111 posts tagged “qotd”

Do you hold grudges against people? Tell us about an incident if you do, and if you don't, tell us how you rise above it.
Submitted by Sophie.

This poem by WIlliam Blake is a good illustration of why it is not good to hold grudges against people.  I rarely do myself.  I just can't be bothered.  I would rather grow and save my 'apples bright' for those I care about. 

A Poison Tree

by William Blake

I was angry with my friend:

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe:

I told him not, my wrath did grow.

And I watered it in fears

Night and morning with my tears,

And I sunned it with smiles

And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night,

Till it bore an apple bright,

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine -

And into my garden stole

When the night had veiled the pole;

And in the morning, glad, I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.  

Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience

William Blake

What's the worst part about your job?

Ummm....the silly hats? 

What is worse? Ignorance or apathy?
Submitted by SavageBart.

They are both dangerous.  Apathy allows the ignorant to get away with doing evil things.  There is a good poem about it.  Does anyone know the one I mean?  It is about someone who stands by while others are persecuted and then has noone to speak out for him when it is his turn. 

Have you ever walked out of a movie?
Submitted by Jack Yan.

The only time I can remember doing this was when I was pregnant and went to see some documentary film about Waco at the old Valhalla cinema in Glebe in Sydney.  It was quite a warm day outside and don't think the airconditioning system was functioning very well and I felt like I couldn't breathe in there.  It was also a pretty boring documentary, ie, one of those docos where they probably had about 30 minutes of good material but felt compelled to stretch it out into a feature length film. Apart from that, I don't think I have ever worked out of a movie just because I didn't like it.  Maybe it is because I am a tight-arse and if I pay to see something, I am going to bloody well watch every last bit of it, even the credits (I generally love credits!).  I can also usually find something to interest me in just about any film I see, even the bad ones. 

Today is "No Housework Day." Tell us: What's your least favorite chore around the house?

Tidying - especially when there just doesn't seem to be a place for all the clutter to be put away into. 

Do you think controversial interrogation techniques should be used to get key intelligence from alleged terrorists? When, if at all, could it go too far?
Sponsored by “Inside Guantanamo” on National Geographic Channel. Premieres Tonight at 9P et/pt.

Two letters - N O!  The whole Guantanamo thing has utterly disgusted me from the word go.  It represents a very, very scary precedent in terms of human rights and international law and I can't believe that the US, a nation that is meant to uphold 'inalienable rights' would individuals, could not only countenance but practise such a thing.  It is not only Guantanamo Bay either.  Let's not forget Abu Ghraib.  This kind of thing just degrades us all. 

What's the biggest local news story in your hometown right now?

Probably the Pauline Hanson nude photos scandal.  As much as I am not a fan of Pauline Hanson (who Asian voxers may know as the former fish and chip shop owner turned racist politician), I think it is outrageous that these photos are getting such wide media attention, not even just in the gutter press but in all the media outlets.  Hanson has been vehemently denying that they are even photos of her and I tend to believe her.  I hope she sues the media outlets responsible as it might put a stop to this kind of muck raking into people's private lives.  I'm sure it wouldn't happen to a male politician no matter how loopy and reviled they may be. 

Hansoncombo-420x0

What question do you hate being asked?

"When's the baby due?" (when I am not even pregnant).  I actually haven't had that one for a while but not sure if it is because I have lost weight or because I now look too old to be pregnant. 

What do you collect?

I (or we) have recently become the extremely reluctant collector(s) of these awful things:

Hasbro_littlest_pet_shop_10_pack-2

Actually this has been driven by peer pressure at my children's new school.  According to my daughter "all the girls in Year 5 have them" and actually take them to school and play with them and trade them at lunchtime (seems a bit babyish for 10 and 11 year olds to me).  I have a huge problem with them as not only are they very expensive for what they are (ie, around AU$4 for each little figure) but they come in an obsene amount of packaging.  We have however allowed her to buy a couple with her pocket money (earned through doing jobs around the house) and my mum also bought both kids a few each (because of course my son wants whatever his big sister has) during a recent sale at Aldi.  They have had to be confiscated numerous times because of all the arguments they seem to generate between my son and daughter (my son wants to play with them while my daughter wants to keep them pristine for her collection) and also the distraction they cause at dinner, homework and bed time.  With both kids' birthdays coming up, I imagine we will be dealing with an even bigger flood of these awful plastic creatures into the house. 

If you had to teach something, what would you teach?

Easy.  Indonesian and English as those are the two subjects I am qualified to teach.  Not sure which one I prefer.  English is good because the curriculum is so wide ranging that you would never need to get bored.  Indonesian on the other hand is usually an elective subject here which cuts down on behavioural issues because you are mostly teaching students who have chosen to be there.  Trying to teach a language to students who have no interest in it at all has got to be the biggest drag.