"I'm on a seafood diet. I see food, I eat it." (anonymous)
My dear friends, this is my new motto in life! :D
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
In which there are good news, nervousness, and then some more nervousness
The last couple of days have been a whirlwind of surprises, nervousness, and busy hours.
I got an important phone call last week. I was almost shocked. It made me happy--for a minute. Then I realized that with that happiness came something else: nervousness laced with a tinge of fear.
After that, I've spent my days and nights worrying and training my brain so it can do something extraordinary tomorrow: get me a job. Not any job, but the job.
Every now and then, I seem to get these amazing opportunities. Thus far, I've failed in successfully grabbing them. More often than not, I blamed my abilities--and to an extent, maybe my skills were not what some people were looking for, or simply, they just weren't enough. But then, I found someone saying that maybe it wasn't my skills. Instead, it could have been the way I was approaching these opportunities--that is, what I'm doing or I'm not doing to achieve what I want.
So tomorrow, I'm going to my written evaluation with the knowledge that either I have it or I don't have it. That while I can use the excuse that I haven't been trained for certain things, I should at least be able to use my common sense and logical mind and solve what I'm supposed to solve.
I hope I can pass this first hurdle. After that, I'll have two or three more to come.
*crossing fingers*
I got an important phone call last week. I was almost shocked. It made me happy--for a minute. Then I realized that with that happiness came something else: nervousness laced with a tinge of fear.
After that, I've spent my days and nights worrying and training my brain so it can do something extraordinary tomorrow: get me a job. Not any job, but the job.
Every now and then, I seem to get these amazing opportunities. Thus far, I've failed in successfully grabbing them. More often than not, I blamed my abilities--and to an extent, maybe my skills were not what some people were looking for, or simply, they just weren't enough. But then, I found someone saying that maybe it wasn't my skills. Instead, it could have been the way I was approaching these opportunities--that is, what I'm doing or I'm not doing to achieve what I want.
So tomorrow, I'm going to my written evaluation with the knowledge that either I have it or I don't have it. That while I can use the excuse that I haven't been trained for certain things, I should at least be able to use my common sense and logical mind and solve what I'm supposed to solve.
I hope I can pass this first hurdle. After that, I'll have two or three more to come.
*crossing fingers*
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
In which she ponders about femininity, or being girly, or she should go to bed...
Yesterday I chopped my hair off--about 15 or 20 cms. I hadn't cut it for almost a year and half and it was time. I've never grown my hair longer than my mid-back. I've tried; I even had bets with my sister but nothing has dissuaded me from cutting it at some point. Long hair is not for me. It may look pretty for some people, and it is, but to me, it's a hassle to have it long.
In any case, my mother was the chopper and she mentioned something I usually hear: long hair highlights your femininity.
But how about men who have long hair? Should I start asking the stereotypical biker with long hair if he feels more feminine by having it that way?
Society tells you that a woman with long hair is more feminine. It's makes you pretty, beautiful even--and don't even doubt it if you have gorgeous hair. Women with short hair, on the other hand, are more masculine or manly. I remember when, once, I had "boy short" hair. Even the name implies it: "boy short." People would ask me why I wanted to have it short, to look like a guy? I would reply that I didn't want to look like a boy, that I loved having hair short. Why is it so bizarre?
People seem to accept some unspoken rules about how and what styles women and men should choose in order to look more, well, womanly or manly. The interesting thing is that the idea only applies to a sex specifically and never to both--at least with long hair. Imagine if a biker with long hair is called girly while he wears the quintessential leather jacket and boots, and shows off his bad-ass tattoos. More interestingly is that a woman can have short hair but is called and/or considered manly more times than a guy with long hair could be called girly. Now, by saying that wearing leather jacket and boots and having bad-ass tattoos is also manly I'm falling into that trap of assigning a specific image for a specific sex.
So are we so unconsciously biased, trained to believe that one sex should look one way but not the other? I'm not an expert in women studies, feminists and masculinity theories but I'm honestly curious about this kind of divisions.
This reminds me of my senior year thesis about the erotic, the male and female gaze; how a more sexually oriented gaze was considered "male" and how it would more often than not be attributed to men. I can't recall authors names or theories, but I remember arguing that whether it was man or woman, both could have and view things with what's defined as the "male gaze." To me, it was almost ridiculous to create these differences but I suppose this concept was created by--and wait for it--feminists who felt objectified in and by the media (mainly). In a way it was a way to protest against disrespectful and possibly humiliating ideas about women.
While I'm not flat out negatively criticizing the concept, I'm also not thrilled. I feel that many women have, in their quest to make themselves heard and respected, highlighted even more the idea that there are marked differences between male and female, woman and man--in they way they should behave, dress, carry themselves in society. By attributing a "name" to a concept and defined it as to mostly belonging to specific "sex" has created more divisions among us.
Why can't a "male gaze" be called a more sexual view of things and a short hair cut just that, a short hair cut--not a "boy short" cut?
As Borges once said, it seems that we love to over-emphasize our differences and forget to pay more attention to our affinities, the points that joins us. Perhaps if we did more of the latter, we would be able to understand each other better--whether one is woman or man, black or white, etc. Take your pick.
In any case, my mother was the chopper and she mentioned something I usually hear: long hair highlights your femininity.
But how about men who have long hair? Should I start asking the stereotypical biker with long hair if he feels more feminine by having it that way?
Society tells you that a woman with long hair is more feminine. It's makes you pretty, beautiful even--and don't even doubt it if you have gorgeous hair. Women with short hair, on the other hand, are more masculine or manly. I remember when, once, I had "boy short" hair. Even the name implies it: "boy short." People would ask me why I wanted to have it short, to look like a guy? I would reply that I didn't want to look like a boy, that I loved having hair short. Why is it so bizarre?
People seem to accept some unspoken rules about how and what styles women and men should choose in order to look more, well, womanly or manly. The interesting thing is that the idea only applies to a sex specifically and never to both--at least with long hair. Imagine if a biker with long hair is called girly while he wears the quintessential leather jacket and boots, and shows off his bad-ass tattoos. More interestingly is that a woman can have short hair but is called and/or considered manly more times than a guy with long hair could be called girly. Now, by saying that wearing leather jacket and boots and having bad-ass tattoos is also manly I'm falling into that trap of assigning a specific image for a specific sex.
So are we so unconsciously biased, trained to believe that one sex should look one way but not the other? I'm not an expert in women studies, feminists and masculinity theories but I'm honestly curious about this kind of divisions.
This reminds me of my senior year thesis about the erotic, the male and female gaze; how a more sexually oriented gaze was considered "male" and how it would more often than not be attributed to men. I can't recall authors names or theories, but I remember arguing that whether it was man or woman, both could have and view things with what's defined as the "male gaze." To me, it was almost ridiculous to create these differences but I suppose this concept was created by--and wait for it--feminists who felt objectified in and by the media (mainly). In a way it was a way to protest against disrespectful and possibly humiliating ideas about women.
While I'm not flat out negatively criticizing the concept, I'm also not thrilled. I feel that many women have, in their quest to make themselves heard and respected, highlighted even more the idea that there are marked differences between male and female, woman and man--in they way they should behave, dress, carry themselves in society. By attributing a "name" to a concept and defined it as to mostly belonging to specific "sex" has created more divisions among us.
Why can't a "male gaze" be called a more sexual view of things and a short hair cut just that, a short hair cut--not a "boy short" cut?
As Borges once said, it seems that we love to over-emphasize our differences and forget to pay more attention to our affinities, the points that joins us. Perhaps if we did more of the latter, we would be able to understand each other better--whether one is woman or man, black or white, etc. Take your pick.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Good-bye democracy?
Sunday was a tragic day for my country.
We're in the process of presidential elections and unfortunately, the two candidates who are going to second round are, as Nobel Prize Vargas Llosa put it, the cancer and AIDS of our country. One is the daughter of a former dictator and the other one, a declared Chavez disciple.
A lot of young people are terrified and are planning to boycott the second round by nullifying the votes. That way, if null votes reach 50%, then new elections will be called.
However, the fact that these two candidates came out "victorious" is a sign that those who have been ignored by government upon government don't want the status quo anymore. They want a voice and the benefits of the economic boom the country has been enjoying in the last decade. They're the majority in the country--a majority that unfortunately, is also easily persuaded by the so called populist rhetoric.
Now I only hope for the best. This is the first time when people really went out of their way to choose whom they wanted to choose. Pity that the more moderate (and in some instances better prepared) candidates began a dirty war among them and in the end, caused their own defeat.
I don't want terrorism to come back nor I want a dictatorship that will destroy all the development we were able to achieve after years of military coups and corruption.
Let's fight for our future and for the defense of our rights.
We're in the process of presidential elections and unfortunately, the two candidates who are going to second round are, as Nobel Prize Vargas Llosa put it, the cancer and AIDS of our country. One is the daughter of a former dictator and the other one, a declared Chavez disciple.
A lot of young people are terrified and are planning to boycott the second round by nullifying the votes. That way, if null votes reach 50%, then new elections will be called.
However, the fact that these two candidates came out "victorious" is a sign that those who have been ignored by government upon government don't want the status quo anymore. They want a voice and the benefits of the economic boom the country has been enjoying in the last decade. They're the majority in the country--a majority that unfortunately, is also easily persuaded by the so called populist rhetoric.
Now I only hope for the best. This is the first time when people really went out of their way to choose whom they wanted to choose. Pity that the more moderate (and in some instances better prepared) candidates began a dirty war among them and in the end, caused their own defeat.
I don't want terrorism to come back nor I want a dictatorship that will destroy all the development we were able to achieve after years of military coups and corruption.
Let's fight for our future and for the defense of our rights.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I think I'm an expert on plans made of fail.
I was supposed to send the application package at the end of November. It's the end of November and am still collecting some documents. Lovely. My new goal is to have stuff sent before Christmas. Let's see how that works out.
Also, happy belated Halloween and Thanksgiving. I can't believe how time has flied.
I was supposed to send the application package at the end of November. It's the end of November and am still collecting some documents. Lovely. My new goal is to have stuff sent before Christmas. Let's see how that works out.
Also, happy belated Halloween and Thanksgiving. I can't believe how time has flied.
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