Critical appraisement and CRITICAL appraisement

Most of us have probably admonished by someone or the other (usually mom) for being unnecessarily critical of someone we may know (or even met in passing).

Yes, even when we are convinced that they deserve it for some slight that we have had to suffer... NO... especially for some slight that we have had to suffer.

“Don't say anything, if you have nothing good to say!” Or something along those lines was the preferred mantra that we were asked to follow.

In most circumstances that is good advice. It's better for the Zen of all concerned; after all not everyone deserves our critical appraisement or an opportunity to bask in our holier-than-thou opinion or ourselves.

[Unless of course the 'us' in this equation happens to be a woman and the 'them' happens to be a man – there are probably different rules for that situation. But as your blogger is (un)fortunately a man, I am not familiar with the underlining rules in such circumstances.]

Seriously time to take things a little less seriously

I have been accused many times of not taking supposedly serious things not seriously at all, or not seriously enough.

I blame a society that expects increasing solemnity with age. According to these unwritten rules people are supposed to become more planted and mirthless as they age.

It seems that levity becomes conditional as you age; apparently after a certain age, you can only joke among old friends (who are as old as you are), you can joke with little children (who are closely related), you can joke with the spouse (but only on Tuesdays... and then only if it isn't raining), you can joke with the help (if you fancy a illicit hanky panky)... the rules are so bizarre that you'd think I was making this up!

How to peel that banana?

Who'd have known that “peeling the banana” ain't just no euphemism but an actual art that could be mastered?

It all started with my image search for yesterday's blog post (in which I used “peeling a banana” as potential euphemism for something more sinister. Click here to read the blog post) when I came across an image on google on peeling a banana.

I clicked on the image that I liked and found it embedded a post in another blog (entitled “Watch people jump”). The post was on how to peel a banana efficiently. The post even had a youtube clip (see below) that explained how to do it.

But before you click on the video below, ask yourself one question. Who would you associate most with a stereotypical love for bananas? If you answered apes or monkeys you be right on the button (however, if you didn't answer that way, what's wrong with you?!).

Social networking is anti-social

The London riots has led to the first ever conviction against an individual for setting up of a page on facebook.

In fact, two individuals were sentenced to 4-years imprisonment for setting up two respective facebook pages. Jordan Blackshaw, 20, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, were handed the toughest sentences by the judges so far in the riot cases.

Blackshaw created an event on the site entitled 'Smash Down Northwich Town,' while Sutcliffe-Keenan used facebook to encourage a riot. Clearly not their most sanguine nor sane moment for two men who have been reported to have “both being of previous good character” by the media.

The judges probably hadn't read a recent report by a psychology professor of an American university on the affects of social networking on teens, otherwise they might have been a bit more lenient... of course they would also have to believe in passing the buck!