Changes, language and TV trash
8th June 2005
WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT YOUNG ANYMORE
1) You take longer to get used to changes
Gabriel has moved out because his girlfriend Adela has come to London to stay. So they rented a place of their own. In his place, a new girl from Taiwan has moved in. I’ve gotten used to Gabriel’s music on his computer, his TV and his daily chats with Adela on the phone. I don’t’ understand a word he says but I’m used to him speaking on the phone at a fixed time of the day! Oh, routine is indeed reassuring.
2) You catch yourself thinking, “if only I were 10 years younger”
Unfortunately but realistically, youth does have lots of privileges. From railcard discounts to interesting courses and competitions, the age limit is a hard slap to the face if you are not young anymore. Now, I just need to grow much older to qualify for discounts for senior citizens.
3) You think of your health (or lack thereof) more
The elderly here are very independent. Many of them live alone and have to do everything on their own. Hence you see them everywhere. Buying stuff in the supermarkets, on the buses, in the tube. Because I see so many of them, some very frail, I imagine myself as an old person some years later. As it is now, I get little irritating ailments like very weak knees, indigestion, pigmentation to my skin. etc. I can just about imagine my list of illnesses which would plague me later – arthritis, aching joints, broken bones, stomach cancer, skin cancer.
“CATCH NO BALL’
A few days ago, Hanako had to prepare for her classical Jap dance performance in Leeds. Her mum (who’s her teacher and a classical dancer too) had flown specially from Japan to bring her costumes and give her refresher sessions. At the same time, her aunt also came for a pleasure trip.
There was this afternoon when Hanako and her mum had to rehearse. That left her aunt free for the whole afternoon. I think Hanako’s Japanese friends were not free, she asked me to bring her aunt to town that afternoon. Well, either her friends were not free, or she saw me as someone who would not kidnap old people…
Anyone who observed us communicating would fall laughing. She is a wonderful and accommodating lady but I had no idea what she was saying most of the time. She knew about 10 words of English. Me? I could only count to ten in Japanese.
For once, I really understood what “catch no ball” means. It was both funny and frustrating. Like how I exclaimed when I thought she said she had ten children. But it turned out that she was trying to say that her grandson was ten years old.
Amazingly, we managed to go to the Japan Centre to get a copy of Japanese newspaper. Then we went to Harrods (which is this famously posh department store which I did not like at all) to get her grandson a soccer T-shirt. After that, we went for coffee. Afterward, we went to do more shopping for her grandchildren. Not bad at all for two people who had no common language.
Well, maybe except for sign language and body language. ;)
BIG BROTHER
I remember having discussions with my students about reality shows. One of the first reality shows in UK was Big Brother. Series 6 has just begun and despite being disgusted by how low TV could go, I watch it everyday!
The premise is putting 13 different people in the same house where cameras are set up virtually everywhere, even the toilets and the shower areas. The contestants have to put on their microphones all the time. Having the experience of the last five series, the producers have taken pains to choose vastly different people, of course. Who would want to watch everyone living happily together.
So, we contestants like a 40-yr old gay political analyst, a 20-something guy who has never read a book and who hates politics, 2 bi-sexuals, 2 women who have the huge chests, a woman who claims she is a witch ( who was evicted from the house by audience voting) etc. So far, there have been jealousy fits, arguments, sexual acts.
The programme is televised everynight and I catch my self saying, “these people CANNOT be real”.
WHEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT YOUNG ANYMORE
1) You take longer to get used to changes
Gabriel has moved out because his girlfriend Adela has come to London to stay. So they rented a place of their own. In his place, a new girl from Taiwan has moved in. I’ve gotten used to Gabriel’s music on his computer, his TV and his daily chats with Adela on the phone. I don’t’ understand a word he says but I’m used to him speaking on the phone at a fixed time of the day! Oh, routine is indeed reassuring.
2) You catch yourself thinking, “if only I were 10 years younger”
Unfortunately but realistically, youth does have lots of privileges. From railcard discounts to interesting courses and competitions, the age limit is a hard slap to the face if you are not young anymore. Now, I just need to grow much older to qualify for discounts for senior citizens.
3) You think of your health (or lack thereof) more
The elderly here are very independent. Many of them live alone and have to do everything on their own. Hence you see them everywhere. Buying stuff in the supermarkets, on the buses, in the tube. Because I see so many of them, some very frail, I imagine myself as an old person some years later. As it is now, I get little irritating ailments like very weak knees, indigestion, pigmentation to my skin. etc. I can just about imagine my list of illnesses which would plague me later – arthritis, aching joints, broken bones, stomach cancer, skin cancer.
“CATCH NO BALL’
A few days ago, Hanako had to prepare for her classical Jap dance performance in Leeds. Her mum (who’s her teacher and a classical dancer too) had flown specially from Japan to bring her costumes and give her refresher sessions. At the same time, her aunt also came for a pleasure trip.
There was this afternoon when Hanako and her mum had to rehearse. That left her aunt free for the whole afternoon. I think Hanako’s Japanese friends were not free, she asked me to bring her aunt to town that afternoon. Well, either her friends were not free, or she saw me as someone who would not kidnap old people…
Anyone who observed us communicating would fall laughing. She is a wonderful and accommodating lady but I had no idea what she was saying most of the time. She knew about 10 words of English. Me? I could only count to ten in Japanese.
For once, I really understood what “catch no ball” means. It was both funny and frustrating. Like how I exclaimed when I thought she said she had ten children. But it turned out that she was trying to say that her grandson was ten years old.
Amazingly, we managed to go to the Japan Centre to get a copy of Japanese newspaper. Then we went to Harrods (which is this famously posh department store which I did not like at all) to get her grandson a soccer T-shirt. After that, we went for coffee. Afterward, we went to do more shopping for her grandchildren. Not bad at all for two people who had no common language.
Well, maybe except for sign language and body language. ;)
BIG BROTHER
I remember having discussions with my students about reality shows. One of the first reality shows in UK was Big Brother. Series 6 has just begun and despite being disgusted by how low TV could go, I watch it everyday!
The premise is putting 13 different people in the same house where cameras are set up virtually everywhere, even the toilets and the shower areas. The contestants have to put on their microphones all the time. Having the experience of the last five series, the producers have taken pains to choose vastly different people, of course. Who would want to watch everyone living happily together.
So, we contestants like a 40-yr old gay political analyst, a 20-something guy who has never read a book and who hates politics, 2 bi-sexuals, 2 women who have the huge chests, a woman who claims she is a witch ( who was evicted from the house by audience voting) etc. So far, there have been jealousy fits, arguments, sexual acts.
The programme is televised everynight and I catch my self saying, “these people CANNOT be real”.
posted by changzee at
7:32 PM
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