What do you do for fun?

[Daniel]

I recently had a family member standing beside me saying,

"Why don'tcha just ring this person or that person you once knew, why dontcha just go here or there and have some fun?"

I'm neither stupid nor hardcore - I just feel like there is no real answer to that question which seems feasable - going out in search of 'fun' detracts from time I could be better spending re earning the ability to actually enjoy life, not trying to manufacture a bandaid excuse for enjoyment when life itself isn't enjoyable in many ways.

So, rather than whinge and carry on any further about how people once known no longer are or this, that and the other symptom preventing the presentation of some euphoria-filled-eureka moment of instantaneous realization of what is a good idea to do for 'fun' right now, let me ask you :

- when you're not doing the mundane life thing, rehabbing or whatever else may be on your list of priorities to achieve from day to day, what sorts of things do you enjoy doing for.......'fun'?

[Daniel]

Hey Faith,
When I was doing my Chinese course in 2003, our class watched a movie (spoken Chinese with English subtitles) and it focused on the way that culture views the language and the level of respect they have for it. I recall one of the themes being that the meanings of the writing was important, but the appearance of the writing and attention to detail within the makeup of each word is paramount. In Chinese, each drawing depicting a word or idea has a small story attached to it to help one recall it's appearance and meaning. This movie, which I forget the name of unfortunately, demonstrated the degree of value some in that culture place upon, not so much the meaning, but the attention to the detail and precision in the artwork because its appearance reflected the care and devotion of the writer so, by doing a poor job of writing, it was seen as that individual having lacking respect for their country.
Like I see within Japanese culture, the Chinese have scrolls of artistically written phrases and sayings attached to fine material cloth (I have an imitation one, but it's nice, got it in ShangHai for bugger all after bargaining the price down, but I still got ripped off because they usually - I'm told - see foreigners and double the price, but accept that price being halved, so we foreigners are actually paying twice what the locals do).
The appearance is everything because the meaning is an already well known one within the culture. I got this impression and it seems the Chinese invest so much value in saving face or looking socially acceptable, that often social segregation occurs when someone simply looks bad in public (I saw this happen a few times) - that may also happen here in the west, but over there how you appear is *everything* and I think this is apparent in their attention to detail (Asian culture in general, I should add) to their artwork and skilled depictions of famous sayings - the meaning, I get the impression, is essentially overlooked or dismissed if the presentation is substandard.

The irony of the situation I mention above is that I stayed in a very poor part of the country - amputees unfortunately begging on streets, raw sewage, if not around, was rife in the way the air smelled, and people appeared ragged in their clothing and embracing of cheap western immitation footwear and so forth, yet the way the culture was treated meant everything to them, and I think that's something we in the west, certainly in this country anyway, completely overlook - we tend to make appearance largely secondary to how something actually is in the meaning it carries. I like this about western culture, and I often thought Asian culture was too judgmental towards people based upon appearances.

So your artwork is more the drawings, as opposed to the linguistics? Apologies, I'm just used to written Asian artwork, any plans to post pictures on this site of what you have?

Hi Tish,
Those two jobs present some interesting points which I'd like to ask you about :
*Crossing guard duty* - How do you find being the one who young children are dependent upon for their safety in crossing roads? I mean, America is obviously a giant country, there's obviously an enormous population and abundant traffic, so crossing roads would surely have to be a task which is sometimes a little intimidating for someone who's been through years of recovery with encephalitis - Do you find that doing this job makes some symptoms present from time to time with the associated stress of being responsible for the safety of kids in a potentially dangerous environment? (eg getting dizzy or confused, as I know can happen in stressful situations from personal experience)

*The insurance company* I think it's great that you've found somewhere close to where you live, as that would inevitably take away the travel stress element and punctuality concerns associated with doing it. When I imagine your job there, I imagine you sitting at a desk and processing paperwork or whatever else - what aspects of this position do you find the most challenging or stressful, if I may ask?

[tobecome]

daniel,
I remember when I first got the job as crossing guard..I met with police man and he kind of went through the job tasks and he stressed that I was not responsible for directing traffic..just to get children accross the street safely. I was moved to a new intersection last march which has much less traffic and is in a more residential area of the city. I think getting to know the kids and their schedules has helped alot. I follow the walk signs and present myself so that children will follow directions. If they have to wait and are not happy about it I let them know that my job is to keep them safe. I would say I only had a few problems with middle school students at my former intersection and then there was a new middle school opening which re-routed any problems in many ways. There have been a few incidents which were stressful...
1. kids being stopped by a stranger
2. someone calling in to say that i wasn't present at appropriate time (early dismissal)when I was present and parent stating that I wasn't on the best side of street.
the first incident I told the children that they responded best to situation...walking with a buddy and ignoring the stranger. I called police station with information type of car approximate time date..but not much detailed information was known..ie..license plates.
the second situation a police was notified to fill in for me..he came to intesection while i was crossing kids and explained to me that he was called to cover for me. I said I was told to report for school's early dismissal and was there at the time I was told to start. My supervisor came a following morning and observed the side of street where most children were crossing which was the side I was on and said he would talk to the parent directly if they called againg regard this concern.

Daniel said:

Hey Faith,
When I was doing my Chinese course in 2003, our class watched a movie (spoken Chinese with English subtitles) and it focused on the way that culture views the language and the level of respect they have for it. I recall one of the themes being that the meanings of the writing was important, but the appearance of the writing and attention to detail within the makeup of each word is paramount. In Chinese, each drawing depicting a word or idea has a small story attached to it to help one recall it's appearance and meaning. This movie, which I forget the name of unfortunately, demonstrated the degree of value some in that culture place upon, not so much the meaning, but the attention to the detail and precision in the artwork because its appearance reflected the care and devotion of the writer so, by doing a poor job of writing, it was seen as that individual having lacking respect for their country.
Like I see within Japanese culture, the Chinese have scrolls of artistically written phrases and sayings attached to fine material cloth (I have an imitation one, but it's nice, got it in ShangHai for bugger all after bargaining the price down, but I still got ripped off because they usually - I'm told - see foreigners and double the price, but accept that price being halved, so we foreigners are actually paying twice what the locals do).
The appearance is everything because the meaning is an already well known one within the culture. I got this impression and it seems the Chinese invest so much value in saving face or looking socially acceptable, that often social segregation occurs when someone simply looks bad in public (I saw this happen a few times) - that may also happen here in the west, but over there how you appear is *everything* and I think this is apparent in their attention to detail (Asian culture in general, I should add) to their artwork and skilled depictions of famous sayings - the meaning, I get the impression, is essentially overlooked or dismissed if the presentation is substandard.

The irony of the situation I mention above is that I stayed in a very poor part of the country - amputees unfortunately begging on streets, raw sewage, if not around, was rife in the way the air smelled, and people appeared ragged in their clothing and embracing of cheap western immitation footwear and so forth, yet the way the culture was treated meant everything to them, and I think that's something we in the west, certainly in this country anyway, completely overlook - we tend to make appearance largely secondary to how something actually is in the meaning it carries. I like this about western culture, and I often thought Asian culture was too judgmental towards people based upon appearances.

So your artwork is more the drawings, as opposed to the linguistics? Apologies, I'm just used to written Asian artwork, any plans to post pictures on this site of what you have?

Hi Tish,
Those two jobs present some interesting points which I'd like to ask you about :
*Crossing guard duty* - How do you find being the one who young children are dependent upon for their safety in crossing roads? I mean, America is obviously a giant country, there's obviously an enormous population and abundant traffic, so crossing roads would surely have to be a task which is sometimes a little intimidating for someone who's been through years of recovery with encephalitis - Do you find that doing this job makes some symptoms present from time to time with the associated stress of being responsible for the safety of kids in a potentially dangerous environment? (eg getting dizzy or confused, as I know can happen in stressful situations from personal experience)

*The insurance company* I think it's great that you've found somewhere close to where you live, as that would inevitably take away the travel stress element and punctuality concerns associated with doing it. When I imagine your job there, I imagine you sitting at a desk and processing paperwork or whatever else - what aspects of this position do you find the most challenging or stressful, if I may ask?

[tobecome]

daniel,
regarding position at insurancecompany... I mostly answer phones and direct calls to most appropriate staff person. I will sometimes process payments. I worked thurs. by myself as the full time employers met for a lunch staff meeting. I had done this once before and had a man calling for information he needed but I did not have access to he was very upset and was closing on a house I think. I explained that the staff were at on off-site meeting and would be back in 1-2 hours and they would be able to give him information he requested.
Sometimes, I have to ask how to process varies steps on the computer because I don't do it that often. I was told that a staff person didn't receive a message I had taken..not sure what happened. But I write everything down and try not to leave without going through all messages to make sure everyone gets the correct messages.
tish

Daniel said:

Hey Faith,
When I was doing my Chinese course in 2003, our class watched a movie (spoken Chinese with English subtitles) and it focused on the way that culture views the language and the level of respect they have for it. I recall one of the themes being that the meanings of the writing was important, but the appearance of the writing and attention to detail within the makeup of each word is paramount. In Chinese, each drawing depicting a word or idea has a small story attached to it to help one recall it's appearance and meaning. This movie, which I forget the name of unfortunately, demonstrated the degree of value some in that culture place upon, not so much the meaning, but the attention to the detail and precision in the artwork because its appearance reflected the care and devotion of the writer so, by doing a poor job of writing, it was seen as that individual having lacking respect for their country.
Like I see within Japanese culture, the Chinese have scrolls of artistically written phrases and sayings attached to fine material cloth (I have an imitation one, but it's nice, got it in ShangHai for bugger all after bargaining the price down, but I still got ripped off because they usually - I'm told - see foreigners and double the price, but accept that price being halved, so we foreigners are actually paying twice what the locals do).
The appearance is everything because the meaning is an already well known one within the culture. I got this impression and it seems the Chinese invest so much value in saving face or looking socially acceptable, that often social segregation occurs when someone simply looks bad in public (I saw this happen a few times) - that may also happen here in the west, but over there how you appear is *everything* and I think this is apparent in their attention to detail (Asian culture in general, I should add) to their artwork and skilled depictions of famous sayings - the meaning, I get the impression, is essentially overlooked or dismissed if the presentation is substandard.

The irony of the situation I mention above is that I stayed in a very poor part of the country - amputees unfortunately begging on streets, raw sewage, if not around, was rife in the way the air smelled, and people appeared ragged in their clothing and embracing of cheap western immitation footwear and so forth, yet the way the culture was treated meant everything to them, and I think that's something we in the west, certainly in this country anyway, completely overlook - we tend to make appearance largely secondary to how something actually is in the meaning it carries. I like this about western culture, and I often thought Asian culture was too judgmental towards people based upon appearances.

So your artwork is more the drawings, as opposed to the linguistics? Apologies, I'm just used to written Asian artwork, any plans to post pictures on this site of what you have?

Hi Tish,
Those two jobs present some interesting points which I'd like to ask you about :
*Crossing guard duty* - How do you find being the one who young children are dependent upon for their safety in crossing roads? I mean, America is obviously a giant country, there's obviously an enormous population and abundant traffic, so crossing roads would surely have to be a task which is sometimes a little intimidating for someone who's been through years of recovery with encephalitis - Do you find that doing this job makes some symptoms present from time to time with the associated stress of being responsible for the safety of kids in a potentially dangerous environment? (eg getting dizzy or confused, as I know can happen in stressful situations from personal experience)

*The insurance company* I think it's great that you've found somewhere close to where you live, as that would inevitably take away the travel stress element and punctuality concerns associated with doing it. When I imagine your job there, I imagine you sitting at a desk and processing paperwork or whatever else - what aspects of this position do you find the most challenging or stressful, if I may ask?

[Daniel]

Hi Tish,
This isn't intended in any perversed way, just my own curiosity about US culture - when you do crossing guard duty, do you wear a unfiform and stuff? Man, you guys in the States make everything look cool, assuming so (I've seen this on tv a few times). Down here, the appointed crossing guards are usually just wearing normal clothing, or a fluorescent sash.

How did you feel about the crossing guard job when you first started it? Did it feel like it was more than you could do and like you would be potentially endangering those at the crossing, or did you have that confidence from the start? Any reservations about it now?

How did that complainant not know you were there? Were they just lying or perhaps just not see you?

Answering the phones at the insurance company is, I think, an incredible thing to do - people ring and are presumably tense or annoyed for one reason or another, take it out on yourself, you're exposed to tension and ill feeling, and symptoms undoubtedly might present from that - this must have improved your ability to withstand tension and be more confident, am I right?

[tobecome]

daniel,
uniform is just a reflective vest and a stop sign. I think realizing the responsibility of safety of children made me extra cautious about getting to work on time and I am usually a bit early.
I'm not sure about the caller saying i wasn't there..maybe it was at an earlier time of the day and the message got relayed incorrectly. I think the longer I have worked as school guard..the more confidient I am and less likely to daydream about what ifs...Answering phones is a little bit less on front lines than in person but it is true people are often distressed about an accident or bill or something...and the reality that I work there three hours a week to help out makes me take pressure off my shoulders and instead make sure that I write everything down and make sure information is communicated to the most appropriate person.
tish

Daniel said:

Hi Tish,
This isn't intended in any perversed way, just my own curiosity about US culture - when you do crossing guard duty, do you wear a unfiform and stuff? Man, you guys in the States make everything look cool, assuming so (I've seen this on tv a few times). Down here, the appointed crossing guards are usually just wearing normal clothing, or a fluorescent sash.

How did you feel about the crossing guard job when you first started it? Did it feel like it was more than you could do and like you would be potentially endangering those at the crossing, or did you have that confidence from the start? Any reservations about it now?

How did that complainant not know you were there? Were they just lying or perhaps just not see you?

Answering the phones at the insurance company is, I think, an incredible thing to do - people ring and are presumably tense or annoyed for one reason or another, take it out on yourself, you're exposed to tension and ill feeling, and symptoms undoubtedly might present from that - this must have improved your ability to withstand tension and be more confident, am I right?

[Daniel]

How would you compare a tense caller at the insurance company, to a tense parent at your guard crossing duties? Have you encountered tension at that job in person - face to face? How did you handle it, if so?

[tobecome]

One mother said she was concerned about how I and the child's teacher responded to a child and her friend being stopped by a stranger. I said that i told the children that they did what was best to ignore the stranger and to walk with a buddy. I didn't immediately call the police station but I did call to inform them of the incident. But I also said there wasn't much information to go on other than a white car and a white older man.
tish

Daniel said:

How would you compare a tense caller at the insurance company, to a tense parent at your guard crossing duties? Have you encountered tension at that job in person - face to face? How did you handle it, if so?

[Daniel]

What you told those kids to do is exactly what I was told when I was a kid in primary (elementary) school. The buddy thing you mention having said was perfect, if any parent is concerned about you giving such ideas to the kids, then the only thing likely wrong is their parental skills.

What did the complainant think was a better idea than what you suggested of walking with a buddy? I imagine being a kid in that situation and the only answer I see is safety in numbers and not drawing attention, like you said.