Save My Eyes, Save My Sanity

Been talking to Amy and Angie about one of the best options we have on Facebook - the option not to follow the posts of some of our friends and family. I bet some people actually do the same to me anyway, so no love list there really.

The reasons, however, might shock some people. Well Angie and I seem to have "unfollowed" the same few people in our list. It was quite obvious that these bunch of people were just posting too much rubbish we weren't interested in. In fact, they usually posted rather irritating or petty comments, negativity we don't need. 

Then came the bunch of people who just love posting quotes from every corner of the Internet. I'm not sure if they are showing how resourceful they are with image searches, how emotional they can be, or how sad their lives are. I don't mind the occasional quote about life's ups and downs, funny jokes to brighten everyone's day or even emotional quotes about heartbreak and loss. However, to have a minimum of 10 quotes a day, mostly about how people have wronged you, and that it's ok for you to wallow in your self pity - no thank you bloody much. Once again I don't need all that negativity. 

Now, there's another bunch of people I've started to consider "unfollowing", although I already have one "victim". The reason to leave them out is a bit mean, but there's a breaking point for everything. So what is it that has got me irritated? It's the incessant posting of pictures or videos of their child/children. What I feel bad about is that I feel that their kid is ugly. I'm not talking about newborn babies that are still wrinkly - that is nature, we're all born like that (unless your the newborn baby on tv shows). Most babies are cute, especially when they have chubby cheeks and give their toothless grins. What I'm referring to are kids that look like trolls, or don't seem to get enough sleep that they have eye bags or dark eye circles. I understand how parents will be proud of their child but I think some people should have a gauge as to what is cute and what is not. I don't know why, but it seems like the emergence of the non-photogenic kids seem to appear only in recent times. Maybe it's the parents, or the lack of camera skills, or the convenience of digital photography. Going through old photos of friends and family, you don't see tired-looking kids or trolls. Maybe it's just that it seems I have beautiful people in my life? 

Networking Interests Or Social Stalking

Ever since little "apps" were available on our mobile phones, and almost everything was linked to Facebook, I sometimes feel as though some people are either lost sheep, stalkers or nosy.
For example, my sis got me to join Facebook as it was a social networking site, and it would help our family get quicker photo updates through it rather than emails which had a bit of a limit. This was just as they launched Facebook to the world instead of just universities. Then came the fun of getting updates about friends you've lost contact with for a while, some for about 20 years!

What I didn't understand were the request from strange people whom I've never heard of or met in my life. We might have a common friend, but that doesn't mean I know you, and I don't particularly like to give such people access to my photos. One might argue that it is called a Social Networking site, and so adding people is a means to socialising. I would then say I think I'm rather well socialised with over a 100 friends, excluding family. However, out of these friends, it seems that 90% of them act more acquaintances. So really, the social bit isn't exactly what Facebook is all about. Therefore, if I don't know you personally, I won't add you. And if you're dumb enough to put a cartoon photo with a made up name, then don't even bother asking. No one will know you really.

Then comes the weirder requests, which are on Twitter and Instagram. So the option available on these two sites are to follow someone you're interested in. For those who might not know, Instagram is a photo and short video (added recently) sharing sight with options to link to Facebook and Twitter should the urge arise. Twitter is a place to do shout outs - short and simple posts with photo addition options.

One of the strange things about this 2 sites is when a request to follow you is by an account for something that probably will never be in you search radar. Personally, I think these accounts are hoping that by following you, you'll follow them back, increasing the interest to their account. I honestly don't think I have posted anything so interesting for anyone to follow me. All I see is "attention whore" stamped all over their profile.

The other issue is actually with the friends/acquaintances who join sites such as Pinterest and Instagram. They send a request to follow me, and they would not post or pin anything on their account. This is where I wonder if they are following the flock and getting lost, nosy buggers or potentially creepy stalkers. What is so interesting about my pictures, posts or pins that you have to follow every account I have? How fun would it be if you decide to follow me and end up looking at no pins or photos on my profile? 

I need an Antisocial site. 

Stuck In The Middle

"Two households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Do with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which, but their children's end, nought could remove."

At this moment, I can say i feel like Romeo and Juliet combined. I can honestly imagine my dad as the house of Montague and mom as the house Capulet. Both don't seem to know how to agree, and I'm stuck in the middle. Just hope it doesn't take a tragedy to get them to agree on things. 

重口味

Amy always described me as a person with 重口味, or extreme tastes. Other than the fact that I am usually quite adventurous with food, experimental as well, she finds I seem to attract weird people in my life. These weird people also seem to have their own extreme tastes or borderline perversions, some of which I probably have mentioned before. 

Anyway, this is about the strange joy I find in inflicting pain on myself. I not talking about suicidal slashing or depressive burning on my arms and legs. Noooooo. I'm referring to relieving muscle aches by inflicting more pain onto the area that is already sore. I'm not sure if this would qualify me as a sadomasochist, and definitely not a physiotherapist. 

As the dictionary puts it, a masochist is a person who finds pleasure suffering physical pain (among other things). While a sadist is one who finds pleasure in inflicting pain. I can't seem to find any definition of sadomasochist - probably because it is two opposite personalities that shouldn't fester in one person? To also clear things up, there's nothing about the pleasure here being in the sexual context. I'd say it's more of the release of adrenalin and endorphins kind of pleasure. 

I honestly do enjoy rubbing in more pain to already sore muscles, or stepping on stones when I have rather sore feet. Wouldn't the latter count as foot reflexology? However, I do add more pressure to the pain, like my own version of super focused deep tissue massage, and sometimes shout (in shock and joy) at getting the bubble of pressure to pop. My mom says I torture myself, and I would agree, but she doesn't seem to mind being an accomplice to this madness. 

Maybe this is why I don't really enjoy getting massages at the spas in Singapore. No one really has enough strength to get the knots under all my thick skin and fat layers. Don't know about a Thai massage though, it looks good.