Thursday, May 27, 2010

Things that I would never do

1. Stand in line to get into a club where the bouncers are arrogant and rude. In fact, I wouldn't stand in line for more than 15 minutes to get into a any club, period. It's always puzzled me why people are willing to stand around for hours to get into some overcrowded place where the staff is rude, the dance floor is too crowded and the music is too loud. And before you go on to say that I'm too old to appreciate it, let me say that I have never been a fan of this scene. Not even when I was 18. There is no way that I would let some bouncer on a power trip treat me like a sheep.

2. Visit some place like Hong Kong or Beijing. Why would I want to push myself through the polluted, crowded streets of such a densely populated city when I can explore the moors and mountains of Scotland, visit the hot springs in Iceland or tour the Gold Coast of Australia, to name just a few locations that I'm dying to see. China comes way down on the list. However, it would be interesting to hike up the Great Wall and see some of China's nature.

3. Live in Stockholm again. I'm sorry, I just cannot stand that place. It's too bad that you have to go through Stockholm in order to visit the archipelago.

4. Sit through the movie "The Beach" again. Last time I had to force myself to go to sleep in the movie theater just to escape. I should have just walked out, but I was with someone.

5. Go backpacking in a rush again. In fact, backpacking period. I doubt I will ever do that again, but if I do it will be in style, with a suitcase and without the obsession of seeing as much as possible in a very short time. Back in 95, I spent 4 horrendous weeks tracking around Europe with two friends, who argued with each other incessantly, and who both had to be completely in charge, which left me with very little to decide on. Come to think of it, this is yet another clue to my increasing need for control. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend to anyone to rush through Europe just because they want to be able to tell people that "I've been there, and there, and there, and there...". It's much better to take one's time and visit only a few places but instead focus on getting some quality time there, and really experiencing it. How do you truly experience a city like Rome or Paris in just 1 or 2 days? You don't. The way we backpacked in 95 was more hysterical than anything else. Like we were on a mission. Actually, 2 people were on a mission and the third one was just the stooge that went along for the ride.

6. Eat dim sum. I'm sorry Dianne, I know you're probably mad at me for this, but I can't eat it. I promise, if you won't force me to eat dim sum, I won't force you to eat fermented herring. There are certain delicacies in my home country that I would never expect people from other countries to enjoy, fermented herring is one of them. In that same spirit, I ask to be spared from dim sum. I think I would panic if someone put a bowl of pork dumplings in front of me, particularly since I don't eat pork. The reason I don't eat pork is for moral reasons. I once saw a clip from a pig farm and some asshole was beating a pig with a long iron rod, and the pig was screaming with pain. It broke my heart. I know this doesn't go on in all pig farms, but the way that pig was screaming, it sounded like a human being, and I can't get it out my head. I don't even want to eat pork anymore, I've lost my appetite for it. I don't miss it.

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