Still searching

I have the schedule time for a job next semester, but no job yet. Sadness.

Found this song by Mary Fahl, "Going Home", which is the opening song for Gods and Generals. It was a nice touch, but I think that if The Last Full Measure was made, it might have been more appropriate to use it then.

The point is that the song kind of got me thinking about what home really is for me. Not too clear cut for your average third-culture kid, unfortunately.
I guess by logic it would be either a) your birthplace, or b) the place where you spent most of your years.
a) is right out for me, since I haven't been back to my birthplace for 14 years (closest I got was probably Durham).
b)? Hong Kong? Possibly, considering my family is based here. But I don't know sometimes....I've been wanting to leave Hong Kong ever since we started applying to colleges, and now that I'm back here, I feel like I want to go back to the US soon. Hm.

My mum was asking me if I could come back to Hong Kong next summer. I told her I was going to try and find an internship in the US instead, and then she asked when she was going to see me again. I honestly don't know. That's the kicker. I will miss my family, and I feel a bit guilty that I might not see them for a while after Christmas, but I don't want to keep going back to Hong Kong every summer. I want to get away. Travel a little bit, work and live by myself in some place I haven't visited yet. Maybe I'll go back home after graduation. Wherever home is.

Swearing, caring, and baring

When I'm not at work, I keep rewatching episodes of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on YouTube. It was quite a revelation to see this side of him after seeing him screeching at employees and contestants on some of his other shows (Hell's Kitchen, Boiling Point etc.) One one hand, he's the employer from hell who probably uses more foul language in a minute than what would be required in a month for a harassment suit elsewhere, plus he has a mixed attitude towards vegetarians at best; on the other hand, he loves his cooking and gets genuinely upset when those he tries to help don't succeed for whatever reason, or get into problems beyond their control (the alcoholic who collapsed, the waitress who fell and got knocked out, the promising chef who got unemployed because her boss couldn't manage the restaurant). At any rate, it's thoroughly entertaining, although I highly recommend the UK version over the US one.

Can't really comment on the swearing though; I've seen comments from chefs saying that it's perfectly fine given the high-pressure environment, and from other chefs saying that it's unnecessary and abusive. YMMV, I guess. I grew up on Jamie Oliver.

The 'baring' part of my title refers to Miley Cyrus and the Vanity Fair photo. Oh lordy.

I usually don't give a shit about the teen pop stars. I do however have former classmates who have done part-time modelling from (I think) about 16 onwards. (Although I don't think any of them went for a rumpled-morning-after theme.) And I feel kind of sorry for Miley.

The photo itself honestly isn't that bad; in fact, it looks quite nice, and not overly inappropriate enough to cause much fuss. If she were actually of age and did not have such a young fanbase. The bedsheet covers more than a bikini would, but the suggestive implications of the photo at her age are a danger zone, and I don't know if she, her parents, or Annie Leibovitz considered the public response.

I just wonder why she (or her parents) couldn't wait a couple more years till she reached an age with less issues, eg. 18, or maybe even 17. Sure, she's close to what many define as womanhood, but she's legally not an adult. I doubt her looks would alter THAT much after 36 months, bar an accident, self-destruction or act of [deity of choice].

I probably haven't said anything that hasn't been said already. As it is, the photo's out, and the kids have seen it. Now she and everyone will look back and remember it as being famous for the wrong reasons. Lovely.

Wow am I rambling today.

Politics, politics

After this week, I'm thoroughly sick of politics. Which makes me kind of glad I'm not majoring in Political Science. (Not that IR is much better, really....)

I'm shadowing a legislator right now, and while it's good to watch the councils and see how things go on, it gets depressing with each subsequent visit. It is also rather boring...I've only managed to stay thoroughly awake for one meeting so far.

It's like:

blahblahblah technical terms blahblah semantics blahblahbalh not doing their job....

All of a sudden, one legislator starts talking about the "tiger with no teeth" and pulls out, yup, a rather large papier mache model of a tiger with no teeth. And brandishes it to make his point.

Today, I went to a meeting on levying plastic bags, and the people there spent FIVE minutes trying to define a "plastic shopping bag". People, it's not that hard. Although when one guy pulled out a plastic folder as an ambiguous example, everyone sitting in the public viewing area dissolved into giggles.

I keep my thoughts written down in a notebook in order to stay awake, and I probably will get into trouble if I post too many of them, but they go along the lines of:

Woo angry politicians. This oughta be fun.
Did he just pull out a theatre prop? (tiger head)
Rah, rah, rah...goddamn semantics.
...And one wonders why these meetings are so long....
Gah! [expletives] It's a [expletive] plastic shopping bag! No, not a plastic folder like the one you're holding up, you [expletive]! Get to the point!

So next week, I'm transferring to the other office, where I might actually be able to do something practical.

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In other news, I'm learning how to drive. Drive manual, no less. Yes, the streets are no longer safe. (Although I can do a very slow 3 point turn after 2 lessons, haha.)