It has been so long since I've had a tuna sandwich.
I can't eat pre-made tuna sandwiches, the kind you find in bakeries or delicatessens, because their tuna is usually mixed with onions and I HATE onions. HATE. Yes, I know onions are an important ingredient in most Chinese dishes and feature prominently in Italian cuisine. And yes, I partake of both types of foods on a fairly regular basis, especially Chinese, as I happen to be Chinese. But I refuse to eat onions.
"A few of them won't kill you," a friend has been known to comment. Hah! MUCH YOU KNOW.
So now I have my own home with my own kitchen (and running water! -- always a plus) and my own dining table. I still don't have a gas tank, that's on the To-Do list, so I haven't started cooking, but I've been making sandwiches to bring to work with me. There's nothing like munching on your very own yummy sandwich to start the day.
Last week was Ham-and-Cheese sandwich week; this week is Tuna week.
On the first day of the endeavour I realised that although I had finally remembered to buy a knife, I had completely forgotten the accompanying chopping board and so couldn't cut my tomatoes. (Or I could have, with probably a bit more mess.) And when I went to wash the lettuce leaves, I discovered I had forgotten the need for a colander with which to drain the water from my poor drowned lettuce. D'oh.
Knife-buying is not as straightforward a process as you might think it is. You go to the store with but one thought: I need a knife. Then you find the aisle with cutlery and kitchen implements and there are about a billion types of knives: paring knives, utility knives, chef's knives, bread knives, carving knives, slicing knives, and God knows what else. It's just like when you go to Starbucks and you just want a coffee. There is no such thing as "just a coffee". Apparently there's also no such thing as "just a knife", either.
After going through a bout of knife anxiety (I am buying something I'm going to be using in my kitchen for years to come and what if I buy the wrong knife and can't cut the things I need to cut to cook the food I need to cook to eat the food I need to eat? How will I survive?), I finally got my knife. Only to discover, when I reached home, that I had no chopping board. Which necessitated another trip to the store a few days later: yay, more shopping! Fortunately, a chopping board is a chopping board. All I had to decide was whether I wanted it made of wood or plastic; no agonising necessary!
Hence, last night I was finally able to dice some baby carrots to add to my tuna. Tuna + carrots + mayonnaise + NO ONIONS = hella winning combination, if you ask me. With extra leafiness provided by the lettuce, an abundance of fresh crunchy veggie goodness which you can never find in store-bought sandwiches. I love me veggies, even though I am carnivorous. Real sandwiches have veggies.
Mom used to pack food for me to bring to school, but in all my years of working I can barely remember packing anything from home to bring to the office. It's really great that when I'm hungry I can reach out and my sandwich is there, right there, and it's ALL MINE: made by me, with all the ingredients I love the most, and NO ONIONS. What more could a person ask for?
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
I have WAYS
I wonder how many people who own a domain name know about this thing called a WhoIs search... and how much it can reveal about them.
Sometimes I feel just a wee bit geeky.
I think I'd make a fairly respectable stalker. *shifty eyes*
Sometimes I feel just a wee bit geeky.
I think I'd make a fairly respectable stalker. *shifty eyes*
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
This is absolutely taking too long...
Dilbert, 16 Feb 2012 ©Scott Adams
Technologically incompatible. I like that.
Once, a few years ago, a friend of my dad's asked if he could introduce a young man to me. I, always game for such things, said sure. What could be the harm?
Since my dad's friend didn't live nearby, he procured my email address and passed it to the young man in question. So in due time I received an email, which I duly replied. And then I waited.
And waited. And waited.
I don't know why, but apparently this young man was only able to write emails about once every month. And I don't know about you, but really? Only once a month?
Technologically incompatible.
It's not like I expect a reply immediately, but within 24-48 hours is not unreasonable, I should think. I'm sorry, but if you take days to reply email, then why don't you suggest another way of keeping in touch?! Email is obviously not your optimum means of communication, d'oh.
Unlike Dilbert, I don't think technological compatibility is a deal-breaker for a potential relationship. What does tech do? It helps us communicate. So as long as there's some form of regular communication, it doesn't matter whether it's by Skype, instant messaging, Facebook, email, texting, phone calls, handwritten notes, letters or whatever. And yes, I know letters take days, if not weeks to arrive. But think of the mode, man, think of the mode! If I send you a text, I also do not expect to only receive a reply after five days! (Yes, I actually have a friend who does this. Woe is me.)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sniffing about on Twitter
Over at @The_Millions on Twitter, doggie book puns are abounding. I am horrible at puns (as you can see by the post title), and not particularly fond of dogs, but I know some of you are dog lovers, and these are too good not to share:
@The_Millions: Hey, did you read that new book about dachshunds? ...It's a long story.
@kasmsod: Yeah, but I felt the plot kind of slumped in the middle though.
@HelenMcClory: I read that one on Dalmatians. It was spotty, at best.
@briantedjones: I didn't care for the one about poodles. Mostly fluff.
@shitdaysuckcity: The one on Rhodesian Ridgebacks was spine tingling.
@JoeySavitz: I raced through the one about Greyhounds. Quick read though, to be fair.
@zackauthor: Read a good one about retrievers recently...quite fetching, but also a tad repetitive.
@FridaAbsinthe: The wolfhounds one was never finished, of course, but the idea really had legs
@tidytacos: I dug the one about terriers.
@filt: The one about huskies didn't sit well with me. The one on lap dogs did, though.
@caleb_crain & @peterterzian: I love the one about pugs. There's a really good twist at the end.
@TheKateDebate: What about the one about American Eskimo? It had its moments but it left me cold
@FFnE_Design: read the one about Boxers, knocked me out!
@sevenbil: I expected the one on guard dogs to hold me captive, but it just bites.
@Weintrouble17: I like the one about the dachshund but the main character was such a weiner.
@poetryforsupper: The one about the setter was just my type.
@mackgelber: That one about the rabid dingo had me foaming at the mouth.
@antonio_lanza: No bones about it, I liked the one about the pug but the story had too many wrinkles.
@baynardwoods: the one about mutts was a mixed bag.
@FoxInWolfs: I loved the one about Grey Hounds - just felt like it went by too fast...
@geriellen: the pit bull story had a real bite.
@LiamSeanORourke: I found the research on the latest book about Dalmatians to be rather spotty.
@LiamSeanORourke: I always read the one about the French bulldog when I'm in the mood for a short tale.
@StevenGripp: The one about Great Danes was a real heavy read.
@StevenGripp: but the one about St. Bernards saved my life
@filt: I was apprehensive to the pitbull one but it turned out to have a certain bite to it.
@JoeySavitz: I found the one about St. Bernards intoxicating!
@dashdidntdoit: The one about the German Shepherds wasn't something I would sink my teeth into
@Jen_Hand: I found the Saint Bernard's tale beatific...
@heyjcjc:That bit about retrievers kept me coming back, again and again.
@twochiwawa: Chinese Crested's autobiography sniffed out the naked truth.
@buddydean: Did you read the one about the French Bulldog? There were too many fart jokes.
@SteveHimmer: I tried the one about Lundehunds, but it was a puffin piece.
@The_Millions: Hey, did you read that new book about dachshunds? ...It's a long story.
@kasmsod: Yeah, but I felt the plot kind of slumped in the middle though.
@HelenMcClory: I read that one on Dalmatians. It was spotty, at best.
@briantedjones: I didn't care for the one about poodles. Mostly fluff.
@shitdaysuckcity: The one on Rhodesian Ridgebacks was spine tingling.
@JoeySavitz: I raced through the one about Greyhounds. Quick read though, to be fair.
@zackauthor: Read a good one about retrievers recently...quite fetching, but also a tad repetitive.
@FridaAbsinthe: The wolfhounds one was never finished, of course, but the idea really had legs
@tidytacos: I dug the one about terriers.
@filt: The one about huskies didn't sit well with me. The one on lap dogs did, though.
@caleb_crain & @peterterzian: I love the one about pugs. There's a really good twist at the end.
@TheKateDebate: What about the one about American Eskimo? It had its moments but it left me cold
@FFnE_Design: read the one about Boxers, knocked me out!
@sevenbil: I expected the one on guard dogs to hold me captive, but it just bites.
@Weintrouble17: I like the one about the dachshund but the main character was such a weiner.
@poetryforsupper: The one about the setter was just my type.
@mackgelber: That one about the rabid dingo had me foaming at the mouth.
@antonio_lanza: No bones about it, I liked the one about the pug but the story had too many wrinkles.
@baynardwoods: the one about mutts was a mixed bag.
@FoxInWolfs: I loved the one about Grey Hounds - just felt like it went by too fast...
@geriellen: the pit bull story had a real bite.
@LiamSeanORourke: I found the research on the latest book about Dalmatians to be rather spotty.
@LiamSeanORourke: I always read the one about the French bulldog when I'm in the mood for a short tale.
@StevenGripp: The one about Great Danes was a real heavy read.
@StevenGripp: but the one about St. Bernards saved my life
@filt: I was apprehensive to the pitbull one but it turned out to have a certain bite to it.
@JoeySavitz: I found the one about St. Bernards intoxicating!
@dashdidntdoit: The one about the German Shepherds wasn't something I would sink my teeth into
@Jen_Hand: I found the Saint Bernard's tale beatific...
@heyjcjc:That bit about retrievers kept me coming back, again and again.
@twochiwawa: Chinese Crested's autobiography sniffed out the naked truth.
@buddydean: Did you read the one about the French Bulldog? There were too many fart jokes.
@SteveHimmer: I tried the one about Lundehunds, but it was a puffin piece.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Intelligence is sexy
"College-educated women, once they do marry, are much less likely to divorce. ...And according to calculations by the economist Betsey Stevenson, an educated woman still single at age 40 is much more likely to marry in the next decade than her less educated counterparts."
-- Stephanie Coontz, The New York Times
There's hope yet, it seems.
But I was stunned when the same article told me that in 1956, men had ranked education and intelligence 11th among a list of desirable traits in a mate, whilst in 2008, education and intelligence had moved up to 4th place, "just after mutual attraction, dependable character and emotional stability". At first I thought, "What, only 4th?!" but then I thought, how can you rank these things on a scale? Are you saying I have to imagine whether I'd rather have an intelligent man or a dependable one, and choose accordingly? Ugh... but that's a totally artificial and unhelpful way of looking at things. If I had to choose between the two, I'd just not choose either guy at all!
A somewhat intellectual guy friend once told me I was "too intelligent", and then after marrying the girl of his choice, complained that she wasn't at all interested in debating or discussing the same topics that so deeply captivated his mind. "When I talk to her about it, all she says is, 'That's nice, dear,' he groused. And I thought, rather maliciously, that he deserved what he'd got.
The article above says that while it's true that some men are put off by women who are more highly educated or have professional success than they do, "scaring these types off might be a good thing. The men most likely to feel emotional and physical distress when their wives have a higher status or income tend to be those who are more invested in their identity as breadwinners than as partners and who define success in materialistic ways". See? I was not being all that idealistic and naïve when I said I don't want that kind of man!
On the other hand, the writer points out that women also seem to have a problem marrying men who are less highly educated or earn less than they do. I've never really thought about it (I always assumed I'd marry someone who would be more or less my peer, ie. a white-collar professional) but just a few nights ago a girl friend said, "I want my guy to be more knowledgeable than I am." Do I want that? Hmmm.
I've always looked up to my dad as the ultimate most knowledgeable person I know -- I swear, he's got the memory of an elephant, and can still recall his high-school chemistry and physics principles even now, while I struggle just to remember my multiplication tables. (Carrying a calculator around in my mobile phone has made me brain-lazy.) He is frightfully intelligent. And yes, I look up to my dad, but I don't know... do I want to look up to a husband in quite that way? With a touch of awe? And feeling ever so slightly intimidated?
"The most important predictor of marital happiness for a woman is not how much she looks up to her husband but how sensitive he is to her emotional cues and how willing he is to share the housework and child-care. And those traits are often easier to find in a low-key guy than a powerhouse," the writer says. Powerhouse men also tend to be highly driven and ambitious, and that sort of thing scares me to high heaven because I'm not highly driven and ambitious. I want to work at a job I love, earn enough to be comfortable and have a little extra for luxuries, spend time with people who matter, develop or discover my talents and skills, and pursue hobbies or interests that give me a sense of satisfaction. More money is always nice, but I'm not all that concerned about trying to make more or climbing up the corporate ladder.
But I'm sure there are intelligent guys who aren't either, or at least, aren't interested in making money for money's sake. Plus, being highly-educated doesn't equal being knowledgeable or even intelligent. I know quite a number of people who are highly educated yet neither knowledgeable nor intelligent, and I also know a handful who only finished high school or hold a diploma, yet are a veritable walking encyclopaedia of knowledge. I think it's about having a positive approach to life, an inquisitive nature and a desire to learn new things. I don't see why I wouldn't be able to look up to or respect someone who earns less or has had less formal education than I have, as long as he possesses those three traits.
-- Stephanie Coontz, The New York Times
There's hope yet, it seems.
But I was stunned when the same article told me that in 1956, men had ranked education and intelligence 11th among a list of desirable traits in a mate, whilst in 2008, education and intelligence had moved up to 4th place, "just after mutual attraction, dependable character and emotional stability". At first I thought, "What, only 4th?!" but then I thought, how can you rank these things on a scale? Are you saying I have to imagine whether I'd rather have an intelligent man or a dependable one, and choose accordingly? Ugh... but that's a totally artificial and unhelpful way of looking at things. If I had to choose between the two, I'd just not choose either guy at all!
A somewhat intellectual guy friend once told me I was "too intelligent", and then after marrying the girl of his choice, complained that she wasn't at all interested in debating or discussing the same topics that so deeply captivated his mind. "When I talk to her about it, all she says is, 'That's nice, dear,' he groused. And I thought, rather maliciously, that he deserved what he'd got.
The article above says that while it's true that some men are put off by women who are more highly educated or have professional success than they do, "scaring these types off might be a good thing. The men most likely to feel emotional and physical distress when their wives have a higher status or income tend to be those who are more invested in their identity as breadwinners than as partners and who define success in materialistic ways". See? I was not being all that idealistic and naïve when I said I don't want that kind of man!
On the other hand, the writer points out that women also seem to have a problem marrying men who are less highly educated or earn less than they do. I've never really thought about it (I always assumed I'd marry someone who would be more or less my peer, ie. a white-collar professional) but just a few nights ago a girl friend said, "I want my guy to be more knowledgeable than I am." Do I want that? Hmmm.
I've always looked up to my dad as the ultimate most knowledgeable person I know -- I swear, he's got the memory of an elephant, and can still recall his high-school chemistry and physics principles even now, while I struggle just to remember my multiplication tables. (Carrying a calculator around in my mobile phone has made me brain-lazy.) He is frightfully intelligent. And yes, I look up to my dad, but I don't know... do I want to look up to a husband in quite that way? With a touch of awe? And feeling ever so slightly intimidated?
"The most important predictor of marital happiness for a woman is not how much she looks up to her husband but how sensitive he is to her emotional cues and how willing he is to share the housework and child-care. And those traits are often easier to find in a low-key guy than a powerhouse," the writer says. Powerhouse men also tend to be highly driven and ambitious, and that sort of thing scares me to high heaven because I'm not highly driven and ambitious. I want to work at a job I love, earn enough to be comfortable and have a little extra for luxuries, spend time with people who matter, develop or discover my talents and skills, and pursue hobbies or interests that give me a sense of satisfaction. More money is always nice, but I'm not all that concerned about trying to make more or climbing up the corporate ladder.
But I'm sure there are intelligent guys who aren't either, or at least, aren't interested in making money for money's sake. Plus, being highly-educated doesn't equal being knowledgeable or even intelligent. I know quite a number of people who are highly educated yet neither knowledgeable nor intelligent, and I also know a handful who only finished high school or hold a diploma, yet are a veritable walking encyclopaedia of knowledge. I think it's about having a positive approach to life, an inquisitive nature and a desire to learn new things. I don't see why I wouldn't be able to look up to or respect someone who earns less or has had less formal education than I have, as long as he possesses those three traits.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Evocative
By René Gruau
I love this image, which I saw on another blog. I'm not a minimalist type of person but I'm in awe at how much the artist (René Gruau) managed to convey with so little. The brush strokes look so rough, almost careless, but clearly have been carefully controlled and placed exactly so. Even better, the result is so elegant.
It's not the sort of art I'd choose to hang in my home, but it captured my imagination. So many of the messages we receive every day as we walk around and interact with the world are unspoken and unseen, some even unconscious. It reminds me that the mind is a fascinating thing.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Sleep-deprived ramblings of a postgrad student
Almost 5am and I am labouring on data analysis for my thesis, taking a break by writing this. What on earth made me think I could write a thesis, I wonder. Then I remember that I never thought I could or couldn't. I just registered for my Master's and the thesis was part of the package, a part I never questioned. There wasn't an option for coursework only.
I am seeing my supervisor in 12 hours -- at 5pm. I don't chide students for being last-minute, for the simple reason I have always been the quintessential last-minute student. I don't think I do it because it works for me, although certainly if it didn't work for me I'd probably try something different. Granted, being 1,400 words into Chapter 4 and having barely even started is beyond last-minute, even for me. I am sure I won't be able to complete the whole chapter by 5pm. There's also work to be gotten through, for one thing...
At this point I am certain that anyone who undertakes a postgrad degree needs their head examined, and I'd be the first to volunteer. Why am I doing this to myself?! Oh right, I wanted to teach. Although I am not sure how producing a 30,000-word document qualifies me to teach. What's the connection?
Nelly Furtado's Spanish album "Mi Plan" is playing in the background. I bought it for RM9.90 in Speedy Video earlier this evening. At that price, you can't test the CD, and I'm not familiar with her music although I recognised her name. But I took a gamble. One of my better ones. I've never been up to speed with popular music, so I find myself always trying to catch up. But the good thing about being behind everyone else is you can then pick up CDs for cheap. Others I got tonight at the same price include Maroon 5's "Hands All Over" and Kelly Clarkson's "My December".
All the noise about SOPA and PIPA is annoying me because the companies that are ferociously trying to bring down pirates outside of the US aren't making their products digitally available outside the US. I have the Kindle app on my iPod Touch but can't buy ebooks for it because I live in Malaysia. Yes, I know there are ways around that, but why should I have to try to circumvent the system just because I want to get a legitimate ebook on my device? Isn't that almost the same as pirating (also another way of circumventing the system) except that the writer and publisher still gets their dues?
In December I was frantically searching for the instrumental mp3 of a certain song my cousin had set his heart on for his wedding. And I found it on iTunes, but of course I couldn't purchase it because -- again -- I don't reside in the US. Book, movie, music publishers and producers: I really don't want to hear you moaning about IP and copyrights and lost royalties when I cannot get a product legitimately even when I want to. If you don't make your stuff available to consumers, and the consumers want it, then guess what? They'll take steps to get it in any way possible. Fair means or foul. Kindly solve this problem, THEN go after the pirates. Kthxbai.
I am seeing my supervisor in 12 hours -- at 5pm. I don't chide students for being last-minute, for the simple reason I have always been the quintessential last-minute student. I don't think I do it because it works for me, although certainly if it didn't work for me I'd probably try something different. Granted, being 1,400 words into Chapter 4 and having barely even started is beyond last-minute, even for me. I am sure I won't be able to complete the whole chapter by 5pm. There's also work to be gotten through, for one thing...
At this point I am certain that anyone who undertakes a postgrad degree needs their head examined, and I'd be the first to volunteer. Why am I doing this to myself?! Oh right, I wanted to teach. Although I am not sure how producing a 30,000-word document qualifies me to teach. What's the connection?
Nelly Furtado's Spanish album "Mi Plan" is playing in the background. I bought it for RM9.90 in Speedy Video earlier this evening. At that price, you can't test the CD, and I'm not familiar with her music although I recognised her name. But I took a gamble. One of my better ones. I've never been up to speed with popular music, so I find myself always trying to catch up. But the good thing about being behind everyone else is you can then pick up CDs for cheap. Others I got tonight at the same price include Maroon 5's "Hands All Over" and Kelly Clarkson's "My December".
All the noise about SOPA and PIPA is annoying me because the companies that are ferociously trying to bring down pirates outside of the US aren't making their products digitally available outside the US. I have the Kindle app on my iPod Touch but can't buy ebooks for it because I live in Malaysia. Yes, I know there are ways around that, but why should I have to try to circumvent the system just because I want to get a legitimate ebook on my device? Isn't that almost the same as pirating (also another way of circumventing the system) except that the writer and publisher still gets their dues?
In December I was frantically searching for the instrumental mp3 of a certain song my cousin had set his heart on for his wedding. And I found it on iTunes, but of course I couldn't purchase it because -- again -- I don't reside in the US. Book, movie, music publishers and producers: I really don't want to hear you moaning about IP and copyrights and lost royalties when I cannot get a product legitimately even when I want to. If you don't make your stuff available to consumers, and the consumers want it, then guess what? They'll take steps to get it in any way possible. Fair means or foul. Kindly solve this problem, THEN go after the pirates. Kthxbai.
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