Q: are you afraid of walking home alone?

this semester i'm studying crime and deviance (in sociology). recently, my prof showed us a study done by the FBI called the Uniform Crime Report (2004). done every 4 years, i wonder what changes there would be since the war in iraq. this war might not be closely related to crime, but i think it has raised some concerns about how we view each other's race. it raises questions about how much fear we feel and whether it is justifiable to "live in fear".

UCR found that the elderly are more fearful than the young, and that women are more fearful about stepping out late at night. however, if you really thought about it, and the studies have shown that crimes and acts of deviance happen to the young more so than the elderly. (i guess, you could say, to a certain extent, even criminals have a heart.) also, it is usually men who are victims of violent crimes, not women. AND, (this is the one that got to most of us) women are found to be more fearful about being outdoors at night, but most crimes happen to women in their own homes. being sexually assaulted wouldn't occur "randomly" on the streets; it usually takes place in the home, by someone they know, someone close to them.

the concept of being deviant is ever changing, never constant. it could be smoking at the age of 14. or having tattoos and piercings. or vandalising the wall with your art-like-graffiti. it can also be the guy in the train who sits with his legs to wide apart. and that person who is flipping the pages of a book in the library too loudly thus disturbing others. it could also be the lady who stops in the middle of a busy intersection and turns around having forgotten something in the office.

who is deviant? we are.

as long as we agree that murder stays a crime, and war is optional, i'm (undecidedly) sitting down (and putting away my pickets and signs).


*a married filipino lady from my church, arcelie laogan, was murdered last week. she was found dumped by a church on friday morning. her last call was to her friend at around 2a.m., saying that she was assaulted at a train station. her friend couldn't find her at their meeting point. the guy has since been caught, and charged with first-degree murder.


now i walk home singing christian songs out loud.

wonder what the chances of you being attacked, robbed and murdered are? rateyourrisk.org

A: fear cannot always be justified. but they do say "what you fear can only make you stronger." so they say.

valerie anne
in my 20s and wonderful.
dressed to dress you.

QUOTE VAL

. i would do you, but i can't. it's just the wrong season right now.

KEEPING COUNT

I've been in canada for days.

THE BOOK IN MY BAG

. in need of a recommendation



. tattoo
. rolex
. prada bag
. hermes birkin/kelly
. hermes scarf
. prada penguin coin purse
. suped up VW jetta mk3 '97
. 911 Turbo
. WRX
. smoked e-codes/fogs
. porsche deep dish rims
. my driver's license
. a shaven head for my 18th


. be a somebody
. make {gravi.tee}
. snowboard
. own my first car
. travel: NYC, all over europe, japan, mexico, chile, argentina, spain, greece, laos, vietnam, bali, dubai, amsterdam
. publish a book entitled "you better quote val, or else" - recommended by derek goh
. fashion school
. travel: roadtrip canada
. travel: roadtrip USA
. move out
. own a house
. ride the dragon in tokyo
. go fish/camping for a weekend
. open a cafe/boutique
. horse-riding
. speak korean/japanese/spanish/french
. skydive over mauritius waters
. white-water raft above level 3
. bungee jump from a suspension bridge
. break the world record for the longest time on a loop-the-loop roller coaster ride
. save an endangered species
. AND prove to my mum that i'll be married before 35.


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