This sucks: My TV smells during/after use. It's new. Is there something wrong?

This is cool:
"Good taste is the enemy of creativity"
- Pablo Picasso

I was eating a fruit yoghurt and wondered why it had a metallic taste. I realized that the spoon I was using had it's own taste... that can't be a good thing... cutlery/silverware isn't supposed to have its own taste!!! (although that'd be a pretty ingenious if they could regulate the flavors) The moral of the story... do not buy cutlery sets from a dollar store.

I wrote a post yesterday, and wasn't too happy with it. I did click to publish it... but it didn't publish and I lost what I wrote. I didn't feel like writing it again. That was kinda profound cuz maybe, somewhere, something didn't want me to publish what I wrote.

Today I've been thinking about what it means to waive out of a course at an institute of higher education. I'm trying to waive out of a "Understanding Behavioral Research" course. I realize that there's no such thing as a perfect piece of research... so no one can ever study this topic too much. But at the same time... I'm not pursuing this degree purely for educational enrichment. I'm on route to become a professional. I'm training to get skills and competencies... so if I can waive out of this course I can take an elective or an extra course in my concentration that'd do me more good than repeating this topic.

My TV arrived today. I ordered it from Best Buy, cuz they had no delivery charge and they had a nice deal on a Daewoo 27-inch flat-tube ($280). It came around 8:30 this morning. I told the guys to bring it in and put it down by our TV stand. I had to sign and initial a statement saying that the merchandise wasn't damaged while being delivered. I thought to myself as I was holding the guy's clipboard... how am I supposed to know that it wasn't damaged in delivery? The box looked ok, but how would I know that they didn't drop it, or hit it against something, or if the screen was cracked? I felt like telling him to wait while I open the box, pull the 90lb TV out, put it on the stand, and test it.... but, my flatmate was sleeping in the living room (his mom is visiting and she's taken his room). And, I saw on the guy's clipboard that he had a lot of other deliveries scheduled for the day. I'd only requested a drop-off service, not assembly/installation (that would cost money). So... the point is, I could have been thorough and checked things properly, but... due to some circumstances and certain traits of my personality, I didn't want to cause hassle. I just signed the thing and the guy left. I just have to assume that things are working. I'm pretty excited to get it out and test it... like a little kid and a new toy (I've never owned a TV before too)... but my flatmate is STILL sleeping! It's past noon and we weren't out partying last night.

I was walking around today, doing some errands, being bombarded by signs of all sorts. Signs from shops, restaurants, hairdressers, street vendors, homeless people, etc, etc. One really caught my attention today:
"Divorce: $299"
and then in the small print:
"(plus court fee)"
It made me wonder about divorces, cuz they're not a "product" you can buy at a store. It's not really a "service" like you get when you go to cut your hair. It's a process... technical, takes place over time, there's nothing fixed about it really. With a sandwich, haircut or bar of soap, you know pretty much what you're going to get. But a divorce? No two are alike, right? I don't know if it's something qualitatively different though - cuz you can argue that no two heads of hair or two sandwiches are EXACTLY alike...

Another concern of mine, which was reincarnated today, is why EVERYTHING with a price tag has to have some form of "99" on it (Deodorant: $2.99, Divorce: $299). Why can't anyone have the guts and print $3.00 or $300? Why is there such a culture of charging 99 cents or 99 dollars? Or even worse, 99 dollars AND 99 cents? When someone asks me, "how much did you buy that _______ for?" it always takes me twice as many syllables to say the price. I usually just round up. Why do I get frustrated over this? I come from a place where the smallest denomination is 10 cents. Yet you hardly ever see anything going for $__ and 90 cents. Or $_9.90. Also, there's no sales tax. So if you have the price for something shown, that ALL you have to pay for. You can count things out in advance before you go to the register. But that's a gripe for another time.

When you read "extra strength" on a package of something (a medicine, a cleaner, etc) does that make you more attracted to it? Why has there been a recent trend in "extra strength" products? Maybe you're getting more bang for your buck, but sometimes stuff that's too powerful and is not good for your system. Shouldn't we try to go for milder stuff? I'd steer clear of stuff that gives too strong a jolt to my system. I avoid caffeine for example. Getting used to substances, developing a tolerance and dependence on them is a sign of our weakness. We lose our integrity, our authenticity. By all means, if you have a headache, feel free to take a pill. If you have a cough, go suck on a lozenge. But be wary of the power that substances have over you.

Pigeons... they have plump bodies and small heads. They aren't so scared of people, so you can be pretty near them and they won't run or fly away. People have different feelings about them. Some think they are dirty and are basically rats with wings. I'm not like that. Sometimes I imagine bending down and picking one up (they're a perfect size to hold in my hands). Anyway, today I was wondering if I'd be swift enough to be able to kick one. It's kind of a comical image. I wouldn't want to hurt the bird. One day I might try to give one a little jab or poke with my foot. I don't intend to run up to it and boot it like I would a soccer ball in a free kick. That'd be really cruel and I'm sure if you run up to it it'd flee. For me... I'm just interested to see if it's possible to do a little hop and jab, just to see if it can be done. And well, to see the bird's reaction. The last thing I'd want to do is cripple/maim it. Perhaps it could be a test of my martial arts skills - to see if I can have enough dexterity and control to make contact with the bird, but not hurt it. I also wonder what people in the street would think if they saw me do it.

I'm nearly done settling in to my new apartment in NYC. So, hopefully I can start posting more consistently again... but for now, here's one thought that has intrigued me:

You gotta hate those people who wear sunglasses in the subway. Especially if the lenses are dark. When you're in the train, it's only natural to look at other people, see what they look like, what they're wearing, their hairstyle, etc. Maybe try to get an insight into what they are doing or who they are. The problem is, you're gaze isn't usually welcome. Neither are any glances. So I try to be subtle - I look with a healthy amount of curiosity. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to sound like some kind of voyeur! I'm just interested in other people - and NYC has a good variety of interesting people. But back to these people wearing sunglasses... it strikes me as silly cuz we're all UNDERGROUND!!! (well, for most of the time) Where is the sun?! The UV rays?? A person wearing sunglasses in a train tells everyone else, "F*** you, if I want to look at you and stare all I want, I can and I will! I'll stare till I get bored of you!" The person wearing glasses can stare and ogle all they want. Whether or not they do, I think it's rude to wear glasses in the train. This doesn't really apply to people wearing sunglasses outdoors, under normal circumstances (although they can also stare and ogle). It's a subway thing, something I'll have to notice a few more times till I get used to it and for it not to bother me.

Yesterday I was at a grocery store and discovered that extra large eggs are cheaper than large eggs. There was no special on eggs, so why is that the case? Do they not taste as good? They probably mess up people's baking recipes (e.g. when they call for a certain number of eggs). I ended up buying medium eggs, cuz they were the cheapest of all and cuz eggs aren't so good for you.

Do not play Monopoly with anyone that goes to Wharton (the business school at UPenn). If you have to, don't go easy on them even though you seem guaranteed to win. Crush them when you have the chance! Don't go easy on them to make the game last longer and keep it interesting (i.e. be too unaggressive). Why? Cuz they just might make a fluke rebound and win a free dinner!

I'm currently looking for an apartment in Manhattan, one near Columbia University. I wonder... is there a perfect one out there for me (and my friend Kris)? One that's in great condition, has a great location, a great view and is great value? Or are we just gonna get some mediocre apartment that's decently priced, make it nice and that's it? Is the concept of a perfect apartment silly? Is the perfect apartment tangible?

What's perfect for me (and Kris) isn't perfect for other people, so not everyone's going for the exact same one. Plus, since my definition of "perfect" contains 4 "greats"... it's possible to have several apartments that fit the bill and are "perfect." So... in a way maybe there is a perfect apartment for us. On the other hand... how do we really know what's the best location, best condition, and what kind of apartment best suits our needs... can we truly ever know? And what about hidden problems? In light of this, everything is relative and so it's all quite arbitrary.

I wonder what kind of mindset I should adopt when going about my apartment search. However, theoretical frameworks about the philosophy of apartment searching aside... what's important is that I don't forget the basics like checking that all the utilities work, and that the fixtures are good and that kind of stuff.

"The best thing about New York is that there are 5-star hotels everywhere that you can take a s**t in."
- Baiku
("and you can also get free breakfast and drinks if you are dressed well and pretend to be a guest")

Nowadays (at least in the stores that I've been in) it's so rare to find toothpaste that isn't "whitening" or soap that isn't "antibacterial"... 5 years ago these properties of soap and toothpaste were a lot rarer. Everyone knows that too many antibacterial things are bad because the bacteria will develop resistances, but why have antibacterial stuff become so popular? And this tooth whitening stuff... do people know what's really going on with that? Don't the bleaches etch away at the outer layer of your teeth? Don't they remove your outer enamel to expose the lighter enamel and dentine? It's all a bit senseless since the natural color of teeth is ivory - not white. If I'm the only one not buying these products, then that's not going to do anything. Somehow, I need to get other people to think more about these things so they can also boycott them. I think once the limelight moves away from the evils of cigarette companies, people can start pointing fingers at and scrutinizing other corporations.

What have you done today to make your life better?

(While this sounds like a good mantra to think about every day, I have some reservations. How do you know if something is genuinely valuable? Also, if days go by and you haven't done anything of value, you'd eventually develop a psychosis.)

Sparkling/shiny lipsticks contain ground-up fish scales.

Photographs should be alive. They should be on display, or at least in albums which are easily accessible. If they are unsorted and in boxes, and no one looks at them or remembers them, then there's almost no point in having them.

Homophobic males are more sexually aroused by gay porn than males that have more ambivalent attitudes.

What is it with African American males and athletic wear? Why do they always have to wear sweats, caps, sneakers, basketball/football jerseys, headbands, etc? And what is it with the really baggy clothes and bling bling? I know I'm generalizing a bit... but non-professionals aside, they all seem to dress this way. Why do they dress like this? Is their masculinity so frail that if they don't dress like they are athlete, or don't dress in clothes that occupy twice as much space as their own bodies, they'd be ridiculed by other black men?

Whoever chucked a whole bunch of Maxim and FHM for recycling... thanks for giving me more stuff to read! I just finished "The Sexual Life of Catherine M" which was really interesting. If you don't know who she is, she's a French art critic who has had a LOT of sex in her life, with a LOT of different people (she only remembers/knows 49). It was pretty crazy, but it was very genuine and personal. I respect that because often the stuff that people write doesn't relate to them essentially. My next read, apart from my textbook on Organizational Change, should be Sun Tzu's "The Art of War."

Faith requires passion, and passion is not something we can learn. We have to experience it ourselves, or else we do not understand it at all. (A lesson from Kierkegaard's "Fear and Trembling")