let's get going~

First of all, what is with her tongue? I'm 99% certain no one wants to see her tongue hanging out of her mouth like a dog. Not only is it incredibly unladylike (though I have been known for sticking my tongue out at people in jest), but it's pretty gross.

Second, what the heck is she wearing?

Darling, there's something called "flattering clothes". They are different for everyone and often depend on body type. However, some things are NEVER flattering- namely, clothes that make you look naked on stage, or shape your butt in strange ways. Please put some real clothes on.

What really annoys me about various celebrities in the influence they have on people. I see lots of dancers trying to figure out how to twerk, when in reality we could all do with a little less booty shaking and a little more intelligent conversation. I'm not into clubbing (have never been to a club), but I'm sure that people are trying to act like Miley and whoever else.

Trying to emulate this sort of thing isn't sexy or cool. It's probably a bit dangerous really, since everyone gets unrealistic expectations.

The biggest thing that worries me about these videos is the message they send to all of society. These videos and behaviours are unhealthy. There are no limits or boundaries to these videos. It goes beyond what is tasteful and what is not. While I am pretty sex-positive and believe people can do whatever they want behind closed doors as long as it's consensual, I don't think blatant sexual imagery does anyone any good. The amount of attention that this sort of thing gets (which I am unfortunately contributing to) means that can hardly be considered art: rather, it is spectacle.

Embracing one's sexuality is called growing up. Waving it around in everyone's faces often damages women's impressions of themselves. Are all women supposed to flaunt their curves and twerk in order to get men's  attention? And does it matter what sort of attention they get?

I wonder if Miley Cyrus has a sense of shame anymore. She obviously doesn't have a sense of modesty if she's letting everything hang out like that. I hate to think about how ashamed I would be if via magic and ultimate stupidity I did something like that. I don't think I would want my name, family or image attached to such a terrible show- or message.
~


You know, her backup dancers weren't so bad, except for the twerking. Pretty high kicks and such :D