220 - Everyone looks at you when you enter a place

Whether it's a train station or a lecture hall, whenever someone new enters the premises, there's always one conteingency that precipitates - everyone already standing or sitting in the room turns their heads towards the general entrance area to look at you. Everyone checks to see what kind of idiot is going to the bathroom in the middle of the movie, everyone judges the deliquent pedestrain who jaywalks across the street, everybody wants to see who didn't turned up late for the chemistry exam, and all eyes are on the people that are getting on board the bus. They check out who you are, male or female, old or young or middle-aged, what you're wearing, the expression on your face, what you're carrying, just for a brief second or two, until they've taken in the information that they want, they go back to their book, or their newspaper, or to talking to their friends.

Does every place have to be a public bathroom or changing room in order for people to mind their own business? I mean, must we all be peeing in urinals, self-consciously pulling up our underwear with a towel wrapped round our waists, or  touching up our make-up in front of the bathroom mirrors, in order for people to respect what is not of their concern?

Do we have to be at church, where it's commonly considered inappropriate to face any other direction than to the altar at the front?

I can understand if you're working at a restaurant or bar, when anticipating incoming consumers is more than befitting, or when you're a salesperson in a shop making sure there aren't any customers who might need a helping-hand.

But otherwise, pretend you're seated in an airplane, and continue reading your paper, reading your book, or staring straight in front of you - you're already settled into the room, but others aren't, so make it easier for them by simply ignoring it.

212 - People staring at me carrying a big suitcase

(I'm a little drunk right now, so bear with me.)

Over the course of my life, I've been traveling very, very frequently. Every country is different, every country brings its own unique personality, its own people, its own language, its own food, everything is special. However, there is one thing common to all my tourist destinations, one thing that pervades all communities, all nationalities, all people from different countries - and that common theme is the act of staring at a foreigner when they're dragging a large suitcase around town.

Yesterday, I came back to university. I had to lug around a suitcase, filled with books and clothes and other things, heavier than I was. It took me around three hours, and the whole way back, people in the train, in town, at the bus stop, and at the university, were staring at this weird Asian guy trying to push around a suitcase 6kg heavier than he is. (An incredible feat for a human being and something I'm quite proud of, I must say.)

While they were staring at me, all that was going through my mind was, "Why are all the English people staring at me?"

You know, when I have such a big suitcase with me, being Asian, being a new immigrant to this country, with nobody in Canterbury I knew from before to go through this with, there's nothing that makes me more humiliated and self-conscious then having fifty people observing every little thing I'm doing.

Anyway, before I go off on an outrageous tangent in my drunken state of torpor, I'm going to stop here and just wish you all a good time. Hahaha.

47 - Staring at you from top to bottom

As I was on the train home the other day, I felt my phone vibrating in my pants pocket and when I motioned to get it out of my pocket, my arm, my elbow to be more specific, brushed against the side of this woman that looked somewhere between thirty and forty years old. She turned around and looked at me. Not just 'look' at me, but her eyes laid sight on my eyes and pierced through my skull as if wanting to read. my mind. Then, her eyes went down, down, down, all the way to my shoes and then back up again. It's weird. What is she inspecting?

Anybody else had such an incident?

2 - Staring at others through a car window

So, the other night, I was on the bus, on my way home, and somewhere along the way, the bus stopped at a traffic light. I was tiredish and had had a long day, so I sort of had my head facing downwards for most of my ride. I looked out the window to check I hadn't missed my stop, but all I saw was a businesswoman of some sort, staring at me through the window of the taxicab she was in. She was dressed up all fine and had glasses that made her look all professional. The way she looked at me with such curiosity suddenly made my seat uncomfortable and it was just... creepy.

Why are people so interested in looking at me?

Each time I catch someone ogling at me like a newborn baby, they make me feel so incredibly self-conscious when all I'm doing is innocently trying to get from point A to point B. They're looking at me and I think to myself: Does she think my hair's too shaggy? Do I have ink on my face? I knew I shouldn't have worn this color. Do I look weird? Are my eyes too big? Is my mouth too thin? Is that old guy with the fanny pack... checking me out?

It's not like I'm a famous celebrity that actually deserves window-based attention (kudos to those of who can make out the celebrity kissing in the car — 'make out' pun totally intended). There really is nothing mildly interesting about my appearance and I actually think it's slightly uncivil to make people feel so uncomfortable by glaring at them like that.

And my standpoint regarding this issue does not only include the creepy people that invade your privacy through your car window. Even if it's the occasional 3-year-old toddler gawking at you on the train with those cute, innocent eyes, I still firmly believe that kids should be taught by their parents and teachers that staring is every bit as bad as pointing. But hey, that may just be me.

In conclusion, it's disturbing. If you do have this worrisome habitude, kindly take a nap, read a book or play a game on your iPhone instead. And if you find yourself being stared at, there are a few things you can do.

(1) Stare back and scare them away. I mean, you can be creepy too, you know? Personally, I would recommend black eyeliner to give yourself a slightly more Gothic look. (2) Move out of the creeper's line of sight. (3) Start crying and make him/her feel guilty. (4) Ask him/her a question. Quickly take out a notepad, jot down an inquiry and slap it on the window. Do you like my shirt? Have you seen the new Saw movie? Obama or McCain?

(5) Or you could just make a general comment that concerns the creeper. I looooove your fanny pack.