Journal Entries
Tea Please
Posted May 7, 2004
I’ve started my new class this week, although I’m still not certain what possessed me to take classes during the spring/summer term. No worries though; this class is far too much fun to be considered hard work. It’s a topic very near to my heart, Cultural Anthropology. (Anthropology being the study of anything and everything to do with humans, and culture being very hard to define, something to do with learned and shared patterns of behaviours and beliefs (not to be confused with shopping at Harrods or growing bacteria under a microscope) )
My term research project is tea. Well, specifically High Tea in England and Tea Ceremony in Japan. For the academic minded, this approach is called an ethnology. It takes one aspect of culture and looks at it in more than one culture.
I’m allowed to use up to 20% of my sources as non-academic, so I was wondering what you know about either Tea custom (specifically about the people involved like age, social economic status, reason for having tea yadda yadda yadda; however, anything you know would help). I’ve been to both countries and am sad to admit that have never had High Tea or experienced the Japanese Tea Ceremony.
Ebert
When I'm done this project I can take what I've learnd and write an entry for the guide.
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Latest reply: May 7, 2004
The last exam (for now)
Posted Apr 21, 2004
I am very happy today. Yesterday I finished my last exam of my first term of academic study.
Yesterday’s exam was the worst and most dreaded of all exams. Normally I like English, and feel that I am a reasonable writer (even if I am a bad speller); however, about half way through the term I found myself on the bad side of the teacher. From that moment on I suffered a great stress. I know all that stuff about not letting a person get to you, but when my grades depend on that person’s subjective opinion of me (and consequently of what I write) I really start to feel down. It’s a small consolidation that at least I am not the only one who has had problems with that one teacher.
Maybe I should become a teacher. I must be a very satisfying feeling to know that you hold the power over an individual’s grade and, yes, even enthusiasm in a subject. I’d settle for becoming more independent of teachers and less emotionally attached to my results.
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Latest reply: Apr 21, 2004
the most anoying thing
Posted Jan 18, 2004
Well, it's homework time again, and this week I have to write a descriptive paragraph about something that annoys me. Something that is so full of adrenalin that I can talk about it using great description, and specific details
I've chosen Award shows, those annoying 5 hour things they put on the telly instead of the Simpson’s just to annoy me.
any thoughts?
Ebert - don't worry I'm still (mostly) in lurk mode.
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Latest reply: Jan 18, 2004
Chinese Herbs
Posted Dec 27, 2003
Ok, so I’ve been tired and in effect, lazy for the last few years. (That’s probably why I’ve been slacking off lately at h2g2). At first I put it down to just being lazy, however I noticed I am motivated to do allsorts of things, I’m just not physically able. So I went to my Family Doctor here in Canada, and also to the one I had in the UK, they both sent me to the vampires to have a blood test and when it came back they told me how healthy I am.
The problem being, I just don’t feel healthy. Next I start to worry that I’m becoming a hypochondriac. Is it possible for your mind to create physical symptoms that are so real? It’s been 10 years of (insert long list of symptoms here), and finally the docs have confirmed that it’s not in my imagination. They just don’t know what’s wrong, so why bother to fix it, someone in their mid 20s’ can get over anything given enough time. Right?
Finally I stopped procrastinating. I had heard about a Chinese Herbalist that spoke some English. So I went to see him. I call him Uncle Wong. But really his name is John. His English was enough for us to communicate, but not much else. Just by taking my pulse in his Chinese style, he was able to tell me a lot of my symptoms. This must be what it feels like to see a fortuneteller.
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Latest reply: Dec 27, 2003
chess
Posted Dec 27, 2003
You know, sometimes I become so tired of the usual things that we do in the evening, that I wish I could do something more interesting. Our Society encourages us to spend the down time watching TV, eating snacks, playing computer games, or sometimes all three at once. Most nights there is nothing engaging on the 'boob-tube', and I just sit there watching it anyway out of boredom.
Now, if someone else in the house liked to play chess, it would be a great solution. However no one else does. So there goes that solution.
Reading books during the daylight hours is great, however after a stressful day at work, I find I get a headache.
Maybe I could find a chess club in town? But honestly, could there really be other people in the world as ‘geeky’ as me?
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Latest reply: Dec 27, 2003
E'Bert
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