Cats and dogs

Cats and dogs will reward you with their friendship

"Miss Fox, the difference between people like you and people like me is that you actually expect people to be loyal and faithful, even when such behavior inconveniences them. I know people better than that. As long as you serve their interests, of course they'll be your friend. But if they must pay a price for such loyalty, don't expect much. I'm a realist. I've seen what people do to each other. They are shallow, fickle, and weak."

Eckhart's negative comments were beginning to darken Shalimar's mood. "That's so bleak. How can you stand to live?"

"Sometimes, it's difficult. But consider this, and see if you can tell me it's not true: if you treat a cat or dog consistently well, almost invariably they will reward you with their friendship. But if you treat a human being well, you never can be sure what you will get back in return for your good works. Live a little longer, Miss Fox and you will come to know the truth of it."

Dark Mirage, Alliances Old Alliances New

August 2, 2004

One of my fellow students is an exchange student from Russia, a little short on logic (what is no problem), who has very serious problems as far as the understanding of language is concerned. "Why is ... ?", "Is A comparable to B?", "How are things related to each other?" - that kind of stuff.

I really really did help her an awful lot; last weekend I was charged with proof-reading her term paper, which in fact meant not proof-reading but formulating an entirely new paper. Not only did I correct her style, but I also brought up some entirely new aspects which she had been unable to think of herself. Not that I really had wanted to, but I put so much of my own energy into that thing it that I rightfully might have claimed co-authorship with regard to the paper.

When I brought up those new aspects, my fellow student was so dumb that she would not understand their meaning. She had to make a call to Russia to ask her mummy, a law professor, so she would tell her the right solution. Well, nothing against that. Got an advantage, make use of it.

But with regard to my humble self, how do I get out of it? Guess what. You won't believe it.

I was told off that I must not evaluate the stuff which in fact was not even good enough for the dustbin; I must not make comments with regard to the level of her knowledge and abilities for I didn�t know her, as this is not what a friend does.

Whoa.

I must not make comments on her because she got out school with an A+, and with an A+ from her German language exam at her university in Russia. Now, what she doesn't arrive to grasp is that it probably wasn't her who actually "wrote" these exams. Mummy and Daddy are a law professor and a state attorney respectively; and in Russia, the whole thing was able to keep running because of the generous "donations" they made to the university.

Those creepy people whose daughter is my "friend", they do have so much power that they had the possibility to summon all the professors to come in and hold an exam for the little sweetie baby � outside of the regular university curriculum, on a no-work, national holiday.

The funny thing is that despite the plain truth showing the contrary, she will not realize the actual circumstances. Against all odds, she's rock-solidly convinced that she�s a gifted student and that all these "achievements" she received from her teachers are, in fact, her own.

That kind of thing is really creepy, and I've got to be wary, in order to protect myself. Things are not working like this, in here.

--- Electra