Hello, I blog!
I share all my sporadic and toilet thoughts in here, because I am random like that.
Humankind – Eet ees doomed!
A best girlfriend has summarized what I generally feel about humankind oh so beautifully in her blog.
life is unfair, and that is personally a huge problem area, as i, for the life of me, cannot stand injustice – and day after day, i see things, hear things and read things which enrage me. things showcasing the hard fact that people are cruel, selfish, inconsiderate and evil, that they love stereotyping, gossiping, slandering, elevating themselves and putting others down; that people continuously repay good with evil and i remember asking c. in tears and consternation, “how can people be like that? why are people like that?†and i repeatedly asked where human decency was. (source)
I too, find myself asking the same question time and time again.
Even though I’ve long accepted the fact several years ago that the human race is doomed, I still find myself getting shell-shocked (which later leads to extreme fury) at the many injustices that human beings do to one another.
The prevalence of the internet only makes it all worse. The cloak of anonymity further releases one’s inhibitions, leading human beings to do further wrongs to one another without fear of reparation – although that is a separate issue altogether.
It was only today I discovered that – while I always thought I was a realist – there are several aspects in which I am more of an idealist than a realist. Human behaviour is one of these aspects.
Then again, who am I to judge? I have been dealt with much shit from some people around (which too, made me yell “why the fuck are people like that?”). But likewise, I have also been dishing out my fair amount of shit to other people. So all’s fair and square I guess. For now.
I still cling on to the hope that somehow, someday things may change.
That people will act with more consideration for other people, to pay more attention to others’ feelings, to learn to see things from other peoples’ point of view, to think more logically than emotionally, and for people to be more aware of what they are doing (perceptual salience of oneself leads to one’s conscious attempt to portray oneself more favourably).
But yeah, too lofty hopes up there.
Meanwhile, I’ll just live my own life and not let any of the shit get me down, or get in my way. When it comes to creating my own happiness, I will have to take charge – because the world is too screwed up to derive happiness from any other source. Not to mention how I have awesome friends for support. (And them, likewise!)
Wanderlust strikes again
Back in Singapore in familial surroundings, I was totally devoid of that sense of wanderlust that took over during that one month in Vancouver. Perhaps it is the hot weather – now that I am back home, swimming in the humid air of quite possibly the world’s largest sauna, I am missing Vancouver’s cool temperature terribly.
But after lazing around (battling jet-lag, I suppose) for quite a while, I felt this strange urge to be up and about again. Singapore has its fair share of scenic spots – although incomparable with Vancouver’s snow mountains, glaciers and what-have-yous – but at least, it’s something.
I started off with East Coast Park, since it is nearest to where I live. (I intend to explore Southern Ridges and Little Gui Lin å°æ¡‚æž— next.)
Enjoying the wind at Bedok Jetty, East Coast Park.
So I hopped aboard a squeaky bright yellow mountain bike rented from one of them bike kiosks at East Coast Park and set on my way on a late Sunday afternoon, weaving in and out among flocks and flocks of families, kids and dating couples.
Methinks my biking skills were fairly rusty (like the bike I was riding on), considering how I had a little trouble maintaining my balance near the beginning. Also, I nearly crashed into a couple of young Malay boys – one of whom shot me a look of death – at one point. My fault. I was daydreaming.
Oh, hello!
Since I was cycling at my own leisure time (sans the competitiveness that naturally follows when a group of friends cycle together), I could also stop at any scenic spot at my own will to take photos, admire the view and enjoy the breeze.
One thing about the seabreeze in Singapore is that it leaves you feeling all sticky afterwards. Erps. Stupid humidity. But at least it cools me down anyhow. I’d prefer nice, fresh but sticky seabreeze than suffocating in still air.
Bedok jetty.
Stopped to purchase a huge cup of sugarcane juice (sugar boost!) mid-way and subsequently wobbled on the bike thereafter, trying to balance the juice and the bike at the same time. (Riding a bike with an attached basket does not work – the juice always threatens to fall over even when wedged against your other belongings in the basket.)
Made a couple of stops around the Bedok Jetty area (see picture above) and finally, at the 360° Cable-Ski Park to people-watch before riding back towards the west-end of East Coast Park to return the bike and head home.
I always loved people-watching at the 360° Cable-Ski Park.
Cable-skier against the sunset.
First of all, you have the cable-skiers strutting their stuff – occasionally showing off when they know there are people watching. Second, you have the gawking passers-by. Third, you have the occasional picnicking couple on mats along the grassy areas surrounding the lagoon indulging in the occasional PDA (which also seems to correspond with increased wipe-out rates from the cable-skiers).
Finally, you have the fellow photographers. Like this one.
Fellow photographer at work.
As it turns out, fellow photographers can sometimes turn into unwitting models for other photographers. This fellow was apparently, reviewing his previous snapshots taken from his spot on the edge of the lagoon – although from my angle, he looks like an introspective, emo-esque individual contemplating suicide next to the lagoon. (Uh, oops.)
I miss cycling, and I hope to make this a weekly affair.
And I’ll arm myself with my camera, of course.
Grey areas in perception
So, apparently I’ve been taking waaay too much chocolate during the last few days in Vancouver – no thanks to my aunt’s seemingly endless chocolate supply and not to mention how chocolate is really, really cheap here.
It was during two of these chocolate-gobbling sessions where I noticed that there are many ways I can perceive situations, especially concerning other people’s intentions.
Scenario 1
En route to Whistler Mountains with the rest of the family in a rented jeep, my aunt was passing chocolate supplies around as she normally would during a long road trip.
I received a packet of Maltesers (mmm, one of my favourites). In front of me, the younger cousin had just received a bar of Lindt 70% dark chocolate.
A coupla’ seconds later, the younger cousin turned around and offered to trade his chocolate with me.
“Brenda, you want?” he asked, holding out the Lindt bar. “I know that you love dark chocolate!”
I was really, really touched at first – because he remembered that I love dark chocolate more than any other types. (And men in general are really good at forgetting these things.) So I accepted the Lindt bar and began chomping gleefully.
Nomming my chocolate bar and gazing out at the scenery outside, it suddenly struck me that I had conveniently overlooked one fact – that the younger cousin hated dark chocolate, but also loved Maltesers … quite possibly more than I do.
So, there are two ways of looking at this.
A. The younger cousin offered his dark chocolate to me because he knows that I love dark chocolate and that I would definitely enjoy it more than he would.
B. He offered to trade his dark chocolate only because he himself hated it, and wanted Maltesers instead.
Mmm, something to think about.
Scenario 2
A continuation of Scenario 1. So, I’ve finished gobbling up the last bit of the Lindt bar just as the jeep pulled into the petrol station for a gas top-up.
As the younger cousin hopped off the jeep to the convenience store at the gas station for a top-up of munchies, I requested that he help me get another Lindt bar. Ten minutes later, he returned and passed me an extra-large bar of Lindt 70% dark chocolate, two times the size of the standard bar I was munching on before.
So I expressed shock, because I definitely couldn’t finish all of it. “It’s okay, eat it slowly,” was his reply.
Again, there are two ways of looking at it.
A. He bought the extra-large chocolate bar because he knows I love dark chocolate (as in, seriously!) and so, decided to get me a supply that can last me a couple of days at least.
B. He bought the extra-large chocolate bar because it was much cheaper to buy in bulk (or larger sizes), rather than a single, standard-size Lindt bar. So he saves money that way, just in case I end up asking him for even more Lindt bars.
If the above scenarios happened to you, which one would you choose?
For me, I chose option A for both – because despite how the younger cousin has his share of annoying (and occasionally, selfish – but who doesn’t?) moments, I know he really, really, really cares for me a lot and would basically go out of his way to make me happy.
If he is in the mood to, at least. Heh.
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