Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Childhood and Adolescence...
I know that I've not blogged for several days already. Been really busy, not to mention the late nights when you just lie down and sleep blissfully till the next hectic day starts again.
Been thinking alot about this concept of Childhood and Adolescence, more so today since I attended 2 consecutive tutorials back to back. I just wonder: is this phase just a spot in time, to be a mere record in History, or is it universal, withstanding the test of time?
Ever noticed how different generations of teenagers tend to be obsessed with different things? In my parents' generation, it was the generation of the bell-bottoms and the Beatles. Now fast-forward to today, when the fascination with hipsters and hip-hop. Is there anything that binds these eras together?
Teenagers through time have been seen to be the 'Break Out' generation. Every has been teenager, teenager and would-be teenager, regardless of age, have in some point of their life been labeled by the adults as rebels. Why then this tag? I would assume that this unflattering description of teenagers boils down to the constant struggle by them to find some sort of defining identity. And to have that defining/ unique identity, they are compelled to withdraw from the ones that are closest and most influential to them (in psychology terms, microsystem), i.e. their parents. And adults seem to take this withdrawal as a sign of rebellion, a challenge even. Don't they realise that they went through the same phase as well?
Which brings me to a further point of stereotyping teenagers. Have you ever heard of a positive stereotype of teenagers? The mere mention of the word 'teenager' would bring to mind the following:
1. stubborn;
2. non-conformist;
3. self-centered;
4. vain...
and so on and so forth. Are these valid? You tell me. In my opinion, this question of labeling and stereotyping must be examined in two planes: the population plane and individual plane. Looking across the general population of teenagers, it may be valid to impose on them certain stereotypes. But if you take an individual out of this population, these stereotypes may not even hold. Some may even be refuted and corrected. The point that I'm trying to make here is that this phenomena called 'the teenager will always feature in some form or another in every other society. But what draws them together, or even the underlying essence of it all, would be teenagers' constant struggle to establish the 'I' from them'
On another note... Kobe scored freaking 81 points over the Toronto Raptors! How freaking awesome is that? He outscored the entire team plus change!
Just to end off... enjoy the following pictures that were taken at Tommy and Jophia's wedding. I wonder when will it be my turn. I did promise that once I can afford a decent ring, I would.
The Family
Best Man and the Perfect Girl
Take it easy, Keep it real...
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