I too, have a topic at hand.
I think name-calling and labelling is an extension of bullying. It is offensive and sometimes even emotionally damaging.
I've discussed this a few times with friends, about what we would hate to be labelled as. Back in Secondary school, 'ah lian' was quite the ultimatum. To gauge how offensive it is, one would have to consider the definition of ah lian. Crude, a strong advocate of really bad english, loud (in a somewhat flat, whiny and pitchy voice), etc. These are words I would hate to be associated with.
Using 'nerd' to describe someone can be offensive, but these days everyone calls themselves nerds. The same can be said of 'bitch'. Apparently some people like to think it's cool to say, "I'm a bitch and proud to be one."
When it comes to name calling, or labelling, I don't know about you but I think there are certain words that really gets under your skin and hits you right on a nerve.
Simple words can cut deep. What if you were called 'stupid'? Or 'useless'? I take offense to anyone who tries to impugn my intelligence or integrity. I am unbothered if people were to underestimate my acuity but it is a whole different issue if they assume a condescending attitude and look down on me. Or if my integrity was called into question, even being indignant would be a sore understatement. When that happens, it takes a lot of me to obviate confrontations and I feel that they are taking advantage of my manners. I'm not cool enough to be apathetic yet.
If someone were to call me an ah lian now, I would be somewhat offended, though not as before. I know how far it is from the truth, besides from the fact that I would be able to snap a satisfactory comeback.
I proably sound very pompous in this entry but there's a difference with being snooty and being confident of what I am. To some extent, I have to admit that I do care about what others think of me. I am not implying that I'm superior, or high and mighty. I just will not accept being seen as a subpar excuse of a human.
Related post: Blog Assignment (yawn)
Monday, April 23, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Trapped
I strongly asseverate The Waiter's stand on how glue traps are the cruellest possible way to catch pests.
In the past, we had cockroach poison traps but the mom and dad haven't bought them lately. Last night, in my attempt to catch this awful cockroach I've spotted twice, I set up a glue trap Mom grudgingly bought.
And so 3am comes and I make my way to the trap to see if I've got the bugger (No pun intended). What I saw made my heart sink. A house lizard was almost curled up, stuck on its side to the adhesive. Just like The Waiter's experience, the little thing had defecated and what's worse, it seemed to have given up all hope. I didn't know what to do. Keera always did all the dirty work but now I was on my own.
I prodded it with the blunt end of a toothpick and it wriggled in response. Yet its golden eye didn't move and that's when I realised the other eye was glued down as is. I couldn't take another moment of that sight and ran back to the computer, trying to escape reality for awhile. 7am came and I was pacing outside my parents' door. I heard movement and called for my mom.
"Mom, the glue trap caught a lizard instead of a cockroach!"
"What?! Don't let me see it.. I'm scared of lizards"
And there I was, hoping she'd take care of it. Dad was awake, flipping newspapers.
"Can dad do something about it?"
"He won't be bothered one lah!"
So I shuffled mom to the lizard (which already looks half dead now). She tells me to just dump it into the bin.
"But it's still alive!!!"
I knew I had to do the deed. I stared down at the lizard but its eye didn't seem to see anymore. It didn't give me any indication or approval to do anything. I was at such a loss, I almost cried. So I picked a pamphlet off the kitchen table and laid it gently over the trap. I held a slipper up in the air and whined.
And whined. And whined. And mom, who was sitting by the table trying to decide if coffee or tea would be a better drink for the morning, told me to just get on with it. WTF I'm killing a helpless creature here!! After many many many mannny moments of hesitation, I slammed the slipper down. And I whined. And immediately I hit it a few more times just to make sure it was really dead.
I am still a little traumatised. I know this sounds really drama, but you have to understand my 'history' with house lizards to see where I'm coming from. I think it's perfectly fine to use glue traps on cockroaches, them being so filthy (besides redundant), but not on lizards. Never mind the double standards, but I really don't feel that way towards lizards and so, seeing it stuck to the trap like that was quite unbearable.
It's all the fault of that stupid cockroach.
In the past, we had cockroach poison traps but the mom and dad haven't bought them lately. Last night, in my attempt to catch this awful cockroach I've spotted twice, I set up a glue trap Mom grudgingly bought.
And so 3am comes and I make my way to the trap to see if I've got the bugger (No pun intended). What I saw made my heart sink. A house lizard was almost curled up, stuck on its side to the adhesive. Just like The Waiter's experience, the little thing had defecated and what's worse, it seemed to have given up all hope. I didn't know what to do. Keera always did all the dirty work but now I was on my own.
I prodded it with the blunt end of a toothpick and it wriggled in response. Yet its golden eye didn't move and that's when I realised the other eye was glued down as is. I couldn't take another moment of that sight and ran back to the computer, trying to escape reality for awhile. 7am came and I was pacing outside my parents' door. I heard movement and called for my mom.
"Mom, the glue trap caught a lizard instead of a cockroach!"
"What?! Don't let me see it.. I'm scared of lizards"
And there I was, hoping she'd take care of it. Dad was awake, flipping newspapers.
"Can dad do something about it?"
"He won't be bothered one lah!"
So I shuffled mom to the lizard (which already looks half dead now). She tells me to just dump it into the bin.
"But it's still alive!!!"
I knew I had to do the deed. I stared down at the lizard but its eye didn't seem to see anymore. It didn't give me any indication or approval to do anything. I was at such a loss, I almost cried. So I picked a pamphlet off the kitchen table and laid it gently over the trap. I held a slipper up in the air and whined.
And whined. And whined. And mom, who was sitting by the table trying to decide if coffee or tea would be a better drink for the morning, told me to just get on with it. WTF I'm killing a helpless creature here!! After many many many mannny moments of hesitation, I slammed the slipper down. And I whined. And immediately I hit it a few more times just to make sure it was really dead.
I am still a little traumatised. I know this sounds really drama, but you have to understand my 'history' with house lizards to see where I'm coming from. I think it's perfectly fine to use glue traps on cockroaches, them being so filthy (besides redundant), but not on lizards. Never mind the double standards, but I really don't feel that way towards lizards and so, seeing it stuck to the trap like that was quite unbearable.
It's all the fault of that stupid cockroach.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Congee Woes 2
Such is life.
Just after complaining about having nothing to eat, my parents took us out to eat. Happy for me until after some KFC, I realised it didn't quite agree with my stomach. Got home and after some stomach-clutching moments, I emerged from the toilet feeling weaker than ever.
Stupid food. I am SO learning new recipes that do not include fried chicken. Avocado salad sounds really exciting now. Some tofu and mushroom soup sounds nice too. ARGH but there's nothing in the house so I'll end up cooking congee again! Need To Go Grocery Shopping. Oh tmr's Saturday so I can get parents to buy! And get them to buy me lotsa lotsa avocado, tofu and mushrooms.
Music: 신혜성 - 같은 생각
Just after complaining about having nothing to eat, my parents took us out to eat. Happy for me until after some KFC, I realised it didn't quite agree with my stomach. Got home and after some stomach-clutching moments, I emerged from the toilet feeling weaker than ever.
Stupid food. I am SO learning new recipes that do not include fried chicken. Avocado salad sounds really exciting now. Some tofu and mushroom soup sounds nice too. ARGH but there's nothing in the house so I'll end up cooking congee again! Need To Go Grocery Shopping. Oh tmr's Saturday so I can get parents to buy! And get them to buy me lotsa lotsa avocado, tofu and mushrooms.
Music: 신혜성 - 같은 생각
Congee Woes
なんや、もうぅぅ～ そんなに簡単の事できるんだろう？ 本当にむくつくわ！KFCでCheese Meltz Buddy Mealを買うこと大変なのか？正直！おとん絶対できるから、安心してよ！ もうぅぅ～～～～
All I've had for the past two days was porridge. I've always wanted to know how to make that particular type of congee and there were no recipes online so trial and error it was! The first attempt wasn't quite right as the rice still ballooned two sizes too large. Today's attempt was rather satisfying. Not only did it have the texture I want, it didn't stick to the pot! Good stuff.
I must assert that the reason I haven't eaten anything else to eat wasn't out of convenient laziness, but rather the lack of ingredients at home. Wanna cook also cannot! I guess this explains the lethargy I'm experiencing? In all honesty, if I get to eat some KFC afterward and I feel like I'm resurrected, I'm seriously going to reanalyse the extent of the effect meat has in my life. If I was vegetarian, does that mean I'll feel this weak every day?! I wonder if NISSIN Chilli Crab instant mee will reintroduce some life into me.
I'm really in the mood to cook these days. Maybe it's because I'm watching 마녀유희 and Moo Ryong (Jae Hee's character) cooked a lot of food for Yoo Hee. For some reason Dennis O' Neil really looks like a celebrity chef. I'm so hungry right now. Tired and hungry. *whine*
Music - Se7en - 안녕
All I've had for the past two days was porridge. I've always wanted to know how to make that particular type of congee and there were no recipes online so trial and error it was! The first attempt wasn't quite right as the rice still ballooned two sizes too large. Today's attempt was rather satisfying. Not only did it have the texture I want, it didn't stick to the pot! Good stuff.
I must assert that the reason I haven't eaten anything else to eat wasn't out of convenient laziness, but rather the lack of ingredients at home. Wanna cook also cannot! I guess this explains the lethargy I'm experiencing? In all honesty, if I get to eat some KFC afterward and I feel like I'm resurrected, I'm seriously going to reanalyse the extent of the effect meat has in my life. If I was vegetarian, does that mean I'll feel this weak every day?! I wonder if NISSIN Chilli Crab instant mee will reintroduce some life into me.
I'm really in the mood to cook these days. Maybe it's because I'm watching 마녀유희 and Moo Ryong (Jae Hee's character) cooked a lot of food for Yoo Hee. For some reason Dennis O' Neil really looks like a celebrity chef. I'm so hungry right now. Tired and hungry. *whine*
Music - Se7en - 안녕
Saturday, April 07, 2007
May the Gods Never Frown On Me
I realise I have a serious problem. I frown a lot, and very often unconsciously.
People have various variations of smiles but I have many variations of frowns. The slightly miffed frown, the suspicious frown, the deep-in-thought frown, the annoyed, the pissed off frown, the incensed and infuriated frown, the wtf-are-you-trying-to-do frown, the I HATE EVERYBODY frown AND you can tell these frowns apart!
I'm so worried that I frown so much that my frown muscles are developing too well. I even have a 'normal' frown where I'm just frowning for no particular reason. These days I feel like my frown muscles are actually aching! Gasp. I need botox.
People have various variations of smiles but I have many variations of frowns. The slightly miffed frown, the suspicious frown, the deep-in-thought frown, the annoyed, the pissed off frown, the incensed and infuriated frown, the wtf-are-you-trying-to-do frown, the I HATE EVERYBODY frown AND you can tell these frowns apart!
I'm so worried that I frown so much that my frown muscles are developing too well. I even have a 'normal' frown where I'm just frowning for no particular reason. These days I feel like my frown muscles are actually aching! Gasp. I need botox.