Blogging Catharsis and KLove
Some say blogs are
cathartic... but I don't know about that. How can one truly let go of one's troubles, one's feelings on a forum as public as this? I don't believe there is anyone among us who is unaffected by public opinion... the perception of us in the eyes of our friends and enemies alike is irrefutably important. Often, the things we think we feel, say we want, etc... are actually influenced by how we wish to be perceived, the chosen image we wish to project.
Also, what of privacy? Of course this is an obvious dilemma, but really, how does one find the trade-off between blog-catharsis and privacy? Do we strive to be as honest as possible? What if we offend someone in the process? Surely we all have things, feelings, thoughts that we do not want others to figure out?
But all these self-doubts and self-censorships must also undermine the process of catharsis, for how can one truly let go of all troubles, aches and pains when one is held back? Is there any point in public catharsis at all?
But then, writing about one's troubles in private hardly seems worthwhile. You are merely transferring your thoughts onto paper. If you can write well then they shouldn't be much changed and reading them shouldn't be much different to thinking them.
Are people who blog about their problems really crying out for attention? Is it a response they are looking for? Are the problems they present to the outside world their true set of problems... or is it modified to elicit a desired response?
Well yes, I'll admit... these thoughts have arisen because I am troubled... about a couple of things. One in particular I guess. But I have no intention of writing a cryptic-sounding blog post that alludes to my troubles but only gives enough detail so that people can guess the general cause... nor am I going to write an angry tirade about something or someone that is getting me down. Neither of these achieve anything, short of worrying readers... haha, who am I kidding...
On a happier note... Kuala Lumpur was fantastic. Thanks so much for a great trip guys and I'm sad I couldn't stay longer because still more people to see, more fun to be had, more food to be eaten... thanks to Ting Chong for housing me for the most part, driving me around and putting up with me; to Emily for housing me for a night, lending me her towel and pillowcase (neither of which I washed... bad Alex), introducing me to Body Pump (i'm going again soon!) and being generally lovely; and to everyone else that hung out with me, drove me around or just said hello. I love Malaysians, it's official. :-)
A journey of self-discovery... through Ikea
Well I've finished
nineteen eighty-four and boy was it great. I feel ashamed that I haven't read up until this point and I urge anyone else who hasn't read it yet to go out and read it ASAP because it's an essential piece of 20th century literature and many of Orwell's predictions appear to be ringing scarily true in some places (see previous post, heh).
I'm now reading
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, another fairly popular cult-20th-century-classic. It's about the journey of Siddhartha, a Brahmin's son, toward self-discovery and etc. Kind of like a thinking man's version of
The Alchemist (God, I hate that book... it really frustrates me that millions of people around the world think it to be some sort of inspirational Bible when it's just a primitive piece of pulp).
Curiously I went on a journey of discovery today also... through Ikea... I'd never really paid the shop much mind in the past because my mum has always been against it (crap quality, cheap parts, etc.) but felt the need to visit today so I could grab some "home-ly" type stuff to deck out the room I'm staying in... I figure I'm going to be here til March 1st so can't be living out of my suitcase til then.
Lo and behold, the place is an evil temptress... beckoning with $5 stools, $4 cushions and $50 wardrobes (and mmm swedish meatballs)... so many things I didn't need... but wanted! I ended up getting a metallic shelf-set with 4 shelves... for $17(!) and some small fabric shelves that hang in a wardrobe for $4(!!)... plus a carry-bag and i spent around $25 in Ikea... but now I have some nice storage type stuff so I dont have to live out of my suitcase, yay!
Note for those actually in or familiar with Singapore, I've moved to Bedok (its in the east, on the way to Changi Airport) and am staying right opposite the reservoir, with some nice views of it too... (14th floor, not bad). Thanks heaps to Heidi and her family for putting me up... and thanks heaps to Joachim and his family for putting me up all of last week in his lovely HDB flat in Sengkang. :-D Good to have friends abroad, that's all i'm gonna say.
I've also been taking advantage of free wi-fi. I've recently discovered that I can get free wi-fi in
heaps of locations around Singapore with
this one carrier that is somehow linked or organised by the Government (well I guess everything in Singapore is, heh)... check it out ppl, free wi-fi!
Another event of note, I had Nasi Lemak S$2.30 in Singapore! And it was good! Near Raffles Place! Ahhh... Asia... food food glorious (cheap) food.
And that's me signing off... going back to KL soon... "i'm goin goin... back back... to KL KL..." and that's for those familiar with
the Notorious B.I.G. and
a certain song of his. OK, maybe that's lame.
the perils of reading 1984 in Singapore
errr... hello. Yes this is a sheepish me, it seems I haven't blogged in weeks and not once since coming to s'pore/m'sia. So very lazy... bad lx, bad bad lx.
Well, instead of recounting the many things that have happened since arriving in s'pore/m'sia, instead I'd like to talk about my recent blogging inspiration...
I'm reading George Orwell's
nineteen eighty four at the moment, which is not a good idea for a book to read in Singapore, let me tell you. Imagine reading about a dystopian society where everyone is a drone slave to the Party and is under constant surveillance 24 hours a day... in Singapore. Imagine reading about Party members, all with the same look on their face, filing into work or to lunch... and then seeing rows upon rows of Singaporeans going up and down escalators into malls on Orchard Rd. Imagine reading that "BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU" in the novel and looking up to read a sign at the very place you stand that reads "this MRT station is monitored by over 40 CCTV cameras for your protection"... yes, thanks Big Brother... or Big Lee Kwan Yew or whoever you are.
Also, it should be noted, that this is not a particularly good book to reading when going through any sort of personal hardship, because it offers a rather bleak world view.
Overall, I struggle to think of a good time and/or place to read this novel without depressing or frightening oneself. Perhaps in a field full of flowers with green as far as the eye can see, and the sun shining bright... so we can marvel and be grateful at the freedoms of our existence...
Well, this is impossible in the perpetually rain-sodden concrete jungle that is Singapore... so I shall have to stick with crammed MRT trains/stations and cafe chains in gleaming malls full of the salivating masses...
Until next time, gentle reader....
