Thursday, August 31, 2006

Shimmy-ers of the World Don't Work Desk Jobs

Lately I feel like I've been fooled, and in some way, my recent days are a big joke.

All through school, we've been taught to follow the rules, to never defy the law, and always understand the concept of authority so we can be respectable individuals. Lately, I'm starting to believe that it was all designed for people to be placed in these asinine desk jobs, crossing the t's, dotting the i's, and following rules and order so we can make the world revolve around The Man. It's a new assembly line, only with computers and water coolers, complete with Starbucks coffee. We follow directions, step by step, opening accounts, closing deals, and end another exhausting day. It's the most irritating type of exhaustion because you're tired just from sitting the entire day. It's the same type of fatigue you feel when you've been riding the plane for 8 hours.

You see, until recently, I was duped. I was naive enough to believe that I was going to be one of the movers and shakers of the world. I was going to do something different. I was NOT going to have those jobs where you have to explain what you do to people, which always include the words "data processing", "accounts", and "clients". I was going to be constantly stimulated and actually HAPPY about my job.

Now I know it was all idealistic, as I stare at rich people's bank accounts, as my bosses work hard, day and night, to make the rich people even richer. Now, I want to be rich. Now, I want to be a shareholder with high interest, and have a mutual fund. It's fucking contagious, I tell you. (Although getting mutual funds and having a retirement plan is just plain smart.)

But there's still a bit of me that believes that I can maybe at least shimmy through the world and change The Man little by little, and contribute to it becoming The Woman. Or The Underrepresented Man. Whatever. I haven't lost my ideals completely. However, perhaps I should get rich (or "die tryin'") first, get chummy with The Man so I can kill him in the end, and bring his riches to the little people. Damn The Man, save the empire (of Socialism). (Just kidding.) Shimmy shimmy shimmy.

I'm just being a little bitch right now, because I'm understanding that work is sometimes just work, and that's it. It's only sometimes that I wish I was more of an outlaw and able to bust my way out of convention so that I can be the Rule Maker and not The Follower. I just can't shake my fear of disorder, which is ironic, because I feel like my present state (including my shit hole of a room) is anything but organized.

So that's that. I'm done with my bitching. I'll continue on doing the shimmy. Just wait til you're affected by it, because it's hypnotic.

I'm such an ass. It's only been a month since I started this temp, and it's not nearly as bad as some of the dumb jobs that I've had. Maybe this is part of The Reverse Culture Shock too. I'll just blame everything on that from now on.


I'm going to go talk to the cat now.



I wonder how he is. He's in Spain. Did I tell you guys that he fell out of the window? We lived on the 5th floor, and he plummeted to the bottom.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

This post is only about shoes and Britney Spears



I found the cutest shoe store today right on Fair Oaks Ave in South Pasadena. These are my new Dorothy shoes. You can't tell, but the red is verrrrry red and it's velvet. It has a peep hole, and it's flat, and it's Brazilian. And! Washable!

Advice for you ladies: you can go as wild as you want with shoes and get away with it. If you have a color you love yet are hesitant to buy clothes in that hue, buy the shoes the way you desire. Also, buy shoes that are a sharp contrast to what you usually wear. I tend to wear a lot of cool colors like blue and green, so my shoes are bright red and pink. It works. Trust me. I'm not a huge fan of matching colors. My new thing is also wearing really bright shoes while wearing all black. Try it G! I take this from my beloved great aunt, who still sports gold Keds at the age of 70-something.

The television just told me, "Stay tuned to see where Britney Spears dropped $5000! You can shop there too!"

Honestly, who would want to shop where Britney Spears gets her clothes? You would have to pay me $5000 first.

That is the end to my fluff entry.

The Flip Side

It's been 2 months since I've been from Madrid and I am going through reverse culture shock, which just means that I really miss Madrid and the friends I made over there.

When I came back, it felt normal to be back and my life in Madrid felt like a dream. I've had that experience before, so it wasn't new. My return was sweetened a great deal, thanks to my friends who surprised me when I entered my house right when I came back from the airport.

Now life is boring, and I don't even have a whole lot to bitch about because it's boring. I hate complain entries, anyway.

I started my temp job, which is a cross cultural experience in itself. It's a normal office job, but it's also where I am 1 of 3
Americans in an office of at least 40 people. Everyone else is Japanese. I speak 5 words of English a day and the rest is Japanese.

Office jobs are boring in every country and culture, I've learned. However, there are some things that I scratch my head about. 1 main thing is that the men and women don't eat together during lunch. The men go out to eat, and the women bring lunches and eat in the kitchen. This is my first office job ever, so maybe this is how it is...? It also can be said that the men have better jobs and have more money so they go out, whereas we are budgeting. (Which blows.) Also, for SOME reason, all the men are referred to by their last name (expect for the one American guy) and all the women are referred to by their first name. That makes it sound like my office is a "Yes master, of course master, here's your tea, master," type of environment, but I swear that it isn't. I wouldn't last if it was something like that. Some of the women are on the same level, career-wise, as the men but they're still referred by the first name. I DON'T GET IT. I shall report back when I find out.

It's late, and my brain is mush. I'm sorry I couldn't be funny.

Oh, and I got a Mac.



I'm a casual Mac user. I'm not about the computer wars, just like how I'm not about the Middle East war. My life is about balancing two things, and that's what Imma do. I have to tell you one thing, though. This blog has polk-a-dots behind the text where my posts are. I can see it fine on my computer, but when I look at it on a PC, I can't see it unless I leaaaaan to the side. So, you PCers, leaaaaaaan to the side and that's how I see my page.

peace.

p.s. I've recently been trying to solve the mystery of lonleygirl15 on youtube. Can anyone tell me what the deal is? New York Times got me hooked on it.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

testing

testing

YES FINALLY!!

I couldn't take it. I could not take such a long time without blogging. I've even accepted that verb, blogging.

I've decided that this will be my spot for now, and I promise not to change it for a while.

So, how have I been? Basically bored with most things that are going on in my life, but most of all with my temp job. But it's a job, and apparently jobs aren't supposed to be entertaining.

It's taking me quite a bit to take that part in and really understanding it.

Throughout the day, I look around the Cubicle Land, and wonder why no one else is questioning the atmosphere of extreme order and direction-following, and also wonder why no one else wants to get OUT OUT OUT as much as I do every day.

I don't think I'm quite cut out for this, at least not yet.

And that was my inaugural blog entry. A bit ratty, but you'll get used to me.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

No one knows..

No one knows about this blog.

MUAAHAHAHAHA