My family has gone for a vacation in New York City, Niagara Falls, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Massachetts, where they will visit my first brother in Nanjing on their way back. So I have the house to myself for the next two weeks or so. I can catch up on all the reading and newest issues of magazines!
CLEO is my favourite magazine of all time. It is more than just another beauty and fashion magazine, some of the issues talk about serious issues like helping the environment, volunteering for more charitable events, and even life issues like how to stop abuse from self and others. It even has its own blog!
I can relate to most of the articles. For instance, in one of the past issues, there was an article on how to not let others get one down (or something like that). That article is about how being verbally abused can create a trauma to the victim and cause the victim to stop believing in herself.
I can so relate to that! To think of the things I had to put up with in the past! Up to now, I can still never understand how come a guy can physically, mentally and verbally abuse a girl he claimed he loved and made her feel so low about herself, ruining her self-image and confidence in the process. And in certain cases, this damage may be permanent.
That particular article gave tips on how not to be a pushover but rather stand up for one's rights. Do not just keep quiet when someone bullies you but fight back. Which makes me wonder, fight back in what sense? At times when I do have the courage, I have no qualms telling off strangers on the streets when I see something undesirable. Yet when it comes to people I know and love, I just chose to ignore and tolerate. Shall I talk back then?
There is also an interesting article in the current issue, about Urban Etiquette. The article tells people how to behave on public transport, walking up and down the escalator, in restaurants, elevators, in the office, at the movies and when giving a party. I find the tips so true! It really addresses the aspects I find irritating about some people's behaviours.
Some of the pointers are :
1. When taking the train, do not lean one's body against the pole as if you have no backbone.
2. Guys, please close up! You do not need to open your legs so wide until they touch another person's thighs! (YES!!! I have enough of thigh-rubbing in public transports! Some guys sit with their legs so wide open as if they had a massive erection or something.)
3. Do not squat around the train doors until those coming in had to climb over your entire body. (Very true! Why must people choose to behave like squatters instead?)
4. Let people go out first before coming in. (Again, this cannot be re-emphasised.)
5. Move to the back of the bus so others can board. If you are getting off at the next stop and find it troublesome to move in a crowded bus, then kindly ask the next person to move behind, instead of blocking everyone's way by standing around the exit doors.
6. If you are not moving, keep to the left of the escalator. The right of the escalator is for those who are rushing and need to move quickly.
7. When ordering food in a restaurant, just signal to get the waiter's attention. Do not need to fling your arms so wildly. Worse is if it is a lady wearing a sleeveless top and her armpits are not shaved.
8. Tipping is not mandatory since we pay service charge. However, if you are really impressed with a waiter, put a small amount as a tip into an envelope or napkin and give it to the particular waiter on the way out in front of the manager (so that he will know the tip is exclusively for the waiter). Remember to put a note of thanks. Tip an amount that the person will not feel insulted upon receiving it. (In other words, no one-cent or ten-cent coins. Maybe a dollar will suffice.)
9. Do not squeeze into a crowded elevator when the doors are closing. No one need smell your hair or scent.
10. Do not talk to your colleague or friend at the top of your voice over another person's head if the elevator is crowded. No one need to listen in on your conversations.
11. Do not moan about your boss over email. If one really need to let off steam after a very unfair treatment, do it via online chatting.
12. When being invited to a party, do not come in late and then need to go off after just half an hour or so. That is being rude and disrespectful to the host.
13. At the movies, do not raise your legs up on the seat. There is enough leg room even for long legs, no matter how small the space is.
14. Do not make out with your partner while watching a show. (YES again!)
These are really very good pointers. There are some more of course, but these are the ones which I have encountered and feel irritated about. I read other magazines like Her World and Female, but I find the articles there cater more to older women (like those in their thirties and above). Cleo not only has good articles, but good fashion and makeup tips, and where to buy the most affordable products! Those in the other magazines are a bit pricey.
My mum always frown upon me reading what she calls "trash". But Cleo is not "trash". The sad thing is that the editor once remarked they would like to put in more features like the poor girls being forced into prostitution by their own parents (I always wonder how parents can do a thing like that to their own kids), and the "ugly" side of the world, but apparently when these articles appear, somehow the readership for that issue dropped.
Why is that so? Do people only want to live in their own shells and not be aware of what is going on? My mum always tell me why not read something more "intelligent". But I do read magazines like TIME, National Geographic, Readers' Digest (because we subscribe to them), and have recently subscribed to Newsweek and The Economist as well.
But with Cleo, I find it more "at home". The team is made up of real people who also complain about their jobs and colleagues, who have ups and downs just like any of us. It is Cleo that makes me more aware of where to go locally if I want to volunteer my services in helping to save the environment or making kids wishes come true.
And it is also Cleo that makes me more aware of just how many people in the world are suffering from AIDS. Hence, this festive season, a time for love and giving, let us all give support to the AIDS victims in this World Aids Day. Mistakes made can be forgiven, but at least let these people know they are not alone and there are people who do not ostracise them.
CLEO is my favourite magazine of all time. It is more than just another beauty and fashion magazine, some of the issues talk about serious issues like helping the environment, volunteering for more charitable events, and even life issues like how to stop abuse from self and others. It even has its own blog!
I can relate to most of the articles. For instance, in one of the past issues, there was an article on how to not let others get one down (or something like that). That article is about how being verbally abused can create a trauma to the victim and cause the victim to stop believing in herself.
I can so relate to that! To think of the things I had to put up with in the past! Up to now, I can still never understand how come a guy can physically, mentally and verbally abuse a girl he claimed he loved and made her feel so low about herself, ruining her self-image and confidence in the process. And in certain cases, this damage may be permanent.
That particular article gave tips on how not to be a pushover but rather stand up for one's rights. Do not just keep quiet when someone bullies you but fight back. Which makes me wonder, fight back in what sense? At times when I do have the courage, I have no qualms telling off strangers on the streets when I see something undesirable. Yet when it comes to people I know and love, I just chose to ignore and tolerate. Shall I talk back then?
There is also an interesting article in the current issue, about Urban Etiquette. The article tells people how to behave on public transport, walking up and down the escalator, in restaurants, elevators, in the office, at the movies and when giving a party. I find the tips so true! It really addresses the aspects I find irritating about some people's behaviours.
Some of the pointers are :
1. When taking the train, do not lean one's body against the pole as if you have no backbone.
2. Guys, please close up! You do not need to open your legs so wide until they touch another person's thighs! (YES!!! I have enough of thigh-rubbing in public transports! Some guys sit with their legs so wide open as if they had a massive erection or something.)
3. Do not squat around the train doors until those coming in had to climb over your entire body. (Very true! Why must people choose to behave like squatters instead?)
4. Let people go out first before coming in. (Again, this cannot be re-emphasised.)
5. Move to the back of the bus so others can board. If you are getting off at the next stop and find it troublesome to move in a crowded bus, then kindly ask the next person to move behind, instead of blocking everyone's way by standing around the exit doors.
6. If you are not moving, keep to the left of the escalator. The right of the escalator is for those who are rushing and need to move quickly.
7. When ordering food in a restaurant, just signal to get the waiter's attention. Do not need to fling your arms so wildly. Worse is if it is a lady wearing a sleeveless top and her armpits are not shaved.
8. Tipping is not mandatory since we pay service charge. However, if you are really impressed with a waiter, put a small amount as a tip into an envelope or napkin and give it to the particular waiter on the way out in front of the manager (so that he will know the tip is exclusively for the waiter). Remember to put a note of thanks. Tip an amount that the person will not feel insulted upon receiving it. (In other words, no one-cent or ten-cent coins. Maybe a dollar will suffice.)
9. Do not squeeze into a crowded elevator when the doors are closing. No one need smell your hair or scent.
10. Do not talk to your colleague or friend at the top of your voice over another person's head if the elevator is crowded. No one need to listen in on your conversations.
11. Do not moan about your boss over email. If one really need to let off steam after a very unfair treatment, do it via online chatting.
12. When being invited to a party, do not come in late and then need to go off after just half an hour or so. That is being rude and disrespectful to the host.
13. At the movies, do not raise your legs up on the seat. There is enough leg room even for long legs, no matter how small the space is.
14. Do not make out with your partner while watching a show. (YES again!)
These are really very good pointers. There are some more of course, but these are the ones which I have encountered and feel irritated about. I read other magazines like Her World and Female, but I find the articles there cater more to older women (like those in their thirties and above). Cleo not only has good articles, but good fashion and makeup tips, and where to buy the most affordable products! Those in the other magazines are a bit pricey.
My mum always frown upon me reading what she calls "trash". But Cleo is not "trash". The sad thing is that the editor once remarked they would like to put in more features like the poor girls being forced into prostitution by their own parents (I always wonder how parents can do a thing like that to their own kids), and the "ugly" side of the world, but apparently when these articles appear, somehow the readership for that issue dropped.
Why is that so? Do people only want to live in their own shells and not be aware of what is going on? My mum always tell me why not read something more "intelligent". But I do read magazines like TIME, National Geographic, Readers' Digest (because we subscribe to them), and have recently subscribed to Newsweek and The Economist as well.
But with Cleo, I find it more "at home". The team is made up of real people who also complain about their jobs and colleagues, who have ups and downs just like any of us. It is Cleo that makes me more aware of where to go locally if I want to volunteer my services in helping to save the environment or making kids wishes come true.
And it is also Cleo that makes me more aware of just how many people in the world are suffering from AIDS. Hence, this festive season, a time for love and giving, let us all give support to the AIDS victims in this World Aids Day. Mistakes made can be forgiven, but at least let these people know they are not alone and there are people who do not ostracise them.
3 comments:
Spreading wide is a male characteristic. It is supposed to signal power and authority. Personally, I think the guys look like idiots (same as the ones who wear a cap at an odd angle, or have droopy pants, or walk with a swagger).
I agree with you. I still don't understand why guys need to spread so widely though. CAn they not cross their legs instead and make more room for others?
From an evolutionary point of view, a male wants to control as much territory as possible. By spreading wide, he is claiming the territory. At least be glad he is not marking his teritory ;-D
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