Reading many books and novels, I have come across a type of love that you may find hard to witness in our current time. It is that love that springs from sharing dangers and harrowing experiences together, a kind of love that is so wonderful that it is painful. I will give you an example of what I mean. I was recently reminded of the movie Stardust, based on a novel by Neil Gaiman. In the movie, there is a scene where the girl confesses her feelings to the boy she loves:
"Yes I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable, and strangely easy to mistake for loathing. What I am trying to say Tristan, is that I think I love you. My heart... it feels like my chest can barely contain it, like it doesn't belong to me anymore. It belongs to you, and if you wanted it I would wish for nothing else in exchange; no gifts, no goods, no demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you love me too. Just your heart in exchange for mine."
It has been a while since I had heard such a touching confession. And it is that type of love that I am talking about, the type of love that is fully given without pause, despite knowing the person for less than a week. Less than a week! A fairy tale love is what it sounds like, but it is that type of love that any romantic may hope for. Another example that comes to the forefront of my thoughts is from a book I am currently rereading. In the fantasy novel, after being rescued by an adopted kitchen boy, a princess of a duke, falls helplessly in love with the boy. A few excerpts:
"She took a long breath, then softly added, 'That's why I think I love you. You could never be false with anyone. Least of all with yourself.'
She came softly into his arms, holding him tightly her face resting on his shoulder. 'Never, Pug. I could never care for another.'"
Skip forward most of the book, where a close friend talks about her after she finds out Pug has been captured by enemy forces and presumed dead:
"Roland looked at the Princess, seventeen years old just this last Midsummer's Day. No longer a petulant little girl given to outbursts of temper, she was changing into a beautiful young woman of thoughtful introspection. Few in the castle were unaware of the many nights' sobbing that issued from Carline's suite after news of Pug had reached the castle. After nearly a week of solitude, Carline had emerged a changed person, more subdued, less willful. There was little outward to show how Carline felt, but Roland knew she carried a scar."
Two years was the rough time difference between the first excerpt and the second, two years she spent harboring her love, a love that still remains, because that love would turn her into the woman she will become.
It was that unconditional love, that seeded and budded during such harrowing times that you will be hard pressed to find in society anymore, where much of society's youth have many dalliances and trysts that are for the most part meaningless. Harsh words, but it's true. And if love develops, it is not the love that is created in such a pure fashion, a bond that is neigh unbreakable. Oh sure, love exists in many wondrous forms, and can rival the love that I talk about, but what kind is it? Is it a connection between two people that cannot be explained? Or is it because the couple has such mutual interests that love is formed from that? Maybe, but it is not the same. There are too many people who do not know true love and the evidence of this ever present in society, with divorces, cheating spouses, broken families, etc.
Another quote I think will help close out this entry:
"There are many ways to love someone. Sometimes we want love too much, we're not too choosy about who we love. Other times we make love such a pure and noble thing, no poor human can ever meet our vision. But for the most part, love is a recognition, an opportunity to say, "There is something about you I cherish.' It doesn't entail marriage, or even physical love. There's love of parents, love of city or nation, love of life, and love of people. All different, all love."
People need to read more fantasy novels and understand what love really is, or see what love can be, because the love I read about, is amazing.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
A Weekend and an Observation
This entry starts with no title, in hopes that it will come to me as I compose this. I really have no solid topic. The inspiration probably comes from a few things I have seen in the last few days that made me giggle a little to myself. I do hope this does not sound rant-ish.
It is interesting, 'it' being defined as an event or a multitude of events with a singular or pairing of connections, that the amount of touch a person may desire is, whether it is for lust or simply to, for lack of subtlety, to mark their territory. I have read enough books, seen enough movies, television shows, and real life experiences , to be facetious enough, to be able to reflect on the interactions of two people with a degree of confidence, maybe.
What I saw recently, and made me giggle a little, has to do with what I wrote about in the previous paragraph. When someone owns something, and desires that ownership to known, they often indicate this by touch or holding, or something along those lines. For example, a child who happens upon some sort of sweet and discovered with it will often clutch it to themselves and declare 'Mine!', to indicate ownership. Of course when it comes to people, it does not quite work that way.
Someone won't go up to their amour or sweetheart and grab, declaring 'Mine!' (unless it is an over dramatized scuffle between two girls and one guy, whom they both like). It is less dramatized, but not necessarily subtle. When a guy, who is interested in a girl, sees another guy who he perceives to have a similar interest in that very girl, he will often show the other guy, by 'marking his territory'. No, he does not pee on the girl, that is disgusting. It is shown by touching.
The touching will often come in the forms of a playful shove on the shoulder, a hand on the small of the back to lead the girl in a certain direction, or simply standing close. The touching may even extend to an excuse to hold the girl, such as throwing over the shoulder, or simply picking up, to tease or chide. In small amounts, this is normal, but when done in rapid succession, it indicates his particular interest in the girl, it may even be considered flirting. Call it what you will, but it is also done to show the other guy (or guys) that this girl is his, exerting his dominance.
When sufficient attention of touching has been shown, and the girl has not completely shied away from this attention, he will feel like he has 'marked' his territory and will be confident to let her leave his presence, confident that nothing will happen. Of course this confidence is boosted when the other guy, the rival, does nothing and makes no move to touch, hold, or initiate any other physical contact with the girl.
I think I was considered the rival, perhaps, but whether that was true or not, I saw what I saw, and it amused me.
This sums up my short entry, and I have not come up with a title for this blog.
Update:
I was talking with a friend and she asked if guys really have that sort of mindset, being 'territorial' so to speak. I think it is (since I wrote about it), though I have seen it in a more confrontational mode and some would akin it to the jealousy mindset, but I do not think it is as severe as jealousy. If it were that bad, then you would have something as extreme as the Axe commercial, where one girl sprays a male mannequin and another girl walks up to it seductively and the first girl pushes her back shouting "Get away from my man!", except the genders would be reversed (think 'Get away from my woman' ... of course then you get into the whole problem women not wanting to be seen as objects to own... but that topic will be left for another day).
Ciao,
-K
It is interesting, 'it' being defined as an event or a multitude of events with a singular or pairing of connections, that the amount of touch a person may desire is, whether it is for lust or simply to, for lack of subtlety, to mark their territory. I have read enough books, seen enough movies, television shows, and real life experiences , to be facetious enough, to be able to reflect on the interactions of two people with a degree of confidence, maybe.
What I saw recently, and made me giggle a little, has to do with what I wrote about in the previous paragraph. When someone owns something, and desires that ownership to known, they often indicate this by touch or holding, or something along those lines. For example, a child who happens upon some sort of sweet and discovered with it will often clutch it to themselves and declare 'Mine!', to indicate ownership. Of course when it comes to people, it does not quite work that way.
Someone won't go up to their amour or sweetheart and grab, declaring 'Mine!' (unless it is an over dramatized scuffle between two girls and one guy, whom they both like). It is less dramatized, but not necessarily subtle. When a guy, who is interested in a girl, sees another guy who he perceives to have a similar interest in that very girl, he will often show the other guy, by 'marking his territory'. No, he does not pee on the girl, that is disgusting. It is shown by touching.
The touching will often come in the forms of a playful shove on the shoulder, a hand on the small of the back to lead the girl in a certain direction, or simply standing close. The touching may even extend to an excuse to hold the girl, such as throwing over the shoulder, or simply picking up, to tease or chide. In small amounts, this is normal, but when done in rapid succession, it indicates his particular interest in the girl, it may even be considered flirting. Call it what you will, but it is also done to show the other guy (or guys) that this girl is his, exerting his dominance.
When sufficient attention of touching has been shown, and the girl has not completely shied away from this attention, he will feel like he has 'marked' his territory and will be confident to let her leave his presence, confident that nothing will happen. Of course this confidence is boosted when the other guy, the rival, does nothing and makes no move to touch, hold, or initiate any other physical contact with the girl.
I think I was considered the rival, perhaps, but whether that was true or not, I saw what I saw, and it amused me.
This sums up my short entry, and I have not come up with a title for this blog.
Update:
I was talking with a friend and she asked if guys really have that sort of mindset, being 'territorial' so to speak. I think it is (since I wrote about it), though I have seen it in a more confrontational mode and some would akin it to the jealousy mindset, but I do not think it is as severe as jealousy. If it were that bad, then you would have something as extreme as the Axe commercial, where one girl sprays a male mannequin and another girl walks up to it seductively and the first girl pushes her back shouting "Get away from my man!", except the genders would be reversed (think 'Get away from my woman' ... of course then you get into the whole problem women not wanting to be seen as objects to own... but that topic will be left for another day).
Ciao,
-K
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Follow Up: Friends Who Will Remain Friends
Almost two years ago I wrote an entry in my blog that talked about friends who you made in college, that would remain your friend after you graduate. Now that I have graduated and it has been about four months since graduation, I thought I would follow up on that post I made somewhere in the middle of my college life.
In case you do not remember what the entry was, or you did not know about my blog at that point, the link below leads to the previous entry...
Friends Who Will Remain Friends
The part that I am referring to, is the tangent portion, and the part I would like to take a closer look at was somewhere in the middle where I stated:
"When you are in college or highschool, you meet a lot of people, and you get to know their names and maybe even learn a little about them as you progress through classes with them. But there are some people who you won't remain in contact with after you leave the institution you are at, whether high-school or college. Yes, you may have worked together, and laughed about the same jokes, and hung out, while at school, but beyond that, nothing. Then there are those friends who will still remain your friends after you leave. You may not see them all the time, but you'll stay in contact via phone, email, or what-have-you. Those are your friends, the difference between calling someone your classmate and your friend."
And then:
"... of the 30-40 odd acquaintances I had at high-school, my classmates, there are less then five I probably stay in regular contact with and call my friend. The same will happen in college ... "
About four months later, my prediction that I made two years ago, is more or less true. At the moment, there are less than a handful of classmates who I stay in regular contact with, and even some of those are a singular effort on my part. It is kind of scary, do you not think? I spent five years in college and only came away with a handful of real friends?
Now I would like to extend that to you. Can you name more than a handful of college classmates who you can call a friend; with whom you stay in regular contact with, whether it is real life, internet, or phone? Just out of indignation, you might say 'yes', but take a step back, I am not trying to be flip. How many classmates are your friends?
I found it was an interesting observation to make.
Ciao,
-K
In case you do not remember what the entry was, or you did not know about my blog at that point, the link below leads to the previous entry...
Friends Who Will Remain Friends
The part that I am referring to, is the tangent portion, and the part I would like to take a closer look at was somewhere in the middle where I stated:
"When you are in college or highschool, you meet a lot of people, and you get to know their names and maybe even learn a little about them as you progress through classes with them. But there are some people who you won't remain in contact with after you leave the institution you are at, whether high-school or college. Yes, you may have worked together, and laughed about the same jokes, and hung out, while at school, but beyond that, nothing. Then there are those friends who will still remain your friends after you leave. You may not see them all the time, but you'll stay in contact via phone, email, or what-have-you. Those are your friends, the difference between calling someone your classmate and your friend."
And then:
"... of the 30-40 odd acquaintances I had at high-school, my classmates, there are less then five I probably stay in regular contact with and call my friend. The same will happen in college ... "
About four months later, my prediction that I made two years ago, is more or less true. At the moment, there are less than a handful of classmates who I stay in regular contact with, and even some of those are a singular effort on my part. It is kind of scary, do you not think? I spent five years in college and only came away with a handful of real friends?
Now I would like to extend that to you. Can you name more than a handful of college classmates who you can call a friend; with whom you stay in regular contact with, whether it is real life, internet, or phone? Just out of indignation, you might say 'yes', but take a step back, I am not trying to be flip. How many classmates are your friends?
I found it was an interesting observation to make.
Ciao,
-K
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Do You Really Have A Cellphone?
"I'm going out with some friends from school tonight."
"What are you doing?"
"Hanging out, maybe catch Independence Day at the Dansberry."
"Okay, be back by 10 this evening, or you'll be grounded."
"Yes mom."
"And take your jacket, it might rain."
"Yes mom."
"Oh my friends are here, they just pulled up, bye!"
"Remember, be back by--"
*door slams*
"-- ten."
Does that sound familiar? Okay, maybe you could not be caught being seen in theaters watching Independence Day, but hey, Will Smith was popular back in the 90's.
Fast forward a decade.
*your pocket vibrates and a catchy series of tunes plays*
"Hey."
"Hey."
"What's up?"
"Want to go catch the newest Pirates movie?"
"Sure, who's going?"
"The gang, the usual people."
"Cool, meet you down there at eight or so."
"Cool, later."
"Later."
*stuff phone back in pocket*
Does that sound familiar too? If you did not catch the difference, that was the difference between when we had cellphones and when we did not have them. Perhaps your conversations played out cooler than that, but probably not.
Many of us, where 'us' is defined as graduates from high school around 2002, got our first cell phones near the end of high school or the beginning of college. It was convenient and nice to be able to make phone calls anywhere, if you had signal. But, cell phones have morphed (think Power Rangers and when they fight the big monsters, except the opposite direction) into a device that does 100's of functions. But the underlying function still remains, calling people and receiving calls. We rely so much on cell phones, that landlines are becoming unnecessary, with in-calling, free nights and weekends, and enough anytime minutes where we do not need the extra fee of a telephone at home.
However, are cell phones really the convenience that we are lead to believe? No... no, no, no! But why 'no'? Well, let's start with the misnomer 'cellular phone', which to most people means a phone that is small enough to carry around on one's self. When someone tells you to call their cell, you immediately think that they will have it with them, and that you can reach them easily. That is a false image for most people anymore.
I know people that are nearly impossible to reach, even though they have a cell phone. Either they never pick-up, they never listen their voice mail, or they choose to screen the call. When I am not trying to reach those people, I often get to call a group of people that rarely pick up on the first call. They either have the phone on silent, on vibrate, or it is simply not on them. Then there are a few that actually pick up most of the time, those are rare of course. And no, I am not calling in the middle of the day. It is often evenings or weekends when they should have their cell phones with them or nearby.
What is the purpose of a cell phone when you do not pick up, you do not keep it on you, or just do not bother to care to answer calls? Sure, you can be in a movie, or otherwise busy, sometimes. But for those who rarely pick up, is your life truly busy that much that you cannot spare half a minute? I doubt it.
So my rant moves to advice. Your cell phone is there so people can reach you easily, keep it with you as much as possible, or have it on a loud ring if you leave it in the other room. If you ignore or think that you will call someone back later, then think what the other person feels, when they call time and time again, unable to reach you, without them knowing that the person sees their missed calls and listens to the voice mails? What if they have a good story to tell you, or some tragic news, or some funny incident to tell you that happened at work? When you call back three or four days later, that person will be like, "Oh yeah... never mind." and bam, you have inadvertently burned someone. Perhaps you can try answering and ask if they can call back later, it takes less than a minute, and if it is the night or weekend or in-calling it will be free. Or if you have a text plan, have a Quick Text of "Saw you called, will call back soon." and it takes less than 20 seconds.
Bottom line: You have a cell phone so that people can reach you, stay mindful of that.
"What are you doing?"
"Hanging out, maybe catch Independence Day at the Dansberry."
"Okay, be back by 10 this evening, or you'll be grounded."
"Yes mom."
"And take your jacket, it might rain."
"Yes mom."
"Oh my friends are here, they just pulled up, bye!"
"Remember, be back by--"
*door slams*
"-- ten."
Does that sound familiar? Okay, maybe you could not be caught being seen in theaters watching Independence Day, but hey, Will Smith was popular back in the 90's.
Fast forward a decade.
*your pocket vibrates and a catchy series of tunes plays*
"Hey."
"Hey."
"What's up?"
"Want to go catch the newest Pirates movie?"
"Sure, who's going?"
"The gang, the usual people."
"Cool, meet you down there at eight or so."
"Cool, later."
"Later."
*stuff phone back in pocket*
Does that sound familiar too? If you did not catch the difference, that was the difference between when we had cellphones and when we did not have them. Perhaps your conversations played out cooler than that, but probably not.
Many of us, where 'us' is defined as graduates from high school around 2002, got our first cell phones near the end of high school or the beginning of college. It was convenient and nice to be able to make phone calls anywhere, if you had signal. But, cell phones have morphed (think Power Rangers and when they fight the big monsters, except the opposite direction) into a device that does 100's of functions. But the underlying function still remains, calling people and receiving calls. We rely so much on cell phones, that landlines are becoming unnecessary, with in-calling, free nights and weekends, and enough anytime minutes where we do not need the extra fee of a telephone at home.
However, are cell phones really the convenience that we are lead to believe? No... no, no, no! But why 'no'? Well, let's start with the misnomer 'cellular phone', which to most people means a phone that is small enough to carry around on one's self. When someone tells you to call their cell, you immediately think that they will have it with them, and that you can reach them easily. That is a false image for most people anymore.
I know people that are nearly impossible to reach, even though they have a cell phone. Either they never pick-up, they never listen their voice mail, or they choose to screen the call. When I am not trying to reach those people, I often get to call a group of people that rarely pick up on the first call. They either have the phone on silent, on vibrate, or it is simply not on them. Then there are a few that actually pick up most of the time, those are rare of course. And no, I am not calling in the middle of the day. It is often evenings or weekends when they should have their cell phones with them or nearby.
What is the purpose of a cell phone when you do not pick up, you do not keep it on you, or just do not bother to care to answer calls? Sure, you can be in a movie, or otherwise busy, sometimes. But for those who rarely pick up, is your life truly busy that much that you cannot spare half a minute? I doubt it.
So my rant moves to advice. Your cell phone is there so people can reach you easily, keep it with you as much as possible, or have it on a loud ring if you leave it in the other room. If you ignore or think that you will call someone back later, then think what the other person feels, when they call time and time again, unable to reach you, without them knowing that the person sees their missed calls and listens to the voice mails? What if they have a good story to tell you, or some tragic news, or some funny incident to tell you that happened at work? When you call back three or four days later, that person will be like, "Oh yeah... never mind." and bam, you have inadvertently burned someone. Perhaps you can try answering and ask if they can call back later, it takes less than a minute, and if it is the night or weekend or in-calling it will be free. Or if you have a text plan, have a Quick Text of "Saw you called, will call back soon." and it takes less than 20 seconds.
Bottom line: You have a cell phone so that people can reach you, stay mindful of that.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
A Day in Sweden
IKEA.
Still confused? I suspect half my friends know nothing of what that word means. It is the name of a Swedish furniture store that is raved about among homemakers. I will not go into the history of the store, because I do not know it, and it would prove of little interest to you. It has strong roots in a few cities around this country, and the heart of it, is Chicago. Chicago, Illinois is the home of not one, but two IKEA stores, and the one to the north is the second largest IKEA furniture store in the world; the largest being in Sweden, of course.
This weekend, I drove up to IKEA, for the first time, with my parents, who are veterans of the store. My mom is an IKEA fanatic, to put it lightly. Since the discovery of the store, my house has undergone a transformation. My mom is German, and for whatever reason, she is very particular about furniture here in the US, preferring European style furniture (which makes sense if you think about it). Before, our house could have been considered to be furnished as Euro-American, but that has changed to a dominance in European furnishing, with a slight hint of American styling.
Getting back on topic, I went to IKEA this weekend to find a bed and desk for my new place, and I brought my camera. I will post a few thumbnails that link to the photo album, click the link to get to the album. There is even a picture of me, attempting to look sinister.
This is the IKEA store, as you drive in from the main road.
The place is huge, three massive floors of furnishings. The second and third floor has all the furniture and furnishings on display. Each display item has a set of tags on it, describing the item, and more importantly a row and aisle number. If you want to purchase an item, such as a bed, you go to the first floor which is like a warehouse, containing the items that the second and third floor had on display. Most is self-service, you go down to the first floor, grab a cart, and with your shopping list, you find the items that are all neatly packed away in boxes, awaiting assembly.
A view of all three floors. You can see the boxes of furniture on the first floor. An island with walkways leads you to the lights / lamps section.
We spent four hours in the store and we really only spent time in the bed, bathroom, desk, and kitchen section of the store, sampling each section only. I could probably could have spent twice as much time there, especially in the kitchen and tableware section, looking at glasses, plates, pots and pans, and other useful kitchen and eating items. Yes, I enjoy that stuff, because I like cooking, and I like to make things look nice, especially if I have guests eating. You need the proper utensils, from start to finish, to make a proper meal.
This view shows about a third of area for kitchen stuffs, table ware, and furnishings. Glasses, mugs, plates, utensils, are all there.
A nice thing about the store is that you do not even have to leave the store, if you are hungry. The third floor has a restaurant with Swedish food, including Swedish Meatballs. The first floor has a quick meal place, such that you find at baseball stadiums, and even a small food area, where you can buy authentic Swedish food-stuffs. Bathrooms are on each floor. You can spend all day at the store, like the store owners intended.
When are finished shopping, and you have paid for your items, there are even convenient loading areas where you can pull up your car and load the big boxed items into your vehicle. Workers are available to help you jam your newly acquired furniture into your car.
Two guys loading an item onto their car, at the loading area, that is too big to fit in the car, as it was too full with the other boxes they had bought.
By the time we left, my feet were tired from all the walking around and looking. Content with our purchases, we left after a meal at the restaurant on the third floor, helping ourselves to the cookies that were marked "Free milk & cookies for kids." Next time I visit the place, I hope to see more of Chicago than the inside of IKEA. I would show you pictures of the new items I got, but they have not been assembled yet. :)
Ciao for now,
-K
Still confused? I suspect half my friends know nothing of what that word means. It is the name of a Swedish furniture store that is raved about among homemakers. I will not go into the history of the store, because I do not know it, and it would prove of little interest to you. It has strong roots in a few cities around this country, and the heart of it, is Chicago. Chicago, Illinois is the home of not one, but two IKEA stores, and the one to the north is the second largest IKEA furniture store in the world; the largest being in Sweden, of course.
This weekend, I drove up to IKEA, for the first time, with my parents, who are veterans of the store. My mom is an IKEA fanatic, to put it lightly. Since the discovery of the store, my house has undergone a transformation. My mom is German, and for whatever reason, she is very particular about furniture here in the US, preferring European style furniture (which makes sense if you think about it). Before, our house could have been considered to be furnished as Euro-American, but that has changed to a dominance in European furnishing, with a slight hint of American styling.
Getting back on topic, I went to IKEA this weekend to find a bed and desk for my new place, and I brought my camera. I will post a few thumbnails that link to the photo album, click the link to get to the album. There is even a picture of me, attempting to look sinister.
This is the IKEA store, as you drive in from the main road.
The place is huge, three massive floors of furnishings. The second and third floor has all the furniture and furnishings on display. Each display item has a set of tags on it, describing the item, and more importantly a row and aisle number. If you want to purchase an item, such as a bed, you go to the first floor which is like a warehouse, containing the items that the second and third floor had on display. Most is self-service, you go down to the first floor, grab a cart, and with your shopping list, you find the items that are all neatly packed away in boxes, awaiting assembly.
A view of all three floors. You can see the boxes of furniture on the first floor. An island with walkways leads you to the lights / lamps section.
We spent four hours in the store and we really only spent time in the bed, bathroom, desk, and kitchen section of the store, sampling each section only. I could probably could have spent twice as much time there, especially in the kitchen and tableware section, looking at glasses, plates, pots and pans, and other useful kitchen and eating items. Yes, I enjoy that stuff, because I like cooking, and I like to make things look nice, especially if I have guests eating. You need the proper utensils, from start to finish, to make a proper meal.
This view shows about a third of area for kitchen stuffs, table ware, and furnishings. Glasses, mugs, plates, utensils, are all there.
A nice thing about the store is that you do not even have to leave the store, if you are hungry. The third floor has a restaurant with Swedish food, including Swedish Meatballs. The first floor has a quick meal place, such that you find at baseball stadiums, and even a small food area, where you can buy authentic Swedish food-stuffs. Bathrooms are on each floor. You can spend all day at the store, like the store owners intended.
When are finished shopping, and you have paid for your items, there are even convenient loading areas where you can pull up your car and load the big boxed items into your vehicle. Workers are available to help you jam your newly acquired furniture into your car.
Two guys loading an item onto their car, at the loading area, that is too big to fit in the car, as it was too full with the other boxes they had bought.
By the time we left, my feet were tired from all the walking around and looking. Content with our purchases, we left after a meal at the restaurant on the third floor, helping ourselves to the cookies that were marked "Free milk & cookies for kids." Next time I visit the place, I hope to see more of Chicago than the inside of IKEA. I would show you pictures of the new items I got, but they have not been assembled yet. :)
Ciao for now,
-K
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Are You One of Those People?
At this risk of making people mad at me, I will post this...
Are you one of those people that reads jokes forwarded to you, and laugh to yourself, and then continue on with your day? Are you one of those people that gets a link in your email or you are told to visit it, and you do, and then do nothing except keep it to yourself. Do you never respond to links, jokes, or other non-personal e-things?
You just think to yourself, 'Oh, that was neat.', or you laugh to yourself, or you think 'Ugh, weird.', never to let those comments reach anyone else's ears except your own? Do you not think it is odd that you do not respond to the person who sent you the e-link/message/joke? Do you think they are all rhetorical, and that you should not bother to send something in return, that they'll somehow think that you are thinking what you are thinking, that you subconsciously think they have some kind of ESP that can understand what you are thinking without them actually knowing, and so your need to respond to them in the physical world is not needed?
In reality, they never ever actually receive your thoughts of amusement, disgust, or impassiveness. They have no knowledge that you even opened the email. Does everyone live such jaded lives that they cannot bother with a simple response, that you mind-numbingly go on to the next email and revolve around your own little world? Yes, harsh words, especially when I am somewhat of a hypocrite, since I can answer yes to most all of the questions I asked in the couple paragraphs before this. Are people's lives are oh-so-busy that they cannot seem to spare a moment to acknowledge the person who sent them something or link to something of interest?
Let us take a personal example for instance. I sent out an email about a comedic explanation concerning quantum physics. I sent the email to 12 friends. I do not get a single response... not one. Wait, I take that back, I got one auto-response telling the person was out. Did each one look at the email and skip it? Did they even bother to open it? Heck if I know. Should I have written in the email, 'tell me what you thought'? I thought that it was courteous to respond to someone who was nice enough to share a bit of something they enjoyed. I guess my internet manners are set too high and I should not expect such things from friends.
Another example, I had a link in my Gmail status message to some pictures I took. I am pretty sure that many people saw the link and might even have clicked it. At the risk of sounding high-minded (or is it too late?), I can say that those pictures were damn cool and that I am sure that others thought they were damn cool too. In the nearly five days it has been online (almost all day and night), only one single person has said anything. You know how happy it made me? You probably do. When someone acknowledges something you are proud of, something you spent considerable amount of effort on, that is the feeling I got when that person told me the pictures were damn cool. Of course, some people might have thought to themselves that the pictures were damn cool, but I do not have ESP, so I have no clue what they thought.
Perhaps those two examples were fuel for this blog, but they were mearly the catalyst for something that has occurred to me for quite some time, that people do not thing it is worth their time to respond to a friend.
No, it is not like I want everyone to be like; 'that was super cool' (super is said with a French accent, pronounced sue-pair), but a comment here and there is surely appreciated, and I am sure that when you send out something that is funny or weird or interesting, that you would like some kind of acknowledgment of appreciation too.
So next time you get an email from someone or a forward, perhaps you should try and respond with a comment that takes you less than ten seconds to compose and send out. You will make that person a little happier for actually responding to them, I mean, they are friends after all. If you remain impersonal to them, you will drift apart when you no longer see them after they have left for jobs not near you. That excuse for being too busy sure wears thin after the umpteenth time of hearing it. Where it may be true, you surely are not always too busy.
Respond to emails, you will be surprised on how far a response, that takes less than a minute to send out, will go.
I am sure to have raised the ire of my friends, but I am trying to say something that encompasses not only me, please remember that.
Ciao for now
-K
Are you one of those people that reads jokes forwarded to you, and laugh to yourself, and then continue on with your day? Are you one of those people that gets a link in your email or you are told to visit it, and you do, and then do nothing except keep it to yourself. Do you never respond to links, jokes, or other non-personal e-things?
You just think to yourself, 'Oh, that was neat.', or you laugh to yourself, or you think 'Ugh, weird.', never to let those comments reach anyone else's ears except your own? Do you not think it is odd that you do not respond to the person who sent you the e-link/message/joke? Do you think they are all rhetorical, and that you should not bother to send something in return, that they'll somehow think that you are thinking what you are thinking, that you subconsciously think they have some kind of ESP that can understand what you are thinking without them actually knowing, and so your need to respond to them in the physical world is not needed?
In reality, they never ever actually receive your thoughts of amusement, disgust, or impassiveness. They have no knowledge that you even opened the email. Does everyone live such jaded lives that they cannot bother with a simple response, that you mind-numbingly go on to the next email and revolve around your own little world? Yes, harsh words, especially when I am somewhat of a hypocrite, since I can answer yes to most all of the questions I asked in the couple paragraphs before this. Are people's lives are oh-so-busy that they cannot seem to spare a moment to acknowledge the person who sent them something or link to something of interest?
Let us take a personal example for instance. I sent out an email about a comedic explanation concerning quantum physics. I sent the email to 12 friends. I do not get a single response... not one. Wait, I take that back, I got one auto-response telling the person was out. Did each one look at the email and skip it? Did they even bother to open it? Heck if I know. Should I have written in the email, 'tell me what you thought'? I thought that it was courteous to respond to someone who was nice enough to share a bit of something they enjoyed. I guess my internet manners are set too high and I should not expect such things from friends.
Another example, I had a link in my Gmail status message to some pictures I took. I am pretty sure that many people saw the link and might even have clicked it. At the risk of sounding high-minded (or is it too late?), I can say that those pictures were damn cool and that I am sure that others thought they were damn cool too. In the nearly five days it has been online (almost all day and night), only one single person has said anything. You know how happy it made me? You probably do. When someone acknowledges something you are proud of, something you spent considerable amount of effort on, that is the feeling I got when that person told me the pictures were damn cool. Of course, some people might have thought to themselves that the pictures were damn cool, but I do not have ESP, so I have no clue what they thought.
Perhaps those two examples were fuel for this blog, but they were mearly the catalyst for something that has occurred to me for quite some time, that people do not thing it is worth their time to respond to a friend.
No, it is not like I want everyone to be like; 'that was super cool' (super is said with a French accent, pronounced sue-pair), but a comment here and there is surely appreciated, and I am sure that when you send out something that is funny or weird or interesting, that you would like some kind of acknowledgment of appreciation too.
So next time you get an email from someone or a forward, perhaps you should try and respond with a comment that takes you less than ten seconds to compose and send out. You will make that person a little happier for actually responding to them, I mean, they are friends after all. If you remain impersonal to them, you will drift apart when you no longer see them after they have left for jobs not near you. That excuse for being too busy sure wears thin after the umpteenth time of hearing it. Where it may be true, you surely are not always too busy.
Respond to emails, you will be surprised on how far a response, that takes less than a minute to send out, will go.
I am sure to have raised the ire of my friends, but I am trying to say something that encompasses not only me, please remember that.
Ciao for now
-K
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Watching the Clouds
As a kid, did you ever look up at the sky and let your imagination run wild as you looked at the clouds? I do, and I still do now, but not as often as when I was a kid. You saw anything and everything in those clouds, from creatures such as fish, deer, and ones you could not name to houses, cars, and other fantastical constructs. It did not matter what shape the cloud was in, your mind could always think of something that the cloud would be shaped like.
Now though, graduating from college soon, to start a new chapter of my life (scary, huh?), and you find you are too busy to really take the time to relax and do nothing. There is always something you should be doing, whether it's studying, doing work for your organizations, looking for a job, or practicing your Australian accent. You might find that you are not able to relax, you have been so busy for so long that when you really can relax you might not be able to relax properly. I know some people would deny that they do not know how to relax. Relaxing can be anything that you personally find relaxing; drinking a cup of tea, reading a magazine or book, hitting the trails with your mountain bike, or spending time with your friends or family. But what about watching the clouds like when you were a kid?
Imagine a rolling field of grass, as far as your eyes can see. The grass is green, lush, and soft to the feet. As you breath in you inhale the sweet fragrance of spring, a fresh smell of grass and flowers and clean air. A soft breeze sends ripples through the grass, making the vast field look like a green ocean, rocking gently underneath the touch of the of wind. Wild flowers such as foxglove, lupine, morning glory, and flox are scattered in patches among the grass. The only sounds you hear are the whispers of the wind as they pass through the blades grass and the occasional twirping of a bird. It is a warm day out, you are comfortable wearing shorts and a t-shirt, neither too hot nor too chill and the humidity is just enough to wrap you in its warm embrace. The sun shines down on you, warming you through and through. You look up to see clouds, white and fluffy, gracefully floating through the air, casting large shadows on the field as they pass by. The ground is soft and yiedling and when you lay down in the cushioning grass, you are comfortable as you stare up at the sky and clouds. You are relaxed.
That is the type of relaxing I can imagine. Unfortunately such a place would not be the easiest to find. I do not think I have had the experience to find such a place here in the states. I have come really close to such a field in Europe. I am sure such a place exists in reality, but not near any city. I would encourage anyone to find such a place and just sit back and stare at the sky, letting the rays of the sun warm you, and let your mind wander as the breeze carries your consciousness to the clouds. The clouds will be shaped to my imagination's desires and the sky will become my imagination's playground as it creates creatures and things that only I can see.
One day I will find that field and relax. But for now, I will let my imagination continue to do its work and dream up wonderlands in my mind.
Now though, graduating from college soon, to start a new chapter of my life (scary, huh?), and you find you are too busy to really take the time to relax and do nothing. There is always something you should be doing, whether it's studying, doing work for your organizations, looking for a job, or practicing your Australian accent. You might find that you are not able to relax, you have been so busy for so long that when you really can relax you might not be able to relax properly. I know some people would deny that they do not know how to relax. Relaxing can be anything that you personally find relaxing; drinking a cup of tea, reading a magazine or book, hitting the trails with your mountain bike, or spending time with your friends or family. But what about watching the clouds like when you were a kid?
Imagine a rolling field of grass, as far as your eyes can see. The grass is green, lush, and soft to the feet. As you breath in you inhale the sweet fragrance of spring, a fresh smell of grass and flowers and clean air. A soft breeze sends ripples through the grass, making the vast field look like a green ocean, rocking gently underneath the touch of the of wind. Wild flowers such as foxglove, lupine, morning glory, and flox are scattered in patches among the grass. The only sounds you hear are the whispers of the wind as they pass through the blades grass and the occasional twirping of a bird. It is a warm day out, you are comfortable wearing shorts and a t-shirt, neither too hot nor too chill and the humidity is just enough to wrap you in its warm embrace. The sun shines down on you, warming you through and through. You look up to see clouds, white and fluffy, gracefully floating through the air, casting large shadows on the field as they pass by. The ground is soft and yiedling and when you lay down in the cushioning grass, you are comfortable as you stare up at the sky and clouds. You are relaxed.
That is the type of relaxing I can imagine. Unfortunately such a place would not be the easiest to find. I do not think I have had the experience to find such a place here in the states. I have come really close to such a field in Europe. I am sure such a place exists in reality, but not near any city. I would encourage anyone to find such a place and just sit back and stare at the sky, letting the rays of the sun warm you, and let your mind wander as the breeze carries your consciousness to the clouds. The clouds will be shaped to my imagination's desires and the sky will become my imagination's playground as it creates creatures and things that only I can see.
One day I will find that field and relax. But for now, I will let my imagination continue to do its work and dream up wonderlands in my mind.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The Night An Engineer Dressed Up
Last night was the culmination of Engineering Week, the banquet at Music Hall, downtown. It was only my second time attending, last year being the first year I attended the banquet. It was not a good night to be out and about, the weather was horrible; rain, sleet, and the onset of night was not a good combination of conditions to be driving in. But my resolve prevailed, (and the fact that I did not really care about the weather) I drove to Music Hall. I was there a little early to help Mike out with a few last minute things. When I arrived (on time) everything seemed to have been squared away already. After saying my hello's to Char & Mike, I took the chance to look around, admire the decorations, and take a few pictures before all the other guests (and my friends) started to arrive.
The DJ was still setting up, the tables were set, and the food was being laid out on the serving tables. I was relatively hungry, and all the food that was visible was not helping things out, so I moved away to quell the tempatation of acquiring some food. I did not have to wait long before the first bus from campus arrived dropping off people, including a large group of my friends. They were all fancied up too; the guys wearing sleek suits and the girls wearing alluring dresses, quite the change when compared to our usual wear around campus. Compliments were passed around, pleasantries were exchanged and coats were checked before making our way over to a table. There were too many of us to sit at one table, so we managed to split ourselves among two tables. I sat with Mike, Carley, Adam, Emily, Dusty, and two others that I do not know. Emily, Dave, Andy, and Stacie sat at a table next to us with some others that I do not know names of either.
After the dust settled in the scramble to getting seats, the mingling began. Casual chit chat was had, some went to get some of the appetizers that consisted of chips, veggies, and dip. I wandered around talking intermittently to friends. I went up to the entrance, where Roy and his wife and Janie were kind enough to check ID's and give out bracelets to those of us who were old enough to drink. Mike and Char were overseeing everything, answering questions as best as possible and not freaking out in the process. The buses were coming reguarly now and wave after wave of students came in, all fancied up as well. I think we were able to say that we were officially sold out of tickets, after all the final head counts were made, breaking last year's attendance record.
Soon it was 8 o'clock and it was time for dinner to be served. We wanted the the faculty, alumni, and sponsors to go first to get their food before the horde of students befell the spread like the ravenous beasts that we are. I am not sure how well it worked, I might have missed an announcement or three, because I was walking around only to see the people at my table in line and being informed that I could get food as well. Of course I did not hesitate to stake my place in line, because if this year's dishes were anything like last year's, I could not waste any more time. I mean, I had to get through the main course as quickly as possible to get dessert... What? Did you think that I was worried about getting the main entré? Please, the delictable desserts were not to be passed up. Though, the main entré is not to be pushed aside, because it was delicious. This year the entré consisted of two types of salads, one plain and one with a raspberry dressing, dinner rolls, steamed vegetables that consisted of brocoli, cauliflower, and carrots, a cheese sauce that was to die for, roasted chicken, cheese potatoes, roast beef and gravy, and of course one cannot forget about the buttered spiral noodles with 'Shake & Bake'. I might have missed a something, but that is what was on my plate and anything else must have not been appetizing enough for me to give it further thought.
Making my way back to the table, my plate properly laden with food, I sat down to dig in only to discover that if I wanted any more alcoholic drinks I should go now before the bar closes during dinner. Accompanying Emily to the bar, I asked for another glass of white wine (a Chardonnay) and a Screwdriver with a shot of Sprite, per request from Adam. We eventually made our way back to the table, after being waylaid a number of times, and I was finally able to eat. The cheese sauce was just as good as it looked, and it made everything on my plate taste much better. The chicken was a little dry, but with a little cheese sauce, all was well again. The salad was not the greatest, and so I did not focus on it too much, because I doubt that the cheese sauce could have improved it.
After a fascinating discussion about Mike's love of buttered noodles in highschool, we went and headed to the dessert table, which was hidden in the back corner of the hall. There was a lot to choose from, all which looked delicious; brownies, chocolate cookies, cream puffs, mini pies, fresh fruit (pineapple, grapes, strawberries, and cantalope), and lemon bars, with bowls of yogourt spread and a large bowl of warm melted chocolate. My choices were sadly halved due to giving up chocolate for Lent (yes, I'm crazy), but that did not stop me from enjoying all the non-chocolate dishes. Mike could not pass up the chance to tease me about the chocolate though. I enjoyed the fruit & yogourt and lemon bars the best. The creme puff was a little bland and I did not favor it too much.
Just as I was finishing up dessert, the more somber part of the evening began; the speeches and award recognitions. There were a couple of different awards, including the Herman Schneider Award and Professor of the Quarter Award. There was another, that even some friends were in, but I do not remember what it was. The best part of the award and speech ceremony was probably when the Electrical Engineering Coop advisor butchered the Herman Schneider Award's recipient's name that sounded very similar to the last two syllables of 'lasagna' minus the 's'. I'm sorry, but if you nominate the person and then mispronounce their last name, you have to see some humor in it. I almost forgot, the E-week competition winners were announced, but most of us already knew who placed in the top three. The team I was in placed 2nd, five points away from first place. If we had had perfect attendance or went just a little further in the food drive, we would have had clinched first place, but oh well, it was fun and I would do it again if I was not graduating this year. The winning team's captain gave a little victory speech, which was more of an announcement that they were going to blow their prize money on a kegger after the banquet. He really did sound the model partying drunk college student. A baritone voice that seemed to lack intelligence. I am probably being a little harsh, but it's my blog.
After Andrew, one of the three E-week co-chairs, finished stumbling through his little mini-speeches, the dancing was next. Before that there was a round of pictures before everyone threw off their shoes and loosened their ties for the dancing. There was a group picture of the Electrical Engineers attending the banquet, then one for the graduating class of Electrical Engineers, and finally a group picture of the Engineering Tribunal Executives. Nothing really happened during the picture taking, so I'll leave it at that, though I am sure Steve did something.
There is something that I forgot to mention earlier; Jeff was at the banquet. Jeff, the MSA racing fanatic, the one who refuses to do anything social unless it only involves drinking, the one who said he would come dressed in jeans and his most pit-stained shirt if he came at all, showed up at the banquet. He told those who did not know that he had bought his ticket on Wednesday and had atempted to keep it on the down-low, to surprise everyone. It was pretty cool that he came to the banquet. Of course he really did not dance... at all. Well, maybe he danced a little at the end with Char, but he must have been pretty inebriated at that point. Some of us later in the evening attempted to force Jeff to dance with us, but we were unsuccessful on multiple tries.
I am jumping ahead a little though. The dancing began shortly after everyone took pictures. Personally, I am not a big fan of dancing, especially that freestyle type of dancing, because I think I look pretty silly when I do eventually start dancing. It would be pretty boring to sit at the table all night long, not dancing. I had my camera and it was a good excuse to be on the dance floor and not dancing a lot. Janie danced a little at the beginning which was cool, I think I have a video clip of that. The DJ played songs that the majority of people seemed to recognize, which was a little passé, in my opinion. He played the usual songs, like Cotton Eyed Joe, Electric Slide, Electric Salsa, and other late 90's dance songs. Throw in some rap and a handful of slow songs and you have a pretty generic set that does not dissapoint the majority, nor does it make it very amazing. A couple of shining points in the DJ's set was when he played Kylie Minogue's Love at First Sight (per request from Adam in lieu of the DDR competition) and the one and only techno song of the evening, a remix of Darude vs. Robert Mile's Children of the Sandstorm (sample here). To me, that song generated the most energy in the crowd, but I favor that genre, so I might be a bit bias. You cannot blame the DJ too much for not straying from the safe confines of accepted music, but a little variation from last year's banquet would have been nice too.
You have to wonder though, would people dance like they would if they were not as intoxicated as they were? I probably had a glass of wine and few sips of drinks people offered me, the under-developed drinker, to sample, and even though it took me a little to warm up to dancing, I thought I swallowed my humility rather well without the need to be intoxicated. Of course my dancing style is probably an issue as well, but who is to judge someone's dancing when they look just as silly? And what do people really think when they see someone else dancing? Do they mentally judge the person's dancing capabilities? Perhaps some of my friends will enlighten me on that issue.
The dancing went on for about two and a half hours, a long time for dancing, but it seemed shorter, maybe because I was enjoying myself a lot. For someone who does not like the free style type dancing, club style dancing, I thought I covered my bases pretty well, I danced to the fast songs, to the line dances, some salsa, and even a couple of slow songs. Everyone else seemed to have managed too. Even Dave, who hovered at the edge of dance floor, and would do nothing besides mingle with people, danced a little too. I even dragged him through the dance floor once, so he could say that he was on the dance floor and not merely on the edge of it.
When the dancing ended, I was a little disappointed, because it meant that the night of fun was pretty much over and that reality would rush back in a very short time. As the buses started taking the partygoers back, people chatted among themselves, taking a few last pictures, before going their separate ways, either to get some rest or continue the party elsewhere. I was part of the former group, going back to get some rest. I said my goodbyes and left.
Overall, the evening was a blast, the food was delicious, especially the dessert, people had fun hanging out with friends, and enjoyed some dancing. I do hope that there will be more times like this before graduation and I think that others would agree with me.
The DJ was still setting up, the tables were set, and the food was being laid out on the serving tables. I was relatively hungry, and all the food that was visible was not helping things out, so I moved away to quell the tempatation of acquiring some food. I did not have to wait long before the first bus from campus arrived dropping off people, including a large group of my friends. They were all fancied up too; the guys wearing sleek suits and the girls wearing alluring dresses, quite the change when compared to our usual wear around campus. Compliments were passed around, pleasantries were exchanged and coats were checked before making our way over to a table. There were too many of us to sit at one table, so we managed to split ourselves among two tables. I sat with Mike, Carley, Adam, Emily, Dusty, and two others that I do not know. Emily, Dave, Andy, and Stacie sat at a table next to us with some others that I do not know names of either.
After the dust settled in the scramble to getting seats, the mingling began. Casual chit chat was had, some went to get some of the appetizers that consisted of chips, veggies, and dip. I wandered around talking intermittently to friends. I went up to the entrance, where Roy and his wife and Janie were kind enough to check ID's and give out bracelets to those of us who were old enough to drink. Mike and Char were overseeing everything, answering questions as best as possible and not freaking out in the process. The buses were coming reguarly now and wave after wave of students came in, all fancied up as well. I think we were able to say that we were officially sold out of tickets, after all the final head counts were made, breaking last year's attendance record.
Soon it was 8 o'clock and it was time for dinner to be served. We wanted the the faculty, alumni, and sponsors to go first to get their food before the horde of students befell the spread like the ravenous beasts that we are. I am not sure how well it worked, I might have missed an announcement or three, because I was walking around only to see the people at my table in line and being informed that I could get food as well. Of course I did not hesitate to stake my place in line, because if this year's dishes were anything like last year's, I could not waste any more time. I mean, I had to get through the main course as quickly as possible to get dessert... What? Did you think that I was worried about getting the main entré? Please, the delictable desserts were not to be passed up. Though, the main entré is not to be pushed aside, because it was delicious. This year the entré consisted of two types of salads, one plain and one with a raspberry dressing, dinner rolls, steamed vegetables that consisted of brocoli, cauliflower, and carrots, a cheese sauce that was to die for, roasted chicken, cheese potatoes, roast beef and gravy, and of course one cannot forget about the buttered spiral noodles with 'Shake & Bake'. I might have missed a something, but that is what was on my plate and anything else must have not been appetizing enough for me to give it further thought.
Making my way back to the table, my plate properly laden with food, I sat down to dig in only to discover that if I wanted any more alcoholic drinks I should go now before the bar closes during dinner. Accompanying Emily to the bar, I asked for another glass of white wine (a Chardonnay) and a Screwdriver with a shot of Sprite, per request from Adam. We eventually made our way back to the table, after being waylaid a number of times, and I was finally able to eat. The cheese sauce was just as good as it looked, and it made everything on my plate taste much better. The chicken was a little dry, but with a little cheese sauce, all was well again. The salad was not the greatest, and so I did not focus on it too much, because I doubt that the cheese sauce could have improved it.
After a fascinating discussion about Mike's love of buttered noodles in highschool, we went and headed to the dessert table, which was hidden in the back corner of the hall. There was a lot to choose from, all which looked delicious; brownies, chocolate cookies, cream puffs, mini pies, fresh fruit (pineapple, grapes, strawberries, and cantalope), and lemon bars, with bowls of yogourt spread and a large bowl of warm melted chocolate. My choices were sadly halved due to giving up chocolate for Lent (yes, I'm crazy), but that did not stop me from enjoying all the non-chocolate dishes. Mike could not pass up the chance to tease me about the chocolate though. I enjoyed the fruit & yogourt and lemon bars the best. The creme puff was a little bland and I did not favor it too much.
Just as I was finishing up dessert, the more somber part of the evening began; the speeches and award recognitions. There were a couple of different awards, including the Herman Schneider Award and Professor of the Quarter Award. There was another, that even some friends were in, but I do not remember what it was. The best part of the award and speech ceremony was probably when the Electrical Engineering Coop advisor butchered the Herman Schneider Award's recipient's name that sounded very similar to the last two syllables of 'lasagna' minus the 's'. I'm sorry, but if you nominate the person and then mispronounce their last name, you have to see some humor in it. I almost forgot, the E-week competition winners were announced, but most of us already knew who placed in the top three. The team I was in placed 2nd, five points away from first place. If we had had perfect attendance or went just a little further in the food drive, we would have had clinched first place, but oh well, it was fun and I would do it again if I was not graduating this year. The winning team's captain gave a little victory speech, which was more of an announcement that they were going to blow their prize money on a kegger after the banquet. He really did sound the model partying drunk college student. A baritone voice that seemed to lack intelligence. I am probably being a little harsh, but it's my blog.
After Andrew, one of the three E-week co-chairs, finished stumbling through his little mini-speeches, the dancing was next. Before that there was a round of pictures before everyone threw off their shoes and loosened their ties for the dancing. There was a group picture of the Electrical Engineers attending the banquet, then one for the graduating class of Electrical Engineers, and finally a group picture of the Engineering Tribunal Executives. Nothing really happened during the picture taking, so I'll leave it at that, though I am sure Steve did something.
There is something that I forgot to mention earlier; Jeff was at the banquet. Jeff, the MSA racing fanatic, the one who refuses to do anything social unless it only involves drinking, the one who said he would come dressed in jeans and his most pit-stained shirt if he came at all, showed up at the banquet. He told those who did not know that he had bought his ticket on Wednesday and had atempted to keep it on the down-low, to surprise everyone. It was pretty cool that he came to the banquet. Of course he really did not dance... at all. Well, maybe he danced a little at the end with Char, but he must have been pretty inebriated at that point. Some of us later in the evening attempted to force Jeff to dance with us, but we were unsuccessful on multiple tries.
I am jumping ahead a little though. The dancing began shortly after everyone took pictures. Personally, I am not a big fan of dancing, especially that freestyle type of dancing, because I think I look pretty silly when I do eventually start dancing. It would be pretty boring to sit at the table all night long, not dancing. I had my camera and it was a good excuse to be on the dance floor and not dancing a lot. Janie danced a little at the beginning which was cool, I think I have a video clip of that. The DJ played songs that the majority of people seemed to recognize, which was a little passé, in my opinion. He played the usual songs, like Cotton Eyed Joe, Electric Slide, Electric Salsa, and other late 90's dance songs. Throw in some rap and a handful of slow songs and you have a pretty generic set that does not dissapoint the majority, nor does it make it very amazing. A couple of shining points in the DJ's set was when he played Kylie Minogue's Love at First Sight (per request from Adam in lieu of the DDR competition) and the one and only techno song of the evening, a remix of Darude vs. Robert Mile's Children of the Sandstorm (sample here). To me, that song generated the most energy in the crowd, but I favor that genre, so I might be a bit bias. You cannot blame the DJ too much for not straying from the safe confines of accepted music, but a little variation from last year's banquet would have been nice too.
You have to wonder though, would people dance like they would if they were not as intoxicated as they were? I probably had a glass of wine and few sips of drinks people offered me, the under-developed drinker, to sample, and even though it took me a little to warm up to dancing, I thought I swallowed my humility rather well without the need to be intoxicated. Of course my dancing style is probably an issue as well, but who is to judge someone's dancing when they look just as silly? And what do people really think when they see someone else dancing? Do they mentally judge the person's dancing capabilities? Perhaps some of my friends will enlighten me on that issue.
The dancing went on for about two and a half hours, a long time for dancing, but it seemed shorter, maybe because I was enjoying myself a lot. For someone who does not like the free style type dancing, club style dancing, I thought I covered my bases pretty well, I danced to the fast songs, to the line dances, some salsa, and even a couple of slow songs. Everyone else seemed to have managed too. Even Dave, who hovered at the edge of dance floor, and would do nothing besides mingle with people, danced a little too. I even dragged him through the dance floor once, so he could say that he was on the dance floor and not merely on the edge of it.
When the dancing ended, I was a little disappointed, because it meant that the night of fun was pretty much over and that reality would rush back in a very short time. As the buses started taking the partygoers back, people chatted among themselves, taking a few last pictures, before going their separate ways, either to get some rest or continue the party elsewhere. I was part of the former group, going back to get some rest. I said my goodbyes and left.
Overall, the evening was a blast, the food was delicious, especially the dessert, people had fun hanging out with friends, and enjoyed some dancing. I do hope that there will be more times like this before graduation and I think that others would agree with me.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Oh my!
What an exciting evening! Wow, simply, wow. Tonight was the Date Auction for E-week, at The Mad Frog. People get auctioned off for dates, and all the proceeds from the auction go to Children's Hospital as donations. I was there to see some friends auctioned off, as well as getting some pictures of all the fun. I was pretty close to the front, near the stage (and a speaker!) so I had a pretty good spot for taking pictures. One of my friends was the MC (Master of Ceremony) to auction off the girls, he read their bios and convinced people to continue bidding. People danced, guys took off their shirts, and more, just to get more money.
Another friend of mine was getting auctioned off and she was super nervous about getting auctioned off, whether it was because she was worried about having people bid for her, or if just general stage fright. She eventually gets on stage and the bidding starts. I started bidding, and soon the bidding became very heated, the amount continuing to go higher and higher. It was crazy and I won! Let's put it this way, the auction came down to two people this way and I had a great amount of support from my friends who were very encouraging. My heart was racing, and I definately was weak kneed, the bass made me dizzy everytime it beat. The girl who I won in the auction, is very well known (she probably had the loudest cheering when she was introduced), and so me winning put a lot of attention on me. People were looking at me and were probably wondering who I was, or if they did recognize me were wondering why I bid so much.
I'm a little concerned about what will happen. I hope I did not step on anyone's toes, I do not even know who I was bidding against. Was it someone setup earlier to be that person to bid so that the girl was not auctioned off to someone she did not want to get auctioned off to? (Actually I found out, and two words... oh dear.) Is she okay with me winning? I think her initial reaction was disbelief, as was the reaction of many others who know me and her. I was not sure how to react, and so I tried to be as casual as possible, but I doubt people really thought that. I hope everything works out okay. The rumor mill is surely working overtime.
Another friend of mine was getting auctioned off and she was super nervous about getting auctioned off, whether it was because she was worried about having people bid for her, or if just general stage fright. She eventually gets on stage and the bidding starts. I started bidding, and soon the bidding became very heated, the amount continuing to go higher and higher. It was crazy and I won! Let's put it this way, the auction came down to two people this way and I had a great amount of support from my friends who were very encouraging. My heart was racing, and I definately was weak kneed, the bass made me dizzy everytime it beat. The girl who I won in the auction, is very well known (she probably had the loudest cheering when she was introduced), and so me winning put a lot of attention on me. People were looking at me and were probably wondering who I was, or if they did recognize me were wondering why I bid so much.
I'm a little concerned about what will happen. I hope I did not step on anyone's toes, I do not even know who I was bidding against. Was it someone setup earlier to be that person to bid so that the girl was not auctioned off to someone she did not want to get auctioned off to? (Actually I found out, and two words... oh dear.) Is she okay with me winning? I think her initial reaction was disbelief, as was the reaction of many others who know me and her. I was not sure how to react, and so I tried to be as casual as possible, but I doubt people really thought that. I hope everything works out okay. The rumor mill is surely working overtime.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Formality of Names
It has sure been a while since I have blogged anything. The days of inspiration from Psych 101 have long been past and I found that if I was not typing on my laptop it did not feel the same, perhaps my laptop is my 'journal' and without it, I cannot write. Enough of that, down to business. In this blog, I will refer to myself as Kevin Soulchaser, to maintain some semblance of anonymity.
In Japan there is great importance to names. Take the Japanese name Tsumura Tokiko, a girls name, in case you were not sure. You would introduce yourself and then she would introduce herself as Tsumara Tokiko, and since you are simply an acquintance, you refer to her as Tokiko. You may also use Tokiko-san, the san is a title of respect, similar to Mister or Missus. Until Tokiko-san gives you her permission to call her Tsumara, you may not call her that, unless you want to be considered rude and unmannerly.
'Wait a second, we do that here in America, do we not?' That is probably what you are thinking right now. Yes we do, but we do not hold as much importance on the use of our first name. You see it mostly in business or more formal meetings, where someone might say, "I'm Kevin Soulchaser, but please call me Kevin." In an informal setting, such as school or gathering, people introduce themselves by their first names to be amiable and because it is odd to address classmates as 'Mister' or 'Missus'. Even professors who wish to be more personal with students, will let their students know that they can refer to their teacher as 'First Nmae' or 'Professor'.
However in Japan, first names are reserved to kin, very close friends, or relationships. When a girl and guy start going out, often the girl will tell the guy to call her by her first name, or vice versa, and that is considered to be an act of intimacy, not so much in a sexual way, but in terms of being closer. Even in school, classmates call each other by their last names, unless otherwise asked.
I have observed something of this in school too, here in America. I know people who refer to others by their last names. I have had friends refer to me by my last name often, not by Mr. Soulchaser, but simply Soulchaser ("Hey, Soulchaser!"). I do not think that they are doing it the same way that Japan's culture uses names, I doubt they even know that aspect of Japanese culture. But at the same time it is a little true. In college I have a friend who calls a girl by her last name almost all the time. I have heard him call her by her first name on occasion, but not as often as the way he uses her last name. He does the same to a few others too. He works at a place where he is surrounded by a lot of Japanese co-workers, though they have probably adopted the Western style of addressing people and use first and last names like us, so I doubt (and he would vehemently deny) that he has picked up on their culture.
When I think about it, I have done the same, and not just to one person, to multiple people, whether I am talking to them directly or mention their name in passing. I have realized that these are people who I really have not had much interaction with over the last few years, due to the rotation of schedules, despite being in the same class. Did I automatically use the Japanese style of addressing people, and use their last names, because I did not know them well enough? Probably not, but at the same time I did anyways. I do it less now, because I realized what I was doing.
There could also be another reason behind the use of last names, to prevent any confusion on who someone actually is addressing. Last names are more unique and you usually will not find another person with the same last name in the same group of friends, but it is probable that there will be more than one person with the same first name. So that could also be a reason why some of my friends will refer to certain friends, using their last names.
In closing, I do think it is interesting the way we have developed another way to refer to friends, even if it does resemble the way people in Japan call each other. Work may also have picked up on some of this, but it mostly when the boss needs to call someone out, without a doubt on who they may be referring to. Perhaps in time, when people develop a better connection with those they address using last names, they will use their friend's first names more.
In Japan there is great importance to names. Take the Japanese name Tsumura Tokiko, a girls name, in case you were not sure. You would introduce yourself and then she would introduce herself as Tsumara Tokiko, and since you are simply an acquintance, you refer to her as Tokiko. You may also use Tokiko-san, the san is a title of respect, similar to Mister or Missus. Until Tokiko-san gives you her permission to call her Tsumara, you may not call her that, unless you want to be considered rude and unmannerly.
'Wait a second, we do that here in America, do we not?' That is probably what you are thinking right now. Yes we do, but we do not hold as much importance on the use of our first name. You see it mostly in business or more formal meetings, where someone might say, "I'm Kevin Soulchaser, but please call me Kevin." In an informal setting, such as school or gathering, people introduce themselves by their first names to be amiable and because it is odd to address classmates as 'Mister' or 'Missus'. Even professors who wish to be more personal with students, will let their students know that they can refer to their teacher as 'First Nmae' or 'Professor'.
However in Japan, first names are reserved to kin, very close friends, or relationships. When a girl and guy start going out, often the girl will tell the guy to call her by her first name, or vice versa, and that is considered to be an act of intimacy, not so much in a sexual way, but in terms of being closer. Even in school, classmates call each other by their last names, unless otherwise asked.
I have observed something of this in school too, here in America. I know people who refer to others by their last names. I have had friends refer to me by my last name often, not by Mr. Soulchaser, but simply Soulchaser ("Hey, Soulchaser!"). I do not think that they are doing it the same way that Japan's culture uses names, I doubt they even know that aspect of Japanese culture. But at the same time it is a little true. In college I have a friend who calls a girl by her last name almost all the time. I have heard him call her by her first name on occasion, but not as often as the way he uses her last name. He does the same to a few others too. He works at a place where he is surrounded by a lot of Japanese co-workers, though they have probably adopted the Western style of addressing people and use first and last names like us, so I doubt (and he would vehemently deny) that he has picked up on their culture.
When I think about it, I have done the same, and not just to one person, to multiple people, whether I am talking to them directly or mention their name in passing. I have realized that these are people who I really have not had much interaction with over the last few years, due to the rotation of schedules, despite being in the same class. Did I automatically use the Japanese style of addressing people, and use their last names, because I did not know them well enough? Probably not, but at the same time I did anyways. I do it less now, because I realized what I was doing.
There could also be another reason behind the use of last names, to prevent any confusion on who someone actually is addressing. Last names are more unique and you usually will not find another person with the same last name in the same group of friends, but it is probable that there will be more than one person with the same first name. So that could also be a reason why some of my friends will refer to certain friends, using their last names.
In closing, I do think it is interesting the way we have developed another way to refer to friends, even if it does resemble the way people in Japan call each other. Work may also have picked up on some of this, but it mostly when the boss needs to call someone out, without a doubt on who they may be referring to. Perhaps in time, when people develop a better connection with those they address using last names, they will use their friend's first names more.
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