Opinions.
‘Bagel Heads

The hole in the thinking
of the latest craze

By Eric Wilkins,
Staff Writer

don’t understand some

Japanese fads. Now, I’m
not talking about the simple
and innocent crazes such
as Pokémon or Tamagotchi
because, let’s face it,
everyone was into that. And
even the more bizarre ones
like butler / maid bars or
ramen noodle baths, while
exceptionally odd, are at
least amusing. However,
the latest trend falls into
the category of body
modification. Take a deep
breath, dear reader.

The last time Japanese
were changing their
physical appearance, LED
teeth were the thing. It was
insanely weird, but, as with
other fads, it was worth a
laugh. The jokes one can
come up with in relation
to it are endless. But the
current rage is just flat out
disturbing.

Bagel heads. Now, I

wish this simply meant
people were spreading
cream cheese on their head
in a circular pattern, but
unfortunately it doesn’t.
The procedure to become
a bagel head involves a
needle, approximately
400ml of saline, and a ready
and willing forehead. After
the injection, which takes
about two hours, a thumb
is pressed into the middle
of the blob. The bagel-like
shape that is formed lasts
for 16-24 hours. Speaking of
bagels, if you don’t want to
keep your lunch down, feel
free to check out a video.
My sole question here is
“why?” You can’t possibly
convince me that this is
in any way attractive—at
least to inhabitants of this
planet. And if something
isn’t easy on the eyes, it
should at least be practical.
Nope, nothing there either.
Much like male nipples,
bagel heads seem to be
completely and utterly
useless. Having said that,
I’m not a fan of excessive
body piercings either, yet
other people are. Perhaps |

just haven’t considered the
issue with an open enough
mind to truly appreciate it.

But I doubt it.

Of course, as with
all body modifications,
there is an eventual (if not
immediate) downside.
The one that pops to mind
here is what the effect of
continuous bagel heading
will do. It’s not too far-
fetched to imagine, if one
bagel heads consistently,
this segment of the
population will develop
saggy foreheads. Another
bit to note is the possibility
of the saline being unsterile.
Unsterile water is generally
the culprit behind that
lovely green pus oozing
out when someone gets a
tattoo, and saline works the
same way. However, in this
case, it would be clearly in
everyone, and anyone’s line
of vision. Fun!

With the downsides
of bagel heading, and the
fact that it doesn’t look
good anyway, I just can’t
comprehend the obsession
with it. Absolutely mind-
bageling.

School doesnt make the person

Finding ways to
diversify education and
life

 

By Natalie Serafini,
Opinions Editor

love learning. If I ever

won the lottery, I would
probably put that money
towards staying in school.
Even with my education
enamor, I’ve found myself
questioning the value of
unilateral learning. By
that, I mean I question my
growth as a person when
I spend so much of my
life focused on school and
earning money for school.

We as students centre

a whole lot of our time
around studying. Even
when I’m not studying I
worry about doing well,
getting everything done
in time, and figuring out
what I want to major in. I

don’t devote time towards
improving myself in other
ways.

I bought a ukulele a
couple of weeks ago, and
apart from the enthusiastic,
finger-aching, non-
stop playing of the first
weekend, I haven’t made
the time to pick it up since. I
haven't read a book for fun
in months, and my plans
to garden, cook, and take
up jewelry-making have all
fallen by the wayside.

Obviously education is
important, and not just for
that slip of paper or blurb
on your resumé announcing
that you accomplished
this huge thing. Even so,
it’s foolish to think that all
there is to learn is absorbed
from within the walls of a
classroom. Not everyone

 

will go volunteering in
Africa or spelunking
through caves, but there
are talents and hobbies,
life experiences, and little
projects that make life more
diverse than the weekly
filling up of an agenda.
Life in university and
college has a tendency
to stagnate when you’re
focusing on essays,
working, seeing friends in
between busy schedules,
and doing it all over
again. It loses the quality
of diversity that some
of us can still vaguely
remember: the days when
you had time to take part
in a school play, be on
multiple sports teams, or
take extracurricular classes.
Instead, I find myself just
struggling to make time

for regular obligations, let
alone dedicating energy
to something new and
different.

Although education
is extremely important,
it’s not all that makes the
person. Between school
and working for money
for school, we don’t make
the time to pursue other
endeavors—educating
ourselves in ways that
don’t relate to an essay by
Aristotle, or understanding
chemical compounds. The
other side of education is
learning in a variety of ways
to become a multifaceted
person. Although this might
infringe on my time spent
sleeping late or watching
too much Seinfeld, I'd say
it’s worth it.