Monday 25 July 2011

...Why People Are So Eager To Judge Others Without Taking Into Consideration That They Not Be As Stingy As You Thought They Were, Based From That One Off Experience Where They Refused To Lend You $5 For The Bus

I know I am being somewhat hypocritical with this topic, but I try my best not to stick to judgements of people which I had made from a few experiences.


As we all know, being human and all (I certainly hope that you are), we are very quick at making snap judgements about other people - whether it is people we see on the street or the people that we spend a lot of time with every week. "That woman over there has 13 chihuahuas in her handbag, therefore that must mean she's posh" or "That guy in my class said something inappropriate and stupid, therefore that must mean he's a douche". Sadly, we are unable to stop making these snap judgements - it is in our nature. It is our way of recognising and categorising the different types of people we see and meet.

However, just because we make these judgements, doesn't necessarily make them true and it takes a lot more than a few experiences and stories to shape a person and their personality. Therefore, I am rather confused as to why some people are so stubborn and narrow as to not realise that there is more to a person than just what they see and hear from day to day conversation. It takes time and effort to establish a clear understanding of someone and it's just kinda sad that not everyone is willing to give that a go.

I know people who have been judged by others the moment they opened their mouths to say something. Yeah, it may not have been the most thought out comments of all time, but some people are just not good with first impressions. Some people find it difficult to not be themselves and do not spend their time on worrying about how to make everyone else like them. For all you know the person who swore at you when you accidentally slammed a door in their face could be someone who is extremely nice, but agitated easily. For all you know that homeless person sleeping on that park bench became homeless not because they are lazy and uneducated, but because someone screwed them over. That someone could may have well been a grateful, beautiful girl on the outside with a heart of poison and stone in the inside. You don't know. You don't know unless you actually try to understand them. So why stick to your attitude toward someone when it is based on a superficial glance or a crude comment?

With that being said, it is impossible to take the time to get to know everyone. To assess their character and to decide what you actually think of them. But what you can do is understand that there may be parts of a person that you might not ever get to see and they are not entirely who you think they are. For better or for worse. Unfortunately, for all you who are amazing in the inside but not as appealing with looks, lacking in basic social skills, bad at making first impressions or have poor surface qualities that everyone picks up on, that's just the way life is. But hopefully you'll know people who have picked up on the idea that you are so much more than what they see.

So next time bear that in mind before you judge that classmate who thinks of himself as better than everyone else or your friends' mother who looks like a witch.

There are a lot of reasons why this topic is important. I must admit, it is rather personal in the sense that I, as with most people I'd assume, have qualities (both good and bad) within, which are difficult to express or show  to everyone I know. I'm not going to judge you, so don't judge me.

Monday 18 July 2011

...Why People Enrol For Something And Not Bother to Show Up, Claiming That They Dislike It When They Don't Really Know What It's About

The main target that is being addressed here is courses or papers in University. Other things like enrichment courses or sporting dedications also count, but to a lesser extent.

As expected, there are always people who enrol in something and decide that it is not their cup of tea. We all have our likes and dislikes, our interests and fears, our own perception and image of what something would be like. Sometimes we make the wrong decision and end up signing up for something that we thought we'd enjoy but actually don't. We either quit straight away, or we survive the specific duration, make an informed decision and then either stay because we've realised there's more to the course than it seems, or dash to the "exit" at the next possible chance. 

But there are some people who enrol in a course, come to one or two lectures and then decide it's not what they're interested in and never come back. I don't get why because, to me, that is just plain stupid for multiple reasons:

If you only come for like a few lectures and then wag the rest, how would you know if you'd like the course or not? I must admit, some introductions make the paper seem extremely boring and difficult but after a while, it turned out to be not so bad. Unless you have a phobia of the subject (don't know why you chose the course in the first place then), there's bound to be some aspect or topic in the paper that you would enjoy. You've already paid for the course technically, so why not get what you can out of it? University fees aren't cheap. I just roughly worked out that every hour of lectures equates to around 20 dollars for my course. You can't buy back the time that has been wasted either (you may as well go get a job instead of wagging and spending your time playing some endless video game). This isn't a pie that you take a bite out of, realise it's terrible and then chuck it in the bin - this is way more serious than that.

Furthermore, this is University. It isn't primary school. It isn't high school. You weren't forced to obtain tertiary education. You chose to be here because you wanted to be here. Wagging a few classes in high school is obviously not encouraged, but that is usually because you had to do a subject you didn't really like. You made the decision here. Yeah yeah, "I didn't think that this course would be this lame". Well next time do your research before you choose and pay the fees instead of drawing random subject names out of a hat. And, like I said before, at least try and make an effort. No one can blame you for trying.  We do blame you though when you're in our group for an assignment and you don't even contribute, let alone show up.

Finally, although it's a little blown out of proportion (I think anyway), you are being quite selfish. Some courses have limited spacing or quite high academic requirements. Not everyone who applies gets into the course. Hell, not everyone can afford to go to University or have the brains to get into what they want either. By taking someone else's spot in the course, and not even taking advantage of this chance, you are effectively (yes, here is the blown out of proportion part...) ruining someone else's future, whether you delay them by a semester, or unconsciously make them do a second-option course. There is nothing you can do about this though. It's just unfortunate for them. But show some integrity and learn what you can while you have this chance. There's nothing wrong with having a broader general knowledge - but there is definitely something wrong with wasting a few grand on classes you don't attend, and wasting many months in your life, not only from wagging for recreational purposes, but from all that time you need to work to pay off those loans.

Monday 11 July 2011

...Why People Spend That Extra $7 Dollars At Supermarkets On Something They Don't Really Need Just To Get That 4c Off Voucher For Fuel (And Other Illogical or Retarded Behaviour Concerning Shops and Shopping)

A while ago, supermarkets in New Zealand began introducing that additional fuel voucher for grocery shoppers. The most common value is 4c off per litre of fuel if you spend more than $40 on your groceries. There also has been other promotions such as 6c off for $75 or 10c off for $200 (or something like that). This idea seems great - you get to spend money on things that you inevitably need for discounts in something else that you also need. However, the keyword that makes this idea worthwhile is the bit about spending money on things that you inevitably need.

Think about it - if you had a voucher and you filled your fuel tank by 40 litres, you would save a mere $1.60. There is nothing wrong with that as it is good to save whenever you can. But I don't understand why people would purposely try and make it to a certain threshold just to get the voucher. I guess it's fair to buy that extra pack of chewing gum for $2 but trying to add more than $5 to your bill for the discount is just plain illogical. You're gonna be spending money on something that you probably won't need in order to save like a dollar on fuel. Just don't buy anything extra - you don't actually need the voucher in this case.

Which leads me to the next point - why people buy random things just because it's on sale. First we must understand the term of "sale". It usually means that items have been reduced in price from its original value. Somehow people think that this is amazing and they just have to buy it. Just because it's on sale, doesn't make it free. If something is 60% off, you still have to pay for that 40%. It's good to get bargains on things that you would have bought if it was cheaper, but do not be fooled into buying things just for the sake of a sale. I've made the mistake of buying a shirt that was on sale and I now never wear it because I realised that I didn't actually need it, nor do I like it very much. I'm pretty sure there are clothes in your own wardrobe that had been on sale, worn once or twice and then neglected to a life of imprisonment on a hanger, waiting for their chance to see the world again. Or the insides of a nearest clothes bin.

Furthermore, sales could be deceiving themselves. How do you not know that the original price hadn't mean marked up before it was reduced? I've heard from a not 100% reliable source that appliance selling places increase their price before reducing it by a percentage during the peak sale times (Christmas etc.) Plus, some sales are ridiculous. I once saw some sort of confectionery on sale at a certain supermarket. At the bottom of its price tag thing on the shelf it said that you save 7c. 7 cents. Seven. Not even ten. Seven. Don't let the words sale or discount get to you (psychologically attracting you to spend money) - actually think about these things before you buy them.

With sales, there also comes with the issue of why some shops are so god damn stingy while others are so extremely (and annoyingly) "generous" with their sales. It's time for some public shaming (drumroll?)

The former refers to New World (yes, I said it). Have you seen their birthday "vouchers" that they send you through the mail? At first glance, they seem alright - "$5 off your groceries on your next visit" or something like that. However, underneath it says "if you spend more than $150". I just plopped that into my handy calculator next to me (oh so handy) and that equates to a 3% discount. So first you have to spend $150 dollars on groceries (which may include things you don't need - refer to above), and then after all that effort you save... $5. It's your birthday New World. Please at least have some dignity and let us save a bit more.

The latter refers to mainly Briscoes, but also Farmers and places like that. How many freaking sales can you have in a year? I swear Briscoes has a sale every single day. And the reasons for them are just retarded:

End of January Sale! Pre-Autumn Sale! Mid-Autumn Sale! Early Winter Sale! Mid-Year Sale! End of year sale! Beginning of year sale! I-Don't-Really-Have-Any-More-Reasons-But-I'm-Going-To-Have-A-Sale-Anyway Sale!

Farmers is not nearly as bad, but as Becca once said to me "How many red dot sales can you possibly have?!" I don't get these shops at all. Yes, you attract a lot of customers to your stores when things are cheaper but we're not stupid. Sooner or later we figure out that you have sales all the time and there's no need to rush in to buy something (The other time my mum asked me if we needed to buy a suitcase for the end of the year because it was on sale at Briscoes - I told her not to worry because there is bound to be 2389432 more sales before we go on our trip). I bet you Briscoes can barely sell anything if everything was at its normal price. You've ruined it, Briscoes. You've now got us in this mentality that you always have sales and nothing is worth its original price since you can afford to have so many discounts. Plus, how much money would you save if you didn't have that woman on the ad telling us that this plate set is 60% off? How much paper would you save if you didn't have to print off so many pricing things to fit the theme of the sale? Why you have so many back-to-back sales is totally beyond me.

And don't even get me started on the ads themselves. All I have to say is that woman from Big Save Furniture really needs to STFU.

Monday 4 July 2011

... Why People Laugh During Hideous Scenes Where A Poor Innocent Man Is Killed Brutally By A Bloodthirsty Psycho

I have a toothache so I'm gonna keep this short.

Horror movies have been able to provide entertainment for a significant portion of the population. They usually contain gory scenes, twisted characters, sudden actions and blood or pain (lots of it). I am not a fan of horror movies, therefore my knowledge about them is rather limited. However, I do understand that its entertainment derives from the factors of shock, thrill and the feeling that you're so much better off than the person who is suffering in the movie. It reminds us that our lives are not that ridiculous and we are fortunate. I personally don't find any joy in watching horrors but just because I don't enjoy them doesn't mean I discourage others to do so.

However what I don't understand, nor will I ever encourage, is why people laugh during these kind of movies. I mean, yeah sometimes the "horror" is more funny than it is scary - it's fine to laugh at that, but what's so funny about some person whose arm is chopped off by a blunt knife? (I actually don't want to list out anymore examples because I don't want to go there). There's nothing funny about it. You don't laugh when someone gets murdered nor do you laugh when someone's arm or head gets cut off, just so the robber can get their handbag (sadly, these actions are based on true stories). The only reasons you'd probably laugh at these events are due to mental issues or because you're a severe sadist (I say severe because usually it's just love of pain, instead of death)

Even if you're a sadist, I don't understand why you'd laugh at the scene out loud, especially when people are around you. Doesn't that draw all the attention to you and cause questioning on your behaviour? I just don't believe that being a sadist is something to be proud of, so there's not really a reason for you to express that side of yourself like that.