Re: My disgruntled sister is still in denial

Re: My family is not from Mars, it's from another galaxy

I wasn't really happy with Suk Yaw's (also spelled as Su Kyaw) blog post on her blog, From That Cloud Number 9. First of all, I don't think I look Chindian. Yes, I'm a mix of Burmese, Thai, Chinese, Indian and something unknown from my dad's side but I don't think I look Chindian. I agree with her about my mom but not my dad. PUHLEEZE, dad doesn't look Philipino or Chinese at all! I guess my brother doeslook Eurasian but he's starting to look like Jack Black because he's gaining weight.
I never said my sister looked like a cross between Pocahontas and a Navi. I said she used to look like Pocahontas but she's a Navi now. Please don't twist my precious words. I agree with the rest. That is all.

Ju

My family is not from Mars, it's from another galaxy

My family is such a hodge podge of races. It's like a whole little global village happening there.

Let's start with my immediate family...

There's my mom who looks chinese thai even though she's not completely and my dad who could pass for chinese/a fair malay/philipino( the whole conundrum of races from the south east asian plate). Then there's my sister who looks chinese or chindian but is actually Indian inside. That's because she can amazingly pronounce words in a perfect, unperturbed Indian accent. Then there's my brother who looks( used to) Eurasian because of his dark brown hair and fair skin and sharp features. Finally there's me who feels all over the world( sometimes I can identify with the black psyche; we're all Adam's offspring...)- apparently according to my sister I am a cross between Pocahontas and a Navi( wth??)*rolls eyes* because I look like( as if it's a concession) a fair red indian native- Yay i get to talk to birds and animals and jump from random waterfalls and put freaking colours in the wind and make out with paraplegics in wheelchair while I'm blue and freakishly tall.

The race quota brims over in my youngest aunt's family. All her kids are adorable, fair, cheeky and under the age of 8( alarm bells should be ringing-there should be security council for these kids). The eldest looks Kazakhstan with a hint of chinese, the second one looks algerian, the third looks south east asian but with sharper features and the youngest looks like a puddle of white tofu; i.e eurasian/algerian. But they all have perfect Burmese diction and like Burmese food and curse in Burmese.

Then there's my grandma who's half thai-half chinese. But to me all i see is GRANDMA. She's like the template of what grandmas should look like. Round, old, quaint, very wise, much more observant than she lets on, cooks delicious food and a true patriot and very religious.

My late maternal grandpa looked like a classic Indian actor with sharp features and an aquiline nose and snow white hair and he spoke like a well bred Englishman until he bursts out in annoyance in a hail of Urdu (usually at me because no one can quite annoy and endear to him at the same time like me).

I have cousins who look Malay and can speak Malay but obviously aren't Malay. I have a purely Malay cousin brother in law who can kind of speak Burmese and has a little "Ballay" on the way.

I have a cousin who's dating a Persian girl and he could pass for middle eastern himself because he is tall( not to mention huge), fair and has those dark eyes and if he wore a turban he'd look like a perfect jihadist( sans the mane/hair/fuzz etc).

Cousins and aunts and uncles and goodness knows how we're related relatives all converge at one point, the mecca of potluck Burmese i.e; my Gran's house. Now you know why my sanity does not always toe the line. Who can when you have such strong, conflicting racial traits and genetic markers popping up everywhere around you and manifesting themselves in the form of your relatives? And i mean it not in a bad way ;)

Jason Shwartzman is the bomb

Should it be Burma or Myanmar? Definitely Burma!

'Burma' to the pro-democracy camp Protest marches in Burma have entered a ninth day. But why is the country not known in the UK by its official name, Myanmar? The eyes of the world's media are focused on Rangoon, where tensions are rising in the streets, yet news organisations and nations differ in what they call the country. The ruling military junta changed its name from Burma to Myanmar in 1989, a year after thousands were killed in the suppression of a popular uprising. Rangoon also became Yangon. THE ANSWER It's known as Myanmar in many countries and at the UN But the UK doesn't recognise the legitimacy of the regime that changed the name The Adaptation of Expression Law also introduced English language names for other towns, some of which were not ethnically Burmese. The change was recognised by the United Nations, and by countries such as France and Japan, but not by the United States and the UK. A statement by the Foreign Office says: "Burma's democracy movement prefers the form 'Burma' because they do not accept the legitimacy of the unelected military regime to change the official name of the country. Internationally, both names are recognised." It's general practice at the BBC to refer to the country as Burma, and the BBC News website says this is because most of its audience is familiar with that name rather than Myanmar. The same goes for Rangoon, people in general are more familiar with this name than Yangon. But look in a Lonely Planet guidebook to Asia and the country can be found listed after Mongolia, not Brunei. The Rough Guide does not cover Burma at all, because the pro-democracy movement has called for a tourism boycott. HOW IS MYANMAR PRONOUNCED? There are various ways 'My' may be 'mee' as in 'street' or 'my' as in 'cry' And stress can be on the first, second or third syllable How to say 'Myanmar' So does the choice of Burma or Myanmar indicate a particular political position? Mark Farmener, of Burma Campaign UK, says: "Often you can tell where someone's sympathies lie if they use Burma or Myanmar. Myanmar is a kind of indicator of countries that are soft on the regime. "But really it's not important. Who cares what people call the country? It's the human rights abuses that matter. "There's not a really strong call from the democracy movement saying you should not call it Myanmar, they just challenge the legitimacy of the regime. It's probable it will carry on being called Myanmar after the regime is gone." Colloquial name The two words mean the same thing and one is derived from the other. Burmah, as it was spelt in the 19th Century, is a local corruption of the word Myanmar. They have both been used within Burma for a long time, says anthropologist Gustaaf Houtman, who has written extensively about Burmese politics. WHO, WHAT, WHY? A regular part of the BBC News Magazine, Who, What, Why? aims to answer some of the questions behind the headlines "There's a formal term which is Myanmar and the informal, everyday term which is Burma. Myanmar is the literary form, which is ceremonial and official and reeks of government. [The name change] is a form of censorship." If Burmese people are writing for publication, they use 'Myanmar', but speaking they use 'Burma', he says. This reflects the regime's attempt to impose the notion that literary language is master, Mr Houtman says, but there is definitely a political background to it. Richard Coates, a linguist at the University of Western England, says adopting the traditional, formal name is an attempt by the junta to break from the colonial past. The UN uses Myanmar, presumably deferring to the idea that its members can call themselves what they wish Richard Coates, Linguist "Local opposition groups do not accept that, and presumably prefer to use the 'old' colloquial name, at least until they have a government with popular legitimacy. Governments that agree with this stance still call the country Burma. "The UN uses Myanmar, presumably deferring to the idea that its members can call themselves what they wish, provided the decision is recorded in UN proceedings. There are hosts of papers detailing such changes. I think the EU uses Burma/Myanmar." Other countries to rename themselves like this include Iran (formerly Persia), Burkina Faso (Upper Volta) and Cambodia (Kampuchea). "They've substituted a local name for an internationally acknowledged one for essentially nationalistic and historical reasons." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7013943.stm

This has got to be the most sadistic joke ever. I like it XD

A man is at work when he receives a call from the hospital informing him that his wife's been in an accident. He rushes to the emergency room where he's met by the doctor. They sit down in the waiting room and the doctor, with a very solemn look on his face, says:

"Sir, I have very bad news. We did all we could. Right now she's in a vegatative state, which is likely where she'll remain for the rest of her life. She can stay here overnight, but after that, you'll have to take her home because your insurance doesn't cover this type of thing."

The guy slumps, just crushed.

The doctor continues: "With the right care, which will include you feeding her five times a day, changing her soiled diapers, and tending to her needs constantly, she'll likely live for at least another 30 years."

The guy sinks even lower, just crushed, and starts to cry.

Doctor: "As I said, your insurance doesn't cover this kind of care, so you'll have to make some sort of arrangements to purchase the equipment you'll need for your wife. I would suggest you put your house on the market today and sell it as quickly as possible and buy a mobile home. You're gonna need the excess cash. It should be enough to buy the equipment your wife needs and for you to live on for the next couple of months. By then, you should be able to qualify for welfare and other forms of state and federal aid."

By this point, the guy is sobbing uncontrollably.At that point, the doctor puts his hand on the man's shoulder, and says, "Naaaah - I'm just fucking with you, she's dead."

World's funniest joke? You decide!

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, and after finishing their dinner they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend.

"Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see." "I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes" exclaims Watson. "And what do you deduce from that?" Watson ponders for a minute. "Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?" "Watson, you idiot!" He exclaims, "Somebody's stolen our tent!"

The Art of Spillage

Underfull - the tablecloth that turns spilling into poetry from Kristine Bjaadal on Vimeo.