I’m sure that at some stage of your life you have had the (unwelcome) pleasure of reading a puberty book. I’m not talking about the nicer ones available such as Babette Cole’s ‘Hair in funny places’. On the contrary, I’m talking about the kind that made you squirm as a child. For those of you who are fortunate enough to have never come across anything such as this, let me give you the just of it –
1. Awkward pictures that make you gawk
2. Descriptions that make you cringe
3. Concepts that are inwardly hilarious (I’m going to get hair WHERE?)
Right, great observation but where am I going with this? Today while I was working feverishly on a number of varsity assignments, I had the misfortune of hitting writer’s block mid topic of a very important essay. Looking down at my hands, willing them to continue typing, I noticed a hair; one single ‘too-long-and-too-dark-for-a-hair-situated-on-my-finger’ kind of hair. I moved to brush it away in a sort of ‘Gross, that-does-NOT-belong-to-me’ motion, only to find that it didn’t budge. Hence my next reaction was to pull at it, only to find myself yelping out in pain.
The hair belonged to me. I took a closer look; the lengthy black hair was in fact contributing to a furry pelt covering that bit of skin between the knuckles of my finger! Correction, fingers! Perhaps to provide you with an understanding of my shock, I am of fair complexion and also of fair hair colour. Dark body hair is not something I have too much of.
My point is this: we are prepared ardently by our mothers (usually) for the weird bodily functions of puberty but WHO is supposed to be there to prepare us for the weird bodily functions of the elderly (read ‘eighteen and anything up’) and at WHAT stage does this person present themselves. I have black knuckle, or something, hair. Help me!
Ear hair, nose hair, chin hair, lip hair; as adults we get hair in funny places. Where’s our picture book? In the mean time, I guess we do what we can. We invest in hair removal crème, nose hair trimmers, facial wax strips and we adopt an ‘as it comes’ approach. As for me, I am amused by the fact that the body changes continuously and I appreciate that the best way to deal with these kinds of changes is a hands-on approach; I Veeted those dark tresses outahere.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
We are what we do
They cook to eat, to sustain themselves.
You cook with passion, to experience flavours and savour the tastes of the world.
You are a chef.
They run to maintain their fitness levels, to watch their weight.
You run to feel the road beneath your feet, to feel the hard-earned sweat on your back.
You are an athlete.
They dress in what society tells them.
You dress to express yourself, to show appreciation of colour and textures.
You are a stylist.
They sing under their breath, to pass the time.
You sing at the top of your lungs because you feel the music, you believe the words.
You are a vocalist.
They seek medical advice at the sight of a scratch.
You hug tears away because you know the healing power of support.
You are a doctor.
They drive to travel from destination ‘A’ to destination ‘B’.
You drive for the wind in your hair, darting from lane to lane, tunes playing.
You are a rally driver.
They plod along, disinterested.
You walk with purpose; your eyes open to new things, different things; the world around you.
You are an explorer.
They are restricted by mental barriers and the pressures of others.
You let your mind flow freely into space; it’s where the best ideas come from.
You are an astronaut.
They are what others tell them to be.
You are what you do, what ever you want to be.
I am a product of myself.
You cook with passion, to experience flavours and savour the tastes of the world.
You are a chef.
They run to maintain their fitness levels, to watch their weight.
You run to feel the road beneath your feet, to feel the hard-earned sweat on your back.
You are an athlete.
They dress in what society tells them.
You dress to express yourself, to show appreciation of colour and textures.
You are a stylist.
They sing under their breath, to pass the time.
You sing at the top of your lungs because you feel the music, you believe the words.
You are a vocalist.
They seek medical advice at the sight of a scratch.
You hug tears away because you know the healing power of support.
You are a doctor.
They drive to travel from destination ‘A’ to destination ‘B’.
You drive for the wind in your hair, darting from lane to lane, tunes playing.
You are a rally driver.
They plod along, disinterested.
You walk with purpose; your eyes open to new things, different things; the world around you.
You are an explorer.
They are restricted by mental barriers and the pressures of others.
You let your mind flow freely into space; it’s where the best ideas come from.
You are an astronaut.
They are what others tell them to be.
You are what you do, what ever you want to be.
I am a product of myself.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Coffee cliché
Last night myself and a few friends went out for a late night, relatively expensive, Cafe Chameleons coffee and Mississippi mudpie. Dangerous stuff but very much worth the trip; a very Carrie Bradshaw of Sex in the City event. What saved us from this terrible Sex in the City association was that we dragged the boys along (very little dragging...Chocolate mudpie is always a great incentive).
The place was quiet, relatively few tables occupied, yet we were placed next to a very rowdy table of twelve; a bachelorette party. There was much of the usual, the clinking of champagne glasses, bursts of untimely laughter, sing-songs and the like. I couldn’t help but look over approximately one hundred times in the short space it took our delectables to arrive. Everyone around that table was having so much fun; secretive chatter between bridesmaids, the ongoing enticement from the bride-to-be’s mother of all that was still to come for the evening and of course, the glowing blush of the bride every few seconds (BTW this is not a love-blog). It was, in all its pink-and-glitter fabulous(ness), a spirited and warm-hearted event.
We got down to our yummies and subsequently my friend and I needed to take a short bathroom break. A long story short, we bumped into the bride-to-be and her mother in the bathroom. A really fun pair, they told us about the list of tasks to be completed by the end of the evening. They were looking for two young guys they could palm phone numbers off of. We offered the services of our table for the evening (and watched from behind a wall, the reaction of our boyfriends when approached by the bride-to-be and her bridesmaid).
It was all in good fun and the girls-only bridal party were grateful for it, especially when considering another table were approached shortly after ours and the bride-to-be was told to, and I quote, ‘piss off’. They finished off their evening with several rounds of strawberry liqueur while we ended ours with a table underwater as my dear friend landed his full glass of H20 all over the tables. In cleaning up and calling for the bill, imagine our surprise when the mother of the bride-to-be came over and said quite simply, ‘you guys were such great sports, I’m picking up your tab’. Uhr, THANK YOU!
The moral of the story is: Karma exists, spontaneity is often rewarded and most importantly, being genuinely nice without the expectation of something in return will bring you happiness, participation in life and free coffee. We were doubly rewarded when the mother told us girls as we were leaving, ‘the boys were only willing to dish out their details when told that their girlfriends were in on the event’. Cute (sigh...perhaps this is a love-blog).
We are afraid of the wrong things
Consider the statement ‘We are afraid of the wrong things’.
Well, that would depend on what it is that you are afraid of. Personally I fear being a victim of crime, of disappointing people who are important to me and not succeeding.
Although my string of fears are perhaps the wrong things to be afraid of, fear in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Fear keeps you cautious. Sometimes it keeps you motivated. It can even keep you safe. How would one determine a valid fear and what is the difference between the right and wrong fears? In my opinion, a valid fear is one that holds consequence. For example:
‘I’m worried that I can’t pay rent this month’ – valid fear
‘I’m scared to lose my child to this disease/virus’ – valid fear
Our fears are motivated by results. They are also motivated by our doubts. You can’t pay rent? Well then, you’ll just have to find somewhere else to live. You don’t have a deposit or the finances to do that? Well then, on the street you go. Your child or a loved one is deathly ill? You might lose him/her.
On the other hand, fears that are created out of irrational worry are often invalid fears. In some cases, people’s fears develop into phobias. Phobias, however unreasonable, can consume a person, leaving them with anxiety disorders and the inability to lead a normal life. It is my opinion that in a case such as this, most fears are invalid. For example:
Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions. (Well now...)
Anablephobia- Fear of looking up. (At what?)
Chromophobia or Chromatophobia- Fear of colours. (Tell that to a person robbed of his/her sight)
Deipnophobia- Fear of dining or dinner conversations. (You must be boring then – read a book)
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia- Fear of long words. (Of course it is)
Levophobia- Fear of things to the left side of the body. (???)
Syngenesophobia- Fear of relatives. (Hmmm, perhaps this one I understand)
The point is, we could be afraid of everything everyday but where would that get us? Four padded white walls and imaginary friends (the kind that don’t carry germs and disease, don’t allow for emotional hurt, don’t expect us to push our limits... oh boy, can’t wait!)
Ultimately, however valid a fear may be, it is reasonable to consider that the world does go on. You will heal, in time. Your situation may improve, in time.
So perhaps next time we come across something that is slightly scary, something that strips us from our comfort zones, let’s put it into perspective: will this activity result in 1) my death, 2) permanent physical harm, 3) the end of the world?
If this doesn’t work, you can find comfort in the fact that you are not the worst off when it comes to being afraid. Yes, you may be overly cautious and a nervous wreck but you will work through your fear in the end. It could be worse; some people are afraid of themselves!
Well, that would depend on what it is that you are afraid of. Personally I fear being a victim of crime, of disappointing people who are important to me and not succeeding.
Although my string of fears are perhaps the wrong things to be afraid of, fear in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. Fear keeps you cautious. Sometimes it keeps you motivated. It can even keep you safe. How would one determine a valid fear and what is the difference between the right and wrong fears? In my opinion, a valid fear is one that holds consequence. For example:
‘I’m worried that I can’t pay rent this month’ – valid fear
‘I’m scared to lose my child to this disease/virus’ – valid fear
Our fears are motivated by results. They are also motivated by our doubts. You can’t pay rent? Well then, you’ll just have to find somewhere else to live. You don’t have a deposit or the finances to do that? Well then, on the street you go. Your child or a loved one is deathly ill? You might lose him/her.
On the other hand, fears that are created out of irrational worry are often invalid fears. In some cases, people’s fears develop into phobias. Phobias, however unreasonable, can consume a person, leaving them with anxiety disorders and the inability to lead a normal life. It is my opinion that in a case such as this, most fears are invalid. For example:
Allodoxaphobia- Fear of opinions. (Well now...)
Anablephobia- Fear of looking up. (At what?)
Chromophobia or Chromatophobia- Fear of colours. (Tell that to a person robbed of his/her sight)
Deipnophobia- Fear of dining or dinner conversations. (You must be boring then – read a book)
Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia- Fear of long words. (Of course it is)
Levophobia- Fear of things to the left side of the body. (???)
Syngenesophobia- Fear of relatives. (Hmmm, perhaps this one I understand)
The point is, we could be afraid of everything everyday but where would that get us? Four padded white walls and imaginary friends (the kind that don’t carry germs and disease, don’t allow for emotional hurt, don’t expect us to push our limits... oh boy, can’t wait!)
Ultimately, however valid a fear may be, it is reasonable to consider that the world does go on. You will heal, in time. Your situation may improve, in time.
So perhaps next time we come across something that is slightly scary, something that strips us from our comfort zones, let’s put it into perspective: will this activity result in 1) my death, 2) permanent physical harm, 3) the end of the world?
If this doesn’t work, you can find comfort in the fact that you are not the worst off when it comes to being afraid. Yes, you may be overly cautious and a nervous wreck but you will work through your fear in the end. It could be worse; some people are afraid of themselves!
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