The Xmas factor
Christmas, Xmas… Whatever! Does it mean anything anymore apart from spending huge amounts of money to please people who you might only want to see once a year or maybe not even at all? Shiny lights, Xmas music, Xmas trees, everybody happy… or maybe not! Stress! Stressing about what presents to get, how much money to spend, what to cook, who to invite… Aaaaaarg! Yes, Xmas, happy times!
If you think about it, really, it’s a bit of a carry on, a grotesque kind of show, even…Who’s the tackiest of them all! In a way, it makes me think of the first stages of an X-factor contest, a competition to show off…
Possible entries to the Xmas factor:
- Getting stuffed with food and drink to the point of vomiting on Christmas Day, and actually vomit.
- Working as Santa in a Shopping Mall and having a fag and a pint on you break in front of the children.
- Dress as Santa in your work Christmas Party and end up sleeping unconscious on the street with a Kebab in your hand.
- Dance around the Christmas tree singing “(I want to give you) one 4 Xmas” by Hot Panz.
- Trying to snog the security guards on New Year’s Eve.
- Telling your boss, he or she can get stuffed like a turkey on Christmas day after having a few too many Glühweins.
- Explaining in detail your latest sexual encounter to anybody who would care to listen at your family Christmas meal.
- And so on… and so forth…
So, who's the winner?
Have a Happy Christmas! :)
Saturday, 12 December 2009
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
About men and shoes
Let’s go and get some shoes! What do I want the shoes for? I want some shoes for climbing mountains, strong, resistant, comfortable, long-lasting, waterproof, and practical, like a good friend that is always there for you when you need him and who’s never going to fail you…
Should I spend a lot of money on party shoes? Well… The shoes have to match that dress that I will probably only wear once in my life, so I’d rather not spend too much money on them. They have to look what they’re not, that is, good. So they have to look pretty and amazing without particularly being of good quality, like a one-night stand…
What about getting some nice good quality boots for the winter? Should I spend a lot of money on them? Aw, why not? Let’s use the credit card! Nice pair of black boots made of patent leather, good for any weather, will go well with any clothes and last for years… Boots that you will probably wear until the seams start to wear off, because you will become so attached to them, like an interesting, good-looking and faithful guy that you’ll love to bits and will be there for you for a long time, a sort of long term relationship…
I wouldn’t mind a nice lovely pair of party shoes, not too uncomfortable, which should go well with several outfits and I could wear several times but only occasionally, like a love affair…
Let’s not forget about those shoes that I really like, in the shop I go past every morning. Far too expensive, but… I can feel an unresolved sexual tension between us…
Should I spend a lot of money on party shoes? Well… The shoes have to match that dress that I will probably only wear once in my life, so I’d rather not spend too much money on them. They have to look what they’re not, that is, good. So they have to look pretty and amazing without particularly being of good quality, like a one-night stand…
What about getting some nice good quality boots for the winter? Should I spend a lot of money on them? Aw, why not? Let’s use the credit card! Nice pair of black boots made of patent leather, good for any weather, will go well with any clothes and last for years… Boots that you will probably wear until the seams start to wear off, because you will become so attached to them, like an interesting, good-looking and faithful guy that you’ll love to bits and will be there for you for a long time, a sort of long term relationship…
I wouldn’t mind a nice lovely pair of party shoes, not too uncomfortable, which should go well with several outfits and I could wear several times but only occasionally, like a love affair…
Let’s not forget about those shoes that I really like, in the shop I go past every morning. Far too expensive, but… I can feel an unresolved sexual tension between us…
Thursday, 12 November 2009
A random thought about organized chaos
I recall something quite amusing that happened to me a few years ago, when I was a teenager. A friend of ours had just come to our flat for a visit and, for some reason which I can’t remember, he’d asked if we had a pair of scissors. I just happened to notice, by pure chance, that the scissors were actually lying on the floor, under a cupboard. So, I just pointed them out to my friend. My friend went and picked up the scissors from the floor under the cupboard, as if it was the most natural thing in the world for them to be there and, when he finished with the scissors, he went and put them back under the cupboard. A little bit bemused, we asked him why he had put them there, and he replied that he thought it was where we usually kept them. He probably must have thought that our place was a bit unusual, which it was, I have to admit, I mean, you can’t have six children in a house and not expect some degree of chaos in it. What surprised me was his logic. Obviously the logic of someone used to organized chaos.
When there is organized chaos around you, you know exactly where things are without having to tidy up the place. For organized chaotic people there’s nothing more irritating than those people who decide to put things were they think they “should” be kept. So, you come back home thinking “I’d love to listen to that CD I was listening to last night, I could do with some relaxing music just now.” Then, you go and look under the bed (that’s where you remember leaving it the previous night, therefore where it’s supposed to be) and realise, to your horror, that the CD is no longer there!!! What’s happened? Where is it? You start cursing everybody and start thinking of all the possible places where it could be, by which point your stress levels start getting higher and you need more than ever that relaxing music. You turn everything inside out, upside down, you look inside bags and paper bins, under the pillow of your settee, in your coat pockets, inside your shoes… and finally… There it is! You find it in the CD rack and, what’s worse, in alphabetical order!! Wow, so you’ve looked everywhere apart from the place where the bloody thing “should” be!! Damn! So that makes you feel even more irritated than before. That relaxing music would do you some good after all!
So, remember, if you live with a chaotically organized person, don’t touch anything!!! You may regret it afterwards. You’ve been warned.
When there is organized chaos around you, you know exactly where things are without having to tidy up the place. For organized chaotic people there’s nothing more irritating than those people who decide to put things were they think they “should” be kept. So, you come back home thinking “I’d love to listen to that CD I was listening to last night, I could do with some relaxing music just now.” Then, you go and look under the bed (that’s where you remember leaving it the previous night, therefore where it’s supposed to be) and realise, to your horror, that the CD is no longer there!!! What’s happened? Where is it? You start cursing everybody and start thinking of all the possible places where it could be, by which point your stress levels start getting higher and you need more than ever that relaxing music. You turn everything inside out, upside down, you look inside bags and paper bins, under the pillow of your settee, in your coat pockets, inside your shoes… and finally… There it is! You find it in the CD rack and, what’s worse, in alphabetical order!! Wow, so you’ve looked everywhere apart from the place where the bloody thing “should” be!! Damn! So that makes you feel even more irritated than before. That relaxing music would do you some good after all!
So, remember, if you live with a chaotically organized person, don’t touch anything!!! You may regret it afterwards. You’ve been warned.
Friday, 30 October 2009
Understanding People
Very often we think that we understand people, but… do we really? On a daily basis we see things happening around us that we consider out of order. We wonder what made some people do this or do that. We wonder why some people are so stubborn and will never change their minds. We wonder why some people never take what we consider the “reasonable” path… The problem is that we take these things absolutely out of context and we only think about them in terms of our personal life experiences, because that’s all we know… and that’s why we don’t understand them.
Do we ever stop to think about the socio-political environment where these people grew up? Do we ever think about their family circumstances? Do we ever think about the gaps in their education? Have we ever stopped to think that each person’s values and beliefs depend on all sorts of environmental circumstances including their religious upbringing? And, sometimes, we think we are clever enough to change all these aspects of someone’s life which, as a matter of fact, are so deeply rooted that have become part of the people they are and can’t unfortunately be changed. And not only that, we also sometimes think we have a right to criticise them as if their unusual behaviour was just a sudden twist in their minds, that they’re just thoughtless unreasonable people who don’t want to listen to anybody… Well, think again.
It is very difficult to understand some people’s actions and feelings simply because it is very difficult to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. And that’s a fact! And we will never fully understand them unless we’re put through everything they’ve been through in their lives. We can only try… and maybe misunderstand.
Do we ever stop to think about the socio-political environment where these people grew up? Do we ever think about their family circumstances? Do we ever think about the gaps in their education? Have we ever stopped to think that each person’s values and beliefs depend on all sorts of environmental circumstances including their religious upbringing? And, sometimes, we think we are clever enough to change all these aspects of someone’s life which, as a matter of fact, are so deeply rooted that have become part of the people they are and can’t unfortunately be changed. And not only that, we also sometimes think we have a right to criticise them as if their unusual behaviour was just a sudden twist in their minds, that they’re just thoughtless unreasonable people who don’t want to listen to anybody… Well, think again.
It is very difficult to understand some people’s actions and feelings simply because it is very difficult to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. And that’s a fact! And we will never fully understand them unless we’re put through everything they’ve been through in their lives. We can only try… and maybe misunderstand.
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Existence and dreams
I love it when in my dreams I have experiences that would not be possible in real life. For example I once dreamt that I had an amazing kiss with Johnny Depp! It was, unfortunately, a one off. Very often I have dreamt that I can fly like a bird, going wherever I want and enjoying the amazing view of the world below me… The most amazing feeling ever, even better than Johnny’s kiss…
…And the other day, something very amazing happened. I had two choices in my dream: to destroy a room or not to destroy it; and I actually had the possibility of experiencing both choices before making the final decision of what action to take!!! Isn’t that great! If it went all wrong I could go back and start it all over again! So, of course, I made the most of it. I decided to make first the choice I would have never made in real life, that is, destroy the room, he he. I smashed everything I could smash; I threw all sorts of furniture across the room and knocked over everything that could be knocked over… I had an incredible time!
…Now, have you ever experienced lucid dreaming, by the way? It’s fantastic! You are completely aware that you are in a dream; therefore, you can do whatever you want!!! It’s just a dream after all, you will wake up and that’s it! No damage done! Unfortunately, the moments of lucid dreaming I’ve had in my life have been few and far between and too short… Still, very enjoyable…
I wish I could experience all these things in real life… But then again, if I could experience them in real life, they would lose their “unusual” status and would not be exciting anymore… So, I’ll just keep dreaming…
Sometimes I wonder… If our brain is the key to our existence, maybe the answer to all our questions about it is in our dreams, which we cannot understand. In our sleep, everything happening in our brains is in a state of organized chaos, a trick of the mind, an intricate puzzle… If we don’t understand anything, tough! We’re not supposed to understand… Someone, something out there is having a good laugh at our lack of understanding, and we just have to go with the flow, in utter ignorance… Live, wonder and die with no answers…
…And the other day, something very amazing happened. I had two choices in my dream: to destroy a room or not to destroy it; and I actually had the possibility of experiencing both choices before making the final decision of what action to take!!! Isn’t that great! If it went all wrong I could go back and start it all over again! So, of course, I made the most of it. I decided to make first the choice I would have never made in real life, that is, destroy the room, he he. I smashed everything I could smash; I threw all sorts of furniture across the room and knocked over everything that could be knocked over… I had an incredible time!
…Now, have you ever experienced lucid dreaming, by the way? It’s fantastic! You are completely aware that you are in a dream; therefore, you can do whatever you want!!! It’s just a dream after all, you will wake up and that’s it! No damage done! Unfortunately, the moments of lucid dreaming I’ve had in my life have been few and far between and too short… Still, very enjoyable…
I wish I could experience all these things in real life… But then again, if I could experience them in real life, they would lose their “unusual” status and would not be exciting anymore… So, I’ll just keep dreaming…
Sometimes I wonder… If our brain is the key to our existence, maybe the answer to all our questions about it is in our dreams, which we cannot understand. In our sleep, everything happening in our brains is in a state of organized chaos, a trick of the mind, an intricate puzzle… If we don’t understand anything, tough! We’re not supposed to understand… Someone, something out there is having a good laugh at our lack of understanding, and we just have to go with the flow, in utter ignorance… Live, wonder and die with no answers…
Monday, 14 September 2009
Genuine Guys
It always puts me off when a guy claims to be genuine. At the same time, this statement really amuses me. So, a genuine guy is, in theory, honest, sincere and not a hypocrite, which I believe are very good qualities in a guy. But then again, why does he need to emphasize the fact that he’s genuine? I mean, is he trying to hide something? It makes me feel really suspicious indeed, and my first instinctive reaction is not to trust him.
Now, if you think of genuine in terms of a genuine object, then you think of something that is not fake, it’s pure, original, authentic, the real McCoy! It hasn’t been changed or adulterated in any way; it’s made of the real material it claims to be made of, it’s exactly what is supposed to be, no more! Therefore, a genuine man should be, first of all, human (not an alien or a robot, which is reassuring!), so it should have all the basic stuff (skeleton, brain, muscles, flesh, human skin, hair…). The next question would then be: is he really a man? Because it could be a woman disguised as a man or a woman who has undergone a sex exchange operation, who knows? Can you tell by the picture? He might have even taken that picture from a magazine, there’s no way to tell…
So, my advice is, watch out for all those “genuine” guys out there in all those dating websites. They might be aliens, underground creatures or members of a “genuine guys” sect. Don’t fall for it. It’s a trap!
Now, if you think of genuine in terms of a genuine object, then you think of something that is not fake, it’s pure, original, authentic, the real McCoy! It hasn’t been changed or adulterated in any way; it’s made of the real material it claims to be made of, it’s exactly what is supposed to be, no more! Therefore, a genuine man should be, first of all, human (not an alien or a robot, which is reassuring!), so it should have all the basic stuff (skeleton, brain, muscles, flesh, human skin, hair…). The next question would then be: is he really a man? Because it could be a woman disguised as a man or a woman who has undergone a sex exchange operation, who knows? Can you tell by the picture? He might have even taken that picture from a magazine, there’s no way to tell…
So, my advice is, watch out for all those “genuine” guys out there in all those dating websites. They might be aliens, underground creatures or members of a “genuine guys” sect. Don’t fall for it. It’s a trap!
Sunday, 13 September 2009
Dreaming
Dreaming
It’s night time: Time to go to bed. The body feels tired. The brain feels tired. You lie down in bed and close your eyes. Everyday thoughts cross your mind: What a horrible day at work, some people are just plain rude, but lovely guy there, pretty handsome actually, oh, by the way, need to pay gas bill and telephone tomorrow, should phone my family in the evening, and so on… then weird thoughts start developing. The brain must be going for a break, since it’s not making any sense of anything anymore. That’s a good sign, I’m falling asleep…
Yes, the brain is not making sense of anything anymore. It’s not in control.
I see the brain like a big computer with lots of information stored in it: Your hard drive with your genes and main bodily functions and your software with its many multiple applications containing all your life experiences from childhood to adulthood; all the smells, sounds, textures, feelings, things you see and people that cross your path, even those you’re not aware of; all your emotions, musings and relationships with people; all your inner desires, passions and cravings…
Going to sleep is like switching the computer off. Yes. The information is there but you’re not longer in control of it. Every single bit of information in your software is free to wander as they please. Break time, relax, no control, no order, chaos… And then, all those weird dreams… They’re challenging you, yes! That’s why you can’t understand you dreams. It’s an uncontrolled mayhem. You would really have to dissect every single bit of your dreams in order to make any sense of them: Extremely hard work! But only you can do it, because only you know exactly was going on through your mind, you are the only and privileged owner of your life’s history. Therefore, you are the only person in the world that can really interpret your dreams, so, if you can’t, just forget about it and laugh at them, don’t take them too seriously, really, don’t.
It’s night time: Time to go to bed. The body feels tired. The brain feels tired. You lie down in bed and close your eyes. Everyday thoughts cross your mind: What a horrible day at work, some people are just plain rude, but lovely guy there, pretty handsome actually, oh, by the way, need to pay gas bill and telephone tomorrow, should phone my family in the evening, and so on… then weird thoughts start developing. The brain must be going for a break, since it’s not making any sense of anything anymore. That’s a good sign, I’m falling asleep…
Yes, the brain is not making sense of anything anymore. It’s not in control.
I see the brain like a big computer with lots of information stored in it: Your hard drive with your genes and main bodily functions and your software with its many multiple applications containing all your life experiences from childhood to adulthood; all the smells, sounds, textures, feelings, things you see and people that cross your path, even those you’re not aware of; all your emotions, musings and relationships with people; all your inner desires, passions and cravings…
Going to sleep is like switching the computer off. Yes. The information is there but you’re not longer in control of it. Every single bit of information in your software is free to wander as they please. Break time, relax, no control, no order, chaos… And then, all those weird dreams… They’re challenging you, yes! That’s why you can’t understand you dreams. It’s an uncontrolled mayhem. You would really have to dissect every single bit of your dreams in order to make any sense of them: Extremely hard work! But only you can do it, because only you know exactly was going on through your mind, you are the only and privileged owner of your life’s history. Therefore, you are the only person in the world that can really interpret your dreams, so, if you can’t, just forget about it and laugh at them, don’t take them too seriously, really, don’t.
Sunday, 6 September 2009
Death by shoe
You are in your bedroom doing your stuff and, suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you spot a tiny little crawly creature in your surroundings. You don’t think about it twice, you grab a shoe and… PAF! Death by shoe! Tiny little crawly creature is dead. RIP…
Were you to defend yourself in court about your acts, you might be able to say something on the lines of “it was having my clothes for breakfast” if it was a moth, “it was covering all my body with nasty bites” if it was a mosquito, “it was infesting my house” if it was a cockroach… However, what would happen if it was just a tiny little spider not doing you any harm whatsoever? What would you say? It was just annoying me?
I can imagine the prosecuting lawyer saying something like: “The poor little creature was just there minding its own business, not doing any harm to anybody, and was met by the cruel actions of a thoughtless, inconsiderate and aggressive human being who’d just decided that its death would not make any difference to the world, that after all it was just an ugly, disgusting and annoying little creature. The poor little thing was just there in the wrong place at the wrong time, and PAF! It met its death under a shoe… Very sad indeed… This human being, if he or she could ever be considered to be human, should be ashamed of his or her actions.”
Final verdict: GUILTY. Yes, I am guilty. I do now think about it twice before I use my shoes in this way.
You are in your bedroom doing your stuff and, suddenly, out of the corner of your eye, you spot a tiny little crawly creature in your surroundings. You don’t think about it twice, you grab a shoe and… PAF! Death by shoe! Tiny little crawly creature is dead. RIP…
Were you to defend yourself in court about your acts, you might be able to say something on the lines of “it was having my clothes for breakfast” if it was a moth, “it was covering all my body with nasty bites” if it was a mosquito, “it was infesting my house” if it was a cockroach… However, what would happen if it was just a tiny little spider not doing you any harm whatsoever? What would you say? It was just annoying me?
I can imagine the prosecuting lawyer saying something like: “The poor little creature was just there minding its own business, not doing any harm to anybody, and was met by the cruel actions of a thoughtless, inconsiderate and aggressive human being who’d just decided that its death would not make any difference to the world, that after all it was just an ugly, disgusting and annoying little creature. The poor little thing was just there in the wrong place at the wrong time, and PAF! It met its death under a shoe… Very sad indeed… This human being, if he or she could ever be considered to be human, should be ashamed of his or her actions.”
Final verdict: GUILTY. Yes, I am guilty. I do now think about it twice before I use my shoes in this way.
Saturday, 5 September 2009
Trust
It’s amazing how many people you have to trust every day just to get on with your life… Just think about it… You have to trust that your bus driver will have had a proper sleep and won’t be drunk, that the cars will always stop when the traffic lights go red, that your butcher will get its meat from reliable sources, that your babysitter will take good care of you baby, that the guys in charge of the world will do their job properly so that you don’t get bombed by terrorists, that your partner won’t run away with the first good looking person of the opposite sex he or she meets on the way, that there will be no paedophiles in your child’s school, that chefs will follow the correct hygiene procedures, that your house will have been properly built, that your friends won’t betray you, that translators won’t be communicating the wrong messages, that bank clerks will key your details properly so that no one else gets your money, that your surgeon will know what he or she is doing… I could go on and on. The list of people we have to trust on a daily basis is just far too long, and sometimes we don’t even think about it… What’s the point? It would just spoil everything, wouldn’t it? If you didn’t trust anybody, you would not be able to get on with your life…Yet, it makes you think about the importance of every single detail of everything that is happening around you, and it makes you appreciate the huge effort that some people out there are making and that often goes unnoticed…
It’s amazing how many people you have to trust every day just to get on with your life… Just think about it… You have to trust that your bus driver will have had a proper sleep and won’t be drunk, that the cars will always stop when the traffic lights go red, that your butcher will get its meat from reliable sources, that your babysitter will take good care of you baby, that the guys in charge of the world will do their job properly so that you don’t get bombed by terrorists, that your partner won’t run away with the first good looking person of the opposite sex he or she meets on the way, that there will be no paedophiles in your child’s school, that chefs will follow the correct hygiene procedures, that your house will have been properly built, that your friends won’t betray you, that translators won’t be communicating the wrong messages, that bank clerks will key your details properly so that no one else gets your money, that your surgeon will know what he or she is doing… I could go on and on. The list of people we have to trust on a daily basis is just far too long, and sometimes we don’t even think about it… What’s the point? It would just spoil everything, wouldn’t it? If you didn’t trust anybody, you would not be able to get on with your life…Yet, it makes you think about the importance of every single detail of everything that is happening around you, and it makes you appreciate the huge effort that some people out there are making and that often goes unnoticed…
Wednesday, 2 September 2009
Change and cardboard boxes
You make a decision halfway through your life, because your life is becoming boring, senseless, repetitive and robotic. You take the plunge in pursuit of something that really means something to you, something that you’ve wanted to do for a long time and haven’t had the guts to do it before for fear of loosing that very important sense of security. Yes, your life is “safe”, but, is it really? Yes, you have your salary at the end of the month, you can relax when you get back home, you take the occasional holiday, your partner loves you, or you think he does, you love him, peace and quiet, everything perfect.
Then you take the plunge. You do it. You make that decision to change your life, and what happens?
Everything changes. It really does. Security is gone. You don’t have a salary at the end of the month; you don’t have a minute of rest in order to fulfil your dream. Time becomes a luxury. End of holidays, end of relationship, end of everything, your life inside cardboard boxes which you keep moving from place to place in the hope that one day they will find a place where they can settle and be opened. Yes, security…
Yet, look at how many people become depressed after years of security: Family, house, car, dog, nice holidays every summer… They feel there’s something missing in their lives. So, do we really want a static life and security, or deep inside are we all craving for a bit of change in our lives? Sometimes I wonder.
You make a decision halfway through your life, because your life is becoming boring, senseless, repetitive and robotic. You take the plunge in pursuit of something that really means something to you, something that you’ve wanted to do for a long time and haven’t had the guts to do it before for fear of loosing that very important sense of security. Yes, your life is “safe”, but, is it really? Yes, you have your salary at the end of the month, you can relax when you get back home, you take the occasional holiday, your partner loves you, or you think he does, you love him, peace and quiet, everything perfect.
Then you take the plunge. You do it. You make that decision to change your life, and what happens?
Everything changes. It really does. Security is gone. You don’t have a salary at the end of the month; you don’t have a minute of rest in order to fulfil your dream. Time becomes a luxury. End of holidays, end of relationship, end of everything, your life inside cardboard boxes which you keep moving from place to place in the hope that one day they will find a place where they can settle and be opened. Yes, security…
Yet, look at how many people become depressed after years of security: Family, house, car, dog, nice holidays every summer… They feel there’s something missing in their lives. So, do we really want a static life and security, or deep inside are we all craving for a bit of change in our lives? Sometimes I wonder.
Monday, 24 August 2009
Binge society
You’ve just got ten minutes… yes, just ten minutes, no more, no less. This is a business, you know… please don’t waste your time… time is money… But, but… I’ve got no time to listen to you, get going…
Could you please tell me the difference between the blue trip, the green trip and the yellow trip?... (Ah! For goodness sake, haven’t you read that bloody big sign at the door explaining all this, you moron?, now I will have to spend more than the allocated 1 minute I’ve got for selling your ticket!)… Grumpy, forced smiley face… of course I can sir...
If you can process 100 applications in 1 hour, you’ll get a prize… how many costumers today? 10!!? Per hour!!? Jesus! Aren’t you a great worker! You’ll definitely get an extra bonus this month… I could only do 3 customers today… What!!?... Well, I had to spend some extra time with a very unhappy customer… Well, next time do it faster!
(Wow! What a great job I’ve done with this window! Look at that! So shiny!! The boss will be proud of me, for sure…) How long did you spend cleaning that window? Look at the time! What have you been doing for so long?… (Not even a remark about the shiny window… So much for the effort…)
How many pints did you have last night? 15? That’s a big night!... Can’t remember anything, though!... That means you had a great time then!
Binge drinking… consuming large amounts of intoxicating drinks in a short period of time till you fall unconscious and can’t remember anything… no matter who’s around you or where you are… Those are unimportant details… The important thing is to get drunk, do silly things, throw up and fall unconscious… someone will wake you up… Friends? Were there any friends with me? Can’t remember…
Emptiness... senselessness… a big void… Am I a human being or just a number? Quality? What does that mean? Have you ever heard that word before?... Consume big amounts, produce as much as you can… do as much as you can in a short period of time… you are the winner of this society… The binge society… Binge drinking, binge working, binge friend making, binge spending, binge eating, binge, binge, binge… AAAARG!!! I need a drink!
You’ve just got ten minutes… yes, just ten minutes, no more, no less. This is a business, you know… please don’t waste your time… time is money… But, but… I’ve got no time to listen to you, get going…
Could you please tell me the difference between the blue trip, the green trip and the yellow trip?... (Ah! For goodness sake, haven’t you read that bloody big sign at the door explaining all this, you moron?, now I will have to spend more than the allocated 1 minute I’ve got for selling your ticket!)… Grumpy, forced smiley face… of course I can sir...
If you can process 100 applications in 1 hour, you’ll get a prize… how many costumers today? 10!!? Per hour!!? Jesus! Aren’t you a great worker! You’ll definitely get an extra bonus this month… I could only do 3 customers today… What!!?... Well, I had to spend some extra time with a very unhappy customer… Well, next time do it faster!
(Wow! What a great job I’ve done with this window! Look at that! So shiny!! The boss will be proud of me, for sure…) How long did you spend cleaning that window? Look at the time! What have you been doing for so long?… (Not even a remark about the shiny window… So much for the effort…)
How many pints did you have last night? 15? That’s a big night!... Can’t remember anything, though!... That means you had a great time then!
Binge drinking… consuming large amounts of intoxicating drinks in a short period of time till you fall unconscious and can’t remember anything… no matter who’s around you or where you are… Those are unimportant details… The important thing is to get drunk, do silly things, throw up and fall unconscious… someone will wake you up… Friends? Were there any friends with me? Can’t remember…
Emptiness... senselessness… a big void… Am I a human being or just a number? Quality? What does that mean? Have you ever heard that word before?... Consume big amounts, produce as much as you can… do as much as you can in a short period of time… you are the winner of this society… The binge society… Binge drinking, binge working, binge friend making, binge spending, binge eating, binge, binge, binge… AAAARG!!! I need a drink!
Sunday, 23 August 2009
About water
It’s raining, again… Water falling from the sky… Water, the most important nutrient for all living beings: Three quarters of our body weight is water… We can survive more days without food than without water… Civilizations started around sources of water. So important, yet how often against us: The grey clouds, made from evaporated water, make us depressed; nobody likes getting soaked in the rain, you get cold; Too much water and you get floods that kill people and destroy lives; so much water around you when you are in the sea, yet you can’t drink it; non-drinkable water can make you ill; people drown in water… Seaquakes, tidal waves, Tsunamis… You can die from drinking too much water and you can become insane from not drinking enough water…
Water… what a paradox…
It’s raining, again… Water falling from the sky… Water, the most important nutrient for all living beings: Three quarters of our body weight is water… We can survive more days without food than without water… Civilizations started around sources of water. So important, yet how often against us: The grey clouds, made from evaporated water, make us depressed; nobody likes getting soaked in the rain, you get cold; Too much water and you get floods that kill people and destroy lives; so much water around you when you are in the sea, yet you can’t drink it; non-drinkable water can make you ill; people drown in water… Seaquakes, tidal waves, Tsunamis… You can die from drinking too much water and you can become insane from not drinking enough water…
Water… what a paradox…
Friday, 21 August 2009
Intelligence = Stupidity
It’s sometimes about confidence isn’t it? I mean, if somebody comes up to you and tells you with all the confidence in the world that rain definitely comes from apples, you might believe that person just because he or she sounded really confident about it. However, if somebody else tells you that rain might come from apples but that it’s probably more likely to come from the clouds in the skies, you will notice a bit of hesitation there and may start to wonder whether this person really knows what they’re talking about, I mean, if the first one sounded so convincing, he or she must probably be right, so why is this scatterbrain confusing us now about this clouds nonsense. This hesitation, which was probably meant by the second person not to make you feel stupid by believing that rain comes from apples, is mistaken by stupidity itself, so you end up believing that the person who’s actually telling you the truth is stupid.
It also depends whether you believe that the person talking to you has some kind of authority. If a father tells his child that rain comes from apples, of course the child will believe him, he’s taller, bigger and much older!
Talking about this, one thing that has annoyed me very often in the place where I work, are all these customers that approach me to ask me a question, and while I’m answering the question, they don’t look at my eyes, they look at my bloody badge! Why??? Are they looking for signs of credibility? What’s her name? Hum… That sounds foreign… What would a foreign female know about whisky anyway? Give me an old Scottish man and I’ll believe him anytime, even if he doesn’t have a clue about whisky.
It’s sometimes about confidence isn’t it? I mean, if somebody comes up to you and tells you with all the confidence in the world that rain definitely comes from apples, you might believe that person just because he or she sounded really confident about it. However, if somebody else tells you that rain might come from apples but that it’s probably more likely to come from the clouds in the skies, you will notice a bit of hesitation there and may start to wonder whether this person really knows what they’re talking about, I mean, if the first one sounded so convincing, he or she must probably be right, so why is this scatterbrain confusing us now about this clouds nonsense. This hesitation, which was probably meant by the second person not to make you feel stupid by believing that rain comes from apples, is mistaken by stupidity itself, so you end up believing that the person who’s actually telling you the truth is stupid.
It also depends whether you believe that the person talking to you has some kind of authority. If a father tells his child that rain comes from apples, of course the child will believe him, he’s taller, bigger and much older!
Talking about this, one thing that has annoyed me very often in the place where I work, are all these customers that approach me to ask me a question, and while I’m answering the question, they don’t look at my eyes, they look at my bloody badge! Why??? Are they looking for signs of credibility? What’s her name? Hum… That sounds foreign… What would a foreign female know about whisky anyway? Give me an old Scottish man and I’ll believe him anytime, even if he doesn’t have a clue about whisky.
Monday, 17 August 2009
On friendship
Friends. What a powerful word, what a strange word sometimes. Who is your friend and who isn’t? Who claims to be your friend but isn’t? Who pretends to be your friend just to get something from you but couldn’t really give a damn about you? What is a real friend and how do you know who your real friends are? Too many questions.
The word friend is sometimes even used as having a sort of lesser value. Your ex partners, lovers, flings… It’s not you, it’s me… let’s just be friends… JUST… as if being friends is not good enough. You’re demoted to the category of “just friends” because your partner, lover or fling doesn’t find you sexually attractive anymore, the chemistry is gone, the flame is gone… and now… “just” friends.
But is being friends such a bad thing? I mean, why the word JUST? Of course it’s not. In my life I’ve come to realize that actually a good friend is a very good treasure to have. Friends don’t come by easily. Whereas for some people making friends is like breathing, for some other people it is a very difficult task. How many times some random strangers have told me all about their lives while waiting for my bus in a bus shelter. Why do they do that? They just need someone to talk to, someone who listens to them. We all need that.
I once wrote a project about homeless people and most of my interviewees coincided in that one of the most difficult things for them was to actually make friends, and even some of them didn’t welcome the prospect of integrating into society for fear of loosing the friends they had made while being homeless.
So, why are friends so important? Because friends make us feel like we do exist, that we’re not invisible. Somebody out there actually cares about your general wellbeing and about your mere existence. They miss you when you’re not there, and they look forward to see you; and when you’re in trouble they want to help you, because they want you to be happy. And that’s a really good thing, isn't it?
Friends. What a powerful word, what a strange word sometimes. Who is your friend and who isn’t? Who claims to be your friend but isn’t? Who pretends to be your friend just to get something from you but couldn’t really give a damn about you? What is a real friend and how do you know who your real friends are? Too many questions.
The word friend is sometimes even used as having a sort of lesser value. Your ex partners, lovers, flings… It’s not you, it’s me… let’s just be friends… JUST… as if being friends is not good enough. You’re demoted to the category of “just friends” because your partner, lover or fling doesn’t find you sexually attractive anymore, the chemistry is gone, the flame is gone… and now… “just” friends.
But is being friends such a bad thing? I mean, why the word JUST? Of course it’s not. In my life I’ve come to realize that actually a good friend is a very good treasure to have. Friends don’t come by easily. Whereas for some people making friends is like breathing, for some other people it is a very difficult task. How many times some random strangers have told me all about their lives while waiting for my bus in a bus shelter. Why do they do that? They just need someone to talk to, someone who listens to them. We all need that.
I once wrote a project about homeless people and most of my interviewees coincided in that one of the most difficult things for them was to actually make friends, and even some of them didn’t welcome the prospect of integrating into society for fear of loosing the friends they had made while being homeless.
So, why are friends so important? Because friends make us feel like we do exist, that we’re not invisible. Somebody out there actually cares about your general wellbeing and about your mere existence. They miss you when you’re not there, and they look forward to see you; and when you’re in trouble they want to help you, because they want you to be happy. And that’s a really good thing, isn't it?
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