Rambling Thoughts

Oh dear. It's early morning 5:33 and already the sun is as bright as 7:00 AM in KL, and you can already hear birds singing since 5. I remembered myself strolling down to the street of Brisbane city a couple of days back, on my way to a korean restaurant to celebrate my friend's birthday. It was 7.30 PM or so but the atmosphere reminded me of 10.00 PM in KL. It is no wonder the waitress at the restaurant chased us out (not litellary but in a very polite manner) at 9 ish and no wonder people here sleep so early. The kind of setting at 7:30 PM seems perfect for lovers to rendezvous instead of having to wait for another 2 hours for the same kind of effect. I mean, it's different to go for a date when the sun is shining bright as compared to when is under the moonlight, no?

Right ok it's 5.50 AM and it looks like 8.00 AM in KL. Talk about nature. It's amazing how it works.

I happened to woke up at early 5ish just now and have stayed awake ever since. Twisting and tossing on my bed, I started thinking about home and people that I've been missing. So decided to blog, just so I don't think about it too much. Really, that kind of experience is not one of the best. You're thinking about the people you can't see or feel. They are just in flashes of images. But then again, you can also argue that at least my brain now is in good function and allows me to 'see' these people , so I should be appreciating it instead of complaining.

From my window, I see a bunch of Crommie students (students from Cromwell College*) hopping high and low clapping their hands wearing funny yellow hats on their head. Exercise at 5.55 AM. Yes, it's the new semester. Orientation.

On the other day, I was at the library checking out my books for this semester. Apparently, there was no required textbook for Industrial Organization psychology. The one for Research Methods III is complicated and as usual, boring and not my kind. But I like the textbook for Psychopathology which unfortunately was only available for a 2-Hour loan. Since it was raining and I've neither a raincoat nor an umbrella with me, I went to a coffee place ordered a coffee that starts with an 'r' ( that will be the first and last time I will order that drink...think I'm just gonna stay with my mocha/frappuccino), and read that book.

So I came accross reading "Homosexuality- How culture shapes diagnostic practice". This is the story. Apparently homosexuality in the 1st and 2nd edition of DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) is considered to be a formed of mental disorder. It was not until the years between 1970 to 1974, did the board APA ( American Psychiatric Association) agreed to comply to idea of homosexuality after a series of events and movements, and demand from gay leaders to remove homosexuality from DSM-II. The logic of this is that in order to be considered as a form of mental disorder, "a condition ought to be associated with subjective distress or seriously impaired social or occupational functioning". And apparently homosexuals do not belong in this category after 1974.

By the way, I am neither for nor against homosexuality. I have nothing against homosexuals if you're asking. Infact, I have really good close friends who are homosexuals.

The author suggests that social and political events can influence the classification of mental disorders. Think for example, self-sacrificing and rituals to heal sickness instead of turning to a doctor. To some society, it is the norm. To others, it's schizophernic. It makes me think how powerful and influential a society and culture can be.

So, most of us must have realised by now, that the idea of 'skinny= beautiful' is very much often being amplified by today's society. And we have a growing group of people especially girls, with eating disorders such as aneroxia and bulimia nervosa. I was thinking of the possibilities of this group of people to become forceful and challenge the assumptions that aneroxia and bulimia nervosa is pathological one day, just like how it was done in the 70s for homosexuality and by the next few editions of DSM, aneroxia and bulimia nervosa no longer will be considered as disorders. I am definitely not supporting this idea. But if these disorders are to be removed from DSM in many many years to come and it is in that era and society that I am brought up in, would I be still against the idea? Or would I be feeling indifferent? Who knows.

Those are my rambling thoughts. It is 6.52 Am and the sky looks as if it is already 10 AM in KL.

Ok I'm finally sleepy again and will go back to sleep for another couple more hours before I start another long day.

*college here refers to a place where university students (mostly undergraduates) stay..think of dorm.