Posts tagged people-watching
it only takes one
Apr 13th
I’m not sure if it’s just me, or if I’m just one of those people “doomed” to have atypical friendships and social circles. Actually, I wouldn’t consider them atypical; but they’re definitely not what any old Joe/Jane would expect to have to go through. Not all of this, anyway.
For starters, I’m not part of a stereotypical high school clique; or just any old clique per se. That’s probably because I’m not 1) preppy 2) popular 3) a cheerleader 4) uber-nerdy 5) uber-AZN (as they would refer to themselves) or 6) a musical hermit. I love having my cake and eating it as well; so I’m involved in a good mix of stuff and talk to a lot of people. Which is what they never really understand about me. -_- If I were to actually follow personalities on TV shows, I think I’d be pretty much an Inbetweener (reference to E4’s hit comedy series The Inbetweeners; a bunch of students not cool enough to be popular but not nerdy enough to be geeks.)
Moving on – except for some treasured few, I seem to have a notorious track record for not getting along with peers of my age/year group. Juniors and seniors are all right, and I’m (touch wood) brilliant with kids and adults. However, try as I may, people from my year group just don’t take a shine to me. This became a lot more evident when I went to England – and know what? It’s actually not my fault that we don’t get on; Mr Marshman (my houseparent) reckons it’s just a case of different intellectual levels (so sue me if I don’t feel like comparing Daniel Radcliffe with Jeremy Sumpter – go ahead if you will; I just don’t really want to participate per se, thanks.) Perhaps I just have to be a bit more patient – people change and grow up more during their late teenage years.
The final thing – which has also ended up being a source of jibes – is the fact that I get on better with lads than chicas. I won’t lie and say that it’s better to share certain things with members of your own sex – even though I hate stereotypes, most of the girls around me are complete b****es. When it comes to friendly banter, more often than not, it’s guys that I tend to have it with. And unsurprisingly, some the dudes I hang out with happen to be the people I go to with my light worries. I must admit I do stay away from the popular ones, though; they tend to be very jock-ish characters without the ability to sustain a convo.
Not to say that I don’t get along with girls full stop. My two oldest best friends are girls I’ve known since primary school who are 1) living miles away from me and 2) are of a totally different background compared to mine. One doesn’t speak English as her first language either.
So far, these are the sort of things that I’ve grown to get used to – which other people sometimes condemn as an “abnormal social life”. Hopefully you agree with me. There are, however, certain not-so-typical friendships I’ve experienced in my teen years; some of which I’m still trying to get a clue on.
java moment
Aug 28th
EDIT// I changed the layout – AFTER AEONS – however, the site’s now officially on a Gmail-esque “open beta”. The layout’s not 100% OK because of some cross-browser glitches that even the CSS experts I knew couldn’t help me solve (I asked!), and also some PHP scripting stuff gone wrong. That’s because I tried rewriting certain parts of the Wordpress code and have yet to debug (GAAAAARGH!) But progress is slow partly due to the fact that I’ve been slammed with other stuff (cue voice – “isn’t that always the case?!”) – then again, school IS starting, and I’m flying back for my 2nd year at Queen’s on the 2nd of Sept – so last minute preps and all that come to mind.
Details of the design? Look HERE. If anyone has any tips on how to fix whatnot in the design, I’ll be eternally grateful.//END EDIT
When you have a mug of steaming hot coffee (if you don’t take coffee, your fave hot drink) in front of you, what comes to mind? Comfort probably, sugar rush perhaps, or other things amont that. Be it hot java, chai, Milo, milk, Horlicks, cocoa (with marshmallows!) or something, I always enjoy that warm fuzzy feeling I get with a cup of said drink on a cold (rainy) day – whether I’m alone, or with people.
Believe it or not, one of my dreams as a young teen (I’m in my mid-teen years now) was to run a cafe. It wouldn’t be a big chain like Starbucks; rather, I had 2 options of what I wanted the ambience to be like – the first one being one of those cafes that give you that cosy, quaint feel. On the other hand, I like sleek, clean, modern design too; and I thought that would be nice as well. I wasn’t sure then what foods/drinks I wanted to serve; but I knew that alcohol would be a no-go. Instead, I’d serve hot java and such during the cold days, and swap to smoothies on the warmer ones. Plus little tidbits for the hungrier – I love baking. I think it would be a plus if a cafe had its stuff made in-store on the very day instead of keeping it in the freezer box for aeons, then shoving it in the microwave. Impractical perhaps; but I’ve always been a sucker for fresh, homemade stuff.
I think I’ve always liked entertaining that idea of running a cafe, simply because 1) I love comfort, and more so if I can find it away from home; 2) I like the fact that you get to see so much happening in front of you. You never know who could be sitting at the other tables – it could be a bunch of happy BFFs chatting away over skinny lattes, that surly teen with a frappuccino addiction, the lovers waiting to meet (peppermint chai for her, cappuccino for him), that budding writer/everyday businessman who either loves the place or needs a break from the office. But then again, you might be absorbed in your own work/worries for all I know. I’m just the kind who likes to observe my surroundings, so there.
People seem to find solace or other things in hot drink for some reason. J.K. Rowling’s major literary debut, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone, was written in a cafe – she had her baby daughter and a cup of cappuccino with her while she slaved away at the manuscript. In Jack Tigg (the boarding house I reside in during term-time), everyone has an addiction to Cadbury’s Hot Chocolate during the colder months; the milk in our fridge somehow ends up in a mug in the microwave, and then gets some Hot Chocolate powder mix stirred in.
Me? I’m a quirk; I don’t use the mix provided in the house. I prefer to heat the milk together with real chocolate bars and whizz it (with those battery-operated hand-held foamers) until it’s foamy. It ends up nice and creamy, though; because I actually use chocolate. One day it may be Galaxy chocolate mixed in the milk; it could be Cadbury Flake bars the next day, and Hershey’s chocolate the day after. Both milk and dark chocolate get used; the latter more often.
And for the record, yes, I do want to work as a barista or something at a Starbucks, Coffee Republic, Costa, AMT Coffee or something-along-those-lines someday. Well, that’s if we look at jobs that don’t involve alcohol mixes (by that, I’m thinking bartender or cocktail mixer.) Then again, just random thoughts.