Yes, you have blindside
I have a blindside. You have a blindside.
This morning, I jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, and realized I have been the rudest person in the whole world.
Just a few days ago, I was talking with my beloved about blindsides—how we all have at least one. The first thing I said was, “I have a blindside.” Then I turned to him and said, “You have a blindside too—we all do.” His eyes started fluttering, his mind turning inward, trying to figure out what his blindsides might be. I cannot say for sure, because by then, I was already too deep into my pontification.
And then I proceeded not to name mine—because I could not think of one. Instead, I bolstered my argument by naming something that was not my blindside, but one I think is a very common blindside for others.
If I had to guess, I would say it is an 80/20 Pareto blindside most people share. I proudly told him that I never leave my garage door opener and home address visible when handing my car to a valet. With the older garage openers, all someone had to do was pop open the cover to see the combination. Pair that with your address, and they practically have the key to your home.
I noticed another blindside—this one about home security. Since I am from Asia, we tend to be a bit more cautious. The way doors and windows are built here in the West blows my mind. So much glass—glass doors, glass windows. Yes, we have glass too, but ours is latticed with wood or covered with ironwork. Even if the glass breaks, you still have to deal with the lattice. We avoid the obvious steel bars that make homes look like prisons, but still—we add layers. Here, someone could use a glass cutter, and there’s no shattering sound to trigger an alarm. Now there are Wi-Fi jammers too—used by the Chilean burglary rings.
(Side topic—I used to order Chilean sea bass whenever I saw it on a menu. But then I read that a lot of restaurant fish is mislabeled. The fish we think we are eating often isn’t what we are actually served. There’s so much variation in genus and species. Anyway…)
Back to blindsides.
COVID exposed another one—our collective blindside to how easily anonymity can be weaponized. Suddenly, it became completely normal to walk around with your hat pulled low, sunglasses on, and your mouth hidden behind a mask. You could be anyone, and no one would question it.
I remember meeting a friend toward the end of COVID. When he walked into the restaurant, masked and covered, we all burst out laughing—he looked like a robber. And the strange thing was, it no longer felt out of place.
That moment stuck with me. It reminded me how quickly we normalize behaviors that, in any other time, would set off alarms. Of course, the machines have adapted. Even if masks defeat facial recognition, AI now uses gait recognition. It can identify you just by how you walk. But that only proves the point: the more we rely on tools to see what we no longer notice ourselves, the blinder we become.
Well—this morning—God revealed to me my blindside.
I have truly been the rudest of people.
It is my gaze.
If you have crooked teeth and I am talking to you, I will be staring at them when I think you are distracted. If you have a hooked nose, my eyes will find it. I do avoid the obvious—I would never stare at a woman’s chest. I am a woman; that is not my interest, I suppose. But if you have a thick waist and I happen to have a good vantage point—my eyes might circle your torso.
I think I try to limit my stare. But when I reflect on it, I have been shameless in staring at others’ physical faults. That is my blindside.
Forgive me, dear people.
I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you all.
And I will not be so cocky anymore about how everyone else has a blindside.
This begs repeating—I have just been so rude. Forgive me, dear people. I will repent. I will avert my eyes. And I will place my gaze squarely on your most beautiful feature.
A species is the most specific classification in biology, referring to a group of organisms that can interbreed and produce fertile offspring. A genus is a broader category that groups together species that are closely related and share common characteristics.
1. Total Number of Fish Species
• There are over 34,000 recognized species of fish globally (per the latest FishBase database).
• This includes saltwater, freshwater, and brackish species.
2. Number of Fish Genera (Plural of Genus)
• There are over 4,000 genera of fish.
• These are grouped into about 500 families and dozens of orders in the biological classification
3. Common Fish Species We Eat (By Genus + Species)
Here are some of the most commonly eaten fish, grouped by Genus and Species:
Many of the most commonly consumed fish belong to just a few biological groupings. For example, the genus Salmo includes the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), which is widely available both farmed and wild. Pacific salmon fall under the genus Oncorhynchus and include species like sockeye (O. nerka), coho (O. kisutch), and chinook. Tuna is part of the Thunnus genus, with yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bluefin (Thunnus thynnus) being particularly popular for sushi, while albacore (Thunnus alalunga) is often labeled as “white tuna” in canned varieties. Cod is another major food fish, with Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) both in the Gadus genus. Pollock, often used in processed fish products like fish sticks, is either classified as Gadus chalcogrammus or under the older genus Theragra.
Other staple fish include tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus and related species), which are widely farmed, and catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), a popular fish in the southern United States. Chilean sea bass, though not a true bass, is actually Dissostichus eleginoides. Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) can be wild-caught or farmed. Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) is a brightly colored, fast-swimming fish often found in tropical oceans. Red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) is a staple in Gulf Coast cuisine. Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) round out the list, both known for their firm white flesh and popularity in traditional seafood dishes.