Well, it's been two days since I graduated from high school, and it's been a whirlwind. I successfully walked across the stage, shook hands with the principal, and got my diploma. I currently have no idea where said diploma is, but it's floating around my house somewhere. Good enough.
Below is the Senior Video, which is tradition. My class was super lucky to get an awesome film guy, as well as a great animator, to create this video. Check it out, it's pretty darn awesome. I tie my pointe shoes in it and do a kick. However, I'm not the girl walking away with the pointe shoes... my legs aren't that long!
Since graduation, I feel like I've been partying and sleeping non-stop. It's strange how much freer I feel now that I'm not in high school. I can do what I want and hang out with who I'd like... the social boundaries are gone.
WOOHOO! I GRADUATED!
Friday, June 6, 2014
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Legality Smells Like Vodka Cranberry
Well, I had my first weekend out as a legal adult here in Singapore. I can't say it was the best weekend ever, mostly because I ended up becoming a dictator Friday night after people got sick. For their privacy, I'm not going to tell those stories on this blog. I will say, however, that being young does not mean you are invincible. Also, I need a substantial amount of money back after SOMEONE got sick in the taxi. And it wasn't me. Oh no, it wasn't. The end.
I had a birthday tea on Saturday, which was really fun. We went to the Fullerton Hotel for the second seating of afternoon tea. The food was pretty good, but the environment made the whole event quite lovely. I am so lucky that I was able to find a good group of girls to hang out with as the semester comes to a close.
After tea time I went clubbing for the very first time ever. Most kids here in Singapore do club... but I'm not here to bust my classmates. Anyways, I went to Zouk, which is an internationally recognised club. It's beautiful inside. It does not look like much from the outside, but inside there are tunnels and lights and smoke puffing from machines every 30 seconds. Disclosure was playing, which was nice except that there were about a million people on the dance floor. People were pushing rather than dancing and the idiots that decided to bring drinks onto the dance floor spilled them everywhere. I personally got splashed with a vodka cranberry, which I really did not appreciate. Regardless, I can say it was an experience.
It's funny how in Singapore for us expat kids, legality means drinking. It doesn't mean driving (who wants to drive on this little island?!), and it doesn't mean voting. It means self-indulging and having wild nights, remembering half of it the next day (though I remember everything). It also means dancing on platforms and getting videos posted online, then laughing through worry that someone important will see it.
Granted, I'm underage in America but posting about drinking in Singapore. Are there potential repercussions? I don't know yet. If there are, I'll take this post down. However, anyone trying to convince themselves that American kids don't drink in America as teenagers really need to get a grip. I personally didn't, but I know many that did. Alcohol is one of those funny topics, isn't it?
I had a birthday tea on Saturday, which was really fun. We went to the Fullerton Hotel for the second seating of afternoon tea. The food was pretty good, but the environment made the whole event quite lovely. I am so lucky that I was able to find a good group of girls to hang out with as the semester comes to a close.
After tea time I went clubbing for the very first time ever. Most kids here in Singapore do club... but I'm not here to bust my classmates. Anyways, I went to Zouk, which is an internationally recognised club. It's beautiful inside. It does not look like much from the outside, but inside there are tunnels and lights and smoke puffing from machines every 30 seconds. Disclosure was playing, which was nice except that there were about a million people on the dance floor. People were pushing rather than dancing and the idiots that decided to bring drinks onto the dance floor spilled them everywhere. I personally got splashed with a vodka cranberry, which I really did not appreciate. Regardless, I can say it was an experience.
It's funny how in Singapore for us expat kids, legality means drinking. It doesn't mean driving (who wants to drive on this little island?!), and it doesn't mean voting. It means self-indulging and having wild nights, remembering half of it the next day (though I remember everything). It also means dancing on platforms and getting videos posted online, then laughing through worry that someone important will see it.
Granted, I'm underage in America but posting about drinking in Singapore. Are there potential repercussions? I don't know yet. If there are, I'll take this post down. However, anyone trying to convince themselves that American kids don't drink in America as teenagers really need to get a grip. I personally didn't, but I know many that did. Alcohol is one of those funny topics, isn't it?
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The Eve of Eighteen
In less than three hours by the time I post this blog, I will be eighteen years old. Isn't that crazy? I started this blog as a scared fifteen year old getting ready to enter sophomore year of high school. Now I sit, a lazy senior, waiting to take two more AP exams before I can avoid anything "College Board" related again. In less than three hours I can vote. I can drink (here in Singapore, that is). I can be tried in court as an adult. Big things, that all happen in less than three hours.
At the moment though, I must admit that I've been terribly distracted by none other than the menace that lives above me in this apartment. There's obviously a child in the bedroom above me, for I can hear it screaming and seemingly jump on the bed. It's very annoying. What is worse is that I hear yelling at various times during the day. Sometimes I can hear individual words. Currently I hear a tantrum. It makes me want to tear my hair out.
So even though I'm about to become an adult, I still get annoyed by very childish things. Perhaps that's the beauty of the phase known as "young adulthood"...
I suppose I'll know for sure when I'm older.
At least I'll see Nick tomorrow! He flew in this morning, and I am extremely excited.
At the moment though, I must admit that I've been terribly distracted by none other than the menace that lives above me in this apartment. There's obviously a child in the bedroom above me, for I can hear it screaming and seemingly jump on the bed. It's very annoying. What is worse is that I hear yelling at various times during the day. Sometimes I can hear individual words. Currently I hear a tantrum. It makes me want to tear my hair out.
So even though I'm about to become an adult, I still get annoyed by very childish things. Perhaps that's the beauty of the phase known as "young adulthood"...
I suppose I'll know for sure when I'm older.
At least I'll see Nick tomorrow! He flew in this morning, and I am extremely excited.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Best Eats According to Natalie
When I was walking home from the MRT with a bubble tea cup in hand, I started thinking about all the wonderful food in Singapore- and how I'll have to say goodbye to it all in about two months! That made me very sad, but this list will not. Here's my list of favourite places to eat (and what I get)!
Food:
Roti Prata: My school does decent roti prata, but there's a Muslim food stall in Newton that makes prata that's sort of like cake. Super thick, chewy, and the curry is awesome!
Chicken Rice: Boon Tong Key is awesome. I find that mall hawkers are good, but the stuff that's $3 or less and comes wrapped in paper beats it every time.
Laksa: The stall in ION is pretty good. I only eat this once in a while.
Chili Crab: Jumbo's is good. So is No Signboard Seafood. Also, Long Beach.
TWG: It has surprisingly good food, though pricy. The smoked salmon and lamb is notable.
Ban Mee: It's soup. It's heavenly. Also, it's super filling.
Chicken Congee: I get this at chicken rice places sometimes. I have no idea why people think salty rice porridge with chicken and oil floating on top is weird. It's wonderful.
"Veggie"-- I'm pretty certain this stuff is bok choy. Who cares when it has oyster sauce on it?
Chicken wings: BBQ'd and greasy, best eaten outside.
Kuay Teow: Thick noodles, lots of bean sprouts and mysterious green veggie, and chicken. Mr. Ho's at school is such a guilty pleasure.
Char siew noodles: Chinese prepared pork, these funky elastic-y noodles, and mystery sauce of tasty.
Snacks:
Old Chang Kee-- Curry-O (curry puff with chicken, egg and potato)
BreadTalk: The cheesy sausage bun is so bad for you, but so good. Also Black Pearl when they have it.
To be honest, I don't normally eat savoury snacks.
Sweets:
Macaroons: TWG has pretty good tea themed ones, but you can get tasty ones throughout the island if you don't mind paying like $2.50 each.
Kue things: Not sure what the real name for these are, but they are funny jelly things that are normally brightly coloured. Often found at fruit stands.
Mochi Sweets: Strawberry, peach, and green tea mochi with cream inside!
Pulot Hitam: Black rice soup with condensed milk and sometimes ice cream. Maybe an acquired taste. My aunt said it looked like drowned ants, but its really good.
Frozen Treats:
Bread Ice Cream: Find along Orchard Road for $1. Slice of ice cream in a piece of rainbow bread
Ice Kachang: Local thing with lots of colour and various Asian goodies. The aunties at Great World City sometimes give me extra condensed milk on mine
Frozen Yogurt: Great World City has like 3 frozen yogurt places. I like the self-serve one or Yoguru the best.
Gelatissimo: YUM. Expensive as heck, but wow.
Drinks:
Gong Cha-- Regular bubble tea, Lemon Calpis
ShareTea-- Strawberry Ice Tea. Unnatural colour, but yummy!
Each-a-Cup: Milk tea ice-blended, basically any ice blended (kinda like a slushy)
Toast Box: Teh and Kopi (tea and coffee with condensed milk)
Sjora: Passion fruit flavoured drink. I get it when I go to Yoshinoya sometimes.
TWG: Fancy teas in a pretty pot. I like "dancing tea" and "princess tea"
Lime Juice: Find anywhere. Different than American lime juice. Its cousin calamansi juice is also wonderful.
Food:
Roti Prata: My school does decent roti prata, but there's a Muslim food stall in Newton that makes prata that's sort of like cake. Super thick, chewy, and the curry is awesome!
Chicken Rice: Boon Tong Key is awesome. I find that mall hawkers are good, but the stuff that's $3 or less and comes wrapped in paper beats it every time.
Laksa: The stall in ION is pretty good. I only eat this once in a while.
Chili Crab: Jumbo's is good. So is No Signboard Seafood. Also, Long Beach.
TWG: It has surprisingly good food, though pricy. The smoked salmon and lamb is notable.
Ban Mee: It's soup. It's heavenly. Also, it's super filling.
Chicken Congee: I get this at chicken rice places sometimes. I have no idea why people think salty rice porridge with chicken and oil floating on top is weird. It's wonderful.
"Veggie"-- I'm pretty certain this stuff is bok choy. Who cares when it has oyster sauce on it?
Chicken wings: BBQ'd and greasy, best eaten outside.
Kuay Teow: Thick noodles, lots of bean sprouts and mysterious green veggie, and chicken. Mr. Ho's at school is such a guilty pleasure.
Char siew noodles: Chinese prepared pork, these funky elastic-y noodles, and mystery sauce of tasty.
Snacks:
Old Chang Kee-- Curry-O (curry puff with chicken, egg and potato)
BreadTalk: The cheesy sausage bun is so bad for you, but so good. Also Black Pearl when they have it.
To be honest, I don't normally eat savoury snacks.
Sweets:
Macaroons: TWG has pretty good tea themed ones, but you can get tasty ones throughout the island if you don't mind paying like $2.50 each.
Kue things: Not sure what the real name for these are, but they are funny jelly things that are normally brightly coloured. Often found at fruit stands.
Mochi Sweets: Strawberry, peach, and green tea mochi with cream inside!
Pulot Hitam: Black rice soup with condensed milk and sometimes ice cream. Maybe an acquired taste. My aunt said it looked like drowned ants, but its really good.
Frozen Treats:
Bread Ice Cream: Find along Orchard Road for $1. Slice of ice cream in a piece of rainbow bread
Ice Kachang: Local thing with lots of colour and various Asian goodies. The aunties at Great World City sometimes give me extra condensed milk on mine
Frozen Yogurt: Great World City has like 3 frozen yogurt places. I like the self-serve one or Yoguru the best.
Gelatissimo: YUM. Expensive as heck, but wow.
Drinks:
Gong Cha-- Regular bubble tea, Lemon Calpis
ShareTea-- Strawberry Ice Tea. Unnatural colour, but yummy!
Each-a-Cup: Milk tea ice-blended, basically any ice blended (kinda like a slushy)
Toast Box: Teh and Kopi (tea and coffee with condensed milk)
Sjora: Passion fruit flavoured drink. I get it when I go to Yoshinoya sometimes.
TWG: Fancy teas in a pretty pot. I like "dancing tea" and "princess tea"
Lime Juice: Find anywhere. Different than American lime juice. Its cousin calamansi juice is also wonderful.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Coming to a Close
It is crazy to think that I started this blog over three years ago. I was a very different person then than the one I am now-- I hope. This blog is an amazing time capsule for me of my thoughts, opinions, and observations about living here in Singapore.
My senior year is coming to a close, and my time in Singapore will be ending shortly afterwards. What will happen to this blog? I suppose I will leave it up, since there are some valuable points on here. Where will I write next? backtoboston2018.blogspot.com, of course. But what will I write about? Will I have more direction in my blog? Will I have ads? Will it be more food based? Student life based? It's hard to say now, but I think the answers will eventually become clear.
I wrote a letter to a great mentor of mine today, and I found it one of the easiest and most difficult letters I have ever sat down and written. It was easy because I knew exactly what I wanted to say: you taught me, and changed me, and I want to be like you. But to write such things would be silly. One cannot just blurt out everything all at once. To craft a letter elegant enough that I would be proud to have her read it, and honest enough for her to understand her impact on me... that was a difficult balance.
I mention this today because I feel I owe Singapore something for teaching me so much. Living here has taught me how to live in a city, even if it's a very safe one. It has taught me about other cultures, and how to truly respect them. It has taught me more about what it means to be Chinese, and I in turn have tried to figure out exactly how Chinese I want to be. Singapore will always been the place I spent my high school years, trying to find out exactly who I want to be.
My senior year is coming to a close, and my time in Singapore will be ending shortly afterwards. What will happen to this blog? I suppose I will leave it up, since there are some valuable points on here. Where will I write next? backtoboston2018.blogspot.com, of course. But what will I write about? Will I have more direction in my blog? Will I have ads? Will it be more food based? Student life based? It's hard to say now, but I think the answers will eventually become clear.
I wrote a letter to a great mentor of mine today, and I found it one of the easiest and most difficult letters I have ever sat down and written. It was easy because I knew exactly what I wanted to say: you taught me, and changed me, and I want to be like you. But to write such things would be silly. One cannot just blurt out everything all at once. To craft a letter elegant enough that I would be proud to have her read it, and honest enough for her to understand her impact on me... that was a difficult balance.
I mention this today because I feel I owe Singapore something for teaching me so much. Living here has taught me how to live in a city, even if it's a very safe one. It has taught me about other cultures, and how to truly respect them. It has taught me more about what it means to be Chinese, and I in turn have tried to figure out exactly how Chinese I want to be. Singapore will always been the place I spent my high school years, trying to find out exactly who I want to be.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
Race, and Why I Don't Care
I just read an article that there were anti-semitic games and graffiti present in the town where I grew up. While most of the incidents appear to have happened in November, elementary schoolchildren were playing games like "Jail the Jews" and accusing the Jewish of killing Jesus Christ. My old town was not some backwards place full of ignorant trash- it is actually quite diverse and multicultural. Most of the students graduate high school, and that vast majority of them go to college (or junior college). I am sad to say that even in my childhood home, I cannot be surprised that there was racism there even amongst the young children. I remember subtle tensions between different races as we all halfheartedly learned about each other's winter holidays, all certain that our own was the best. I remember how one black kid got bused to Boston when he couldn't remember what bus he went on, and he lived in town. His mother was furious of course, but most of the other families who heard about the case rallied with the school: since most black children lived in the city, there was a good chance that this particular black Kindergartener did too. Racism is everywhere, and it's easy to forget that if one doesn't have to think about it.
Here's the thing: I ultimately don't care what people are. Sure, I have my stereotypes and prejudices like everyone else, and I'm not afraid to admit it. However, race does not define a person's actions. Beating someone up is not "so ghetto" or "so black", while being super smart doesn't make people "so Asian". Yeah, most of the kids on the math team are Asian, while most of the sports kids are white. Race makes a difference in who you turn out to be, and there's not point in lying about that anymore. . I evaluate others based on their comportment and decisions, and I will remember you for your achievements or failures, not the colour of your skin. If you are nice to me, I will remember that. If you are a jerk, it doesn't matter what race you are, you're a jerk. I've been bullied by Jews and Christians alike, but I hate neither of them. I've fallen in love with a Buddhist, but I've known some pretty mean Buddhists too. One's race and religion does not immediately make someone good or bad- how they choose to live their lives does.
I've talked about this issue before, but nothing fails to disappoint me more than hearing that people cannot see people for who they are, rather than the package they come in.
Here's the thing: I ultimately don't care what people are. Sure, I have my stereotypes and prejudices like everyone else, and I'm not afraid to admit it. However, race does not define a person's actions. Beating someone up is not "so ghetto" or "so black", while being super smart doesn't make people "so Asian". Yeah, most of the kids on the math team are Asian, while most of the sports kids are white. Race makes a difference in who you turn out to be, and there's not point in lying about that anymore. . I evaluate others based on their comportment and decisions, and I will remember you for your achievements or failures, not the colour of your skin. If you are nice to me, I will remember that. If you are a jerk, it doesn't matter what race you are, you're a jerk. I've been bullied by Jews and Christians alike, but I hate neither of them. I've fallen in love with a Buddhist, but I've known some pretty mean Buddhists too. One's race and religion does not immediately make someone good or bad- how they choose to live their lives does.
I've talked about this issue before, but nothing fails to disappoint me more than hearing that people cannot see people for who they are, rather than the package they come in.
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