One of my biggest, yet perhaps unwarranted, fears in life is dealing with administrative friction, like losing a passport, filing the wrong tax documents, or getting stuck at the security checkpoint, etc. One with a cool head may think it is so silly to freak out over making a mistake in the paperwork, because ifContinue reading “Uncertified Fear”
Category Archives: Small Talks
Against Artificial Time
“You are too young to be a professor!” I could almost always surprise new acquaintances when I told them I was a university professor, especially a tenure-track one. I was genuinely thankful for their compliments; however, the almost universal response I got from different people when they first learned about my profession prompted me to muse on a fundamental human condition: our battle with time. People were often amazed by how much I had achieved at such a young age, as if accomplishing more in less time were always better. True, who wouldn’t want to be a genius? Nevertheless, if we think more deeply, the timeline we are accustomed to measuring ourselves against is indeed artificial. And that artificial timeline, which substituted standardized time for more natural, organic time, serves the interests of those who already have more resources.
Sexiness and Intelligence
As a child, I always dreamed of becoming a beautiful, intelligent woman, much like Maggie Cheung in The Heroic Trio (1993)—spicy, bold, witty, and physically hot. I said “beautiful AND intelligent” because it is my opinion that being intelligent alone, especially being a woman, is not so attractive, and being just physically appealing is way too boring.
A Sweet Tooth for Care
This might sound pathetic. One of the things I look forward to outside of work is going to the dentist. Not that I am a masochist; I hate pain, and I always ask for extra doses of anesthesia for the simplest filling. I am even very much bothered by just the drilling sounds during cleaning.Continue reading “A Sweet Tooth for Care”