Wednesday 25 February 2015

Hello, world

So I don't often blog, but when I do, it's at 4 am. Anyway, I do tend to sleep at sane human hours most days of the year, but I have my days (or nights, as it were). I have nothing specific to say, except - Hello, world.

My enthusiasm for the snow has decreased considerably since the last time I blogged. It's still beautiful, but unless I'm seeing it through a window in a warm, cosy room, it mostly just makes me grunt. And not in awe or appreciation. Is it possible that this winter is colder than the last?

Yes, the Niagara Falls have (kind of) frozen over
Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/01/10/niagara-falls-freezing/4407261/

When I haven't been freezing, I've been panicking and regretting my rash decision to have my credit limit extended and to take six classes (plus a one-credit seminar). In this fit of panic, I resigned my one-credit seminar. Not only did that not help much, but now I'm regretting resigning it. First of all, most people do not ever resign a class, and I've resigned more than one in the three semesters I've been here; second, who in their right mind resigns a one-credit class? Apparently my little pigeon mind thought it could handle six 300-400 level classes, but that one, tiny, single-credit class pushed it over the edge. My mind is ever a mystery to me. At any rate, it's done now.

On a slightly more cheerful note, spring break is coming up soon, and I'm hoping that the weather will be at least a little more spring-like. Who the heck decided to name the coldest months in the year the 'spring semester' anyway? What a cruel sense of humour. Some people just want to watch others squirm.

On an entirely different note, am I the only one who feels that there is a surplus of attitude amongst my generation? I'm all for confidence and self-possession, but too much of it is almost worse than too little. Not only do (some) people think they know everything, but they have appalling manners. Does no one think it's important to teach basic courtesy anymore? I might be exaggerating (or not), but the trappings of the smartphone and internet seem to be inversely related to manners (or directly related to the lack thereof). Most people don't want to drag their eyes off the damn screen for long enough to say hi and wave at people they know. What's worse, sometimes they don't respond to a greeting or an acknowledgement. Is it really that hard to smile back at someone you recognize? Or even don't recognize, as 50% of the RAM space in your brain is currently occupied by pressing matters on facebook? Is smiling some kind of desperate move that shows you value human contact that you don't want to disperse freely? Whatever it is, it annoys the hell out of me. I understand that sometimes people don't feel like talking, but an acknowledgement or greeting really doesn't cost much. Plus, it doesn't hurt to have to do something you don't like every once in a while, especially when it's basic civility.

While we're on the subject of my fascinating and persnickety pet peeves, another huge one of mine (not so 'pet' actually) is when people believe that they can show their stress/frustration/poor life choices/ melodramatic life plot twists on other people. Not only is this incredibly spoilt and selfish, it also shows your lack of self-control and your inability to relieve stress healthily. Now, I'm not saying we should keep everything bottled up inside like repressed, 19th century British (i.e. Downton Abbey) characters, but you really only have the right (to some extent) to vent your frustration or stress on people you love and who love you and who will understand that you don't mean it. Apart from understanding, as important people in your life, they're obligated to occasionally tolerate your rubbish. Other people, however, are under no such obligation. Not only is it rude and unfair to show your stress on random friends/acquaintances/colleagues, it is extremely spoilt. Why? Well, because clearly nobody has told you growing up that you're a spoilt prick for throwing tantrums when things don't go your way.

I think I've used up my rant quota for the day, so I'm going to sign off now. Any pet peeves that you guys would like to share with me in the comments below, or on Facebook?

Saturday 7 February 2015

Spring 2015!

It was good to be home, but it's good to be back.

Source: http://mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/michigan/files/201101/SamiFLICKR_0.jpg

This year I was more prepared for winter - warmer clothes (and more fashionable, courtesy my mom), better face covering methods (never mind that I go out looking like a bank robber - sometimes you can't even see my eyes, because they get all fogged up). I have, thus warmly robed, discovered a new fascination for snow. I love the way it sparkles at night and the way each snowflake is so uniquely, symmetrically perfect (I still can't totally believe in snowflakes; intricate pieces of art falling from the sky seems such an impossibility). Sometimes (when I'm not late, which is not often), I stop and catch snowflakes on the sleeve of my coat, so that I can look at them closely before they melt into nothingness. Seems to me a bit of a cruel joke that something so beautiful cannot be preserved in its original form. And then there's the colour. Colour? What colour, you say? You, my friend, have not seen snow. Not truly, anyway. It's brilliant, luminescent, the purest of white; until you've seen snow, you've not seen a white so gleaming, so intense. It might seem strange to describe a snowy landscape as colourful, but look closely at the snow, put your face close enough so you can see it sparkle, and it is iridescent, like hundreds of tiny prisms. The cold might be bitter, but the landscape glitters. There are few landscapes that can compare in beauty to a snow covered town. I think I'm falling in love.

I guess I should have titled this 'Ode to Snow.' At any rate, snow, like spring, can only be described so much until the writer and her prose sound maudlin and purple respectively.

I've had a great time so far, and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the semester. I have six classes, which is a bit much, but I like all of them and the professors, and couldn't bear to drop one. Now that the Add/Drop period (where you can add or drop classes for the semester) is past, I'm stuck, but I'm not too worried. My favourite class so far is Islam and Literature - I'm enjoying the readings and the discussions very much. Also, the professor, Walter Hakala, is very good and very nice. I also
have Criticism, which is also shaping up nicely.

Source: http://sintoniza.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/46550.jpg

One of our assigned books is Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, the Iranian-born French graphic novelist and director. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It is very well-written - insightful, touching and humorous. In fact, I missed a class because I didn't realize what time it was while I was reading it (always a good indicator of the quality of a book). I'm a TA this semester for Macroeconomic theory, which looks like it might be a lot of work, but I'm hoping that I can make it easier for the students than it was for me, and also that the professor writes me a really good recommendation. :) I'm also trying to be more involved in extracurricular activities this semester. I volunteer at an after-school program for refugee kids on Wednesdays (it's called ENERGY), I'm dancing with UB Zeal (a South Asian dance club) for UB's International Fiesta (a cultural dance competition at UB), I'm in UB Lit Club (we discuss books, movies and art), and I'm trying to start a club of my own (more on that if I succeed!). So I'm very busy (by my standards, at least), but loving it. As for how many of my non-academic activities I can keep up, only time will tell.

Oh, and a very belated Happy New Year! I can't believe it's already 2015. We're as close to 2030 now as we are to 2000.