Trust me, this doesnt happen too often, and might become even rarer, so is definitly noteworthy. So with the reunion came the usual family activities: unending noise, meals with more shouting than eating, the occasional glass of Southern Comfort, competition for the internet (which is why, my dearest MSN friends, i havent been coming online nearly as much as i'd love to), and tv, and just generally glorious chaotic fun.
Ironic, and anti-ISA rioters missed the real riot, its been going on in my place for the past few days.
Losers
Ah, there's nothing like family!
So that was basically the reason all university work over the weekened was relegated to the back of my mind, then re-relegated even further out. There was the usual, ever present I-must-revise-cause-everyone-else-is-and-i'll-fail-if-i-dont feeling, but i'd been ignoring that one for pretty much everyday of my life, so it wasnt a bother.
More interesting is my PCL research topic, which now that monday has dawned, has re-emerged from where ever it is thats further away than the back of my mind. Our case this week was a little baby (Kamal or something), with Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. My topic particularly dealt with one single potential outcome of this disorder: Ambiguous Genitalia
Yeap, you read right. Ambiguous Genitalia. And i'm tlaking serious stuff. Real Clitoral enlargement (so much so that it's bigger than some unfortunate man's penis), labial FUSION, thats right, coming together and CLOSING. Its no joke, really, while maybe not the most life-threatening condition in the book, its probably a condition, the suferers of which would probably actually open the book, looking for ways to catch some of the life threatening conditions.
Because whats being called into doubt here? Lets look at this from a non-scientific point of view. (You see, its monday morning, and i start my research on thursday. Yes, the submission deadline is wednesday.) Whats at stake here? You're GENDER!
And as i thought about it, i realised, your gender DEFINES you. No ifs, buts or maybes about it, who you are, your identity, every single bloody aspect of your life is defined, first and foremost, by whether your pair is above your waist, or below it.
Nothing else, not race, not nationality, not skin colour, not socio-economic group, nothing is as damning to your life as gender. Even age doesnt matter nearly as much; it doesnt matter exactly how old you are, as long as you can club, drink and drive (though preferrably not at the same time).
Gender determines who your friends are, what your hobbies are, whether your dreams are wet or dry, who you flirt with, who looks at you, who doesnt look at you, everything! Get out of bed, and put on some clothes. Think you chose your clothes? No, no, your gender chooses your clothes.
Try this exercise. Imagine you were in fact a member of the opposite gender. If you're like me, there will be countless numbers of things which you wouldn't have done in your life, that you would have done which you previously did not, etc, etc, etc. Gender is damning, thats the word for it. Look at all the problems homosexuals and transsexuals face; they try to go against what society deems their gender, and look at whats been happening to those poor souls. You can't escape your gonads, and the expectations of you because of them will be with you your entire life.
Damning.
Following along that vein, you realise how different men and women are. Of all the partitions the human race has invented over the course of the millenia, this is the most complete. The most final. No other different has been so permanent, so focused on, so glaringly obvious. Plus the gender conflict has been around, not just since the dawn of intelligent thought, but since some little organism somewhere decided it would be more fun to reproduce with a friend than by its lonesome self.
The other large scale conflict i could think of doesnt even come close to the size or the ferocity in which the gender conflict has been fought over the years. I'm talking about the Crusades, people. Sure, alot of people died, but it never got to the point where Muslims said the Christians are from another planet. Women have been saying that about men for ages now.
Yeap, we're different. Very very very very different. I hate women, personally. They're whiny and emotional and get worked up over the smallest thing (their nails and what not) and they're really spoilt (we all know what happens when a women doesnt get exactly what she wants). The term 'bitchy' was invented with women in mind, remember?
They're also completely in control of the WORLD. We've all played chess, sure, the game revolves around the king, but which piece is most often used to take the poor fellow down? Thats right, the queen.
Its because we love women too. Its quite odd, actually, a genuine love-hate relationship. Cant live with them, but definitly can't live without them too. And i'm sure women feel the exact same way about men! Somewhere out there is a girl blogger, as articulate and good looking as I, going on about how men are un-emotional and detached and have terrible priorities and cant pee straight and bla bla bla. If you're reading this, send me an email.
=D
So looking at all the couples around me, i cant help but be amazed. If men and women can put aside their differences (their very very different differences) and actually live together for their entire lives, its really quite fantastic. Whats with all the hype about inter-faith dialouges and 1Malaysia and all that stuff, when the greatest conflict in the history of mankind is being overcome every single day in all our lives? Think about (most of our) parents, and the girlfriends and the boyfriends (oh, there are plenty of those), and how they somehow manage to put aside their innate sexual differences, and learn to not just get along but actually love each other. If you think about it, they've been doing this amazing thing forever. After this, anything trully is possible.
That reminds me, its someone's birthday today. I think i'll go give her a kiss.
1 comment:
Haha! Good one =D
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