PRETENTIOUS
I'm sure many of you can guess why...
I'm sure many of you can guess why...
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Word of My Recent Life
One of my favourite adjectives to describe some of my least favourite things is
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
The Magic of Music
Although the music is quite pop-ish and the musical performance that I saw from years ago was a little disappointing, I just remembered what I like most about Wicked. Other than the magic-oriented setting, I love the lyrics and agree with the life philosophies it presents. Hopefully this makes it clear why Dancing through Life and For Good are my favourite songs:
From Dancing through Life:
Life is fraughtless
When you're thoughtless
Those who don't try
Never look foolish
Woes are fleeting
Blows are glancing
When you're dancing through life
Nothing matters
But knowing nothing matters
From For Good:
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
From Dancing through Life:
Life is fraughtless
When you're thoughtless
Those who don't try
Never look foolish
Woes are fleeting
Blows are glancing
When you're dancing through life
Nothing matters
But knowing nothing matters
From For Good:
I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you...
Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...
Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good
Friday, November 19, 2010
Wicked (Harrow version)
I'll give you fair warning that this is a ranty, angry post--then again most of my blog is filled with the like, so you should be used to it by now.
Why AM I filled with such hate for people? Easy, we deserve it. We're flawed, terrible, self-preserving beings who try to make ourselves out to be more. If you've ever worked a personal customer-oriented job, I'll bet you already know exactly what I'm talking about. Pretty much any economic, social, (anything)-al/ic problem can be traced back to the fault of human nature. Thank God for...well, God. Anyways, I'm already going off on a tangent when I really wanted to write about this wicked WITCH at work. She's yet another reason for me not to believe in our kind...
One of my superiors on my entomology team misread a prescribed autoclave setting in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, and the lady who manages the autoclaves came into our lab this morning and asked her why she was resetting the temperatures IN AN UNNECESSARILY DEMEANING WAY. My superior wanted to double-check that she had made a mistake, and thanked the lady for letting her know of the mistake. The other lady further went on to mock her even though she already admitted tot he mistake, "This temperature wouldn't be much higher than body temperature. It won't sterilize anything!" WELL, CONTRARY to your supposed expertise, witch, the indicator tape showed that our media was sterilized just fine.
Later at lunch...
The witch is sitting with her usual table of crones. Usually she isn't the one doing the talking, but today she had a couple HILARIOUS items to bring to the table:
1. She shared the temperature incident with the entire table, ridiculing my superior who was seated only a couple metres away, but luckily her hearing is not that good. I, on the other hand, could hear the whole story loudly and clearly because she wasn't even discreet in her telling of it. She also made it sound like my superior was being cheeky in double-checking her mistake--what a friggen witch!
2. Story #1 didn't seem to be enough. She brought up another incident where my superior (lacking in English-fluency) made a mistake with reading a label when she was asking to borrow something from the witch. Again, she ridiculed her for misunderstanding the label and this time her cronies upped their previous chuckles to full-blown laughter. Seriously, not even the funniest comedy show I've seen could have made me laugh that loud.
Neither story is EVEN THAT FUNNY. These are full-grown "women"/"scientists" who are supposed to be mature and respectful of each other. When someone makes a mistake, it's not necessary or advisable to bring it up to everyone at lunch as if it's casual conversation. That's just downright embarrassing for the person you're mocking and, even more so, yourself.
From this incident, I learned that this witch had an unfortunate childhood or high school experience that made her into the monster she is today. She lacks:
-Social skills (judging by her inability to ever bring up anything else in conversation)
-Self confidence (evident from her need to put others down to feel relatively "better")
-Respect (for herself and others)
When I overheard this conversation, I actually felt outraged, and I almost lost control of myself. I could feel my face heating up, and I was considering walking over to the next table and punching her witchy face in. In fact, I was mad enough to consider hitting her over the head with a chair, or finding her office and putting some dangerous bacteria or chemical on her doorknob. The anticipated consequences of these scenarios did not go over too well in my head, so I ultimately decided against them. All I know is, even if I was crazy enough to go through with any of those suggestions,
No one mourns the wicked, and certainly no one would mourn you, witch.
Why AM I filled with such hate for people? Easy, we deserve it. We're flawed, terrible, self-preserving beings who try to make ourselves out to be more. If you've ever worked a personal customer-oriented job, I'll bet you already know exactly what I'm talking about. Pretty much any economic, social, (anything)-al/ic problem can be traced back to the fault of human nature. Thank God for...well, God. Anyways, I'm already going off on a tangent when I really wanted to write about this wicked WITCH at work. She's yet another reason for me not to believe in our kind...
One of my superiors on my entomology team misread a prescribed autoclave setting in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, and the lady who manages the autoclaves came into our lab this morning and asked her why she was resetting the temperatures IN AN UNNECESSARILY DEMEANING WAY. My superior wanted to double-check that she had made a mistake, and thanked the lady for letting her know of the mistake. The other lady further went on to mock her even though she already admitted tot he mistake, "This temperature wouldn't be much higher than body temperature. It won't sterilize anything!" WELL, CONTRARY to your supposed expertise, witch, the indicator tape showed that our media was sterilized just fine.
Later at lunch...
The witch is sitting with her usual table of crones. Usually she isn't the one doing the talking, but today she had a couple HILARIOUS items to bring to the table:
1. She shared the temperature incident with the entire table, ridiculing my superior who was seated only a couple metres away, but luckily her hearing is not that good. I, on the other hand, could hear the whole story loudly and clearly because she wasn't even discreet in her telling of it. She also made it sound like my superior was being cheeky in double-checking her mistake--what a friggen witch!
2. Story #1 didn't seem to be enough. She brought up another incident where my superior (lacking in English-fluency) made a mistake with reading a label when she was asking to borrow something from the witch. Again, she ridiculed her for misunderstanding the label and this time her cronies upped their previous chuckles to full-blown laughter. Seriously, not even the funniest comedy show I've seen could have made me laugh that loud.
Neither story is EVEN THAT FUNNY. These are full-grown "women"/"scientists" who are supposed to be mature and respectful of each other. When someone makes a mistake, it's not necessary or advisable to bring it up to everyone at lunch as if it's casual conversation. That's just downright embarrassing for the person you're mocking and, even more so, yourself.
From this incident, I learned that this witch had an unfortunate childhood or high school experience that made her into the monster she is today. She lacks:
-Social skills (judging by her inability to ever bring up anything else in conversation)
-Self confidence (evident from her need to put others down to feel relatively "better")
-Respect (for herself and others)
When I overheard this conversation, I actually felt outraged, and I almost lost control of myself. I could feel my face heating up, and I was considering walking over to the next table and punching her witchy face in. In fact, I was mad enough to consider hitting her over the head with a chair, or finding her office and putting some dangerous bacteria or chemical on her doorknob. The anticipated consequences of these scenarios did not go over too well in my head, so I ultimately decided against them. All I know is, even if I was crazy enough to go through with any of those suggestions,
No one mourns the wicked, and certainly no one would mourn you, witch.
The Jolly Reaper
Just to restate the obvious, I'm a terrible person, but, in truth, we all are. I have ridiculous, unconventional opinions that most people disagree with or despise. I also don't feel bad enough to hide these thoughts from the public, so don't spazz/preach at me if you're wasting your life reading this and it seriously offends you. It's a friggen blog, not the newspaper. If I wrote whatever was politically correct and common of any rationally published book, what would make it uniquely "Christie"? Nothing. Why would you even be interested in reading a "retelling" of what you already know and believe? You wouldn't.
Like the title in the classic Chicken Soup for the Soul series, here it is, the subject of my post:
DEATH AND DYING
From the movies (and/or wherever else you hear generalizations about the public), I've heard that most people are afraid of dying. Given all the other ridiculous things I'm afraid of, I'm surprisingly not afraid of death. ...And before you give me too much credit, admiration, or disbelief, I'll have to come clean and admit that I AM afraid of pain. I suppose this makes me a gutless coward, oh well. Moral: If I'm in tremendous pain, please pull the plug on me.
I've actually thought quite often about dying--how it happens, what it would be like, how people on earth would react, and if I could still watch over (or haunt!) them from heaven (hopefully). To be honest, it would, ironically, MAKE MY LIFE EASIER. Why, you may ask.
Well, knowing my lack of direction in life and lack of passionate interest in anything, what IS there to live for? Pretty much the only thing I am truly interested in experiencing is true love and raising children. I don't even mean necessarily settling down and living the quiet home life. As long as I achieve those two things, I would be content to move from place to place, travel the world, or, in the most extreme case, live off the streets. All that other stuff seems unimportant in the complex recipe for "Christie's Happiness". However, since achieving those two things (without finding a job and societal niche that I would enjoy) seems pretty unrealistic, I wouldn't mind dying at all. My buddy, the reaper, would, in fact, be doing me a huge favour.
On another note, I've been asked a couple times recently (in some form or another), "What is your preferred method of dying?" To that, I always answer, "Easy. Death by salt." I truly believe I am a sincere food lover (and not one of those loserish teenagers posting on their fb profile interests: EATING AND SLEEPING, but that's a post for another day), and one of my favourite flavourings is salt. It's pretty much the magic ingredient for making food taste good. When I inquired about how to make fried rice, someone answered that all you need is salt. Of course, that may be a more extreme, unrealistic example, but I felt it was symbolic of salt's magical properties. In fact, salt has broken the alluring spell of candy/sugars on my tastebuds. When given an option between chips and candy, salt wins me over to the former almost immediately. Apparently you can die from consuming about 1kg of it. When the time comes, I will find a way to make this possible--and enjoy every last grain. :)
Like the title in the classic Chicken Soup for the Soul series, here it is, the subject of my post:
DEATH AND DYING
From the movies (and/or wherever else you hear generalizations about the public), I've heard that most people are afraid of dying. Given all the other ridiculous things I'm afraid of, I'm surprisingly not afraid of death. ...And before you give me too much credit, admiration, or disbelief, I'll have to come clean and admit that I AM afraid of pain. I suppose this makes me a gutless coward, oh well. Moral: If I'm in tremendous pain, please pull the plug on me.
I've actually thought quite often about dying--how it happens, what it would be like, how people on earth would react, and if I could still watch over (or haunt!) them from heaven (hopefully). To be honest, it would, ironically, MAKE MY LIFE EASIER. Why, you may ask.
Well, knowing my lack of direction in life and lack of passionate interest in anything, what IS there to live for? Pretty much the only thing I am truly interested in experiencing is true love and raising children. I don't even mean necessarily settling down and living the quiet home life. As long as I achieve those two things, I would be content to move from place to place, travel the world, or, in the most extreme case, live off the streets. All that other stuff seems unimportant in the complex recipe for "Christie's Happiness". However, since achieving those two things (without finding a job and societal niche that I would enjoy) seems pretty unrealistic, I wouldn't mind dying at all. My buddy, the reaper, would, in fact, be doing me a huge favour.
On another note, I've been asked a couple times recently (in some form or another), "What is your preferred method of dying?" To that, I always answer, "Easy. Death by salt." I truly believe I am a sincere food lover (and not one of those loserish teenagers posting on their fb profile interests: EATING AND SLEEPING, but that's a post for another day), and one of my favourite flavourings is salt. It's pretty much the magic ingredient for making food taste good. When I inquired about how to make fried rice, someone answered that all you need is salt. Of course, that may be a more extreme, unrealistic example, but I felt it was symbolic of salt's magical properties. In fact, salt has broken the alluring spell of candy/sugars on my tastebuds. When given an option between chips and candy, salt wins me over to the former almost immediately. Apparently you can die from consuming about 1kg of it. When the time comes, I will find a way to make this possible--and enjoy every last grain. :)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
This Little Piggy Works in Harrow
As you may know, I am currently in Harrow on a co-op work term doing agricultural research. So far, my job has been pretty fun and full of new experiences--both enjoyable and/or otherwise.
As always, my posts have two main goals:
1. Share something interesting (often offensive/controversial)--or at least new to you :)
2. Keeping this brief so your youthful mind can be spared for more important tasks
Anyway, if you didn't know already from a chance encounter with me on MSN/facebook/or (God forbid) real life, I work for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The most important thing you should take from that lovely hyphenated, professionally abbreviated, lengthy title...is that I work for the government.
AND TOMORROW IS REMEMBRANCE DAY!
Well, I guess that would be today now...(I really gotta kick these nocturnal habits). For many of you, I'm sure that wouldn't mean much, but at a government workplace, it means a lovely day off! So to celebrate my day off in the best way that a "farmville" like Harrow should permit, I decided to do something fun by myself, and I really can't think of many things more entertaining and satisfying than eating. :)
To celebrate my mini 24-hour holiday (!), I decided to pull up the local pizzeria's menu, since I noticed they offered free delivery!! YAY!! And they had this special for 24 slices of a 4-topping pizza at the price of about $25. It seemed interesting and the number 24 didn't seem too daunting with only two figures--at least not daunting enough to extinguish my crazy brainstorming. I was actually considering ordering the whole 24 slices and eating pizza to death for a whole day. Finally my actual brain decided to turn on, and I only ended up ordering a medium pizza (12 slices)--still big enough to have a party by myself but not too big that I would have to host a real party to get rid of it.
I decided to get cheese, Italian sausage, green peppers, and mushrooms on my pizza, and it came up to $20. For dinner, I ended up eating a measly 8 slices, complemented by one bag of heavenly, mouthwatering 1% milk. Don't laugh! I swear, about 5 years ago, I so would have owned those 24 slices! Anyway, I've had a great night, eating to my heart's content! I even topped off this delicious dinner with a dessert of a juicy watermelon wedge for which my housemate renounced his eating rights. Currently, my tongue has experienced such a wide variety of flavours and sensations that I'm almost ready to turn in my stomach for the night. Now if only my brain would let those chocolate popsicles in my freezer live another day...
As always, my posts have two main goals:
1. Share something interesting (often offensive/controversial)--or at least new to you :)
2. Keeping this brief so your youthful mind can be spared for more important tasks
Anyway, if you didn't know already from a chance encounter with me on MSN/facebook/or (God forbid) real life, I work for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The most important thing you should take from that lovely hyphenated, professionally abbreviated, lengthy title...is that I work for the government.
AND TOMORROW IS REMEMBRANCE DAY!
Well, I guess that would be today now...(I really gotta kick these nocturnal habits). For many of you, I'm sure that wouldn't mean much, but at a government workplace, it means a lovely day off! So to celebrate my day off in the best way that a "farmville" like Harrow should permit, I decided to do something fun by myself, and I really can't think of many things more entertaining and satisfying than eating. :)
To celebrate my mini 24-hour holiday (!), I decided to pull up the local pizzeria's menu, since I noticed they offered free delivery!! YAY!! And they had this special for 24 slices of a 4-topping pizza at the price of about $25. It seemed interesting and the number 24 didn't seem too daunting with only two figures--at least not daunting enough to extinguish my crazy brainstorming. I was actually considering ordering the whole 24 slices and eating pizza to death for a whole day. Finally my actual brain decided to turn on, and I only ended up ordering a medium pizza (12 slices)--still big enough to have a party by myself but not too big that I would have to host a real party to get rid of it.
I decided to get cheese, Italian sausage, green peppers, and mushrooms on my pizza, and it came up to $20. For dinner, I ended up eating a measly 8 slices, complemented by one bag of heavenly, mouthwatering 1% milk. Don't laugh! I swear, about 5 years ago, I so would have owned those 24 slices! Anyway, I've had a great night, eating to my heart's content! I even topped off this delicious dinner with a dessert of a juicy watermelon wedge for which my housemate renounced his eating rights. Currently, my tongue has experienced such a wide variety of flavours and sensations that I'm almost ready to turn in my stomach for the night. Now if only my brain would let those chocolate popsicles in my freezer live another day...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Yad Sdrawkcab si yadoT
I woke up late this morning, so I only had enough time to stuff the leftover chili from a couple dinners ago into my knapsack and run to work. I'd say chili counts as either lunch or dinner food, but for the sake of making my point, lets call it dinner food.
For dinner, I ate a sandwich and canned soup because I was too tired to really COOK anything. Plus, I was trying to use up my bread, mushrooms, and peppers before they go bad.
For a late snack, I just ate an apple and a bowl of the only kind of cereal I like: Fibre 1 - the one with honey and possibly some variation of the word "crunch" in the name.
All in all, it was a good day with simple meals, and all the right nutrients--just not at their "usual" times.
For dinner, I ate a sandwich and canned soup because I was too tired to really COOK anything. Plus, I was trying to use up my bread, mushrooms, and peppers before they go bad.
For a late snack, I just ate an apple and a bowl of the only kind of cereal I like: Fibre 1 - the one with honey and possibly some variation of the word "crunch" in the name.
All in all, it was a good day with simple meals, and all the right nutrients--just not at their "usual" times.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I don't want to know how you met my mother
After hearing so much talk about this show, plus its famous highlight Barney, I felt a sudden urge to watch the first episode. Like most trends, it didn't fail to disappoint me. I understood everything that was going on, but I can't really understand why I didn't laugh at all. Perhaps my EQ is lower than I thought.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Lonely I'm so Lonely I have Nobody All on my Own
So I'm into my second week of work at my new co-op placement. The direction and intentions of the research seem pretty interesting, and I'm eager to get into the meat of the work, but my job has started pretty slow with my supervisor so busy and me not being fully oriented in my responsibilities. So things are slow all around. Literally.
With a population of around 3000, Harrow's a pretty quiet place with not much to do and hardly any big franchises (i.e. mostly local businesses)--well, other than the standard things like banks and liquor stores. Anyway, I've attempted to use this term as a sort of...cleansing. This includes mentally, academically, nutritionally, and, much to your relief I'm sure, physically.
So far, I have been, for the most part, successful in maintaining a regular routine consisting of:
-run
-shower
-eat
-study
-chat
-reflect
-sleep
Until yesterday, I've been living in a house entirely on my own. It's awesome! I had 5 bedrooms, 2 washrooms, 2 kitchens, 1 living room, free laundry, unlimited internet, and cable TV all for $375/month. It's truly amazing--actually more enjoyable than my own permanent house in some ways. Unfortunately, someone else moved in yesterday. He's actually a 3rd year chemical engineer from Waterloo, same year as me. Anyway...although it's not really the same as when I could walk to the shower already half naked, it's still pretty awesome because his room is on a different floor, I never see him use the kitchen, and he has learned that we can each have our own washroom. :) He also seems kind of shy, so it seems like I'll still feel like I'm alone in the house since he doesn't seem interested in talking or hanging out.
You are probably thinking, "Wow, you must be lonely. All by yourself in hick town!" Or for my more narcissistic friends, "You miss me now, don't you? Being in complete isolation, now you'll be able to appreciate me more when you come back." My answer, "Sure, but it's not too bad." My real answer?
Not at all.
Maybe I'm socially retarded, but I prefer being alone. It's such a pain to meet people for the first time, make awkward conversation, and "get to know them". On the other hand, too much of people and my life can can become drama-ridden, tiresome, and I, of course, start to see faults in that person that may or may not be there.
So why do I give that untruthful answer? Well, it's what people expect. If I were to give my real answer, people would just think I'm being defiant or ridiculously unreasonable. Then I have to give an explanation. It just seems easier to go with the socially acceptable answer. People are SUPPOSED to enjoy the company of others and require human interaction at some point. Me? I feel like I could do with a lot less, from what I've seen so far...
With a population of around 3000, Harrow's a pretty quiet place with not much to do and hardly any big franchises (i.e. mostly local businesses)--well, other than the standard things like banks and liquor stores. Anyway, I've attempted to use this term as a sort of...cleansing. This includes mentally, academically, nutritionally, and, much to your relief I'm sure, physically.
So far, I have been, for the most part, successful in maintaining a regular routine consisting of:
-run
-shower
-eat
-study
-chat
-reflect
-sleep
Until yesterday, I've been living in a house entirely on my own. It's awesome! I had 5 bedrooms, 2 washrooms, 2 kitchens, 1 living room, free laundry, unlimited internet, and cable TV all for $375/month. It's truly amazing--actually more enjoyable than my own permanent house in some ways. Unfortunately, someone else moved in yesterday. He's actually a 3rd year chemical engineer from Waterloo, same year as me. Anyway...although it's not really the same as when I could walk to the shower already half naked, it's still pretty awesome because his room is on a different floor, I never see him use the kitchen, and he has learned that we can each have our own washroom. :) He also seems kind of shy, so it seems like I'll still feel like I'm alone in the house since he doesn't seem interested in talking or hanging out.
You are probably thinking, "Wow, you must be lonely. All by yourself in hick town!" Or for my more narcissistic friends, "You miss me now, don't you? Being in complete isolation, now you'll be able to appreciate me more when you come back." My answer, "Sure, but it's not too bad." My real answer?
Not at all.
Maybe I'm socially retarded, but I prefer being alone. It's such a pain to meet people for the first time, make awkward conversation, and "get to know them". On the other hand, too much of people and my life can can become drama-ridden, tiresome, and I, of course, start to see faults in that person that may or may not be there.
So why do I give that untruthful answer? Well, it's what people expect. If I were to give my real answer, people would just think I'm being defiant or ridiculously unreasonable. Then I have to give an explanation. It just seems easier to go with the socially acceptable answer. People are SUPPOSED to enjoy the company of others and require human interaction at some point. Me? I feel like I could do with a lot less, from what I've seen so far...
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Facebook Groups are Stupid
You can usually discern (pretty accurately) the quality of something based on the main qualities of its creator/leader--that's how I know most facebook groups are stupid. The people who created them ALMOST ALWAYS have some kind of grammar or spelling mistake that makes their "witty" title idiotic and embarrassing to any members. Then again, perhaps the quality of the group and the leadership is also consistent with the type of people who end up joining. In the end, this complaint is likely doomed to go unheard...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Insomnia
I'll stay up til you're next to me
Til this house feels like it did before
Feels like insomnia
I don't want to sleep!
Well I never want to sleep on Thursday nights. :)
Til this house feels like it did before
Feels like insomnia
I don't want to sleep!
Well I never want to sleep on Thursday nights. :)
Friday, July 2, 2010
A Thirst for Power
Today I spent Canada Day in Waterloo. Most of the day was unfortunately wasted away in sleep. In the evening I decided to visit my buddy John's place, and we shared food, good times, and an entertaining movie: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.
The main reason why I wanted to watch this movie is that I've read about half of the book, I'm in it (PERSEPHONE!), and most importantly...It has powers.
Before I go into the last reason, let me clarify why persephone = me. For those who didn't know, it's my middle name--and well, I gotta say, I really like the middle name that my parents have chosen for me. Not to be maliciously offensive or anything, but that's just the way I am: I dislike the usual middle names that girls take on (i.e. Elizabeth, Sarah, Michelle, Anna[optional: -mari(a/e)], or just plain Maria, etc. --you get the point). Plus, if I didn't have Persephone as my middle name, I'd just have my lame Korean name Mee-young. This supposedly means source of beauty. HAHAHAHA, SO unfitting--but Persephone, on the other hand, is the goddess of spring. I suppose it fits well enough because I was born sort of near the beginning of spring, and I could TOTALLY see myself marrying the god of the underworld/dead/evil(?), can't you?
Anyways, I vaguely recall people saying that this was a crappy movie, don't see it, etc, etc...then again people think HP is amazing, AND I have lost my faith in people long ago, so why should I care or even trust what they think anyway? I actually enjoyed it. Okay, so the acting was pretty crappy, there were some major plot holes, and the girl wasn't that pretty. On the bright side, I'm heterosexual (surprise!), and the guy was pretty darn cute; I'd definitely do--I mean date him. I was also surprised to see many big actor/actress names in the opening credits: Uma Thurman (as Medusa), Pierce Brosnan (as random person--forget the name), and Rosario Dawson (as ME!). Note: I've gotta say, the scene with Uma Thurman as Medusa was pretty hilarious, as the setting and characterization of her role eerily resembled her Batman-seducing identity as Poison Ivy.
Hold on...since when did famous actors and cute boys make a movie for me? Never...and that's where my last point comes in: POWERS!
I LOVE Powers.
Doesn't it all make a little more sense now? I mean think about it...
1. My favourite TV show is Charmed.
2. My 2nd favourite TV show, as of late, is True Blood.
3. My favourite book genre is fantasy/science fiction.
4. When I'm in a tough spot in dreams, I tend to give myself ____--you got it, powers.
+more...
As I realized when discussing the movie with a friend shortly after watching it, I really enjoy magic, superheroes, and supernatural powers because it provides an escape from life. Life is stressful, and I'm not saying this in a whiny Asian way or even in self-pity. Life IS hard for everyone equally, but that doesn't make it not hard period...I'm not sure if I'm making sense but bear with me anyway. People find their own ways with coping with hardships, using other outlets, channeling this energy for good, etc. Me? I depend on powers.
By imagining myself with powers, everything seems a little more conquerable, people a little less frightening, and challenges a little less intimidating. All of this is possible when you have a supernatural ability to fall back on whenever all else fails. I know this makes me ridiculously immature, but I acknowledge and admire those who have found the maturity and strength to actually channel the negativity from their hardships to fuel the positives. I look forward to the day when I can finally outgrow the safe haven I have built up in the mythical worlds of fantasy and magic to tackle life's challenges purely on my own strength and courage. Until then, I will continue to improve my ability to freeze time and blow up objects. ;)
The main reason why I wanted to watch this movie is that I've read about half of the book, I'm in it (PERSEPHONE!), and most importantly...It has powers.
Before I go into the last reason, let me clarify why persephone = me. For those who didn't know, it's my middle name--and well, I gotta say, I really like the middle name that my parents have chosen for me. Not to be maliciously offensive or anything, but that's just the way I am: I dislike the usual middle names that girls take on (i.e. Elizabeth, Sarah, Michelle, Anna[optional: -mari(a/e)], or just plain Maria, etc. --you get the point). Plus, if I didn't have Persephone as my middle name, I'd just have my lame Korean name Mee-young. This supposedly means source of beauty. HAHAHAHA, SO unfitting--but Persephone, on the other hand, is the goddess of spring. I suppose it fits well enough because I was born sort of near the beginning of spring, and I could TOTALLY see myself marrying the god of the underworld/dead/evil(?), can't you?
Anyways, I vaguely recall people saying that this was a crappy movie, don't see it, etc, etc...then again people think HP is amazing, AND I have lost my faith in people long ago, so why should I care or even trust what they think anyway? I actually enjoyed it. Okay, so the acting was pretty crappy, there were some major plot holes, and the girl wasn't that pretty. On the bright side, I'm heterosexual (surprise!), and the guy was pretty darn cute; I'd definitely do--I mean date him. I was also surprised to see many big actor/actress names in the opening credits: Uma Thurman (as Medusa), Pierce Brosnan (as random person--forget the name), and Rosario Dawson (as ME!). Note: I've gotta say, the scene with Uma Thurman as Medusa was pretty hilarious, as the setting and characterization of her role eerily resembled her Batman-seducing identity as Poison Ivy.
Hold on...since when did famous actors and cute boys make a movie for me? Never...and that's where my last point comes in: POWERS!
I LOVE Powers.
Doesn't it all make a little more sense now? I mean think about it...
1. My favourite TV show is Charmed.
2. My 2nd favourite TV show, as of late, is True Blood.
3. My favourite book genre is fantasy/science fiction.
4. When I'm in a tough spot in dreams, I tend to give myself ____--you got it, powers.
+more...
As I realized when discussing the movie with a friend shortly after watching it, I really enjoy magic, superheroes, and supernatural powers because it provides an escape from life. Life is stressful, and I'm not saying this in a whiny Asian way or even in self-pity. Life IS hard for everyone equally, but that doesn't make it not hard period...I'm not sure if I'm making sense but bear with me anyway. People find their own ways with coping with hardships, using other outlets, channeling this energy for good, etc. Me? I depend on powers.
By imagining myself with powers, everything seems a little more conquerable, people a little less frightening, and challenges a little less intimidating. All of this is possible when you have a supernatural ability to fall back on whenever all else fails. I know this makes me ridiculously immature, but I acknowledge and admire those who have found the maturity and strength to actually channel the negativity from their hardships to fuel the positives. I look forward to the day when I can finally outgrow the safe haven I have built up in the mythical worlds of fantasy and magic to tackle life's challenges purely on my own strength and courage. Until then, I will continue to improve my ability to freeze time and blow up objects. ;)
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Mixed Feelings
So lately, I've had a string of ups and downs, as I suppose is typical of the great mystery we call life.
1. I actually got a co-op job! I'll be working as a Research Assistant in Harrow for a governmental organization. Should be interesting because we're doing work with bees to implant a non-chemical pest control agent into plants via the natural pollination process. I have already settled my housing and am currently going through the tedious preparatory paperwork. I plan to catch up on all the TV shows that I am in the middle of (i.e. Dexter, One Tree Hill, True Blood, etc.) and go for a run every day to lose some of the unhealthy fat I've built up over the past year. It feels great to not have to worry about job searching anymore. Thank you, Dr. Shipp, for hiring me, despite the sinking feeling that I already know you have made a fatal mistake--and thank you, God, for making this miracle possible.
2. As are many of my peers stuck in school this summer, I am stuck in the middle of midterm season. =( Unfortunately, a lot of my friends have already finished or are nearing the end of their exams, while I still have a ways to go. I have written 2 Psychs, 2 Econs, 1 Math, 1 English Essay, and 1 Physics. As far as I know I still have at least 1 Math and 1 Psych left to write. Despite having written over 75% of my exams, I still haven't found the discipline to sit myself down and do some serious studying. I'm not sure whether it is the slack schedule in my past co-op term or the lovely summer season that has totally decimated whatever study habits were sustaining my academic life before, but it's sure taking its toll this term. I haven't been pulling good grades to my maximum potential in any subject. Even after a near failure on my Math test, I was only fazed for a few days, and the effect has kind of numbed by this point...and I don't know what to do?
3. I've gotten back into cooking--without the food poisoning, believe it or not. Mind you, my cooking is not in any sense of enjoyable gourmet cuisine calibre, but rather a survival instinct. Luckily, I've managed to shy away from the monotonous stir fry chicken dish that sustained me from September 2009-February 2010. Miraculous how that disgusting piece of crap even sustained me for that long, I know. With a bit of guidance from my cooking-keen housemate Sandra, I've managed to pull off an edible version of spaghetti. Also, in a desperate attempt to make do with the few ingredients I have, I marinated some thinly sliced pork loins with soya sauce and lemon sauce. It was unsettlingly...yummy--but can I even use that word for my cooking in ANY context? O_o
OHH Food relationship update: I've gotten into adding lemon juice and parsley into ALL my dishes. You can never go wrong with parsley <3
4. As usual, I'm still quite lost as to the direction my future will take. It makes me depressed to hear about my peers getting into professional schools already, while I'm still struggling to fit the pre-requisites into my ridiculous co-op-invaded schedule--not to mention striving to achieve a decent grade in each course. Something funny--but not really--that was brought up in psych class that I'd like to share...ironically, it's from the chapter on Motivation. Hah! Anyway, as soon as I saw the slide listing, I immediately identified myself as having identity diffusion, somewhat pridefully too!
-identity diffusion: inability to commit, no sense of direction, no choices
-identity achievement: successful identity realization
-identity foreclosure: pressured into making an early decision
-identity moratorium: struggling between choices; supposedly where most uni students are
Unfortunately, I was disappointed when my professor went through the list explaining each, and for identity diffusion, all she said was something along the lines of, "These individuals have social and academic problems. They're just in general confused."
With my new-found academic slump and all my friends starting to actually apply for and get into professional schools, I'm developing a fear of being left behind...
5. In a lame attempt to be what we foolishly value--optimistic--I recognize that with my decreased effort into my studies, there is a slight tradeoff in terms of the current enjoyment I am getting out of life.
For one, I've been going to euchre club on a regular basis this term, and I love it, as always--although not solely for the same reasons I'm used to. I've actually started to make a few friends at this club, and I've started talking to one particular loser this term. Good times...and I accomplished all this without improving my social skills in the slightest. Ah, the wonders of facebook and MSN! =)
Second, I've also been spending more time with my friends and indulging in that oh so lovely ethanol. In fact, I've developed a new friend in Smirnoff Ice and its delicate cousin Twisted Green Apple, especially in settings such as King, Tub thumper, and other *cough...games. =)
I guess it wouldn't hurt to end off on a happy note:
I just had a conversation with my brother earlier tonight, and it was probably one of the most civilized conversations I have ever had with him for at least 6 years (before he became an immature dick). I was actually very proud to hear that he was interested in striving for decent programs at specific universities in order to pursue a career in music. Sadly, that is more than I can say about the circumstances under which I chose to enter my own program.
Anyways, I truly believe he has a talent in violin, and it's about time he appreciated this enough to want to do something about it. It seems the late-blooming maturity too characteristic of the male species has finally begun to poke its head out from his overgrown mop of hair.
I'm proud of my brother Robert, and I believe in him now that he has finally decided to believe in himself. =)
1. I actually got a co-op job! I'll be working as a Research Assistant in Harrow for a governmental organization. Should be interesting because we're doing work with bees to implant a non-chemical pest control agent into plants via the natural pollination process. I have already settled my housing and am currently going through the tedious preparatory paperwork. I plan to catch up on all the TV shows that I am in the middle of (i.e. Dexter, One Tree Hill, True Blood, etc.) and go for a run every day to lose some of the unhealthy fat I've built up over the past year. It feels great to not have to worry about job searching anymore. Thank you, Dr. Shipp, for hiring me, despite the sinking feeling that I already know you have made a fatal mistake--and thank you, God, for making this miracle possible.
2. As are many of my peers stuck in school this summer, I am stuck in the middle of midterm season. =( Unfortunately, a lot of my friends have already finished or are nearing the end of their exams, while I still have a ways to go. I have written 2 Psychs, 2 Econs, 1 Math, 1 English Essay, and 1 Physics. As far as I know I still have at least 1 Math and 1 Psych left to write. Despite having written over 75% of my exams, I still haven't found the discipline to sit myself down and do some serious studying. I'm not sure whether it is the slack schedule in my past co-op term or the lovely summer season that has totally decimated whatever study habits were sustaining my academic life before, but it's sure taking its toll this term. I haven't been pulling good grades to my maximum potential in any subject. Even after a near failure on my Math test, I was only fazed for a few days, and the effect has kind of numbed by this point...and I don't know what to do?
3. I've gotten back into cooking--without the food poisoning, believe it or not. Mind you, my cooking is not in any sense of enjoyable gourmet cuisine calibre, but rather a survival instinct. Luckily, I've managed to shy away from the monotonous stir fry chicken dish that sustained me from September 2009-February 2010. Miraculous how that disgusting piece of crap even sustained me for that long, I know. With a bit of guidance from my cooking-keen housemate Sandra, I've managed to pull off an edible version of spaghetti. Also, in a desperate attempt to make do with the few ingredients I have, I marinated some thinly sliced pork loins with soya sauce and lemon sauce. It was unsettlingly...yummy--but can I even use that word for my cooking in ANY context? O_o
OHH Food relationship update: I've gotten into adding lemon juice and parsley into ALL my dishes. You can never go wrong with parsley <3
4. As usual, I'm still quite lost as to the direction my future will take. It makes me depressed to hear about my peers getting into professional schools already, while I'm still struggling to fit the pre-requisites into my ridiculous co-op-invaded schedule--not to mention striving to achieve a decent grade in each course. Something funny--but not really--that was brought up in psych class that I'd like to share...ironically, it's from the chapter on Motivation. Hah! Anyway, as soon as I saw the slide listing, I immediately identified myself as having identity diffusion, somewhat pridefully too!
-identity diffusion: inability to commit, no sense of direction, no choices
-identity achievement: successful identity realization
-identity foreclosure: pressured into making an early decision
-identity moratorium: struggling between choices; supposedly where most uni students are
Unfortunately, I was disappointed when my professor went through the list explaining each, and for identity diffusion, all she said was something along the lines of, "These individuals have social and academic problems. They're just in general confused."
With my new-found academic slump and all my friends starting to actually apply for and get into professional schools, I'm developing a fear of being left behind...
5. In a lame attempt to be what we foolishly value--optimistic--I recognize that with my decreased effort into my studies, there is a slight tradeoff in terms of the current enjoyment I am getting out of life.
For one, I've been going to euchre club on a regular basis this term, and I love it, as always--although not solely for the same reasons I'm used to. I've actually started to make a few friends at this club, and I've started talking to one particular loser this term. Good times...and I accomplished all this without improving my social skills in the slightest. Ah, the wonders of facebook and MSN! =)
Second, I've also been spending more time with my friends and indulging in that oh so lovely ethanol. In fact, I've developed a new friend in Smirnoff Ice and its delicate cousin Twisted Green Apple, especially in settings such as King, Tub thumper, and other *cough...games. =)
I guess it wouldn't hurt to end off on a happy note:
I just had a conversation with my brother earlier tonight, and it was probably one of the most civilized conversations I have ever had with him for at least 6 years (before he became an immature dick). I was actually very proud to hear that he was interested in striving for decent programs at specific universities in order to pursue a career in music. Sadly, that is more than I can say about the circumstances under which I chose to enter my own program.
Anyways, I truly believe he has a talent in violin, and it's about time he appreciated this enough to want to do something about it. It seems the late-blooming maturity too characteristic of the male species has finally begun to poke its head out from his overgrown mop of hair.
I'm proud of my brother Robert, and I believe in him now that he has finally decided to believe in himself. =)
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
The Importance of Being Modest
One of the most important traits I look for in a friend and relationship partner is modesty.
Similar to my views on "nice" people, I don't think anyone is truly modest, but those who made a sincere effort at being modest should be commended. It might just be me, but I find that I am more impressed by modesty than the amazing accomplishments that people tend to share around. Of course, there are varying levels of modesty and cockiness:
Level 1: The most obvious, extreme form of cockiness. The individual is so cocky that they feel they have the expertise to judge others in their field--whether it be "the smartest people", "the prettiest people", "the funniest people", "the best kissers", "the coolest people", etc. The worst part about level 1 is that the individual is openly aware of their own abilities and loses no opportunity to acknowledge it. Furthermore, they tend to exude an extremely superficial level of modesty to your face but behind your back, their judgement puts my critical rantings to shame. I wouldn't call these individuals insecure, but rather they are so blinded by their narcissism that they tend to be ignorant of how others might respond to their behaviour.
Level 2: At first these individuals may seem to be pretty modest. "Nono, I'm not that good at this...", but as soon as you start commending other individuals in an area they pride themselves in, they tend to defend themselves indirectly by putting down that individual. Furthermore, if they didn't do as well as they normally do in something, they will immediately defend their position with excuses and justifications as to why their best results did not show. I would say this level is where we start to see individuals with self-confidence and insecurity issues.
Level 3: "Asian" modesty. This is a less severe form of cockiness, but it can still be annoying as hell.
"Oh my gosh, I failed!"
"Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. What did you get?"
"85."
"..."
Typically, individuals in this level are not so much insecure about their abilities, but insecure about how others view them. They need reassurance that their satisfaction with their current position also receives approval from a representative of the general public or any "outsider".
Note: Depending on which mark you get, there are arguably subcategories within this level of cockiness. If you consider failure to be a 95, that can get realllllllly annoying and can even be considered to be around level 1/2.
Level 4: This level of modesty is where I am striving to be at. This individual responds to commentary, criticism, and compliments depending on the individual that is dishing it out--not how they need to make themselves feel. If an individual is offering you a sincere compliment, by all means accept it gently and move on immediately. If an individual is offering you a superficial compliment that they are using to suck up to or network with you, I strongly encourage you to reject it. Please refer to one of the following templates:
"Nonono, this person is actually the expert you should be talking to..."
"[insert other viable reason why you will not accept their ridiculous compliment]"
Basically, don't give them the satisfaction of a networking job well done; that is one ego I would never dream of feeding.
Anyways, something I always tell myself is...
By remembering all the amazing people you hear about at the top of your grade, through the media, or from history, it keeps everything in perspective and our egos in check. Realistically, there is always someone better than you at something, so you can never settle with a few compliments. If your ego is really that disparate, by all means, use compliments and positivity to recover just enough so that you can find the motivation and will to continue working hard.
Lastly, If someone is truly good at something or has accomplished something that OUGHT to be recognized, it is likely most people are already aware of their talent or have already recognized them for the accomplishment. Why do you need to spread around the "good news" a second, third, or possibly fourth time?
Similar to my views on "nice" people, I don't think anyone is truly modest, but those who made a sincere effort at being modest should be commended. It might just be me, but I find that I am more impressed by modesty than the amazing accomplishments that people tend to share around. Of course, there are varying levels of modesty and cockiness:
Level 1: The most obvious, extreme form of cockiness. The individual is so cocky that they feel they have the expertise to judge others in their field--whether it be "the smartest people", "the prettiest people", "the funniest people", "the best kissers", "the coolest people", etc. The worst part about level 1 is that the individual is openly aware of their own abilities and loses no opportunity to acknowledge it. Furthermore, they tend to exude an extremely superficial level of modesty to your face but behind your back, their judgement puts my critical rantings to shame. I wouldn't call these individuals insecure, but rather they are so blinded by their narcissism that they tend to be ignorant of how others might respond to their behaviour.
Level 2: At first these individuals may seem to be pretty modest. "Nono, I'm not that good at this...", but as soon as you start commending other individuals in an area they pride themselves in, they tend to defend themselves indirectly by putting down that individual. Furthermore, if they didn't do as well as they normally do in something, they will immediately defend their position with excuses and justifications as to why their best results did not show. I would say this level is where we start to see individuals with self-confidence and insecurity issues.
Level 3: "Asian" modesty. This is a less severe form of cockiness, but it can still be annoying as hell.
"Oh my gosh, I failed!"
"Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. What did you get?"
"85."
"..."
Typically, individuals in this level are not so much insecure about their abilities, but insecure about how others view them. They need reassurance that their satisfaction with their current position also receives approval from a representative of the general public or any "outsider".
Note: Depending on which mark you get, there are arguably subcategories within this level of cockiness. If you consider failure to be a 95, that can get realllllllly annoying and can even be considered to be around level 1/2.
Level 4: This level of modesty is where I am striving to be at. This individual responds to commentary, criticism, and compliments depending on the individual that is dishing it out--not how they need to make themselves feel. If an individual is offering you a sincere compliment, by all means accept it gently and move on immediately. If an individual is offering you a superficial compliment that they are using to suck up to or network with you, I strongly encourage you to reject it. Please refer to one of the following templates:
"Nonono, this person is actually the expert you should be talking to..."
"[insert other viable reason why you will not accept their ridiculous compliment]"
Basically, don't give them the satisfaction of a networking job well done; that is one ego I would never dream of feeding.
Anyways, something I always tell myself is...
By remembering all the amazing people you hear about at the top of your grade, through the media, or from history, it keeps everything in perspective and our egos in check. Realistically, there is always someone better than you at something, so you can never settle with a few compliments. If your ego is really that disparate, by all means, use compliments and positivity to recover just enough so that you can find the motivation and will to continue working hard.
Lastly, If someone is truly good at something or has accomplished something that OUGHT to be recognized, it is likely most people are already aware of their talent or have already recognized them for the accomplishment. Why do you need to spread around the "good news" a second, third, or possibly fourth time?
Fifth Business - by Robertson Davies
As mentioned before, this is the title of one of the novels I'm reading for my ENGL 108M course this term. The literal and figurative meaning of the life moral "Never judge a book by its cover" has been hammered into my head, God knows how many times, and yet I instinctively judge books by the exterior packaging even today. When I first purchased this book from the book store, I was reluctant to start it, but I knew I had to get it over with sometime or later...and now? Well, things have surprisingly turned out for the better!
For those who have known me well before university and maybe even high school, I haven't always been the cynical/critical person I am today. I don't really know what happened along the way. I don't really know if this is a positive or negative change. I have just accepted that it's happened. I suppose it's been a combination of the people I've known, my life experiences, and my natural disposition to judge and analyze from the sidelines before taking the initiative to devise a plan of ACTION to induce desired CHANGE. Basically, a combination of the good old nature/nurture principle.
The Christie's Notes version of the book:
Dunstan Ramsay is unable to escape the guilt of a critical incident in his childhood, thereby affecting his outlook on his peers, ambitions, family, love, and life.
Anyways, the reason why this book really touched me was that I was able to identify really strongly with the main character who narrated the entire book from his perspective. In an attempt to illustrate my point, I've pulled a few passages from the book:
Liesl Vitzliputzli to Dunstan, "I beg your pardon. That is your privilege, you pseudo-cynical old pussy-cat, watching life from the sidelines and knowing where all the players go wrong. Life is a spectator sport to you. Now you have taken a tumble and found yourself in the middle of the fight, and you are whimpering because it is rough."
Again Liesl to Dunstan, "Why don't you shake hands with your devil, Ramsay, and change this foolish life of yours? Why don't you, just for once, do something inexplicable, irrational, at the devil's bidding, and just for the hell of it? You would be a different man...
Listen Ramsay, for the past three weeks you have been telling me the story of your life, with great emotional detail, and certainly it sounds as if you did not think you were human. You make yourself responsible for other people's troubles. It is your hobby...And you are secret and stiff-rumped about it all, and never admit it is damned good of you. That is not very human. You are a decent chap to everybody, except one special somebody, and that is Dunstan Ramsay. How can you be really good to anybody if you are not good to yourself?...
Even Calvinism can be endured, if you will make some compromise with yourself. But you--there is a whole great piece of your life that is unlived, denied, set aside. That is why at fifty you can't bear it any longer and fly all to pieces and pour out your heart to the first really intelligent woman you have met--met, that's to say--and get into a schoolboy yearning for a girl who is as far from you as if she lived on the moon. This is the revenge of the unlived life, Ramsay. Suddenly, it makes a fool of you."
Padre Blazon to Ramsay, "God is subtle, but he is not cruel...Try to understand the subtlety, and stop whimpering about the cruelty. Maybe God wants you for something special. Maybe so much that you are worth a woman's sanity.
Forgive yourself for being a human creature, Ramezay. That is the beginning of wisdom; that is part of what is meant by the fear of God; and for you it is the only way to save your sanity. Begin now or you will end up with your saint in the madhouse."
Dunstan himself, "...they all seemed to accept me as a genuine hero, and I did my best to behave decently, neither believing in it too obviously, not yet protesting that I was just a simple chap who had done his duty when he saw it--a pose that has always disgusted me. Ever since, I have tried to think charitably of people in prominent positions of one kind or another; we cast them in roles, and it is only right consider them as players, without trying to discredit them with knowledge of their off-stage life--unless they drag it into the middle of the stage themselves."
Since the course is Youth and Adolescence, the novel obviously relates to at least one of the two concepts. Our teacher also revealed the relation well before we delved into its pages: how incidences in childhood can affect one's growth and outlook all throughout the rest of one's life. Something I particularly enjoyed about the book was Dunstan's character. He seemed to be a really critical, grumpy, and realistic character. I like that in a narrator--none of that romantic, hopeful gibberish that female narrators are too often characterized by.
So why is this novel titled Fifth Business? It has nothing to do with business really. Again, I can't put it anymore eloquently than Davies has brilliantly done already,
"Who are you? Where do you fit into poetry and myth? Do you know who I think you are, Ramsay? I think you are Fifth Business. You don't know what that is?
Well, in opera in a permanent company of the kind we keep up in Europe you must have a prima donna--always a soprano, always the heroine, often a fool; and a tenor who always plays the lover to her; and then you must have a contralto, who is a rival to the soprano, or a sorceress or something; and a basso, who is the villain or the rival or whatever threatens the tenor.
So far, so good. But you cannot make a plot work without another man, and he is usually a baritone, and he is called in the profession Fifth Business, because he is the odd man out, the person who has no opposite of the other sex. And you must have Fifth Business because he is the one who knows the secret of the hero's birth, or comes to the assistance of the heroine when she thinks all is lost, or keeps the hermitess in her cell, or may even be the cause of somebody's death if that is part of the plot.
The prima donna and the tenor, the contralto and the basso, get all the best music and do all the spectacular things, but you cannot manage the plot without Fifth Business! It is not spectacular, but it is a good line of work, I can tell you, and those who play it sometimes have a career that outlasts the golden voices.
Are you Fifth Business? You had better find out."
LOVE THIS BOOK.
For those who have known me well before university and maybe even high school, I haven't always been the cynical/critical person I am today. I don't really know what happened along the way. I don't really know if this is a positive or negative change. I have just accepted that it's happened. I suppose it's been a combination of the people I've known, my life experiences, and my natural disposition to judge and analyze from the sidelines before taking the initiative to devise a plan of ACTION to induce desired CHANGE. Basically, a combination of the good old nature/nurture principle.
The Christie's Notes version of the book:
Dunstan Ramsay is unable to escape the guilt of a critical incident in his childhood, thereby affecting his outlook on his peers, ambitions, family, love, and life.
Anyways, the reason why this book really touched me was that I was able to identify really strongly with the main character who narrated the entire book from his perspective. In an attempt to illustrate my point, I've pulled a few passages from the book:
Liesl Vitzliputzli to Dunstan, "I beg your pardon. That is your privilege, you pseudo-cynical old pussy-cat, watching life from the sidelines and knowing where all the players go wrong. Life is a spectator sport to you. Now you have taken a tumble and found yourself in the middle of the fight, and you are whimpering because it is rough."
Again Liesl to Dunstan, "Why don't you shake hands with your devil, Ramsay, and change this foolish life of yours? Why don't you, just for once, do something inexplicable, irrational, at the devil's bidding, and just for the hell of it? You would be a different man...
Listen Ramsay, for the past three weeks you have been telling me the story of your life, with great emotional detail, and certainly it sounds as if you did not think you were human. You make yourself responsible for other people's troubles. It is your hobby...And you are secret and stiff-rumped about it all, and never admit it is damned good of you. That is not very human. You are a decent chap to everybody, except one special somebody, and that is Dunstan Ramsay. How can you be really good to anybody if you are not good to yourself?...
Even Calvinism can be endured, if you will make some compromise with yourself. But you--there is a whole great piece of your life that is unlived, denied, set aside. That is why at fifty you can't bear it any longer and fly all to pieces and pour out your heart to the first really intelligent woman you have met--met, that's to say--and get into a schoolboy yearning for a girl who is as far from you as if she lived on the moon. This is the revenge of the unlived life, Ramsay. Suddenly, it makes a fool of you."
Padre Blazon to Ramsay, "God is subtle, but he is not cruel...Try to understand the subtlety, and stop whimpering about the cruelty. Maybe God wants you for something special. Maybe so much that you are worth a woman's sanity.
Forgive yourself for being a human creature, Ramezay. That is the beginning of wisdom; that is part of what is meant by the fear of God; and for you it is the only way to save your sanity. Begin now or you will end up with your saint in the madhouse."
Dunstan himself, "...they all seemed to accept me as a genuine hero, and I did my best to behave decently, neither believing in it too obviously, not yet protesting that I was just a simple chap who had done his duty when he saw it--a pose that has always disgusted me. Ever since, I have tried to think charitably of people in prominent positions of one kind or another; we cast them in roles, and it is only right consider them as players, without trying to discredit them with knowledge of their off-stage life--unless they drag it into the middle of the stage themselves."
Since the course is Youth and Adolescence, the novel obviously relates to at least one of the two concepts. Our teacher also revealed the relation well before we delved into its pages: how incidences in childhood can affect one's growth and outlook all throughout the rest of one's life. Something I particularly enjoyed about the book was Dunstan's character. He seemed to be a really critical, grumpy, and realistic character. I like that in a narrator--none of that romantic, hopeful gibberish that female narrators are too often characterized by.
So why is this novel titled Fifth Business? It has nothing to do with business really. Again, I can't put it anymore eloquently than Davies has brilliantly done already,
"Who are you? Where do you fit into poetry and myth? Do you know who I think you are, Ramsay? I think you are Fifth Business. You don't know what that is?
Well, in opera in a permanent company of the kind we keep up in Europe you must have a prima donna--always a soprano, always the heroine, often a fool; and a tenor who always plays the lover to her; and then you must have a contralto, who is a rival to the soprano, or a sorceress or something; and a basso, who is the villain or the rival or whatever threatens the tenor.
So far, so good. But you cannot make a plot work without another man, and he is usually a baritone, and he is called in the profession Fifth Business, because he is the odd man out, the person who has no opposite of the other sex. And you must have Fifth Business because he is the one who knows the secret of the hero's birth, or comes to the assistance of the heroine when she thinks all is lost, or keeps the hermitess in her cell, or may even be the cause of somebody's death if that is part of the plot.
The prima donna and the tenor, the contralto and the basso, get all the best music and do all the spectacular things, but you cannot manage the plot without Fifth Business! It is not spectacular, but it is a good line of work, I can tell you, and those who play it sometimes have a career that outlasts the golden voices.
Are you Fifth Business? You had better find out."
LOVE THIS BOOK.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
ROUND 2: Christie vs. Interviews
So I literally just had this amazing epiphany:
The reason why my interview experience for Work Term 1 was so traumatic is because I completely forgot about my life's moral, which has saved me from significant embarrassment, scarring, and post-event trauma 23094029384029384203948203948203948203948203984203948230948203984 (etc...) times in the past.
--essentially, it's just TOO life-saving for me NOT to reiterate it for you:
EXPECT THE WORST AND YOU'LL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED
Now, given a second chance--not at a better job, mind you--but at handling major interview fails, I am now more prepared. I have already done the mental and emotional preparation required to attend numerous interviews, receive only rankings and no offers, and waste yet more of my studying time in continuous round interviews for jobs I don't really want.
EXCEPT THIS TIME...
1. I only applied for science jobs.
2. I actually have some experience to talk about when I answer questions.
3. There seems to be less competition from upper years for the same positions.
4. The ratio of jobs to students seems friendlier in the spring term :)
NOTE: Why do each of my posts become more optimistic every time? What is this world coming to?? Well, in an effort to avoid disappointing the reader who has come to know my true self, read on.
Perhaps these factors that I have pointed out will increase my chances at obtaining a more relevant job for the fall. Perhaps not.
Perhaps I will finally be able to escape the horrors of Scibus and integrate myself into the general science student body. Perhaps not.
Perhaps I won't find a job, and this will be my last term of co-op(!)? Perhaps not [ :( ]...
Time, tell me what to do...you tend to make most of my decisions anyway...
The reason why my interview experience for Work Term 1 was so traumatic is because I completely forgot about my life's moral, which has saved me from significant embarrassment, scarring, and post-event trauma 23094029384029384203948203948203948203948203984203948230948203984 (etc...) times in the past.
--essentially, it's just TOO life-saving for me NOT to reiterate it for you:
EXPECT THE WORST AND YOU'LL NEVER BE DISAPPOINTED
Now, given a second chance--not at a better job, mind you--but at handling major interview fails, I am now more prepared. I have already done the mental and emotional preparation required to attend numerous interviews, receive only rankings and no offers, and waste yet more of my studying time in continuous round interviews for jobs I don't really want.
EXCEPT THIS TIME...
1. I only applied for science jobs.
2. I actually have some experience to talk about when I answer questions.
3. There seems to be less competition from upper years for the same positions.
4. The ratio of jobs to students seems friendlier in the spring term :)
NOTE: Why do each of my posts become more optimistic every time? What is this world coming to?? Well, in an effort to avoid disappointing the reader who has come to know my true self, read on.
Perhaps these factors that I have pointed out will increase my chances at obtaining a more relevant job for the fall. Perhaps not.
Perhaps I will finally be able to escape the horrors of Scibus and integrate myself into the general science student body. Perhaps not.
Perhaps I won't find a job, and this will be my last term of co-op(!)? Perhaps not [ :( ]...
Time, tell me what to do...you tend to make most of my decisions anyway...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
You look like a monkey and you smell like one too
Christiemon
DOB: March 32nd, 1991
Side Note: As a friend pointed out, Christiemon admittedly DOES imply digimon more than pokemon. However, pokemon names are all random, so the only way I could make a pokemon reference was to mention factors of the gameboy game and the "mon" at the end. Please excuse this minor technicality, dear pokemon fans.
My least favourite day of the year is my birthday (as listed above). Apparently, normal people like to advertise their birthdays (e.g. posting it on facebook as openly as their name) or even include a countdown in their instant messaging name. I am the complete opposite; I have avoided posting it anywhere and have forbidden the select knowledgeable few from telling anyone. Don't even think about asking them; they're protecting it with their lives...wellll, in case you wish to harass them, here are a few of the individuals:
-Katie
-Alex
-Irene
-my parents (hopefully)
+ other less tactful members of the cult that would be risky to list :)
Why the secrecy, people ask?
1. I don't really like being the centre of attention or anything, and that's pretty much the purpose of birthdays--celebrating someone because they were born (i.e. my nightmare). Besides, most renditions of Happy Birthday I've heard so far were terrible, how is that pleasant for the birthday boy/girl?
2. I have a problem with presents. I don't like choosing gifts for people, and I'm rather terrible at it. Hence, I feel really bad if people remember my birthday and happen to get me a gift or even buy me a meal. This is mainly due to the fact that I'm a lazy witch who hates shopping for gifts. If you get me something, I'll feel obliged to get you something in return. If you were a true friend, you wouldn't want to subject me that torture, would you?
--AND DON'T EVEN TRY TO APPLY MY REASON IN REVERSE because if I get you something, trust me, it's not because I'm being nice, but because I actually want to buy you something (see my Play...nice? post). I'm mean, selfish and only fulfilling my desire to treat you to some monetary expression of our relationship because I can't get it down in words or actions quite as succinctly.
Btw, I also dislike birthday parties because social convention demands that you attend a birthday party with an equally pleasing gift for the honoured host. Phooey, it sucks that these gatherings always have to be so fun--a real dilemma, I tell you.
3. I'm terrible at remembering birthdays. Only a few losers in my life have been unfortunate enough to have their birthday dates stuck in my head. However, even if I KNOW the dates, I have great difficulties remembering to wish the appropriate individual well on the appropriate days.
4. If I publish my birthday everywhere and anyone who happens to check facebook/MSN at the right time, in the right mood, would probably refer to one of the following templates:
1. The classic: "Happy (optional: [insert number] th/st) Birthday, [insert name]!"
2. The snarky: "[insert old reference]" (e.g. Another year older and wiser, eh?)
3. The boring one: "Have a good one!"
4. The clever: "You're finally [insert number]...[insert some sort of drinking/legal reference]"
Admittedly, I am also guilty of posting these kinds of birthday wishes to others on occasion...but I feel obliged to wish these people hbd because clearly, that's what they want, if they're publishing their birthday on facebook. You know me, I just LOOVEEE pleasing people...
Sometimes you get people wishing you happy birthday who probably don't actually feel like wishing you happy birthday, but they add in at least a few exclamation points anyway. I don't know, I just don't feel right forcing everyone to feel happy about my birth...I'm not even that happy about it, why should I ask you be?
And that, dear reader, is the answer to that mystery.
P.S. Jennifer, if you're still reading, my birthday isn't actually April 1st, and I'm sorry for misleading you! :(
DOB: March 32nd, 1991
Side Note: As a friend pointed out, Christiemon admittedly DOES imply digimon more than pokemon. However, pokemon names are all random, so the only way I could make a pokemon reference was to mention factors of the gameboy game and the "mon" at the end. Please excuse this minor technicality, dear pokemon fans.
My least favourite day of the year is my birthday (as listed above). Apparently, normal people like to advertise their birthdays (e.g. posting it on facebook as openly as their name) or even include a countdown in their instant messaging name. I am the complete opposite; I have avoided posting it anywhere and have forbidden the select knowledgeable few from telling anyone. Don't even think about asking them; they're protecting it with their lives...wellll, in case you wish to harass them, here are a few of the individuals:
-Katie
-Alex
-Irene
-my parents (hopefully)
+ other less tactful members of the cult that would be risky to list :)
Why the secrecy, people ask?
1. I don't really like being the centre of attention or anything, and that's pretty much the purpose of birthdays--celebrating someone because they were born (i.e. my nightmare). Besides, most renditions of Happy Birthday I've heard so far were terrible, how is that pleasant for the birthday boy/girl?
2. I have a problem with presents. I don't like choosing gifts for people, and I'm rather terrible at it. Hence, I feel really bad if people remember my birthday and happen to get me a gift or even buy me a meal. This is mainly due to the fact that I'm a lazy witch who hates shopping for gifts. If you get me something, I'll feel obliged to get you something in return. If you were a true friend, you wouldn't want to subject me that torture, would you?
--AND DON'T EVEN TRY TO APPLY MY REASON IN REVERSE because if I get you something, trust me, it's not because I'm being nice, but because I actually want to buy you something (see my Play...nice? post). I'm mean, selfish and only fulfilling my desire to treat you to some monetary expression of our relationship because I can't get it down in words or actions quite as succinctly.
Btw, I also dislike birthday parties because social convention demands that you attend a birthday party with an equally pleasing gift for the honoured host. Phooey, it sucks that these gatherings always have to be so fun--a real dilemma, I tell you.
3. I'm terrible at remembering birthdays. Only a few losers in my life have been unfortunate enough to have their birthday dates stuck in my head. However, even if I KNOW the dates, I have great difficulties remembering to wish the appropriate individual well on the appropriate days.
4. If I publish my birthday everywhere and anyone who happens to check facebook/MSN at the right time, in the right mood, would probably refer to one of the following templates:
1. The classic: "Happy (optional: [insert number] th/st) Birthday, [insert name]!"
2. The snarky: "[insert old reference]" (e.g. Another year older and wiser, eh?)
3. The boring one: "Have a good one!"
4. The clever: "You're finally [insert number]...[insert some sort of drinking/legal reference]"
Admittedly, I am also guilty of posting these kinds of birthday wishes to others on occasion...but I feel obliged to wish these people hbd because clearly, that's what they want, if they're publishing their birthday on facebook. You know me, I just LOOVEEE pleasing people...
Sometimes you get people wishing you happy birthday who probably don't actually feel like wishing you happy birthday, but they add in at least a few exclamation points anyway. I don't know, I just don't feel right forcing everyone to feel happy about my birth...I'm not even that happy about it, why should I ask you be?
And that, dear reader, is the answer to that mystery.
P.S. Jennifer, if you're still reading, my birthday isn't actually April 1st, and I'm sorry for misleading you! :(
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Play...nice?
"OMG she's like the nicest person on earth!" "He's a really nice guy..." "She's so nice she couldn't hurt a fly,"--these are a few of my least favourite things. A personal pet peeve of mine is when people mistake meekness and a lack of assertiveness for "niceness". Cmon, here, lets not give credit where it is not due.
What does it mean to be nice? To be honest, I can only speculate since I, myself, am not a nice person. Being polite is one thing, but what does it REALLY mean?
Speculation: No one is truly "nice". Humans will always seek to satiate the innate goal of self-preservation. Depending on what kind of personality traits you are given, people express themselves differently and seek self-satisfaction through different means. Nice people take pleasure in making others happy, and by pursuing this goal they achieve a sense of pride and satisfaction. As for the unfortunate rest, why force yourself to be something you're not? Forced niceties give off a worse impression than if you were to just be yourself.
In elementary school, I actually tried to be nice to everyone around grade 5. This didn't turn out so well. I ended up betraying friends, becoming the teacher's pet, and I was disloyal to my puppy-love "boyfriend" at the time--all because I wanted to be nice and loved by all. At least after these experiences, I learned that being nice wasn't everything. You have to be practical about what you want, realistic of how your actions will affect others, and weigh the alternatives to come up with the best plan of action.
STORY TIME:
From a very young age, I should have realized that I never was (going to be) a nice person. In nursery school, my friend wanted to come down the slide just after I had gone down, As some twisted sarcastic joke, I was blocking the way at the bottom with an angry face and an obviously empty threat, "You can't come down!"
Btw, don't ask how I remember this story; it's strange how this is my only memory of nursery school, and it's all so clear to me--even my exact feelings at the time!
For some reason, it never occurred to her that she could go down the slide anyway, and I would obviously jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. Instead she just started whining and crying. In my mind, I intended to let her go down the slide if she stopped complaining, sucked up her tears, and realized I was being sarcastic. My frustration further led me to tell her "You can't come down! You'll never see your Mommy again!" Honestly, if she just quit her whining, I would have moved right out of the way and we would have gone on playing like the best friends we were (yes, I did this to my best friend--yes, I know I'm a horrible kid). Unfortunately, the teacher cut my little scheme to a short close, and I must have gotten some kind of time-out, as was the fashionable consequence of the time.
This memory of mine is rather interesting, but I can definitely see that I haven't changed much since then. I often still make really mean jokes about other people, pretty much insulting them with only a minor twinge of sarcasm. I just can't help it; that's just the twisted, sick person I am. Sorry to all my past, present, and future victims!
Anyways, consider this...
Like the serial killer can't help but take pleasure from taking other lives, the "nice person" can't help but take pleasure in doing things for others. Is it really fair to only condemn "mean people" (just like the serial killer) simply because the "nice" people were lucky enough to be born with natural tendencies that happen to fall into socially accepted standards? I think nice is an overrated trend--instead, I think we should be striving to exhibit other more veritable traits such as sincerity, tact, consideration, etc.
Just a thought.
P.S. Short posts are SOOOO in.
What does it mean to be nice? To be honest, I can only speculate since I, myself, am not a nice person. Being polite is one thing, but what does it REALLY mean?
Speculation: No one is truly "nice". Humans will always seek to satiate the innate goal of self-preservation. Depending on what kind of personality traits you are given, people express themselves differently and seek self-satisfaction through different means. Nice people take pleasure in making others happy, and by pursuing this goal they achieve a sense of pride and satisfaction. As for the unfortunate rest, why force yourself to be something you're not? Forced niceties give off a worse impression than if you were to just be yourself.
In elementary school, I actually tried to be nice to everyone around grade 5. This didn't turn out so well. I ended up betraying friends, becoming the teacher's pet, and I was disloyal to my puppy-love "boyfriend" at the time--all because I wanted to be nice and loved by all. At least after these experiences, I learned that being nice wasn't everything. You have to be practical about what you want, realistic of how your actions will affect others, and weigh the alternatives to come up with the best plan of action.
STORY TIME:
From a very young age, I should have realized that I never was (going to be) a nice person. In nursery school, my friend wanted to come down the slide just after I had gone down, As some twisted sarcastic joke, I was blocking the way at the bottom with an angry face and an obviously empty threat, "You can't come down!"
Btw, don't ask how I remember this story; it's strange how this is my only memory of nursery school, and it's all so clear to me--even my exact feelings at the time!
For some reason, it never occurred to her that she could go down the slide anyway, and I would obviously jump out of the way to avoid getting hit. Instead she just started whining and crying. In my mind, I intended to let her go down the slide if she stopped complaining, sucked up her tears, and realized I was being sarcastic. My frustration further led me to tell her "You can't come down! You'll never see your Mommy again!" Honestly, if she just quit her whining, I would have moved right out of the way and we would have gone on playing like the best friends we were (yes, I did this to my best friend--yes, I know I'm a horrible kid). Unfortunately, the teacher cut my little scheme to a short close, and I must have gotten some kind of time-out, as was the fashionable consequence of the time.
This memory of mine is rather interesting, but I can definitely see that I haven't changed much since then. I often still make really mean jokes about other people, pretty much insulting them with only a minor twinge of sarcasm. I just can't help it; that's just the twisted, sick person I am. Sorry to all my past, present, and future victims!
Anyways, consider this...
Like the serial killer can't help but take pleasure from taking other lives, the "nice person" can't help but take pleasure in doing things for others. Is it really fair to only condemn "mean people" (just like the serial killer) simply because the "nice" people were lucky enough to be born with natural tendencies that happen to fall into socially accepted standards? I think nice is an overrated trend--instead, I think we should be striving to exhibit other more veritable traits such as sincerity, tact, consideration, etc.
Just a thought.
P.S. Short posts are SOOOO in.
Monday, May 10, 2010
The Latest...in FOOD
So, this post is uncharacteristically short. Mainly because I'm trying to compensate for my previous "double post", and I'm feeling a bit guilty about neglecting my work yet again. Omg, and I even decided to spare unfortunate readers a bit of pain by adding...*GASP visuals.
Wellll, I suppose it's a bit redundant to state it, but I will anyway: CHRISTIE + FOOD = LOVE
I don't just mean a widespread player-like love, but I have certainly enjoyed my share of short and long term relationships (i.e. food fads).
The oldest fad I can remember is good 'ol Cesar salad. Of course, this is the notorious pedophilic vegetable that has managed to be the only vegetable in the hearts of young children. It may be the crisp croutons, the juicy bacon bits, or perhaps the classic Cesar dressing itself. Whatever it is, children cannot avoid being drawn in by its irresistible promises and charm, myself included. Some days, we would go at it--4 or even 5 consecutive servings. I know, I was such a hoe from such a young age (i.e. 10-12).
Years after my puppy l
ove with cesar salad, I met couscous. SOOO GOOD! It's basically a pasta type that is in the form of tiny rice-like granules. It's of Mediterranean origin, I believe--one of my favourite food cultures! YUM. I ate so much couscous for about a month until I got sick of it. I still love it, but I don't think we will ever feel the same about each other again.
I shortly rebounded to sundried tomatoes. YUMYUMYUM!!!!!! Our eyes first met through delicious Italian cuisine, namely my favourite Italian restaurant in Toronto: Terroni's ^-^ We did it everywhere--on crackers, with bread, top(ping)less--you name it, we did it. ;)
You may be interested to hear this scandalous bit of information. I actually started my next relationship midway through the previous one...oops? Can you blame me? Things just sorta...happened while the sun-dried tomatoes sort of lost my interest. The flirting began and what do you know, sparks were flying everywhere. Enter: THE JALAPENO PEPPERS. I'm not even lying, this is an exact picture of the jar I was involved with. I devoured it with pasta, bread, and topless once again.
After a few months of this infatuation, we had a terrible breakup. I don't think I can really touch or even look at him again. From time to time, I'll help myself to a little nibble or enjoy his flavour in a subtler form, but we both know things can never return to the way they once were.
This next little bugger has proven to be a real tease with serious commitment issues. I was first drawn to its pleasing black appearance (right), but when I tasted its distinctive, flavourful inside, I knew I was in love. Little did I know, he didn't really reciprocate those feelings. I was instead passed onto his more envious cousin (below). We had a thing for a few months, and from time to time I would revert between the two. I guess you could say I was a bit of a player--and now? Well, lets just say we're a messed up triangle of friends who offer each other favours/benefits under the table from time to time...I don't think I can really complain, for that would just be plain ungrateful.
After a long history of ups and downs, I have certainly experienced a wide variety of tastes. Even after such a journey, I am still in search of that ONE flavour for me that will love me in sickness, in health, and even beyond death. Until then, let me introduce you to my latest sweetheart. I like to call him "Eggy". Isn't he just the cutest?
Wellll, I suppose it's a bit redundant to state it, but I will anyway: CHRISTIE + FOOD = LOVE
I don't just mean a widespread player-like love, but I have certainly enjoyed my share of short and long term relationships (i.e. food fads).
The oldest fad I can remember is good 'ol Cesar salad. Of course, this is the notorious pedophilic vegetable that has managed to be the only vegetable in the hearts of young children. It may be the crisp croutons, the juicy bacon bits, or perhaps the classic Cesar dressing itself. Whatever it is, children cannot avoid being drawn in by its irresistible promises and charm, myself included. Some days, we would go at it--4 or even 5 consecutive servings. I know, I was such a hoe from such a young age (i.e. 10-12).
Years after my puppy l
ove with cesar salad, I met couscous. SOOO GOOD! It's basically a pasta type that is in the form of tiny rice-like granules. It's of Mediterranean origin, I believe--one of my favourite food cultures! YUM. I ate so much couscous for about a month until I got sick of it. I still love it, but I don't think we will ever feel the same about each other again.
I shortly rebounded to sundried tomatoes. YUMYUMYUM!!!!!! Our eyes first met through delicious Italian cuisine, namely my favourite Italian restaurant in Toronto: Terroni's ^-^ We did it everywhere--on crackers, with bread, top(ping)less--you name it, we did it. ;)
You may be interested to hear this scandalous bit of information. I actually started my next relationship midway through the previous one...oops? Can you blame me? Things just sorta...happened while the sun-dried tomatoes sort of lost my interest. The flirting began and what do you know, sparks were flying everywhere. Enter: THE JALAPENO PEPPERS. I'm not even lying, this is an exact picture of the jar I was involved with. I devoured it with pasta, bread, and topless once again.
After a few months of this infatuation, we had a terrible breakup. I don't think I can really touch or even look at him again. From time to time, I'll help myself to a little nibble or enjoy his flavour in a subtler form, but we both know things can never return to the way they once were.
This next little bugger has proven to be a real tease with serious commitment issues. I was first drawn to its pleasing black appearance (right), but when I tasted its distinctive, flavourful inside, I knew I was in love. Little did I know, he didn't really reciprocate those feelings. I was instead passed onto his more envious cousin (below). We had a thing for a few months, and from time to time I would revert between the two. I guess you could say I was a bit of a player--and now? Well, lets just say we're a messed up triangle of friends who offer each other favours/benefits under the table from time to time...I don't think I can really complain, for that would just be plain ungrateful.
After a long history of ups and downs, I have certainly experienced a wide variety of tastes. Even after such a journey, I am still in search of that ONE flavour for me that will love me in sickness, in health, and even beyond death. Until then, let me introduce you to my latest sweetheart. I like to call him "Eggy". Isn't he just the cutest?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Mr. Christie Jr.
When I think about what my home life will be like in the future, I must admit it's all still very blurry. I can't picture what job I'll be doing, where I'll be living, or who I'll be living with, if anyone at all; the only thing I AM sure about is that I plan to enjoy life. I also know that I would really like to raise my own kid, whether it's my own or even adopted. Anyways, before I get onto the main meat of this post, let me go through the motions of some updates--academic, and non-academic.
So, I just started my study term this week. I'm taking 6 courses and 1 lab:
BIOL 373 (online) - Human Physiology 2: I took the BIOL 273 course last summer online as well...and with the same prof too. Shouldn't be too bad, except all the lectures are only in audio form--they used to come with a powerpoint visual. This makes it a bit harder to focus and it takes longer for me to listen and formulate my own notes on the spot, but oh well. It's definitely the preferrable alternative to sitting in a boring biology lectures 2-3 times a week; somehow I never seem to absorb anything biology-related that I hear in lecture. Too boring.
ECON 102 - Macroeconomics: WAH! I missed my first class because they changed the room last-minute due to building construction. Now it's in a dark, stuffy physics room...makes me sleepy, and the overly redundant/obvious course content doesn't help either.
ENGL 108M - Youth and Adolescence: The books on the course outline are:
-James Joyce: Portrait of a young man (or something along those lines)
-Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book
-5th Business - by somebody I forget
-Persepolis Marjand Satrapi (?)
+other short stories (e.g. Freudian-inspired psychoanalysis of Little Red Riding Hood, Gertrude Talks by Margaret Atwood)
Sorry, avid readers, I probably butchered all those titles/authors, but you have some idea of what I mean. Again, I apologize for being too lazy to even confirm the names on my books right here in my room or to even google them for that matter. By all means, condemn me, gossip, criticize--whatever makes you feel better.
Anyways, I'm so excited for this course! It's been almost 3 years since I took an English course! Oh, if you're wondering how that's possible:
1. I don't take English courses in my uni program.
2. I boycotted English at my school for summer school and online courses because I kept getting the same crappy teacher. Yes, it made a SIGNIFICANT difference, if you're wondering.
MATH 128 - Calculus 2 for Scientists: So, I did my best to avoid this course by going into Science and Business (Biology specialization) JUST to avoid this course and physics. As you can tell, I ended up taking both nightmares anyway -_-" Not that I was ever good at math, but now I'm SUPER rusty cuz I haven't taken MATH 127 since Fall 2008. To top off this never-ending mound of good news, my prof is boring, doesn't really teach, goes pretty fast, and calls on the entire class sequentially to answer questions. I still haven't been called on, but I try to seat myself farthest from the seat where I think she will start calling on students. I think I'm too terrified of being called on to focus on the actual content. As if I didn't already have enough trouble with Math.
Interesting fact: I almost didn't get into university because of the vectors unit in math. I needed to maintain a 75 in Math, and I started off the term with a 66 from this unit. Oh, the trauma.
PHYS 112 - Physics 2 + lab: My prof makes stupid analogies and keeps poor notes. Recall: This is my second physics course in my life, but I'm not too discouraged YET, since I did decently in 111. :) *Gasp WAS THAT OPTIMISM?
PSYCH 101 - Intro to Psychology: Boring so far, definitely overrated. Why do people like going into psychology again? It seems just like a bunch of data collection...very reminiscent of stats/data...who in their right mind would want to study this unless you have a very "special" mind indeed...
So, that's this term in a furry chestnut shell. I'm not really sure what to expect, but I guess it's about time I revived my dismal study habits.
NB. For anyone who feels like performing the social convention of asking how my courses went last term: I somehow ended up doing okay on my lab and course. Then again, when you don't study and prepare yourself to receive a 60, anything looks good right?
As for the non-academic updates, I truly made some great friends at my co-op term, as mentioned in my earlier post (in good co-ompany): Brian, Cathy, Cynthia, Devon, Justina, Kyle, Matt, Qi, and Sirisopha. I really doubt we'll ever be able to enjoy the same friendship as before, but I have learned to expect this cyclical rotation of friends. It's just a way of life.
Not to overruse my annoyingly recurring transition word, but "SOOOOoooooo"...
onto the main "meat", as promised.
What plans do I have in store for Christie Jr.? Well, from my own life and personal preferences, I think I already have some ideas of how I will raise my child.
1. First of all, you may ask, "Is there a gender preference? If not, how would my approach differ?" I think I would prefer a girl, despite all the times where I sincerely wished that I was a boy. Let me explain my reasoning. Well, I think that boys are already tough and have a certain extent of self-confidence and esteem; thus a girl would benefit more from my version of parenting. I see myself doing the female gender some good--not saying that I would create a tomboy or a "butch feminist" (I know Alex enjoys that phrase), but definitely not a ditz/fob/[insert other derogatory classification] :) I'd like to raise a girl to be emotionally tougher and more practical/realistic, both traits that many girls (especially asian ones) today seriously lack and this bothers me, naturally. For a boy, my parenting would more or less be the same, but it would definitely make the job easier.
2. I feel really useless being monolingual, and I would like to spare my child this inconvenience. I will travel around the world with my child at an early age and temporarily settle in different areas, in hopes that they will pick up other languages. Of course this depends on what income I end up making, but at the very least, I will send them to Korean school from a very young age and eventually a French immersion program in elementary and secondary school.
3. I will read lots of books with my child from a very young age. Almost every person I know who read a lot of books from a young age has strong English writing and reading comprehension skills--both extremely valuable skills no matter what career they end up pursuing.
4. I will provide my child with at least cable TV. I think it's an important social and cosmopolitan-ic learning tool. Also, by providing them with sufficient access to a TV from a young age, the novelty and excitement associated with cable TV will hopefully wear off by their mid-adolescent years at the latest.
5. No physical discipline. Ironic coming from me eh? Personally, I think this method might work for a dog or hamster, but humans can be reasoned with. If they can't, physical messaging cannot be any clearer than what is said in words.
6. Keep lectures short. Before I approach my child about a serious issue, I think it would be more effective to just emphasize the main points. If you go on and on about your complaints, it becomes a nag to your kid and they tune you out, and you eventually lose their respect, and they start to get annoyed whenever it looks like you're getting into one of your 'talks', and whether you realize it or not, all your talks are pretty much saying the same things anyway, and this is just filler text; I can't believe you are reading it...blah, blah, blah, etc.
7. Provide the sex talk. I know my parents didn't tell me anything about sex. Maybe they were too scared or embarrassed to talk about it to me, but it made sex somewhat intriguing. I also ended up asking my best friends to share their views and personal experiences on puberty. Essentially, I received the notorious sex talk secondhand, with possible stretching of the truth here and there. You would want your kids to get the story right the first time, or do you?--bringing me to my next plan of action...
8. I don't want to be one of those parents that lazily makes up an answer to a 'complex' question. Unless there is some life-threatening piece of knowledge that I don't want my kids to know, I would like to tell them the right thing the first time, or at least as much as they are willing to hear. Otherwise, I'd have to sit down with them once they hit a mature enough age and essentially "revise" all the half-truths I told them when they were younger. Of course, there is also the chance that some of these half-truths will never be corrected in time to save them from some embarrassing conversation with their friends or a cute boy/girl later on in the future. I'd like to spare my child this inconvenience as well.
9. I want to teach my kid the underlying principle of my life: marginal utility>marginal cost, otherwise no purchase. Basically, only invest time in something, if you are getting more out of it than it is costing you...whether it's enjoyment, service, convenience, pleasure, self-satisfaction, etc. Don't just buy something because it's cheap. Don't just get something because everyone else is. Really evaluate what something means to you. I'm not trying to be a snobby capitalist in this point; it can apply to helping others as well. You should only help others if you are really interested in helping them out--as opposed to being afraid of what they/others will think if you don't help them out (i.e. doing the right thing for the wrong reasons). Only if you follow this rule, will you be satisfied with anything that you invest in, my child.
10. Live in the now. Something my English prof said today really struck me...something along the lines of how our society currently encourages everyone to be constantly setting themselves up for the future rather than reflecting on the past or even stopping to enjoy the present. Take time now to enjoy your youth and adolescence before it's too late and you have later regrets. However, while still being slightly realistic and conscious of the future, I would ensure I emphasize to my child the importance of getting job experience, over more frivolous extracurricular activities such as piano lessons or art classes.
So, I just started my study term this week. I'm taking 6 courses and 1 lab:
BIOL 373 (online) - Human Physiology 2: I took the BIOL 273 course last summer online as well...and with the same prof too. Shouldn't be too bad, except all the lectures are only in audio form--they used to come with a powerpoint visual. This makes it a bit harder to focus and it takes longer for me to listen and formulate my own notes on the spot, but oh well. It's definitely the preferrable alternative to sitting in a boring biology lectures 2-3 times a week; somehow I never seem to absorb anything biology-related that I hear in lecture. Too boring.
ECON 102 - Macroeconomics: WAH! I missed my first class because they changed the room last-minute due to building construction. Now it's in a dark, stuffy physics room...makes me sleepy, and the overly redundant/obvious course content doesn't help either.
ENGL 108M - Youth and Adolescence: The books on the course outline are:
-James Joyce: Portrait of a young man (or something along those lines)
-Neil Gaiman: The Graveyard Book
-5th Business - by somebody I forget
-Persepolis Marjand Satrapi (?)
+other short stories (e.g. Freudian-inspired psychoanalysis of Little Red Riding Hood, Gertrude Talks by Margaret Atwood)
Sorry, avid readers, I probably butchered all those titles/authors, but you have some idea of what I mean. Again, I apologize for being too lazy to even confirm the names on my books right here in my room or to even google them for that matter. By all means, condemn me, gossip, criticize--whatever makes you feel better.
Anyways, I'm so excited for this course! It's been almost 3 years since I took an English course! Oh, if you're wondering how that's possible:
1. I don't take English courses in my uni program.
2. I boycotted English at my school for summer school and online courses because I kept getting the same crappy teacher. Yes, it made a SIGNIFICANT difference, if you're wondering.
MATH 128 - Calculus 2 for Scientists: So, I did my best to avoid this course by going into Science and Business (Biology specialization) JUST to avoid this course and physics. As you can tell, I ended up taking both nightmares anyway -_-" Not that I was ever good at math, but now I'm SUPER rusty cuz I haven't taken MATH 127 since Fall 2008. To top off this never-ending mound of good news, my prof is boring, doesn't really teach, goes pretty fast, and calls on the entire class sequentially to answer questions. I still haven't been called on, but I try to seat myself farthest from the seat where I think she will start calling on students. I think I'm too terrified of being called on to focus on the actual content. As if I didn't already have enough trouble with Math.
Interesting fact: I almost didn't get into university because of the vectors unit in math. I needed to maintain a 75 in Math, and I started off the term with a 66 from this unit. Oh, the trauma.
PHYS 112 - Physics 2 + lab: My prof makes stupid analogies and keeps poor notes. Recall: This is my second physics course in my life, but I'm not too discouraged YET, since I did decently in 111. :) *Gasp WAS THAT OPTIMISM?
PSYCH 101 - Intro to Psychology: Boring so far, definitely overrated. Why do people like going into psychology again? It seems just like a bunch of data collection...very reminiscent of stats/data...who in their right mind would want to study this unless you have a very "special" mind indeed...
So, that's this term in a furry chestnut shell. I'm not really sure what to expect, but I guess it's about time I revived my dismal study habits.
NB. For anyone who feels like performing the social convention of asking how my courses went last term: I somehow ended up doing okay on my lab and course. Then again, when you don't study and prepare yourself to receive a 60, anything looks good right?
As for the non-academic updates, I truly made some great friends at my co-op term, as mentioned in my earlier post (in good co-ompany): Brian, Cathy, Cynthia, Devon, Justina, Kyle, Matt, Qi, and Sirisopha. I really doubt we'll ever be able to enjoy the same friendship as before, but I have learned to expect this cyclical rotation of friends. It's just a way of life.
Not to overruse my annoyingly recurring transition word, but "SOOOOoooooo"...
onto the main "meat", as promised.
What plans do I have in store for Christie Jr.? Well, from my own life and personal preferences, I think I already have some ideas of how I will raise my child.
1. First of all, you may ask, "Is there a gender preference? If not, how would my approach differ?" I think I would prefer a girl, despite all the times where I sincerely wished that I was a boy. Let me explain my reasoning. Well, I think that boys are already tough and have a certain extent of self-confidence and esteem; thus a girl would benefit more from my version of parenting. I see myself doing the female gender some good--not saying that I would create a tomboy or a "butch feminist" (I know Alex enjoys that phrase), but definitely not a ditz/fob/[insert other derogatory classification] :) I'd like to raise a girl to be emotionally tougher and more practical/realistic, both traits that many girls (especially asian ones) today seriously lack and this bothers me, naturally. For a boy, my parenting would more or less be the same, but it would definitely make the job easier.
2. I feel really useless being monolingual, and I would like to spare my child this inconvenience. I will travel around the world with my child at an early age and temporarily settle in different areas, in hopes that they will pick up other languages. Of course this depends on what income I end up making, but at the very least, I will send them to Korean school from a very young age and eventually a French immersion program in elementary and secondary school.
3. I will read lots of books with my child from a very young age. Almost every person I know who read a lot of books from a young age has strong English writing and reading comprehension skills--both extremely valuable skills no matter what career they end up pursuing.
4. I will provide my child with at least cable TV. I think it's an important social and cosmopolitan-ic learning tool. Also, by providing them with sufficient access to a TV from a young age, the novelty and excitement associated with cable TV will hopefully wear off by their mid-adolescent years at the latest.
5. No physical discipline. Ironic coming from me eh? Personally, I think this method might work for a dog or hamster, but humans can be reasoned with. If they can't, physical messaging cannot be any clearer than what is said in words.
6. Keep lectures short. Before I approach my child about a serious issue, I think it would be more effective to just emphasize the main points. If you go on and on about your complaints, it becomes a nag to your kid and they tune you out, and you eventually lose their respect, and they start to get annoyed whenever it looks like you're getting into one of your 'talks', and whether you realize it or not, all your talks are pretty much saying the same things anyway, and this is just filler text; I can't believe you are reading it...blah, blah, blah, etc.
7. Provide the sex talk. I know my parents didn't tell me anything about sex. Maybe they were too scared or embarrassed to talk about it to me, but it made sex somewhat intriguing. I also ended up asking my best friends to share their views and personal experiences on puberty. Essentially, I received the notorious sex talk secondhand, with possible stretching of the truth here and there. You would want your kids to get the story right the first time, or do you?--bringing me to my next plan of action...
8. I don't want to be one of those parents that lazily makes up an answer to a 'complex' question. Unless there is some life-threatening piece of knowledge that I don't want my kids to know, I would like to tell them the right thing the first time, or at least as much as they are willing to hear. Otherwise, I'd have to sit down with them once they hit a mature enough age and essentially "revise" all the half-truths I told them when they were younger. Of course, there is also the chance that some of these half-truths will never be corrected in time to save them from some embarrassing conversation with their friends or a cute boy/girl later on in the future. I'd like to spare my child this inconvenience as well.
9. I want to teach my kid the underlying principle of my life: marginal utility>marginal cost, otherwise no purchase. Basically, only invest time in something, if you are getting more out of it than it is costing you...whether it's enjoyment, service, convenience, pleasure, self-satisfaction, etc. Don't just buy something because it's cheap. Don't just get something because everyone else is. Really evaluate what something means to you. I'm not trying to be a snobby capitalist in this point; it can apply to helping others as well. You should only help others if you are really interested in helping them out--as opposed to being afraid of what they/others will think if you don't help them out (i.e. doing the right thing for the wrong reasons). Only if you follow this rule, will you be satisfied with anything that you invest in, my child.
10. Live in the now. Something my English prof said today really struck me...something along the lines of how our society currently encourages everyone to be constantly setting themselves up for the future rather than reflecting on the past or even stopping to enjoy the present. Take time now to enjoy your youth and adolescence before it's too late and you have later regrets. However, while still being slightly realistic and conscious of the future, I would ensure I emphasize to my child the importance of getting job experience, over more frivolous extracurricular activities such as piano lessons or art classes.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Always Afraid to Make Amish-take
Short and sweet--Top 10 Reasons Why I Accept My Title as Being "Amish"
Note: Some of these points are not necessarily AMISH, but still advocate my role as an inexperienced, naive, and useless human being.
1. I don't watch TV; I don't understand how people can do other things while a TV is on...I get so mesmerized by the moving figures on the screen...
2. The most extreme sport I've ever participated in was water skiing...and I sucked.
3. I've never used an ATM machine until a few weeks ago. My friend had to guide me through it, and the guy behind me was laughing at me.
4. I used my debit card for the first time today--prior to that, I have always paid in cash.
5. I only speak one language.
6. I can be easily entertained by a simple ipod game like solitaire for hours at end.
7. I don't know how to cook; recently food poisoned myself.
8. I am an inexperienced buyer, not knowing the going rate for most things.
9. I would rather ride a horse for the rest of my life than own a car.
10. I'd rather sit by myself and read a book than have to venture out into the real world and meet people.
Note: Some of these points are not necessarily AMISH, but still advocate my role as an inexperienced, naive, and useless human being.
1. I don't watch TV; I don't understand how people can do other things while a TV is on...I get so mesmerized by the moving figures on the screen...
2. The most extreme sport I've ever participated in was water skiing...and I sucked.
3. I've never used an ATM machine until a few weeks ago. My friend had to guide me through it, and the guy behind me was laughing at me.
4. I used my debit card for the first time today--prior to that, I have always paid in cash.
5. I only speak one language.
6. I can be easily entertained by a simple ipod game like solitaire for hours at end.
7. I don't know how to cook; recently food poisoned myself.
8. I am an inexperienced buyer, not knowing the going rate for most things.
9. I would rather ride a horse for the rest of my life than own a car.
10. I'd rather sit by myself and read a book than have to venture out into the real world and meet people.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Boys Go to Jupiter to Get More Stupider
If you knew what I was about to write about, you would understand the irony of me being in the DC library and writing on my blog instead of tackling my horrendous workload. Ah well, in a mindless, endless, fruitless effort to keep my posts short, lets get to the point.
This weekend I went home again--HOLY CRAP, the world must really be ending in 2012--and had a relaxing weekend with my parents. Oddly enough, the euchre addiction gene seems to run in my family, as Yahoo Euchre was kind enough to babysit Robert for the duration of a peaceful weekend. I had a chance to enjoy lots of nice meals, conversations with my parents, and of course...MOVIES! What did you think we were going to watch--TV? So my parents buy tons of pirated movies from the local Chinese malls, and whenever I come home, I am obligated to get through that pile. So I started with a random one called An Education.
Synopsis pulled from the Internet: Jenny (Carey Mulligan) a very bright girl on the cusp of her 17th birthday, finds herself in a whirlwind romance with the much older David ( Peter Sarsgaard). Prior to meeting him, Jenny was working hard at secondary school to ensure getting to Oxford University. When she sees the lifestyle David can provide, one she never imagined could be hers, she's hooked and thoughts of Oxford are forgotten. Then, when things are looking pretty good for Jenny with the dashing (yet a little too smooth) David, the truth hits her like a ton of bricks. Jenny goes from being a bright eyed school girl and a sophisticated young lady, all the way back to questioning if she really knows who she is at all. 'An Education' won the Audience Choice award and the Cinematography award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Out of all the random new movies I could have chosen to watch, I was strangely drawn to this one. Can you see why? If the most you know about me is what you read from my blogs, I'm not sure if I have ever emphasized my wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights outlook on life. I basically have no idea what I am meant to do or if there is a place for me in life--particularly when it comes to a career. Especially at this point in my life when I have recently turned the blessed age of 19, I am more confused than ever. A HUGE part of me wants to ditch all my schoolwork, stock up on party clothes, and live the life I have stuffed under my bed for so long. Yet size is not always strength, I suppose; my tinier, vaguely obedient self longs to make anything that was ever invested in me worth something someday--especially for my parents' sake. Like Jenny, I reallllllllllllllly want to get out there and have fun, for once, but something keeps me shackled to the prospect of, what I guess you could call, a slower suicide. Sometimes I wonder if this makes me a weaker person--and not necessarily obedient. We all want to have fun. I just want to take the safer route, stay far inside the edge, and find some shallow comfort in the idea of "long term prosperity". Especially since Jenny actually had a goal and I don't, I feel I have even more reason to let loose and party...but I know realistically, if I let myself step any further into that kind of freedom and actual LIFE, I might never come back.
I'm gonna stop the post here because I feel so guilty for postponing my work again despite in-your-face looming deadlines--and the shackle is dragged along another few steps before stopping at the end of the slack.
This weekend I went home again--HOLY CRAP, the world must really be ending in 2012--and had a relaxing weekend with my parents. Oddly enough, the euchre addiction gene seems to run in my family, as Yahoo Euchre was kind enough to babysit Robert for the duration of a peaceful weekend. I had a chance to enjoy lots of nice meals, conversations with my parents, and of course...MOVIES! What did you think we were going to watch--TV? So my parents buy tons of pirated movies from the local Chinese malls, and whenever I come home, I am obligated to get through that pile. So I started with a random one called An Education.
Synopsis pulled from the Internet: Jenny (Carey Mulligan) a very bright girl on the cusp of her 17th birthday, finds herself in a whirlwind romance with the much older David ( Peter Sarsgaard). Prior to meeting him, Jenny was working hard at secondary school to ensure getting to Oxford University. When she sees the lifestyle David can provide, one she never imagined could be hers, she's hooked and thoughts of Oxford are forgotten. Then, when things are looking pretty good for Jenny with the dashing (yet a little too smooth) David, the truth hits her like a ton of bricks. Jenny goes from being a bright eyed school girl and a sophisticated young lady, all the way back to questioning if she really knows who she is at all. 'An Education' won the Audience Choice award and the Cinematography award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.
Out of all the random new movies I could have chosen to watch, I was strangely drawn to this one. Can you see why? If the most you know about me is what you read from my blogs, I'm not sure if I have ever emphasized my wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights outlook on life. I basically have no idea what I am meant to do or if there is a place for me in life--particularly when it comes to a career. Especially at this point in my life when I have recently turned the blessed age of 19, I am more confused than ever. A HUGE part of me wants to ditch all my schoolwork, stock up on party clothes, and live the life I have stuffed under my bed for so long. Yet size is not always strength, I suppose; my tinier, vaguely obedient self longs to make anything that was ever invested in me worth something someday--especially for my parents' sake. Like Jenny, I reallllllllllllllly want to get out there and have fun, for once, but something keeps me shackled to the prospect of, what I guess you could call, a slower suicide. Sometimes I wonder if this makes me a weaker person--and not necessarily obedient. We all want to have fun. I just want to take the safer route, stay far inside the edge, and find some shallow comfort in the idea of "long term prosperity". Especially since Jenny actually had a goal and I don't, I feel I have even more reason to let loose and party...but I know realistically, if I let myself step any further into that kind of freedom and actual LIFE, I might never come back.
I'm gonna stop the post here because I feel so guilty for postponing my work again despite in-your-face looming deadlines--and the shackle is dragged along another few steps before stopping at the end of the slack.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
(Spring) Showers
So the weather these days is lovely, but someone told me we are getting snow this weekend. That is terribly unsettling, but I won't let it spoil my mood for the moment. Anyways, that's not really what this post is about.
Here we go: Showers. I'm sorry if you catch me on the wrong day, but I don't shower nearly as often as social convention demands. Typically I shower about once every few days, but only a few years ago was I informed that "normal" people shower daily. Basically, the times whenever my hair gets gross dictate when I take a shower --and here we go back on the path of unfounded opinions, gotta love it...
So why are my showers such a rare and miraculous event? Simple. I don't really feel the need to shower. If I just played soccer or sat in a really hot environment sweating my salts out, then I will be disgusted into taking a shower. Of course, I have to understand that most guys have odour issues, perhaps an effect of their manly pheromones, but what about girls? A lot of girls who just sit around looking pretty--don't really engage in any activity that causes them to break even a drop of sweat--insist on taking a daily shower. WHY? People are always talking about ways to save energy, water, resources, etc. WHY NOT start with hot shower water? Personally, I feel that people can still look good by cleaning themselves up without a daily full-length shower. I hear that many girls take showers without washing their hair--what is the point of this? Showering has evolved from being a simple hygienic survival instinct to another mechanical routine encoded into the great social convention Bible. Can we not tolerate a bit of discomfort everyday? In fact, some of the showers that girls take to just "rinse themselves" take longer than the duration of my full shower (complete with hair washing). If you're not willing to tolerate the minor discomfort, can you at least shorten the time you are spending on this "unofficial" shower?
Understandably, people may argue issues of hygiene and personal health, but I'm sorry that just doesn't cut it for me. You can DEFINITELY survive without a daily shower without contracting some kind of bacterial disease/infection. Looking at the bigger picture, showers are a definite luxury. People survive all around the world by using a little tub of water to clean themselves. Why can't we sacrifice even a few showers to make the ecological difference we so ardently whine about?
Once again, this is just another one of my ridiculous opinions; if you don't like this disturbing revelation about myself, I'm not forcing you to be my friend (refer to BF...F post)--just want to let you know I won't be the only one who stinks.
Here we go: Showers. I'm sorry if you catch me on the wrong day, but I don't shower nearly as often as social convention demands. Typically I shower about once every few days, but only a few years ago was I informed that "normal" people shower daily. Basically, the times whenever my hair gets gross dictate when I take a shower --and here we go back on the path of unfounded opinions, gotta love it...
So why are my showers such a rare and miraculous event? Simple. I don't really feel the need to shower. If I just played soccer or sat in a really hot environment sweating my salts out, then I will be disgusted into taking a shower. Of course, I have to understand that most guys have odour issues, perhaps an effect of their manly pheromones, but what about girls? A lot of girls who just sit around looking pretty--don't really engage in any activity that causes them to break even a drop of sweat--insist on taking a daily shower. WHY? People are always talking about ways to save energy, water, resources, etc. WHY NOT start with hot shower water? Personally, I feel that people can still look good by cleaning themselves up without a daily full-length shower. I hear that many girls take showers without washing their hair--what is the point of this? Showering has evolved from being a simple hygienic survival instinct to another mechanical routine encoded into the great social convention Bible. Can we not tolerate a bit of discomfort everyday? In fact, some of the showers that girls take to just "rinse themselves" take longer than the duration of my full shower (complete with hair washing). If you're not willing to tolerate the minor discomfort, can you at least shorten the time you are spending on this "unofficial" shower?
Understandably, people may argue issues of hygiene and personal health, but I'm sorry that just doesn't cut it for me. You can DEFINITELY survive without a daily shower without contracting some kind of bacterial disease/infection. Looking at the bigger picture, showers are a definite luxury. People survive all around the world by using a little tub of water to clean themselves. Why can't we sacrifice even a few showers to make the ecological difference we so ardently whine about?
Once again, this is just another one of my ridiculous opinions; if you don't like this disturbing revelation about myself, I'm not forcing you to be my friend (refer to BF...F post)--just want to let you know I won't be the only one who stinks.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
EUCHREKA--wait, wha?
Soo...I started off my entire blog trying to keep everything cohesive, and logical by using fonts styles/colours in a reasonable order (i.e. the RAINBOW), but I realize the aesthetics of my posts are just as instrumental in getting out my emotions as the content--in fact, considering how much I just blab about nothing with a bunch of redundant, unnecessarily extraneous, essentially, even irritatingly, quite possibly meaningless, and incredibly lengthy adjectives, I should try to keep things shorter.
For a refreshing change, I'll stop sharing my unfounded opinions, and just update my remaining few friends on how I am. On several occasions, my close friend Randall has complained that whenever asked "how are you?" or the chic-er version "sup", I always give a crappy, non-descript answer, which frustrates him. Consequently, not really being a fan of the lame-o statement we have come to know as the apology, I've decided to speak louder through the action of posting an update of what I've been up to in this post.
Let me reiterate pokemon #... 152.5, I believe? That's right, iPwn mew.
Pokemon: Christiemon
Status: Poisoned--food poisoning...from a stupid sausage dish that I made myself, to be exact. MAN! This makes me so mad because I actually stopped voluntarily eating sausages about a year ago, but NOOOoooo, my friend John has to say "Sausages are so cheap! I guess you're so filthy rich you don't need to worry about money..." So obviously, being a weak-minded 19 year old, starved hobo, I bought sausages and caved to this pressure from peer John. But anyways...I have had food poisoning for the past few days because I refuse to throw up. Summing up all the juicy details, I have been going to the washroom a lot and I haven't been eating or sleeping much.
Health: If you had the most updated version of Pokemon, my health bar would currently be reddish-orange, if they have the health bar...not sure.
Mood: Tired. Tired. Tired. HHHHHHYYYYYYYPPPPPPPPEEEEERRRRR! Imeanlikewhowouldn'tbewhentheweatherissooooooooofriggennice! In addition to the fact, that I've been feeding my euchre addiction every night. Psh, who needs Zz's? They're the last letter of the alphabet for a reason. Ohandiforgottomentionthefactthatiwenttoalightsconcertonfriday--with my soulmate, nonetheless. $10. ^-^V Konnichiwa (dunno how to spell...). We ALMOST went on my first pub crawl. Yeah, you know you're sad when you don't have the will power or determination to seek out a bar. Essentially, you have proven that nothing in life can possibly motivate you.
Secret Ability: Epiphany. Yeah, I never mentioned this one before. Hence s-e-c-r-e-t. Who knew I could pwn mew AND be like one of the unknowns (p.s. apologies for the spelling...I have a feeling it's one of those pun pokemon names with a diff spelling than boring social convention). So recently, once I had charged up enough PP to use this ability, I discovered why I am "nocturnal". This revelation came about through a number of observations actually:
1. I am taking forever to complete my silly little PD 2 report.
2. I haven't been keeping on top of my courses and activities because I am addicted to euchre.
3. I'm too lazy to make myself dinner...been eating out a lot lately...:( Sausage situation surely sdoesn't support sthis.
So what did I determine? WELL...I don't think I'm actually a night person. I'm just INCREDIBLY lazy---well maybe it's credible for some of you. Basically, the reason why I sleep in is because I'm too lazy to get up. The reason why I don't sleep is because I'm too lazy to sleep. I don't know how that's possible, but I have done it...achieved the impossible.
I suspect my laziness comes from years of working hard and being a diligent, parentally-obedient little Asian. You just get tired of doing the "good" thing all the time. Grade 11 and prior, I hardly went out with my friends, never partied, never had alcohol without my parents present, never had cable TV, and my parents would cut the Internet whenever they wanted. Grade 12 rolls along, and I stop wanting to do my work, cut back on just studying the bare essentials, look for fun things to do...and here I am. Poor grades. Poor health. Poor habits. Poor cooking. Poor social skills. Rich in problems.
Anyways, I guess I ranted enough for one post/essay. Time to go do one of the few things I still enjoy: Play clarinet in the uni orchestra :)
P.S. I can get you free tickets if you're interested in seeing our concert. I forget what day it is, but look us up on the UW website. I'm too lazy to link you, sorry.
For a refreshing change, I'll stop sharing my unfounded opinions, and just update my remaining few friends on how I am. On several occasions, my close friend Randall has complained that whenever asked "how are you?" or the chic-er version "sup", I always give a crappy, non-descript answer, which frustrates him. Consequently, not really being a fan of the lame-o statement we have come to know as the apology, I've decided to speak louder through the action of posting an update of what I've been up to in this post.
Let me reiterate pokemon #... 152.5, I believe? That's right, iPwn mew.
Pokemon: Christiemon
Status: Poisoned--food poisoning...from a stupid sausage dish that I made myself, to be exact. MAN! This makes me so mad because I actually stopped voluntarily eating sausages about a year ago, but NOOOoooo, my friend John has to say "Sausages are so cheap! I guess you're so filthy rich you don't need to worry about money..." So obviously, being a weak-minded 19 year old, starved hobo, I bought sausages and caved to this pressure from peer John. But anyways...I have had food poisoning for the past few days because I refuse to throw up. Summing up all the juicy details, I have been going to the washroom a lot and I haven't been eating or sleeping much.
Health: If you had the most updated version of Pokemon, my health bar would currently be reddish-orange, if they have the health bar...not sure.
Mood: Tired. Tired. Tired. HHHHHHYYYYYYYPPPPPPPPEEEEERRRRR! Imeanlikewhowouldn'tbewhentheweatherissooooooooofriggennice! In addition to the fact, that I've been feeding my euchre addiction every night. Psh, who needs Zz's? They're the last letter of the alphabet for a reason. Ohandiforgottomentionthefactthatiwenttoalightsconcertonfriday--with my soulmate, nonetheless. $10. ^-^V Konnichiwa (dunno how to spell...). We ALMOST went on my first pub crawl. Yeah, you know you're sad when you don't have the will power or determination to seek out a bar. Essentially, you have proven that nothing in life can possibly motivate you.
Secret Ability: Epiphany. Yeah, I never mentioned this one before. Hence s-e-c-r-e-t. Who knew I could pwn mew AND be like one of the unknowns (p.s. apologies for the spelling...I have a feeling it's one of those pun pokemon names with a diff spelling than boring social convention). So recently, once I had charged up enough PP to use this ability, I discovered why I am "nocturnal". This revelation came about through a number of observations actually:
1. I am taking forever to complete my silly little PD 2 report.
2. I haven't been keeping on top of my courses and activities because I am addicted to euchre.
3. I'm too lazy to make myself dinner...been eating out a lot lately...:( Sausage situation surely sdoesn't support sthis.
So what did I determine? WELL...I don't think I'm actually a night person. I'm just INCREDIBLY lazy---well maybe it's credible for some of you. Basically, the reason why I sleep in is because I'm too lazy to get up. The reason why I don't sleep is because I'm too lazy to sleep. I don't know how that's possible, but I have done it...achieved the impossible.
I suspect my laziness comes from years of working hard and being a diligent, parentally-obedient little Asian. You just get tired of doing the "good" thing all the time. Grade 11 and prior, I hardly went out with my friends, never partied, never had alcohol without my parents present, never had cable TV, and my parents would cut the Internet whenever they wanted. Grade 12 rolls along, and I stop wanting to do my work, cut back on just studying the bare essentials, look for fun things to do...and here I am. Poor grades. Poor health. Poor habits. Poor cooking. Poor social skills. Rich in problems.
Anyways, I guess I ranted enough for one post/essay. Time to go do one of the few things I still enjoy: Play clarinet in the uni orchestra :)
P.S. I can get you free tickets if you're interested in seeing our concert. I forget what day it is, but look us up on the UW website. I'm too lazy to link you, sorry.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
In Good Co-mpany
So this term I am on co-op by some divine miracle. Not taking this term for granted, I am also taking Microbiology (distance ed), a Monday night Physiology Lab, and coordinating the UW English Tutors Club. If you didn't know yet, I am currently working as a Marketing Associate at Co-operative Education and Career Services at UW. "What do you do?", you may ask (and many of you already have). Well, seeing as how I am interviewing for my position tomorrow, it can't be a bad thing that I've managed to narrow down my broad responsibilities to a few key points:
1. Event planning/coordination: Prepare event briefs, develop post-event surveys for internal review, attend meetings, and assist in leads followup (e.g. prepare communications templates and research key contacts in target organizations).
2. Undertake independent projects that are geared towards improving the usefulness/availability of marketing and/or sales tools. For example, conduct a SWOT Analysis of the Field Co-ordinator website. Looking into improving the organization and incorporating facilitative marketing materials.
3. Long-term team projects within the co-op student team of the Marketing&Communications Department. For example, we are creating a unified brand image for three very different publications and drawing up a proposal + cost summary for a new tradeshow booth design. Both very exciting projects!
4. Interview Duty Services: All co-op students at TC are scheduled for 3 hours at a time to either greet employers, work at the paging desk, or help coordinate phone interviews at the call centre.
The first few weeks, I started off with my lovely little packed lunches, 10pm bedtime, a disciplined studying schedule for managing my courses, an 8:00 wakeup time--and now none of that remains true to date. Anyways, as the title somewhat implies, I have been able to survive this term mainly because I am surrounded by great co-op co-workers at Tatham Centre.
1. Justina: When I first came into work, I saw her name tag in the cubicle right next to mine. I thought it must have been someone else--there's no way we're working beside each other! Lo and behold, she showed up and her supervisor tried to introduce us--"Oh, we already know each other." Don't you love when that happens? =) Anyways, for some reason in the first few weeks of the term, Justina and I always brought our lunches on the same days and forgot to pack it on the same days, so we always went over to the Festival Room for random meals. As Kyle says, we're N'SYNC. O_o. It was/still is quite an adventure to see what random dish they were going to serve today. Justina's job is pretty dependent on whether people have submitted their forms or not, so a lot of the time she is discovering hilarious new websites and thankfully has no problem sharing them with me, which is probably the only thing keeping me sane at work. Both of us have also decorated our ugly old-school computer monitors with random origami paraphernalia. We also stay an extra hour once in a while doing intense overtime tasks......
2. Cynthia: I didn't know this crazy little Asian very well before this work term, although we're also in the same program-ish. Trust me, now that I know her, I can still say SHE IS CRAZY. SHE GOES OUT AND DOWNS BEERS LIKE NO TOMORROW. FRIDAY NIGHTS--YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND HER! But seriously, Cynthia's such a nice, cute person, you can't help but make fun of her and want to hang around such a nice person. She also asks the funniest questions, "Okay, so tell me is _____ a guy or a girl?!?!?!?!" I have recently converted her to the religion: Euchremania.
3. Qi: My fellow Marketing&Communications buddy! Poor Qi is always stuck updating her brutal excel inventory of the CECS website, so I try to send her entertaining emails or pay her visits as often as I remember to. To be honest, when I first met Qi, I thought she was a very serious Asian--one has to be if they're in Math and Business Double Degree right?!--WRONG. Qi's so hilarious because she makes the driest comments when you least expect them. She's also very smart and down-to-earth. Normally, I get along better with guys because they're less ditzy, but Qi can make guys seem ditzy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she's MANLY--no, that's apparently my job--you should see her play badminton; she drives the bird over the net and then manages to pull off that Asian sign so well without looking like an annoying fob. ^-^V
Interesting Fact: I recognized that Qi lived on my street within the first few days because I recognized her distinctive red Coach purse. THAT'S RIGHT I AM THE PRO CREEPER. No, seriously--no one appreciates brand names fashion and style more than Qi (mind you, an appreciation practiced in healthy moderation).
4. Cathy: If I had to vouch for anyone's dedication and hard work in TC, it would be for Cathy. She always takes a half lunch and stays late whenever she has to hang around campus for class anyway. At first glance, Cathy seems like a shy, quiet Asian. Wrong. Again. Not only is she a valuable employee, but she is also a great friend and fun to hang around. However, I am extremely mad at her because she has shown up to 1 out of our 4 outings--NOT A PASSING GRADE--forget Macroecon, Cathy. Come to the darkside; we have cookies. ^-^
5. Brian: So after I talk about this co-worker, I'll talk about the guys--oh wait, I completely forgot Brian was a guy because he's always showing up to the outings when all the other guys ditch!! My first impression of Brian was that he was a nerd, only hanging out with us to invite us to play DS during our breaks. Annnd my impression hasn't changed--just kidding. Brian's a nice guy, my mixed doubles buddy, and my partner in crime for bullying Cynthia. *high five, Brian Kim Chi.
6. Matt: Okay, this is the only person at CECS that I do not like AT ALL. Like seriously. He always makes me laugh, he makes amazing lunches for himself every day, and he visits me at least twice a day just to say what's up. I call him my guidance counsellor for what English courses to (not) take. Seriously, how can you not hate him too? P.S. He and Cathy are tied at a failing grade of 25%. Tsk.Tsk.Tsk.
So yeah, pretty much I've made some amazing friends at CECS. At the beginning of the term, I was a little hesitant about going on co-op outings--like oh man things are going to be so awkward! Nothing against these people or my first impressions of them, but I'm just not that good at getting to know new people. Now that I know them much better and our hangouts have become a must (instead of some strange networking/co-worker courtesy thing), I hope our new-found friendships are meant to last us through our dreaded extended education here in UW.
Thank you, co-op. We indeed have a love-hate relationship going on here.
1. Event planning/coordination: Prepare event briefs, develop post-event surveys for internal review, attend meetings, and assist in leads followup (e.g. prepare communications templates and research key contacts in target organizations).
2. Undertake independent projects that are geared towards improving the usefulness/availability of marketing and/or sales tools. For example, conduct a SWOT Analysis of the Field Co-ordinator website. Looking into improving the organization and incorporating facilitative marketing materials.
3. Long-term team projects within the co-op student team of the Marketing&Communications Department. For example, we are creating a unified brand image for three very different publications and drawing up a proposal + cost summary for a new tradeshow booth design. Both very exciting projects!
4. Interview Duty Services: All co-op students at TC are scheduled for 3 hours at a time to either greet employers, work at the paging desk, or help coordinate phone interviews at the call centre.
The first few weeks, I started off with my lovely little packed lunches, 10pm bedtime, a disciplined studying schedule for managing my courses, an 8:00 wakeup time--and now none of that remains true to date. Anyways, as the title somewhat implies, I have been able to survive this term mainly because I am surrounded by great co-op co-workers at Tatham Centre.
1. Justina: When I first came into work, I saw her name tag in the cubicle right next to mine. I thought it must have been someone else--there's no way we're working beside each other! Lo and behold, she showed up and her supervisor tried to introduce us--"Oh, we already know each other." Don't you love when that happens? =) Anyways, for some reason in the first few weeks of the term, Justina and I always brought our lunches on the same days and forgot to pack it on the same days, so we always went over to the Festival Room for random meals. As Kyle says, we're N'SYNC. O_o. It was/still is quite an adventure to see what random dish they were going to serve today. Justina's job is pretty dependent on whether people have submitted their forms or not, so a lot of the time she is discovering hilarious new websites and thankfully has no problem sharing them with me, which is probably the only thing keeping me sane at work. Both of us have also decorated our ugly old-school computer monitors with random origami paraphernalia. We also stay an extra hour once in a while doing intense overtime tasks......
2. Cynthia: I didn't know this crazy little Asian very well before this work term, although we're also in the same program-ish. Trust me, now that I know her, I can still say SHE IS CRAZY. SHE GOES OUT AND DOWNS BEERS LIKE NO TOMORROW. FRIDAY NIGHTS--YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND HER! But seriously, Cynthia's such a nice, cute person, you can't help but make fun of her and want to hang around such a nice person. She also asks the funniest questions, "Okay, so tell me is _____ a guy or a girl?!?!?!?!" I have recently converted her to the religion: Euchremania.
3. Qi: My fellow Marketing&Communications buddy! Poor Qi is always stuck updating her brutal excel inventory of the CECS website, so I try to send her entertaining emails or pay her visits as often as I remember to. To be honest, when I first met Qi, I thought she was a very serious Asian--one has to be if they're in Math and Business Double Degree right?!--WRONG. Qi's so hilarious because she makes the driest comments when you least expect them. She's also very smart and down-to-earth. Normally, I get along better with guys because they're less ditzy, but Qi can make guys seem ditzy. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying she's MANLY--no, that's apparently my job--you should see her play badminton; she drives the bird over the net and then manages to pull off that Asian sign so well without looking like an annoying fob. ^-^V
Interesting Fact: I recognized that Qi lived on my street within the first few days because I recognized her distinctive red Coach purse. THAT'S RIGHT I AM THE PRO CREEPER. No, seriously--no one appreciates brand names fashion and style more than Qi (mind you, an appreciation practiced in healthy moderation).
4. Cathy: If I had to vouch for anyone's dedication and hard work in TC, it would be for Cathy. She always takes a half lunch and stays late whenever she has to hang around campus for class anyway. At first glance, Cathy seems like a shy, quiet Asian. Wrong. Again. Not only is she a valuable employee, but she is also a great friend and fun to hang around. However, I am extremely mad at her because she has shown up to 1 out of our 4 outings--NOT A PASSING GRADE--forget Macroecon, Cathy. Come to the darkside; we have cookies. ^-^
5. Brian: So after I talk about this co-worker, I'll talk about the guys--oh wait, I completely forgot Brian was a guy because he's always showing up to the outings when all the other guys ditch!! My first impression of Brian was that he was a nerd, only hanging out with us to invite us to play DS during our breaks. Annnd my impression hasn't changed--just kidding. Brian's a nice guy, my mixed doubles buddy, and my partner in crime for bullying Cynthia. *high five, Brian Kim Chi.
6. Matt: Okay, this is the only person at CECS that I do not like AT ALL. Like seriously. He always makes me laugh, he makes amazing lunches for himself every day, and he visits me at least twice a day just to say what's up. I call him my guidance counsellor for what English courses to (not) take. Seriously, how can you not hate him too? P.S. He and Cathy are tied at a failing grade of 25%. Tsk.Tsk.Tsk.
So yeah, pretty much I've made some amazing friends at CECS. At the beginning of the term, I was a little hesitant about going on co-op outings--like oh man things are going to be so awkward! Nothing against these people or my first impressions of them, but I'm just not that good at getting to know new people. Now that I know them much better and our hangouts have become a must (instead of some strange networking/co-worker courtesy thing), I hope our new-found friendships are meant to last us through our dreaded extended education here in UW.
Thank you, co-op. We indeed have a love-hate relationship going on here.
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