4.9.06

I Not Stupid

I just finished watching I Not Stupid 2. Not enough Hokkien in it to be a Jack Neo signature, but yes, loved it anyway. Would you believe, I watched all 1.5 hours of it without subtitles? And still got the story. Of course, when one of the kid's mum (she's a Chinese magazine writer) speaks, some of it is just too "cheem" for me.

Perhaps one of the more poignant parts of the movie was this so called "theme" song for all the underachievers, 2 of whom ended up in a street gang. Recruited cos they had a "talent" for fighting. This is how it went, to the best of my translations and research:

we're outlaws
we're street gangs
we're the insolent ones
nothing pleases us
hold a tight rein on us
and it will brew trouble
we're hopeless, so what?
we don't give a damn
if you look down on us
we're nothing, we care for nothing
why this wall of silence between us?
there is a wall between us
teachers give up on us
parents think we're insensible
society's expectations
exceeds our imagination
smart kids must be good, they say
looking down on us doesn't mean you're better
who cares why we lose direction?
nobody gives a thought to how the apple rots
we tried to win consensus
how much hope have you given us?
tears are dried, the future's bleak
we are lost souls. what should we do?
punishment is your method to make us grow
it destroys all our hopes and ambitions
don't kill our hopes
don't destroy us

Click HERE to have a listen.

Trust me. After 2 canings, 1 expulsion, 3 suspensions and countless threats of expulsion, I know exactly what they oughta be singing about. Ban corporal punishment. Buy them all Yakults! It's healthy, keeps them quiet for 2 minutes so you can catch your breath. Oh, and as an after thought, fuck all you teachers and teacher wannabes. Especially the "holier than thou" ones. Especially the wild, stripperellas after one too many tequilas. You really think I'm a want my kid to be taught by you doofuses?

And you know something, don't ever think you have it in you to discipline or counsel the wayward ones till you understand fully the underground world out there.

Where gangs, drugs, cigs and women run wild and free.

Where the lorongs of Geylang, kopitiams, territories and triads are second language to you.

Where night starts only at 11pm.

Where to club is never about drinking, dancing, scoping.

Where your kid may end up one day.

Adieu!

Late Addition: FAMILY is an acronym for Father And Mother I Love You.

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