6.21.2007

Nude Community.

Did you know there were nude communities? Well, if you didn't, now you do, because I'm not just trying to josh you [whatever that means-- a guy used to always say it in my class].

I don't know... these communities, they promote "letting yourself free" yet I don't think I'd be too comfortable doing that. It might be an interesting experience, but, what's to keep child molesters and people like that going there? And did you also know that there's an international event where people ride bikes naked? [click here for article]

Those people seem so happy, I wonder if it's worth baring your body to everyone. In the article, it says something about how some people are scared to do it because they might get their picture taken. Others don't do it because they fear of getting arrested, but most have out-smarted police officers by wearing skin-colored, skin-tight clothing, or body painting, which seems to prevent their anger a little.

The whole event of the naked bike riding is actually to promote too-much-oil-dependency awareness. They also do it for all the people who die in cycling accidents every year due to careless drivers, and to promote the beauty of the naked body. But, most do it just for fun.

Food Nostalgia.

There's something about food that's so special to me. It's... home?

Some people eat for comfort, others eat just to sustain their own energy to survive. I think I eat, because it just tastes really good. I get so many food cravings; Indian food, Mediterranean food, Chipotle, Italian food, etc.

Well, one day my family ate this Chinese dish for a tradition that's almost lost, and it was pretty amazing. It really made me want to go back to Taiwan to see how much it had changed. There's this one mall there, and when I was little, I used to always go to this one food stand to get a cream filled pastry shaped as a fish. The outside was like a waffle type of pastry, and the inside was this creamy, sweet custard. They would make it right in front of you, so it was always hot. Many times there were lines, but I always waited. I wonder if the person who ran the stand remembered my face. One day when I travel back, I'm definitely going to go there in hopes of finding that little stand.

C'est Français!

Oui, j'ai décidée d'écrire en français. Si tu ne me comprends pas, utiliser s'il vous plaît un traducteur.

Je veux pratiquer ma français, parce que je l'ai étudié l'année dernière et je ne veux pas l'oublier. Même maintenant je parfois dois utiliser le traducteur moi-même. C'est super difficile de se rappeler!

Ah, I give up.

Classics

I guess there could be a reason why some books are "classics" and are widely acclaimed to be fantastic. In other words, most of them are dull [trust me, I know].

I remember picking up books like To Kill A Mockingbird [TKAM by Harper Lee] and Sense and Sensibility [SS by Jane Austen] when I was in middle school, and finding them so boring that after reading a few sentences, I would put them down for the dust to collect and go in search of something with a bit more adventure. Sometimes I would even force myself to get past the first page, yet, as soon as I got to the second, I gave up.

This year in school, I had to read TKAM. Again, at first, I thought it was so pointless. I mean, they give so many names in the beginning it's hard to follow. Who's Jem? Who's Scout? [Those are two of the main characters involved in the book.] I just, kept reading because I wanted to do the assigned work and get an A.

But... by the last pages of TKAM, I'd grown to understand the characters more, and the ending persuaded me to like the book to my surprise. I wouldn't say it's... very moving. I think the only reason it's a classic is because it deals with a black man on trial, but... other than that, I didn't think it was as... I don't think it should be a book everyone should read. Granted that it does portray what life was like back then for African Americans, I still think that I wasn't that important of a book.

Another book this year that I had to read was Charles Dickens's, Great Expectations [GE]. I didn't finish the book, even though it was assigned. I even got about half-way through, pushing my way past pages that made me fall asleep. I think it's one of the harder books I've had to read, just because it didn't catch my interest at all. Maybe at times it was interesting, but the language and the plot was just... Oi, how do people get done reading that? And why is it so critically acclaimed?

Alright, this is turning out to be like a book report, but there's one more book I want to talk about.

The Plague, by Albert Camus. I read it recently, again, as an assigned book [since a book with that cover and content about history would never have appealed to me] and found myself astonished when it turned out to be a great book. At times it was hard to follow, and indeed, I fell asleep to some parts. But... I guess this whole post was for me to say that, some books need the maturity and understanding that develops from age. I think if I had read that book even a year or two years ago, I wouldn't appreciate it as much. The story... it was slow at the beginning, and I felt so detached from all the characters. Most of the book just talked about how they were trapped in a town because of the plague [mostly bubonic] and some of the writing was hard to follow and hard to understand, never mind that it lacked in my interest. But by the end, I cried when a main character died. It was as if, the attachment to the story had crept up on me. And... I think I wouldn't have understood the pain the people went through [in the story] if I had been any younger or any less understanding. I hope to become even more of a person, so that maybe I can find what's so special about GE.

Are All Guys Perverted?

That is the question, otherwise known as the "Topic!:".

Okay, so there are hormones, yes. There are beautiful women, yes. There are un-perverted guys... where?

I mean, you've got the jocks, who are [at least in my experience- do correct me if I'm wrong] perverts. You've got the geeks who are [again, from my experience] perverts. Outcasts [from experience] are perverts. And perverts who are, well, perverts!

What has this world come to? I mean, okay, let's talk a little bit scientific. I guess they need that attraction to women for obvious purposes such as reproduction. That's where the hormone comes in and takes over yes? Well... is that all? I mean, is it just to entertain the guys? Flirtation or something?

Confusing "Topic!:" I know.

6.15.2007

Humanity And Our Downfall For Some

Well, [Topic!:] human closeness is what we all try and achieve no? Or... maybe some aspire to become more. I don't know.

Since the beginning of time, life started with closeness right? I mean, if you want to get religious [which I don't like to get unless I'm studying different cultures], I guess we could talk about Adam & Eve, but I don't know much about that, except that they had sex and blahblahblah. But anyway, do people really need closeness to live? I think about it, and it's like this: Maybe on some level we do need to feel the physical "closeness" of people, but... it's not something that's... required in order to live happily.

For example.
Nuns? They are close with [oh no, another religious aspect of my post- please forgive me] God [or Buddha, or Ganesh, or Allah, etc.], but they don't have [or maybe they do feel the presence of god... I don't know] the actual person there to hug them or care for them. But, when I picture them in my head, the picture shows them happy. They're content with life, yet they don't have an actual partner besides God. I think simple things can make us happy, and we don't necessarily need human "closeness", granted it may make life seem better.

Children Are An Aquired Taste.

Well... that's from my own experience anyway. To be blunt, I used to steer away from all those grimy, sticky, little monsters. But I've come to know three little ones, who, although scared me at first, have earned a little more of my liking.

I guess at first, they were just little things I just didn't know how to interact with. They said things over and over, smiled and laughed sometimes at things I didn't understand, did stuff I told them not to do, ugh, they were monsters. But... after meeting them a few more times while babysitting (I had to be forced to go after the first time I babysat them, since the pay was low and the kids [3] were ... not good), I have to say that I sort of got the hang of it. Not completely, but just a little more. I could understand them a little better [since one of them talked a bit funky and had half a lisp] and I knew how to soothe them when they were upset. It was... a weird experience. I don't think I love kids, but... I don't think I hate them that much anymore.

I think it's just... about understanding. A fundamental element of humanity.

6.14.2007

Everyone Should Read This.

url: http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/national_language.jpg

6.13.2007

My Wise Teacher Once Said.

My English teacher decided to divulge a bit of information to me the other day. Something I would only expect Yoda the great and my English teacher to know.

"One of my own life philosophies is that all people are inherently lazy when given the option."
Said by Ms. English Teacher.
Wow, I agree. I mean... it's so true. When someone has the choice of doing something, they can choose the easy way, the "lazy" way, cause I mean, I don't think anyone wants to do it the hard way...
What do you think of this quote?

6.11.2007

Frustration/Stress And How It Bogs Us Down.

Topic!: When stress brings you down, there's nothing like a good pick-up vacation.

Reality: We don't have the time or money.

Solution: Make the time and money.

Reality: Life Obstacles such as low-paying, minimum wage job and family to support.

Solution: Uh... Erm... Let's be friends?

So that's my question I guess. When something stresses you out and you can't find a solution, what do you do that helps relieve stress? Sitting down and doing nothing doesn't really provide me relief because I know that the problems aren't going away.

How do you solve the chronic disease that everyone experiences? And no, don't mention crack [the drug].

6.10.2007

Shooting Lions For Fun - It's Real.

I was surfing cnn.com when I came across this news article:

[click]

It's about how in South Africa, there's a place where lions are bred in captivity. And then hunters pay large amounts of money to go hunting on the "safari" which is actually a fenced in place that's large enough to where you can't see the perimeters of the fence.

I was so... horrified [even when I knew it happened- I just never really saw the pictures that made it so real] that people would actually take pleasure in inflicting the pain of others. Zoosadism is whats it's called when people take pleasure in the pain of animals. There are pictures in the link to the article, that shows this guy called John Foster. He killed two lions.

I'm glad to say that canned hunting will end in February of 2008, but I think it's only in South Africa. I'm not sure. I really wish they had ended it sooner though.

What are your opinions?

Paris Hilton And The Famous Escapade

[I actually don't know what escapade means, but I thought it sounded nice. If you have time, mind looking it up for me and commenting?]

Well, if you don't already know, here's a very brief "llama'ed" summary of what happened:

Paris Hilton [you all know her right? Her parents own the famous Hilton hotels] was caught drunk driving one night. They sent her to jail after a short trial, and was sentenced to 20-25 days [not sure the number] in jail [<-- that's what matters]. Well. Turns out she started whining and looking provocative [I actually don't know if she did this part, but I would assume so...] and so the County Sheriff let her out to serve under house arrest for 45 days...

[You can skip this part if you don't really care about what I think and want to just finish the story.]
Let us talk about my opinion and I'm sure what a lot of other people thought when this happened: First of all, in jail, she gets to eat free meals, a toothbrush/toothpaste, soap/deodorant, shampoo, shaving stuff, makeup, books, pictures, etc. Hey, doesn't seem that bad to me considering she was a walking time bomb on the road.

Well, I guess a lot of people got fed up, and so she went for a retrial, and was sentenced to 45 days in jail. Ye-ah, justice is served.

6.08.2007

Me? Devil? What?

So apparently I took the test, and I'm the Devil? Whoa, that shocked me. The first thing I saw was the red guy and the big, black, bold letters saying I was the epitomy of evil?

Wait. Hold a second. [Topic!:] Is he [or she I guess] really that evil? Is he even real? Hm...

What my card description was: The Devil
Materiality. Material Force. Material Temptation; Sometimes Obsession.
The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about amitions; it is also synonymous with temptaion and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, somone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.

Okay, so after I read this, I was like, "Wait... I'm confused. Am I good or bad?"

Take the
test and post what you turn out to be.

6.07.2007

Another Thought: Bad Penmanship

Okay, if you're reading this, please take the time and read the past two posts, because they're new as well- Thanks.

Topic! : Bad Penmanship.

Oh lord. Don't get me started. People in France [so I've heard] [and I'm sure in other places I just don't know about] start their kids at a young age writing on graph paper to keep their penmanship straight and pretty. Why don't we do that?

Second Topic! : Lenient Schools Versus Strict Schools [subtopic: uniforms versus no uniforms]

Public schools in the US a lot of times are consisted of students who don't care about their work, who don't have great ambitions, and who are really disrespectful to their peers and their teachers. Why is that? Is it because of their living conditions, or just their personality? Is it the teachers? Is it the structure of the school? The teaching methods? What do you think and do you think we should be more strict on our students in the US? Or should we let them be expressive like some other people say?
Uniforms? Personally I thin kit's a great idea. And I'm a student, so you can't really say, "But you only think that because you're a parent." Uniforms help decrease the distraction in school. When you're in school, it's not supposed to be a fashion show, or a place to display status. It's where everyone is equal and all learning. I don't think make-up, accessories, and expensive clothing should be necessary in learning, unless you want to learn about life in general and how there are levels in society, or if you're in a fashion class. Back then, they didn't have all this frou frou stuff to show off, and they still lived quite well.
Any comments?

Wow, Today I'm Just Full Of Suprises Eh?

So, usually I only write one post a day, cause then I'm more likely to get a comment on each post. But no, this is so spontaneous, I guess it can be out of the bunch of daily routines [you gotta hop out of those sometimes].

Topic! : Those ads on the sides of websites and blogs and underwear [okay, maybe not underwear, but I wanted to add a third thing, and that's what's there].

What do you think of those ads?
Do they make you want to buy them?
Are they interesting most of the time?
Do you even look at them?
Do you hate them [like I do]?

[I think I should eventually do a massive post where I reply to all my own posts so you can see what my opinions are, even though this blog is not necessarily about my opinions, I'm just trying to prod at a few minds out there. Not sure if you guys like that, but you keep coming back, so hey.]

Pros And Cons Anyone? : Labeling

We've all been guilty of labeling, being judgemental, being arrogant. Well, here's a compacted list of my opinions on labeling, the pros and cons. After the list is the dessert, oh joy, my explanations. If you skip out on the dessert, than I guess you'll stay skinny and Lindsey Lohan will get a new puppy.

Pros:
- Sometimes labeling helps. Really, it does. Like when you see a prep or a goth, you can basically predict what they're like, unless they're just trying to fool you into judging them, and then smacking you in the face for doing so. But usually they're not trying to do that. Because usually the way people dress "expresses" them, and they want to be unique, therefore they fit into the category of whatever they choose. Comprende? Not that dressing in any way defines who you are inside, but usually if you're a hateful person, you don't go around wearing fluffy pink tutus right? Unless there are skulls on them? I knew it!
Now that I think of it, I think that's the only pro for labeling. Better understanding? Maybe.

Cons:
-Well... It's mean. And... it's... you shouldn't judge someone... right?
Okay, let me rephrase. So judging people is life, but we should avoid doing so okay? Everyone agree?

Um, we're skipping dessert because I thought I was going to have bullet points, but I didn't, and yeah, plan didn't go through very well, and now we'll all look like Nicole Richie. Darn.

So... what do you think on the topic "Labeling"?

[Also: All you people out there, please use the spell check button, it's such a useful device no one uses. And if you're writing in chat speak [such as: i 4got u r stpd] and the spell check is overwhelming you, then you need to just rewrite everything, let your grandmother read it, and then post okay?]

6.05.2007

An Old Thought

Insurance, right. The rich people who don't exactly need it because they live in swell homes that keep them from colds, and enough money to see doctors without having insurance. The poor people who can't afford it because they're poor, and they really need it because they have to put up with germs everywhere. And finally, the middle-class, the level that no one ever thinks about, except for the people who are actually in that class.

And that brings us to our topic today:
Insurance for the middle class. They have a bit of money, but not enough for the insurance, and blah blah blah. And just cause they have a dollar over the limit for getting financial aid, they lose the financial aid and they are no where near rich enough to do a medical procedure or go to college. What do you suggest the government/people do to fix the problem for both the middle-class and the poor?

[I'm not sure what medicaid is, and I probably should have done research before writing this, but I'll let you fill me in.]


[additional information that you don't have to pay attention to (remember the first note where I said these posts were as much for me as for you? well, this is one of them) : I'm dubbed the defender of the ugly frosty drink [laughs] How cool is that?]

6.01.2007

Ambivalence

First Off, Then Second Off

School's out, that's cool, you know, whatever. That was first off by the way.

Second off, I'd like to ask a question:
What if one of your actions, had no intention to hurt someone else, but ultimately [maybe a day, maybe a year later] it harms someone?

Here's a made up example: What if you made an off comment about something that you really didn't care about, and it ultimately ruined your friend's life, like, I don't know, kept her from going to college or broke her marriage or something.

Is it your fault if something bad happens? Like, it was resulted from your actions, but is it your fault?

Give me your opinions, or some example of your own since mine is kind of lame.