one of us became a lawyer today!

rumour has it that this is the outfit worn to the convocation.

In which I use my blog as my preferred medium to rant through

(Cos I’m too passive-aggressive to confront issues properly in real life)

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I think of myself as generally a nice person, who doesn’t like to hurt other’s feelings, and therefore has trouble letting them know when they are irritating me.

So a recent morning, I was talking to a guy on facebook, someone that I don’t really know all that well, and I told him, I was hungover, had a big night out, and lost my wallet. Clearly, one would think I was kinda in a grumpy mood? But anyway, he decides to call me.

And make fun of me for losing my wallet, then pester me about whether I was hit on or hooked up with anyone… none of which I was really amused with, and chose to respond with incoherent whiney mumbling rather than words. Not very mature of me, or polite.

Why did it annoy me so much?

Firstly, yes. I do a lot of stuff that warrants me being made fun of… spilling stuff, being clumsy, losing stuff… etc.. so I don’t mind being made fun of by my friends… BY MY FRIENDS being the operative part of that sentence. Not random people who feel that they know me just cos we’re facebook friends.

Secondly, I resent the fact that so much emphasis is placed on my having a good night out being based on how much male attention I receive. The reason I go out is primarily to hang out with my friends, and I really resent being thought of as someone whose sole purpose in socialising is to pull.

Anyway, He picked up on my subtle nuances that I wasn’t in the mood to talk to him and ended the call rather annoyed at me…

Leaving me feeling like a bitch.

So next facebook chat, I apologised:

Chi: sorry about being a bitch yesterday
it was too early in the day

facebook "friend": u sure were
lol
u hv to get get laid so u would nt be grumpy anymore
lol

Chi: right
i'll work on it

facebook "friend": kewl
lol
jst kidding ms grumpy
u seem to hv taken that seriously

Chi: lol have i?

facebook "friend": u certaimly hv

Chi: ... i just didn't really find it all that amusing, so thought that was the best way to respond.

facebook "friend": ok ok
im off to bed


Which leads onto another rant: why do some males say dickish things, and then when the female doesn’t react in the desired manner, they act like the problem is the female?

Eugh. & I also dislike people who write “kewl”.

A Saturday night with Charlie and Royce (via G chat)

Royce: uh oh
whacha doin?

Charlie: editing photos.
had a big night last night.
i know it was big
cos i lost my
wallet

Royce: uh oh!
that big huh

Charlie: ... on hookers and blow ;(

Royce: haha
typical

Royce: i gotta go snort some coke
of a midget's snail trail

Charlie: ew
but
i understand

Royce: that's why we're partners, partner

Charlie: you got to go what you got to do
or something like that

Royce: damn straight!
(can you tell i’m the ethnically challenged one)

Charlie: kinda

Royce: and that i’m the underpaid one. i only have a midget. And he only lets me do it cos he enjoys the sensation of me snorting his snail trail.

Mistress HankyPants

So today I had to decide on a title. For me! My admission ceremony is coming up soon, and apart from the admin fees costing a pretty penny and running around getting bits of paper stamped and signed by important people, I had to choose the title I would be announced with on the day: Ms, Miss or Mrs. The latter is out, for obvious reasons. But it begs the question...why is there still this distinction between married and unmarried?

Having done a little research on the web (i.e. I skim read wikipedia), it turns out that Ms was coined for use when people were unsure whether a woman was married or unmarried. A sort of catch-all phrase to avoid embarrassment.

Written in 1901:
"There is a void in the English language which, with some diffidence, we undertake to fill. Every one has been put in an embarrassing position by ignorance of the status of some woman. To call a maiden Mrs is only a shade worse than to insult a matron with the inferior title Miss. Yet it is not always easy to know the facts... Now, clearly, what is needed is a more comprehensive term which does homage to the sex without expressing any views as to their domestic situation, and what could be simpler or more logical than the retention of what the two doubtful terms have in common. The abbreviation "Ms" is simple, it is easy to write, and the person concerned can translate it properly according to circumstances. For oral use it might be rendered as "Mizz," which would be a close parallel to the practice long universal in many bucolic regions, where a slurred Mis' does duty for Miss and Mrs alike."

So I was thinking, why haven't we reached the point where there IS only one title for women, like there are for men? Why can't we all be Ms? In the 1950s (even before feminists adopted the term) there was a movement to adopt the term Ms for all communications. But many women preferred the old distinctions between Miss and Mrs. And so they stuck. And we haven't moved on from there. It turns out lots of women like their marital status to be broadcast. Or is it that according to Chi Chi (said with toungue firmly in cheek), men rule the world regardless of their marital status. OR is that we have the freedom to choose to broadcast whether we're married, unmarried, or just mysterious (and possibly a feminazi...jokes!). Freedom of choice or male domination? Thoughts, anyone?

Speaking of freedom to choose, for $23,000 and five years of my life, I'd like the option of Lady, thanks. Or Mistress Bunny Knickers. How about Ms Demeanour?

what?... Africa's not its own country????

Nation Of Andorra Not In Africa, Shocked U.S. State Dept. Reports

Not to be outdone...

Al made a delicious dahl/lentil soup fusion dish. All by herself. With no recipe. And it turned out good! Yay. It was so delicious Al feels she needs to share this glorious recipe. Al will now cease speaking in the third person.

Dahl with a hint of Greekness.

Decent amount of olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
3 small onions, finely chopped
1 large kumura (sweet potato) diced into small cubes
2 tspns turmeric
2 tspns dried coriander
Some lentils (maybe 800gms, not too sure really)
1L hot water
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes, mushed with the Whizzy-Stick-Thing.
A dash of chilli
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry garlic for a few seconds in olive oil. Add diced onions and saute for a couple of minutes. Add kumura, turmeric and dried coriander. Saute for a couple more minutes. Add the water, lentils and tomatoes. Simmer away for a good 45 minutes or so. Keep checking to see if it needs more water. Add a pinch of chilli (or more if you like it spicy). Add salt and pepper to taste and serve hot. Can be served as a hot soup, or on rice Dahl-style (if you make it less watery, of course). Would be delicious with garlic naan.

Unfortunately I don't have a beautiful photo like Chi...Never mind :)

chi chi made cupcakes!

and they were really yummy!

cherry ripe cupcakes, recipe from not quite nigella

somebody liked a pineapple so much they married it.

This guy is not an oversized Texan leprauchan, but a German dude who drove to Scotland to marry a pineapple. Apparently "Tippi", his bride, loved to go to the movies, especially ones about earthquakes. Here's a link, if you want to read more.

This reminded me of another thing I read recently, about people who fall in love with (and have sex with) inanimate objects. It's called objectum sexuality. Another link.

by way of an introduction...

Hi, I'm Al.

...Chi chi asked me ten questions. Here are my answers:

Who was the last person/group of people that you had bad thoughts towards?

Celebrity bloggers.

What do you eat for breakfast?

It varies. Today I was running late so I had weet bix.

If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

Hmmmm. My first thought was a horse, so i could run fast and eat grass. But then I realised it'd be cool to fly...so a PEGASUS!

Why pineapple?

I don't know. I always pick it off my pizzas, so that is kind of odd. But I like it with mint and sugar. Mostly I liked chi chi's picture with it.

What are you currently obsessed with?

I'm pretty much not an obsessive person. The last thing I was close to obsessed with was probably Spock.

Who are your heroes (other than chi chi)?

Goodness. This is a tough one. I read an interview with Lauren Hutton that made me like her. But probably not to the hero extent. One of my heroes in high school was Steve Biko, but I haven't been inspired by too many people lately. Chi chi.

Describe yourself in 3 colours.

Blue, Red and Yellow.

Who was the last person's death that did you cried over?

My Opa.

Your dream holiday destination?

Somewhere in the Caribbean.

There you go! Also, some random facts which may or my not be related to future blog posts...
I like drawing and painting and reading lots of books in bed. I am trying to clean more and be more organised. I would like to cook more. I am into (stylewise) all things Swedish and Swiss at the moment. I am learning Greek. I have forgotten German.

the introductory post.

Hi... I'm chi chi.

I'm in denial about my real age, a perpetual student, learning spanish and trying to hold onto my french. in my spare time, i read, take photos, watch cartoons, and doodle. I'm kind of obsessed with non-western design aesthetics.

I'm interested in the following things, and will probably blog about them at some stage:

art, colours, japan, design, sri lanka, photography, music, politics, africa.

10 questions asked to me by Al:

1. What did you just eat? a pork and egg sandwich on ciabatta.
   
2. Did you cry when MJ died? no.
   
3. What are you going to do this weekend? sleep, read, visit dad, pretend to enjoy beer.
   
4. Where was the best place you travelled to in the last 12 months and why? England. because of the food and shopping and people (friends, family and gorgeous, well-dressed men).
   
5. Did you make your bed today? no, i only make my bed when i know my mum is coming over.
   
6. How do you feel about writing a blog? slightly awkward. i cannot write.
   
7. What is your best quality? my smile.
   
8. Are you wearing matching socks? yes... you got me on a good day.
   
9. If you had a Chihuahua, what would you name it? al.
   
10. What are you scared of? snakes, heights.

nice to meet you!