Tuesday night.
Relaxing in my apartment watching the news. Al Jazeera English, as always. I LOVE knowing what’s going on in the world around me. It makes me feel so connected. I’ve also noticed it makes a huge difference in how I’m perceived by locals when I can actually talk to them about what’s going on in their countries. I often hear, “I wish more tourists were like you. So many people come here and they just don’t care about how their behavior affects us.”
Great example: This person was complaining that there were no American wines on the menu anywhere. I explained that it’s because of the tariffs. They can’t afford to import them here anymore. Plus the wildfires have significantly affected the quality of West Coast wines. You can taste the smoke and not in a good way. It’s not even worth it to drink it half the time. Turns out this stuff actually has a detrimental affect on business owners. Who knew there were consequences to this bullcrap?!
Their response? “Why are you being soooooooooo negative?!”
Oh no! Sorry I answered your questions with facts! I know, I know, you love to live in your little bubble where you get to pretend reality doesn’t exist. It must be sooooo hard for you to have your little bubble of privilege popped.
Ughhh, I got SO tired of the people in the yoga shala telling me to stop watching the news. It’s incredible how much bad advice I was actually given there. Some of these people are so out of touch with reality. It’s actually gross.
Unpopular Opinion: I don’t actually have to listen to you or take any of the shitty advice you throw at me. You have no idea what you’re talking about and it’s very annoying to me. The End.
The one that sticks out in particular is this one night where these two people decided to sit at the table and just start attacking me. I told them I was feeling uncomfortable and to stop, but they kept pushing because they have no idea what boundaries are. They were like, “You just come off as sooooooo negative.” And I’m like, “And you come off as an entitled, self-centered asshole who doesn’t care about anyone or anything outside of yourself. Speaking as someone who has been on my healing journey for over a decade, I would never take advice from someone like you. Good luck filling up your yoga classes!”
I just nodded and let them finish their tirade, promptly tossed their so-called “advice” in the trash, and continued on with my life. Talk about toxic positivity. Yuck. You know the type. Their favourite phrases to throw at people are “Just push through the pain!” And “Stop playing the victim!”
If I hear one more person use the phrase, “Stop playing the victim,” they’re getting clocked in the face. It’s so annoying! Especially coming from privileged assholes like these people.
Anyway, I’m definitely noticing the difference in how I feel since I left the shala. I just spent some time sitting outside meditating about my feelings. I definitely feel the anger has cleared out. My issues with my family aren’t bugging me as much anymore. Issues with guys? Who gives a fuck. Insecurity around my career? It is what it is. I’ve learned to accept that Hong Kong wasn’t right for me. I don’t know what is right for me. I just need to get some writing done and then I’ll figure it out.
I’m in professional mode now. Well, not right now. Right now I’m in “I should relax in the gigantic bathtub in my apartment” mode. Tomorrow I will deal with immigration and all of the annoying crap that comes with it. Then I will get back to writing.
OMG, they’re playing a clip on AJE of some British guy screaming, “This is OUR country! Get out now!” LMFAOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Talk about people with ZERO self-awareness. Wow. Incredible. I really appreciate the subtle humor present in AJE’s editorial style. It’s funny.
Ah, that made me laugh. Thank you.
Off to relax in the bath now. Have a good one!