Sex

Let's talk about sex.

After all, it's about time we started talking about it; seeing that we have a declining birth rate and an increasing cases of school children in compromising positions. Maybe we should just lower the minimum age of consent eh? That would solve a lot of population problems. Or encourage fellow citizens to start procreating or else we'll import in an ah tiong.

When we became independent, it was our strategic geographic location that helped us to rise and be what we are today. Now, it is this same strategic location that has created a very crucial problem which is how to tackle the topic of sex.

On one hand, we have the older generation, who are heavily immensed in chinese cultures and beliefs, having been reared in them, and regards sex as a taboo subject. On the other side of the coin, we have the younger generation, who have brought up on a diet of coke and american pop, and has no qualms talking about sex.

Frankly, the older generation doesn't really need to talk about sex, because their parents didn't talk about it, and they're doing so well, so why start now? And, even if they feel that they should start now, how should they go about it, since their parents didn't talk about it.

Also, where got time la? Daddy mummy need to work so that you can get your iphone4 and ipod and pay your tuition fees. You also need to study for tests, and go for tuition and piano class and still need to volunteer for YOG somemore. Where got time?

So we try to find a compromise to the whole situation, and push the responsibility to the ones that our children definitely has time for - school.

But what can they do? Their hands are definitely tied. Some parents say safe sex should be promoted, others say abstinence should be the main issue instead. The debate will never end. Add a recent survey of teenagers whose main question really is 'What is sex?' and you'll realize perhaps the sexual education curriculum is barking up the wrong tree.

I think I have the solution to the problem. Sure, it would definitely raise eyebrows but every idea faces opposition right?

What I propose is that the sexual education curriculum be split into two levels, Stage 1 and Stage 2. See, more teenagers are maturing at an early age. Periods start earlier for girls. Wet dreams come earlier for boys too, probably. So the Stage 1 should be taught at an upper Primary level, namely in Primary 6. This should just cover the basics, like what is sex and what is puberty and how to cope with a growing body. You know, the really really basics. Don't need to cover protection and STDs yet.

(Of course there is an issue of what exactly is the definition of sex, but that will be in another post.)

I'm confident those nuggets of information would satisfy any curiosity that a growing tween would have. (I think). Of course, any changes or improvements can be made in due time, by conducting surveys or reviews. Also, I don't really foresee much opposition with parents here, since neither abstinence nor safe sex is promoted here. It's just teaching the facts.

Now comes the tricky part. Stage 2. Stage 2 is to teach information of a more in-depth level. Here the smaller details get taught. The students learn what is sex in Stage 1, now they learn why the need for sex in Stage 2. After all, they learn history and literature and geography in their normal curriculum, and in those subjects sex is more or less involved in one way or another.

What I am going to say is definitely going to raise some eyeballs, let alone eyebrows. But, I think since Stage 2 is going to be more mature in content, we should take the opportunity to educate about the fine points of sex. Topics like foreplay, respect, mutual satisfaction, as well as intimate hygiene should be taught too. True, it might seem obnoxious that a 15 year old kid learn about foreplay, or climax. But think far ahead. This knowledge that sex isn't just about pleasuring the guy, may lead to mutual benefits in the future. Now I'm not suggesting that it should be a very extreme level of education where they learn about sexual positions or morning after pills or dildos. I'm merely saying that certain mature topics should be taught in Stage 2.

There definitely are and will be grey areas of course, like masturbation and contraception.

But, this is just my thoughts, of course.

Lastly, these two stages should be taught as e-learning topics. After all, youths nowadays are more comfortable with a keyboard or touchscreen than a pen. Also, this eliminates the need for more-liberal teachers to teach the subjects. E-learning also grants students anonymity to ask any questions they want, with no embarrassment whatsoever, as opposed to the traditional raise-your-hand-and-ask-a-question style. This is also good for the ministry or for any moderators, because all content can be screened or recorded, be it chat logs or lesson syllabus. Questions by the students can be logged and if a lot of them ask a similar question, it can be added into the curriculum itself. What better way to improve than by using its own data?

You know, even if you disapprove of the Stage 1 Stage 2 thing, I truly hope someone brings up the idea of making sex ed an e-learning topic because the benefits are totally obvious. And, I can't really think of any cons.

Let me know if you can. :)

customizable phone perhaps?

Perhaps in the near future, handphones come with customizable hardware upgrades, so instead of choosing a handphone based on specs, you could just choose one based on brand, and then customize it from there, like perhaps choosing diff battery types, or diff processors, etc; kinda like how you can customize computers, but a handphone version.

Imagine the freedom! You get to decide anything from the size of your screen to adding a qwerty keyboard to the size of your internal memory.

New shows

So, now that most of the TV shows produced in America are on a hiatus so as to film the following seasons, I have the time to sample other shows, in the hope that they might be able to cure my boredom and complement my existing shows.

So, I've listed the shows I follow regularly, by genre, and the ones in bold are the new shows that have caught my eye, and I approve of them for now.

Comedy

Better Off Ted*
The IT Crowd

Action

NCIS
Covert Affairs
The Mentalist
Lie To Me
Psych
White Collar
Trauma*
Knight Rider*

Sci-Fi

Doctor Who
Eleventh Hour*
Fringe
Sanctuary
Haven

Mind-blowing

Criminal Minds

Music

Glee

As you can see nothing can replace or even complement Criminal Minds. It's like people saying Salt can complement Inception. Like hello?! She's totally out of my league.

Anyway, those with asterisks means they've axed future episodes, sadly.

P.s. If you want any of these shows, just ask. :)

Unsympathetic.

The dictionary defines sympathy as sharing of feelings, while empathy is explained as entering or understanding the feelings.

I think being in the army robs me of all sympathy. Perhaps that is one of the few things army has taken from me.

Yet, this world is full of people looking for sympathy. It need not be a significant occasion, like death. It can be something as small as a friend getting bruised, or a sore neck, or a sprained ankle.

Not that I'm completely unsympathetic, self-reflection makes me realize I still have sympathy for those who suffer from something I haven't experience before. Like cramps, of the female nature. I still have sympathy, and obviously not empathy.

But, if it's a bruise or a cut or a sprained ankle and you shake the heavens and the earths because it hurts, I simply have no sympathy. Not because I am a heartless and unfeeling man, but because I've experienced it and still gone on my duties.

I've walked more than 60km with triple layers of blisters, and a sprained ankle, and a sore back, and it is simply impossible for me to summon up some sympathy for you.

I could lash out and point out every grumbling of yours, but what would be the point of that? And so, I hold back my tongue, because no sympathetic words come out, and simply because there is nothing I truly wish to say.

I wonder if you take the silence as encouragement to speak further or as an indicator to switch the topic.

Army has its 'occupational' hazards too.

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Inferrence and identify exercise

She, in her late twenties.
Crystal watch, lots of bling.
Iphone cover's full of studded crystals.
Image conscious maybe?
likes to shine, or outshine others perhaps?
black bag with 'gateway' embossed on it
portable and easy to bring around.
Convenience.
A wanderer, not a stayer maybe.
Loyal till there's no interest and off to find another.
No ring, but she has an intimate friend.
Unless. Of course.
He's carrying her bag for her.
Someone who wants to be served then.
Not afraid to speak her mind,
to say her piece.
No ear rings, long fingernails.
White-coated toenails,
complementing her black dress theme.
Office worker, someone behind a desk,
not very active.
These are all inferences.

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What might we

One step forward, two steps back,
Well, how do you like that?

Strange how easy it is to go back to
people whom I once was with
but a short time and then weren't.

But the history is unsettling.
How do we make it for, in the present?
And what do we make of it?

What make we make of each other?

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So Early

I haven't been out of house so early in such a long time.

The nice blue sky overcast - a nice blend that can be replicated in photoshop with the gradient tool.

Students with their name tags displayed so prominently on their uniforms, displaying their full name for all to see, and track, and stalk.

Some walk along, like drones, in zombiefied stances.

Others walk like robots, receiving directions and downloading To-Do lists from their earphones.

And the smell. This fresh crisp air, filled with excitement and unknown possibilities for the day. Return of test results, a new love interest, heartbreak and heartaches, who truly knows?

Some stuff their heads in books, others in newspapers. The dude at my diagonal right opposite reading his papers with a frown. Stocks not doing well? Or he hasn't relaxed his facial muscles yet. The man in his mid-40s, dressed in a bright blue Hawaiian shirt, standing in front of me looks forlorn out in the distance of the carriage window. Thinking about the long day ahead? Or wondering about the mistakes he made in bed last night?

Who knows what the future holds?
Its possibilities no one truly knows.
Unless we seize the chances
To live our dreams
And make our aspirations become
Reality.

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