Monday Momday

So the discussion on breast feeding has been a pretty sound talk of late.
I noticed that as more and more soon-to-be-moms/moms are preparing for either childbirth or motherhood, more and more are opting for more natural ways such as natural births, aka no shots, no painkillers, water births, etc and less formula more breast feeding, and the list goes on.

And one thing that's been circulating round social media is the talk of breastfeeding and milk pumping. One pretty big case was when actress Alyssa Milano took to Twitter about how Heathrow took her breast milk (that was pumped and bottled) while going through security.

Let's be real here. There are multiple reasons why women pump. One of them, which is the main one, is that the milk glands are full and need to be released. That can be done either via feeding, or pumping. And sometimes when you wanna feed, but the baby won't take it, you're left with the only other option.

Here's a quick article on Alyssa's incident.

There are tons more on the internet if you do a quick search.

And another is A LOT, and I mean

A LOT 

of people complaining (rightfully so) about the individuals/groups of people who shoot them stink eyes or have quite a mouthful to offload on moms who are breast feeding in public. One that I recently read off Facebook was about "a badass breastfeeding mama" who was not having it when a lady was staring at her and commanding her to cover up while breastfeeding her baby. She posted a photo and wrote a long post (please do take out the time to read it) and there she shed light on the stereotypes people seem to have built around this simple act of feeding ones child.

Earlier today I posted this picture of my son and I breastfeeding uncovered in a public restaurant. In the picture, it...
Posted by Ashley Kaidel on Tuesday, 24 November 2015

And quite frankly, I agree with everything she said. Here's something I don't quite understand. As a child, I've watched my mom breast feed my brother as a baby. And even though that was the case, I remember another time when I was on the train, I remember seeing a lady breast feeding her baby, and though I was familiar with it, as a child I was perplexed to see it for a couple reasons. 1, I only saw mom doing it, so it assured me that mom wasn't the only one. 2, it's perfectly normal. I was with my grandpa then, and he never thought anything about it, he just told me to stop staring because it's just rude to stare (especially for the whole process) in a way it's like invading someone's space ya feel me?

So anyway, it seems to me that in the mid nineties up till about a few years back, people were more keen on feeding their babies formulas, which I'm not condemning, I mean my mom went that route with my brother too. But now that people are picking the breast feeding practice back up, no one should really argue about it. If you read the post a badass breastfeeding mama made, you'll see some of the ridiculous things people have said to her and most definitely to other breastfeeding mommas as well. And quite frankly, these people need to re-evaluate the things they say. Seriously. "Boobs are for their husbands only". WHUT.

GTFO. 

I honestly feel that everyone wants to have an opinion, wants to have a say in everything, even when it least involves them, even when it's unnecessary. Especially when it adds points to their kiasu-ness (kiasu: when you refuse to admit losing, even when the odds are DEAD OBVIOUSLY AGAINST you). 

COME ON.

Let's be real here, why is it that you have such strong opinions on things that matter least, but NOTHING to say when it REALLY matters? Hmm? 

To a badass breastfeeding mama and ALL the moms out there who are faced with the stupendously loud and obnoxious sounding of people who think that BOOBS are only for the husbands, I salute you all and hope that you do not let these people tell you how you feed your child.
Because yes, covering yourself up when you eat is the new trend.

Ouchie Thursday

You know when you work out after a long while, or when your workout was a really good one?
And then you're super sore in places you forgot had muscles?

I've been dancing, practice after practice, rehearsal rehearsal, which leads me to my current state... of sore.

Today is the final day of school (for this term) and so I'd like to keep this one short and simple and just share with you how sore I am haha.

Like, REALLY sore. Those who've either done splits recently, or just started doing splits, you know what I mean. My legs in general hurt so bad right now tho haha

High five if you're in some sort of pain but are bossing through it. (I'm pretending not to be in pain, with the exception of this post haha)

Vicious Wednesday

In light of the Paris attacks many have come out to show their solidarity and to share their thoughts and prayers to the victims.

AND THEN there is people who are sending death threats and actual attempts in killing muslims post Paris attacks. Not that these never really existed before Paris, but this amount increased. A mosque was burned down in Canada, and a couples house severed some gun shots while they were out feeding the homeless.

Thank goodness they were actually out doing good instead of being at home.

And in a video by AJ+ (Al Jazeera+), we witness a man calling up a mosque and threatening to shoot every single person in the mosque and adds that he doesn't care "if they're 2 or 100".

Seriously?


It's a bloody vicious cycle when you keep doing shit like this.
Why won't you use all this goddamn energy to do good? Like, I don't know feed the homeless, fight for better education, donate to technology advancement in health, start a new sport, SOMETHING USEFUL AND PRODUCTIVE INSTEAD OF ALL THIS GOD FORSAKEN HATE.

A couple months ago my childhood friend visited me, and he was staying Seoul Station, pretty much the one-stop-shop for the airport, out of state train travels, and buses. And if you didn't know, Seoul Station is actually known to be the place where A LOT of homeless stay and get food from NGOs and all.

What was interesting was that my friend, as he was walking by, saw the homeless people, and then saw that there was a big (I shan't name the religion so I shall say) religious event going on, like an appreciation offering kind of event. According to my friend, it wasn't too small, and had a stage, speakers, and all. But all they were doing were just gathering and praising.

Then my friend asked: why would they spend all that money for this, and not use it to help the homeless? They're really obvious cuz they're just walking around this event. And this struck me. Yeah, why? Don't get me wrong, I'm not condemning anyone here, but why do people have to spend money unnecessarily instead of using it to do more good?

And so it goes back to the Islamophobic video which you can check out for yourself here.

WHY? 

Why won't you use all that hate, all that energy to get off your high horse and help those in need instead of spreading all this hate towards people who were not even involved? What is wrong with you?


#WHEREISTHELOVE

Rainfall Tuesday

Yesterday, around the time I posted my blog post, I was once again going through some of the wall posts on my home. And there were some rather passionate people who like me, were calling others out.

Everyone seemed to be calling out different people for different reasons. And while some were more chill, some were pretty straightforward. And for some reason, I felt pretty bad. Seeing the amount of likes on one, and not adding to the statistics, I chatted one of my friends up and told her how I was feeling. More like I asked her...

"why do I feel bad for reading your post"

She responded in getting me to check myself in asking why?
So I told her that well, at the end of the day, after all this, I am just merely one person behind a keyboard.

And why does that matter? Well, cuz we all are. We can say all these things and be opinionated about whatever but ultimately we're all behind the safe haven of a keyboard. We're not on the frontline defending anyone, sacrificing our lives for anyone. Yet we have the most to say.

And I don't think it helps that France used violence to respond to violence.

Monday Again

You need not be a world class journalist to know that tragedy struck France this past weekend. Just scrolling through your Facebook will show you how the world has come into solidarity with the victims & families of those who were at the fated theatre.

And yes, grief is much needed for everyone, especially those personally affected by the incidents. Be it the families or those lives taken, the survivors who are probably now also having to deal with the trauma, those whose friends were in that theatre, and the rest of us, who do not think that this was at all necessary, and are choosing to send prayers/love/support to the victims.

On the other hand, while all this is said, I find it truly distasteful and in fact, rude, for anyone to call out on another for also turning the gaze on events that have been occurring either before or simultaneously alongside the Paris attack.

Take.. this article for example:

Unfortunately, if you were to follow the article, you won't really be able to say whether or not the Malaysian actress Wardina Safiyyah (who seems to be penalized here) really said something "distasteful". However, if we're basing it on what the writer says here:

"Wardina Saffiyah’s Official Page instead highlighted the instances of people dying in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine who are not given as much attention. "

(con't) Whatever the actress had said was (from how I see it) a way of her saying "hey, these tragedies are happening too. Why aren't we acknowledging/ talking about them?" 

For this to be deemed as "distasteful" and that whatever Syed Nizamuddin Sayed Khassim had to say "deserved a standing ovation", just breaks my heart. 

It's so easy to jump on the band wagon and ask the humanistic question of "aren't these people human as well?" But let's be critical on ourselves here... When we start pinning down and defending only one group of victims, we're not really doing anything. In fact, we're only acting out on our biases. When we do something like this, we're not really caring for victims as humans, we're merely picking and choosing who we're crying for. 

And sadly, while, yes, he does have a point. You don't say things like that at a funeral, not anywhere, not even in any given situation. But, when you write an article, calling someone distasteful, and giving a WWE smack down to get our protagonist to realize something, and only AFTER, dyou say "let's also take a moment to acknowledge the other victims in other war zones/attacks", your after word holds no meaning. 

It reminds me of when someone is about to say something that you're not too keen on listening ie:

You're about to get fired. Your boss calls you in, compliments you on everything you've been doing, thanks you for all the great things you've helped the company achieve, but ends it with a "how should I say this" and resumes by firing you. Everything that he had said leading up to those last words of your exit would mean nothing. 

And this, kinda feels like that. 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not the best advocate in bringing news in regards to every attack/ war that's taking place in the world. If I were, I'd probably already be hired to be a journalist by now (I digress). In many aspects, I am rather unqualified to say anything cuz like I've been told "because your ONE opinion is what only matters" (sarcasm, by the way, if you couldn't tell). However, I do say that order of these events aren't important. Yes, that day it was Paris' day to mourn. But everyday, on a daily basis, even when Paris was happening, people in a war torn country are facing the atrocities that Paris witness that one fateful night. All in all, I see no harm in which the Malaysian actress (whose comment on the incident I still am not able to see) is also crying out for a gaze in their direction as well. 

On a side note, if we're kinda doing what was suggested, in mourning for the next attack, by now, we should be in various countries and bringing attention to things regarding all the places that have innocent victims losing their lives. But, from what I see, quite a lot of us are still kinda stuck on Paris. What does that say about us? 

#whereisthelove gais? 

Brokedown Friday

A sense of humor is much needed these last few days as things have started becoming challenging on it's own. And I guess I wasn't quite aware of the stress I had building inside until yesterday..

during my speaking exam.

Uh, yeah. I went to school feeling pretty good. I knew my grammar, I could usually just come up with something on the spot, and just re-use the stuff I said during class during the exam. Shouldn't be a big deal. So after the listening test, we waited outside the classroom while the other students did their tests. Then it was my turn.

Went into the room and sat before the teacher. In the past, all the other teachers have made some kind of small talk but not this one. I was told to read out loud for the 1st part, then it was straight onto the next part of doing a conversation. I struggled a little, nothing unusual really.

Then came the next part where I had to recount an experience I had at a concert. I thought about what I roughly wanted to say and said it... But, with a lot of effort. At one point, I got stuck and had a long pause. Then I told the teacher that I wasn't too confident. And then I broke down haha. She seemed pretty surprised that that happened and spent the next god knows how long to convince me that I was doing alright. And despite all that, I was still teary eyed and then we went on with the exam. I finished it all, and came out dying on the inside.

Needless to say, I didn't feel too great after that... And to add to it all, I learnt from my student's mother that we shan't be having class anymore due to her daughter's busy schedule. Man, that blows. I wasn't too taken aback as I was already expecting it. I mean, I went all the way there last week to find out that they had cancelled class, but because I had no phone, could not check the message they sent me.

But yeah. So yesterday I just spent the rest of the day at home, calmly looking through the past writings we made in prep for tomorrow's writing exam. And once all that's done, I'm going to go out and get some fresh air cuz I've only been studying this whole semester. Minus the dinner times, where I would basically eat nearby to save on travel time.

And well, today is a new day and there's no point dwelling in what happened yesterday. It was a painful experience but it's okay. Things happen, and that's all just a part of me now. Next part is what I can do to make even more memories. Whether or not they'll be good or a painful one like this one, it all adds to the charm of life.

Happy Friday to you (:

Ignorant Thursday

It's an interesting polar to hear people's thoughts on certain things but to see them turn around and do something completely different. I think this is a good video that kind shows that in many ways, not in just the gender equality part, but some other stuff as well...

I think one thing we all tend to forget is the kind of privilege we have. For many of us, we aren't aware of it because we're so caught up in our problems and issues that we need to resolve that we don't become aware of what we actually do have. Pretty simple, yet, such a magnanimous task for us to carry out. 

Woman Crush Wednesday

It's a little funny, yesterday after talking about accomplishing small things and feeling good about myself, things started to become a little more challenging.

From the teacher repeating what I needed to do despite me responding "okay, I got it! I'll do that" three times. Then, still not quite having the perfect dance routine during dance class and the performance being next week..

To coming home and feeling like a mess cuz of the pile of clothes, although clean, stacked next to where I usually sit, and not wanting to do anything but had to still make dinner and then get on with studying.

Sounds like an easy day. It could've been, if I hadn't been so impatient with myself I guess. And I think that's my biggest challenge, of being so impatient.. :/

But eitherway, today is a new day! With a Woman Crush Wednesday:

I would ask you to guess but the Youtube video kinda gives it away.. 

Accomplished Tuesday

It's Tuesday am I'm feeling somewhat accomplished and optimistic.

Yesterday missed a post despite me actually having 2 things to talk about...

I shall get to that in a bit..

But yesterday I woke up an hour earlier, did my homework, had breakfast, did the dishes, got everything ready, didn't miss a thing, and got to school early (;

I talk a lot about constantly challenging ourselves. Even if it means something small, like waking up at the time you set, having everything you need before leaving the house, and getting all you need done before you go about your daily routine.

Small as it may seem, it is significant in the way we undertake everything else. The sense of accomplishment we feel only carries itself forward and keeps pushing us to be even more optimistic about our day's work.

So yes, I did feel accomplished yesterday. I hope we can all set mini goals daily to feel accomplished in our own ways (:

Baffled Friday

I had so many things on my mind yesterday that I had wanted to share.

But after an exhausting day, some really tired feet, and calling it a night at almost 10pm (a new record for me), I woke up to my eyes in a line of crusty eye wax, and at a loss for words. But even as I'm typing this, the only think I could think about was Thanksgiving.

Not quite the one you have in mind though.. Yesterday, we had a mini audition for a Thanksgiving performance for the entire school (which is basically the main university student body + faculty). And the university's school choir was singing a song which if I was not mistaken had the word "Jesus" in it.. Not that there's anything wrong with it, just found it kinda ironic for Thanksgiving, really. But of course, as it was an "audition", the professor in charge stopped the performance halfway through and asked for another option, which wasn't sung as well as the previous one, but had a more livelier feel to it, it was an IU song, and you can imagine, in a choir how it would sound if the balance of octaves were there...

I mean, to be real though, our performance was also shit.. HAHA

We had only learnt the dance in 2 classes and were expected to perform it. So, we might be switching back to something more familiar lol 

But I mean, Bang Bang Bang for Thanksgiving definitely sounds like a great option either way haha

(a concoction of bias and sarcasm, thus overexcitement for the song and also not entirely feeling it in general)

---

ON ANOTHER NOTE THO!

Born today, 201 years ago was the man who apparently invented a ton of musical instruments: 

and had laid groundwork on this

Happy Birthday sir.

Lol go Wiki him cuz this is whoa

Picturesqued Thursday

As per usual, I try to look up stuff to have variety to talk about every morning.
And today is no different, but over the last couple days, you may have noticed some tweaks here and there.
Frankly, I felt like I wasn't growing/moving as a writer and so I've been trying to incorporate other things that'll hopefully give me some wiggle room to switch things up a little. So bare with me while I go through this process! (: But I digress..

Today, I found something that I think quite a lot of us can really enjoy: superheroes!

Depicting different perspectives on being a hero, we should remember that capes and fancy costumes are just optional (:

Human Hump Day

Emily Dowell 

is a cancer survivor who created a set of empathy cards to help those giving support, but who seem to kinda make things a little less nice.. And while many of them help with supporting those with an illness, this one stood out and applies to also a normal daily encounter. 

Sadly, there's always some sort of expectation or standard to live up to, and in many cases, we'd get into a state of negativity that somehow gets us to think we're lesser than what we are, sometimes resulting in us branding ourselves as something less. So I thought this would be a good reminder that we're all human, shit happens, and shitty feelings occur.. 

Freeway Tuesday?

When I was 9 I still remember looking at a map and thinking that if I drove from Malaysia, I would still be able to make it to the States.

Well, I might need to kinda jump over the ocean between Russia and Alaska (hey I was 9 with a good imagination ok) to get to the States but I would still make it!
And who knew that now, this childhood idea of mine may just come true (:

The Trans-Eurasian belt Development is currently underway and this freeway will end in London. Trillions of monies in the making, I am pretty curious of the end result.

Not that we'll be able to see it in the near future... I don't think. First of all, monies. I would insert some intelligent comment here about monies but to be honest, I am not too familiar with the Russian economy but let's be real, trillions is A LOT of money. I mean if you go here, you'll be able to watch how much debt the US is in and so I'm not sure (if the US is on board) that they would actually want to be a part of all this.. I mean, as great as it is, do they really need it?

Speaking of, is the US and UK even down for this? Well I don't see why in terms of tourism but if ya think the possibilities that can happen...

HEHE