Befuddled

The one thing that truly extends beyond my comprehension is people who talk and goof off during lecture. I’m sure everyone has had one of these people in a class, or maybe are one yourself. I can even admit guilt of occasionally “disrupting” a class. I can understand taking a class with one of your friends so as to have someone for a study partner. I can understand quickly and quietly catching up on a weekend’s events with someone you know…a few whispers never hurt anyone. But, then there’s taking it too far. This is the person who completely disregards the otherwise undisturbed silence (or even the hushed murmur) of a room to noisily tell a joke, and laugh the loudest at it. Not only is this disrespectful to the professor, but it disrespects other students. It’s hard to focus when someone else’s chatter keeps interrupting my learning. I really cannot grasp why these people even bother coming to class. No professor takes attendance and most class notes are posted on the Internet. Personally, I go to lecture to get a clearer or more full understanding of course content, or simply because I’m passionate about the subject. This seems to me the only logical reason to go to a class, or to take a class in general. Inattention makes coming to a class pointless, and hating the material makes a class redundant. Why pay to learn self-perceived “boring” facts and ideas, why pay to be indifferent? This is NOT high school! Nobody is required to complete mandatory classes to advance to the next level of education. Nobody is making you take a class you know you won’t like. Or, perhaps you took a class that seemed interesting, but turned out to be monotonous and tedious….still, why would you cheat yourself out of your own money? And if you really can’t contain yourself, stay at home, get some extra sleep, and save the rest of us the trouble.

Road Hazard

As a driver it is important to follow the rules of the road in order to minimize and prevent accidents from occurring, but rules are not always followed by everyone. I find that people tend to forget about the basic procedures of driving after they start driving for a period of time. I know many drivers who don’t shoulder check, do the “hand over hand” turning, and even the turn signal. Yes, the turn signal, a simple and essential task that should be done. When I’m driving, I frequently notice people neglecting to use the turn signal when backing out of a parking space or switching lanes on the road. If you have taken driving lessons or read the driving manual for learners or even seen how most drivers drive on the road, then you would know that drivers are supposed to do so. The worst and most ridiculous scenario I’ve encountered before was when I was waiting to turn left on a green light because the car opposite of me was also waiting to turn left, but without the left turn signal. So there I was just waiting for the car to pass so I could turn. It didn’t take too long before I realized what the driver was up to and turned, but is it really that hard to just tap on the lever for the turn signal? I wouldn’t start criticizing their driving skills or yell at them from the car since it would be pointless because they probably can’t hear me.

shhhh!...do you mind???

When an area is specified as being a 'silent study area', what do you suppose that means? Exactly, it's an area where you study in silence. Apparently, this concept is too hard for some to grasp. It absolutely drives me insane when I attempt to work on my calculus problems in a study carrel at SFU and I get distracted by loud, social conversations beside me. Here I am, trying to prep for my midterm, and a group of girls think their opinions about why Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are perfect for each other should be shared with everyone around them, especially those trying to work in silence. I could politely tell them to carry on their conversations elsewhere, but I shouldn't have to. Silent study areas are there for students that want to retreat to an area where they can read their course-assigned texts and finish their English papers in peaceful tranquility. I find it incredibly rude when some people believe that it is acceptable for one to yammer loudly on his/her cellphone without having any consideration for the person(s) sitting nearby. The number of areas available for social interactions are equal to or even greater than the number of study areas provided by the school, so how can it be that difficult to find somewhere suitable to carry on meaningless conversations?

Another situation where the disruption of silence is an issue is in lectures. There is no greater sign of disrespect towards a professor, or anyone else for that matter, than to have someone speak out of turn. People pay five hundred dollars to sit in a lecture hall, listen to a prof discuss course material, and hopefully to learn something by the end of the day. If people want to talk during class because they think the lecture is boring, then why waste every one's time, including their own by being somewhere where they don't want to be? If someone can't resist the urge to keep quiet, they should at least have the decency to give people that can suppress from talking a chance to get the most out of their tuition.

What is with pre-teens and swearing?

I was waiting at the bus stop this morning for the 135 bus to SFU when I encountered one of my top 5 pet peeves. Beside me waiting at the bus stop were a group of pre-teenagers, who are probably in the age range of 10-14, swearing continuously in Cantonese. For those who did not know, Cantonese swear words are more effective to piss someone off compared with English swear words. Why? Due to the fact that Cantonese swear words are more ruthless, more targeted to an individual’s family and the words usually revolves around harsh sexual content. Also, I think it is because English swear words have become (for some people) their style of speech and therefore is less effective. For example, friends can call each other ‘female dog’ as a way to welcome one another. Well, you can also welcome one another as ‘female dog’ in Cantonese, but it definitely does not sound as smooth and normal as the English sounds. For those who disagree, please let me know. I don’t mind having a whole new perspective in the swearing part of the world. I remember a time when I got really angry and frustrated with the content of language this young boy was using when speaking with his friend. He was able to use at least 3 Cantonese swear words in each of his short sentences. It made me wonder if he even understood what he was saying. Truthfully! Who would wish for their friend’s whole family to die? For whoever’s sake! Leave the families out of the conversations if they’re going to be wished upon to die. Well, I did not do anything about those pre-teens who swore like maniacs because I was taught to mind my own business. However, I let the people around me know how much I dislike Cantonese swear words. I would never allow swear words to become a part of my daily speech.