OH MY GOSH, DID YOU HEAR ABOUT...???

Every once in awhile, we want to be up-to-date with the latest news: how our daily actions affect global warming, when will taxes be lowered, or even what new electronic devices Apple will decide to mass-market next. The only type of 'news' that I can't comprehend in terms of its popularity is celebrity gossip. Why should we care about the problems of people we'll never meet? Shouldn't we put more emphasis and attention to the problems that plague our everyday lives instead of wasting time worrying about the impact that Britney Spears has on the media by sporting a cue-ball head? The answers to these questions are obvious and yet, magazines such as "People" or "Star" are still being emptied off the shelves in supermarket lineups. Frankly, if I ever feel compelled to buy a magazine that documents how Nick Lachey is bouncing back after his divorce from Jessica Simpson, it would only be for the purposes of house training my puppy. Okay, so maybe people pay $6.95 per issue or $25 per month for a 12-month subscription because they enjoy that sort of reading. Hey, nothing wrong with a good reading (even if it is utterly ridiculous). It's the fact that there's so much of it. I tune into my favorite radio station and what do I hear? Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have adopted another orphan! You know, that's great and all but can we get back to some Audioslave or Foo Fighters now? When I turn on the TV (which is a rare occasion nowadays so when I do, it's like Christmas for half an hour), I find that every other channel talks about who's breaking/hooking up with who, who's got what type of emotional dilemma/eating disorder, and who's going to appear at what socialite event. You would think that having access to cable television would allow me to view different kinds of crap but no, of course not. So now, I've developed a sort of phobia of my television; a fear that if I turn to CNN, I will see yet another broadcast on Anna Nicole Smith's 'controversial' death (funny how dead people can be more of a bother than living ones). I suppose this 'telephobia'* in response to the 'ludicrophobia'** will have some benefits; maybe I'll feel more inclined to finish the English paper that's due in 3 hours.


Neologisms of the Day:

*telephobia - fear of television channels that broadcast crap that is irrelevant and ludicrous
**ludicrophobia - fear of the irrelevant and ludicrous

sssslllllllooooowwww workers

Is it just me or are those people who are working at a FAST food restaurant working very SLOW? I get really annoyed at those people. There is a lineup of 20 people waiting to be served and you will see 1-2 workers walking and doing everything is slow motion. It’s like “SOMEONE PRESS THE FAST FORWARD KEY!!” Okay I may be over exaggerating, but there are workers out there that just work way too slow. I mean, aren’t they afraid of losing customers or getting yelled at? I mean, customers are impatient. I know that for a fact because I worked at a food and beverage department and do slow workers every make me mad. I’m not saying that you have to work in a speed of light, but working constantly and to have the resistance to not chat with your buddy would help a lot with the lineup. So, what happen today to remind me of this particular pet peeve? I was at one of SFU’s coffee shop buying a bagel. This time I am not joking but I waited for a good 10 minutes for it to HEAT. Maybe I’m not a professional bagel purchaser but I don’t see why a bagel takes 10 minutes to heat. Then I finally see a worker slowly take the bagel out of the oven that looks brown. Slowly take out the cream cheese, slowly looked for a knife, slowly dipped the knife in the cream cheese, and slowly applied the cream cheese onto the bagel. BOY, did I slowly get frustrated!! As a result, no tips or thank-you from me.

Crappy Sandwiches

Ah, the sandwich... simple, convenient, beautiful.
The sandwich is a marvelous thing. Eating a good sandwich can make a person's day. It is gold in the hungry individual’s hand. It's something to look forward to amidst the ennui and tedium of one's everyday life. Contrary to popular belief, a good sandwich is easy to make. A simple combination of deli meat, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, et voilà! Pure bliss! I must emphasize that these are basic ingredients that are readily available to anyone with the income to purchase them.
This then leads me to a most pertinent question: how come there are so many crappy sandwiches out there?? A particular (Turkey Bacon) wrap at a particular (Renaissance) café really got me peeved about this. How come I can make a delicious sandwich at home for mere pennies and nickels, but can't get a decent lunch for FIVE WHOLE DOLLARS at a restaurant? Now, obviously, the answer to this problem and the end of my annoyance is to give up and just make sandwiches at home, since they are always so much tastier (even though I am not a sandwich-builder extraordinaire). This, however, is not the point. The point is that, with such an extravagant price tag, restaurants and cafes should be able to produce edible food. I believe that it's okay to have crappy food as long as it's extra cheap. Similarly, it's okay to have over-priced food as long as it's really tasty. However, over-priced, crappy food is completely unacceptable! Tolerance for this deep injustice (and highway robbery) must stop!!!
Various crappy sandwich places to avoid (spread the news):

• Starbucks
• Turkey Bacon Wrap at Renaissance
• Paninis at Romeo and Juliet AND at Mackenzie cafeteria
• Quesadillas at Nature's Garden (I hear their other food is also unimpressive)
• also, do NOT eat the chicken teriyaki at Koya (ick)

FAKE!!

So do you remember the times when you're sitting at home watching "So you think you can dance?" and out of no where your phone rings and it's your old friend who has not called you in years? Well, why did she call (in this scenario, it was a girl)? First to tell you that she really missed you, then to tell you she really wanted to hang out with you then she gets to the point, to help her do something. Duh! Did you really think she called because she missed you? Sorry to pop your bubble. Anyways, as a friend you'll say "Yes" because it isn’t a big deal drive her to Metrotown because she is meeting someone very important there. Near the end of the day you receive a "Thank-You so much, I'll give you a call tomorrow. I really appreciate everything you do for me" and then "Bye". So the next morning, though you really do not think she is going to call you back so soon, you would not think that it will be half a year later that she calls you for another favor. Every now and then you will bump into her at parties and not surprisingly you will be welcomed by her fake friendliness. “Oh my gosh, I haven’t seen you for ages!! *hug* How have you been? I miss you so much! We have to hang out sometimes.” Is it me or is she extra friendly when her ‘cool’ friends are around? In any case, I DO NOT LIKE FAKE PEOPLE. BE REAL.

The Little Things

I’m one of those geeky kinds of guys that enjoy sitting around at home and playing online video games. The “role playing” type of games that allow one to gain levels, get items, and learn new skills. Where I am trying to go with this is that I often see players who are playing these games being called “noobs” by those who believe that he or she are better than others. For those who are new to this gaming terminology, the word is an insult to those who are performing poorly or are new to the game. What irritates me about this is that those who are insulting and being rude to others are better in the game just because they are willing to spend countless hours playing in front of the computer (when they should really try to do other things). That and also because I was called a noob before.

To me, it doesn’t seem like anyone should gloat about getting a higher level character or a powerful rare item since those long hours of gaming to receive a high status would mean nothing in the end when the game becomes obsolete. I don’t mean to offend those who play online video games, since I play too. It is just that it seems like a pointless use of time to play day and night to be one of the best in a game that would one day be over.

Believe me when I say that I understand that this is a very bizarre pet peeve. While others are concerned about disruptions during class or a longer life span, I’m annoyed from a little thing like being called a noob.

lung cancer? no thanks...i just ate

No offence to anyone that partakes in this 'activity' but I feel the need to vent my disgust...(apologies in advance!)

I really can't stand people that smoke, particularly cigarettes. Sure, I have no authority over those people that do choose to take a puff every now and then, and I don't intend to scold them for intentionally succumbing to lung cancer in the long run but do they have to leave their remnants littered everywhere? Maybe I'm very nit-picky but the sight of the accumulating pile of cigarette butts on the sidewalk near my house is agitating. My pet peeve of smoking is not restricted merely to the blatant disposal of little orange-colored pieces of nicotine, but it also extends to the smell. I experience a slight case of suffocation and nausea when I'm exposed to a cloud of cancer, and I tend to cough uncontrollably for a few minutes. Especially in confined spaces where sufficient ventilation is not available (ie. an elevator - yes, this did actually happen once), I can't say that I'm in my most comfortable state. As an added bonus to the foul odour, didn't some scientist conduct a research and discovered that second-hand smoking is worse than actual smoking? Yes, if you don't mind I'd like to live up to my maximum lifespan (maybe around 90-something if I'm lucky). [Go ahead and drastically shorten your own lifespan but don't take me down with you.]

My reason to detest this socially-accepted action is derived mainly from my childhood. My mother smoked for 15 years up until I was 8 years old and it hurt me to see her wake up nightly at 4AM to cough up a patch of tar. I used to wonder if she would eventually "cough up a lung" at the rate she was going. One day, I confronted her while I balled my eyes out, exclaiming that I wanted her to live to see me get married, and with determination she eventually kicked the dirty habit.

Maybe I can't speak for everyone when I say that cigarettes are the root of all evil. What I can say is that the earth is already in good supply of garbage, cigarettes literally smell like their "butts", and smoking is one of the leading causes of death. Is this a parallel to 'evil'? Who knows...

Poor Drivers

We are social animals. It is our reponsibility to follow the rules and regulations set by our society. I always keep an eye on all posted laws, whereas some people always try to break these laws. Among my pet peeves are poor drivers.

First, everyone must obey laws, but now a days people love to break laws, I feel very miserable whenever I face them. I always want to say something, but they never pay attention to me. They always ignore me.

In addition, accidents occur due to reckless driving. They cause harm to other drivers and pedestrians. Also, they exceed the posted speed limits in all restricted zones which makes me mad.

Then it's complicated to follow these poor drivers. I can't drive safely when they are around me. They give me a hard time to others. For instance, they don't even care about police. These poor drivers with their poor actions don't take driving seriously. They use driving as fun and entertainment.

Lastly, I get irritated when the poor drivers drive children in their cars without fastening the seat belts. I can't bear parents who allow their children to move back and forth in the car. Sometimes this careless attitude causes harm to both parents' and children's lives.

On the whole, we should concentrate on our driving and try to improve our driving skills. Other drivers should follow the road instructions. These poor drivers are nerve wracking and make me annoyed. My desire is to teach them a good lesson about driving.

Somewhere to sit

My inspiration for writing this blog is due to a recent eviction from a seat in the cafeteria. The incident occurred around 11 a.m last Thursday. I was sitting at a booth studying, my books sprawled across the table when a cafeteria worker asked me to put my books away because there is no studying between 11 and 2. Needless to say, I was choked. I explained to her that I had bought food and a drink and now after everything was gone, I was doing some last minute cramming. The woman had passed, continuing down the row of booths like a spreading plague. All I could hear were a wave of sighs and outrage. So, I did exactly what she had said, I put my books away but instead of leaving to study elsewhere I thought that I should try and prove a point, to spite the system. I sat there for over an hour playing with my phone, my wallet and my phone again. I know that the motive was to get me to leave in order to fill the seat with a paying customer, but instead of asking me to leave, asking me to put away my books so that I cannot study. I however had already paid and I feel that as a paying customer, I deserve enough respect to be allowed to study before being forced out of my seat and into the already crowded halls of the AQ where finding somewhere to sit is harder than it is to find a parking spot up here.

Drunk People

I am a very easy going, calm, happy and relaxed person, but sometimes I do get upset by things around me. Our likes or dislikes vary from individual to individual. There are many things that annoy me, but among them all, drunk people are my pet peeve.
First, these people are always begging for money. However, they look well educated, and they can work for thenselves. They keep on bothering others. For example, when I came from India a few months ago, I was coming from my work one summer day. Then a young, beautiful drunk girl asked me for money, just $1. I was shocked, and she was mad at me when I denied her the money.
Next, drunk people often act in tragic ways. I really get disturbed when I see them without money, but they have money for their drugs. They are people of all ages and both sexes who accustomed to drugs. They keep on wasting their valuable time.
Moreover, these people are a blight who spread a bad smell by vomiting in the streets. They disturb atmosphere with their awkward and disgusting behaviour toward others. For this reason, most of the people including me, don't feel comfortable with their presence, and all of us are afraid of them.
All in all, I am totally against drunk people who stagger and congregate on the streets without doing anything productive. They present a poor role model for youngsters.