Sunday, April 03, 2005

random thoughts

the pope is dying. despite the vigils held worldwide, praying for his recovery or for blessings for his soul, what the world is really waiting for is his death. pope john paul II has been the head of the catholic church for 27 years. he is a record-breaking pope. and yet, in the end, everyone is waiting for him to die so that they can have a new pope.

i can't help but think that is tragically cruel.

*note: pope john paul II passed away a few hours after this entry was written

terri schiavo passed away a few days ago. her husband and her parents fought over her right till she breathed her last. the final battle wasn't about whether she wanted to live or not, but rather whether her parents or her husband were right. no one cared about terri when she died. the politicians used her. the judiciary system made history because of her. her parents and her husband fought for the sake of pride and not with terri in mind.

and i thought, "but what about terri?" perhaps it's a good thing that she's left this earth, rather than have to see her loved ones continue to lose sight of what they were originally fighting for.

the news about a boy being mauled by a dog brought back memories of when i, too, was bitten by a dog. as a dog-lover, i always made cautious approaches at strange dogs, and they always warm up to me. i was bitten by a dog i had played with since it was just a puppy. her name was roxy, and she was a gorgeous rottweiler. she would rub her head against my hands and gently nibble me to make me stay when i had to leave. one day, in a sudden fit of violence, she bit me right on my knuckles. my skin was torn from my middle finger to the back of my hand. i had a puncture wound. i ran back home, not daring to tell my parents about it. i cleaned and cared for my wounds alone.

my attempts at charming strange dogs are still largely successful, but when i think about roxy, my heart aches at the betrayal she served me. i trusted her, and yet she bit me. she taught me a valuable lesson that day: no matter how much i trust someone, there will always be room for me to be bitten in the end. and i will have to keep my fists clenched to protect myself.

*note: when approaching a strange dog, always keep your hand clenched in a fist before offering it to the dog to take a sniff. this is in anticipation to the possibility that the dog may bite. if your hands are clenched, it can only get at your knuckles and your fingers are protected.

once the dog is satisfied with your scent (i.e. it licks your hand or shows no further signs of hostility), do not touch its head. instead, pet it below its muzzle. dogs interpret pets on the head as a threat because, from the dog's view, it looks like you are going to hit it.

i personally stick to these rules when dealing with dogs other than my own, hence the minimal physical damage done by roxy. i wish i could say the same about the emotional damage.

i went for a sexuality education forum two days ago. it was refreshing to hear issues deemed taboo being discussed so openly and frankly. i mean, we were discussing the suitability of teaching pre-schoolers about ejaculation. i doubt there'd be any other place in the world that malaysians from all kinds of ngos and government bodies would be able to talk about sex and sexuality in such a manner.

i came out of the forum thinking, "there is hope for this country after all."

of course, implementation is gonna be a hotly discussed topic, but that is another story altogether. all i know is that the forum must have been a milestone on its own.

manchester united drew with blackburn at home. bah.

anyway. random thoughts. it hasn't been a hugely happy week. mostly pretty bland. i took it for granted just as i do every week. not good. not good at all. sighs.

lishun at 9:46 AM

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