Saturday, February 6, 2010

Moving On To Another Blog

I am giving up this blog for the blog under my Chinese name, Li Hua Bai. Would you like to see?

http://bailihuari.blogspot.com

It's still me, I promise. And of course you all can call me whatever you like. I like my Chinese name better but Emily's quite fine.

Emily

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Helping SOS Children's Villages

Ever thought about donating to SOS Children's Villages?

I got this in an e-mail.

WARNING: The following passage contains a certain amount of disturbing information relating to child trauma.


"Go outside and study for a little while. "These are the last words Yannick, a little boy in Port-au-Prince, heard from his mother. He reluctantly went outside as he did not want to argue with his mother. Yannick and his mother lived alone in their small house. His father had left them a long time before. "Luckily" says Yannick "because he often hit me and my mom." Yannick and his mother, who had a disability that prevented her from walking properly, were a strong team in coping with their difficult everyday life.

Yannick remembers the moment his life changed..."The earth started to shake and there was a loud noise." And then the little house collapsed behind him, burying his mother who was unable to save herself because of her disability. The boy was horrified and ran out onto the street. He slept on the street and had hardly anything to eat until he was taken to an emergency aid camp.

On January 22, Yannick was taken in by the SOS Children's Villages, Haiti. He has been very withdrawn and quietly observes what goes on around him. During the day he appears well, but during the night he has nightmares about his experience so severe that he wakes with chills and even vomits. The trained staff at SOS Children's Villages are helping Yannick. Although he is emotionally devastated and grieving, he knows and feels that he is in a safe place where people are taking care of him.

Many children like Yannick have arrived at SOS Children’s Village in Santo, Haiti, with more coming every day. Most are severely traumatized and need a warm hug in addition to food, water, and medical attention.


Here's more information about SOS Children's Villages: http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/What-we-do/Pages/default.aspx

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

A Quick Note

Look, I'll be honest with you people. It's not cool that there are, currently, exactly 1,199 more stories on fanfiction.net for the new Star Trek film than there are for the Original Series. It's just not okay.

This isn't to blame anyone. It's just, you should know, NOT OKAY.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

After a YUGA Meeting and a Run

EDIT: No idea why the links are unclickable. Sorry.

I feel way alive right now. Most days I like to walk but when I push my body to the limit and go for a real run, I feel great. And who was to think I wouldn't get chased by any dogs? I think this might be my day.

Today was also a YUGA (http://www.planusa.org/content172382) meeting. This month, we plan to kick gender discrimination's ass (last month it was AIDS).

One of the big things we've been working on is this: http://www.planusa.org/becauseiamagirl/about.php. We held a whole discussion about what gender discrimination IS, WHY it happens, and to WHOM it happens ... because there are ideas people tend to have about men, of course, as well as women.

My own examples varied: I suggested women were expected to invest more in aesthetics, for one (going to Kohl's this winter, I found turtlenecks on sale in the men's department for nine dollars. They were a rich, warm, durable material. But they had tissue-paper-thin turtlenecks for the same price in the women's department). My second example pointed to men touching and making inappropriate comments about female figures and feeling it's perfectly okay. I brought this up because I, like many women, have faced this in my own home.

We also discussed that very important issue of women being drawn in by the media and needing to be a certain shape, and how numbers were extremely important in the modern world ... namely, the numbers on the scale!

On the subject of body image, here is something I wrote and submitted anonymously to Teen Ink magazine during the fall. At this point I don't mind others knowing I wrote it: http://teenink.com/poetry/all/article/132677/Shoulds/

And was a blog entry I wrote not so long ago on celebrating oneself, and why it is most difficult to do.

And now it's time to get back to my Sunday afternoon.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Black Teeth and Gray Lice-Filled Hair

While going through old files on the computer I discovered proof that ten-year-old Emily had more than enough time on her hands.

Hello. My name is Barney. I am a cool person. Let me tell you about my life. Well, here goes!

Every morning, Mom calls me downstairs.

“Yo, Barns! Barnsey, Warnsey, get down here, ya little freak!”

I do not listen.

“I am not going to school today!” I shout back, mad.

“Oh, yes you are!” she bellows.

She comes into my room, maaad! “GO TO SCHOOL!!!!!” she screams at the top of her stupid lungs.

“Make me!” I say back.

She screams real loud.

“Ha, ha! Mom, you are a mad dog!” I laugh.

I chuckle.

She turns poofy and red all over.

I guffaw.

She smokes at the ears.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!!!!”

shouts my dear, sweet mother.

See how calm and beautiful she is? I love her black teeth and gray, lice filled hair. I also admire how her bones are starting to crumble and her face is falling off. See what I have to deal with?

Friday, January 1, 2010