merry go round
03/06/2010
Had my third cup of coffee ever, probably a little too late in the night. That’s it, it’s not my cup of tea, and that’s that.
And I’m up, at 5am, thinking about how I’m finally that age I used to scoff at and make fun of. It’s starting to get really pathetic, especially when you realise anyon you’d hit on on tv is younger than you are. That until I started watching the new Takuya Kimura (AKA Japan’s Representation of Cool) serial. He’s older. Not that I’d hit on him, but hey. I’ll take what I can get. And dude has some smooth moves. Is all I’m sayin’.
It’s a little depressing when you see the men you used to drool over show their age. Some gracefully – Tom Cruise, Tony Leung, Takeshi Kaneshiro; some a little funkily – Chris from Northern Exposure (briefly!), Michael Chang (not so briefly!!!).
It’s even more depressing when I look in the mirror watch myself age. Ah well. At least everyone else is aging too.
spring miscellany
20/04/2010
Solitary Crane Fly
Spring is a lovely time. The bugs are out to play. And the plants are great gathering places for their activities. I know that because I’m guilty. Of snapping bugs. Doing their “birds and bees”. Yup. I’ve sunk to the level. I’m a bug-pr0n0grapher. My folks are going to be so proud.
In other news, it’s been a bit bizarre, but more and more of my family is showing up on Facebook. I’m now wondering if applying my usual criteria for invites is going to bear some consequences I’m not prepared for. I rejected an invite to connect from my cousin’s daughter. She’s probably only 7 or so, in my mind she shouldn’t even be near Facebook, much less on it. Perhaps her parents are administering the account for her. So I ignored an invite from her mom as well. Just to be consistent, and well, I haven’t lost my fondness for hyphenated married names either.
On the one hand, I like that more and more people whose lives I still want to get updates about are on Facebook, doing just that. On the other, knowing the kind of exposure that’s involved I wonder why people put their kids on. Yes, it’s novelty. But I suppose so is taking a hike.
free association
28/03/2010
My house guest for the week
No, it’s not like the People’s Association (PA). Nor is it like if I’m a Wee and the ex-President is a Wee that makes me a super-elite where it counts. No such luck, unfortunately. Explored it once in Consumer Behaviour class, though it’s mostly a psych thing.
Today my day started innocuously enough. Sunday morning, no rain is falling. I wake up, greet my house guest, and change his linens while he has his breakfast. Afterwhich I proceeded to have a bowl of cereal and read the papers (sfgate.com). They had an article about pancakes. I like pancakes, they’re tasty. They make good pancakes here.
KF finally gets up and we decide we are going to do our 3 mile Mall trek. Last week we walked to a nearby mall, and roundtrip was about 3.6 miles (we stopped here and there, checked out homes along the way, and made a stop at Walgreens). We decided to go for our walk again today, so off we went. On a tangent. KF decides we need to check out some other area, so we skip the mall trek. But about 15 minutes into it, I started getting hungry, and we end up at Lakeside Cafe. Where there is no lake.
Brunch was a diced ham omelette with potatoes. KF had a burger. Nope, skipped the pancakes. Clean and nice, and you don’t smell of food when you get out. Fairly crowded as well.
he's a cute one
And now I’m back at home, lazing by the rest of my Sunday, what else can I be expected to do but check out the deals online?
And for some reason today I find myself looking at the Olympus Micro 4/3 cameras. I’m even comparing them today! In a DP Review side-by-side with my current 400D.
Restraint is a concept for food, not cameras.
a festivus for the rest of us
13/03/2010
Today, let’s review the difference between a privilege and a right. In short, a privilege is an advantage or source of pleasure granted to a person. Whereas a right would be a just claim or title, whether legal, prescriptive, or moral.
Here is the difference. A privilege is granted. Therefore, when you do not possess the pleasure of which you are requesting, it is a privilege. Consequently, whether you receive that requested pleasure or not, is completely out of your hands. On the flip side, the person from which that pleasure is requested has every right to grant it or not. Since he he possesses the pleasure giving gift, it would seem.
Get it? When you want something, it’s a privilege you’re seeking. When you have something, it’s a right. If you want ice cream, and Mommy has to buy it for you, then having ice cream for you is a privilege. And if Mommy says you can’t have it before dinner, that’s that. Because you don’t have ice cream to begin with. Mommy does. However, since Mommy bought ice cream she can have it anytime she wants. It’s her right, since the ice cream is her property.
Now that the groundwork is laid out nicely, I’ll come out and say it. It is a fool’s prerogative to utter truths that no one else will speak.
In general, I don’t care whether it’s your wedding anniversary or your kid’s birthday. I don’t particularly care what your kid said to his mommy, I don’t care if you had clowns at your wedding. And I sure as hell don’t really care about the dry ice, designer gown, “From This Moment” music, your rings, your vows, your journey… you get the picture. Who would? It’s really got nothing to do with me.
“Ah”, you say, “You selfish, self-important, ego maniacal, self-serving, social-norm bucking, feelingless bitch”.
At your service.
See, this is where comprehending the difference between a privilege and a right would come in handy. Since, by reasonable deduction, sticking stuff on Facebook means you’re searching for some sort of affirmation under the guise of sharing, it means you want something from me.
I sure as hell understand that, I do it too. I assault you with my half-assed, 2 gazillion shots of the same thing photos. The only reason why I put up statuses is to show you I’ve done something, or that I want you to think I’m smart. Because I am looking for some sort of affirmation. Try as I may to self soothe, I do realise that life does not exist in a vacuum. So I try to keep it to me. Since I’m the one who implicitly has the relationship with someone on Facebook, not my kid (it helps I don’t have any), not my significant other (he can speak for himself). Yes. I am that self-serving, self-important, person.
So I suppose here is the quandary. I can always NOT have those friends on Facebook. But friendships being the way they are, sometimes it is hard to draw the line without looking even more as a misanthrope.
I can always hide those updates. Yes, I do engage in active status message housekeeping. My list is shrinking! HHAAH.
I know I’m asking for something too. I’m asking for a modicum of self-awareness. I’m asking for my acquaintances to consider my feelings before assaulting me with their rather pedestrian obsessions. That being the case, I can no more expect change than they can expect me to respond. They probably don’t even want a response from me. True. The complications of obligation.
That isn’t to say, I’m not interested in everyone’s updates. There are people I care about, whose kids, happiness, general well-being and progress I care about. These are people I probably would solicit updates from, in addition to hearing about it on Facebook. I’d hate to have to find out from a Facebook status update that someone I consider a friend in the true sense of the word just had a kid. But I suppose, it’s a privilege. Not a right.
I’m not anti-kid and anti-wedding. Well, who cares if I were. But it’s not like I’m going to scowl at you if you had a wedding and invited me to it. Heaven knows I’ve been to one too many, but I understand the moral ramifications and I toe the party line. I understand that most people like having their friends about when they celebrate something, so I show up, generally happy to be considered a friend. I am happy for their union. And I usually tell them so.
But seriously, unless I aided and abetted your union, I’m not the least bit interested in your anniversary, or in reliving your wedding a year on. Why would I? Let’s not even get into the issues involved with putting up wedding photos and videos and all.
You know. Maybe in 20 years. Let’s talk about being married for 20 years. Other than that, everyone else has more pressing matters to attend to. Like relieving their bladder. Or clipping their nails. Or whinging about the emotionally needy. You know? Real issues!
On a side note, I just caught all three episodes (so far) of The Marriage Ref. It’s a cute premise, but I’m not so sure the format really works. It really only works if the guests are funny, but that’s not to say that three funny guests would make a good show. I like the episode with Larry David, Madonna and Ricky Gervais, but only because of the dynamics between those three. And I like that Larry David is funny to watch. And he can make Ricky Gervais cringe. That’s beautiful irony.
The episode with Tina Fey, Jerry Seinfeld and Eva Longoria-Parker was meh.
Happy Birthday Michael Chang!
22/02/2010
Sure, you’re old. Put on a little weight, probably lost a little hair.
Ok, I saw you hogging ginseng and stuff on a poster in Chinatown.
But you’ll always own a special place in my heart.
Many happy returns!
Tiger tiger burning bright
21/02/2010
It’s the year of the Tiger. Tigers and I are sort of missed connections. It’s not like I didn’t make the effort, there’s always something missing in the mix.
It’s supposed to be winter, but we’ve had really nice breaks of Spring like weather interspersed with depressing rainy weather, which is sort of a nice break. The cherry blossoms outside our house bloomed profusely, sending KF into some sort of sakura obsession – every time he sees them on the street he’s impressed all over again. To the point where he contemplates growing one in our spot on the sidewalk (aka pavement – there’s a hole for plants for each house. We currently have a flowerless, fuss free tree the previous owners planted). I tell him it’s trickey, we gotta pick the right variety, cos some of them grow really tall, some have nicer flowers, some have scraggly twigs, some have nicer shapes, but he’s at the anything-goes phase.
So off we went to a garden centre (aka plant nursery) to look for cherry/plum trees. We figure we’d just pick them by the blossoms, but they weren’t blooming. It seemed like only the nectarine trees were (!!), but the flowers were too small and the wrong colour – white. I wanted something dark pink or a soft red. They also have something called a pluot – a cross between a plum and an apricot, though it exhibits more plum characteristics (as opposed to the aprium which exhibits more apricot characteristics; it’s the whole Liger – Tigon thing all over again).
Anyway. We didn’t find what we were looking for. Maybe next year.
Post holiday crash
26/12/2009
Is it me, or is it a normal occurrence? The post-holiday crash. In the void between and after the Christmas and New Years (and the accompanying festivities and holidays) caused by the combination of anticipation and miscellany that comes with family get-togethers.
This is the time of year when things really start shutting down at work, since everyone is pretty much off. In school, this would mark the end of one year and the uphill climb to the next level.
Everything chugs off the rails slowly in January and February, and then starts picking steam in March – plans are made and routes are set. April onwards, it’s full steam ahead (since Q1 was pretty much squandered) and everything rushes towards a dizzying tailspin towards Q4. By late November, it’s pretty much said and done. In December you’re pretty much goofing off, enjoying the finer weather (in the tropics) and shopping.
But there is that void. It will creep in after Christmas dinner, and really start to rear it’s ugly head on New Year’s Day. Cos the first working day of the year is always the hardest. At school, it was the day you show up in the new class, figure out when your new classroom was, get a feel for how tough the year was going to be, figure out who your desk buddy was going to be. I always went through that process with a lot of trepidation. I guess I wasn’t a very confident student. At least I was realistic. Ha.
At work, the first day is a sham. Everyone comes back from the holidays, appearing to be recharged when you know they’re tired as hell from maximising their holidays. They appear to be all action and back to regular programming but you know they’re annoyed as heck to be back at work. It’s like a game of chicken, we’re all just waiting for a sucker to give up first and admit it.
I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps that is the device used to stave that sense of beginning bewilderment.
It is interesting, that the Chinese regard the year as a mythical monster. The word for year refers to the monster – Nian. Perhaps the Nian would terrorise China for two weeks, because the New Year festivities last that long, and the whole point of the Chinese version of the New Year is to mark the passing or the surpassing, of the Nian.
I think the creature that the Chinese call Nian is really time. It shows up once a year like clockwork to haunt you, remind you that it’s alive. Freak the crap out of you because without you noticing, it slithered past you in the year. And you see it again, 365 days later, still the same dimwit you were, doing the same things, in the same place, status quo.
I guess that’s when the Nian should just put you out of your misery and bite your head off.
You know, if they told me that version of the story in school, maybe I’d have turned out a little more motivated. Instead all I heard was that sorry ass story about how the little people triumphed over the nasty Nian, with red everythings and firecrackers.
You know, for the people who invented the paper and the printing press, we sure tell lame stories.
Anyway. I will conquer my trepidation this time. I will grab 2010 by the horns. I will psych myself to face the Nian face on. I will live flagrantly, like I’m afraid to get my head bitten off.
That can’t be a bad way to live.
why do people sing it?
23/12/2009
You’ve heard it too.
Rudolph, the red nose reindeer. *reindeer*
Had a very shiney nose. *nose*
And if you ever saw him. *saw him*
You would even say it glows. *it glows*
All of the other reindeers. *reindeers*
Used to laugh and call him names. *call him names*
They never let poor Rudolph. *poor Rudolph*
Join in any reindeer games.Then one foggy Christmas eve,
Santa came and said,
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won’t you drive my sleigh tonight?Then how the reindeer loved him
And they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
You’ll go down in HIS-TO-REEE!!!
Tell me that isn’t reindeer bullying and/or discrimination! Not to mention that disgusting ingratiating behaviour displayed after Rudolph makes good.
So why do we make kids sing it like it’s cute?!
Edit: 25 Dec 2:19am PST
It would seem that I felt this way enough to talk about it in 2003. Great. Not only do I recycle my ideas, I am incapable of looking past it. Not very imaginative, nor mentally mature.
At least it can’t get any worse. Perhaps I will have a good year next year. It will be the Year of the Tiger. Have never really had any luck with that lot. But you know what they say, those dudes only crouch. My kind, we hide. When it comes to camouflage, we win. Take that, striped kitties!
It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas
12/12/2009
It’s wet, it’s cold, it’s not even officially winter yet.
We’ve been a little busy. I guess as the year rushes toward its inevitable conclusion, the unfortunate coincidence which is the holidays and the misguided notion that you should spend it with the extended family (aka tradition) will rear it’s ugly head. Slowly but surely.
It’s one thing to enjoy the company of your extended family. The other thing, we call “obligation” to traipse around egos.
Call me sentimental, and don’t hold my weakness for being unable to call bullshit on occasions like this against me. When I get around to freeing myself from these bonds, I get to call myself brave and wear it around like a badge 
Until then, I guess.
Found a new way to really maximise a good recipe. Like tenderising a steak, you gotta beat it over and over again – like having it four times a week. Ha! That’ll teach you, arteries!!!
i can’t sleep
17/11/2009
So I decided to go take a peek out into the night sky. Apparently the Leonid shower is taking place. I suppose I should’ve given it a little longer, but I got bored.
I saw a little streaky one, so mission accomplished.
Not all wishes are fulfilled, though. As evidenced by the snoring I still hear.
