mer N co. the thinkers: shtoo leanda krystel lz lynnie loo the mer in mer-n-co emiko rosh

Monday, April 02, 2007 helen @ 5:01 PM    something happened to the posts.. MERRRRRRRRRR :''''(((((((((((( WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH send fanmail >>  0 letters

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 helen @ 2:42 PM    ok. i think she did it with good reason. i think she did it to have a fresh start with her hair which is prolli messed up from all the bleaching and etc. i dont think she did it cos she's crazy (not saying she's not in trouble). i dont think she did it as a publicity stunt. know what i'm talking abt? :P mb-when people asked me what i plan to do in syria i replied, as far as my sister was concerned...i am going to be an english teacher. but really my ultimate aim was to have a artistic breakdown, live off my sister and create art all day every day. how are you going to do that? the unbelievers asked.. internally i'll let all my anxieties engulf me...physically..ill shave my head maybe she's just reinventing herself... send fanmail >>  2 letters

Tuesday, February 06, 2007 helen @ 9:18 AM    question of the day or month, or week, or year..depending on how often i think of a totally stupid question.. should then be called question of the hour.. what is the fascination with blondes? like why issit that they are the 'hotties' of the world why issit 'more fun to be a blonde' are blondes just generally more genetically gifted in the looks department than ppl with nonblonde hair genes? why do girls dye- bleach i'm sorry..their hair blonde like ALL THE TIME that is all schtoo: why don't you collect some empirical evidence regarding the assertion that it is 'more fun to be blonde' by bleaching your hair and then waiting for fun things to spontaneously happen. You probably need to buy a pink 2-piece skirt suit and a chihuahua. Then again, are we talking caucasian blonds or Japanese blonds? Since in Japan the vast majority of 10-35 year-olds swap original black for browns, blonds, greens, reds &tc and it certainly seems that they have lots of fun... leeloo: i think she means blondes a la paris hilton? maybe it's because people who spend lots of time in the sun end up having bleached hair and it started off with girls hanging out at the beach having their hair bleached blonde and they were plenty fun-and-sun-lovin'. and then their pastier sisters decided that they shouldn't be missing out on the action so with the advent of hair bleach they joined in. i think that's a pretty scientific explanation. mb-thats a pretty damn convincing arguement, so much so that i am off to the beach! send fanmail >>  0 letters

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 helen @ 7:52 PM    what the.. Zoo puts humans on display Tue Jan 9, 2007 8:20am ET ADELAIDE, Australia, Jan 9 (Reuters Life!) - An Australian zoo has put a group of humans on display to raise awareness about primate conservation -- with the proviso that they don't get up to any monkey business. Over a month, the humans will be locked in an unused orang-utan cage at Adelaide zoo, braving the searing heat and snacking on bananas. They will be monitored by a psychologist who hopes to use the findings to improve conditions for real apes in captivity. Audiences can vote for their favorite "ape" via mobile phone text messages, in the style of reality television shows, and at the end of the month, a "super human" will be selected to represent the zoo. "They're completely mad," said one visitor to the exhibit, as the humans, who are allowed home at night, played up to the crowds and checked each other for imaginary lice. "It's not as exciting as the animals actually, they're not really doing very much," another onlooker said, clearly unimpressed by the volunteers' shenanigans. One of the human apes, Josh Penley, said the experiment was a chance to "get myself out of my comfort zone and to get a week off work." Participants wear microphones in front of Web cams to allow watchers to hear the action in what has been billed as "Big Brother behind bars." Dr. Carla Litchfield, who is conducting the experiment, has laid down firm rules for the new apes: no nudity, no rude behavior and no jumping into the enclosure spa. Zoo vets haven't ruled out using tranquilizer darts if the humans misbehave. © Reuters 2007. All Rights Reserved. did u guys see that on top of gmail?? send fanmail >>  1 letters

Saturday, January 06, 2007 helen @ 12:25 PM    ok so i remembered my username and password but then forgot it again.. so that i dont forgot i'll post my username here: elstarshine (with OLD blogger) gah! so confusing here u go mer Hello Kitty Has No Mouth by Mizuko Ito Here is another installment from my student essays from my Japanese popular culture class. This one is from Jennilee Tuazon. Her blank eyes gaze at you from her white face, her button nose a sunshine yellow. A dainty bow rests askew on her left ear, the color matching the day’s adorable—not to mention perfectly coordinated—outfit. Cute, one almost overlooks an important feature: the mouth. Hello Kitty, the embodiment of cute, has no mouth. After more than 30 years, she remains a popular and recognizable character, with generation after generation of young girls falling in love—or at least consumer lust—with Hello Kitty, their zeal for collecting the fancy goods at times extending in adulthood. Why the interest (both love and loathing for the character) in Hello Kitty and all things kawaii? What factors have contributed to her rise and continued success on a global scale? Finally, what are the implications of a mouthless Hello Kitty in terms of gender stereotypes and agency? WHY ISNT THE PICTURE THERE?? BOO AND I DONT KNOW IF HTAT LINK IS GONNA WORK..IF IT DOESNT GO TO MY BLOG FOR THE REST OF THE ARTICLE.. AND IN TERMS OF ENGLISH LIT.. discuss... sorry lz i have been quite busy this topic interested me to no end when i first read it on your blog, to deconstruct the implications of a cultural icon is one of my most favourite things to do. Yet now that i think about it, who am i to talk about Japanese agency? so i will merely pose a few questions. We have all heard about the 'submissive Japanese woman' stereotype, does this feline cultural icon reflect this? there are two ways of looking at this. First off, it is perhaps the western conception of submission, oppression that fuels this stereotyping of Japanese women. ie: its not acceptable in our culture, hence it should not be acceptable anywhere else. why must we keep enforcing what we believe to be submission or oppression on other cultures that deal with gender roles differently? Secondly,i am not sure if the writer of this peice was herself Japanese, or a Japanese person living in a western culture, does it matter? probably not. Is this silencing of the 'voice' a form of oppression regardless of the culture? i cant speculate...but maybe it is. In which case the case of hello kitty becomes highly interesting, yes it has no voice, then again its a cat. think about the marketing implications..would she just say meow? or actually speak? what would she say? is she targeted to men and women? in which case how can her creators program speech that appeals to both markets? who would be the 'voice' of hello kitty? Maybe the whole 'thing' about hello kitty is that children (and adults) across the world could make her say whatever they wanted...maybe. Then theres the obvious factor of her immense success, lets say she is a symbol of gender stereotyping, but she has had such a profound affect on culture. The effect is there, the influence is there...why is the voice so imperitive? well we can all get into feminist theory to do with 'the voice' as a tool of resistance a tool of power, but why would cat figure resist the very system that made her one of the most powerful and well known figures in the world? instead of being taken as a kind of figure of how women 'should be' why cant it be taken as a indication of how women can rise to power without directly challenging a system that could potentially 'silence' them? kind of..fighting from the inside kind of thing. no, overall i am not at all 'concrete' about this whole topic, there are so many variables, still though it is just a cat doll thing. Then again if people out there deconstruct the many manifestations of the 'phallus' in our streets...why not deconstruct the gender implications of a highly popularised feline? hmm. Well whether or not that made sense is beyond me, i wrote this without drinking coffee! send fanmail >>  3 letters

Friday, November 17, 2006 helen @ 3:30 PM    http://www.vintagecotton.com/index.php i think stoo will especially enjoy " idaho? NO udaho " he he he he leeloo: team zissou! that shirt is veeeery cooooool. it even comes with the ridiculous hat !!! send fanmail >>  0 letters

Thursday, November 16, 2006 helen @ 10:05 AM    fair well FAREWELL!!!!!!!!! my little ones :) send fanmail >>  0 letters

(c) mer N co 2006. Do not steal. Stealing is wrong.