Let Them Eat Cake!

 

It appears that our society is becoming a little… how do you say, backwards?  Recall that in the past, the rich were fat and the fat were rich.  Just think about King Louis VI of France… also known as King Louis “the fat.”  He was the king of France… of course he was fat.  That was then… and now… let’s take a moment to think about President Obama.  Obama is like modern day King Louis- man of power and owner of lots of moolah.  But…………… Obama isn’t fat.

In the olden days, having wide hips and manhandles were signs of wealth and power because the poor could not afford to eat… eat anything.  And so the poor people starved on the streets, fighting for crumbs of bread.  But royalty ate feasts almost every night, and in turn, all those calories went straight to the waistline (and hips for the ladies).  Sure we only have paintings of royalty in the past, but I’m betting that those paintings are pretty accurate.  With that said, the kings pretty much all had hefty beer bellies and the queens had waists and hips way larger than the rest of their body (enough to make them look sort of disproportionate).  Plus, all those naked paintings they used to paint show that these women, in fact, had rolls of fat jiggling underneath their poofy dresses and corsets.  Women today scream at a pinchable belly, but ladies in the past flaunted it.  I bet some ladies ate like beasts to show off their statuses.  But how nice it must have felt… to eat anything and everything- no critiques- and still be considered sexy.  The rounder shape on a woman also signified fertility, which was a plus for most wealthy men who wanted to carry on the family name (almost every man…).

Ok… but things have changed.  It is now the 21st century and there is in increase in demand for thinness.  Fat is a no no, and a slim figure is better.  In fact, the slimmer, the better.  The reason for this change is organic food.

Yup… a simple answer of organic food.

Organic food is expensive because it takes more effort to grow and make food naturally than to just add fatty oil and chemicals to create food.  Since organic food is expensive, only the wealthier portion of society can afford it.  And THIS makes the wealthy thinner these days.

The poor people can afford food nowadays, an upgrade from the French Revolution era when the poor could afford nothing but a crumb found in dirt.  Cheap quality food- also known as fast food- is very affordable now.  So the poor eat… but they eat trash every day, turning their bodies into a disposal for oils, fat, cancerous food chemicals, hormones, etc.  I mean, “you are what you eat,” right?

So we have a reversal in society.  The wealthy are getting thinner and the poor are getting fatter.  We are moving to the extremes of both ends.  On the fat end, there are people who are massively obese… to the point where they have to worry about not waking up from a nap and need wheelchairs to assist them in walking.  Let’s face it… this is very unhealthy.  On the skinny end, we have models sticking fingers and toothbrushes down their throats to force food back up and into the toilet bowl.  But let’s be clear that the food that is being forced up is organic greens…

And then we have some in-betweenies floating around- the people who are spending more on organic groceries but saving everywhere else in order to pay for the organic goods.  And finally we can’t forget the rich who can afford the organic groceries in addition to maintaining their health and fitness with physical trainers.

Wow… our society sure has a lot of divisions when it comes to food.

Read Full Post »

A Taste of the Periodic Table

I’m pretty sure most of the elements on the periodic table taste nasty- actually, most of the time, we shouldn’t even be tasting them in the first place.  But science these days does incorporate those elements into medical testing.  For example, barium is used in a barium swallow… which I unfortunately had to taste yesterday.  That stuff is nasty.

The exam was pretty miserable.  I mean… first, the radiology center that I always go to when I need some ray or scan done didn’t have the barium for the swallow.  Apparently, there is a nationwide barium shortage… and so I had to find a place that does have barium supply.  That place happened to be in the city, which didn’t turn out so bad because my parents go grocery shopping there anyway.  AND since the center was in the city, the work was more efficient due to the amount of patients.  Good good.

But when I went yesterday, as if the barium wasn’t bad enough… my robe had no string thing so I couldn’t tie my robe together.  I was grabbing my robe together for dear life just in case it flew apart.  I thought it was supposed to be like that… but then I saw other women with it tied together.  In the end, the technicians had to tape my robe together.  Out of all the robes… seriously???  I had to get the ropeless robe?? 😦

The swallow began and that was when the misery hit.  The first part of the test was swallowing barium sulfate/ sodium bicarbonate crystals.  It kind of tasted like a mix of bubbly soda and pop rocks.  The catch was that I couldn’t burp!  The point of the crystals was to produce gas, which is low in density, so that the X-rays could pass through easily.  But the gas really made me want to burp… but I had to hold it in.

The second part of the test was drinking this thick, chalky substance- thick barium sulfate- in multiple positions.  At one point, I faced my X-ray and I watched as the liquid passed through my esophagus- weird.  Ugh, the thick barium sulfate was the worst taste ever, worse than cherry flavored Tylenol.  I felt like throwing up, especially when I had to continuously drink the chalky substance.  But, again, I had to hold it in.  >_<

The third and final part of the exam was drinking a thinner version of the barium sulfate while lying down.  Only thing is… they didn’t warn me when they turned the machine from vertical to horizontal while I was still on it.  It wasn’t so fun with nasty, chalky substance gurgling in my tummy either.  I had to take sips of the barium sulfate, which just tasted like a liquid version of the bubbly soda/pop rock mix.

I hope I never have to do another barium swallow ever again.  After the exam, I kept burping and my stomach kept rumbling in dissatisfaction with the chalky substance.  I don’t think I ever burped so much in one morning.

I’ve learned my lesson.  I’m going to take better care of my health from now on… I don’t want to keep going back to the doctor’s and getting all of these wacky exams done.

Read Full Post »

The Asian Fetish: A Global Obsession and Objectification (Part 1 of 2)

The most common fetish is sexual fetishism- it is defined as an intense focus on an inanimate object or body part that creates arousal.  Examples of sexual fetishes include body piercings, feet, leather, hair, and shoes.  However, in recent years, a new fetish has developed in our society: the Asian fetish.  Asian is a race, an ethnicity, not an inanimate object or body part.  Yet, Asians have because a popular fetish among men and women of all ages.  Once a race, like African, Italian, Mexican, French, etc., but now a target of sexual objectification.

There is a debate on whether or not white men being attracted to Asian women is considered a “fetish” or a “preference.”  Some argue that the attraction to Asian women is just a man’s preference, similar to when men are attracted to blondes.  … But the thing is… race is not the same as hair color.  A race, an ethnicity, defines a part of who people are- it’s not just a simple classification.  The “preference” argument may be an excuse because men do not want to face the fact that they are sexually objectifying a specific race of women.  Asian women, compared to women of other races, are generally more petite, polite, soft-spoken, and obedient… but this is the Asian culture.  Also, Asian women in the modern world are changing and growing out of the stereotypical type.

Some white men are very outspoken and say that they are attracted to the exoticism of Asian women.  What it is exactly that attracts men to Asian women?  I honestly do not know- “exotic” can be defined in numerous ways and I’m not exactly sure what men mean when they say that Asian women are exotic.  Is it because Asian women mostly stick with Asian men making them harder to get?  Maybe.  Is it because Asian women are “submissive” to their men like slaves?  Maybe.  At some point, this conversation always starts to get awkward and weird… yet the yellow fever continues to grow.

So… white men have made their case- they think Asian women are beautiful, sexy, and exotic.  What do Asian women think?  Well, I think Asian women are split 50/50.  About half of the women love it because the men treat them better, they have more options, and they get a lot of attention.  The other half either don’t care or hate it.  Personally, I’ve never heard of any Asian women complain about the Asian fetish with a strong passion… but I have heard of women who simply don’t care.  I think it’s a case by case judgement.  I trust that there are some men out there with Asian fetishes who are a little bit overly obsessed and need someone to slap some sense into them… and that there are other men who just treat Asian women as they would treat any other women.  Is fetishizing Asian women a terrible thing in my opinion?  No- a little weird though.  The only aspect that balances this fetish is the fact that there are interracial relationships between Asian women and white men that have been successful and not based on the men having Asian fetishes.  It gets a little hard to distinguish nowadays because there is a pool of men interested in Asian women and some of those men have yellow fever while some of those men are genuinely attracted to Asian women as they are to any women of another race.  And it’s unfair to generalize in either direction…

Media has also contributed to the exoticism of Asian women.  Let’s face it- even in our globalized world today, Eastern and Western worlds are still very separate and distinct.  With that said, films, ads, and photos from the Eastern world are still fairly foreign and rare in the Western world, contributing to the mystery and exoticism of Asian women.  Even though Asian models, singers, and actresses are displayed in the media very “normally” (normally in the sense that other entertainers from the Western world would do similar things in the media), the fact that these women are Asian makes them different.  For example, the cuteness factor in Asia is seen differently by Westerners.  Women in Asia like to be cute- simple as that.  In Japan, many girls dress in costume for fun and cuteness-sake.  However, this depiction of women makes them a sexual fantasy object to Western men.  There is just a different context of “cosplay” and so Western men find this to be more sexual than Asians would.  Also, Asian women have photo shoots in bathing suits and even in regular clothes… but they are seen as more sexy and exotic because of the Asian body shape.  Such depictions of Asian women in the Asian market make it to the hands of Western men and ultimately lead to false impressions of Asian women… some of these incorrect impressions lead to fantasies and such.  And so I do think media has quite a bit of influence on the growing yellow fever.

No matter how many people voice the weirdness of this Asian fetish… white men seem to continue to pursue this… fetish… quite passionately too.  And the numbers are growing!  To be honest, I still do not really understand this obsession with Asian women.  About 2 months ago, I watched Debbie Lum’s Seeking Asian Female at the SD Asian Film Festival and received some insight from the director, Debbie, and Steven and Sandy, a real life “fetish couple,” as I like to put it.  Steven stated in the film that he wanted an Asian wife because he saw how happy his son was with his Asian wife and he wanted the same happy life… I… don’t really buy that answer.  I think he wanted something new and exciting in his life… and the new, exciting thing would be an Asian lady to play out his fantasies.  In fact, I’m sure most of the men who have yellow fever right now are just looking for something exciting in a relationship.  I hate to break it to these guys, but Asian women are just women.  We’re really no different than women of other races.  We have really polite and mannered girls AND we also have rude and obnoxious girls.  It is unfair to generalize all Asian women as petite, quiet, obedient, little women.  Another note is that we don’t all have exotic almond shaped eyes and long, straight black hair.  I understand that in a lot of guys’ minds, women with long, straight hair are so sexy and beautiful… but remember that it can be a terrifying thing too.  I’ve watched enough Asian horror movies to tell you that hair can be scary as hell!  Let me know if you find “The Ring” girl sexy and exotic… she’s Asian, has small eyes (kind of…), is petite, has long, straight black hair, and is very quiet!  Asian fetish lovers may also take an interest in Asami from Miike’s film, Audition.

Read Full Post »

Annual Chop

It is definitely time for me to change up my hairstyle.  My last haircut was around April of last year.  Because I will be heading off to college next year, I want to look different- ya know, start fresh, physically and mentally.  Now, I have this whole idea in my head about what type of haircut I want to get, but my parents would disown me if I dared.  It’s ok to share it here though- as long as I don’t actually go through with it, I’m fine.  So, the style that I would LOVE to have is the Key style.  It’s definitely a really short cut and kinda boyish, but I think it has pizazz.

In the picture to the right, you can kinda see how it looks from an aerial view.  I’m definitely digging the slanted bangs in the front.  The whole side-bang business is getting old for me, so this concept is fresh.  I really like how the front will slant so that the hair won’t completely poke into my eyes.  Another thing about the Key cut is the smoothness of the chop.  It’s like… perfectly snipped and angled.  If you think about it, the edges of his hair look so straight that they can be used as straight-edges on a math test or something.  Oh and of course, I adore the neon pink hair dye.  Though I wouldn’t quite agree on getting a huge chunk of my hair dyed this color, I would like strands of this color.  If you look at the photo below, the dye is actually in strands- the way I like it.  I’m not THAT bold to have the majority of my hair a neon color, but I think subtle hints of colors are cool. 

Fortunately for you, I have also found the ideal Key cut I would love to get.  It’s a combo of both of these pictures, but with slight differences.  Plus, I immediately fell in love with his hair.  It’s absolutely perfect- slanted bangs, a little unevenness for sass, thin streaks of neon colors, and a slight straight-edge.

 

 

I present you with…..

Obviously, my parents being… my parents, they would never let me look like this.  Especially since my mom would totally be against the dying the hair thing.  But you know what?  I wouldn’t really dye it… if I did get this style, I’d use extensions so that I could change up the streak colors every so often.  But, I’ve come to terms with what my parents think.  I totally understand their perspective- this style is definitely out there for me.  Knowing me, especially, this hair is wack. 😉

So, let’s move on to what I CAN do with my hair.  Well, it’s quite long now.  I considered having it grow out more and just getting a trim on the edges to rid my strands of split-ends.  Oh, and I would get bangs again, since they grew out.  What was originally my bangs… became hair that reaches my chin.  If I leave the length of my hair and fix it up a little at the salon, it’d look like this:

It’s pretty, sure.  But I’ve realized that long hair is a hassle.  It gets tangled, caught in things, etc.  AND, it tends to whip me in the face.  Especially since my hair gets thick really quickly, I find it difficult to style every morning for school.  If I tie it up, there are loose strands that tickle my neck and my face.  I’ve also had long, straight hair for quite a few years now.  In fact, the last time I did NOT have long, straight hair was back when I was 12 or 13.

After my long ramble, what I’m trying to say is that my next cut shall be different, but also acceptable and easy to deal with.  I already know what I will do with my hair- you can probably figure it out pretty quickly if you really think about it.  I’ll leave you to your imagination, but ya know what?  I’m pumped for my new style.  Hopefully, it’ll come out nice though… my hair is really going to be subject to the stylist.  So… the stylist better know what he/she is doing!  I’ve had horrible haircut mishaps in the past. –shivers– Until then, HWAITING!

Read Full Post »

Be Happy, Be Healthy

Today, I laughed until my stomach hurt.  I have not smiled and laughed so much in a period of two hours since early last year.  Despite the cramping feeling I had in my stomach, the laughter felt good.  Being with everyone again was nice… I guess that gave me a reason to smile.  And to talk, reminisce, and joke around with everyone reminded me of what laughter can do for me.

Today, I felt silly.  I haven’t had good down time with my friends in such a long time.  We cracked cheesy jokes, perverted jokes, awkward jokes… but it didn’t matter what kind of jokes they were… they were nonetheless, funny.  This is exactly why people need bonds and friendships- to have fun.

Today was a good day.  I walked through the halls feeling like I was on top of the world.  It appeared that everyone was smiling or waving at me.  I was tossing my smile left and right, my wave left and right.

Laughing is a good thing.  Many people overlook the importance of laughter, but it gives us energy and the will to carry on.  When you get the chance, laugh… laugh until you grasp for air, feel the muscles in your stomach twist.  After, you’ll feel like a new person, a healthier person, a happier person.

Read Full Post »

Lacking Sleep

Since the clock was turned forward 1 hr this past Sunday, I have been feeling absolutely horrible.  No matter how I adjust my sleep schedule, there is no positive result.  It’s a lose/lose situation for me.

In the morning, my mom wakes me up for school while I am still dreaming, I sleep in my classes, I sleep on the bus, and I am up until 11:00 PM doing homework (something I do not do daily… but it is turning into a daily routine).  Even though I’m sleeping in some of my classes and on the bus, I’m only half-sleeping because I still have to pay attention… the AP exams are coming up so I have to be somewhat alert… and I do not want to miss my bus stop (embarrassing?).  Then, once I am home, the time just flies by, even faster than it did before the clock turning.  Take today as an example… I came home and started my homework at around 3:30 PM.  I just finished my homework about fifteen minutes ago.  I really wonder, where does the time go?

In essence, what I am trying to say is that… well I’m not really saying.  Rather, I’m COMPLAINING that I want to sleep!  I think about how lovely it would be to have nap time in the middle of the day at school… but that’s just not going to happen, so why bother dreaming about something that’s absolutely impossible.  -_-

I wish AP Exams were finished and school was finished with… because then, I’d have time to just sleep and relax.  I’m not a lazy person, I just want some time to breathe.  And I’m not so hot about getting up super early in the morning to go to some place I do not even want to be.  I would love to wake up at 8:00 AM and be able to roll around under my warm blanket… perhaps I would get up, perhaps I would roll back to sleep.  Who knows?

Any who, do not follow my lead.  Get sleep.  It feels good.  You definitely do not want to experience the feeling of lacking sleep; it’s painful to have to pry your own eyes open and feel like you’re drunkenly staggering to places throughout the day.

Read Full Post »

A Beautiful Disaster

After watching 아름답다 Beautiful (2008) and 富江 Tomie (1999), I wonder if there really exists beauty so powerful that it is a curse rather than a gift.

In “Beautiful,” a young woman is so beautiful that her looks draw unwanted attention from men and make women jealous.  Her beauty eventually leads her to be raped by one of her stalkers.  Violated and traumatized by the attack, she binges on food in hopes of becoming fat and then starves herself making her unattractively thin.  Similarly, “Tomie” tells the story of a high-school girl who is the living embodiment of lust.  She possesses the power to make people fall in love with her and emotionally manipulates men into brutal acts of violence.  And get this… men AND women are driven into jealous rages over her.

Now, society has always glamorized beauty since the birth of time.  Being beautiful is almost everyone’s priority… obsession… There are girls out there who dream of looking sexy and charming and to accomplish that dream, they starve themselves.  But let’s backtrack for a moment and consider what’s beautiful.  To society, being beautiful means being thin, tall, having long legs, a natural tan, long flowing hair, a clear complexion, etc.  Doesn’t the “perfection” of all of this creep you out, just a little bit?  As I ponder more and more about “beauty,” there is something eery about the whole idea.  Beauty is something that is so powerful that it can control people… and clearly, the damn thing is just a concept.

I have never really thought about beauty as a negative aspect of a person.  But I have come to see that beauty can be very scary.  My question is, does this sort of evil beauty really exist?  Beauty can get to the level that is demonstrated in “Beautiful” and “Tomie,” but is such a horror really existent in our society?

To date, I have not come across anyone so stunning that men and women are driven crazy and into jealous rages.  Can we really imagine such a beauty among us?  Being beautiful has always been seen as a virtue so it’s hard to imagine that anyone “blessed” with it would complain.  But seeing what beauty did to the woman in “Beautiful” is terrible.  Women were jealous of her looks and her charm that stole their men’s hearts.  On the other hand, men could not get enough of her… to the point of stalking her and raping her.  Looking beautiful is one thing, but having it control your life and toss you in an emotional roller coaster is another.  As for Tomie, she is so beautiful that she is able to use her looks to manipulate men into committing acts of horrifying violence and making men fight  (and kill) each other for her.

Essentially, what I am trying to say is that beauty is overrated and that it is not as glamourous as it appears.  Like everything else in this society, beauty has a downside, aka an evil side.  Being charming and sexy is something to look out for… it has the power to eat away at our lives and turn us into beasts.  Usually, people overlook the power of beauty.  We think that only our natural instincts for survival can bring out our inner beast.  It is important to note that beauty can have the same effect on us.

“Beauty is a wild rose, mysterious and charming, but willing to draw blood in its defense.”

Read Full Post »

The One Sickness a Doctor Cannot Cure

Love is one of the greatest emotions a person can experience.  Yet, it is also one of the worst emotions a person can suffer.

Take “The Peony Pavilion” as an example.  In its simplest outline, the opera is about a girl who is arranged to be married.  However, one night, she meets the love of her life in her dreams.  Her feeling of love for that man that she cannot be with overpowers her mind, and leads her to starvation.  Eventually, she dies.  Of course there is more to the story, but I cannot spoil everything here!  In fact… yesterday, I finished a book called Peony in Love by Lisa See.  The book parallels the opera, and with that said, I became fascinated with this disease known as “love sickness.”  Indeed, I had never heard of anything called “love sickness” before.  With more research, I had found that it is one of the more debatable terms in medicine.  What I mean is that some doctors do not consider “love sickness” an illness.  Others, on the other hand, feel that it is a mysterious kind of illness that is very powerful.  Aside from such disagreement and debate, I have found love sickness quite an interesting subject.  “The Peony Pavilion” was known to have harmed many young girls as they idolized Du Liniang and followed her footsteps in finding their way to true love and happiness.  So many centuries ago, and love sickness was a problem.  Is it still a problem today?

Today, love sickness is widely considered a non-medical term that describes the physical and mental symptoms of falling in love.  Some symptoms of love sickness include, but are not limited to:  hypomania, stress, OCD, and depression.  Since doctors do not take this illness seriously, there are not any statistics on love sickness and how it affects people and whatnot.  But, I like to think otherwise.  People do so many crazy things for love… this is what I call “love sickness.”

This, this… illness is under-diagnosed and more people are hurting themselves because of this fact!  Yes, a doctor can neither cure love sickness nor soothe it… but a doctor can make people aware of what they are experiencing… otherwise people just believe themselves to be going crazy over love.  In reality, it is just another emotion they are experiencing… and may I say, heavily.

Again, I must stress that love is a weird kind of emotion.  It has the ability to make people the happiest beings in the world, and it also has the power to turn people into monsters of pain and sadness.  Love has control over every single one of us.  Now that is scary.

=========================================

First comes the terrible realization that the two of you are being separated.  For how long?  Who knows…

Second is your heart, beating so fast that you can barely catch your breath.  You feel your heart racing, pumping blood furiously… so rapidly that your chest is going to pop with pressure.

Third, tears well up in your eyes.  They don’t dare to drip from your face, but remain ever still, glazing your eyes with a sad wetness.

Fourth is withdrawal.  Words are caught up in your throat, leaving a lump so thick that you are not hungry.  You can barely swallow your own saliva.  Sleepless nights are spent journeying to find that One.  During the day, all you can do is isolate yourself because 1) no one will understand and 2) you need peace and quiet to figure out an alternate path to journey.

Fifth is the final step.  Dazed and confused without your other half, you wander like a sad maiden, on Earth and in Dreams.  For some, time is all it takes to lift them out of love sickness.  The illness never completely subsides, but you are able to move on.  Others, spend the rest of their life in this stage.

Read Full Post »