Cooking and conversations
Jul. 25th, 2007 02:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
erratioI didn't expect it, but I'm finding cooking to be strangely satisfying. At home I would never cook, or at most heat up or shallow fry something that had already been prepared for me. But last week I made stir fry, cooking the meat and vegies myself, and there's just something about being self-sufficient which pretty much outweighs all the hassle I always associated with the activity. This afternoon I'm making another stir fry to use up the rest of the vegetables in the fridge, after that I'll see what we have left in the fridge and start thinking about what to make next. Yup, I've got the bug :)
Then there are the covnersations.
One of my coworkers watched some YouTubes about the 9/11 conspiracy theories, and became unsure about whether they were true or not. In the ensuing discussion I mentioned in passing that conspiracy theories are fairly common, just look at all that stuff about how the moon landing was faked. So of course he comes in the next day we were working together and tells me about how he looked up the moon landing conspiracy stuff and is now unsure about that too.
On the one hand, I'm sort of horrified that I work with people who could believe this sort of stuff. But on the other hand it does make me wonder about my own upbringing, that I've been so immersed in the mainstream Western point of view that I dismiss all this stuff without even thinking about it. Those guys are fringe lunatics, of course they're wrong. Unlike my coworker, I haven't bothered reading or watching any of the 'evidence'. I just accepted the status quo. And that's a little bit alarming to me.
Then there was the other coworker I was arguing with this morning about gender stereotypes. He'd been complaining about one of our mutual coworkers and ended by comparing this guy's style of talking to a girl, because he was pestering him for juicy details. And by doing so he pushed the button on one of the few things that will get me really riled up, namely the whole gender equality/stereotyping thing. He could accept that saying that all Jews are stingy or all Indians are smelly is definitely a racist thing to say but couldn't accept that there was any similarity between those and saying that all women are fragile. The difference he cited was that one is just being racist while the other is proven scientifically... I'm not even gonna bother commenting on that one anymore.
And then there was the conversation I had with Zhe about why I'm almost a Luddite when it comes to taking up new technology. The main thing that came up was that it's an issue of cluttering up one's life. All my friends who've gotten cars and/or laptops have quickly found those things to be indispensable, which then leads to going to all sorts of measures to ensure that this now-all-important device can be used all the time. Any hassle associated with owning one quickly becomes invisible to the owner in the face of the device's usefulness. But as a have-not I can definitely see the hassle involved. To me a laptop means having to lug around an extra 2kg and constantly worry about it being stolen or damaged. Not to mention constantly being on the lookout for a powerpoint because it's not the sort of thing you can forget to charge for a day or two, like a mobile. The associated benefits of having a laptop are pretty good but I'm still not sure I can be bothered complicating my life with one, especially as everyone seems to become dependent on it surely after getting one. And it's much the same for the car. Most car owners become ridiculously dependent on the convenience to the point where they'll often refuse point blank to use public transport if they can possibly help it. Having a car means paying large amounts of money for the privilege of worrying constantly about bookings/accidents/damage. Of course it also means being able to go from point A to point B a lot more efficiently most of the time and at any time of day, but once again I'm not really sure it's worth the extra clutter in my life. *shrug*
I'm sure there are lots of my friends who'll read this and think it's a stupid attitude, but.. I really do prefer not being dependent on half a million things just to feel as though I have a good quality of life. I can totally see myself becoming a hermit one day, the kind who spends their days meditating and stuff...
Then there are the covnersations.
One of my coworkers watched some YouTubes about the 9/11 conspiracy theories, and became unsure about whether they were true or not. In the ensuing discussion I mentioned in passing that conspiracy theories are fairly common, just look at all that stuff about how the moon landing was faked. So of course he comes in the next day we were working together and tells me about how he looked up the moon landing conspiracy stuff and is now unsure about that too.
On the one hand, I'm sort of horrified that I work with people who could believe this sort of stuff. But on the other hand it does make me wonder about my own upbringing, that I've been so immersed in the mainstream Western point of view that I dismiss all this stuff without even thinking about it. Those guys are fringe lunatics, of course they're wrong. Unlike my coworker, I haven't bothered reading or watching any of the 'evidence'. I just accepted the status quo. And that's a little bit alarming to me.
Then there was the other coworker I was arguing with this morning about gender stereotypes. He'd been complaining about one of our mutual coworkers and ended by comparing this guy's style of talking to a girl, because he was pestering him for juicy details. And by doing so he pushed the button on one of the few things that will get me really riled up, namely the whole gender equality/stereotyping thing. He could accept that saying that all Jews are stingy or all Indians are smelly is definitely a racist thing to say but couldn't accept that there was any similarity between those and saying that all women are fragile. The difference he cited was that one is just being racist while the other is proven scientifically... I'm not even gonna bother commenting on that one anymore.
And then there was the conversation I had with Zhe about why I'm almost a Luddite when it comes to taking up new technology. The main thing that came up was that it's an issue of cluttering up one's life. All my friends who've gotten cars and/or laptops have quickly found those things to be indispensable, which then leads to going to all sorts of measures to ensure that this now-all-important device can be used all the time. Any hassle associated with owning one quickly becomes invisible to the owner in the face of the device's usefulness. But as a have-not I can definitely see the hassle involved. To me a laptop means having to lug around an extra 2kg and constantly worry about it being stolen or damaged. Not to mention constantly being on the lookout for a powerpoint because it's not the sort of thing you can forget to charge for a day or two, like a mobile. The associated benefits of having a laptop are pretty good but I'm still not sure I can be bothered complicating my life with one, especially as everyone seems to become dependent on it surely after getting one. And it's much the same for the car. Most car owners become ridiculously dependent on the convenience to the point where they'll often refuse point blank to use public transport if they can possibly help it. Having a car means paying large amounts of money for the privilege of worrying constantly about bookings/accidents/damage. Of course it also means being able to go from point A to point B a lot more efficiently most of the time and at any time of day, but once again I'm not really sure it's worth the extra clutter in my life. *shrug*
I'm sure there are lots of my friends who'll read this and think it's a stupid attitude, but.. I really do prefer not being dependent on half a million things just to feel as though I have a good quality of life. I can totally see myself becoming a hermit one day, the kind who spends their days meditating and stuff...
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no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 04:04 pm (UTC)As for damage, well I just keep it in an STM bag and I carry that around in just a normal light backpack, no other padding or anything and I sometimes just forget about it in there, especially when I get home. In fact, it hasn't left my bag since I dumped it on the floor in my room two days ago.
I do agree on the powerpoint issue and the 2kg though but for me, that 2kg (or 1.45kg) is all I carry in my bag as it has replaced lecture notes, notepads, folders, etc. Powerpoint issue on the other hand does have me considering when I should turn on my laptop and when my next charging opportunity is.
Also agree on the car thing, cause the sums of money involved there can get ridiculous.
I suppose I'm in the pro-laptop camp but I'm not obsessed with having to use it at uni. If I need to, I use it, if I don't, then it can stay in the bag. On Tuesday the only time I turned it on was when I was with you and Hein and Danny and checked when the HCI lecture was.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-25 04:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-26 04:57 pm (UTC)i think despite the "cons" there are more pros. for you i suppose carrying it around would make a huge difference since you don't carry ANYTHING at all currently. for me, i already carried around a backpack with stuff in it, i never really noticed the weight until i've had to bring it in on the crutches. buy a mac and you won't have to worry about the whole powerpoint thing *much* coz i tend to find the battery life is really good. mine only started dying in the past month when i've been treating it really badly. i don't think the hassles become invisible. i just think they're not as bad as you think they are. i don't think it's a dependence thing, perhaps it's more of a convenience thing. i could easily run up the labs as well but why should i when i have my laptop with me? i mean, i've paid for it, i've lugged it to uni, it has everything i could possibly want on it, i'm less likely to email myself the wrong assignment files coz i'll have it all that, i can watch movies on the train AND i can internet in bed or whilst watching tv. i'm not completely dependent on my laptop, if i dont have it with me i dont fall in to pieces and can in fact go for lengthy periods of time without touching it... i don't think people have the same "dependency" on laptops as they do on say... mobile phones.
cars:
yes, expensive but oh so convenient. i can travel around late at night without either having to fork out heaps for a taxi or worry about my safety on and as i wait for public transport. in fact, i can get home in 40mins with a car whereas it would take 1.5hrs by train, up to 2 if it's that late at night. i know there's people who refuse to say, bus it to the city when they could just drive but i think you're thinking of the extreme case. most people who own cars/drive frequently do see the benefits in public transport, they just have other options available that are much more convenient. it also means not having to rely on other people for lifts. something which i don't like having to do. it means that you can randomly go on road trips. i mean honestly, i've been able to drive with frequent access to a car for 2 and a half years and during that entire time during session, i've used my yellow weekly travelpass to within an inch of its life every week. honestly number 2, if i had a small car, i would drive to uni every day because fuel consumption would be comparable to buying a weekly with the added bonus of being able to come and go when i please and at any time with no waiting idly around. sure i'd have insurance to pay and i'd have to actualy have bought the car, but once i've already done that, why not use it if the weekly cost is comparable to what i'm already paying with added convenience?
no subject
Date: 2007-07-27 02:37 am (UTC)The main benefit of having a laptop for me would be that I could hang out with you guys rather than having to borrow someone else's laptop if I want to hang with you guys and do computer stuff at the same time. Oh and during heavy assignment periods I would have the option of working somewhere outside a lab (honestly I would prefer the lab cos I like working at desks and during heavy assignment periods the laptop lab desks are usually as equally crowded as the labs)
Also I know we can talk at eachother all day and still not convince eachother about this :p
no subject
Date: 2007-08-29 01:18 pm (UTC)