I had a very strange dream last night.
I dreamt that I was lying down on our old sofa. Then, when I looked up, I saw my Habanero pepper shrub being suspended over my head from the ceiling. The whole plant seemed to wriggle. So I looked closer and I saw shrimp crawling all over my plant like wet, gray, caterpillars. They came in all sizes that you would expect shrimp to come in. They looked exactly like the shrimp you would find in any wet market. Except that these crustaceans were quite skittish and animated in a very creepy way. They left slime all over my shrub and they gave off a very distinct rotten, briny, kind of scent. I could hear the lot of them munching on my plant.
It all seemed very logical at the time. It was like it wasn't at all strange that I would be on a sofa that we haven't owned for a decade looking at a plant that I've only had for some months, and observing sea critters that would normally be quite dead crawling quite contentedly over the same. The sights, sounds, and scents of the entire episode were as real as the teeth inside my head.
I only thought it strange when I woke up.
Yan Yan
This is a pack of Yan Yan. They're salty biscuits that come with a sweet dip in different flavors. It's been an entire decade at least, since I've had them. Probably more. I bought a pack with chocolate dip at Robinson's Place Bacolod for around P27.00, for old time's sake. I really did not know what to expect. The package is completely different from how I remembered. The shade of red was darker, and the plastic dip receptacle was dark brown instead of white.
Upon opening, the pack, one thing became clear. The chocolate dip is a lot thicker than I recalled. The whole thing smelled just the way I remember it, though.
I take out a biscuit and to my surprise, there was something printed on it. At first, I really didn't... well... "get" it. Did all Yan Yan biscuits with this sort of thing? The package should've given me a clue that there were things printed on the biscuits. Oh well.
So I ate that first biscuit (they taste just like I remembered) and took out another. I suspected that all the new Yan Yan biscuit sticks had this weird "animal + concept related to the same animal" thing going on. This stick put an end to that idea. It WAS obvious though, that there was this "Engrish" thing going on, which was pretty cool.
So I took out all the sticks, balanced them on my pant leg, took in the overbearing cutesiness of the whole thing (there are even small cartoon animals on the sticks), and took a picture. Afterwards, i put them back in and started eating in earnest.
They were all gone in about ten minutes. I took time to really savor each stick and made sure that I evenly distributed the chocolate, more or less, for each biscuit. When I was a kid, I was forever putting way too much chocolate dip on the first few sticks I ate, expending my chocolate before my last few biscuits even had a chance. Now I know better. I might buy a few more packs this week.
Things I Wrote In my Notebook
No one knows who Rainbow Brite is anymore or remembers a time when noontime variety shows were just an hour long.
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I'm starting to meet people who've never even seen Serg's Chocolate bars.
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Back when in the old days when I still enjoyed those things, I really thought I'd have done so many neat things by now.
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Real life can drag you down to the bottom faster than a pair of concrete shoes.
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I'm starting to meet people who've never even seen Serg's Chocolate bars.
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Back when in the old days when I still enjoyed those things, I really thought I'd have done so many neat things by now.
/
Real life can drag you down to the bottom faster than a pair of concrete shoes.
Are Complete Words Passé ?
Whenever you shorten "you" into "u", "when" into "wen", and "that" into "dat" (among other words) when there is enough time available and character space left in the text box to make your point, you make yourself sound and look like an idiot. Same thing goes for those who overuse l33tspeak. While sending messages like these is fine when you are communicating with other morons, it simply won't do when you communicate this way or in other ways like these to other kinds of people.
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Look, it's NOT COOL, OK? I'm generally fine with the occasional grammatical lapse and I don't think a propensity to create spelling errors is a direct indicator of intelligence. I happen to think intelligence is not THAT important in the greater scheme of things. Heck, I make a lot of mistakes myself. But these kinds of intentional misspellings are just lazy and are quite often just plain capricious. Overly fancy-schmancy typing with uPpEr nd lWer cAse leturs n (da faek l33t) N10tionly mangled spelling is even worse. I've never met anyone who typs lyk dis n order to luk hip to be someone really worth getting close to or even sharing a jeepney ride with.
Look, it's NOT COOL, OK? I'm generally fine with the occasional grammatical lapse and I don't think a propensity to create spelling errors is a direct indicator of intelligence. I happen to think intelligence is not THAT important in the greater scheme of things. Heck, I make a lot of mistakes myself. But these kinds of intentional misspellings are just lazy and are quite often just plain capricious. Overly fancy-schmancy typing with uPpEr nd lWer cAse leturs n (da faek l33t) N10tionly mangled spelling is even worse. I've never met anyone who typs lyk dis n order to luk hip to be someone really worth getting close to or even sharing a jeepney ride with.
/
Of course, some abbreviations like LOL and others like it are almost always acceptable in a casual context, provided that both sides have already established clear boundaries on what is to be considered acceptable when communicating. Heck, I have to admit that typin lyk dis can be acceptable if both sender and receiver have established that they are both fine with it. This is why it's OK for some people to use it, precisely because they know when NOT to use it.
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However, using retard-speak or shortcuts that are barely even justifiable on SMS for most other situations demonstrates that the sender does not really respect the recipient. And if the recipient does not feel respected or thinks you are an idiot for sending them these kinds of messages, then we can quite readily see how the indiscriminate use of this sort of communication isn't so good for you nor is it all that great after all.
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It's funny how many people now use "textspeak" or some other cutesy writing system in situations where the use of such is absolutely inappropriate. I've seen college essays and business communiques written in this way. I can no longer recall how many times I've seen this. Believe me, I've seen this thing happen too many times. I feel for all the teachers these days who are fighting a losing battle against this kind of socially-reinforced idiocy. I can just imagine how much of a pain it would be to check the typical high school or college essay these days.
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We also have to take note that whenever someone has to ask for additional clarification with regards to what someone else actually meant on an email or on an SMS message (or even on something written on real, processed-from-a-dead-tree sheet of paper), due to their less than desirable use of abbreviations and what-have-you, time, and quite often-- money(!) is lost. Maybe we're just too casual these days when it comes to the things that actually matter.
/
Of course, some abbreviations like LOL and others like it are almost always acceptable in a casual context, provided that both sides have already established clear boundaries on what is to be considered acceptable when communicating. Heck, I have to admit that typin lyk dis can be acceptable if both sender and receiver have established that they are both fine with it. This is why it's OK for some people to use it, precisely because they know when NOT to use it.
/
However, using retard-speak or shortcuts that are barely even justifiable on SMS for most other situations demonstrates that the sender does not really respect the recipient. And if the recipient does not feel respected or thinks you are an idiot for sending them these kinds of messages, then we can quite readily see how the indiscriminate use of this sort of communication isn't so good for you nor is it all that great after all.
/
It's funny how many people now use "textspeak" or some other cutesy writing system in situations where the use of such is absolutely inappropriate. I've seen college essays and business communiques written in this way. I can no longer recall how many times I've seen this. Believe me, I've seen this thing happen too many times. I feel for all the teachers these days who are fighting a losing battle against this kind of socially-reinforced idiocy. I can just imagine how much of a pain it would be to check the typical high school or college essay these days.
/
We also have to take note that whenever someone has to ask for additional clarification with regards to what someone else actually meant on an email or on an SMS message (or even on something written on real, processed-from-a-dead-tree sheet of paper), due to their less than desirable use of abbreviations and what-have-you, time, and quite often-- money(!) is lost. Maybe we're just too casual these days when it comes to the things that actually matter.
/
Besides, how many times have you seen anyone say anything really profound or interesting when they communicate this way? Right. NEVER. And if you say you have, you're either lying or don't know any better. In the latter case, you should read more. You'll find literacy isn't as overrated or outmoded as most dumbasses want to make it seem.
/
Pants On Fire
It just happens, I guess.
I'm a compulsive liar. If I feel that someone is asking me something about my life that I really don't want them to know, telling a lie is as easy as putting on my pants.
I sometimes feel compelled to lie about everything, especially to people who are unlikely to be of any consequence to my life. I know I'm not the only one.
And I sure as hell ain't paranoid either. I've caught people in a lie and have called quite a few on whatever they have said.
HOWEVER, it's a heck of a lot more fun to just let people trap themselves with whatever they've said. I'm sure that other people do the same thing to me when they've caught ME lying. Why shouldn't They? It's fun!
I know this guy who ain't so hot when it comes to a lot of stuff and he happens to be significantly challenged when it comes to intra-personal issues. He is/was literally a pariah in a course (Interdisciplinary Studies in the University of Saint La Salle- Bacolod) that was chock full of pariahs. He's like Napoleon Dynamite with more acne and without any endearing qualities whatsoever. We're fairly confident that this guy's fucked in the head. Now, I may not be a doctor but you don't need to be a doctor to be able to tell that this particular rube has something definitely wrong with him.
I don't talk to him much, but even a deaf person can tell that he's a compulsive liar. Moreso than I am. At least, I'd never willfully lie to my close buds.
His stories are never very consistent either. If you believed everything he said, then he's had more adventures than the Rat Pack in spite of the fact that he obviously has no friends. I feel sorry for him actually. He obviously needs help.
Um. Well. I feel sorry for him *sometimes*. I find it fun to humor him to see what he can come up with next. Quite a few think the same way I do. However, a lot of other people I know are outright pissed at this guy because he never follows through on anything and his lies can be pretty insulting to anyone with an IQ above 80.
The key to making fun lies is making sure that they are believable, even years down the road. Lies of omission or lies that technically aren't lies thanks to some deft use of language are particularly satisfying. It's an exercise in imagination, logic, and practical psychology. Not all lies will work with all people after all.
Without ego, I'd say that I'm fairly smarter than most people and I can read people fairly well if needed, and that makes it so much easier to craft a tall tale that someone who isn't very wary would believe. That does not mean that I don't think that there aren't people out there that aren't smarter than I am. On the contrary, I assume that people are smarter than I am when I want to make a really good fib. Assuming that everyone is as smart, or smarter than you is the key to a good lie. When you get caught (you probably will), you wouldn't want to be in a position where it is obvious that you insulted the intellect of the one you lied to. You want to be sure that even if they get pissed that they will at the very least appreciate the perverse respect that you afforded them. If it's a good lie, they might even appreciate your moxie.
Speaking of getting caught, it usually doesn't take a very smart person to catch you. One only needs to be smart enough to see through whatever you made up, and if you aren't very careful when constructing your untruth, "smart enough" may not even be in the range of a Bacolod City Jeepney driver plying the Shopping-Libertad route/s (most of them are retards on downers, I swear). I have no illusions. I've been caught lots of times, and I haven't been called on all of them. I'm a big minnow in a sea full of sharks.
Lying for no good reason other than to see how much you can get away with is one of the more affordable pleasures in life. Most of the time, anyway. Believe me.
I'm a compulsive liar. If I feel that someone is asking me something about my life that I really don't want them to know, telling a lie is as easy as putting on my pants.
I sometimes feel compelled to lie about everything, especially to people who are unlikely to be of any consequence to my life. I know I'm not the only one.
And I sure as hell ain't paranoid either. I've caught people in a lie and have called quite a few on whatever they have said.
HOWEVER, it's a heck of a lot more fun to just let people trap themselves with whatever they've said. I'm sure that other people do the same thing to me when they've caught ME lying. Why shouldn't They? It's fun!
I know this guy who ain't so hot when it comes to a lot of stuff and he happens to be significantly challenged when it comes to intra-personal issues. He is/was literally a pariah in a course (Interdisciplinary Studies in the University of Saint La Salle- Bacolod) that was chock full of pariahs. He's like Napoleon Dynamite with more acne and without any endearing qualities whatsoever. We're fairly confident that this guy's fucked in the head. Now, I may not be a doctor but you don't need to be a doctor to be able to tell that this particular rube has something definitely wrong with him.
I don't talk to him much, but even a deaf person can tell that he's a compulsive liar. Moreso than I am. At least, I'd never willfully lie to my close buds.
His stories are never very consistent either. If you believed everything he said, then he's had more adventures than the Rat Pack in spite of the fact that he obviously has no friends. I feel sorry for him actually. He obviously needs help.
Um. Well. I feel sorry for him *sometimes*. I find it fun to humor him to see what he can come up with next. Quite a few think the same way I do. However, a lot of other people I know are outright pissed at this guy because he never follows through on anything and his lies can be pretty insulting to anyone with an IQ above 80.
The key to making fun lies is making sure that they are believable, even years down the road. Lies of omission or lies that technically aren't lies thanks to some deft use of language are particularly satisfying. It's an exercise in imagination, logic, and practical psychology. Not all lies will work with all people after all.
Without ego, I'd say that I'm fairly smarter than most people and I can read people fairly well if needed, and that makes it so much easier to craft a tall tale that someone who isn't very wary would believe. That does not mean that I don't think that there aren't people out there that aren't smarter than I am. On the contrary, I assume that people are smarter than I am when I want to make a really good fib. Assuming that everyone is as smart, or smarter than you is the key to a good lie. When you get caught (you probably will), you wouldn't want to be in a position where it is obvious that you insulted the intellect of the one you lied to. You want to be sure that even if they get pissed that they will at the very least appreciate the perverse respect that you afforded them. If it's a good lie, they might even appreciate your moxie.
Speaking of getting caught, it usually doesn't take a very smart person to catch you. One only needs to be smart enough to see through whatever you made up, and if you aren't very careful when constructing your untruth, "smart enough" may not even be in the range of a Bacolod City Jeepney driver plying the Shopping-Libertad route/s (most of them are retards on downers, I swear). I have no illusions. I've been caught lots of times, and I haven't been called on all of them. I'm a big minnow in a sea full of sharks.
Lying for no good reason other than to see how much you can get away with is one of the more affordable pleasures in life. Most of the time, anyway. Believe me.
On Some Things I Heard Today
My day became a heck of a lot more tiring AFTER I finished my shift. And I didn't even walk home this time. Did you ever experience finding out something that hit you so hard that you become sort of numb to everything? Of course you have.
I've heard quite a few things today that didn't make me feel too good. I kept a poker face, but I actually felt physically ill after hearing everything. My legs were wobbling like jelly on the way home. It has nothing to do with me (directly), but I guess by hearing these things, I get to have a better understanding of people in general. At least there seems to be nothing wrong with anyone at the moment. I really can never say anything to anyone about what the heck I am talking about.
We have to be REALLY obtuse here, believe me.
I've heard quite a few things today that didn't make me feel too good. I kept a poker face, but I actually felt physically ill after hearing everything. My legs were wobbling like jelly on the way home. It has nothing to do with me (directly), but I guess by hearing these things, I get to have a better understanding of people in general. At least there seems to be nothing wrong with anyone at the moment. I really can never say anything to anyone about what the heck I am talking about.
We have to be REALLY obtuse here, believe me.
