Hear my cries for help: Girl on girl aggression
by Claire Leong
IN Crowder At the risk of sounding like the school outcast, I was once the object of girl-on-girl aggression - a form of bullying. As its name suggests, it's done by girls to girls. It is different because the bullying is not physical but mental. It often stems from jealously or insecurity and all the feminine traits you hear of often come into play - gossip, rumour-mongering and exclusion from a group. In front of the adults, the bully becomes the "good girl". In fact, my bully was my best friend - now former best friend, of course. It started with a stinging slap to my cheek in front of everyone during recess. Humiliated and utterly taken aback, I ran away crying. I went back to class after recess and returned to my seat beside her, eyes sore and red from crying. She behaved like nothing had happened. I was so confused. My mum complained to the discipline master, who asked the girl to apologise to me with a handshake. She smiled sweetly and asked the teacher: "Can I hug her instead?" I was daft enough to believe that she was truly sorry. Despite the hug, the next few months were torture. Rumours about me, such as committing theft and stealing someone else's boyfriend, spread like wildfire; nasty notes criticising me and insulting my personality or appearance were left on my desk and I was constantly spammed with hate messages on my Facebook account and my blog. I spent recess time alone in the girls' toilet, reading a storybook while I waited for the bell to ring so I could get back to class. I found any excuse I could just to miss school. I was simply too much of a weakling to stand up for myself. The ordeal was finally over when I was posted to a different class from my bully this year. However, the bullying had already done its damage. I'm distrustful of girls and whenever I see two people whispering nearby, the first thing that comes to mind is: "Oh my gosh, what did I do? What are they saying about me?" Girl aggression is more hurtful than other forms of bullying because it is all mind games. Authorities brush it off as "just a phase" or, like my school counsellor, think that "sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me". It's not true for me - words hurt and become festering wounds. Please, will adults realise that girl aggression is a big deal? |
Other Pieces
*there are several other published articles by Singapore Press Holdings which I have yet to upload*
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Kampung's last stand
by Claire Leong
IN Crowder
Credit for Photos: Claire Leong
Kampung Lorong Buangkok, Singapore's last surviving village, is located in Hougang on the north-eastern side of Singapore. When I went to visit - my dad drove me - out of curiosity recently, it was the first time I had seen anything so unlike the rest of Singapore.
The tall buildings across the road seemed like from another world. Dogs lazed on the grass, serene and calm, and cats snoozed under the furniture on the porches.
Most of the simple single-storey houses had their doors open. That was a surprise to a city girl like me - these people trusted their neighbours enough to leave their doors open the whole day.
Residents of the kampung simply smiled and waved a "hello" to me as they passed. They must have presumed I was a visitor because no one stopped me.
Contrary to popular belief, the houses were inhabited not just by the elderly but also by working adults and their young children.
That Saturday, most of them stayed indoors, out of the scorching sun, but a few were on their porches, taking in the peace and beauty around them. There was also a small group of children playing outdoors. They were playing kuti-kuti, a game using tokens and pebbles.
Some children living in the city demand Play-Station-Portables and computer games from our parents, but these children at the kampung, no older than 12, were contented with playing a game using a few pebbles from the ground. They did not need video games to entertain themselves. Neither did they require many things to be happy. It was quite a culture shock for me.
As I was leaving, I noticed there was at least one parked car beside each house and one was a Mercedes.
Owning a car in Singapore, much less a luxury model, is not cheap. Residents of Kampung Lorong Buangkok are not living there because they could not afford to move out but because they want to.
It is a pity there are no other villages left in mainland Singapore. All of them have been replaced by Housing Board Development flats. As I watched a mother with her two young children walked in, I realised this was the only place that we can visit to see how our grandparents lived. Unfortunately, the space where this last kampung in Singapore stands will be occupied by more flats in time to come.
As I left the kampung that day, I found myself hoping that life could be just like it is in the kampung - easy-going, relaxed and where everyone trusted each other.
IN Crowder
Credit for Photos: Claire Leong
Kampung Lorong Buangkok, Singapore's last surviving village, is located in Hougang on the north-eastern side of Singapore. When I went to visit - my dad drove me - out of curiosity recently, it was the first time I had seen anything so unlike the rest of Singapore.
The tall buildings across the road seemed like from another world. Dogs lazed on the grass, serene and calm, and cats snoozed under the furniture on the porches.
Most of the simple single-storey houses had their doors open. That was a surprise to a city girl like me - these people trusted their neighbours enough to leave their doors open the whole day.
Residents of the kampung simply smiled and waved a "hello" to me as they passed. They must have presumed I was a visitor because no one stopped me.
Contrary to popular belief, the houses were inhabited not just by the elderly but also by working adults and their young children.
That Saturday, most of them stayed indoors, out of the scorching sun, but a few were on their porches, taking in the peace and beauty around them. There was also a small group of children playing outdoors. They were playing kuti-kuti, a game using tokens and pebbles.
Some children living in the city demand Play-Station-Portables and computer games from our parents, but these children at the kampung, no older than 12, were contented with playing a game using a few pebbles from the ground. They did not need video games to entertain themselves. Neither did they require many things to be happy. It was quite a culture shock for me.
As I was leaving, I noticed there was at least one parked car beside each house and one was a Mercedes.
Owning a car in Singapore, much less a luxury model, is not cheap. Residents of Kampung Lorong Buangkok are not living there because they could not afford to move out but because they want to.
It is a pity there are no other villages left in mainland Singapore. All of them have been replaced by Housing Board Development flats. As I watched a mother with her two young children walked in, I realised this was the only place that we can visit to see how our grandparents lived. Unfortunately, the space where this last kampung in Singapore stands will be occupied by more flats in time to come.
As I left the kampung that day, I found myself hoping that life could be just like it is in the kampung - easy-going, relaxed and where everyone trusted each other.
Cosfest: Welcome to my fantasy world
by Claire Leong
IN Crowder
Credit for Photos: Claire Leong
Stepping into Cosfest 2011 was like stepping into a completely different world. Alive and in the flesh right in front of me, my favourite characters from role-playing game Final Fantasy were posing for pictures as Naruto the ninja boy sipped on a cup of Coca-cola from the nearby McDonald's outlet.
Some 13,000 people had turned up at Downtown East on June 25 and 26 for the annual cosplay event and I was one of them.
Cosplay, short for costume play, is a hobby in which participants, also known as cosplayers, bring to life their favourite fictional characters by dressing up as them.
The practice, which some have called performance art, originated in Japan and has spawned a sub-culture with its own thriving economy. Most cosplayers recreate Japanese anime and manga characters.
I found out from Phoenix Tan (top right), 16, who was dressed as Final Fantasy's Yuna, that cosplay costumes can easily be purchased online.
She had bought hers online and then made some minor alterations to get it to fit perfectly.
Others, like Justin Sim (top left) make their won costumes. The 19-year old, who was playing the character Uchiha Itachi from the anime series Naruto, has been cosplaying for four years.
He said making the costumes was a tedious process, but he enjoyed it because it was his passion.
I left Cosfest with a new found respect for cosplayers that day, seeing as how they put in so much effort into bringing their favourite anime characters to life.
IN Crowder
Credit for Photos: Claire Leong
Stepping into Cosfest 2011 was like stepping into a completely different world. Alive and in the flesh right in front of me, my favourite characters from role-playing game Final Fantasy were posing for pictures as Naruto the ninja boy sipped on a cup of Coca-cola from the nearby McDonald's outlet.
Some 13,000 people had turned up at Downtown East on June 25 and 26 for the annual cosplay event and I was one of them.
Cosplay, short for costume play, is a hobby in which participants, also known as cosplayers, bring to life their favourite fictional characters by dressing up as them.
The practice, which some have called performance art, originated in Japan and has spawned a sub-culture with its own thriving economy. Most cosplayers recreate Japanese anime and manga characters.
I found out from Phoenix Tan (top right), 16, who was dressed as Final Fantasy's Yuna, that cosplay costumes can easily be purchased online.
She had bought hers online and then made some minor alterations to get it to fit perfectly.
Others, like Justin Sim (top left) make their won costumes. The 19-year old, who was playing the character Uchiha Itachi from the anime series Naruto, has been cosplaying for four years.
He said making the costumes was a tedious process, but he enjoyed it because it was his passion.
I left Cosfest with a new found respect for cosplayers that day, seeing as how they put in so much effort into bringing their favourite anime characters to life.