Monday, July 31, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Don’t Rush Me!
I am not a morning person.
In the mornings I prefer to be a hermit. I talk to no one. I follow my routine.
Staying over at Dracs place is particularly challenging. He is a hermit in disguise. He has this twelve step routine to getting ready each morning. He hogs the bathroom till the last second and gets irritated if you happen to reach for his precious eye serum or want to brush your teeth, whilst he is at the sink.
This morning he got on my nerves. First off he took forever in the bathroom, then as soon as he is done, he starts yelling, Come on Marls I have to leave in five minutes. Now you have to realize I am still dripping wet from taking my five minute shower, have not brushed my teeth, have not dried my hair, and not done the ‘make up’ thing yet. He doesn’t say it just once. He makes a song out of it. For the next ten minutes he is yelling, and rushing me. I hate being rushed. He was like an annoying drill sergeant. I could have slapped him.
Last night was fantabulous… his friends came over, we made strawberry daiquiris. They played the guitar and drums. And I just lay there, feeling like the queen of Sheba, with her own personal entertainment staff. Amazing.
In the mornings I prefer to be a hermit. I talk to no one. I follow my routine.
Staying over at Dracs place is particularly challenging. He is a hermit in disguise. He has this twelve step routine to getting ready each morning. He hogs the bathroom till the last second and gets irritated if you happen to reach for his precious eye serum or want to brush your teeth, whilst he is at the sink.
This morning he got on my nerves. First off he took forever in the bathroom, then as soon as he is done, he starts yelling, Come on Marls I have to leave in five minutes. Now you have to realize I am still dripping wet from taking my five minute shower, have not brushed my teeth, have not dried my hair, and not done the ‘make up’ thing yet. He doesn’t say it just once. He makes a song out of it. For the next ten minutes he is yelling, and rushing me. I hate being rushed. He was like an annoying drill sergeant. I could have slapped him.
Last night was fantabulous… his friends came over, we made strawberry daiquiris. They played the guitar and drums. And I just lay there, feeling like the queen of Sheba, with her own personal entertainment staff. Amazing.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Wake Up Lebanon
Eli Wiesel says that it was not that the world was unaware of what was going on during the Holocaust, it was that the world was indifferent to the massacre.
The world now seems indifferent to the massacre happening in Lebanon and Gaza. At the beginning of this conflict, I a long time empathizer of Israel, was appalled at their behavior, and immediately called them bullies.
Later I came across an interview with an old Professor at UFT, Janice Stein, who likened the situation to the following scenario: US militias crossing the 49th parallel and capturing two Canadian soldiers on patrol in the area, and the US government doing nothing to rectify the situation. Put like that, I began to realize that I too would see the incursion into a countries sovereign borders and the capture of its soldiers as an act of war.
A war in any situation is complex, and usually more trouble than it is worth.
A war on terrorism seems to be the most pointless kind of war to date. The enemy is so indefinable, that it is a war in which you could literally fight with against everyone, and endlessly.
Some of the root causes of terrorism appear to be a lack of education which results in a polarized view of the world and poverty. War thus perpetuates the root causes, it does not negate them. I sympathized with Israel’s early plight. A nation founded on contested land. Putting aside whether or not they had the right to, perhaps in the beginning, all Israel wanted to do was exist.
Flash forward twenty years, Israel is the regions most superior force. Their actions in Palestine and in Lebanon can only be described as bullying. Bombing civilian infrastructure and still claiming to only be acting against militia forcers is dishonest. The fact is they are at war with Lebanon and Palestine.
If I were Lebanese, I would be seriously disappointed with my government. They are letting my fellow Lebanese die with only useless words of criticism as a pathetic shield of defense.
I understand the politics of crises containment. I understand the Lebanese government realizes that they cannot win against Israel and are hoping for international diplomatic intervention, but putting myself in a Lebanese person’s shoes, I would want them to mobilize every possible resource to at least put up some sort of fight.
It is like the Lebanese government is paralyzed from policing its own borders from the militia. The Lebanese government seems to lack a back bone to say ‘enough is enough, you have killed three hundred and fifty of our civilian population and that is enough grounds for us to at least make a heroic attempt to stem more deaths.’ Wake up Lebanon, your commitment should be to your people, and not the international community or some militia.
Lastly, a word on the Israeli army, I read that the Israeli army employs a high tech telephone alert system that calls reserve members to arms. Interestingly, this is all it takes in Israel for people to willingly throw themselves in harms way. What other military in the world can say they have similar levels of loyalty? Israel is a truly a militant and philosophical nation. It is the only nation in the world where it citizens seem to be fully engaged in public life. It seems almost experimental. How do you get your nation to be less apathetic to public life? Be in a constant state of war. I suppose in Israel there is no choice in the matter.
Interesting since Islam always gets a bad rep for being violent religion and by extension the states governed by its law. On the flip side Palestinians who are in an equal yet more impoverished state of crises as Israel, do not seem to share the same levels of loyalty. What explains the difference? Is it a lack of buy in for the overlying philosophy of the Palestinian nation? Is it money?
The world now seems indifferent to the massacre happening in Lebanon and Gaza. At the beginning of this conflict, I a long time empathizer of Israel, was appalled at their behavior, and immediately called them bullies.
Later I came across an interview with an old Professor at UFT, Janice Stein, who likened the situation to the following scenario: US militias crossing the 49th parallel and capturing two Canadian soldiers on patrol in the area, and the US government doing nothing to rectify the situation. Put like that, I began to realize that I too would see the incursion into a countries sovereign borders and the capture of its soldiers as an act of war.
A war in any situation is complex, and usually more trouble than it is worth.
A war on terrorism seems to be the most pointless kind of war to date. The enemy is so indefinable, that it is a war in which you could literally fight with against everyone, and endlessly.
Some of the root causes of terrorism appear to be a lack of education which results in a polarized view of the world and poverty. War thus perpetuates the root causes, it does not negate them. I sympathized with Israel’s early plight. A nation founded on contested land. Putting aside whether or not they had the right to, perhaps in the beginning, all Israel wanted to do was exist.
Flash forward twenty years, Israel is the regions most superior force. Their actions in Palestine and in Lebanon can only be described as bullying. Bombing civilian infrastructure and still claiming to only be acting against militia forcers is dishonest. The fact is they are at war with Lebanon and Palestine.
If I were Lebanese, I would be seriously disappointed with my government. They are letting my fellow Lebanese die with only useless words of criticism as a pathetic shield of defense.
I understand the politics of crises containment. I understand the Lebanese government realizes that they cannot win against Israel and are hoping for international diplomatic intervention, but putting myself in a Lebanese person’s shoes, I would want them to mobilize every possible resource to at least put up some sort of fight.
It is like the Lebanese government is paralyzed from policing its own borders from the militia. The Lebanese government seems to lack a back bone to say ‘enough is enough, you have killed three hundred and fifty of our civilian population and that is enough grounds for us to at least make a heroic attempt to stem more deaths.’ Wake up Lebanon, your commitment should be to your people, and not the international community or some militia.
Lastly, a word on the Israeli army, I read that the Israeli army employs a high tech telephone alert system that calls reserve members to arms. Interestingly, this is all it takes in Israel for people to willingly throw themselves in harms way. What other military in the world can say they have similar levels of loyalty? Israel is a truly a militant and philosophical nation. It is the only nation in the world where it citizens seem to be fully engaged in public life. It seems almost experimental. How do you get your nation to be less apathetic to public life? Be in a constant state of war. I suppose in Israel there is no choice in the matter.
Interesting since Islam always gets a bad rep for being violent religion and by extension the states governed by its law. On the flip side Palestinians who are in an equal yet more impoverished state of crises as Israel, do not seem to share the same levels of loyalty. What explains the difference? Is it a lack of buy in for the overlying philosophy of the Palestinian nation? Is it money?
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
A fight with an answering machine
So this weekend I had a dramatic fight with Dracs’s answering machine.
I kept getting it every single time I called. Finally Sunday night I lay in bed stewing. Soon I began to stir the pot, I remembered every single instance he had been mean to me. I began to come up with explanations as to what he could be doing that would disable him from answering his calls all day, or at least calling back eventually? The Destiny’s Child song, ‘Say my name’ came to mind, and began to play as the theme song for my newly born drama.
I got myself into a little fit, and at about eleven I gave in to my tantrum monstrous self and left him the nastiest message I have ever left anyone. I ended it on the misleadingly brave note that he should have a nice life and never call me again.
I regretted it as soon as I pressed END.
The rest of the night I proceeded to toss and turn. I couldn’t sleep. I began to remember all the good things he did. I realized all the possible positive reasons he couldn’t answer like for instance he could have been volunteering in a war zone and have no signal or he could be at another tae Kwan doe event and was too tired to get his phone. My list was endless.
By nine the next morning I was meek. I was a fool. How rude of me. I should wash my mouth out with soap. Did I really say all those awful things? So I called and left another message, more apologetic, yet dignified.
The Silence that has ensued is most irritating.
I kept getting it every single time I called. Finally Sunday night I lay in bed stewing. Soon I began to stir the pot, I remembered every single instance he had been mean to me. I began to come up with explanations as to what he could be doing that would disable him from answering his calls all day, or at least calling back eventually? The Destiny’s Child song, ‘Say my name’ came to mind, and began to play as the theme song for my newly born drama.
I got myself into a little fit, and at about eleven I gave in to my tantrum monstrous self and left him the nastiest message I have ever left anyone. I ended it on the misleadingly brave note that he should have a nice life and never call me again.
I regretted it as soon as I pressed END.
The rest of the night I proceeded to toss and turn. I couldn’t sleep. I began to remember all the good things he did. I realized all the possible positive reasons he couldn’t answer like for instance he could have been volunteering in a war zone and have no signal or he could be at another tae Kwan doe event and was too tired to get his phone. My list was endless.
By nine the next morning I was meek. I was a fool. How rude of me. I should wash my mouth out with soap. Did I really say all those awful things? So I called and left another message, more apologetic, yet dignified.
The Silence that has ensued is most irritating.
Failed Karma
Is it possible to pin point an event or even a day when life turned disappointing? As M pens these words, they stare out at her mockingly at the blank white screen. She sits coiled in her chair, her petite legs tucked neatly under her body in a vain attempt at keeping warm. Why is it so hard for maintenance to regulate the temperature in an artificial building? M has just suffered a life disappointment. Her ex boyfriend who she had dramatically dated for three years long distance (a relationship filled with impromptu and wildly romantic meetings, grandiose gestures of love), who later unceremoniously dumped her for an oddly named Venus, had now the ordasity to go about marrying the creature. M was no fool; she had always had a realistic view of the relationship and accepted the fact that they had never been a match made in heaven.
M was not mortified that the boyfriend was never going to come back, M was mortified that he had the nerve to marry the fling. The fling with preposterous name whom he had known for less than a year. To her it seemed that he was not getting any of the due karma like punishment her group of supporters had hinted at over the last year. Instead M realized the fling was being made respectable. The fling was being given social standing higher than M who is the rightful victim. It was this new situation that irritated M to no end. The loss of entitlement, or perhaps it was the finality of the entire thing. After all the one solace of a break up is the next meeting, when one looks fabulous and the ex makes one last vain attempt before being shown in no uncertain terms that they had made their bed and were now doomed to lie in it. Fate it seemed to M, was being rather cruel.
M was not mortified that the boyfriend was never going to come back, M was mortified that he had the nerve to marry the fling. The fling with preposterous name whom he had known for less than a year. To her it seemed that he was not getting any of the due karma like punishment her group of supporters had hinted at over the last year. Instead M realized the fling was being made respectable. The fling was being given social standing higher than M who is the rightful victim. It was this new situation that irritated M to no end. The loss of entitlement, or perhaps it was the finality of the entire thing. After all the one solace of a break up is the next meeting, when one looks fabulous and the ex makes one last vain attempt before being shown in no uncertain terms that they had made their bed and were now doomed to lie in it. Fate it seemed to M, was being rather cruel.
To the Society of Old Maids,
I wish to formally apply for membership. I am an apt candidate. As you will see from my resume, I have had three spectacularly failed relationships. Boyfriends have described relationships with me as a never ending ‘struggle.’ None bought me even close to the much awed altar. At twenty five years old, despite being in good physical condition, and decent looking (with modest help from MAC,) I am convinced that it is my fate to be an old maid. I think I will be a wonderful candidate for this society. In all honesty, despite pretending to be overly social, I am a moody loner. I urge you to accept my application and send me required mustache and granny skirts. I understand these are required to ward off would be offending suitors. As confirmation to my belief that I will make a fine old maid, I would like to say that my favorite quote has always been, ‘men are like mosquitoes it is better squat them early, before they become a pest.’
Sincerely,
Cranky Putz
P.s. To the Society of Romantics and Misled Hopefuls
I wish to rescind my membership.
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