I was waiting to cross a street the other day when a girl beside me--there was only the two of us--commented on how cold it was. No shit. Despite the bright sunshine, it was -8°C and the wind chill only made it worse. Depending on which website you check, the real feel would be anywhere from -14°C to -23°C. It's not that cold, you say? Well, this is not a 'my town's colder than yours' competition. Anyway, the girl grabbed the edges of her coat and wrapped herself tightly, giving out the odd shiver, and letting me know how "ridiculously cold" it is as compared to last year.
My arms were shivering a little, I could feel the chill in my sleeves; but the relative safety (and warmth) of campus was just five minutes away, so I felt there was no need for me to join the "I hate hate hate the cold" bandwagon. But what struck me as odd was this: her boots were drenched wet up to the ankles; she was wearing only tights; her coat wasn't buttoned, which revealed her cardigan, which wasn't buttoned up, which showed her low neck line top, which revealed her chest; add to that fingerless gloves and a snow cap sitting on her hair.
Now any idiot can think of a myriad of ways for her to not feel so cold. Don't walk into puddles and wet your feet, for one? Fine, I'll baik sangka her and assume the worst-case scenario where everything bad that could happen did happen. Still. Put your hands in your pockets, maybe? Button up your coat, perhaps? I can only conclude that: 1) she just enjoys complaining, or; 2) she is genuinely cold, but is too stupid to do anything about it.
Another time I was heading to Mellon Arena for a concert. Yes, winter was just starting to kick in. We were debating whether to take the bus or drive, and the argument came down to which option wouldn't leave us outdoors longer. Would it be waiting at a bus stop, or would it be walking half way across town to where we parked? "I can't stand the cold, even though I've been here three years," someone said, "I'm from Texas". The person went on blabbering about how nice and warm it is back home and complained about the unpredictability and danger of winter and snow and ice. We all listened and nodded in agreement to humor the said person. I asked what the temperature was like in Texas. "The highest is around the 90s (°F), and sometimes it dips below freezing." After five minutes, it finally occurred to the said person that I come from: Malaysia: "Hey, aren't you from Malaysia or something?" I replied, "Yes, and it's fairly close to the Equator, too. We never get cold of any kind". Suddenly, the said person wasn't so noisy.
Yes, winter is a very depressing time of year. Don't let those sweet sounding carols fool you. The snow falls and everything's white and pretty. You build a snowman, throw a few snowballs, sled down a mound (hee) or hill, then make a snow angel or two. And it's safe, too, as long as the sidewalks are salted and the roads plowed. But then the snow melts and you find yourself walking ankle-deep in gray-colored Slurpee. The trees are leafless and eerie. No birds to be found. Nobody walks the streets. Suicide rates skyrocket as a result of the depression. And then yes, there's the cold.
The Way I See It, it already is bad enough as it is. While sometimes it may be fun to indulge in self pity or getting together with equally miserable souls because misery loves company, ultimately you only add to the already sad nature of things. It is nobody's fault that you choose style or fashion over your own well being. It is nobody's fault, too, that you chose to go somewhere you knew would be as cold as it is. The same applies to you halfwits out there who sign a long-term deal and then complain that you'll be enslaved by its bond. You did what you did, chose what you chose, knowingly. Unless, of course, you were too ignorant to think about it/read the fine print.
Seriously.
Quit whining and making things seem worse than they actually are.
My arms were shivering a little, I could feel the chill in my sleeves; but the relative safety (and warmth) of campus was just five minutes away, so I felt there was no need for me to join the "I hate hate hate the cold" bandwagon. But what struck me as odd was this: her boots were drenched wet up to the ankles; she was wearing only tights; her coat wasn't buttoned, which revealed her cardigan, which wasn't buttoned up, which showed her low neck line top, which revealed her chest; add to that fingerless gloves and a snow cap sitting on her hair.
Now any idiot can think of a myriad of ways for her to not feel so cold. Don't walk into puddles and wet your feet, for one? Fine, I'll baik sangka her and assume the worst-case scenario where everything bad that could happen did happen. Still. Put your hands in your pockets, maybe? Button up your coat, perhaps? I can only conclude that: 1) she just enjoys complaining, or; 2) she is genuinely cold, but is too stupid to do anything about it.
Another time I was heading to Mellon Arena for a concert. Yes, winter was just starting to kick in. We were debating whether to take the bus or drive, and the argument came down to which option wouldn't leave us outdoors longer. Would it be waiting at a bus stop, or would it be walking half way across town to where we parked? "I can't stand the cold, even though I've been here three years," someone said, "I'm from Texas". The person went on blabbering about how nice and warm it is back home and complained about the unpredictability and danger of winter and snow and ice. We all listened and nodded in agreement to humor the said person. I asked what the temperature was like in Texas. "The highest is around the 90s (°F), and sometimes it dips below freezing." After five minutes, it finally occurred to the said person that I come from: Malaysia: "Hey, aren't you from Malaysia or something?" I replied, "Yes, and it's fairly close to the Equator, too. We never get cold of any kind". Suddenly, the said person wasn't so noisy.
Yes, winter is a very depressing time of year. Don't let those sweet sounding carols fool you. The snow falls and everything's white and pretty. You build a snowman, throw a few snowballs, sled down a mound (hee) or hill, then make a snow angel or two. And it's safe, too, as long as the sidewalks are salted and the roads plowed. But then the snow melts and you find yourself walking ankle-deep in gray-colored Slurpee. The trees are leafless and eerie. No birds to be found. Nobody walks the streets. Suicide rates skyrocket as a result of the depression. And then yes, there's the cold.
The Way I See It, it already is bad enough as it is. While sometimes it may be fun to indulge in self pity or getting together with equally miserable souls because misery loves company, ultimately you only add to the already sad nature of things. It is nobody's fault that you choose style or fashion over your own well being. It is nobody's fault, too, that you chose to go somewhere you knew would be as cold as it is. The same applies to you halfwits out there who sign a long-term deal and then complain that you'll be enslaved by its bond. You did what you did, chose what you chose, knowingly. Unless, of course, you were too ignorant to think about it/read the fine print.
Seriously.
Quit whining and making things seem worse than they actually are.
1 comment:
Beauty is pain, kimbu. you shoudl've told your friend that. hehe. gila sejuk weyh. ni mcm kena warm up everytime nk kena kluar rumah je. hahaha
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