I’m back with another entry in my Visual Diary series. In this episode, Calvin and I visit art museums in Singapore. It gets quite mundane here in the tiny red dot, so we are constantly racking our brains on anything new or interesting to do.
This was a fun excursion, even though you guys can have a laugh at how unbelievably lame we are, struggling to be artsy and interpret contemporary art works.
It was a fun day overall, and I thought I would bring you guys with me.
In this instalment, I say bon voyage to my best friend, Diyanah. She moved to Japan to start a new chapter in her life. I couldn’t be happier for her, though in the video, it really doesn’t seem that way. I promise you I am happy for her. It was a bittersweet moment as we have always been childhood friends and I couldn’t imagine not having her around.
It’s a more personal post for me. But I wanted to stay true to my diary format and be real.
It wasn’t the video that I had imagined in my mind. However, I did my best to put together something as it’s a pretty big moment for me.
Another instalment to my video diary series! In this episode, I chat about some of my bad Carousell experiences and a photoshoot that you can read about here.
I really enjoy making these videos and I plan to continue making a few more. My editing style has not been very consistent because I am still experimenting. Once I try a few more things, I’ll probably standardise them a bit.
The whole world has gone berserk it seems in 2016. What my friend, Sofi, said really struck a chord in me. She said that 2016 is the year where everyone showed their true colours. Everyone has been pretty politically correct till now. As millennials, we consume so much data and content that often we feel very opinionated about things. For some reason, in the Asian community especially, opinions aren’t exactly welcomed. My parents have taught me that you shouldn’t speak unless spoken to, and that you shouldn’t offer your opinions unless they are asked.
Well, sock that theory.
I have never believed in keeping your mouth shut at signs of cruelty and injustice. We speak up and speak our minds, otherwise they will never be heard. Spreading senseless hate is one thing but speaking up against an injustice or a bully is another. Freedom of speech is sorely restrained in Singapore in terms of controversial topics, which is a shame. However, we are still allowed to voice out opinions so long as they are not formed under bigotry or divisive intent.
This video was a spontaneous one that my younger sister and I decided to make at 1am one night after I came across an advice article from a local teen magazine, “Teenage”. The article, since then, has gone viral and people were outraged at the closed minded response that this advice columnist has written in reply to a rape victim. After which she submitted an official (non) apology.
The video turned into a massive rant because we were shocked at the lack of sympathy and her use of language towards the girl writing in. If you are in the mood to watch a giant, incoherent rant, you may do so here.
We decided to throw in our two cents as we read and react to both the article and apology. What I want achieve here is to show the people in Singapore that we are a generation that do not condone victim shaming. We are a generation that celebrate the values of equality and spit on acts of sexual violence, be it towards a woman or a man. We are the generation that don’t shy away from taboo topics and talk openly about gay marriage, mental illness, poverty and politics.
Most of all, we are the generation that believes in the right of an individual to make their own choices and not be judged for being who they are. It’s time for the old world to step aside with their outdated values and elitist morals.
Here’s the second visual diary entry. This time, it’s just a regular week consisting of my random thoughts, a job interview and a party that me and my friends went to.
I’ve been playing with a more vlog style edit, with me talking to you guys. Let me know if that works? Because my initial plans were just to make videos to music. But I thought a change of pace would be good.
Social media has created increased pressure to depict a pristine lifestyle at all times. Even though we all know that life is never all sunshine and rainbows. Here, in Singapore, there is very little light shed on mental illness or anything of that sort. We tend to believe that the brain is an organ that we have control over, that you can control your thoughts and actions. This is true to a certain extent. More often than not, we are at the mercy of our thoughts and like the heart, it is an organ that is constantly working on its own.
Many Asian households tend to instill this habit of showing your best and putting the best face on for the rest of the world. There is a tendency to sweep problems under the rug and pretend that it doesn’t exist, praying that eventually they will go away. It’s true in my family and the relationships that I have in my life. The whole mindset strikes a bad cord in me and it’s something that I fight against every day.
Why is it so wrong to admit our problems?
Negativity
Singaporeans are notorious for being overly negative and complaining a lot. I have grown up in a society that is constantly in discontent. We are always very vocal about how unhappy we are with one thing or another. As frivolous as this may seem, it does impact the mindset of millennials who fixate on the negative and feel entitled to the good. You would think that this means that we are open to listening to people’s problems but this is where society draws a fine line. We love commiserating and blowing steam on shared topics, not on individual ones. It is taboo to air your “dirty laundry” or talk about them in an open manner. It is considered rude and self-centred, which boggles my mind. Who do you turn to, to discuss your own personal struggles? More often than not, you are encouraged to find a solution for yourself.
Isolation
Which brings me to the point about having friends and a support system. This system is often botched by the false self-centred notions that I was talking about previously. We think our friends have their own problems to deal with. They are busy with their own lives and when we do have time to spend together, these are precious hours that you wouldn’t want to ruin with your personal problems. Thus, even with a close group of friends, ultimately we are incredibly isolated. No one knows who anyone really is. Life here is so fast paced that we often forget to check up on our friends and loved ones. Meanwhile, those friends and loved ones are too afraid to reach out and they end up feeling neglected. It’s a vicious cycle.
Catharsis
Being isolated, it is important to be comfortable on your own. Remind yourself that negligence is not personal, it is a way of life. We can’t solve everything on our own, but we can manage them. Finding a project or activity that is cathartic is important. When there seems to be no outlet for the negativity, find one that creates something positive for you. Be it working out, meditation or retail therapy. Writing is a cathartic experience for me and I have written journals, poetry and prose since I was 10 years old. As I grew older, I would kick it up a notch and create projects such as my self-published book, “The Unorthodox Cat Lady”, where you can clearly see instances of me releasing my negativity in the pages. Not everything that comes out of negativity is ugly, sometimes they push you to create or experience the most rewarding things.
Digging Yourself Out of It
When you are stuck in a rut, it is very easy to wallow. To prevent yourself from falling deeper into that hole, you have to acknowledge your feelings, release them in some form or other and then try to climb your way out of it. This is the most difficult step to execute on your own. Most times however, you are on your own. Realistically, it is difficult to reach out in an open manner without inciting judgement. Hence, I think it is equally important to find ways to climb out of that negative headspace by yourself. Leaving positive reminders is one way that I think helps. These reminders can come in the form of quotes, photos, even scents that evoke positive memories for you. Recently, I have started creating visual diaries of simple everyday things that to me are poignant and evoke positive feelings. They remind me of good times and I will watch them whenever things get rough.
My life is not exciting in the least, so everything is very ordinary. But I think it’s important to find joy in the ordinary. I truly enjoyed the entire process of making these videos and want to make more of them, even if they don’t turn out amazing. Sometimes, logging memories down into words is not enough. They need to be relived.
Hey guys! So I thought I would try something different with this post. Instead of writing down my Ultra Music Festival experience in Singapore, I thought it would be better to let you experience it with me. So, I’ve made a little vlog. It’s my first time dabbling in video, so excuse any kinks and glitches.
Needless to say it was hot, sweaty and amazing. I was dead exhausted after the whole thing, but it was unforgettable.
thebroadwalk.com 