Racism: Subtle, Soft and Sickening

The little bell on the door tinkers lightly as it swings open. A gust of cool air sweeps in. The chatter of brunch-goers, along with the clang of cutlery sets a cheery ambience in this small coffee shop. At this very moment however, one brunch-goer is experiencing something unpleasant. She stays quiet, she doesn't want to bother her companion, who is tucking into her smashed avo without a clue as to what is happening mere centimetres from her. A couple sitting one table away are making snide remarks about her. About what exactly? Her race. 

There is no doubt that racism towards Asians is alive and well in 2018 Australia. Racism towards those of Asian descent has become much more subtle over the years. While it is no longer socially acceptable to call a Chinese person "ching chong" (you won't believe how many times I heard this in primary school) and a shift away from the portrayal of Asians as the token nerd who tries but ultimately fails to win over a Caucasian love interest, we cannot deny that racist attitudes are still thriving. 

A friend of mine told me about a subtle incidence of racism she experienced recently. She was at work when she, along with other colleagues, met with someone fairly important. This fairly important guy shook hands with the Caucasian colleagues and my friend stuck out her hand, expecting the same handshake. Almost as if she had become invisible in that moment, the fairly important guy turned his back on her outstretched hand and proceeded to walk away. This situation can be explained very simply. In this guy's mind, someone of Asian appearance is immediately less worthy of respect, more likely to be incompetent and generally speaking, socially subordinate. Not to mention, this friend was female, which means (quite logically) that she is far less capable than her male colleagues, probably emotionally unstable and "bossy" (because she's assertive). Sorry- got side-tracked, back to the racism. 

What I want you to take from this is that racism comes in all shapes and colours. Racism is not clear-cut; it's not just the man who walks past you on the street and screams "get the f*ck out of my country you f*cking [insert race]" (based on a true story- we were walking out of a restaurant in our local area when a man started hurling abuse at us, honestly was quite frightening). Racism can be discreet; it can be overlooked even by the people who are victims of it. It can be a seemingly innocent question: "No, but where do you really come from?" or it can be a certain contemptuous tone of voice directed at you and your kind only. So the next time you see someone displaying some subtle bigotry while you're peacefully brunching, make sure you do something about it. Don't let it slide. 

P.S. check out the sibilance in my title! also it's been almost 2 years since I last posted something! wowee

Why Cate Campbell should be proud

Cate Campbell continues to amaze me.

It's not her athletic prowess, her gold medal in the 4x100 freestyle relay or even the fact that she holds the world record for 100m freestyle.

It's the way she's handled herself in the past two weeks. 

In the face of scrutiny and criticism by the media and Australian public over her "choke" in the 100m freestyle final at the Rio Olympics, she has been stoic and courageous. I cannot begin to imagine the pressure that Cate was faced with in the days before the race. But mostly, the pressure she placed on herself to succeed. A dream she had been chasing after for many years. Years of early mornings and hard work in and out of the pool. And to have that crushed in a matter of seconds must be awfully painful to deal with. 

While Cate wasn't able to grab a gold medal, she was able to do something much more difficult and valuable, and that was to remain dignified in the face of failure. Not once did she make excuses for her performance. She didn't blame anyone, rather, she thanked everyone for their support. And when she said to Australia, "please still love me," I thought, how can we not? You are the definition of a strong female athlete, one that all young women should look up to. 

It would be an understatement to say that the countless interviews asking the same questions and unwavering media attention have been overwhelming for the young athlete. It would be mentally exhausting. It would be totally reasonable for any person under that sort of pressure to snap. Yet Cate has held herself beautifully.

If there's one word to sum up Cate Campbell's run at the Rio Olympics, it is RESILIENCE. What a wonderful attribute to have developed and been able to showcase in the face of adversity! A few days ago, news came out revealing Cate's hernia. Cate swam at the Olympics with a hernia, which can be terribly painful and won a gold and silver medal and set a world record, feats not to be diminished.  

Still, she has been harsh on herself. Too harsh. With time the wounds of coming up short will heal. It is important to remember that while Olympic athletes are elite performers, they are human first. And humans are fallible.

Thank you Cate, for swimming for Australia. But mostly, thank you for inspiring me to be a fearless competitor and remain dignified in the tough times. If you do swim in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Australia will be rooting for you, cheering you on as loud as ever.  

Why I Support Sydney's Lockout Laws

You don't have to be an avid reader of the news to know a bit about Sydney's new lockout laws (if you live in Sydney, that is) and have heard about the massive backlash that has followed. Just today there has been a Keep Sydney Open protest that involved more than 8000 people. What is their argument? That Sydney's nightlife will be crippled and our reputation as a thriving metropolis will be tarnished forever. How devastating.

If you're unaware of these new laws or don't really understand what the fuss is about, let me simplify things for you. The NSW Government introduced these laws in response to high levels of alcohol fuelled violence on our streets. These laws state that:

1. After 10pm you can't buy alcohol from shops 

2. After 1:30am no new customers ie. 1:30am lockouts (small bars and most restaurants exempt) 

3. After 3am no more drinks served ie. 3am last drinks 

4. 48 hr temporary bans on troublemakers 

Ok, perhaps they seem a little iffy. Have they had any positive effect on alcohol-fuelled violence rates in Sydney, you might ask? Wonderful question! I'm so glad you brought that up. In fact, these laws have made an immeasurable difference:

- 32% decrease in assaults in Kings Cross

- 26% decrease in assaults in Sydney CBD

So I think the real concern should be, why are so many Sydney-siders throwing a hissy fit over reforms that are saving lives? Perhaps the incredibly inspiring movement of Keep Sydney Open should be renamed Keep Violence Happening? Or maybe Keep Letting Avoidable Deaths Occur? 

Most people would agree that an alcohol fuelled one-punch assault is an absolutely heinous crime. But when the government finally steps up to protect innocent people from becoming victims of such a crime, all that can be heard is the incessant whining of those who refuse to give up a sliver of their "personal liberties" to potentially save lives. 

However, it must be acknowledged that there are still improvements that should be made to Sydney's lockout laws, including relaxing the rules for live music venues so that musicians can continue to thrive, but in a safer environment (and a bunch of other things that I can't be bothered mentioning).

Perhaps we should be worrying about Sydney's seemingly out of control drinking culture and spend more time advocating safe drinking and rallying for even better alternatives rather than slamming these lockout laws at face value. 

9 Things I Learnt in Japan

In November I was lucky enough to visit Japan with my family, namely Tokyo and Osaka and it was definitely an experience to remember. I ate a lot of ramen as well as some ramen and did I mention ramen? Without further ado I present NINE THINGS I LEARNT IN JAPAN:

look at all those lanes of traffic!

and the other side!

on the surprisingly uncrowded train

the amazing trees of japan!

1. Barely anyone can speak English but everyone is willing to help a stranger. The Japanese are incredibly friendly and very polite. Bowing is the norm. Workers will bow when leaving a shift, salespeople will bow when you look at them and bow so deeply that their nose touches their knees if you buy their product.
2. Everything is smaller in Japan. Living spaces, buses, cars, restaurants, etc. They even have mini trucks that look like they belong in the Lego Movie. Everything is also cuter in Japan. Even their police stations have adorable cartoon characters of police officers positioned outside. 
3. Peak hour is 11pm. The nightlife in Japan is well and truly alive.
4. Everything is cheaper in Japan. Food is cheaper, even souvenirs are relatively cheap. This is in comparison to the cost of living in Sydney (which is apparently one of the highest in the world :/). Strangely, the sushi in Japan is more expensive than, say, at a Sushi Train in Sydney.
5. Japan is NOT the most environmentally friendly country. Anything you purchase will be wrapped in plastic which is then placed into another plastic bag and sealed with plastic tape. They might even slip a few plastic bags into your plastic bag for future use.
6. The Japanese love their beef (and their fish of course but definitely the beef too). Also, almost every restaurant we went to gave us a glass of ice water upon arrival which I found surprising because I think I expected cups of steaming green tea (oops)
7. Many Japanese smoke cigarettes. And it's allowed INSIDE restaurants! Let's just say I've done my fair share of passive smoking the past week and found myself smelling like a smoker afterwards. 
8. Stairs, stairs and stairs. There are an infinite amount of stairs everywhere in Japan. In the train stations, in museums, in parks, in shopping centres, there is no way to escape them. I think my legs are more toned than ever from all the stairs! 
9. Japan has beautiful trees. 

the view from the bullet train from tokyo to osaka

This post is not intended to offend anyone. It's simply what I observed during my time in Japan which admittedly is a limited view of life over there. Please forgive my generalisations. All the photos were taken by ME so yay for me. I will hopefully be posting a review of Japan's Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter soon! If you've been to Japan or you found anything interesting, comment below! 

P.S. Sorry for all the exclamation marks in this post, I was simply too excited to share all this!

How To Survive Your Final Year Of Highschool

1. Do not attempt to retain a social life. This advice is gold and if you're like me, it won't be too hard either. There's no point trying to balance five things at once when clearly you are only capable of doing one thing at a time. Quit every single sporting activity you currently do. Get rid of any friends you have clinging to you. Family is the exception but try to get rid of as many of them as you can too. Oh, do you play an instrument? Quit it. Now. You want to have fun? Now's not the time.  


2. Procrastinate as much as humanely possible. This is a hard one to master but once you get the hang of it, you'll find yourself performing this task subconsciously. Procrastination has been scientifically proven to improve your intellect and can boost your marks in a matter of weeks. Just watch those rankings fly up! Make sure to start working on assignments two days before they are due. Three days is excessive and one day is extreme. Don't be an extremist.


3. Eat copious amounts of food to cope with stress. This is an obvious one and if you haven't already starting using this technique, you're going to fall behind! Winter is fast approaching (if you're in Australia) and fattening up and preparing for hibernation is essential. Fast food, lollies, chips and soft drinks are particularly effective in increasing those cholesterol levels that will lift your academic abilities. Healthy food- no one has time for that junk! (that was a pun btw)



P.S. If you haven't already realised, this post is not intended to help you in any way. In fact, you should disregard everything you just read for your own health and safety. Do try and retain your social life, avoid procrastination and eat healthily. I was only kidding (: 

Also, here is an irrelevant picture that I found on the internet because I feel like there's an unstated blogging rule that says one must include an image in a blog post.

story of my life

Film Review: Bright Star

Film: Bright Star

Director: Jane Campion

Starring: Ben Whishaw as John Keats
                    Abbie Cornish as Fanny Brawne
                    Paul Schneider as Charles Brown
                    Kerry Fox as Fanny's mother
                    Thomas Sangster as Samuel Brawne

Synopsis: The film is based on the last three years of the life of John Keats and his romantic relationship with Fanny Brawne. It is named after a sonnet written by Keats to Brawne.

Review: Perhaps one of the most moving films I have watched recently, Bright Star made me cringe, smile, laugh and teary eyed within its 119 minutes. The film is set in 1818, Hampstead and revolves around the heart-wrenching and impossible romance between John Keats, a poor, rather unpopular poet and Fanny Brawne, the eldest daughter of a widow with a talent for sewing. Fanny's younger siblings obediently follow her around in her endeavours to gain Keats' attention however her flirtatous nature does not sit well with Mr. Brown, Keat's writing associate. Soon, it becomes evident that the pair are deeply in love with each other and cannot be separated even by great distances. Inevitably, Keats becomes ill and dies, leaving Fanny in a state of distress and despair. The film ends with Fanny walking the path that she and her lover had walked many times, reciting the sonnet he had written for her: "Bright star, would I were steadfast as thou art..."

Keats died at 25, believing he was a failure. Ironically, today he is recognised as one of the most influential Romantic poets and one of the most beloved of all English poets. Unfortunately, it seems that many of the most renowned composers today were only properly acknowledged after their death.

On a brighter note, did you know that Abbie Cornish, the actress who plays Fanny Brawne in Bright Star is Australian? I had no idea, her English accent is on point in the film!

3 Things People Need To Stop Doing

Wow, I can hear you mutter, here she goes again, complaining about what miffs her...
WOW! You're absolutely correct! However, I think there might be few things here that even you will agree with. So, without further adieu/ado (whichever you prefer), here are three things people need to stop doing before I personally kick them in the shins:

1. Being glued to their mobile device 

I am honestly impressed by the skills people exhibit these days, their ability to walk down two flights of stairs with their face pressed against their phone screen amazes me. The only downfall (haha get my pun? DOWNFALL cos they might fall down the stairs!) is that they walk at a snail's pace; a guy with one leg could hop down the stairs faster than the people who insist on texting/scrolling through something super important. It leaves the innocent people jiggling impatiently behind them as they meander their way down those stairs.

2. Reprimanding their children in public

 And I don't mean gentle warnings, I mean those parents who scream at their child in the middle of a restaurant, leaving the rest of us awkwardly looking everywhere but the scene unfolding. Not to mention the poor child, who is humiliated and probably sobbing by then. Parents, please be stern but reasonable when reprimanding your child, don't create an even bigger fuss that not only embarrasses yourself, but also everyone around you!

3. Not washing their hands after using the bathroom

Save us all from those people who put their filthy hands under the tap for one second and consider themselves 'clean'. Once again, the man with one leg could do better than you lot. How hard is it to get a bit of soap and scrub a dub dub and prevent all those nasty germs that exist in toilets from getting everywhere? What's worse, I've seen people in the food industry like waiters emerge from the toilet cubicle, observe their makeup in the mirror before walking out WITHOUT WASHING THEIR HANDS. Call me a germaphobe but you have to admit that it's just DISGUSTING (and rude; excuse me for saying this but I came to this restaurant to eat good food, not to ingest the bacteria you just gained from your visit to the loo.)


 

 

 

Book Review: The Blood Of Olympus

It brings me great sadness to say, I have officially finished the entire Percy Jackson and Heroes of Olympus series. My journey with Percy Jackson began almost six years ago and now, with Rick Riordan's last book of the series, my journey has come to an end. Yes, I know I'm too old to be reading them anymore, everyone has advanced to sappy, romance novels and I'm still basking in the wonderful world of Greek and Roman mythology, but do you understand how much these books have impacted my life? I used to constantly envision myself as a demigod, living at Camp Half Blood, probably dating Percy. Would it be an exaggeration to say that finishing Blood of Olympus was like sealing off a part of my childhood? I think not. 




Onto the book itself, it was (as usual) an epic wave of demigod awesomeness and a few 
perfect Percabeth moments here and there. If you've never read Percy Jackson, you may be very confused right now. I highly recommend you go read it now. I don't have much else to say, except that when I realised I only had a few pages left, I didn't know whether to cry or to laugh. I realise that this isn't really a book review, more of a bumble of a words about my favourite series ever. 

Thank you Uncle Rick for filling my life with a fantastic world of demigods (as well as distracting me from my studies). 

Today I Walked Through A Rainbow

The walk from the train station back home is not any special walk, takes about 15 minutes average walking speed, 10 if you power walk. Sometimes you have to dodge drunk looking ladies pushing a trolley full of alcohol or scary school girls who judge your every move. But apart from that, there's nothing interesting about it.

Not today.

Today I was amazed, flabbergasted, completely awestruck as I walked home- more specifically, as I walked THROUGH A RAINBOW.  To put things into perspective, it's not like I've never seen a rainbow before. In fact, for the past couple of days there have been many rainbows as a result of the constant drizzle of rain accompanied by the sun. But it's not everyday you get to see the full rainbow. Like the whole arch- from one end to the other, not obscured by any buildings or trees, just the entire seven coloured mind-boggling unicorn-vomit rainbow right in front of you and you have the privilege to just stand in the middle of the street and gaze at it in wonder! Around me, several pedestrians also stopped, a mother looked up and glanced at her daughter who was mesmerised by the view, a jogger paused to snap a few pics of the sky.

Pictures would not be able to replicate what it looked like. I tried to take some photos too but none of them could capture that sense of wonder I felt when I saw it. I sincerely hope you all get to walk through a rainbow one day, or at least see it in its complete form- it will most definitely leave you stunned.

Yeah I haven't posted anything since forever but meh.

I Want To Be A Vampire When I Grow Up

When I was a kid, what did I want to be when I grew up:

a) A magician

b) An inventor

c) An author

d) All of the above

The correct answer is d, all of the above.
Why did I want to be a magician? To magically create lollies of course, I would never have to worry about buying things, I'd be able to conjure everything I ever wanted with my magic. Duh.
I think every child goes through the phase where they want to be an inventor. I once wrapped a rubber/eraser with black electrical tape and stabbed thumbtacks onto the sides and it was my proudest 'invention'. I took it to school and everything. Genius.
The best one for last, an author. I wrote non-stop, on random pieces of paper, in books, the back of worksheets, etc. When I was in Year 3 I was convinced I would write an amazing novel, be hailed a child prodigy, sell millions of copies and become an international superstar. Unfortunately that did not work out.

Also I wanted to be a vampire in Year 4 after watching The Little Vampire. I would launch myself off the top of the couch and attempt to fly...like a vampire? This post is getting sadder and sadder by the sentence... Of course, vampires, magicians, inventors (what a specific occupation) and multi-billionaire authors are not exactly jobs that I aspire to be now. Wouldn't it be amazing if what we wanted to be as a child was what we became in the future? And think of how naïve we all were, don't you miss being so simple minded? I do. But I guess we all eventually have to grow up.



Damn, I  am inspirational :')

Reindeers Are Better Than People

Movie Review: Frozen



I know most people watched this Disney movie when it first came out and the hype is over. But I won't let it go until I blog about this. Frozen!! Raise your hand if you never expected Hans to be evil and if you thought Kristoff was going to save Anna by true love's kiss! My hand is raised. I loved how it was an unconventional kind of fairytale where sisterly love saved the day! I also loved Elsa's sassiness when she was singing 'Let it go' and casually building an ice castle. Most of all I loved/love Olaf, the unknowing snowman with little knowledge of the effects of heat on him. Pfft of course I don't have every single Frozen song on my phone. What are you talking about, I obviously don't sing 'Do You Want To Build A Snowman' everywhere. Also I agree that reindeers are better than people. Because people will beat you and curse you and cheat you. Every one of 'em's bad, except me (and you).

Good night and don't let the frostbite bite.

HAHA SO TRUE Elsa and I relate so much

Living To Die or Dying To Live

"Why are we dying to live when we're all just living to die?"

I saw this quote somewhere and I felt like I'd been hit by a large spiky ball of depressing thoughts. "Why are we dying to live when we're all just living to die?" I read it then did a double-take and re-read it again. First thought: That's a smart play on words. Second thought: Omg, is it true? Are we really just living to die? Yes and no. Yes, in that we will all eventually die and it's unavoidable unless some elixir is invented that will make us immortals (long shot but you never know with the rate that technology is advancing). No, in that the whole point of us living is to LIVE! We don't live to die, we live to experience all these emotions of living and everyone has different reasons for wanting to live and that's the reason we DIE to live. I don't want to get all religious especially since not everyone is Christian and stuff but if you look up Galatians 2:15-21 in the Bible, it will really make sense. It made sense to me anyway.

On a more random note, my sister recounted an incident that made me giggle. As she was walking down a street after school, she saw a bunch of teenage girls crammed in a car with the windows rolled down, screaming "HASHTAG YOLO!!!" as they sped past. It's mildly amusing but also rather sad to see young teenage girls holding life to so little value, especially on their L-plates. It is also sad to hear them speaking in Hashtag language. Even more sad to hear them say YOLO. We are currently watching Wimbledon on TV and my sister is wildly swinging her tennis racquet in the living room in a mediocre attempt to imitate the professionals playing.

Ta ta for now,
Charmie

P.S. Since when do I end my posts like this? :O
P.P.S. I am wearing fluffy crocodile slippers.
P.P.P.S. That was a very unnecessary fact. I like unnecessary facts.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

Just in case you wanted to know...here are 10 things that make me HAPPY! (:

1. Hugs from mum

2. Best friends

3. Packing for a holiday

4. Being silly with my sister to purposely annoy our parents

5. Waking up and feeling 100% awake

6. Thinking about the things that make me happy!

7. Dancing like an idiot home alone

8. Random compliments

9. Having someone stay up with me when I'm studying late

10. Making people laugh!  :D

HAHA I'm so self-centred, here I am, telling you what I like, what books I like, what movies I like, what my whole life is like, me myself I yes that's all that matters guys ME ME ME! What are some things that make you happy?

I seriously love these 'happiness is' pictures