On being skinny.

It's really annoying when people point out how skinny I am. I don't really mind it too much from my close friends, but when it comes from people I'm not to familiar with, or even worse, people I don't like too much; then it's just plainly annoying. I don't see what the problem with being skinny is. Fat people don't get told they're fat in their faces, so I don't see why us slender people need to be told, "you are so thin, what's wrong?"

But it's even more annoying when it comes from the two people that irritate me the most: my parents. I have noticed that Mom has been trying to get me to eat pretty much 24/7 since she's been in town. She has not been annoying about it until about 10 minutes ago when she asked me to eat out and I said I wasn't hungry. She asked me what I was going to eat and I said "nothing" and then she asked me if there was milk in the fridge for me to drink. That's when I lost it and asked her why she was worrying so much about it. What came out of her mouth was the usual, "I worry because you are too skinny". I have been skinny my friggin entire life. I guess Mom wants me to be all fat (no offense here) so she can have peace of mind about my being "healthy". Since when does being fat equal good health and since when being skinny necessarily equals illness?? The way most people in my own culture think just makes me want to tie a 50 pound rock around my waist and take a plunge into the ocean.

I'm not anorexic or anything. I'm just slender and comfortable with it, most of the time. So don't tell me "how skinny I look" and give me a condescending look while saying so unless you want to get a piece of my mind. I have spoken!

Dumb 911 dispatcher

What kind of a dispatcher asks such kind of a question??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9WiX-Bu5GA&feature=related

Women behind the wheel.

Driving in Lima may be crazy, but we have to at least be given credit for being skilled drivers. Women usually get stereotyped for being bad drivers and the following video confirms it. (Women, please don't be offended)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygtBxhFc24A

A day at the zoo.

Today my family and I went to Parque de Las Leyendas, the zoo that's in my neighborhood. We had a great time out there even though it was a very hot day! We bought an overprized two liter bottle of Inka Kola since we knew we'd be walking a lot and thus we'd be thirsty. We got our tickets and went into the zoo, which is huge and very pretty. This zoo has been upgraged a lot in recent years and it's now worth a visit. This was not the case around 7 years ago when the zoo left a lot to be desired.

The zoo is divided into the 3 different regions we have in Peru: The coast, the Andes and the jungle. We started out by visiting the jungle and then the Andes and finally the coast, the latter made up of mostly animals that live in the ocean. It goes without saying the jungle is made up of all the tropical and exotic creatures such as monkeys, birds, serpents and the Andes was filled with llamas, alpacas and the like. There is also an aquarium and an international area for animals that are, der, international (zebras, hippos, etc). The highlight of our trip was when a guy stood too close to a llama and got spit by it!

When things don't go according to plan.

It isn't the first time it happens but it sure feels like the first time I feel like a failure. I guess I should learn not to count my chicken before they hatch, for making plans in advance can often result in complete disaster if things suddenly go wrong. This week is going by so slowly and even more so with my folks in town. Speaking of which, it is not all that bad -- or at least not as bad as I thought it'd be. I haven't been told what to do... at all, I think. And if I have, then it hasn't driven me up a wall the way it usually does. I guess my parents have finally gotten the message across.

Yesterday my parents, nephew and I went to this thing called Parque de la Imaginacion and it was so much fun! Basically it's a lot like a science fair but much cooler. They have lots of rad science projects about the solar system, the human body, pregnancy and whatnot. There is also a presentation on earthquakes where everyone sits on this bench that starts trembling at one point in the presentation, making it feel almost like a real earthquake. They also have this game where you have to use your body weight to get a ball all the way down to the bottom through some racks. Dad tripped and feel but he wasn't hurt, so it was funny :)

We then went to lunch and then shopping for a while at one of the nearby malls in town. My uncle's wedding will be this Saturday and this week feels like it's going by soooooo slowwwwwly.

Another rough week begins...

So my folks made it into town around eight in the morning, and I had gone to bed at 2 am. I had to get out of bed against my own will and welcome my folks and my newphew, who have never seen me with a grown beard before. After chatting and catching up on stuff, we had breakfast and then my family proceeded to unpack and stuff. And where were they unpacking? In my room!!!! I had a bad feeling I would have to share the bed, or worse sleep on the couch, but thanfully my parents decided they'd drag an extra mattress that sits on my bed into the living room and my nephew is sleeping on the couch so that I can have my rather small room to myself!!!

I wasn't really feeling like touring around town since I was so sleepy, so we just went to Plaza San Miguel and did some shopping. We then went to a few supermarkets and bought groceries and then we came back home. I collapsed into my bed instantly and napped. We were going to go to that water fountain park downtown but I got up somewhat late. We then had a light dinner and my whole family (uncle, aunt, cousin and wife) talked about visiting the ever-famous water fountain park together sometime this week. I just don't feel like playing tour guide this week.

My folks are usually pretty annoying and manipulative but it hasn't been too bad... yet. They're trying to tidy up my room and stuff and it seems like they'll be here for around a week and a half. It's sad for me to say I never look forward to spending time with my folks. Having grown up with them and all their over protection, I now feel free to be without them.

Survived a Rough Week... Not Sure I Can Handle Another One...

My week started off pretty badly and it only got worse as it went on. I was completely sick Monday and Tuesday with diarrhea and stomach issues. My aunt cooked chicke broth with noodles and yellow potatoes but that wouldn't sit well and it'd make me go to the bathroom along with an upset stomach. I drank lots of Gatorade to avoid getting dehydrated but I just couldn't eat anything that wouldn't make me go to the bathroom in heaps of pain a few minutes afterwards. I never got nauseous again, which was good. I'd rather have diarrhea than be nauseous. By Wednesday I had more energy and I decided to go to work, only to be given some good and bad news which I will be more than happy to share with anyone personally.

My mom called me today to let me know she, Dad and my newphew are coming into town tomorrow morning. And my uncle isn't getting married till NEXT Saturday, which means I'll have to put up with my ever-nagging folks for a week. Hopefully I'll be busy with work, Portuguese lessons and "other activities" during the week. Mom and Dad just happen to be very worrisome and sort of manipulative. I hate it when they tell me what I should do and how I shoould do it, I hate it when they tell me I'm too skinny, I hate it when they ask my why I don't shave, I hate it when they tell me to not walki around barefoot..... UGH! I'm never gonna be a parent. I don't want to have to worry about someone else's life, especially my own kids'. Am I a selfish, self-centered jerk? Maybe I am. Am I a bad and ungratedul son? Maybe I am. I just endured a horrible week and I sure don't want to have to endure another one that involves my parents!!!!!

Advise of the day: Don't ever get diarrhea like I did.

Being sick is NOT fun.

I haven't been to the ER since I was in 6th grade because I ate too much cocoa with sugar and my body didn't react too well. Well, this past Sunday I had to pay the Emergency Room a grim visit due to a case of the runs along with vomiting.

It all began before leaving for church on Sunday. I had a little bit of diarrhea but I didn't think it was a big deal, so when I came back home I fixed some fried bacon (now the bacon had been in a bag in the fridge for days) and eggs and some cold limonade, which most likely caused all this misery. I hadn't slept well the night before so I was feeling so tired after lunch I decided to take a nap, something I never do but I was so tired I decided to take one. I got up a while later with an upset stomach, a fever, chills and nausea. I went over to the bathroom and then decided to tell my cousin to give me a pill or something. By that time I was shaking all over and my blood pressure dropped to 110/30!!!!

And then I puked the fried bacon around 3 different times and my diarrhea was worse. The pills I took made me feel better for a short while but then things got worse and my cousin took me to the ER at midnight. The doctor said I was pretty dehydrated and so I got two bottles of saline solution through an IV. The windows were open and the breeze made me shiver a lot. The nurse would not close the window for some reason so my aunt got me a quilt and a couple of hours later I was sweating bullets. I felt better afterwards and I got discharged at around 4 am. I'm no longer nauseous, but I'm not regular yet. I didn't go to work today and I most likely won't be able to until the diarrhea is gone. I have drinking Gatorade and eating chicken broth and that still causes my stomach to be somewhat upset.

I'm so not telling my mom about this...

So it begins....

Now I have my own blog account and will try to write as much as I can here... let's see how many people are interested in the stuff I have to write...