Chocolate

Musings, Site Related 33 Comments »

OMG SITE UPDATES!!! Not to this one though, BUT I *have* made a new site! Clickity click:

I don’t think my readership here would have watched Ouran Koukou Host Club, but that’s a fanfiction archive for it. Haven’t used anime images in a long time, nor CSS and it’s still not validate yet. -_- Ah well, still working on it. Also, Spin has been updated too.

Just before I fell asleep yesterday night, I was hazily thinking about chocolate. I don’t really like it all that much anymore, especially not in cake, but I still love chocolate cookies to death. In order of preference:

  • Newly baked, soft chocolate (with or without melty choc-chips) cookies;
  • Store bought chocolate cookies;
  • Normal chocolate;
  • Choc-chip chocolate muffins;
  • Chocolate cake: newly baked with a warm but crackly chocolate surface;
  • Chocolate cake.

Mmm… cookies.

Why “bitchery” =/= “opinionated”: A Case Study

Musings, Online, Rants 20 Comments »

Reference: Acerbic Bitches

Apparently this “web commentary” dedicates itself to “Making You Feel Bad About Yourself”. No really, I’m not joking, that’s what it actually reads. Anyway, in the attempt to do this, there are many articles written that basically flames websites that are generally from the graphics-making community.

For a random example, let’s consider their article on website tips. While most of the “tips” given were intuitive and practical to do with readability and browser sizes etc, look at #10. How is “I don’t like bright colours” even considered a tip and not PURELY a personal opinion? I weren’t able to pick up how such a statement can be generalised to most people in any way. And people who can’t do what they PERSONALLY like should “leave the community”?

The site is otherwise filled with random insults like “idiot”, “chimp” and just general controversial entries about one graphics site owner stalking another etc etc. How does any of that even fall under the banner of “web commentary”? And it’s sad because there are some things said in many of the articles that do have a point but the presentation just downgrades everything they say to having the vibe of immature 12-year-olds who just discovered that “bitch” is loosely associated with “speaking your mind” and so ran full speed with it.

Because you know what, “bitch” doesn’t equal “opinionated”. People like Jem and Kudarania are opinionated and it never once crossed my mind to associate them with being “bitchy”. Why? Because they are reasonable, if they have something controversial to say, they’d say it, but back it up with reason.

However, to be a “bitch”, in one sense, suggest that said person is whiny/irritating (i.e. note the use of the word “bitching”) and how is that EVER a positive thing? To say something deliberately offensive, without a good reason (like suggesting that people should leave a community because they don’t blend right) IS bitching but it’s NOT a good thing. What is the reason behind “making people feel bad” (presumably for the sake of it) if not as a show of outright immaturity? How does that not reek of “we’re better than you because we say so”? Helloooo, primary school mentality.

This doesn’t apply exclusively to Acerbic Bitches, I’ve seen (with much irritation) how some personal sites have owners proudly parading the fact that they are “bitches”. That’s a SUCKY fact, not a good one. It doesn’t make you any better than those who don’t “state their minds” if all you do is say whatever you feel like, whether negative or positive, without having sound backing to it. Once you do have an actual rational and logical argument behind what you say, please pass go and collect $200 (and… start building houses of reason?) as you have reached the realm of “opinionated”.

Note: Please don’t throw me the line “if you don’t like it, just leave it then” because (as attributed to having been stated by Edmund Burke) “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing” and I think more people need to view their site while critically thinking about what “bitching” is. Besides, as I said, their site isn’t totally without merit, it’s just a shame that under the heinous label of “bitches” they felt they did not need to provide more sound reasoning to what they say.

Review-Me

Online 8 Comments »

After writing in Jem’s blog that I wouldn’t be signing up for Review-Me account, I promptly went and did just that *shame*. Actually, it’s not entirely for the money, I wanted to say something about it anyway, and there’s nothing wrong with getting $15 for saying it.

The site itself seems inviting enough. Bright and simple enough to not scare you off with a possible laundry list of things you have to do in order to get money. I am a little hesitant about the whole “pay-to-blog” thing though. First off, I personally don’t want to read a blog that tries to enthusiastically promote different products while obviously having no idea what they’re talking. Can you imagine if Viva Forever turned into a “wow! I saw this site that offers these FABULOUS range of crockery items! They… err… are so pretty and gosh, I’m glad I saw this link! I think you should go and buy their products!”? TERRIBLE I TELL YOU! So… FAKE.

I know it’s bad enough that I don’t post too often here, but I’d rather that than filling up this place with empty, superficial advertising. Having said that, would it be bad to be given a site to review then getting paid for it? NOT having to just praise it needlessly? Heck, even ending a review with “So in conclusion, do NOT visit this site”. :P

But still, even writing THIS entry makes me feel a little dirty. To get MONEY involved in my blog seems off-putting, to sit there and type not for myself (and my audience) but for some third party purely for moolah. I feel like I’m selling out just for doing THIS. As I commented to Jem, I think I’d only resort to such a thing if I need money to fund paying for my host. Not only do I not (and never have) blogged for the sake of it, I think it’ll be even harder for me to blog for money.


Copyright © 2008 Belinda H. All rights reserved.