Just this morning I heard a racial harmony day message, all about racial riots and how racial harmony will strengthen our country. But I wasn't listen to that overly cliched message. In fact, I think racial harmony day is cliched. But before everyone light their torches and threaten to burn me at the stake, hear my story.

Begin with all this message that I thought about, well, frankly, this WSU contest. The greed for that iPod Touch was gosh, overwhelming, so there I was discussing about this during my break with my wing's only Indian, Vickneswaran, otherwise affectionately known as Vicky. So there I was, plotting and scheming with Vicky to think of a wonderful, fairytale, racial harmonious story, and in my mind, there it was, involving a lot of Bruce Lee costumes and saris.

Honestly.

Despite my very vivid imagination to exaggerate our lamest bond or experience with Vicky, it came up sorely pathetic. Besides laughing and very much enjoying ourselves laughing our heads off at every silly moment that took place in our Armour workshop. Then, it came up to CREATING our own experience. Really lowdown. But it was laughable. In my mind, it involved a trip to the Botanic Garden, which was kinda, weird. Which two guys go out to a trip to the Botanic Gardens? Then, it was movies, which was boring. And half a dozen lame ideas from me.

Then, while walking home, it just hit me. I didn't have any out of this world experience with my friends of other races, yet I can find some of my best friends who aren't chinese like me.

So here is my conclusion. Racial Harmony Day is not needed if everyone thought like this...

"Friend transcends skin colour."

Its not as if you need an out of this world experience to be happy or have fun. When you joke with your friend and laugh at each other's lame joke, enjoy the comraderie and company your friend give, I highly doubt you really thought at that moment if your friend was of correct colour to enjoy that amount of fun.

Look, we aren't going to think like this.

"Oh gosh, I can't laugh THIS happily, because he is of a darker skin colour. Let me laugh this much. (giggles)"

Or that jokes would be less funny if your friend is an Indian like Vicky. We don't really care if someone is fun and have so much considerations about our friend's skin colour.

It is due to some black sheep some time ago that made RACE such a huge factor in making friends. We don't count moles when we make friends right?

"EEEE. Yan Chao got 4 moles. His jokes are not funny. He cannot be much fun cause he have one mole more then me."

Its not as if that would really happen right, so why on earth do we even remotely care that someone is darker than us? So hence, I came to this conclusion, it doesn't take a huge effort to be racial harmonious, The whole deal about racial harmony is just simply DON'T care about it. If you don't even regard skin colour to be a factor, why the need for racial harmony. If everyone is treated as equals, and making friends goes beyond skin deep, forgive the pun, then why the need for racial harmony?

Racial harmony begins not with the tolerance of other races, but with the mind, forget that colour makes a difference and friendships will transcend the skin.

After all, I really don't want there to be a day that tries to encourage us to make friends with people with more moles. CAUSE I HAVE LOTS! xD

So really, contest or not, I enjoy writing alot, so here I wish to use this chance to say, racism would only go, when everyone stop harping on skin colours. Just go all out, see beyond skin deep, and find friends whom you are truly have fun with, joke, play DOTA with, or even plot to win a contest's iPod Touch.

But please, don't ever go out with a guy to the Botanic Gardens together, the mental image in my mind is truly disturbing.

Friendships forever!