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.