Bonjour! Bonjour! Bonjour!
...or should I say...
Ahlan! Ahlan! Ahlan!
(oh how bilingual I am)
Well there are so many things to tell you all and I wish could share them all with you in intricate detail, but that would take me a very, very long time, so I'll just do my best to give you the general idea. I have to say that after flying over 10 000 miles for over 18 hours at an altitude of 12 000m I was more than a little exasperated when I slid into a taxi only to hear Jojo's 'A Little Too Late' blaring over the radio. It gave me a vague but surprisingly earnest desire to strangle someone (although, it must be said I usually get this sensation when coming into any form of contact with Jojo).
In fact it is impossible to deny the fact that Dubai is not so much influenced as defined, at least superficially, by the Western world. The day after I got here for example, I was seriously wondering whether I had left home at all. I drank a phoenix juice whilst flicking through an NZ Women's Weekly in a distinctly urban cafe, was served a cheeseburger at McDonald's by a pimply teenager and shivered walking along a street under a grey sky with wind buffeting around me. Although I have to admit that the latter and former (certainly not the pimply teenager) are exceptions - we found a New Zealand, no I am not kidding, New Zealand-run cafe, probably the only one in the Gulf, and most likely the Middle East, just a round the corner. Oh, and Dubai only gets five days of rain a year. In our first four days we got three of them.
The very small amount of American tendencies I possess are also being well cared for. There are Starbucks nearly as often as there are mosques (they are only a maximum of 1km apart), the shopping malls here are ubiquitous and huge with every brand imaginable (a nice change from NZ). Also, Jumeira Beach where I'm staying has a distinctly LA-y, Santa-Monica-y feel which is also reminiscent of the Gold Coast with its golden beaches, abundant low buildings and the skyscrapers in the background.
However, further from the surface some pretty big differences soon become clear. The UAE is an Islamic country and, in all practical senses, an autocracy (albeit a very benevolent one - no tax, free education, water and electricity and free housing if you need it). Homosexuality, being pregnant and unmarried (at the same time), and abortion are all illegal. The press and internet are censored and there have been cases when someone has been disliked by the Sheikh (king) and has been thrown in jail for very little reason. However, it is far from being all bad, in fact probably been the most important part of this trip has been being able to learn about Islamic culture (no, the vast majority are not terrorists, sexist, racist, or anything else remotely dangerous or offensive). I have read all sorts of book and brochures on Islam, been surrounded by them including many women in the abaya and burqa and I was even lucky enough to visit a mosque (non-Muslims are usually not allowed) at the Jumeira Beach open mosque where we had a tour and got to ask many questions. There all the women had to cover up and wear an abaya and I can personally attest to the fact that it was neither demeaning or subjugating and I was still just as talkative as ever!
Some of the other, less culturally elighening experiences I have had include:
-quadbiking in the desert
-visiting giant malls like the massive Mall of the Emirates and the Italian themed Mercato were much bank account draining has occured
-swimming at the beautiful beaches (everyone else says it's too cold but, in the middle of winter, the water is much warmer than a beach in the middle of a Wellington summer!)
- a tour to the historic town of Al Ain which took us up an amazingly beautiful mountain
-eating the fabulous local and lebanese food with lots of fresh juice and vegetables
-getting to hold falcons at a five star hotel in the middle of the desert
-going on a desert tour which involved driving over sand dunes at scarily high speeds, a camel ride, dinner in the desert, smoking (as in taking one puff and choking on) a sheesha and being flirted with by creepy Californian dentists (with much younger girlfriends in tow)
Well, as you can see I've been having a very busy time so I will no go and be more busy because it's only four days until I leave for Bangkok! I will update with photos soon. I hope you've all had a great Christmas and will have a great New Year's,
Love Charli
PS. if anyone knows an effective way of getting sand out of your shoes, do share, because mine are continually full of it.
Wednesday, 20 December 2006
Saturday, 25 November 2006
Hooray For Exams (Or Not)
Hello, hello, hello
Well I'm back everybody and better than ever! Well, to be honest, not really because six exams (that's eighteen hours worth as well as eighteen papers, not to mention a hell of alot of study!) have sadly robbed me of both energy and writing ability. So seeing as exams have been the bane of our lives for the last few weeks I figured that I would share with you an excerpt of some very funny 'exam tips' I found while attempting to find study help on goodtree (they didn't give me a great deal of assistance but they did make me laugh which is just as good when you're stressed):
1) Talk the entire way through the exam. Read questions aloud, debate your answers with yourself out loud. If asked to stop, yell out, "I'm SOOO sure you can hear me thinking." Then start talking about what a jerk the instructor is.
2) Bring some large, cumbersome, ugly idol. Put it right next to you. Pray to it often. Consider a small sacrifice.
4) Bring cheerleaders.
5) On the answer sheet (book, whatever) find a new, interesting way to refuse to answer every question. For example: I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that it conflicts with my religious beliefs. Be creative.
6) Do the exam with crayons, paint, or fluorescent markers.
7) Do the entire exam in another language. If you don't know one, make one up! For math/science exams, try using Roman numerals.
8) Try to get people in the room to do a mexican wave.
9) Complete the exam with everything you write being backwards at a 90 degree angle.
10) As soon as the instructor hands you the exam, eat it.
Good luck for anyone who has any exams left ($20 bucks and bragging rights to anyone who does any of these).
Au Revoir
Charlotte
Well I'm back everybody and better than ever! Well, to be honest, not really because six exams (that's eighteen hours worth as well as eighteen papers, not to mention a hell of alot of study!) have sadly robbed me of both energy and writing ability. So seeing as exams have been the bane of our lives for the last few weeks I figured that I would share with you an excerpt of some very funny 'exam tips' I found while attempting to find study help on goodtree (they didn't give me a great deal of assistance but they did make me laugh which is just as good when you're stressed):
1) Talk the entire way through the exam. Read questions aloud, debate your answers with yourself out loud. If asked to stop, yell out, "I'm SOOO sure you can hear me thinking." Then start talking about what a jerk the instructor is.
2) Bring some large, cumbersome, ugly idol. Put it right next to you. Pray to it often. Consider a small sacrifice.
4) Bring cheerleaders.
5) On the answer sheet (book, whatever) find a new, interesting way to refuse to answer every question. For example: I refuse to answer this question on the grounds that it conflicts with my religious beliefs. Be creative.
6) Do the exam with crayons, paint, or fluorescent markers.
7) Do the entire exam in another language. If you don't know one, make one up! For math/science exams, try using Roman numerals.
8) Try to get people in the room to do a mexican wave.
9) Complete the exam with everything you write being backwards at a 90 degree angle.
10) As soon as the instructor hands you the exam, eat it.
Good luck for anyone who has any exams left ($20 bucks and bragging rights to anyone who does any of these).
Au Revoir
Charlotte
Sunday, 5 November 2006
A Brilliant Idea For Saving The World
Okay, sadly this idea is not actually mine, but instead is created by people who actually understand international economics and politics (just wait, in four years I'll have a combined honours in philosophy and political studies, and then I too will save the world).
It is completely genious, although to tell you the truth I'm still not entirely sure how it works. What I've figured so far is this:
1) It's called GoodTree.
2) You can find it at here.
3) It's basically a search engine that is a combination of google, yahoo, msn and a few others.
4) Every time you do a search you earn one American cent which goes to charaties focussing on issues on your choice.
It's really easy (and is seriously quite addictive, the novelty of seeing my funds slowly mount up has led me to do many random searches) so why don't you all get involved and then we can have a cometition to see how much money we can each raise before New Year!
This picture was of course found using...come one everybody...GoodTree!
It is completely genious, although to tell you the truth I'm still not entirely sure how it works. What I've figured so far is this:
1) It's called GoodTree.
2) You can find it at here.
3) It's basically a search engine that is a combination of google, yahoo, msn and a few others.
4) Every time you do a search you earn one American cent which goes to charaties focussing on issues on your choice.
It's really easy (and is seriously quite addictive, the novelty of seeing my funds slowly mount up has led me to do many random searches) so why don't you all get involved and then we can have a cometition to see how much money we can each raise before New Year!
This picture was of course found using...come one everybody...GoodTree!
Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Why Did God Invent Little Brothers?
Hello readers, who if you are still reading this blog, are more dedicated than I can express. I know, I know the 'UPDATE!'s have been mounting but I actually have arelatively good excuse (well not for last week, but that doesn't count). You see for the past week my stupid computer as for no apparent reason whatsoever, decided not to connect to the network, and therefore to the internet (I am only typing now because I have managed to steal my step-dad's assistants computer).
And before that I was in the fabulous Middle Of Nowhere (otherwise known as Waikawa) spending an exciting weekend doing absolutely nothing (aren't you jealous?), but I'm not complaining, well not about the trip anyway, I am in fact instead complaining about little brothers.
When I heard I was being given a free return ticket to Middle Of Nowhere with complimentary 3 night accomadation (spending money not included) I was rather excited, not so much because I got to go away but because it meant I got to get out of going away to Waikanae and therefore be stuck in a small out amount of space with my infuriating little brother for the entire weekend. Instead I was stuck in a small amount of space with someone else's infuritating little brother for the entire weekend.
Although I am a huge showoff, I prefer to show off in person where I can actually control what people see so I get rather agitated when I find myself written about in a way that I have no control over (it's a good thing I decided not to be an actor, either I'd be poor and destitute or on the off chance I became successful I would have a heart attack every time I saw myself in a tabloid) so for the privacy of said little brother (who really doesn't deserve it) I will not use his real name. Hmmm, I think we shall refer to the boy in question as Adolf, no maybe a little too harsh, Humphery will do.
So I turned up on Friday in my new chucks and skinny jeans, with my bags packed, completely unsuspecting as Humphery answered the door that I was, in fact being greeted by the devil child. I started to have a few suspicions in the car when, supposedly lacking space, I and Humphery's older sister who will be named Antigone just because I like the name, were showered with abuse such as 'fat' and 'bitch'. However, being the optimistic and naive thing that I am, I blithely put this aside and tried to remain hopeful that this misguided child was really a stunning little angel underneath.
Alas, night came and I was proved to be the one who was misguided. For Humphery, it seems, values sleep alot less than I do and proceeded to demontsrate this to me in the form of pokes, throwing pillows at me then stealing them, talking to me, and googling at me as if I were an animal in the zoo.
Luckily for me I had watched a philosophy video the night before about Seneca's theory for dealing with anger and extreme irritation so I was able to stay relatively sane, if a little sleep deprived. This technique also enabled me to calmly endure I number of other incidents that, for the sake of brevity, I have omitted.
And so the weekend rolled by with me getting very little of the sleep needed or (and this sadly I cannot blame on Humhpery) very little of the work I needed to do, done. But as I end this post I must share with you the conclusion I came to on the last night as I heard Humphery desperately trying to restrain from poking me and attempting in vain to lie still so as not to disturb me, I realised that perhaps the poor child is not so bad after all (wow, Seneca's theory really works) and that with time he may grow into a reasonably well functioning member of society (which is, of course, the highest aspiration we can hope for for little brothers). So i will leave you with this final message - don't hate or persecute little Humphery, he needs love and compassion to nurture him into the lovely person found deep, deep inside, just never, ever sleep in the same room as him.
You Have Been Warned.
And before that I was in the fabulous Middle Of Nowhere (otherwise known as Waikawa) spending an exciting weekend doing absolutely nothing (aren't you jealous?), but I'm not complaining, well not about the trip anyway, I am in fact instead complaining about little brothers.
When I heard I was being given a free return ticket to Middle Of Nowhere with complimentary 3 night accomadation (spending money not included) I was rather excited, not so much because I got to go away but because it meant I got to get out of going away to Waikanae and therefore be stuck in a small out amount of space with my infuriating little brother for the entire weekend. Instead I was stuck in a small amount of space with someone else's infuritating little brother for the entire weekend.
Although I am a huge showoff, I prefer to show off in person where I can actually control what people see so I get rather agitated when I find myself written about in a way that I have no control over (it's a good thing I decided not to be an actor, either I'd be poor and destitute or on the off chance I became successful I would have a heart attack every time I saw myself in a tabloid) so for the privacy of said little brother (who really doesn't deserve it) I will not use his real name. Hmmm, I think we shall refer to the boy in question as Adolf, no maybe a little too harsh, Humphery will do.
So I turned up on Friday in my new chucks and skinny jeans, with my bags packed, completely unsuspecting as Humphery answered the door that I was, in fact being greeted by the devil child. I started to have a few suspicions in the car when, supposedly lacking space, I and Humphery's older sister who will be named Antigone just because I like the name, were showered with abuse such as 'fat' and 'bitch'. However, being the optimistic and naive thing that I am, I blithely put this aside and tried to remain hopeful that this misguided child was really a stunning little angel underneath.
Alas, night came and I was proved to be the one who was misguided. For Humphery, it seems, values sleep alot less than I do and proceeded to demontsrate this to me in the form of pokes, throwing pillows at me then stealing them, talking to me, and googling at me as if I were an animal in the zoo.
Luckily for me I had watched a philosophy video the night before about Seneca's theory for dealing with anger and extreme irritation so I was able to stay relatively sane, if a little sleep deprived. This technique also enabled me to calmly endure I number of other incidents that, for the sake of brevity, I have omitted.
And so the weekend rolled by with me getting very little of the sleep needed or (and this sadly I cannot blame on Humhpery) very little of the work I needed to do, done. But as I end this post I must share with you the conclusion I came to on the last night as I heard Humphery desperately trying to restrain from poking me and attempting in vain to lie still so as not to disturb me, I realised that perhaps the poor child is not so bad after all (wow, Seneca's theory really works) and that with time he may grow into a reasonably well functioning member of society (which is, of course, the highest aspiration we can hope for for little brothers). So i will leave you with this final message - don't hate or persecute little Humphery, he needs love and compassion to nurture him into the lovely person found deep, deep inside, just never, ever sleep in the same room as him.
You Have Been Warned.
Saturday, 14 October 2006
My Week In A (Rather Large) Nutshell
Hi peoples (that is not actually colloquial spelling by the way, according to the Concise Oxford Dictionary, this usage of the word means, "persons composing a community, tribe, race, nation, etc." - of course my blog reaches communities, tribes, nations, and etc.s, what do you expect?).
Well after that extremely long opening statement (most people keep them to about three words, but no, not Charli the ranter), I will now actually start talking about the topic for this post which is...drumroll please...my week. No, that's not particularly out of the ordinary and I know some may argue that it is not actually a 'topic' per se, but you see this week has been a very odd week. I have had a number of experiences that, whilst may not sound particularly exciting, actually had felt quite profound for me. Whilst I could probably right an entire I post on each of them, I decided to get my blog up to date by doing a Julia-esque counting sequence (so that everyone doesn't go to sleep), here are some random things which happened to me this week:
1) I learnt that playgrounds are extremely fun, but also extremely dangerous and put you into alot of what can only be labelled as 'compromising' positions.
2) I was actually misnamed, Charlotte's a lovely name and all, but it simply doesn't suit my personlity, instead I was destined to be called Henrietta, Henri for short (I am not claiming I particularly like this name, but you can't argue with the fates, even if your mother did). Seriously, even my middle name (Elizabeth for those who don't know) would suit me better than 'Charlotte'.
3) I have hands which give meaning to the phrase 'half octopus, half exotic flower' (this is according to Julia, but sadly I have to agree with her because this is the desciption of the very odd hands of one of Ingres' paintings, Jupiter and Thetis, and they look exactly like mine).
Thetis' hand:
My Hand:
4) Yoga is absolutely brilliant, but, like playgrounds, puts you into some very compromising positions that are also very painful but, unlike playgrounds, you get to meditate and eat free vegertarian food.
5) I am going to have African children to save them from pain of having to suffer through the childhood I had of being incredibly, incredibly pale (btw, in response to Emily's query, "what, are you going to adopt them or just have sex with Africans?" I chose the latter).
6) Although many claim that suicide bombers are a new and unknown threat, it turns out they have existed for millenia - bumblebees. Julia, Abraham and I had a fascinating discussion on this subject and this was the conclusion we came to because when bunblebees sting people, they die which prompted Julia to come up with the slogan, "bumblebees - the terrorists of the natural word" (we also had alot of fun invisioning a war between wasps and the poor bumblebees - seriously even if they defended themselves, they would die!).
Well there you have it, the epiphanys of my week in nutshell ( and as my title alludes to, no one ever said nutshells had to be small).
Au revoir mes amis,
Charlotte/Charli/Henrietta/Henri/Elizabeth
Well after that extremely long opening statement (most people keep them to about three words, but no, not Charli the ranter), I will now actually start talking about the topic for this post which is...drumroll please...my week. No, that's not particularly out of the ordinary and I know some may argue that it is not actually a 'topic' per se, but you see this week has been a very odd week. I have had a number of experiences that, whilst may not sound particularly exciting, actually had felt quite profound for me. Whilst I could probably right an entire I post on each of them, I decided to get my blog up to date by doing a Julia-esque counting sequence (so that everyone doesn't go to sleep), here are some random things which happened to me this week:
1) I learnt that playgrounds are extremely fun, but also extremely dangerous and put you into alot of what can only be labelled as 'compromising' positions.
2) I was actually misnamed, Charlotte's a lovely name and all, but it simply doesn't suit my personlity, instead I was destined to be called Henrietta, Henri for short (I am not claiming I particularly like this name, but you can't argue with the fates, even if your mother did). Seriously, even my middle name (Elizabeth for those who don't know) would suit me better than 'Charlotte'.
3) I have hands which give meaning to the phrase 'half octopus, half exotic flower' (this is according to Julia, but sadly I have to agree with her because this is the desciption of the very odd hands of one of Ingres' paintings, Jupiter and Thetis, and they look exactly like mine).
Thetis' hand:
My Hand:
4) Yoga is absolutely brilliant, but, like playgrounds, puts you into some very compromising positions that are also very painful but, unlike playgrounds, you get to meditate and eat free vegertarian food.
5) I am going to have African children to save them from pain of having to suffer through the childhood I had of being incredibly, incredibly pale (btw, in response to Emily's query, "what, are you going to adopt them or just have sex with Africans?" I chose the latter).
6) Although many claim that suicide bombers are a new and unknown threat, it turns out they have existed for millenia - bumblebees. Julia, Abraham and I had a fascinating discussion on this subject and this was the conclusion we came to because when bunblebees sting people, they die which prompted Julia to come up with the slogan, "bumblebees - the terrorists of the natural word" (we also had alot of fun invisioning a war between wasps and the poor bumblebees - seriously even if they defended themselves, they would die!).
Well there you have it, the epiphanys of my week in nutshell ( and as my title alludes to, no one ever said nutshells had to be small).
Au revoir mes amis,
Charlotte/Charli/Henrietta/Henri/Elizabeth
Friday, 6 October 2006
The Value Of Hindsight
Hey Everybdy (hi Dr Nick! - sorry, couldn't resist)
Well I thought I would update my blog before certain people (who don't update their blogs that regularly themselves) start bugging me to do so. Seeing as school starts in only three days I am trying not to think about my live right now (plus it's not that interesting) so today instead of divulging the secrets of my existence I will share with you an excerpt of Charlotte's Guide To Life (this actually does exist, it's a book Sarah gave me for my birthday and we are working on). These are from the Caution - You Have Been Warned Section (all learned from experience):
1)Never light a bonfire in a glass vessel.
2)Never attempt to remove things with chemicals in confined spaces.
3)Never toast marshmalow using the elements on the stove.
4)Never watch Titanic/Moulin Rouge with (non-waterproof) mascara...
.....which leads to...
5)Never wear waterproof makeup - it DOESN'T come off.
6)Never start a 2 month project at 7.30pm when it's due at 9.00am the next morning (that's Sarah's).
7)Never shave a man's legs.
8)If sleeping in a tent/caravan, go to the bathroom BEFORE you go to sleep.
Well that's it for now, I hope you have all learnt from my mistakes.
Love Charli
PS. if anyone can think of a book about another culture by an internationally acclaimed female author that can be read in three days, do tell me.
Well I thought I would update my blog before certain people (who don't update their blogs that regularly themselves) start bugging me to do so. Seeing as school starts in only three days I am trying not to think about my live right now (plus it's not that interesting) so today instead of divulging the secrets of my existence I will share with you an excerpt of Charlotte's Guide To Life (this actually does exist, it's a book Sarah gave me for my birthday and we are working on). These are from the Caution - You Have Been Warned Section (all learned from experience):
1)Never light a bonfire in a glass vessel.
2)Never attempt to remove things with chemicals in confined spaces.
3)Never toast marshmalow using the elements on the stove.
4)Never watch Titanic/Moulin Rouge with (non-waterproof) mascara...
.....which leads to...
5)Never wear waterproof makeup - it DOESN'T come off.
6)Never start a 2 month project at 7.30pm when it's due at 9.00am the next morning (that's Sarah's).
7)Never shave a man's legs.
8)If sleeping in a tent/caravan, go to the bathroom BEFORE you go to sleep.
Well that's it for now, I hope you have all learnt from my mistakes.
Love Charli
PS. if anyone can think of a book about another culture by an internationally acclaimed female author that can be read in three days, do tell me.
Monday, 2 October 2006
The Saga Of The Blank Wall
Hmmm, well, today (well tonight-no wait, today, it's 12am) I think I will write about about a nice mundane topic for a contrast (or juxtaposition for my English teacher). And it is, wait for it...my wall!
Yes, I know walls are generally not that interesting but that is in fact my point - my wall is the most boring wall imaginable. Seriously, it does not even have the stark boldness of being white, it is in fact an 'offwhite', which basically is a surburban technique of putting a tinge of yellow into white paint to make a room appear less 'cold' but really it just makes it feel like I am living in an icecream container that has jaundice.
Seeing as I have now had this room since I was eight (with the exception of a short stint in a bigger room when I was 12 and the room that I share with my sister at my dad's house - it's pink and purple) it would be reasonable for one to ask why I have not put something on the wall or (gasp) paint it! Well, the reason is, is that this is not actually my house (it's my stepdad's) but in the past week a huge revolution has occured which has resulted in massive reforms and the celebrating of Jelly Bean Girls the world over - I am allowed to use bluetack!
Enter the artistic Julia and a very rainy day stuck inside and voia! - two beautiful, highly accomplished paintings to embellish my walls, one entitled 'Fairyland', the other I have decided can be named nothing else but 'Random'. So the upshot of this is that my wall is now looking alot more exciting than before, but if you have any suggestions for more cool stuff to put up do tell my, there's plenty of space still to be decorated.
Before:
After:
Au revoir mes amis, vous devriez vraiment apprendre le francais!
Yes, I know walls are generally not that interesting but that is in fact my point - my wall is the most boring wall imaginable. Seriously, it does not even have the stark boldness of being white, it is in fact an 'offwhite', which basically is a surburban technique of putting a tinge of yellow into white paint to make a room appear less 'cold' but really it just makes it feel like I am living in an icecream container that has jaundice.
Seeing as I have now had this room since I was eight (with the exception of a short stint in a bigger room when I was 12 and the room that I share with my sister at my dad's house - it's pink and purple) it would be reasonable for one to ask why I have not put something on the wall or (gasp) paint it! Well, the reason is, is that this is not actually my house (it's my stepdad's) but in the past week a huge revolution has occured which has resulted in massive reforms and the celebrating of Jelly Bean Girls the world over - I am allowed to use bluetack!
Enter the artistic Julia and a very rainy day stuck inside and voia! - two beautiful, highly accomplished paintings to embellish my walls, one entitled 'Fairyland', the other I have decided can be named nothing else but 'Random'. So the upshot of this is that my wall is now looking alot more exciting than before, but if you have any suggestions for more cool stuff to put up do tell my, there's plenty of space still to be decorated.
Before:
After:
Au revoir mes amis, vous devriez vraiment apprendre le francais!
Wednesday, 27 September 2006
Oh No...Here She Goes Again
Hello people of the world, I come in peace. I do, however, have a bit of a rant (which I'll try to keep compact, but no promises) and that is why, why, why does a society which thinks it's so egalitarian (just look at the way people criticise say, muslims wearing burqas, or claim Eminem is a misogynist) have to be so demoralising to women??
I can kind of guess what everyone's thinking - that yeah society has its flaws but it always has done and we're getting better, so just get over it. But here's the thing, I don't think we are getting much bette it's just that we're getting more surrepticious and subtle about our sexism.
Why is it that teachers (unconsciously) tell female students to be quiet 10 times more than male ones, even though male pupils on average make alot more noise? Why is it that girls in ads are always portrayed as submissive, or if they do happen to be 'out there' and 'rebellious' it's to please men? Why is it that whenever a teenage boy decides to approach me, they literally talk down to me as though I'm an amusing kid and quickly put me in the 'friend to be cynical about' category when I refuse to be treatedin this was? And why (the inevitable question) is the first insult someone calls a girl is 'fat', when, in the words of JK Rowling, "is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'?" Seriously, my list of examples could go on and on (but I decided to edit them so everyone didn't go to sleep).
Personally, I think my ideas are summed up in a far more aesthetically pleasing (and funny) way in Pink's 'Stupid Girls', see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzmhiCC46E&mode (Pink's my new hero - did you see the interview with her on 60 Minutes the other night, she's so cool!)
VS.
So what exactly is to be done about this problem? Well (in my humble, humble opinion) I'd like to draw attention to the fact that we can no longer blame the 'incompetence' of males as the reason for all this, women do it to eachother too, as I see everyday going to an all-girls school. I'd also like to point out that I'm not saying we shouldn't embrace the sexuality and femininity of women, but let's respect all the qualities of women - the ones that make them intelligent, brave, passionate and interesting as well as 'hot'.
We are lucky enough to live in countries (well most of the people who will be reading this are) where in the battle for equality of the sexes the martyrs have been martyred, the protestors have protested, the suffragettes suffered and the laws changed. Let's not waste all this effort - the hard work has been done, now it's time for us to change our attitudes!
Love, you impassioned Charli
PS. funnily enough I planned for neither this blog nor this post to be particularly rant-y (for want of a better word) but this felt more important than telling you all how I lay around doing nothing for the past few days (actually, I saw a life-changing movie, but Caitlin beat me to it here: http://inthelifeofameerkat.blogspot.com/).
I can kind of guess what everyone's thinking - that yeah society has its flaws but it always has done and we're getting better, so just get over it. But here's the thing, I don't think we are getting much bette it's just that we're getting more surrepticious and subtle about our sexism.
Why is it that teachers (unconsciously) tell female students to be quiet 10 times more than male ones, even though male pupils on average make alot more noise? Why is it that girls in ads are always portrayed as submissive, or if they do happen to be 'out there' and 'rebellious' it's to please men? Why is it that whenever a teenage boy decides to approach me, they literally talk down to me as though I'm an amusing kid and quickly put me in the 'friend to be cynical about' category when I refuse to be treatedin this was? And why (the inevitable question) is the first insult someone calls a girl is 'fat', when, in the words of JK Rowling, "is 'fat' worse than 'vindictive', 'jealous', 'shallow', 'vain', 'boring' or 'cruel'?" Seriously, my list of examples could go on and on (but I decided to edit them so everyone didn't go to sleep).
Personally, I think my ideas are summed up in a far more aesthetically pleasing (and funny) way in Pink's 'Stupid Girls', see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXzmhiCC46E&mode (Pink's my new hero - did you see the interview with her on 60 Minutes the other night, she's so cool!)
VS.
So what exactly is to be done about this problem? Well (in my humble, humble opinion) I'd like to draw attention to the fact that we can no longer blame the 'incompetence' of males as the reason for all this, women do it to eachother too, as I see everyday going to an all-girls school. I'd also like to point out that I'm not saying we shouldn't embrace the sexuality and femininity of women, but let's respect all the qualities of women - the ones that make them intelligent, brave, passionate and interesting as well as 'hot'.
We are lucky enough to live in countries (well most of the people who will be reading this are) where in the battle for equality of the sexes the martyrs have been martyred, the protestors have protested, the suffragettes suffered and the laws changed. Let's not waste all this effort - the hard work has been done, now it's time for us to change our attitudes!
Love, you impassioned Charli
PS. funnily enough I planned for neither this blog nor this post to be particularly rant-y (for want of a better word) but this felt more important than telling you all how I lay around doing nothing for the past few days (actually, I saw a life-changing movie, but Caitlin beat me to it here: http://inthelifeofameerkat.blogspot.com/).
Sunday, 24 September 2006
Yay! A Momentous Occasion - My First Post
Hello my darling friends ( and anyone who isn't my friend hello, but sorry you're not my darling), be proud of your little Charli as she is all grown up and has finally gotten a blog!
But why, you ask is your blog called 'Thoughts Of A Jelly Bean Girl', for as far we we know you are not, in fact, a jelly bean. Well, I will answer pompously, whilst it is true that I am not a jelly bean, I am a big fan of them a)because they taste good and b)because the are brightly coloured and vibrant, and I like bright colours and vibrance. (But really beacue I couldn't think of anything better).
So that's it, first post over, I hope there will be many more to come.
Love Me
(as in love from me, not as in please, please love me)
But why, you ask is your blog called 'Thoughts Of A Jelly Bean Girl', for as far we we know you are not, in fact, a jelly bean. Well, I will answer pompously, whilst it is true that I am not a jelly bean, I am a big fan of them a)because they taste good and b)because the are brightly coloured and vibrant, and I like bright colours and vibrance. (But really beacue I couldn't think of anything better).
So that's it, first post over, I hope there will be many more to come.
Love Me
(as in love from me, not as in please, please love me)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
