Sandwiches and a bed of books
If there were one word I would delete from the English dictionary, it would probably be the word pathetic. The word simply sounds horrible. It sounds annoying to the ear. When you say the word, the image that pops in is an old dying man hooked up on life support, or some mental retard who can’t even go to the bathroom on his own. Maybe that’s the reason why I abhor the word; I’m a growing young man, a fully functional member of society. I definitely would not want to be associated with some mental retard.
While being a functional member of society, I will still admit to having my “down” times. Times when I’m not productive or just simply not doing anything. These are the times I usually hear the “word” from my family, usually in Chinese laced with other insults one can only imagine.
Sometimes, I just get the urge to surf, the net. It will usually take me around 2-3 hours of surfing before I realize I’m wasting my time or before my dear grandmother comes breathing down my back. In this period of time, I do absolutely nothing of use to me. I will go read some technology blogs and then some technology columns and then go to some photography websites to read about new lenses and cameras. The thing is, after reading all these, I just don’t remember what I’ve read afterwards. Yes, it’s pathetic; I’m like some retard who can’t remember something I’ve just done.
There is however variety in the ways that I’m pathetic. On other days, most notably on weekends or on holidays, I simply refuse to leave my bed. I will do anything that I can do on the bed, which is just to watch TV. Anything and everything else will just to wait until I gather enough strength to leave the bed. The way I just lie down all day to sleep or just watch TV, like a sickly old man about to meet his maker. When you take time to think about it, it’s pathetic.
Usually all it takes is an elder person (i.e. parents, grandparents) to get me to move and do something. But to move on one’s own volition is a different story altogether. It requires a creative mind to motivate oneself. Here are some of my secrets: Before reaching home, it is important to prioritize the things to do. I usually make a “sandwich” with the things I want to do by placing them at the start and at the end of the list. This way I will start the list and look forward to finishing it. Another useful tip, well at least to me, is to scatter your books all over the bed. The bed is undoubtedly the biggest temptation on a tiring day, especially when it is beside the study table. By scattering books all over it, it becomes uncomfortable to lie down on. Also, it reminds you that you can’t afford to lie down and sleep, that you still have a ton of things to do. You only earn the right to lie down on the bed when you have finished all the things to do be done, therefore, you would have cleared all the books on the bed.
For someone who execrates the word, I did use it quite a lot in this post. 
frances
Mr. Fantastic said,
March 2, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Summary:
For Geoff, the word he doesn’t want to be associated with is the word pathetic. He doesn’t want the word to be associated to him because the word makes him imagine an old dying man or a mental retard. He despises the word because he believes that he is a growing man who is fully capable of doing things. Though sometimes, he can’t avoid being associated to that word. An example he gave is when he spends a lot of time surfing and reading articles. he doesn’t remember what he just read. He also gave an example when during holidays when he would just stay in bed all day unless he gets the energy to get out of bed. For Geoff, he thinks that in order to avoid being associated to the word, one must have the personal will and motivation to do something. He mentioned the idea of the “sandwich” and loading the bed with a lot of books.
Comments:
but then I would be too lazy to fix those books come sleeping time… 
Good flow of sentences and from paragraph to paragraph. Although there are some minor typos (If there was one word I would delete from the English dictionary–> I think it should be if there WERE… ; and I think you forgot “at” in this line, by placing them the start and at the end of the list), the thought and ideas in the entry are well thought of and they provide good insight. Nice idea about the “sandwich” and the bed of books. Maybe I should do the bed of books practice coz I really love to study in my bed and fall asleep most of the time… hehe
chinesedude said,
March 2, 2008 at 8:15 pm
yeah… Mr. Fantastic your right… made the necessary edits to the typos… hahaha the trick to the bed of books is to fix each book as you finish with it so you’ll end up with a clean bed after finishing everything… hahaha! very quick reply…
Shaider said,
March 2, 2008 at 11:12 pm
i can’t help but be bothered that your image of pathetic involves a retard. you could either be using retard as a slang, or you have a misconception of mentally retarded people altogether. eitherway, it is, for the lack of a better term, pathetic. this is not meant to attack you, though. just an observation.
chinesedude said,
March 4, 2008 at 10:38 pm
@Shaider
I have to say that I knew I was using the word “retard” partially if not totally wrong when I wrote this, but I did it anyway because of the impact of the word. I was, in truth, half expecting someone to comment on that. Yes, it is in need of a better term… (i just wrote a whole entry saying how I’m annoyed by that word) Thanks for the observation and my sincerest apologies if you or anyone else is offended by this entry.
Now, I’m waiting for someone to comment on my use of old people in this entry….
frances said,
March 25, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Hahaha.