Tuesday, May 03, 2005
she's too young
Watched she's too young on hallmark just now. some B grade movie where fourteen year olds sleep around for popularity purposes and disregard all thought of sexual diseases and the danger of pregnancies. As crappy as this B movie sounds, it brought back many memories with its underlying messages. Are our teenagers getting older faster than we did? I find myself watching with raised eyebrows at thirteen year olds along orchard road dressed in outfits I would not even consider wearing. I see kids like twelve holding hands getting all touchy feely and I think to myself, what was I thinking when I was that age? And what would I do if I had a thirteen year old and found her smoking or God forbid, in bed with some sixteen old year senior and getting syphilis and chlamydia? Would I run a house like pseudo master did?Regret only comes with experience. I remembered being bitter and angry when I was that age. To any thirteen year old, nothing matters more than her friends, the cute guy and being popular. The key to that? ability to hang out without curfews. There was great surge of resentment towards pseudo master then cos I was the only one amongst my peers stuck with her folks on Saturdays. After all, how cool can a chick be if she cannot go out on saturdays, chain smoke a joint, wear doc martens and hang out at fire disco (yuck) listening to timmy thomas one hit wonder dying inside to hold you and making out with the cutest guy in school?
But you know what? It took me the next ten years to fully appreciate growing up in such a strict household. I have finally learnt to view the world as an adult and it was only then I began to realize how strange things turned out. During the later half of secondary (high) school, this supra popular chick in school decided to hang out with us. US consists of two nanyang primary, one RGPS and one neighbourhood kid who spoke English. The US bonded real well with three other IJ and henry park kids in the next class. US who were the spillovers from the ATAS (snooty) community. Digressed. I could never comprehend why she wanted to break away from her world and join the dorks. Figured she got smart earlier and wanted to do something in favour of long term optimism by hanging out with those who really do give a damn about their futures instead of mucking around with hokkien 369 potentials (i am not kidding, popular girls do get protection from the bengs).
What and where would I be if my dad left me to rot then? I fear the thought of a future without a future. if there are any thirteen year olds reading this (i doubt), please listen to your folks for once cos you only have one life and you can't afford to have it SCREWED.
update: see associated press's version on cnn
bee wrote this at 11:27 PM
