On Being Unique

Note: I've saved this post in my draft folder for a while now...it wasn't properly finished yet, but I thought I'd just finish this right now and publish it.

There are advantages to having a unique face (read: the only Asian working in the store) in my line of work. For example, if I have done a little extra something for a customer, he or she will probably remember it better than if the deed is done by someone else. However, last year there was a surprising incident that happened while I was on my summer holiday.

Last year I earned 3 weeks of summer holiday, which was divided into 2 parts. After I got back from my first week of summer holiday, my manager told me that the other day a grandma came back and claimed that she had returned something to me, but I hadn't given her the money.

My manager checked my work schedule and found out that I wasn't working that day and then she found the receipt in the office (because everybody who returned things to get their money back had to sign a receipt) and she showed it to the grandma and asked, "Is this your signature?"

She said yes.

Problem solved...but I couldn't help thinking that because of my face and someone else's fading memory, I can also be accused of doing something or not doing something. Good thing there are receipts!!!

You see, many people living here are already pensioners, so I don't blame the old lady for her fading memories. But it was the first time that I felt the disadvantage of having a unique face: if I do make mistakes, it's easy for people to remember me! Fortunately speaking up till now people have been forgiving. THANK GOD for forgiving people!!! 


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Oddity + A Meme

I had a talk with an ex-school friend earlier today and it made me have some ideas on what to write here in my blog. We were talking about one particular ex-elementary school friend who was considered "odd". He used to be teased a lot back then.

So this friend and I talked about this "odd" friend and when we last saw him. Funny thing is that we couldn't really pinpoint what was truly "un-mainstream" about him that made him feel "different" than the rest. However, I have to note that now he's become more "mainstream", so he's no longer "odd".

This short conversation made me think of what we consider "normal" and what we consider "odd". Don't we all have our own oddities? Don't we want to be unique as a person? Yet in spite of wishing to be unique, we don't want to be "odd" enough that we'll be considered so "un-mainstream" that people will think we're losing some screws in our brains.

People are interesting beings, don't you think so??? Yeah, I know this topic has no real conclusion, because I've just started thinking about it...but if any of you has any real conclusion, bring it on! :-D

Now it's time for me to go read some Finnish. I'll blog-hop tomorrow, OK? I'm still in my "lazy" mode here he he he...

P.S. Bad news: I (and some other friends who aren't really students at the school) can't participate in the rest of the Finnish classes anymore 'coz the government body has run out of money to support us. If we want to continue going there, we have to pay for it ourselves, but 'coz it's rather expensive, I decided not to pay. Instead, I'll just wait for the evening course in autumn and in the meantime I'll do my best to continue studying Finnish on my own.

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Dawn tagged me with this meme. Let's see what it's about...

1. What are your current obsessions? Collecting Finnish novels and trying to make myself pregnant WA HA HA HA HA...

2. Which items from your closet are you wearing most often? Underwear of course.

3. Last thing you bought? Grocery from the supermarket. I bought salmon, mince meat, milk, salad, and vitamin C.

4. What's for dinner? It was what I made yesterday: pork steak and potatoes.

5. Say something to the person who tagged you. She's a brave person who's fighting with some past issues in her life. She loves her family so much. :-))))

6. Favorite vacation spot? Definitely my hometown, Bandung, since I MISS my family and friends and ALL THE FOOD!!!!!! UUUGGGHHHH now I'm drooling...

7. When was the last time you told your Mom you love her? Errrr...it's not a custom for us to say "I love you" to each other...so unfortunately I've never said it, though I once wrote down a long thank you/appreciation email in which I wrote to her "I love you".

8. 3 things to do before you die. Hard to say, 'coz I don't know when it's going to happen...gee...I can't think of anything right now. It's like my brain's stuck to the present and it doesn't want to think too far ahead. So no answer for this one, sorry...except perhaps have my own kids hi hi...

9. Reading right now. Several Finnish books which I read randomly depending on my mood.

10. What's the last movie you saw and enjoyed, rate out of 5 stars. Bolt. It's 4.7 stars out of 5. WE LOVED IT! :-D

11. Guilty pleasure. Potato chips...ohhhh, I feel so wickeddddd whenever I eat potato chips hi hi hi...

12. Name the last blog you visited and left a comment on before this one? ( link and info please)
Hans and Shinta vid Neyst.

13. What season is your favorite? I try to enjoy every season as best as I can, so my fave season is whichever season is happening at the present. :-))))

14. What are you watching on TV right now? Lots of series, such as Heroes, Lost, Pushing Daisies, CSI, Fringe.