Taking a break from my usual cook-eat-sleep-study routine to check out
some of my fav blogs, and I see this, this and this.
Let me state right upfront - I can't find it in me to condemn Dawn Yang for her behaviour. Furthermore, I do not believe Dawn Yang has done anything particularly deserving of the Singapore Blogs Lynch Mob.
The Cowboy's nailed most of the issues down - there's nothing wrong with having had plastic surgery, living a life of luxury, partying with pretty people nor having great press coverage.
There is one issue that bears examination. Dawn lied. At the very least, she coyly denies having had plastic surgery. This, I think, is the source of ire among the Singapore blogosphere. She lied. She cheated. She deserves to be taken down.
Doesn't she?
----
I asked those questions to tell you this story.
Last Friday, I was rushing from class to my MPRE exam - 25 miles away from where I study. I was already running late and I had to grab lunch from the school cafeteria. I don't normally have lunch there - the food there is way too expensive, but I hadn't had time to pack my homecooked lunch on Friday on account of studying for my exam. So I paid too much for a wasabi beef sandwich, and ran out.
On the way out of the cafeteria, I heard my sandwich go "splat". There it lay, on the ground where pigeons pooped, men trampled and rainwater collected.
I almost cried.
The first thing that crossed my mind was how I couldn't afford another sandwich. I probably could have, but I was afraid that with this "waste" I would somehow be depriving myself of vitally important money down the road. Plus, I knew I wouldn't have the time to queue for another sandwich.
So, feeling like an absolute fool, I scooped it up. Except I didn't eat it straight away. I made to dispose of part of the sandwich into the bin, but retained most of it. I travelled a bit of distance from the cafeteria before I tucked into my soggy, dirty sandwich.
I deceived the crowd around me that I'd disposed of the sandwich when I didn't, because I felt I had to. Heaven forbid if anyone I knew saw me do what I did. I was ashamed that I had to resort to eating something off the ground. So I lied to everyone around me. Most of all, I lied to myself.
---
Yes, Dawn Yang probably should not have tried to play it coy with the truth. Yet, I recall my wasabe sandwich and I just cannot find it within myself to condemn her. Judging by the reaction in the blogosphere, I'd say she was spot-on about her intuition - that people react to plastic surgery, wealth and popularity like it connotes some character flaw.
Put another way - if she weren't rich, popular and pretty, would we even give a $#!+?
I don't know what her reasons are for wanting to mislead, but I'm fairly sure she has her reasons. Regardless of the legitimacy of her reasons, I believe she is entitled to some level of human weakness.
For in the end, are we all not human?
Saturday, November 12, 2005
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16 comments:
Ah, this reminds me of watching turkey vultures feed on roadkill last week.
What a sight, eh?
Let me guess, you paid $5.95 for that beef sandwich?
Well, close enough. It was $4.99.
It suddenly hit me. 'Wasabe' must be a contraction of "Where's the beef?" It is very obvious. And it has more than a passing relevance to that poor Dawn Yang, whose name means 'Early Morning Goat'. I think. Rar.
do u think she really attended USC? but not some community college ..... check it out man
Darth Sidhe,
-=facepalm=-
Anonymous,
If she did, good for her. USC is an expensive but good college. I'd like to have attended USC.
Fact is, I don't know if she attended USC. You don't know if I really dropped that wasabe beef sandwich either. Speculating over the veracity of someone's life is entertaining, but ultimately pointless.
You know KC, I've learnt so much from just reading your entry about your sandwich. It left me feeling very sad, perhaps because it reminded me of one time long ago when my father told me how when he was younger, he had to save up for a few weeks to buy himself a bottle of soft drink but he tripped and fell and the bottle of soft drink broke.
Yes that's it, your story reminds me of my childhood, when I still talked to my father on a daily basis.
But all the same, it makes me want to cry.
Well, I was very frustrated earlier today because I accidentally threw away something I just bought.
Well, one thing I don't like about Singapore is that they don't teach you one of life's most important lessons: mistakes are human, and success is achieved mostly by how many times you pick yourself up again.
that last comment is so true.
so is the rest of your post.
as for you and the icky dirty sandwich...
blame it on our army training. if your ration drop on the jungle floor still gotta eat. right? can't have the shoulders starving to death.
Well said. I really do enjoy reading your blog.
Bren,
That -could- be a reason. God knows I've done worse. You've given me a good idea for a post though.
Cowboy,
The feeling's mutual. Thanks for the patronage.
About the dropping of the sandwich..something a friend taught me long ago...if it's on the floor for less than 5 seconds, you still can eat it.
Yup, the 5 second rule.
beach-yi>>wah! you too?!?!
i believe in the 5 second rule as well.
but not when stuff is on the floor. (not THAT brave) coffee shop table ok. asthe saying goes, "la sup jiak, la sup dwa".
Beach-Yi,
I know about the 5-second rule, except I always thought it applied to tabletops and not high-traffic floor surfaces.
How come no one asked the most important question - DID YOU GET A STOMACH ACHE after eating the sandwich? :P
Anonymous,
Amazingly, I didn't.
There's an addendum to that 5 sec rule, if no one's looking, no one knows it except for you!
:p
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