Genetics and Bowel Movements

Fact: I find the movie The Human Centipede to be the most disturbing film, ever (So disturbing, it deserves to be hidden with white font.) (So disturbing, I haven't even watched it yet). Seriously, worse than Saw and other psychopath movies.

I am a very lucky person. I have been blessed with many, many, many good genes (Although I may be a little 'under-blessed' in several other areas, but I shouldn't be too greedy.) (This makes for a good blog post, but I'll save it for next time.) (I like love typing in parentheses.). However, one issue I have is on bowel movements.

My bowels seem to have this automated system of which I have NO control over: each time I travel (and thus, having limited or uncontrolled access to a toilet), my bowels go on a survival mode and holds more harmful material which should be released. It is useful some of the time, but during the majority it's a pain in the ass (both literally and metaphorically). My bladder doesn't work that way though.

Must start eating more roughage. Or maybe take up belly dancing to move the bowels like a cocktail shaker. Or perform regular morning enem** ARGH STUPID IMAGINATION!

Meh.

Just Sitting Down Isn't Enough Too

I have a non-adjustable piano bench, so I tried stacking books on the bench to find the optimal height for myself. 

Suddenly I use less energy to play tougher pieces and my hands/wrists/forearms get tired slower. Comes to show how positioning makes a massive difference.

Yea, today is a short one. Gonna go swimming after a long break!

Meh.

Pressing The Right Keys Isn't Enough

I'm currently learning Ravel's Tocatta from Le Tombeau de Couperin, his collection of piano pieces dedicated to close friends that have died in the war. If you want to listen to the end product (although I doubt many of you will want to) you can find a nice rendition here. I'm only at the first quarter, and going at it at a very slow pace.

I noticed one thing wrong with my learning: I had very awkward fingerings for many of the phrases in the piece. Sometimes they are acceptable and customizable to each person's preference, but this piece's original tempo is a killer without proper fingering. This led me to think about how bad habits are instilled to begin with. (And I'm fortunate, for I haven't gone too far in the piece yet, or committed much of the piece to mechanical memory, which is by far the worst type of conditioning.)

Bad habits rarely die, even with much effort.

Good habits work the same way too. So that's a plus.

The trick is simple: "Don't gain bad habits."

Execution is a little trickier, for many people only notice the habits once it becomes a part of their lives. Or once their friends notice it and dares to tell them about it.

This doesn't only apply to general behavior, but thoughts, feelings, and yes, relationships.

Bad habits are done without yourself realizing about it. So, the best way of ridding yourself of it it to be conscious all the time. But that doesn't happen unless you have plenty of free time to commit or if you have electrodes that shock you whenever you perform the bad habit.

Another method is to replace it with another good habit. Must as well kill two birds with one stone.

In all, be aware of your own issues. Or ask a friends to kick you in your balls/ovaries for a taste of reality. Well, metaphorically of course.

Back to the old drawing board. Or piano, more like.

Meh.

It Takes Two To Clap

I'm tired of putting my hand out waiting for a clap, but I know that if I don't, I never will be prepared when someone wants to hit it.


The only reason I put my hand up is because I do not see others putting their up to me.


But, I don't want people to put their hand up just because they know I'm waiting for it. 


It's only a clap, I'm not even asking for a buddy handshake.


Sometimes, I think others have the wrong impression of me. Maybe they have other hands to clap. But would it hurt to clap one more?


Meh.


Edit: By clap, I mean a high five. But it didn't sound right in writing.

...

Fact: I hated how the post turned out, so back to the old drawing board.

I'm tired of taking the active role to keep my friendships alive, but I know that if I stop, the friendship might die off.

The only reason I'm taking the active role is because no one else is.

But I don't want others to take the active role just because I'm doing it all the time.

It's only to say hi and to show concern, I'm not even asking you to disclose any secrets unwillingly.

Sometimes, I think others think I have some sort of a hidden agenda. Maybe they have more important friends than me. But would it hurt to say hi to one more?

Meh.


Edit: There I go, all out.

Baking Mammary Papilla

Have you ever gotten so sunburned that your nipples seem to turn another shade? Mine is somewhere between dark shades of Auburn and Wine.

Got?

Meh.

No Doubt - 1 : Band Hero - 0

The past four posts were, to great fault of my own, a little too much like a heavy lecture. On some of them, I have done some moderate research, purely to satisfy my own curiosity, but I guess it didn't turn out as readable as I expected. So, if you actually managed to even scan through things, I thank you profoundly. Another issue is that I use almost perfect English instead of the casual and forgivable error-ridden writings on many other blogs. I'm not trying to sound smart, I'm just used to writing like this. I do give myself a reprieve now and then though.

Moving on.

I have no idea why being some people have the perception that by being gay you have to like female powerhouses like Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey and Madonna. I, on the other hand, am a big fan of Miss Stefani and her awesome band No Doubt (Maybe she's on the list too, I seriously have no idea.). Here's one reason why (and trust me, this is not anywhere on the top of my list of her awesomeness):

Actually, you must as well read it yourself: GWEN STEFANI ANNOUNCES HELP FOR JAPAN RELIEF EFFORT

Done?

I'll give you a little more time.

Done, really?

Seriously, you are a fast reader (Or a slow one. Or a pure cheat. Seriously, I can't tell from over here.)

USD one million straight from her own personal reserves? Pure, unadulterated goodwill. Yes she still sells her merchandises but she's giving 100% of the profits away. And talking about being longsighted, the first thing she worries about is the children. Yes, she probably isn't the biggest donor, and not the only celebrity to do that. However, she puts her all in in what she believes in, where she finds her inspiration from, and who she finds to be closest to her heart.

She did come out with some singles which I hated at first but somehow worked into my head (Wind It Up especially, due to my love for the classic Julie Andrews version). I can't wait for No Doubt's sixth studio album.

Meh.

Edit: The post title is a play on her highly probable victory against the idiots defending Band Hero. Go Google about it or something. Somehow, I find this post to be shallow in content and thought. Sorry, but you I have to deal settle with for it as I'm taking the day off to go to the beach.

Sentience

Note: Most of the back-story of this post was during the times when I was still unsure about myself. Let's begin.

When I was in Form 2, a teacher asked the males in the classroom a simple question: "If you were given a choice between a beautiful girlfriend and an ugly girlfriend, who would you choose?" Everyone chose the beautiful one except me. They laughed back at me, but I wasn't hurt, I was still innocent then. Over the years, my close friends pestered me about this occurrence. They asked me a more accurate question, "With all other criterion such as personality and intelligence controlled for, with only physical beauty the changing variable, will you pick the beautiful girl or the ugly one?" It took me longer to answer, and I succumbed to the beautiful one. However, I retorted, "What's wrong with picking the ugly one?"

In retrospect, I am much impressed at what I did back then in that classroom of early pubescent teenagers. What I have already known about in my innocence, albeit not knowing about it, was more than just stupidity. It was sentience. It is what humans use to claim that they have a higher intelligence than any other known lifeforms. It is out ability to feel, to be self-aware and conscious of our surroundings. It is not just intelligence, but wisdom applied.

So, what's wrong with the whole picture? Many people who are already in a (healthy) relationship must admit: there are far better looking guys/girls who are smarter, more charming, and for the lack of a better term, a better mathematical fit compared to the person you are already with. Would you break up with your current partner just to go for the better match? Some people might say yes, but others will stay loyal. Fidelity is one of the many various elements of human sentience. It serves no survival value and retracts from the basic animalistic instincts to reproduce and be the fittest member to push the propagation of our species forward. It is basically, a concept under the bigger umbrellas of sentience: morality and ethics. There is no black and white in sentience, there's just shades of gray..

Gay relationships are a little different. Technically, they cannot propagate their own lineage by themselves. Does this factor change the equation? Not entirely. Although there are many in the gay scene who are in open relationships or have multiple sex buddies, there are still a hopeful bunch who are proud to be more than human. I can only hope that you are still together because of choice, not pity, not unreasoned loyalty.

Remember, the main element of sentience is the volition of absolute choice. We are not talking about the illusion of choice of which you think you were defaulted the permission to choose the better partner, but rather the ability to choose because you want to and because it makes you, you. There doesn't need to be a reason for everything. I quote Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory: "This is a classic example of a Münchausen-Trilemma: either the reason is predicated on a series of sub-reasons leading to an infinite regression, or it tracks back to axiomatic statements, or it’s ultimately circular, i.e., I’m moving out because I’m moving out."

Being able to stay in the gray areas, form our own preferences and perceptions instead of conforming to general stereotypes, as well as being random and illogical: these are all what gives us depth (of which I will blog about in a future post). Depth gives a relationship more than just plain meaning: it provides plenty of space to experiment with each other's emotions, experiences, thoughts and behaviors. Most importantly, depth gives us character, of which we cannot build on just shallow interests and traits.

So would you go out with the ugly guy/girl now? Dive deeper, you might be surprised.

Meh.

Edit: You just might find a pre-slim Kim Pil Sook (Dream High), Fatso (Love on a Diet), or any other equivalent.