My Old Man’s Sayings
January 27th 2008 21:00
[COLOR=BlackMisanthropy must run in my family. My father AKA my old man was never particularly fond of people. He didn’t mind animals but he went out of his way to avoid any contact with people.
His reclusive behaviour started after he invited several friends to his birthday party and only one of them turned up. After that, he cut off all ties with people. (I actually can’t blame him. I think I would have done the same thing myself.) So he seldom ate out, had no friends and was perfectly content to spend his twilight years as a hermit with only my mother for company.
My paternal grandma wasn’t too fond of people either but that was because she went against society. She had very liberal beliefs back when being left wing was a dirty word. I take after her in many respects. My sister also doesn’t like people; she prefers internet friendships to face-to-face ones as she finds there is less hassle.
Still, as my sister pointed out to me yesterday, our old man did come out with many pearls of wisdom about human nature. I remember his sayings well, as he started coming out with them during my adolescence – a time when most people are socialising, dating and undergoing emotional turmoil. Mixing with people brought on the usual dramas: some friends would turn out to be users or two-faced backstabbers or simply be inconsiderate. That was when my old man came out with his favourite sayings:
“Look at that idiot. He’s an hour late and still hasn’t called to explain why. I’d give him the flick if I were you. Don’t you ever invite him over again as he’s no longer welcome here.”
“Why is it that you always make sure you’re on time when you’re meeting your friends but they never do the same for you?”
“There’s no such thing as true friendship. People are just users. They won’t call unless they’re stuck in a jam and want you to bail them out.”
“It’s never good to be approached by strangers. They only want two things: money and cigarettes.”
“I hate smoking when I’m at the beach – I always get asked for cigarettes.”
“Where the hell is Andrea? She said she would meet you at the shopping centre at ten and it’s now ten o’clock and there’s no sign of her anywhere.”
And my all-time favourites: quaint Cantonese sayings he would come out with:
“Why are you going out so early? It’s as if you’re heading off to the garbage dump.”
“You’re going there again? As if there’s anything to be gained by doing that!”
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His reclusive behaviour started after he invited several friends to his birthday party and only one of them turned up. After that, he cut off all ties with people. (I actually can’t blame him. I think I would have done the same thing myself.) So he seldom ate out, had no friends and was perfectly content to spend his twilight years as a hermit with only my mother for company.
My paternal grandma wasn’t too fond of people either but that was because she went against society. She had very liberal beliefs back when being left wing was a dirty word. I take after her in many respects. My sister also doesn’t like people; she prefers internet friendships to face-to-face ones as she finds there is less hassle.
Still, as my sister pointed out to me yesterday, our old man did come out with many pearls of wisdom about human nature. I remember his sayings well, as he started coming out with them during my adolescence – a time when most people are socialising, dating and undergoing emotional turmoil. Mixing with people brought on the usual dramas: some friends would turn out to be users or two-faced backstabbers or simply be inconsiderate. That was when my old man came out with his favourite sayings:
“Look at that idiot. He’s an hour late and still hasn’t called to explain why. I’d give him the flick if I were you. Don’t you ever invite him over again as he’s no longer welcome here.”
“Why is it that you always make sure you’re on time when you’re meeting your friends but they never do the same for you?”
“It’s never good to be approached by strangers. They only want two things: money and cigarettes.”
“I hate smoking when I’m at the beach – I always get asked for cigarettes.”
“Where the hell is Andrea? She said she would meet you at the shopping centre at ten and it’s now ten o’clock and there’s no sign of her anywhere.”
And my all-time favourites: quaint Cantonese sayings he would come out with:
“Why are you going out so early? It’s as if you’re heading off to the garbage dump.”
“You’re going there again? As if there’s anything to be gained by doing that!”
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