Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Stereotypes

Stereotypes. No one can get away from them, and with them come preconceived ideas that can ruin something, to the point where doing something different or individual is met with the surprise of someone "breaking the mould". Religion, race, state of dress, all contribute to the stereotypes: All Christians are good, all Germans are evil, all who dress in black are depressed. 

The most notable instance of late came when I saw a biker gang at a petrol station. On closer inspection, I noticed Christian motifs on the back of their jackets. I didn't think anything of it, but on telling people later, most remarks were along the lines of "What? Bit of a conflicting statement, Christian bike gang" 
I guess people just can't fit "Good" Christians with "Bad" gangs. 

When will people realise they can't label someone on appearance, age, religion or race!

I just don't understand why people like labels so much that they put people and things into little boxes and then get all shocked when someone doesn't fit their label. People go round and round saying we're all individual, unique, then turn round and say "Actually, you are individual, but you have to be this kind of individual, just like everyone else".

And it affects people subconsciously. While you may not realise it, you're probably treating people or making choices based on some form of stereotyping. For example, I, recently went through an image change, becoming labelled by myself and everyone else as Goth. It started out fine, until I realised when I went to buy clothes I was thinking "No, that's not Goth, so I don't like that...oh, these are black, so I must like them" My mind was telling me that if I was Goth, I had to think and act with the stereotype, which wasn't always my choice.  So I ditched that and just started wearing what I liked, rather than what I thought I should dress like. Now I guess it’s more punky, but not enough to really get me labelled. And I’ve never seen anyone dressed like me to the day.

In my opinion, we should just get rid of the labels and start actually looking at people! I know it sounds clichéd, it is, but it’s gonna keep on being said until people start to actually listen to it!

As always though, this is just my opinion. Everyone’s entitled, so as your question, the ever simple
 “What is yours?

HotB

NB: None of the stereotypes here on race or religion reflect my opinions; I have no prejudice against anyone and am fully openminded to everyone as an individual.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Why I LOVE body art...and why I dislike tattoos.

Hey Guys,

As you miiiiight just have guessed from the title, I loooooooooove body art. I'm always drawing on myself with whatever's closest to hand - Henna, biros, sharpies, india ink...I love being able to just randomly display pictures of whatever image comes into my head, or show off quotes I'm obsessed with - Yes, it was me that wrote "Make Love Not War" in about 21 different places all over my body XD It's a form of expression for me.
That's not to say I love tattoos though.

Yes, they look AWESOME when you first get them done...as long as it's not in a state of blind drunkenness, with a dodgy-looking guy inking the name of a random person you met in a bar less than an hour ago and immediately decided was your soulmate.
But seriously, they look awful after a while. Sagging, faded ink pictures permanently blotched into your skin are NOT particularly attractive.

And then there's the permanence of them. When you're trying to raise kids of your own,  tattoos screaming obscure references to bands you can barely even remember the genre of - let alone the title of their biggest hit - or huge full-body works depicting your two-month gothic phase, all the way from grinning, worm eaten zombies to bloodstained, chain-covered coffins, aren't the best way to set a good example.

And then there's the slight problem you get when your teenage gang and you decide to get identical skulls tattooed across your face, to show that you're the most feared, powerful gang out there.
Yeah...good luck trying to get a job with that.

So, in my humble opinion, of which there seems to be no shortage :P, non permanent body art is the way to go XD I love having the freedom to change my designs (At the moment I have a henna-and-sharpie heart tattooed on my wrist, and an india-ink cross on my leg)
Plus, they're heaps cheaper XD

So my question is probably blindingly obvious :P What are your opinions on tattoos/body art?


HotB

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Man Flu...Does it really exist??

Well, I've been ill for the past week, and if I was a guy, I would have man flu. I'm a girl, so that must mean I actually am dying...

But what is the deal with man flu? Is it actually a real thing (Watch here as all the guys swear "yes!" and all the girls roll their eyes and go "Yeah, whatever") On seeing my status on fb (see opening sentance) one of my friends (a guy, funnily enough) messaged me with 
"Oh, thats a shame, but seriously you have no idea how painful man flu is :P"

Aren't guys meant to be the big fearless tough ones (yes I know it's stereotypical and sexist, I'm just airing popular opinion here, don't kill me), but yet they fall at the first stirrings of a cold, which develops into the feared, deadly MAN FLU.

Man flu, for those who don't understand, is defined, by the ever-dependable urban dictionary, as:
"The condition shared by all males wherein a common illness (usually a mild cold) is presented by the patient as life-threatening. This is also known as 'Fishing for Sympathy' or 'Chronic Exaggeration'. When the patient is your boyfriend, he will exhibit the standard symptoms (such as an overwhelming desire for compassion) while simultaneously rejecting any and all efforts you make to placate him" 

An example might be:
You: Awww, you poor guy. 
Him: I'm DYING! 
You: (Soothingly) Oh, you're not dying. 
Him: (Indignant) I AM! I have Man Flu! 
You: Do you need some sympathy? 
Him: Yes! But no one understands my pain... 
You: I understa- 
Him: NO YOU DO NOT!!!

Most woman seem to look upon this with more than mild scepticism and men with indignant belief.
Soo, the QOTD (Question of the day):
Do you believe that man flu is a real illness, and if so, have you ever suffered from it? 
(If you believe it and are a girl, please say as I've yet to meet one :P)

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Money Issues...

How scary is it that I earned more money during an hour of busking than the minimum hourly wage?

Three times as much, to be exact. Yes, I was lucky enough to get about $16.50 in just under an hour, as opposed to the 
$5 McDonalds or other fast-food joint pay.

I don't know...something seems not quite right about that. I mean, I'm not complaining, never being one to throw back money and say "Hey! You shouldn't be giving that to me, it belongs to the vastly underpaid masses"

But still, something to think about...

My question
Do you think there's something wrong with the fact a singer on the street can earn more per hour than a full-working person? Or is it just a case of "A job is a job is a job", and people should just take what comes their way?

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Pride, Eggs and Luck...or my lack of it.

Meh. Did you know it's impossible - or at least very, very hard - to break a raw egg by squeezing the two ends together?
Go on, bet your sibling/best friend/closest rich person that they can't do it. I pretty much guarantee you'll be walking away with the money.

Unfortunately, I learnt this the hard way 
- not only losing the bet and my last $5 note, but losing it to my brother six years my junior. *sigh* Well, pride goes before a fall I guess. That's the last time I assume I always know better than he does - at least, when my money is involved.

Which led me to look at my pride...and then, my luck. It's true, I have really, really bad luck. It's weird. It's the sort of sneaky bad luck that hits me right after tricking me into thinking I have good luck...like when I got to the last round of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire with my 50/50 lifeline left, used it, deliberated over the two possible answers for a while, decided I had NO idea, made a random guess...and lost it all. Granted, it was only an online version, and I wouldn't have actually lost any money, but the principle remains the same. It's just that sort of luck.

And I know I have it, but the amazing feeling I have when I keep guessing right sort of makes me wonder if I haven't finally stored up enough Karma to get rid of it, to turn it all around, to...oh. Lose. Again.

Ah, well. At least I've lost enough to put me off ever gambling. That can only be a good thing, right?
Anyways, I'm going to pose you all with a question at the end of each blog post, as a good friend of mine does with his vlogging (video blogging)

Ok, and this week....*drum roll*...What is the unluckiest OR the luckiest thing that has ever happened to you? There.
You can't say I don't give you choice.

Enjoy guys, and it only takes two minutes to remember and post your answer, so please do. It makes me feel so very appreciated. :)

HotB

Thursday, August 26, 2010

First blog posts, bunnies and MY idea of readable writing.

Ok, my first ever blog entry, thought into existence while commenting on someone else's blog, and deciding to make my comment into an entry. So, here goes...*drum roll*

Sigh.
I find it damn near impossible to write about happy stuff. Turmoil, depression, conflict ect always seem to be more real and interesting both to read and write, and really, who wants to hear about 
fluffy little bunnies making fwends in sunny, beautiful meadows and living in harmony with the other animals, pools of clear, unpolluted water to drink from and an abundance of sweet, pesticide-free lettuce kindly laid out by the friendly farmer who exists only to make sure no one goes hungry? 

Not me.

I like interesting situations where you actually don't know if it's going to work out all right in the end, and you start actually worrying about your favourite character because the plot isn't all predictable, safe and happy, and you know there's a good chance that the troubled, disturbed yet still endearing (because of his flaws!) will lose the girl, end up on the run because no one believed he wasn't the murderer, or (Shock! Horror!) die!

Just my opinion, though. No offence intended to the writers of "Fluffy's Fwends: A Bunny's Tale of Sunny Days and Flowers"