Reaching that Equilbrium in Coffee… and in Life December 5, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Chemistry, Life Ideas, Me, Science.Tags: Chemistry, coffee, conformity, decaf, diffusion, equilibrium, integrated science, introspection, megan fox, paul hatala, solutes, solvent, swiss water method
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It has been a fun summer of blog posts where I reflect upon life through the scope of popular media and celebrity gossip. However, this past week, my professor Paul Hatala assigned research into decaffeination, and this allowed me to think about how this relates to life as a whole and media at a large.
Decaf is trendy, it's in. http://www.fitsugar.com/1131487
It’s enlightening how the popularity of these drinks have surged into popularity in recent culture. Decaffeination is the removal of caffeine, the substance responsible for stimulation in the nervous system (Cyldesdale, 1999). In fact, 12% of total coffee consumption is based on decaf coffee (Cyldesdale, 1999), a continuously increasing number, likely linked to celebrity and “healthy living” influences. When paparazzi catch Paris Hilton with that cup of decaf in her hand, and Global News lambasts the effects of caffeine, a paradigm shift emerges as more viewers switch their source of intake. This Dilbert Comic lambasts this emerging paradigm. The underlying motive may be a sense of conformity, a sense of people to follow in the black and white sense, what they see as right instead of what is wrong. This diffusion, separation, and transfer of ideas is also the fabric underlying decaffeination. Before you get into the chemistry, here’s a quick video lambasting the hoopla of decaf coffee.
The principal “European” method is to use a solvent known as methylene chloride, CH2Cl2, which is sometimes criticized for being hazardous in large doses (Petrucci, 2007). Coffee beans are treated with steam first to draw caffeine from the inner bean to the outer surface area, preparing the bean (Sturdivant, 1991). The solvent may then be applied in a direct method, removing solutes from the beans including caffeine, which diffuses into the solute (Webber, 2008). Batch processing can be used, where solvent is evaporated through distillation and re-added to a vessel (Cyldesdale, 1999). This allows more extraction of caffeine until the solvents and beans reach equilibrium as the content of caffeine is so minimal in the beans, it will no longer diffuse out of the shell. In an indirect process, first the water-soluble caffeine is soaked in water, where it is able to diffuse from the bean into this water (Webber, 2008). The water is then treated by the methylene chloride, which then allows the caffeine solutes to be transferred this solvent, and the treated water is then forced back through some tube mechanism to return flavours and oils, and then the process is repeated several times like the previous method until caffeine is minimal (Cyldesdale, 1999). The repetition is required as each stage attains a constant equilibrium, and with La Chatelier’s Principle, by removing the product (removing caffeine through the solvent), the system is shifted to the right (more caffeine is dissolved in water). The methylene chloride acts a selective solvent, only having reactions with the caffeine molecules, not the flavours or oils (Sturdivant, 1991). However, another method does not use this selective solvent.
A simplified model of water-processing for decaffeination. (Norr, 2008).
The second method, touted to be the measure of the future, is the Swiss Water Method. This method uses hot water and steam instead of chemicals (Norr, 2008). The beans absorb water, opens the cellular structures of the beans, and the caffeine and flavour molecules dissolve to the water (Webber, 2008). This water is then filtered through charcoal or carbon filters, where the caffeine molecules are trapped, while the flavour molecules remain with the water (Norr, 2008). The charcoal is pre-treated with sucrose, which helps absorb the caffeine (Cyldesdale, 1999). This ‘flavour-water’ extract is added to new coffee-beans, extracting only caffeine (Norr, 2008). This principle works because the solution is super-satured with flavour, and thus there is equilibrium between the flavour molecules, so solely caffeine will be extracted from the beans. High temperatures (from 70-100°C) are used specifically to supplement this process to increase the kinetic energy of molecules and ability to diffuse.
But what does this all mean? How does diffusion relate back to conformity: This all comes back to the underlying principle of the masses. Think of these caffeine solutes leaving their safe shell to experience new worlds. They are being led into a new system by a strong solvent, beckoning to accept them. As they experience a new world, they are essentially being tainted, leaving their original home permanently, the coffee bean. The solutes WANT to diffuse, reach equilibrium, pass that concentration gradient. People behave in a likewise manner, moving to areas where there is the freedom to explore, with ability to separate themselves from the sheep. By simply obeying the laws of physics and chemistry, they follow the concentration gradient to spread from those similar. But in the end, aren’t these people the sheep controlled by physical forces? Try to imagine a utopian society where everyone shared the same belief, and these beliefs were perfect. This can never happen on the basis of this ‘sociological diffusion.’ People wish to separate and form their unique niche in society. Ideas, opinions, and everything diffuse.
It's easy to understand why people diffuse to popular culture. (Still from Transformers 2)
Yet, a gradient can only go in one direction or the other, a reaction can only go forwards or backwards. Fundamental chemistry relies on dichotomies, and perhaps people are prone to view the world in a similar sense, choosing either decaf or caffeinated coffee. But whereas decaffeination aims for that homogeneity, diffusion in life relies upon heterogeneity. What I mean by this is that decaffeination presents only one path, only giving the option to stay or not to stay, where an equilibrium appears. However in life, we have many solvents, many methods, a variety of journeys to embark upon, each leading us to unique ideas. We should leave that shell to learn and explore, as our original home may restrict how we view the world. But we should not function merely as chemical forces, following the solvent because the Ksp tells us to, or diffusive forces take us out. Morals need to be maintained, judgement needs to be kept, and we must incorporate our biological thought before taking that step to follow. Equilibrium in life must be achieved!
For me, this equilibrium may be to continue this hobby amidst the stresses of university. I think it’s time for me to be that 2-4% of caffeine remaining in the decaf coffee, re-evaluating my shell and re-evaluating me in this Christmas break. And this blog will be the perfect outlet for this introspection.
Peace and Love!!
Works Cited
Cyldesdale, F. (1999, October 21). How is caffeine removed to produce decaffeinated coffee? Scientific American . Retrieved from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-is-caffeine-removed-t
Norr, S. (2008, July). Where does the Caffeine Go? Tea and Coffee. Retrieved from: http://www.teaandcoffee.net/0708/feature.htm.
Petrucci, R. (2007). General Chemistry Principles & Modern Applications 9th Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Sturdivant, S. (1991, February 1). Methylene chloride decaffeination: bad process or bad press. Tea & coffee Trade Journal . Retrieved from http://www.allbusiness.com/manufacturing/food-manufacturing-food-coffee-tea/154175-1.html
Webber, R. (2008, September 25). How Do They Remove the Caffeine from Coffee. CHOW Food Media, CBS. Retrieved from http://www.chow.com/stories/11330
I like my integers Positive!! July 22, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Life Ideas, Movies.Tags: cooley, inspirations, integers, legally blonde, life, movie, optimism, plot, positivity, psychology, reese witherspoon, smile, sociology
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Elle Woods knew what positivity really meant!
One of my guiltiest pleasures is the movie Legally Blonde. Sadly, I could probably recite entire scenes just by memory. And I know this is a pretty old movie, but just recently I figured out what made this movie so relatable to me…. It’s the entire theme of positivity!
The basic plotline of the movie is that Elle, the charming character Reese Witherspoon plays, appears to be just as she appears, a dumb blonde, but she ends up actualizing the profession of a lawyer, and winning a high stakes case. To the casual viewer, or even to me at first, the plot seems totally unreasonable, like how can this Paris Hilton-type character become a lawyer? On the other hand, after viewing the movie, it may seem that Elle really was rather intelligent throughout, and her exterior image was just her falling the belief ‘be who you want to be,’ as Elle refused to abide to the typical ‘lawyer’ stereotype. However, I believe neither of these was the case.
Look at Elle’s smile in the picture. Look at her posture, her demeanour, and her style. Okay, well you probably just think I’m attracted to this young woman. But yes, that’s exactly it, I am attracted by her, but it’s not because of her appearance, it’s about how she carries her self. She always has that positive spirit! She is therefore to become a lawyer not based on the two theories above, but by constantly having that positive spirit throughout her in the life. And no I don’t mean the ‘positive spirit’ that people like me claim to possess. We always try to appear positive, but would actually consider ourselves more of a ‘realist’ who constantly analyzes every situation. What makes Elle different is that she is just naturally and inherently optimistic and has a real fervour for life. There is not one scene where she stops believing in herself, where she stops believing in the world, or waivers from her fundamental credo that she obviously took a great time to develop.
Okay, but of course, we do need to live our lives with some realism. The movie must have been unrealistic if all it took was a positive attitude to attain success. But that’s a very negative manner in which to look at it. Now just take the positive side of the road. Instead of thinking like a -1 mentality (somewhat negative), think in like a +5 mentality (overwhelmingly positive) where everything always turns out how you want it. ”The movie was amazing, it really shows that the way I am thinking is the right way for success, as illustrated by Elle’s success.” Now that makes me much happier.
But what if I now always view the world through these rose-coloured glasses. Sure, I’ll end up taking terrible risks. Perhaps I won’t study for a test as much as I should, perhaps I’ll end up setting myself in a social nightmare, perhaps I’ll jump off of a cliff hoping that I would live unscathed. Obviously, positivity is not a one-track road, and it must come in conjunction with our other ideas and morals. Integrating this step is the challenge in life. There’s no easy route to attain it rather than simply experiencing life.
Now let’s assume Cooley’s socio/psychological ‘looking glass’ model. Basically, this model suggests that our ego, (the perception of oneself) is based on how we believe others view us. In general, if someone says I’m a loser, ignores me, or doesn’t include me, I’ll feel bad, and thus have a negative ego, whereas if people smile at me, invite me to functions, and engage in natural physical contact with me, I’ll feel good, and thus have a positive ego. We consequently develop our self through the judgment of others. I’m a strong advocate for this theory because it just makes logical sense.
But how does this fit in with positivity? Think about it personally, who would you rather associate with? Who would you rather have stuck in an elevator with you? Who would you rather have at a party? Is it the Negative Nancy or the Positive Pete? I’ll guarantee you that you would like to surround yourselves with positive people in your life. It seems flat-out obvious that when you’re down and depressed, you want to have that person who says ‘everything will be alright!’ And the reason why we like this, is because when we’re around people who are just naturally smiling, exuberant, confident, and have that positive self-esteem, we as humans will receive these positive sociological cues from them, and therefore will be happier as well!
Not only does having a positive view on life help ourselves, but it helps those around us as well. People will be drawn to the positive person because the positive person will help improve their self-esteem. In turn, the positive person will have more contacts, more friends, more social activity, and more of a reason to be genuinely happy. In short, positivity breeds positivity. It’s like a snowball effect, if you keep on adding positive integers, you’ll get a larger positive number. Whereas, if you keep on adding negative numbers, the sum will just become more despondent.
So when people ask me who my greatest fictional influence is, of course I would never say Elle Woods because that just seems stupid and ignorant on the basis. I would probably say someone like Siddhartha from Hesse’s novel, or Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire because of their perseverance or journey of introspection. However, secretly, I know I would want to say Elle, because I feel the most important value in life to have is positivity. That’s the bottom top line!
Peace and love!! 
The Physics of Love? July 14, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Life Ideas, Me, TV.Tags: Girls, high school, hooking up, jerks, kaley cuoco, leonard, love, nice guys, penny, physics, relationships, romance, sheldon, the big bang theory, TV
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A brilliantly hilarious sitcom
It makes logical sense that my favourite TV show is devoted to the lives of two theoretical physicists. And after two great seasons, I still think back to the several science jokes, mythological references, philosophical debates, and social mishaps that provide the show with its unique charm. I find it amazing and really rewarding to find a problem able to project its humour out to the so-called ‘nerds‘ and ‘geeks‘ of our world while still maintaining a pop culture appeal. But perhaps the underlying factor that really keeps me posted to the show is the potentially grim realization that this may be exactly how my own future pans out.
Now, with the current path I’m taking in life, it is highly probable that I will become a crazy physics researcher like the two main characters of the show, Sheldon and Leonard. For those who have seen the show, it is the arrogant, controlling, and oddly oblivious Sheldon who often steals many of the show’s scenes. However, it is Leonard who I can really relate to, likely because he aims to develop a more balanced lifestyle. And when it comes down to it, the premise that I can really relate to is his quest to develop a relationship with Penny (the sexy Kaley Cuoco, formerly of “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter“). Like Leonard, I forsee identical obstacles in trying to form a closer relationship with someone for whom I feel deep affection. And it’s interesting that despite making great scientific achievements, having a fun core group of friends, and partaking in so many hobbies from video games to paintball to comic books, Leonard still has this void in his life.
But obviously, I’m sure 95% of you believe that you eventually need a romantic companion, and thus you should always devote some time for this goal. And I do agree, but the search for this ‘love‘ or ‘soulmate‘ often becomes a primary motivation in our lives. However, I feel that embarking upon this conquest at this time is not the best idea. And I think the high school relationship serves as a prime example. During this time people ‘hook up‘ for the sake of, well, hooking up. Oftentimes it is not based on compatibility, but rather a raw physical attraction, or the fact that one party has a vulnerable neediness. This is evident in the overdramatic nature of several break-ups. I know many girls who must always have a guy by their side to feel comfortable and accepted, and likewise I know many guys who feel inferior unless they have that girlfriend like everyone else. Herein lies the classic example of peer pressure tied in with adolescent confusion.
Okay, but of course it is fine to experiment! We’re teens, we should have that liberty to learn about others and learn about ourselves through the context of dating, and even more. Nevertheless, at this point of time, a divergence suddenly emerges in the style of sociological relations of men. I cannot speak for girls, heck I can seldom understand girls. So for guys, it’s the clear distinction of ‘jerks‘ and ‘nice guys.’ Don’t get me wrong, I know some really amazing and inspiring guys, who in a social context with girls will act like ‘jerks.’ They will do this because in high school, the ‘jerk‘ mentality is the superior method in achieving the goal that every guy desires, which is the girl. The problem is because this methodology works, they are enabled to continue this type of lifestyle in the future. Whereas, the ‘nice guy‘ bringing in all their morals and integrity into their social game are then shunned by the girl because they simply don’t have that appeal.
I know what you’re thinking though. If you’re a nice guy, “well I’m a nice guy, and I do perfectly well” or if you’re a girl, “I never fall for jerks!” But here, we really have to think about the premise of attraction. Whereas we all claim to act or behave in a specific manner, our mind will work differently. I feel it always comes down, “we want what we can’t have,” which is the basis of why so many of us have crushes on celebrities. People are appealed to what is different, what is mysterious, what is exciting. Nobody likes boredom, especially not teenagers who would rather be excited than comfortable. It is for this reason, that people have to project exuberant social images to gain that attraction. For example a guy will work out excessively, wear designer clothing, or act especially aloof, and a girl will lather on excessive make-up, become especially flirty, or wear revealing clothing. These are all mechanisms to appear more appealing. But we ALL do it, because this is how we will survive socially, Social Darwinism again. And because the initial attraction has this fake pretense, this is the sole reason why ‘high school’ relationships flounder so quickly. But maybe all of this is wrong, perhaps I’m just creating all these theories to cover up my own short-comings. Heck, I’ll never be as suave as UFC fighter Rampage Jackson, like in this hilarious video.
But this is exactly where it comes back to me and Leonard. He is one of the most intelligent people in the world, capable of creating even greater theories than I am, yet he falls under the same category as me. But like I stated, perhaps instead of existing within several relationships, our personalities are suited such that we can discover ourselves much better through our introspection and immersing ourselves within our work. All you really need is one, that one love, that one person that you can really live with and be happy with. When I’m 50 years old, it won’t matter if I’ve had intimate relationships with 100 women or 1 women, as long as I am entirely in love with the woman I am sitting next to until my own age.
Thus as young adults, we should start adopting a new mentality. We shouldn’t let the effort to find that significant other cloud our own visions and jugments. Instead, we should focus upon our individual, independent aspirations. We’re all reaching for that happy and successful life, so we should owe that ‘experimentation’ phase to what we are truly about. If this does mean meeting lots of random men or women, then that’s your lifestyle, and I respect that. However, if that isn’t who you are, don’t make yourself into that other person. I believe these people are called ‘tools‘ or ‘posers‘ or another negative connotation for good reason. Just be yourself, whoever that may be, and revel in your self-created world! If the world around you is your own world, then nothing but good can come from it. 
Peace and love!!
PS. In the meanwhile, have a taste in my world, and see if you really do enjoy The Big Bang Theory:
Anonymity to Celebrity July 12, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Music, TV.Tags: america's got talent, anonymity, bri, canadian idol, celebrity, dreams, it, mookie morris, nickleback, predicting, rock
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A little aside from the typical serious tone of many of these posts, I love predicting things. Whether it’s making a hypothesis for a chemistry experiment, guessing the outcome of a sporting event, or strategizing other players’ actions in a board game, I enjoy always trying to be one step ahead. In the crazy and unpredictable world of music, it is often very difficult to predict big stars. One of my favourite Red Hot Chili Peppers’ song attests to this experience, of the many trials and tribulations it takes to succeed in Hollywood. But I’ll take a stab at it, and say that these two artists have a real ‘it’ factor.
(Jump to 1:30 to skip introduction) This young girl, Bri, I think can really redefine the world of pop and fuse it with the grunge/alternative rock that the current generation admires these days. She’s headed for success on America’s Got Talent, but you can really get a better taste of her style on her myspace page. Bri really has a unique tone, a tinge of humour, and she’s a self admitted nerd, what more can you ask for? But really, I can see her fitting into a new, emerging niche in the mainstream music industry.
This guy, Mookie Morris, just as young, 18 years old, I’m really impressed with. He recently got a contract with Sony Music Canada, so I’m looking forward to hear his new albums. He really has that British Rock, understated yet showy vibe that made a lot of 70s music so appealing. I’m not as impressed with his samples on myspace as his Canadian Idol run, but he can make a real dent on the Canadian music scene. Hopefully stealing some fans from the terrible Nickleback… (they have like 2 songs, and all their other songs sound exactly the same same).
On the larger scale, these are just two young artists striving to make that leap from anonymity to celebrity status. You need the talent, but sadly, I feel a lot of it has to do with luck. After all, all of us want to reach some type of celebrity in our lives, whether it’s becoming the most popular person in our universities, a star athlete, an acclaimed journalist, or a refined artist, I can assure you each and every one of us has some aspiration to have our name placed in some way in the annals of history. And I say, go for it! Every dream is worth fighting for and trying to actualize. Hopefully each of us will reach a bit of celebrity in our lives. For Bri and Mookie, these two have talent, I’m sure they’ll reach some celebrity status in the future as well!
Peace and love!
Intelligence > Beauty? July 12, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Life Ideas, TV.Tags: 13, hot, house, impact, intelligence, leaders, maxim, nicole ritchie, olivia wilde, spencer pratt, zeroes
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Number 13 is my lucky number! (ps. sorry if this picture is distasteful)
On the topic of beauty, Olivia Wilde, who according to Maxim magazine (a great source for the objective definition of beauty 
), is the number 1 hottest girl alive! When Megan Fox has a crush on a girl, according to this article, you know you’ve got a hot one. She’s also the sultry Dr. ‘13‘ in TV’s program, House.
And I know what I said in my last post, beauty is common. But let me say, this picture makes me want to eat my own words. Anyway, if you’ve taken your eyes off of her face, or other revealing parts of her pose, you may find a small quote.
“It’s a good sign for humanity when intelligence is considered HOT.”
This ties in with the social Darwinian concepts I talked about in my beauty post. If intelligence is suddenly seen as the new positive, taking the frontier above physical beauty, suddenly the world embarks upon a new paradigm. People strive to create masterpieces of art, write enchanting stories, discover scientific achievements, or make great persuasive speeches. These people should be at the top of the totem pole, because if this intelligence is what is attractive, society will benefit as a whole. Another Marie Curie is better than a Nicole Ritchie, another William Shakespeare would do more for our world than a Spencer Pratt. And because people yearn to obtain hotness in order seem attractive to the rest of the world, people will then work on becoming the great leaders, instead of these great zeroes.
I respect Olivia Wilde, and I’ll say she’s beautiful 
, because she brought forth this insightful quote. And with her physical allure, she still attempts to make a great impact on the world (through not only her acting, but also charity work and political activism), but this quote struck a specific chord with me and I hope you all think about it.
And yes. It is a good sign!
Peace and love!!
Beauty is Common..? July 12, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Girls, Life Ideas, Music.Tags: appeal, beauty, body, common, hot, judging, kelly clarkson, Music, obese, overweight, sexy
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Kelly Clarkson is beautiful!
My favourite music consists of Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Rush, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and all those famous 70s ‘classic rock’ bands, but search a little more in my ipod, and you’ll find the full discography for my girl, Kelly Clarkson. And okay, whenever I tell people this, they think it’s some weird crush or obsession or something but I really do appreciate her work. My favourite album: My December! I listen to the entire album at least once a week, and the songs and her voice really speak to me, and somehow have a large impact on my life. Suffice to say, Kelly Clarkson has become part of my life, and I really respect her for that.
Prateek respects a girl for something other than her looks!? Yes. I know I have a tendency to objectify women like many men, commenting on their body features, deeming them as ‘hot‘ or ‘sexy,’ but come on, I need to have some fun. Perhaps it’s the hormones, perhaps it’s a sense of prevailing immaturity, but I can attest that in this modern world, we are all conditioned to think this way. Even in high school, there’s an expected mould the typical masculine guy must conform to, and part of this sadly is demeaning women, judging them based solely on their looks. You may disagree, but most teenage guys think of women this way, and no one can blame them based on A) the media and B) how some girls bring it upon themselves.
So, let’s take a step back. How would I judge Kelly Clarkson based solely on her looks? There’s been great attention focused on her physical appearance, specifically her weight. I like this quote from a recent article, however, “Clarkson doesn’t want to look like your average “pop star” and that is what makes her that much better. She’s talented, there’s no pretense about her, she is who she is and that is a singer.” And this is what I respect about Kelly, she knows she is what she is, she even jokes about her weight and takes it all in stride. And perhaps this is what beauty really is, confidence. Or maybe not even confidence exactly, but the ability to know you. This is why I love introspection, because I feel that if I know myself better, I can make a greater impact on the world. Along the same stretch, I always urge others to look within themselves, heck, this is the entire core of how I give advice. I’ll say this, a girl who knows who they are is sexy.
But still, I know in the back of every guy’s head is, wouldn’t it be better if she ALSO had a fit body like say Jessica Alba or Angelina Jolie. How can a great body ever be a detriment? And this is a simple yet persuasive argument. Just like Carl Linnaeus, we all have a tendency to want to order the universe. We all want to judge people, and rank people against others. I am the first one to claim I am guilty to referring as random people as ‘6s,’ ‘7s’ or ‘8s’ based on their looks. But who am I to judge, I’m not claiming I possess beauty, I don’t have that 6-pack or ripped biceps many women swoon for, nor do I have the debonair charm that sweeps many girls off their feet. However, like all of us, perhaps it’s a self-esteem thing, perhaps we’re bored, I don’t know, but the fact is we all judge!
A saying I once read, ironically from a book on how to pick-up woman, asks “beauty is common, what makes you special?” By asking this to a ‘9‘ or ‘10,’ the trick is you’ll confuse them by instead of complimenting them, the guy puts himself in the power position. I’ve never had the audacity to try it myself, but instead I contemplated the verity of the question. Is beauty really common? I asked myself, why can’t beauty be common? There is no specific guideline to beauty. In its purest sense, I believe beauty can be defined as anything we find appealing. Therefore I find Kelly Clarkson appealing. But I also find calculus, Oreo cookies, and dinosaurs appealing… so are all those things beautiful too? Why not!? Then what does it mean to be appealing? As humans, we have the freedom in what we choose to like or dislike. Now suddenly an ugly old woman may be appealing because the story of why she looks that way may be intriguing. A civil war may have had a complex, yet appealing history. The most evil dictator may have had crazy, yet oddly engrossing motives. If we are drawn to these things, (and we can be drawn to anything if we have the mindset for it) they are appealing, and if they are appealing, then under my definition, I can view these things as beautiful. Ergo, everything is beautiful, and thus beauty is common!
Now if beauty is common, then what’s the purpose of judging others? What’s the purpose of trying to make ourselves look more appealing or to abide to certain social mores? The best answer I can come up with is a Darwinian answer. Judging is part of human nature, we use our intelligence and curiosity to help us make the right choices for survival. For example, by judging girls, I would stay away from a trashy girls because she might have STDs, which would help save my health. Or it’s as simple as judging bread if it has mold or not. We use appearance to help us. Then for the second question, it’s the entire issue of procreation. The healthiest specimen breed with the likewise to produce the best offspring with the greatest chance of survival. Consequently, strong, not overweight, intelligent, upstanding individuals want to make themselves appear that way in hopes of achieving someone with similar attributes. This is deep-rooted sexual nature. For example, while I’m killing myself on the abs machine at the gym, I’m thinking by getting in shape more girls will notice me, period. And I know girls think the exact same way when they are spending hours putting on their makeup or assembling their best wardrobe. We all want to appear our best.
Then why doesn’t Kelly Clarkson work out a bit more, or focus a bit more on her appearance? Because mature, understanding people realize it’s not her looks that make her beautiful, it’s her understanding that looks don’t matter, and the confidence that she knows she really is beautiful. And this is where beauty becomes minor, and a common and mutual understanding takes precedent.
Judging is part of who we are, we cannot stop that. But perhaps we should not be so black and white about beauty. Beauty is common. What I view is most important is the ability for them to make an impact on your life. It’s not about beauty, that’s irrelevant, it’s about compatibility. The saying where ‘beauty is in the eye of beholder‘ is often misunderstood. But the way I understood it is that the right girl, the right guy, the right anything, is someone that can help you be happy, or help you in some positive aspect of your life. If it is appealing to you, that’s all that matters.
Peace and love!!
The microcosm of life. July 11, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Life Ideas, Me, TV.Tags: big brother, brains, breasts, microcosm, ronnie, strategy, why, working out
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Big Brother's back baby!!
Another season of my favourite summer show, and I can’t help but wonder what the appeal of this reality program is?
Okay, the first thing I think of, is perhaps it has to do with the sexy girls. It’s tough for any heterosexual guy to resist those temptations, such as Laura’s enormous fake breasts (see girl on the far right), or Jordan’s downright Southern charm (the blond girl in the brown bikini). What’s more interesting, however, is for some reason the one houseguest which I am seemingly inexplicably drawn to is Michele, (brunette sitting in the purple), a full-fledged neuroscientist. Maybe intelligence is becoming more alluring to me, it’s about time!
But let’s step away from the girls for a second, come on, really, I’m watching a show based on attractive females? What I’ve loved about Big Brother is its sense of strategy, the constant power shifts, the fighting for dominance amidst wild competitions and romantic tension. Then I take a step back, and I ponder… even though these unfortunate houseguests are competing for a prize, isn’t life the same type of competition?
Okay, now stay with me, sure the word “microcosm” is thrown around way too often these days. We can remark back to reading Lord of the Flies in grade 9, where the island the boys set up is merely a microcosm of a real life government. Even thinking in a global scale, people often remark to the demographics of the hypothetical ‘global village‘ as an indication of what direction to take in the real world.
This year’s theme in the Big Brother house is all about high school cliques. Just coming out of high school, I would not want to go back into a house where people are segregated based on preconceived notions, but sadly that’s how the world is. I know I’d be placed in the ‘brains‘ clique knowing me. Heck, reading Ronnie’s bio, (the awkward pale guy in the red shirt), I can relate to a guy like him so well. A video game geek, finding success in speech and debating competitions, and somehow has a wife for 5 and a half years, who he loves dearly because she can put up with him! Any woman who could put up with me would be a hero in my heart too. Anyways, in this house, Ronnie represents the people like me, and I can see a little of all the friends I’ve made and acquaintances I know in each member of the house. And this is what Ronnie must deal with, trying to gain power and trying to stay afloat in a house full of ‘popular kids,’ ‘athletes,’ and the ‘offbeat.’
In my own view, life is definitely not very different. Sometimes I view being smart or having brains, or whatever I have, as a curse, not a blessing. Suddenly I have to make goals, I have to foster this ‘gift,’ I have to continue progressing to find some sort of scientific achievement, and I need to keep my passion in knowledge alive. While progressing down this path, I lose the chance to just take it easy, lose all care of life, and just have a carefree life like Braden (cool surfer guy). I also am unable to just live life in a tangent I love, instead of striving to be well-rounded like Lydia (tattoo girl). And lastly, and possibly most regrettably I haven’t able to put forth the time to really work on my body and excel in sports. Perhaps this is part of the reason why I have such a deep rooted animosity against Jesse (body builder on the bottom right) in particular. Now I’ve been working out, and if any of you have seen me, I’m not muscular, I’m pretty skinny, I know. And like anything in life, if I see a weakness in the world, or within myself, I attempt to work at it. And it pains me to feel tired so fast in the gym, and being unable to lift a certain weight or do enough reps, because I feel disadvantaged.
Now let’s go back to the microcosm, everyone has their advantages, others have their drawbacks, and yet we all try to get on top. Heck, it’s the story of our lives trying to hook up with that hot girl, getting into that university we want, getting the amazing job, having a great family. Power in our lives is the actualization of our goals. And more often that not, there are obstacles to these goals. All these obstacles are within ourselves, it may be how we wish to perceive our goal. On the other hand, it may be a basic deep-rooted deficiency within ourselves coded within our genetics. Whatever it may be, we still wish to reach our goals. And every goal comes with social implications, a sense of competition, a sense of wanting to be the best. Even if you are Mother Teresa or Gandhi, you have to work against your naysayers and bring others to believe in your cause.
This all comes back to Big Brother, where everyone has there same goal: winning the game, people may take different paths such as sheer survival, reaching for the power directly, hooking up with every guy in the house to gain their trust, etc. But in the end they are hindered by their own deficiencies, whether it’s their label, their personality, their athleticism, or their vision, and at the same time they must gain the trust and manipulate those around them. This is life, as simple as it is.
So in the end I watch Big Brother because I want to see how life really plays out, so I can take a piece of it back to me, so I can learn how to make my life that much better.
Peace and love!!
Live life with no regrets! July 11, 2009
Posted by Prateek in Girls, Life Ideas.Tags: celebrity, hayden panettiere, hypocrisy, life, regrets, tattoo
4 comments
Oops.
First post of Prateek’s blog… can’t be anything but something about a hot girl. And Hayden Panettiere, the sexy cheerleader from Heroes is the lucky one! Okay, now I love this girl to death, her appeal is what made Heroes so fun to watch at the start, despite her grotesque heroic ability.
However, I just love the irony of what happened to her recently. Here’s a link of the tattoo fiasco I’m talking about: http://celebslam.celebuzz.com/2009/07/hayden-doesnt-care.php
Here she has a traditional Latin phrase imprinted on her back for her entire life.. and what is it supposed to say, “live life with no regrets.” The best part about it is that she doesn’t even care that the tattoo was misspelled, I guess she really is living up to the moral in which she claims to believe in.
I, on the other hand, view the world in a different light. You’ve got to live life with regrets! People do stupid stuff, people make mistakes, people screw up. To take another Latin phrase, “errare humanum est“. Basically, I think life is a pathway to self-discovery, self-improvement. What’s the point in studying history or watching those sport tapes or checking over tests unless you want to rectify the mistakes you did in the past.
Now, you may be smart and say to me… well Prateek, that’s the point! By making mistakes, we can learn from them, and become a better person. And this makes sense. But really, if you call a girl a slut that you actually kind of liked in an effort to make yourself appear cool, and she becomes irreprehensibly angry at you… you’ll regret it! If you’re trying to call a cute girl in another room in a hotel, and end up calling a 45 year-old woman, disturbing her in her sleep, and she proceeds to call you a ‘filthy player’… you’ll regret it! And if you accidentally kick a baby… you’ll regret it. Okay, only the first two actually happened to me. Why is it always something to do with girls?
Anyhow, if you refuse to acknowledge the past as mistakes, as things that you regret, then you ultimately stand for and represent these actions, no matter how nasty or terrible they may be. I’m sure those rehabilitated convicts regret their previous transgressions, and in fact the entire rehabilitation process is based on the foundation that they must acknowledge their mistakes and regret the person they once were. Go to any AA meeting, and it’s the same story.
So in all, like all things in life, a celebrity’s little mishap speaks about her on a larger scale. That’s why we’ve got to love celebrities! What I’ve learned, sometimes the hottest girls have the worst values and are the most hypocritical. Well, I guess it doesn’t take much to learn that.
Peace and love!
