Mindless violence and I'm leaving on a jet plane..

If the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza are unlawful and against the Geneva convention and UN resolutions, why is no one doing anything about it? Why doesn't someone step in and put a stop to this violence? Should someone not be held responsible for these atrocities and crimes against humanity? The right to shelter and the right to abode were blatantly taken away from the Palestinian people and no one can do anything about it?

We often see biased coverage of the brutalities and violence in the occupied territories, showing Palestinian "attacks" and Israeli "retaliation" to these attacks, making it seem like Israeli violence is an act of self defence, thus justifying the killing of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Self defence by the occupier. How does that make any sense? Once you are illegally occupying someone else's land, your acts of violence against those people CANNOT be deemed self defence.

Unprovoked hate or a "natural" hatred for the Israeli people is often portrayed as the reason for the "mindless" violent attacks of the Palestinian people. But what the media fails to address is how this hatred came about. These people are living in terrible conditions because of the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land, a fact that is often omitted. People living in constant fear, under terrible conditions, where basic shelter, food, water and security are not met cannot be expected to take it all lying down. It breeds anger and frustration and these people don't see a way out of it other than to drive the oppressors out of the land which is rightfully theirs, thus resorting to violence. I do not condone it, obviously, but it is not unprovoked.

If it's a well-known fact that the occupation is illegal, why is nothing being done? Israel has been asked to pull out of Palestine by the UN after the war in 1940something, but it has yet to do so. Why is nothing being done to put pressure on the Israeli government to abide by international laws and UN resolutions? Letting the situation continue the way it is is only going to make it harder and more complicated to end this conflict.

It's really sad to think of what's going on and that nothing concrete is being done to stop it. I watched this video that's linked at the top of this page: http://www.haltonmosque.org/conflict.htm. It's pretty long, but worth the time. Propaganda and good PR seems like all that is needed to win a war and justify your actions.

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Anyway, I'm leaving in about a week! Pretty fast eh.. Haven't really started packing and I haven't mentally prepared myself for leaving and living alone. Maybe because if I start doing that, then it'll make it more real. I can't deal with that. So I'm just going to enjoy myself now.. And face the fact that I'm going off some time next week. Next week is family and Jonathan week :)

My own countdown...

Almost everything's settled now. Just have to wait for the confirmation of the plane tickets.

People are asking if I'm prepared to leave and whether I've started packing. More people are giving advice on what to do, what to expect, what to bring.

I'm feeling a little gloomy, melancholic? I don't know how to describe it. Don't get me wrong, I'm really excited to leave. I mean, it's been delayed for 3 months now, so really, I just can't wait to go. But now that's it's all been settled, and knowing I have 47 days left... :/ well, it's only just really, really sunk in I guess.

There's so much I'm going to miss.

Tsk. Male drivers....

I think I am quite prone to road rage when I drive. And I think that it scares Jonathan a little. We were driving to Thomson Plaza yesterday and I stalled while going up the slope that turns into the carpark (yes, I know, I thought I was on gear 2 but turns out it was on gear 4). Anyway, this jerk behind me starts honking. I mean, if my car stalled, honking won't make it go any faster la ok? It just either makes me panic or makes me damn pissed off, or both. I'm sorry, but I don't drive an automatic like you, I'm not lame. And I have a freaking yellow triangle! Doesn't that give me immunity or something?

Give. Me. A. Fucking. Break.

Yea so I was shouting in the car and then I showed the jerk the finger and Jonathan was just really quiet. Hehehe. Sorry penyu.

Anyway, Selamat Hari Raya :)

The one with random thoughts on display...

We're sort of like the download generation. So it was quite refreshing to choose CDs at That CD Shop with my mom the other night. And the salesgirl was really helpful too, so that's always good. :) We got some really cool french and latin/spanish songs from the High Society range of compilations. Everything just sounds better in French haha.

I was thinking of something last night and now I totally can't remember what it is, which is really really annoying.

You know, the words in books don't change, but somehow their meanings change depending on who's reading and when. I think I've mentioned something like this before, and I thought it was because of a different perspective, mostly due to age. Recently though, I've started reading Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke, a book that I read a little of in the early part of 2007. It didn't seem very interesting then, but now I can't seem to put it down. Strange. And I can't attribute that to the "different perspectives" argument because that was only a year and a half ago. I couldn't have changed that much in a year.

Oh, and Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman is a fun read. :)

Two years sounds like a very very long time.

All the World (I Tell Myself) by Correatown is a really nice song.

I have about 3 months more, depending on how long they take to process my employment visa etc. I haven't exactly told many people, but somehow word spreads.

So to those of you who found out through someone other than me, please don't be offended. It's not that I don't want to tell you personally, or that you're not important enough. It's just that I don't wanna let so many people know until I sign the contract. I guess I want it to be really really completely confirmed before I start letting people know that I'm leaving.

Braces are a bitch. By the way. It's freakin painful.

Strange smile

She caught my eye as she looked up at me.
Eyes filled with some emotion I still can't quite place.
Like hope, tinged with sadness,
and resignation to the life that she had.

She smiled at me.
Raised her palms.
I lowered my eyes as I passed.

She sat in the dust by the side of the road,
smiling.

I'm leaving... on an Airbus380... (I hope)

I got a training position in London with GSK. :)