Ae is pissed about English. Not my English, you understand, though it has deteriorated to some extent and is causing some frustration - but not enough to make me vulgar over it.



I don't understand the difficulty in using reasonable English. Note that I didn't say "good", I said "reasonable". That means it has to be understandable, which most of the posts on local forums are not. I once read this somewhere: "I can't read retard." I agree with it, by the way. If you're going to misuse ten words in one sentence just because you're not good at English, then type in your native language. No need to butcher a language because you can't speak it properly. Technically the statement "I can't read retard" is a misuse of the word "retard", but then there is something called sarcasm and I don't agree with certain nitpicking people (who make plenty of punctuation mistakes themselves) that it's "illegal", or that the person who wrote it doesn't have a sense of humor. It could be just me, but I found his posts extremely amusing. Not comparable to Forte's, of course. Now he's the champion of antagonism.



This reminds me of the time someone argued over relaxing rules on writing forums. I said at the time that language is like music; it cannot exist without structure and organisation. Grammar and spelling are the basis for that organisation. Think of it as a building, if you will; if there's no foundation the building will collapse. Or compare it to an opera generously sprinkled with off-key notes (if they can be called notes). Would such a thing be pleasant? I don't think so.



If you want people to take you seriously, take them seriously. At least respect them enough to check your own spelling and grammar. If you don't even have the time to do something as fundamental (not to mention simple - if you haven't noticed, MS word has a spell-checker) as that, you are clearly too busy to be writing at all. Like everything else, writing requires effort. Communication through the medium of writing requires effort. It is impossible to have an intelligent discussion if nobody understands you, and sad to say I don't think anyone off the shores of this little island understands our "dialect" at all. To be frank, I understand American slang somewhat better - it's in the dictionary, for goodness's sake.



Hm. I remember the time someone told me he was an "acter" and a "poet-writer" in response to the comments above (yes, I said all that on a forum). Judging from the state of his English, he's not much of either. I hope for the sake of the poor souls out there that he's not a doctor as well or people would be dying like flies thanks to inaccurate prescriptions. I get the impression he either never went to school or forgot all his phonetics, a feat I didn't imagine capable until now. FYI, "poet"s are not written. They write poems. He'll never read this, but...



Ugh. This is truly getting on my nerves. I am reading an extremely long argument about the difference between good and understandable English (which is by two intelligent people and therefore actually quite entertaining) with random burst of things like:

"i can the place over my friends.


i'm very loyal for my these friends and so are they.


things fell and got caught they just own up they did it when it wasn't and so many things just happen to them...


for what?


for a thing called friendships.


but for us.


'it's rather more of closer than friendships."

Which I don't understand. Do you? Translation, if you happen to be able to read that crap. I can't read retard. Not that I'm saying you're retarded if you can. You're probably more intelligent than I am because you've adapted to circumstance and learnt a whole new language. Don't teach it to me; my English is bad enough as it is.



I swear that stupidity of this level is unique to humans. Maybe it pervades Singaporean society. I wouldn't know; I'm buried in books half the day and the other half I'm busy studying, doing homework and arguing with people.



Oh. Yes. Some people really do get on my nerves. What, may I ask, is the problem with Track and Field advertising their CCA? CO has a freakin' badge. Choir has a jacket. So does Drama. So what's wrong with Track suddenly deciding that they want to show some CCA spirit? Do you look down on them or something? Or have you suddenly decided to become like me and criticise any unneccesary display of emotion in public? From experience, you are nothing like me and blow up every chance you get, and you go around telling us that CO rocks. Or is it that you just don't like us?



Possible, don't you think? After all, you've been ignoring us recently.



Don't condemn us as unfeeling or inhuman. We laugh, we angst, we feel like crying sometimes. But we don't. We feel pain as surely as you or anyone else does, but we don't cry because we twisted a wrist or something (by the way, is that a normal thing to cry about?). Why? Because, unlike you, we can control ourselves. To a limited extent, yes, which is why I'm ranting right now. Go on any more and I'm going to pull a Forte, i.e. I'm going to tell you you're an idiot and all that he said about the Bible and fanatical Christianity and not practising what you preach etc. etc. plus a little more about control and plain good sense. I may not talk a lot but as you may have noticed before, I have a thoroughly acid tongue when I choose to use it. Admittedly, it can also be saccharine, depending on the situation, but that's besides the point.



Isn't it better to slip on a mask and rant to yourself instead of making a scene and causing misery for everyone? I admit I am ranting more or less in public. There's a difference, however; you can choose whether or not you want to read this weblog. You cannot choose whether or not you hear someone breaking down in the middle of class, etc. etc. for no apparent reason. Of course you can choose to ignore all of this. Forte has given me one piece of very useful advice and I'll relay it to you: "The most important critic is yourself". So if you think you're fine the way you are, then by all means. Remember only that the same applies to me as well. I'm not going to really change myself for anyone. To quote Avril Lavigne, "I have a backbone stronger than yours".



Fine, so maybe I'm opinionated. So maybe I'm idealistic to want to change the attitude of an entire nation. So maybe I should just remove myself from this society, since I dislike it so much. The problem is that I don't have a time machine. Neither does my family want to emigrate, so I'm stuck here. But if you don't mind, I would at least like to surround myself with people who somewhat fit my ideals of a society. Not that anyone fully does, mind.



Of course, obviously, you do mind. My liking for quiet is something very alien to most people. Let's just be polite and say that they need company to feel appreciated. I'm censoring this for the benefit of the people I know who might be reading this and don't know that I have anger problems. Not that the original contained any vulgarity; that's not my style. Let's just say I pulled a Forte. And if you know Forte, his remarks can get pretty scathing. I was asked if I wanted a boyfriend. Obviously I said no. I'm not Cesar. I don't get random crushes on random people. I'm also not an ENFJ; I don't want or need company most of the time. Of course I miss YJ - who else actually does understand me even at surface level? Okay, Forte. He doesn't really understand, sad to say, but most of the time he can help me to either solve the problem or forget that I had a problem.



I should stop angsting. I can pull a Forte but I do not want to throw a mug at somebody.



Let's talk about happy stuff. I got an 87.5% on my Biology test paper. Sad to say, the overall grade was pulled down by the PT but all in all it's my best grade this term. We had Literature yesterday (thanks to psychologically-challenged people who cannot shut up) but since it was mostly an unhappy experience I shan't talk about it. I have my 2.4km run tomorrow. I hope I pass this, because I certainly can't train for it, my 5 items, and study for exams all at once. We're buried under competitions and a truckload of crap that we don't understand, and the school is acting as if they don't know. Where's the sense in cramming fitness tests and examinations together? You can't prepare for one without neglecting the other. They want us to fail, don't they?



Okay, I'm going back to angst. More happy stuff. I ran into YJ yesterday or the day before at the junction. Don't remember which. What other happy stuff is there?



The Choir got Gold (with Honours)!!



Go people. And yes, the singing will never be done.



I should stop now because this is extremely long. And for God's sake (not that I believe in God), could some people (whom I know, so not blacklight or whitelight - thanks very much by the way) just leave me in peace because seeing you at our table is infuriating since it's obvious you don't care about us. Or is it that, like me, you care but don't show it? I don't think so, because you've never once proved yourself capable of not showing how you felt, no matter whether the emotion was negative or positive. I don't think you admire my attitude very much anyway, so why don't we just leave each other alone?



If you accuse me of being as crazy as Forte right now, I'd be very much pleased with myself. If you want to think of me as a total jerk, go ahead. I can't re-wire your mind and I'm not going to try. "Normal" isn't worth bothering myself with. Personal opinion, so don't say anything. There's no point arguing over a subjective issue. I don't particularly want to argue with anyone right now. It might result in either (or both) parties breaking an arm or leg. And I have the 2.4 km run tomorrow, as do you.



Auf Wiedersehen,

Ae

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