Opinionated - Moi?
I am shamefully aware of how little I have been updating this blog recently and it's not that I have nothing to update, it's just that I live in dread of offending other people who may read this and so try to keep all of the subjects that I write about as self derogatory as possible (I haven't many friends you see and don't want to piss off the few that seem to like me). Anyway, many apologies to all of you who have emailed me with a "Hello are you still there" type of message and particular thanks to my brother who emailed me a blog that was better than mine to give me tips and inspiration on how to keep going. Thanks Tony!
There really isn't a whole lot of exciting things happening in my life right now but luckily I have an opinion on pretty much everything going on around me and so I will leap onto my literary soap box and indulge to my hearts content.
It might be fair to point out that I have been called opinionated on more than one occasion in my life and would like to take this opportunity now to defend myself. We all have opinions and dislikes, don't we? The only difference is that I like to get my opinions out there in the open and I am fairly good (most of the time ) at nodding and saying "Hmmm, yeah" in a vague manner at what I perceive as absolute rubbish being spoken at me or in my general vicinity so I don't think I offend too many people. In short, I have respect (mostly - I'm not a saint for crying out loud) for others peoples opinions and try never to get argumentative with anyone if I can help it. It doesn't help that I'm also a coward and don't really like confrontation so thank God for my blog where I can vent about this and that and there is no-one to argue back with me and even if they do, I can just delete their posts - brilliant!
It's different if I know someone really well, like family or a close friend and in that case can happily debate a point for hours. Luckily I am with my hubby for nine years and have managed to subtly bend most of his opinions to match mine so there aren't that many disagreements in our household thankfully. I can also admit that I am wrong (if hard proof is given to me to show me that I am in fact an ass) and on the rare occasion that my point of view has differed from hubbies and he has had to run to Google to validate the fact that I am nothing more than a cocky ignoramus, he will then stand in front of me cupping his hand behind his ear and say "I was RIGHT and you were WRONG. What were you? Say it. Speak up, I can't hear you. You were........... Yes? Yes? That's right, you were WRONG!" Usually I just stare at the ground with my hands clasped behind my back and shuffle one toe from side to side and mumble "You were right and I was wrong" and he is just THRILLED.
If I'm being totally honest there is no hardship in it for me. Every one knows that all great marriages are based on give and take. This is my give and it makes him happy for months on end so who am I to deny him such simple pleasures?
I also have a terrible tendency to state my judgement or presumption of something as though it is absolute fact when of course I have no idea if it is or not. Recently I was at a table quiz and the question was "What vegetable derives it's name from the Latin word for Pearl?" I answered immediately "Turnip" and then went to the bar. I couldn't believe it when I came back and discovered that the rest of my team mates had taken my answer as Gospel and submitted the piece of paper with turnip written on it. The correct answer was of course the onion. "But you said it like you were so sure and positive" came the protests from around me. "You stated it as though you have a degree in Latin" Kevin told me with a grimace. "It was a guess", I said weakly trying to defend myself. They were unimpressed.
I also don't understand politics at all but I still manage to hate almost every member of our Irish government who just seem to keep taking money that I can't afford to give yet our roads, schools and health care remain a disgrace. My sister is living up the North in Muff of all places (I will eventually grow up and stop sniggering every time I say the name but not today, hee hee) and makes me quiver with envy when she talks about the new crown on her tooth which she got for free; all of her free visits to the doctor; how she can even get calpol for her baby on prescription which means that she doesn't have to pay a penny at the pharmacy. She takes my nephew for baby massage and baby yoga and all sorts of fun baby activities and it's all free, free, FREE! My vote is to go to the British Government and offer them the country back while we grovel and say "Sorry lads, but we made a balls of it". No wonder the six counties up there don't want to come back to us.
You see what I mean? I know nothing at all about politics yet have very strong opinions about them. However, I really don't know why people got so upset at Brian Cowen for sounding a bit sozzled on the radio recently. In all fairness, can he really sink any lower in anyone's opinion of him? If Brian got down on his hands and knees in a children's playground and did a line of cocaine, could people really dislike him anymore than they already do? You can only sink so low and I feel that Brian may have reached the bottom of the pond a lo-ong time ago. Time to cut him a bit of slack about his drinking, sorry alleged drinking problem I think.
I recently created uproar amongst a group of friends when I boldly announced that "The X-factor" is everything that is wrong with the world. Of course I didn't mean that exactly. I do get that there is war, famine, disease and Brian Cowen going on also but unfortunately another trait that comes with being this opinionated is having such a strong opinion of something that I often end up completely exaggerating what my opinion is just to put greater emphasis on it. This usually ends up with no-one wanting to listen to me at all so I am trying to tone all forms of fabrication at the moment but it's tough as I think it may just be a gene that is part of my personality (if you've met my mother you'll understand).
I do have to say though, that I feel nothing but pity with just the mildest tinge of disgust when I hear all of these teenagers crying and sobbing about what this fame and fortune means to them and how achieving this status will make everything in their life worth while - and these are actually the talented contestants that I am talking about. Don't get me started on the deluded ones.
Fame seems to be so much more achievable with this present generation that it was with mine due to the increase of reality TV shows that we have nowadays and it seems to me that everyone wants a piece of it or actually it's more like everyone almost feels entitled to a piece of it. I watched an episode of "The X-Factor" last weekend where contestants had gotten as far as the judges house (I know I'm slating the show but I also have a sort of ghoulish fascination with it which makes the temptation to tune in sometimes hard to resist). Twelve acts were going on to the live shows to be made or broken by the public and everyone else was having their dreams snatched from under their noses and being sent home. Oh my God but the anguish involved was heart wrenching (Or vomit inducing if your opinion sways a little bit towards where mine is).
"This means so much to me" (sob, sob, sob); "It's all I've ever wanted" (sniffle); I just need to know that all my hard work and singing hasn't been in vain" (hand to the mouth as eyes start to fill with unshed tears); "I just couldn't face my family and friends if my dream was taken away from me" (Barely coherent after night long bout of heart breaking, soul destroying crying) and this is before they even discover if they have made it through the round or not.
People, people, calm down! Firstly, I do understand your disappointment. We'd all like a bit of fame and recognition and I do admit that it would be nice to have complete strangers loving you and being nice to you just because you can squeeze a few sounds through your vocal cords and make them sound half decent. It would be divine not to have to even try to be a good person as with the achievement of this fame status, all of your unreasonable and spoilt brat like behaviour will now come under the title of "Diva" which makes it all perfectly acceptable. Oh and the money would be great too!
Be realistic please. I'm all for striving to reach your goals but people also need to learn to be happy with the ordinary too or life is just going to become one big cesspool of heartache and disappointment. And anyway, what is so ordinary about having a family that love you or a good job and a comfortable bed to sleep in at night? The people on this show just seem to be so obsessed with fame and glory that they lose sight of what the important things in life are. I truly believe that a real artist does not need the recognition or the glory of fame but simply preforms for the love and joy of it. (That is why I am still an unknown actress. I just didn't need the celebrity status. *ahem*)
But there is one thing about this show that engrosses me more than anything else and that is Cheryl Cole crying. When I have a blub big or small, my face becomes red, blotchy, slightly swollen and distorted and my nose doubles in size and needs a tissue placed firmly at the base of it to catch the flow. Cheryl Cole cries every five minutes and remains exquisite and serene as these little tears made from diamonds flow beautifully down her perfect little face. If it wasn't for the fact that a) I am not a lesbian and b) that I know that she has a penchant for beating up toilet attendants, I think that I might just be in love with her. Is it possible do you think, that her ex-husband Ashley may have slept with all these women behind her back just so he could watch Cheryl cry every day? It is absolutely spell binding.
I can be a bit of a hypocrite too I must admit. I can have such a strong opinion about something and yet go and completely do the opposite to whatever it was that I was preaching about the very next day. I have been watching "The Apprentice" this year and was delighted to learn that an old school friend was to be a contestant. What really bothered me though was the amount of horrible things that I saw people write on facebook about her. I can understand people criticizing her performance on the show but why do people have to slate her appearance and say things like "She has a face like she is chewing a wasp" or "She walks like a duck". One person even made a comment her five year old child. It is just so nasty and uncalled for.
I however, walked past a big billboard of Louis Walsh today advertising a magazine and commented to a friend almost immediately "Louis Walsh does not have a face that should be increased to ten times its size". I realise now that my comment could probably be classed as being personal and nasty so maybe my opinion is that I just don't like it when people are discriminating against people that I know. (I must take this opportunity to compliment the people on photo shop duty though as although Richard Gere need not worry that Louis is out to take his title of dishy grey haired man, Mr. Walsh did not look bad at all. Fair dues to him!).
I'm going to end this now before my opinions upset too many people. I know that my blog a few months ago about Sex and the city really crushed it's one remaining fan and so I would hate that to happen again. All "X-Factor" fans who are about to rant and rave at me, be warned - I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.
There really isn't a whole lot of exciting things happening in my life right now but luckily I have an opinion on pretty much everything going on around me and so I will leap onto my literary soap box and indulge to my hearts content.
It might be fair to point out that I have been called opinionated on more than one occasion in my life and would like to take this opportunity now to defend myself. We all have opinions and dislikes, don't we? The only difference is that I like to get my opinions out there in the open and I am fairly good (most of the time ) at nodding and saying "Hmmm, yeah" in a vague manner at what I perceive as absolute rubbish being spoken at me or in my general vicinity so I don't think I offend too many people. In short, I have respect (mostly - I'm not a saint for crying out loud) for others peoples opinions and try never to get argumentative with anyone if I can help it. It doesn't help that I'm also a coward and don't really like confrontation so thank God for my blog where I can vent about this and that and there is no-one to argue back with me and even if they do, I can just delete their posts - brilliant!
It's different if I know someone really well, like family or a close friend and in that case can happily debate a point for hours. Luckily I am with my hubby for nine years and have managed to subtly bend most of his opinions to match mine so there aren't that many disagreements in our household thankfully. I can also admit that I am wrong (if hard proof is given to me to show me that I am in fact an ass) and on the rare occasion that my point of view has differed from hubbies and he has had to run to Google to validate the fact that I am nothing more than a cocky ignoramus, he will then stand in front of me cupping his hand behind his ear and say "I was RIGHT and you were WRONG. What were you? Say it. Speak up, I can't hear you. You were........... Yes? Yes? That's right, you were WRONG!" Usually I just stare at the ground with my hands clasped behind my back and shuffle one toe from side to side and mumble "You were right and I was wrong" and he is just THRILLED.
If I'm being totally honest there is no hardship in it for me. Every one knows that all great marriages are based on give and take. This is my give and it makes him happy for months on end so who am I to deny him such simple pleasures?
I also have a terrible tendency to state my judgement or presumption of something as though it is absolute fact when of course I have no idea if it is or not. Recently I was at a table quiz and the question was "What vegetable derives it's name from the Latin word for Pearl?" I answered immediately "Turnip" and then went to the bar. I couldn't believe it when I came back and discovered that the rest of my team mates had taken my answer as Gospel and submitted the piece of paper with turnip written on it. The correct answer was of course the onion. "But you said it like you were so sure and positive" came the protests from around me. "You stated it as though you have a degree in Latin" Kevin told me with a grimace. "It was a guess", I said weakly trying to defend myself. They were unimpressed.
I also don't understand politics at all but I still manage to hate almost every member of our Irish government who just seem to keep taking money that I can't afford to give yet our roads, schools and health care remain a disgrace. My sister is living up the North in Muff of all places (I will eventually grow up and stop sniggering every time I say the name but not today, hee hee) and makes me quiver with envy when she talks about the new crown on her tooth which she got for free; all of her free visits to the doctor; how she can even get calpol for her baby on prescription which means that she doesn't have to pay a penny at the pharmacy. She takes my nephew for baby massage and baby yoga and all sorts of fun baby activities and it's all free, free, FREE! My vote is to go to the British Government and offer them the country back while we grovel and say "Sorry lads, but we made a balls of it". No wonder the six counties up there don't want to come back to us.
You see what I mean? I know nothing at all about politics yet have very strong opinions about them. However, I really don't know why people got so upset at Brian Cowen for sounding a bit sozzled on the radio recently. In all fairness, can he really sink any lower in anyone's opinion of him? If Brian got down on his hands and knees in a children's playground and did a line of cocaine, could people really dislike him anymore than they already do? You can only sink so low and I feel that Brian may have reached the bottom of the pond a lo-ong time ago. Time to cut him a bit of slack about his drinking, sorry alleged drinking problem I think.
I recently created uproar amongst a group of friends when I boldly announced that "The X-factor" is everything that is wrong with the world. Of course I didn't mean that exactly. I do get that there is war, famine, disease and Brian Cowen going on also but unfortunately another trait that comes with being this opinionated is having such a strong opinion of something that I often end up completely exaggerating what my opinion is just to put greater emphasis on it. This usually ends up with no-one wanting to listen to me at all so I am trying to tone all forms of fabrication at the moment but it's tough as I think it may just be a gene that is part of my personality (if you've met my mother you'll understand).
I do have to say though, that I feel nothing but pity with just the mildest tinge of disgust when I hear all of these teenagers crying and sobbing about what this fame and fortune means to them and how achieving this status will make everything in their life worth while - and these are actually the talented contestants that I am talking about. Don't get me started on the deluded ones.
Fame seems to be so much more achievable with this present generation that it was with mine due to the increase of reality TV shows that we have nowadays and it seems to me that everyone wants a piece of it or actually it's more like everyone almost feels entitled to a piece of it. I watched an episode of "The X-Factor" last weekend where contestants had gotten as far as the judges house (I know I'm slating the show but I also have a sort of ghoulish fascination with it which makes the temptation to tune in sometimes hard to resist). Twelve acts were going on to the live shows to be made or broken by the public and everyone else was having their dreams snatched from under their noses and being sent home. Oh my God but the anguish involved was heart wrenching (Or vomit inducing if your opinion sways a little bit towards where mine is).
"This means so much to me" (sob, sob, sob); "It's all I've ever wanted" (sniffle); I just need to know that all my hard work and singing hasn't been in vain" (hand to the mouth as eyes start to fill with unshed tears); "I just couldn't face my family and friends if my dream was taken away from me" (Barely coherent after night long bout of heart breaking, soul destroying crying) and this is before they even discover if they have made it through the round or not.
People, people, calm down! Firstly, I do understand your disappointment. We'd all like a bit of fame and recognition and I do admit that it would be nice to have complete strangers loving you and being nice to you just because you can squeeze a few sounds through your vocal cords and make them sound half decent. It would be divine not to have to even try to be a good person as with the achievement of this fame status, all of your unreasonable and spoilt brat like behaviour will now come under the title of "Diva" which makes it all perfectly acceptable. Oh and the money would be great too!
Be realistic please. I'm all for striving to reach your goals but people also need to learn to be happy with the ordinary too or life is just going to become one big cesspool of heartache and disappointment. And anyway, what is so ordinary about having a family that love you or a good job and a comfortable bed to sleep in at night? The people on this show just seem to be so obsessed with fame and glory that they lose sight of what the important things in life are. I truly believe that a real artist does not need the recognition or the glory of fame but simply preforms for the love and joy of it. (That is why I am still an unknown actress. I just didn't need the celebrity status. *ahem*)
But there is one thing about this show that engrosses me more than anything else and that is Cheryl Cole crying. When I have a blub big or small, my face becomes red, blotchy, slightly swollen and distorted and my nose doubles in size and needs a tissue placed firmly at the base of it to catch the flow. Cheryl Cole cries every five minutes and remains exquisite and serene as these little tears made from diamonds flow beautifully down her perfect little face. If it wasn't for the fact that a) I am not a lesbian and b) that I know that she has a penchant for beating up toilet attendants, I think that I might just be in love with her. Is it possible do you think, that her ex-husband Ashley may have slept with all these women behind her back just so he could watch Cheryl cry every day? It is absolutely spell binding.
I can be a bit of a hypocrite too I must admit. I can have such a strong opinion about something and yet go and completely do the opposite to whatever it was that I was preaching about the very next day. I have been watching "The Apprentice" this year and was delighted to learn that an old school friend was to be a contestant. What really bothered me though was the amount of horrible things that I saw people write on facebook about her. I can understand people criticizing her performance on the show but why do people have to slate her appearance and say things like "She has a face like she is chewing a wasp" or "She walks like a duck". One person even made a comment her five year old child. It is just so nasty and uncalled for.
I however, walked past a big billboard of Louis Walsh today advertising a magazine and commented to a friend almost immediately "Louis Walsh does not have a face that should be increased to ten times its size". I realise now that my comment could probably be classed as being personal and nasty so maybe my opinion is that I just don't like it when people are discriminating against people that I know. (I must take this opportunity to compliment the people on photo shop duty though as although Richard Gere need not worry that Louis is out to take his title of dishy grey haired man, Mr. Walsh did not look bad at all. Fair dues to him!).
I'm going to end this now before my opinions upset too many people. I know that my blog a few months ago about Sex and the city really crushed it's one remaining fan and so I would hate that to happen again. All "X-Factor" fans who are about to rant and rave at me, be warned - I have a delete button and I'm not afraid to use it.
I have just 2 words for you - BIG BROTHER!!!
ReplyDeleteYe-esssss?
ReplyDeleteExactly my thought! What's the difference between "Big Brother" and the "X-Factor", except the X Factor contestants are more likely to try and win on talent and not for shagging another cast member?!
ReplyDeleteAm I missing something? Are we debating which is worse, big brother or the X-factor? I think that they are both as bad as each other but both hold an equal voyeuristic sort of fascination for me. I Just didn't write about BB today as it's not really current. I can write a blog on it if you want though?
ReplyDelete