Absence

Hey, I haven't been on in ages but I'd like to inform readers that after my very noticeable period of absence from this blog, I'm going to take a short break from posting.  I'm thinking about making a new blog and will only post occasionally, now.

Murphy's Laws

I was surfing the net this morning and came across a site I'd like to share with you all.  In case you don't know, 'Murphy's Law' refers to a lot of diverse 'laws' of which the most well known is 'if anything bad can happen to some poor sod, it will.  Where I'm from, it's referred to as 'Sod's Law' for this very reason.
But, I digress..  Here is the link to the site, enjoy: Murphy's Laws Site

The Hosepipe Ban

At this very moment, my corner of the world (England) is experiencing the hottest 18 months in the past 100 years.  The underground reservoirs of water are running low and the government decided they would put in place a hosepipe ban.  This is extremely annoying and means that (except for a few select cases), no-one is allowed to use hosepipes and will be fined a hefty sum for doing so.  Though what is most annoying about this is that in these days of drought, it now takes twice as long to water your plants and the possibility of getting your inflatable swimming pool out is virtually nil.  The weather has been taking a strange turn lately and this ban may go on forever.  It is set to rain later this week, though and perhaps this country's weather will go back to doing what it does best, no matter how gloomy it is when it does so.  This rant is officially done

Truisms by Jenny Holzer

A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE CAN GO A LONG WAY
A LOT OF PROFESSIONALS ARE CRACKPOTS
A MAN CAN'T KNOW WHAT IT IS TO BE A MOTHER
A NAME MEANS A LOT JUST BY ITSELF
A POSITIVE ATTITUDE MEANS ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD
A RELAXED MAN IS NOT NECESSARILY A BETTER MAN
A SENSE OF TIMING IS THE MARK OF GENIUS
A SINCERE EFFORT IS ALL YOU CAN ASK
A SINGLE EVENT CAN HAVE INFINITELY MANY INTERPRETATIONS
A SOLID HOME BASE BUILDS A SENSE OF SELF
A STRONG SENSE OF DUTY IMPRISONS YOU
ABSOLUTE SUBMISSION CAN BE A FORM OF FREEDOM
ABSTRACTION IS A TYPE OF DECADENCE
ABUSE OF POWER COMES AS NO SURPRISE
ACTION CAUSES MORE TROUBLE THAN THOUGHT
ALIENATION PRODUCES ECCENTRICS OR REVOLUTIONARIES
ALL THINGS ARE DELICATELY INTERCONNECTED
AMBITION IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS COMPLACENCY
AMBIVALENCE CAN RUIN YOUR LIFE
AN ELITE IS INEVITABLE
ANGER OR HATE CAN BE A USEFUL MOTIVATING FORCE
ANIMALISM IS PERFECTLY HEALTHY
ANY SURPLUS IS IMMORAL
ANYTHING IS A LEGITIMATE AREA OF INVESTIGATION
ARTIFICIAL DESIRES ARE DESPOILING THE EARTH
AT TIMES INACTIVITY IS PREFERABLE TO MINDLESS FUNCTIONING
AT TIMES YOUR UNCONSCIOUSNESS IS TRUER THAN YOUR CONSCIOUS MIND
AUTOMATION IS DEADLY
AWFUL PUNISHMENT AWAITS REALLY BAD PEOPLE
BAD INTENTIONS CAN YIELD GOOD RESULTS
BEING ALONE WITH YOURSELF IS INCREASINGLY UNPOPULAR
BEING HAPPY IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANYTHING ELSE
BEING JUDGMENTAL IS A SIGN OF LIFE
BEING SURE OF YOURSELF MEANS YOU'RE A FOOL
BELIEVING IN REBIRTH IS THE SAME AS ADMITTING DEFEAT
BOREDOM MAKES YOU DO CRAZY THINGS
CALM IS MORE CONDUCTIVE TO CREATIVITY THAN IS ANXIETY
CATEGORIZING FEAR IS CALMING
CHANGE IS VALUABLE WHEN THE OPPRESSED BECOME TYRANTS
CHASING THE NEW IS DANGEROUS TO SOCIETY
CHILDREN ARE THE MOST CRUEL OF ALL
CHILDREN ARE THE HOPE OF THE FUTURE
CLASS ACTION IS A NICE IDEA WITH NO SUBSTANCE
CLASS STRUCTURE IS AS ARTIFICIAL AS PLASTIC
CONFUSING YOURSELF IS A WAY TO STAY HONEST
CRIME AGAINST PROPERTY IS RELATIVELY UNIMPORTANT
DECADENCE CAN BE AN END IN ITSELF
DECENCY IS A RELATIVE THING
DEPENDENCE CAN BE A MEAL TICKET
DESCRIPTION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN METAPHOR
DEVIANTS ARE SACRIFICED TO INCREASE GROUP SOLIDARITY
DISGUST IS THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO MOST SITUATIONS
DISORGANIZATION IS A KIND OF ANESTHESIA
DON'T PLACE TOO MUCH TRUST IN EXPERTS

DRAMA OFTEN OBSCURES THE REAL ISSUES
DREAMING WHILE AWAKE IS A FRIGHTENING CONTRADICTION
DYING AND COMING BACK GIVES YOU CONSIDERABLE PERSPECTIVE
DYING SHOULD BE AS EASY AS FALLING OFF A LOG
EATING TOO MUCH IS CRIMINAL
ELABORATION IS A FORM OF POLLUTION
EMOTIONAL RESPONSES AR AS VALUABLE AS INTELLECTUAL RESPONSES
ENJOY YOURSELF BECAUSE YOU CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING ANYWAY
ENSURE THAT YOUR LIFE STAYS IN FLUX
EVEN YOUR FAMILY CAN BETRAY YOU
EVERY ACHIEVEMENT REQUIRES A SACRIFICE
EVERYONE'S WORK IS EQUALLY IMPORTANT
EVERYTHING THAT'S INTERESTING IS NEW
EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE DESERVE SPECIAL CONCESSIONS
EXPIRING FOR LOVE IS BEAUTIFUL BUT STUPID
EXPRESSING ANGER IS NECESSARY
EXTREME BEHAVIOR HAS ITS BASIS IN PATHOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY
EXTREME SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS LEADS TO PERVERSION
FAITHFULNESS IS A SOCIAL NOT A BIOLOGICAL LAW
FAKE OR REAL INDIFFERENCE IS A POWERFUL PERSONAL WEAPON
FATHERS OFTEN USE TOO MUCH FORCE
FEAR IS THE GREATEST INCAPACITATOR
FREEDOM IS A LUXURY NOT A NECESSITY
GIVING FREE REIN TO YOUR EMOTIONS IS AN HONEST WAY TO LIVE
GO ALL OUT IN ROMANCE AND LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY
GOING WITH THE FLOW IS SOOTHING BUT RISKY
GOOD DEEDS EVENTUALLY ARE REWARDED
GOVERNMENT IS A BURDEN ON THE PEOPLE
GRASSROOTS AGITATION IS THE ONLY HOPE
GUILT AND SELF-LACERATION ARE INDULGENCES
HABITUAL CONTEMPT DOESN'T REFLECT A FINER SENSIBILITY
HIDING YOUR EMOTIONS IS DESPICABLE
HOLDING BACK PROTECTS YOUR VITAL ENERGIES
HUMANISM IS OBSOLETE
HUMOUR IS A RELEASE
IDEALS ARE REPLACED BY CONVENTIONAL GOALS AT A CERTAIN AGE
IF YOU AREN'T POLITICAL YOUR PERSONAL LIFE SHOULD BE EXEMPLARY
IF YOU CAN'T LEAVE YOUR MARK GIVE UP
IF YOU HAVE MANY DESIRES YOUR LIFE WILL BE INTERESTING
IF YOU LIVE SIMPLY THERE IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
IGNORING ENEMIES IS THE BEST WAY TO FIGHT
ILLNESS IS A STATE OF MIND
IMPOSING ORDER IS MAN'S VOCATION FOR CHAOS IS HELL
IN SOME INSTANCES IT'S BETTER TO DIE THAN TO CONTINUE
IT CAN BE HELPFUL TO KEEP GOING NO MATTER WHAT
IT IS HEROIC TO TRY TO STOP TIME
IT IS MAN'S FATE TO OUTSMART HIMSELF
IT IS A GIFT TO THE WORLD NOT TO HAVE BABIES
IT'S BETTER TO BE A GOOD PERSON THAN A FAMOUS PERSON
IT'S BETTER TO BE LONELY THAN TO BE WITH INFERIOR PEOPLE
IT'S BETTER TO BE NAIVE THAN JADED
IT'S BETTER TO STUDY THE LIVING FACT THAN TO ANALYSE HISTORY
IT'S CRUCIAL TO HAVE AN ACTIVE FANTASY LIFE
IT'S GOOD TO GIVE EXTRA MONEY TO CHARITY
IT'S IMPORTANT TO STAY CLEAN ON ALL LEVELS
IT'S JUST AN ACCIDENT THAT YOUR PARENTS ARE YOUR PARENTS
IT'S NOT GOOD TO HOLD TOO MANY ABSOLUTES
IT'S NOT GOOD TO OPERATE ON CREDIT
IT'S VITAL TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH NATURE
JUST BELIEVING SOMETHING CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN
KEEP SOMETHING IN RESERVE FOR EMERGENCIES
KILLING IS UNAVOIDABLE BUT NOTHING TO BE PROUD OF
KNOWING YOURSELF LETS YOU UNDERSTAND OTHERS
KNOWLEDGE SHOULD BE ADVANCED AT ALL COSTS
LABOUR IS A LIFE-DESTROYING ACTIVITY
LACK OF CHARISMA CAN BE FATAL
LEISURE TIME IS A GIGANTIC SMOKE SCREEN
LISTEN WHEN YOUR BODY TALKS
LOOKING BACK IS THE FIRST SIGN OF AGING AND DECAY
LOVING ANIMALS IS A SUBSTITUTE ACTIVITY
LOW EXPECTATIONS ARE GOOD PROTECTION
MANUAL LABOR CAN BE REFRESHING AND WHOLESOME
MEN ARE NOT MONOGAMOUS BY NATURE
MODERATION KILLS THE SPIRIT
MONEY CREATES TASTE
MONOMANIA IS A PREREQUISITE OF SUCCESS
MORALS ARE FOR LITTLE PEOPLE
MOST PEOPLE ARE NOT FIT TO RULE THEMSELVES
MOSTLY YOU SHOULD MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS
MOTHERS SHOULDN'T MAKE TOO MANY SACRIFICES
MUCH WAS DECIDED BEFORE YOU WERE BORN
MYTH CAN MAKE REALITY MORE INTELLIGIBLE
NOISE CAN BE HOSTILE
NOTHING UPSETS THE BALANCE OF GOOD AND EVIL
OCCASIONALLY PRINCIPLES ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN PEOPLE
OFFER VERY LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT YOURSELF
OFTEN YOU SHOULD ACT LIKE YOU ARE SEXLESS
OLD FRIENDS ARE BETTER LEFT IN THE PAST
OPACITY IS AN IRRESISTIBLE CHALLENGE
PAIN CAN BE A VERY POSITIVE THING
PEOPLE ARE BORING UNLESS THEY ARE EXTREMISTS
PEOPLE ARE NUTS IF THEY THINK THEY ARE IMPORTANT
PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT THEY DO UNLESS THEY ARE INSANE
PEOPLE WHO DON'T WORK WITH THEIR HANDS ARE PARASITES
PEOPLE WHO GO CRAZY ARE TOO SENSITIVE
PEOPLE WON'T BEHAVE IF THEY HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE
PHYSICAL CULTURE IS SECOND BEST
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE IS ESCAPISM
PLAYING IT SAFE CAN CAUSE A LOT OF DAMAGE IN THE LONG RUN
POLITICS IS USED FOR PERSONAL GAIN
POTENTIAL COUNTS FOR NOTHING UNTIL IT'S REALIZED
PRIVATE PROPERTY CREATED CRIME
PURSUING PLEASURE FOR THE SAKE OF PLEASURE WILL RUIN YOU
PUSH YOURSELF TO THE LIMIT AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE
RECHANNELING DESTRUCTIVE IMPULSES IS A SIGN OF MATURITY
RECLUSES ALWAYS GET WEAK
REDISTRIBUTING WEALTH IS IMPERATIVE
RELATIVITY IS NO BOON TO MANKIND
RELIGION CAUSES AS MANY PROBLEMS AS IT SOLVES
REMEMBER YOU ALWAYS HAVE FREEDOM OF CHOICE
REPETITION IS THE BEST WAY TO LEARN
RESOLUTIONS SERVE TO EASE OUR CONSCIENCE
REVOLUTION BEGINS WITH CHANGES IN THE INDIVIDUAL
ROUTINE IS A LINK WITH THE PAST
ROUTINE SMALL EXCESSES ARE WORSE THAN THEN THE OCCASIONAL DEBAUCH
SACRIFICING YOURSELF FOR A BAD CAUSE IS NOT A MORAL ACT
SALVATION CAN'T BE BOUGHT AND SOLD
SELF-AWARENESS CAN BE CRIPPLING
SELF-CONTEMPT CAN DO MORE HARM THAN GOOD
SELFISHNESS IS THE MOST BASIC MOTIVATION
SELFLESSNESS IS THE HIGHEST ACHIEVEMENT
SEPARATISM IS THE WAY TO A NEW BEGINNING
SEX DIFFERENCES ARE HERE TO STAY
SIN IS A MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL
SLIPPING INTO MADNESS IS GOOD FOR THE SAKE OF COMPARISON
SLOPPY THINKING GETS WORSE OVER TIME
SOLITUDE IS ENRICHING
SOMETIMES SCIENCE ADVANCES FASTER THAN IT SHOULD
SOMETIMES THINGS SEEM TO HAPPEN OF THEIR OWN ACCORD
SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME ON SELF-IMPROVEMENT IS ANTISOCIAL
STARVATION IS NATURE'S WAY
STASIS IS A DREAM STATE
STERILISATION IS A WEAPON OF THE RULERS
STRONG EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT STEMS FROM BASIC INSECURITY
STUPID PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BREED
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST APPLIES TO MEN AND ANIMALS
SYMBOLS ARE MORE MEANINGFUL THAN THINGS THEMSELVES
TAKING A STRONG STAND PUBLICISES THE OPPOSITE POSITION
TALKING IS USED TO HIDE ONE'S INABILITY TO ACT
TECHNOLOGY WILL MAKE OR BREAK US
THE CRUELEST DISAPPOINTMENT IS WHEN YOU LET YOURSELF DOWN
THE IDEA OF REVOLUTION IS AN ADOLESCENT FANTASY
THE IDEA OF TRANSCENDENCE IS USED TO OBSCURE OPPRESSION
THE IDIOSYNCRATIC HAS LOST ITS AUTHORITY
THE MOST PROFOUND THINGS ARE INEXPRESSIBLE
THE MUNDANE IS TO BE CHERISHED
THE NEW IS NOTHING BUT A RESTATEMENT OF THE OLD
THE ONLY WAY TO BE PURE IS TO STAY BY YOURSELF
THE SUM OF YOUR ACTIONS DETERMINES WHAT YOU ARE
THE UNATTAINABLE IS INVARIABLE ATTRACTIVE
THE WORLD OPERATES ACCORDING TO DISCOVERABLE LAWS
THERE ARE TOO FEW IMMUTABLE TRUTHS TODAY
THERE'S NOTHING EXCEPT WHAT YOU SENSE
THERE'S NOTHING REDEEMING IN TOIL
THINKING TOO MUCH CAN ONLY CAUSE PROBLEMS
THREATENING SOMEONE SEXUALLY IS A HORRIBLE ACT
TIMIDITY IS LAUGHABLE
TO DISAGREE PRESUPPOSES MORAL INTEGRITY
TO VOLUNTEER IS REACTIONARY
TORTURE IS BARBARIC
TRADING A LIFE FOR A LIFE IS FAIR ENOUGH
TRUE FREEDOM IS FRIGHTFUL
UNIQUE THINGS MUST BE THE MOST VALUABLE
UNQUESTIONING LOVE DEMONSTRATES LARGESSE OF SPIRIT
USING FORCE TO STOP FORCE IS ABSURD
VIOLENCE IS PERMISSIBLE EVEN DESIRABLE OCCASIONALLY
WAR IS A PURIFICATION RITE
WE MUST MAKE SACRIFICES TO MAINTAIN OUR QUALITY OF LIFE
WHEN SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENS PEOPLE WAKE UP
WISHING THINGS AWAY IS NOT EFFECTIVE
WITH PERSEVERANCE YOU CAN DISCOVER ANY TRUTH
WORDS TEND TO BE INADEQUATE
WORRYING CAN HELP YOU PREPARE
YOU ARE A VICTIM OF THE RULES YOU LIVE BY
YOU ARE GUILELESS IN YOUR DREAMS
YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONSTITUTING THE MEANING OF THINGS
YOU ARE THE PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE
YOU CAN LIVE ON THROUGH YOUR DESCENDANTS
YOU CAN'T EXPECT PEOPLE TO BE SOMETHING THEY'RE NOT
YOU CAN'T FOOL OTHERS IF YOU'RE FOOLING YOURSELF
YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WHAT UNTIL YOU SUPPORT YOURSELF
YOU HAVE TO HURT OTHERS TO BE EXTRAORDINARY
YOU MUST BE INTIMATE WITH A TOKEN FEW
YOU MUST DISAGREE WITH AUTHORITY FIGURES
YOU MUST HAVE ONE GRAND PASSION
YOU MUST KNOW WHERE YOU STOP AND THE WORLD BEGINS
YOU CAN UNDERSTAND SOMEONE OF YOUR SEX ONLY
YOU OWE THE WORLD NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND
YOU SHOULD STUDY AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
YOUR ACTIONS AE POINTLESS IF NO ONE NOTICES
YOUR OLDEST FEARS ARE THE WORST ONES

A Brilliant Quote

Putting aside the obvious problem of going up against the incredible, almost god-like, power of the huge megacorporations that own almost every major government in the world, there is an even bigger problem that you're going to face with your "sustainability" message (especially in the U.S.):
Your first message to the masses is going to be "You have to make real sacrifices."
You won't even get the final "s" in sacrifices out before they tar and feather you and run you out of town on a rail. This is a country where a dollar-per-gallon increase in gas prices almost starts a riot, where "keeping up with the Joneses" is considered a birthright, where not one single President or politician has asked *any* American to sacrifice *anything* in over 40 years. No politician here has EVER won on a message of "I'm going to make things materially worse for you" irrespective of whether or not he adds "But things will be better in the long-term for your grandchildren."
They only way your revolution will ever happen will be by force (force of economic collapse or force or arms, but certainly not by popular vote). No one is going to vote for the guy who is asking them to give up their new car, their big house, their HDTV. You can't guilt someone into making REAL HARD material sacrifices.
Social movements in the U.S. do occasionally succeed in getting minor sacrifices out of the public, but the MAJOR ones that this would require? Good luck with that.
-elrous 0

How I Feel

Daily Quote 15

“He’s turned his life around. He used to be miserable and depressed, now he’s depressed and miserable.”
– David Frost

Daily Quote 14

It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail.
-Gore Vidal

What a girl wants...

Lately, this cynic has taken to browsing FailBlog a lot and has realised what immense failures people do or say to get attention, that then end up on sites like FailBlog. Oh internet, queen of 15 second fame!
But I digress... This post is about a pathetic attempt at an inspirational message (ridden with grammatical errors) , that was then corrected by a (presumably female) internet user.

Aside from probably Bella from Twilight, every other woman will agree with this statement.

Daily Quote 13

 The world looks as if it has been left in the custody of trolls
-Robert F Capon

I Review A Film

No, I'm not a film critic, I've just decided to try my hand reviewing a film! Now, this film in question is not a new film but I think it needs a mention. I first watched MirrorMask two days ago, written by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean and by Jim Henson Pictures, it is exactly how you'd expect it to be. A surreal fantasy with breathtaking graphics, it may be the closest the film industry has gotten to portraying a dream. Though be warned that it's not very plot-lead, like any decent dream.

SPOILER ALERT! SKIP OUT THIS PARAGRAPH AND READ THE NEXT IF YOU'D LIKE!

Stephanie Leonidas takes the lead role as Helena, our pyjama-clad heroine. The film starts with her having an argument with her mother, who later faints and turns out to have cancer. Blaming herself for her mother's faint and hospitalisation, she visits her at the hospital hoping for forgiveness. Her mother does not believe her and that night wakes up in a dreamlike state and leaves her building to find three masked performers outside. A strange cloud of shadow attacks the troupe and the juggler (named Valentine) pulls Helena to safety. She soon realises that she is in the land of her drawings and that the Princess from the Land of Shadow stole a charm from the City of Light, leaving their White Queen in a state of unnatural sleep and the City vulnerable to the Shadows. She volunteers to find the charm, called the MirrorMask and accompanied by Valentine goes on a trek to find it. After a betrayal and a brainwashing, they do manage to stop the Princess; who looking like Helena had been acting like a slapper as well as destroying Helena's drawings, destroying a way for her to get home. They restore the Queen (who looks suspiciously like Helena's mother) to health with the charm and Helena wakes up.  The next day she bumps into a man who looks and sounds a lot like Valentine while juggling, he then catches the ball she nearly dropped and throws it back to her, replying that he'd 'always wanted to join the circus'.  This begs the question, how real was her dream'?

I thought it was an amazing film and it will always stay with me, the score and graphics were brilliant and I blame this film for my strange dreams the night after I watched it. The thought-provoking question at the end kept me up that night, puzzling me to exhaustion. I cannot recommend this more highly, especially to fans of surrealist literature.  Let me finish with a quote, as I like to finish many things.
"You selfish cake hogger!"
"I did not hog the cake!"-  My favourite piece of dialogue in the film.

At Long Last!

End of Year Exams are over (for this year at least) and I am incredibly relieved!  Spending almost the whole school day staring at a desk is enough to drive anyone insane and I need get used to the fact I have no homework this weekend.  Cramming three exams into every day of the school week but Friday is a moral injustice and needs to be banned.  The end of these tests marks the beginning of the end of this school year (and in the nearer future, half term).  If there are any others out there taking their End of Year's (most people's are next week) then I wish them all the best.  As for me, I'm off to a well-deserved (I think so anyway) rest soon.  As I stated in an earlier post, regular posting will now resume and I will hopefully not sound so grumpy if I make like a banana and...sit there doing nothing all week-end long.
Am I the only one who thinks that punch line is wrong?

Another Apology

This week is the week of my end of year exams, and for the past few weeks I haven't posted much aside from interesting quotes I've found.  Because of this, my blog hits have basically been plummeting.  I apologise for not writing much stuff and I promise that from Friday onwards, I'll be back on my usual schedule.  All day exams and all night revision make a body tired!

Daily Quote 12

"I don't use drugs; my dreams are frightening enough."
- M. C. Escher

Daily Quote 11

“I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet, raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and alienated peers to take over the world when you're old and weak.”

-Bill Watterson

Daily Quote 10

“If you're too open-minded; your brains will fall out.”
―Lawrence Ferlinghetti

Daily Quote 9

"I'm not okay and you're not okay, and that's OKAY" 
-Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Daily Quote 8

" I apppear to by lying at the bottom of a very deep dark hole. That seems to be a familiar concept, what does it remind me of? Ah, I remember - life! "
- Marvin (the paranoid android), Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy

Daily Quote 7

In a crazy world, it's only your insanity that will keep you sane" -Leo Buscaglia

My Favourite Word

Many people like 'pretty' words: serendipity, cynosure, effervescent, etc. They're fine but as the eternal cynic, I find them a bit slushy. This article is about my favourite word.

*Drumroll please*

...Feh

At one syllable it isn't very long and I have a sneaking suspicion that my English teacher would not approve. I really don't care if you think it's a 'real' word or not, if it has been spoken it is a real word in my books.

Besides, it's in the Oxford Dictionary! 'Feh' is classified as an interjection and is usually followed by an exclamation mark. (e.g. You actually eat that‽ Feh!)
Originally, I thought I had made the word up, but some research showed me that it was not the case. When used, it generally expresses disgust, contempt or disinterest. This makes it the perfect answer to anything people may throw at you:

1. "Do you like Brussels Sprouts?"
"Feh!"
2. "Is my perfume too strong?"
"Feh!"
3. "Have you done your homework?"
"Feh."
4. "Am I bovvered?"
"Feh."

even...
5. "Is there such a thing as an odd perfect number?"
"Feh."

Impressive, no?

Trollface Wonders...

This picture really got me thinking...

Perhaps the Bible means that He is His only son in an 'only actual child' way and everyone being God's children in an 'Adam and Eve's descendants' way.  

Perhaps, perhaps not...

Daily Quote 6

Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me, but deep down I know that's not true. Some smaller countries are neutral.
- Robert Orben

Lololol Lists 1

To be clear, this list was not by me but by Rick Bayan at icynic.com.  While it's hilarious, the list doesn't represent my views on everything and I disagree with several.  However, I did find it funny and hope you'll get a laugh out of it too. 714 things to be cynical about: leaders followers outlaws lawyers backstabbers brown-nosers yes-men middlemen alpha males women who try to be alpha males good ol' boys who become president bimbos who become celebrities all other celebrities prima donnas dictators people who take dictation workaholics slackers who pretend to be workaholics slackers who don't pretend to be workaholics hypocrites charlatans MBAs mindless office drones who get promoted to management conformists nonconformists poseurs people who use pretentious French words bores boors weasels barracudas pedophile priests leeches internal parasites investment bankers old-money snobs new-money snobs fashion snobs food snobs health-and-fitness snobs "I'm hipper than you'll ever be in your dreams" snobs upwardly-mobile career snobs "team players" negotiators the fine print broken contracts overbooked flights canceled concerts annulled marriages returned gifts recalled automobiles planned obsolescence knowing that your two-year-old $2000 computer is now a mere toy $500 electronic handheld organizers that are almost as efficient as $30 loose-leaf organizers 27-year-old Silicon Valley millionaires computer literacy replacing literary literacy computer viruses software bugs unfathomable computer video games that are instantly mastered by subliterate pre-adolescents the values instilled by video games (if it gets in your way, nuke it) thinking about a future society run by people nurtured on video games watching helplessly as a full day's work is eaten alive by your PC watching the hourglass hang for two, three, four minutes "application has stopped responding to the system" "server does not have a DNS entry" spending three hours on the internet in a futile search for information the fact that you could have obtained the information in three minutes by opening a book the proliferation of websites featuring naked people exchanging bodily fluids the fact that those websites are more popular than yours or mine spam! spam! spam! spam! losing half our free time to internet addiction losing most of our day to meaningless work having to play office politics having to play golf with your superiors the term "superiors" the term "subordinates" cubicles and other sensory deprivation cells people who thrive in cubicles people who thrive on 14-hour workdays people who take their cell phones on vacation "A" students who end up working for "C" students "It takes money to make money" "It's not what you know, it's who you know" the "power words" used on resumes to impress employers the fact that employers are impressed with power words on resumes college graduates who have to settle for a job at Blockbuster the salaries of liberal arts graduates in the business world the miseries of liberal arts graduates in the business world prostituting yourself for less than a prostitute makes staying at a job you detest because the alternatives are even worse people who get promoted on the basis of the right shoes or haircut people who get promoted because they resemble their vice president executive bonuses that exceed your annual salary the "fast track" the "glass ceiling" being underemployed being overworked being reprimanded being ignored being framed being demoted being moved into the hallway watching everyone but you rise to the level of their incompetence the annual incomes of CEOs the writing ability of CEOs multimillion-dollar "golden parachutes" awarded to dismissed CEOs the practice of terminating veteran employees a year before retirement the term "terminating" "leveraging" "targeting" "impacting" calling downsizing "rightsizing" downsizing profitable companies for the sole purpose of wooing investors the fact that investors reward companies for downsizing the fact that companies now exist primarily to woo investors bonuses and stock options for executives who "trimmed the fat" diet plans -- all 2,178 of them joggers who perform ostentatious stretching exercises in public places fitness zealots who carry hand weights when they walk self-infatuated bodybuilders who know all their muscles by name health-food fanatics who faint at the sight of a cheeseburger health-food fanatics who smoke anorexia nervosa (just put the food in your mouth and CHEW!) restaurant patrons who send back perfectly edible food to impress their dinner dates snippy waiters who would rather be snippy actors waiters who tell you their name, call themselves "servers," and expect a 25% tip waiting half an hour for a salad waiting twenty minutes for your check fussy, oily yuppie cuisine anything with pesto sauce "herbed" anything "fruited" anything anything with ingredients that require you to consult a glossary gated communities $600,000 yuppie homes on 1/4-acre lots yuppie parents jockeying to get their child into a prestigious nursery school the growing gap between haves and have-nots doctors marrying doctors lawyers marrying lawyers men marrying men computer geeks marrying computer geeks professional jargon: the Tower of Babel revisited the fact that people expect you to understand their jargon "newspeak" "groupthink" "Big Brother is watching you" totalitarianism mass movements mass media mass murder mass marketing telemarketing the pathetic scripts read by poor underpaid telemarketing agents saying "yes" so we don't hurt the poor underpaid telemarketing agent's feelings junk mail the time we spend sorting through junk mail the fact that junk mail is written by people who wanted to be writers "Urgent: Reply Requested!" "You may already have won!" "If you're the winner, we will say MR. OCCUPANT HAS WON $9,000,000.00!" "A special offer exclusively for Mr. Occupant" "No strings attached!" "FREE GIFT!" "FREE TRIAL OFFER!" televised trials medieval trials (if you drown, you're innocent; if you float, you're guilty) the irrelevance of the truth in all trials jury rigging plea bargaining murderers acquitted because their side had smarter lawyers innocent people sentenced because the OTHER side had smarter lawyers convicted murderers paroled after serving six months of a life sentence prisons that offer free education, VCRs, and complimentary mints on the pillows legal loopholes divorce settlements (both spouses lose; both lawyers win) lawsuits by people who spill coffee on themselves lawyers who encourage lawsuits by people who spill coffee on themselves the absurd amounts of money awarded to people who spill coffee on themselves the absurd amounts of money awarded to lawyers who prosecute lawsuits by people who spill coffee on themselves the cost of private medical care the tyranny of managed medical care the inefficiency of public medical care dying during a tonsillectomy the fact that your death will be referred to as a "negative patient healthcare outcome" health insurance companies that force hospitals to release patients as soon as the anesthesia wears off health insurance being denied to the people most likely to get sick health insurance as a capitalist enterprise health insurance that covers 80% of a $500,000 medical bill having a heart attack two days after your health insurance expires the effects of age and gravity on the human body shrinking from your original height going senile losing control of your bladder as a reward for reaching old age drugs whose side effects are worse than the disease cancer: opportunism incarnate dandruff gout flatulence herpes psoriasis Alzheimer's disease Tourette's syndrome St. Vitus' dance hemorrhoids chronic sinusitis yeast infections athlete's foot gum disease crotch rot mad cow disease elephantiasis crabs male-pattern baldness irritable bowel syndrome having to worry about your blood pressure and cholesterol the fact that worrying about your blood pressure and cholesterol will probably raise both of them the fact that virtually everything that tastes good can kill you subsisting on granola only to find that it contains more saturated fat than two Big Macs the wretchedness of heart-healthy diets (we are not RABBITS!) regaining more weight after a diet than you lost during it people who watch their fat intake and keel over at 47 people who eat lard, smoke two packs a day, and live to be 97 the likelihood that the survivors were also much HAPPIER during their long lives suspecting that you'll be more like #221 than #222 the smugness of lucky people the smugness of high-school in-crowders the even worse smugness of art-world in-crowders the empty pretentiousness of most modern art performance artists: street loonies with foundation grants artists who gain attention by exhibiting their own bodily excretions artists who pass off collections of scrap metal as sculpture -- and have them deposited on idyllic college campuses artists who decorate an empty canvas with one horizontal stripe art critics who see profound meaning in an empty canvas with one horizontal stripe movie critics who give rave reviews to bad films so their names will appear in newspaper ads critics who call every passable film or play a "masterpiece" critics who trash a film, play or book for the chance to turn a clever phrase designated bestsellers stacked four feet high in the bookstore window good books going out of print because nobody knows about them nondescript chain bookstores driving out quirky independent bookstores celebrity authors who earn more for one ghostwritten book than 100 editors make in a year the state of publishing today the state of Nevada sleaze bogus fun bogus ANYTHING breast implants sex-change operations bad toupees good toupees blazing white dentures used-car dealers chain letters pyramid schemes people who refer to pyramid schemes as "multi-level marketing" euphemisms like "differently abled" and "mentally challenged" oxymorons like "military intelligence" and "corporate culture" "Catch-22" situations; e.g., "you can't get a job unless you already have a job" millionaire ballplayers who grumble about their salaries artificial turf, polyester uniforms, costumed mascots and other tackiness on the field team owners who fire managers for losing the World Series free agents who jump from team to team like hungry fleas boxers who bite off their opponents' ears or other body parts "great white hopes" = great white dopes college football teams made up of convicted felons pro football players who either strut ostentatiously or pray ostentatiously each time they score a touchdown female sports reporters allowed into men's locker rooms male sports reporters allowed into women's locker rooms (as if!) sports teams with singular names; e.g., the Utah Jazz sports teams with absurdly incongruous names; e.g., the Utah Jazz sports parents who browbeat their kids for screwing up on the field asinine chants of "We're #1!" (Americans always have to be #1) sports fanatics who live vicariously through their teams nerds who live vicariously through "Star Trek" anyone who lives vicariously through any soap opera celebrity worship wealth without taste taste without wealth shameless celebrity promotional vehicles like "Entertainment Tonight" John Tesh, shameless composer "Candle in the Wind" eulogies delivered by clergymen who didn't know the deceased how we forget good people after their deaths and remember Attila the Hun Gresham's Law: the bad drives out the good the worldwide triumph of cockroaches the worldwide triumph of rats the worldwide triumph of American popular culture absurd foreign imitations of American popular culture: Russian nightclubs, Czech rock groups, Japanese jazz bands, Turkish soap operas the profitability of bad taste the bad taste graveyard: disco, leisure suits, velvet clown paintings pinkie rings and gold chains on wealthy building contractors bad art in hotel/motel rooms the fact that those bad artists can afford to stay in hotels with GOOD art romance novels with Fabio on the cover Elvis and Princess Diana collectibles the fact that the majority of autographed sports collectibles are fakes the need to purchase separate shoes for walking, jogging, tennis and basketball selling advertising space on anything that doesn't move and some things that DO (buses, stock cars, Olympic athletes) people who sell cemetery plots or penny stocks over the phone ingenious high-pressure sales tactics that make us feel stupid if we say "no" and even stupider after we say "yes" buying things on sale: spending money to save money annual "going out of business" sales people who spend an hour clipping coupons so they can save 87 cents receiving Christmas catalogs in August discovering there's no Santa Claus the ugly, insanely popular, hard-to-obtain toys that parents must buy to appease their children the fact that parents NEED to appease their own children cheap toys with hundreds of dollars worth of accessories to buy toys merchandised as movie tie-ins the licensing of dead celebrities people who gain an identity by wearing t-shirts with commercial logos "As seen on TV!" the bewildering success of home shopping channels ("Who would ever watch nonstop commercials?," asked the cynic) infomercials for psychic hotlines, motivational tapes, exercise machines and baldness remedies people who have nothing better to do at night than watch infomercials people who promise they'll call but never do people who complain because you promised to call but never do people who ask "How are you?" but don't really want to know people who make you miserable the fact that you ALLOW people to make you miserable that luck is definitely a factor in getting what you want that you can make your own luck but nobody tells you how being unlucky in love being unlucky in the stock market stocks that plummet after you buy them stocks that go through the roof after you sell them having to pay your broker a commission on losing stocks the fact that your broker has no incentive to sell you WINNING stocks as long as you pay a commission on losing stocks the fact that the entire economy of the free world is in the hands of gamblers lotteries sweepstakes church bingo casinos Wall Street, the world's biggest casino that American Indians have to operate casinos to survive Las Vegas lounge acts Frank Sinatra after 1970 pop music after 1970 life after 1970 striving giving up promises betrayals excuses prejudice against fat people prejudice against dark-skinned people prejudice against excessively stupid and excessively intelligent people prejudice against people with big noses prejudice against ugly women prejudice against gentle men "all men are created equal" "the pursuit of happiness" chronic disappointment expecting rewards in the hereafter the apparent indifference of God the possibility that God is a myth the possibility that God is a crank the possibility that God is a jokester the prevalence of unbelieving theologians: NOT a good sign the perverse intelligence of inanimate objects that roll just out of reach boxtops that tear as you open them paper grocery bags that tear when they're full of glass jars toilet paper that tears as you use it price labels that won't come off without tearing the product plastic bags you have to open with your teeth "twist-off" bottlecaps that rip your fingers VCRs so complicated that you need an engineering degree to program them 500 channels and nothing you want to watch electronic gadgets that come with incoherent instructions written by well- intentioned Asians major appliances that break down two days after the warranty expires traffic lights that are programmed to turn red as soon as you arrive from the previous red light picking the shortest line at a toll booth or supermarket checkout -- and watching the others pass you by playing by the rules and watching the outlaws pass you by man's treachery toward his fellow-creatures raising and nurturing good-natured cows, pigs and chickens so they can become DINNER killing rhinos for their horns killing elephants for their tusks killing baby seals for their fur killing employees for their productivity the National Rifle Association the fact that it's easier in the U.S. to obtain handguns than Cuban cigars the oil cartel U.S. alliances and wars motivated by the sweet smell of oil the tobacco industry profiting from the slow suicides of smokers people who start smoking to be cool, then sue tobacco companies when they develop lung cancer the fact that tobacco ever caught on in the first place ("Why would anyone stick burning leaves in his mouth?," asked the cynic) the fact that tobacco is more profitable than book publishing the fact that nearly ANY industry is more profitable than book publishing exploitation of resources, including human resources the term "human resources" (we are not BAUXITE!) billion-dollar sportswear companies that profit from exploiting child labor clear-cutting the rainforests to make room for McDonald's beef cattle excessive hysteria over snail darters and northern spotted owls insufficient hysteria over the approaching extinction of tigers, pandas, gorillas and other first-rate mammals Greenpeace (skip the '60s poetics -- just tell us what you do) war Pentagon spending habits; e.g., $640 toilet seats and $76 screws the contractors who charge $640 per toilet seat and $76 per screw being drafted boot camp: sadomasochism as a character-builder being expected to die for a country you can't locate on a map bombing the wrong village being killed by "friendly fire" being killed one day before the truce is signed being hit by a bus one day after returning to civilian life the raunchy brutality of urban life drug pushers street gangs rapists carjackers slumlords racketeers panhandlers muggers who shoot you for a cigarette or a pair of sneakers welfare mothers raising FUTURE welfare mothers welfare fathers who sire six children by six different women ghetto dwellers blaming their problems on racism middle-class blacks encountering REAL racism when they move out of the ghetto the fact that most stereotypes contain a grain of truth that keeps them alive: emotional Italians; smart, aggressive Jews; hot-blooded Latins; beguiling, hard-drinking Irish; disciplined, regimented Germans and Japanese; inbred rednecks not being allowed to say that blacks have rhythm or superior athletic skill -- despite all the compelling evidence in their favor not being allowed to talk about Jewish cultural influence -- despite the likelihood that the 20th century will be remembered as a Jewish Renaissance the fact that Jewish sensitivities may have been conditioned by 2000 years of nonstop anti-Semitism "Some of my best friends are [fill in the blank]" the fact that every oppressed minority group likes to think it suffered more than every other oppressed minority group Holocaust museums, AIDS quilts and other public statements of victimhood the fact that we still NEED Holocaust museums, AIDS quilts and other public statements of victimhood symbolic protests with live people masquerading as dead bodies demands of amnesty by whining political agitators (if you don't want to be arrested, don't commit a crime) '60s radicals who used the Vietnam War as an excuse to promote Marxism '60s radicals who became Wall Street tycoons '60s radicals who still wear tie-dyed shirts and sandals liberals whose friends are exclusively upper-middle class conservatives whose friends are exclusively upper-middle class capitalism communism socialism fascism commericialism terrorism male chauvinism female chauvinism plagiarism optimism Freudianism psychoanalysts who keep their patients coming back for 20 years patients who still hope for a cure after being psychoanalyzed for 20 years group therapy: a less expensive cure that doesn't work electroshock therapy: a quicker cure that doesn't work finally going crazy psychiatrists who are crazier than their patients finding happiness only after getting a lobotomy being labeled a "former mental patient" for life "sensitivity" training and other forms of brainwashing psychobabble: the standardization of introspection codependency and other pop-psychology concepts designed to sell books the fact that there wouldn't be so many self-help books if any of them worked anyone associated with the O.J. Simpson trial who wrote a book O.J. Simpson 20-year-old Hollywood starlets who form their own production companies Hollywood agents of any age the "A" list for Hollywood parties the people who decide who's on the "A" list Hollywood movies after "Star Wars" blockbusters sequels to blockbusters bad movies based on old TV shows the fact that those bad movies become blockbusters anyway Julia Roberts, highest-paid film actress of all time The fact that the highest-paid actress used to be Demi Moore until Julia Roberts replaced her the fact that it would take the average U.S. worker more than six centuries to earn what the top male stars receive for one film the fact that Michael Ovitz received five times that much when he was fired from Disney the fact that Michael Eisner received more than five times as much as Ovitz in ONE DAY, when he cashed in his Disney stock options the symbolism of Pia Zadora buying and demolishing Pickfair, once the grandest mansion in Beverly Hills overreliance on special effects in mainstream Hollywood films too much @$&#*!% profanity in mainstream Hollywood films knee-jerk contempt for religion in mainstream Hollywood films knee-jerk contempt for Hollywood by the religious right films that depict Jesus as a blue-eyed Nordic "To him that hath, more shall be given" the old-boy network the tendency of high-school in-crowders to become adult in-crowders being snubbed by the in-crowd because of your looks, clothes, taste in music, or weird family being snubbed by a friend in the presence of in-crowders teachers who embarrass you in front of the entire class students who embarrass teachers in front of the entire class homework in every subject teachers' pets the worship of student athletes (except in cross-country, wrestling, golf and fencing) cheerleaders the importance of being selected as a cheerleader parents who murder cheerleaders who were selected over their own kids wanting to be considered cool: the root of all teenage vices the inexplicable vogue for multiple pierced body parts, including tongues peer pressure (ask any lemming) being taunted for being virtuous having to worry that you're gay if you're still a virgin at 18 having to think your entire future will be determined by your college board scores being rejected by your #1 college being rejected by your #2 college being rejected by every college except your "safety" school being rejected by your "safety" school going to your #1 college -- and hating it bickering with the college administration crass college students who major in merchandising or finance idealistic college students who major in history, philosophy or French (turn back before the world devours you!) being stuck with a roommate from hell the hell you have to go through to pledge a fraternity fraternities in general sororities in general fraternity boys who become top executives private university graduates who look down on state university graduates state university graduates who look down on state college graduates state college graduates who look down on community college graduates high school dropouts who earn more than all of them mom-and-pop businesses driven out by shopping malls mom-and-pop businesses driven out by designer boutiques and tattoo parlors what it takes to succeed motivational seminars that promise easy success the fact that the easiest way to succeed is to give motivational seminars consulting: the art of succeeding while unemployed the success of writers and artists who sell out the wretchedness of writers and artists who don't tenure for scholars: freedom to be mediocre being denied tenure semiotics, deconstructionism, and similar vehicles for academic obfuscation Afrocentrism (sorry, the Egyptians weren't black) Women's Studies (sorry, women aren't an ethnic group) the shameful exclusion of non-Western cultures from old history textbooks the overemphasis on non-Western cultures in current textbooks the term "Third World" ("How come we never hear about the First and Second Worlds?," asked the cynic) Montezuma's revenge what the Spaniards did to Montezuma trying to convert the heathens selling refrigerators to Eskimos having to call Eskimos "Inuit" having to call Burma "Myanmar" having to call Dave Barry "America's favorite humorist" the fact that Tom Cruise is more famous than John Adams or Charlemagne the fact that MTV is more famous than the 3,000-year-old nation of Armenia Planet Hollywood the Hard Rock Cafe gawking tourists who wear Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts paparazzi supermarket tabloids people who buy tabloids and complain about paparazzi Calvin Klein ads (what exactly are we selling here?) reading about the triumphs of the shallow in "People" magazine the term "beautiful people" used without irony chic: the triumph of style over substance 55-year-old celebrities who try to look 30 cosmetic surgery Michael Jackson, self-made alien Michael Jackson's marriages Michael Jackson's peculiar friendship with Elizabeth Taylor Elizabeth Taylor's marriages the publicity uses of entering the Betty Ford Clinic alcoholism as a "disease" gambling as a "disease" AIDS as a "civil rights issue" the sad last days of discarded celebrities tabloids that exploit the sad last days of discarded celebrities the woes of former child stars the warped ambitions of stage parents the futile ambitions of would-be writers the fact that nobody reads literature anymore the fact that Walt Disney World is the biggest single tourist attraction in the U.S. the disappearance of classical music radio stations the perplexing success of the ugliest pop music the inevitable triumph of energy over refinement the fact that cultured men today are predominantly gay the fact that heterosexual men today are predominantly uncultured the fact that single men have to feel suspect if they're cultured men who regard women as sex toys smart middle-aged women who regard uneducated young men as sex toys middle-aged alpha males with trophy wives women who praise sensitive men but fall for alpha males men who demand that their women look like Barbie women who demand that their men be "financially secure" crude, lascivious men who leer at women, make jokes about breasts, etc., etc. hip, contemporary women who leer at men, make jokes about penises, etc., etc. the comical ineptness of intellectual men in the real world the shrill fascism of intellectual feminists who denounce our rigid "phallocentric" institutions, like grammar, sex and rocket science the condescension of older businessmen toward the "little ladies" women who characterize flirtation as sexual harassment men who characterize sexual harassment as flirtation the male double standard: it's OK for men (but not women) to fool around female double standards: it's OK for women (but not men) to bash the opposite sex, have their own colleges and clubs, whine, let their spouses support them, etc., etc. the fact that everything ultimately boils down to sex the fact that sex fuels the egos of people whose egos don't need fueling kinky sex (isn't "normal" sex kinky enough?) impotence: nature's way of telling a man he doesn't deserve to get lucky faked orgasms: woman's way of telling a man he's luckier than he deserves to be potential lovers who tell you about the "great sex" they had with a previous lover current lovers who are having "great sex" with somebody else but don't tell you about it current lovers who are having "great sex" with somebody else and DO tell you about it the inventiveness of women's excuses for saying no the inventiveness of men's arguments for persuading a woman to say yes sexual starvation watching people who are dorkier than you get all the sex they want having to practice safe sex having to practice salesmanship to get sex the depth of conversations at singles bars the depth of conversations in online chat rooms the depth of conversations in most marriages spats replays of the same spats breaking up after making up being dumped by someone you love being dumped for your best friend being dumped for your mate's best friend being dumped as part of your mate's latest career move "Can't we just be friends?" watching your ex-mate get lucky while your heart is still broken searching for new mate so you have another chance to experience all of the above the lamentable decline of romance the unlamented demise of Western Civilization the survival of tuberculosis bacilli and political parties big government: a charity funded by legalized extortion taxation without representation taxation WITH representation representative government masquerading as democracy Washington insiders dinner parties for Washington insiders buying an ambassadorship foreign ambassadors with 137 parking tickets who claim diplomatic immunity backslappers and palm-greasers congressmen who sell out to lobbyists presidents who sell out to lobbyists lobbyists political cronies appointed to high office the politicians who appoint the appointees political scandals cover-ups of scandals press coverage of cover-ups of scandals the blindness of the press toward JFK's scandals the bloodlust of the press in covering Nixon's one scandal candidates for the U.S. presidency since 1960 candidates for local office in every era selling favors for campaign contributions: political prostitution making impossible campaign promises: political courtship committing impeachable offenses: political adultery being impeached: political divorce proceedings photo opportunities and sound bites spin doctors mudslinging as a viable campaign strategy pollsters' and psychics' predictions corporate earnings forecasts investors who bail out of a company because it earned $1.24 per share instead of $1.26 per share companies that downsize because they earned $1.24 per share instead of $1.26 per share the stock market soaring on news of higher unemployment going on unemployment yourself mortgages and other long-term, life-sapping obligations, like marriage divorce having to pay alimony and child support not receiving alimony and child support staying single because you think the other option is even worse having to think of yourself as "unfit" if you don't propagate your genes looking at some of the people who DO propagate their genes watching a billion years of evolution sputter out when you die childless knowing that all your knowledge and experiences will evaporate when you die being dead being embalmed being displayed at an open-casket funeral decomposition eternal damnation heaven purgatory ("What's the point?," asked the cynic. "We've already been there.") reincarnation (damned if I'm taking calculus again!) past-life regression therapy aromatherapy foot reflexology chakras auras spirit channeling energy vortexes good karma and bad karma gurus false idols pop idols the artist formerly known as Prince the company still known as Microsoft monopolies landing on Boardwalk with a hotel on it not passing "GO" not winning not even breaking even the fact that virtue is rarely rewarded that the rewards usually go to the wrong people that good things don't last that bad things never go away that nothing you do in this life will matter 10,000 years from now that nothing you do in this life will matter 10 years from now that nearly everything you do is dictated by your genes that you'll never have enough time to do everything you want that everything declines eventually, including you the decline of language the decline of art the decline of decency puritanism: lusting to prevent others from lusting searching for happiness searching for kindred spirits searching for love searching for self-esteem searching for the meaning of life searching for a flashlight with live batteries searching for answers never finding the answers not wanting to find the answers realizing that the answers will always elude you if you search for them knowing that you're still clueless after all these years realizing that all the wise men, philosophers and self-help authors were clueless, too knowing that the world is going to fall apart eventually not caring if the world falls apart "whatever"

Daily Quote 5

It's all very complex. Or else it's very simple. Or perhaps both. Or neither.
-Unknown 

I'm Ever So Sorry..

I'm ever so sorry for forgetting to write in my blog for an inexcusably long time and for that I apologise.  I hope you do understand that for the next 2 weeks I will not be posting very much because I have the dreaded end of year exams looming around the corner and need to do some serious revision.  Please understand, people!

P.S. I will still post weekly at the very least.

Daily Quotes 4

Never take life too seriously. No one gets out alive, anyway.
-Jim Morrison

Daily Quotes 3

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit" is said by those incapable of its proper application and as such suffer from it a lot.
-Source Unknown

Friday the 13th

Today is the supposed day when bad luck runs rampant, or rather, the fear of it does.  I did a little bit of research into Friday the 13th for the second (and second to last) Friday the 13th of this year and found out some interesting information regarding this day.  According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute, 17 to 21 million people in the United States alone are affected by paraskevidekatriaphobia, a fear of Friday the 13th.  This year there are three Friday the 13th's (bad luck comes in threes, so they say) also, all three are exactly 13 weeks apart. After reading some information about its social impact, I can't make up my mind whether it is a 'good' or a 'bad' day. 

On one hand, the Dutch Centre for Insurance Statistics states that there are fewer reports of fire and theft on this day and compared to a usual Friday, there are 300 less car accidents, which is probably because people are more cautious on Friday the 13th. However, a UK study states the opposite,they found that in the region sampled, while consistently fewer people chose to drive their cars on Friday the 13th, the number of hospital admissions due to vehicular accidents was significantly higher than on "normal" Fridays. Their conclusion:

"Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."

I for one am pleased to note that this fear is not universal.   Apparently, in Greece and Spain, Tuesday the 13th is a day of bad luck.  In Italy, it is Friday the 17th that is unlucky.  This particular cynic does not suffer from paraskevidekatriaphobia but all the same, I wish you a pleasant Friday the 13th!

Daily Quote 2

The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier to write with.
-Marty Feldman

Daily Quote 1

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
- George Bernard Shaw

Greetings Viewers!

It's wet.
It's cold.
It's Easter Sunday.

These are the opening words of this, my new blog. Those three simple sentences above are all true, I've been bored this whole holiday and have at last resorted to starting a blog. To set the record straight, this blog is exactly what it says on the tin, cynical thoughts about nearly everything. So stay tuned and be prepared...