endless time.

2008-11-05T01:12:00.004+08:00

less than 24 hours to go.

will it be

"Country First"

or

"Change"?

no matter what side of the political fence one may stand on, let it be for only the right reasons.

don't let personal prejudices, racial or religious, have any part, no matter how small, in determining your choice.

God bless America.

2008-09-11T09:59:00.001+08:00

where were you when the world stopped turning,
that september day?
out in the yard with your wife and children
or working on some stage in LA?
did you stand there in shock at the sight of
that black smoke
rising against that blue sky?
did you shout out in anger
and fear for your neighbor
or did you just sit down and cry?

-alan jackson – where were you (when the world stopped turning)

a moment of silence, for the people who perished in the attacks on the world trade center on the 11th of september, 2001, and the brave men and women who gave their lives in the rescue efforts.

how many of us actually remember what we were doing on this day, seven years ago? many of us probably started that day, just like any other, a typical weekday. the smell of coffee in the morning, having a quick breakfast before rushing out the door, squeezing in with rush hour traffic, going about the daily grind as usual, preoccupied with our respective schedules for the day, things seemingly predictable and routine.

just who would have expected what was coming next? suicide attacks on aircraft seemed like something from a distant past, and even then, it was during a world war and they were using designated combat planes. the idea of hijacking civilian aircraft, to get close to one’s target, undetected like trojan horses, in peacetime, no less, probably never crossed most of our minds back then.

and thus, we were stunned, violently shaken, with a mixture of shock, disbelief, and fear, that a nation which seemed so indomitable at the time was brought to its knees in a relative instant. it was surreal, like something from a totally insane nightmare, and for what felt like a really long moment, it seemed like the world had come to a standstill.

the human spirit, however, is much stronger than we know. people from all ages and walks of life began to help out in each and every way they could, as much as they could, joining hands in what was probably one of the most amazing acts of solidarity. it didn’t matter what religion someone belonged to, or the color of someone’s skin, or how rich or poor anyone was. everyone became each other’s strength, tirelessly working to pull survivors from the rubble, treating the injured, donating blood, supporting the rescue workers, and so much more.

seven years on, we remember the day when the world stopped turning. and let us always choose to always pick ourselves up again, slowly and surely, no matter how hard we may fall.

2008-09-06T00:20:00.003+08:00

新たな世界の入口に立ち (i'm standing at the entrance to a new world)
気づいたことは一人じゃないってこと。。。 (and it isn't just me who realizes this...)

-レミオロメン　- 3月9日

exhilaration, relief, joy.

just some of the many things that a lot of us feel after graduating. we’ve all faced the stress and the fatigue, the sleepless nights, the frustrating attempts at making headway through countless intimidating obstacles that loom over, daunting and imposing. every time it feels like there is some time to breathe a little, a new challenge comes our way, and we steel ourselves to face and overcome it.

the rewards at the end are worth the pain, and when we finally achieve them, it’s so much sweeter because we know we’ve given all we’ve got. the weight that has always hung heavily over us suddenly disappears, and it becomes so much easier to breathe. the world becomes brighter and the air sweeter. new and perhaps bigger crosses to bear definitely lie ahead in the winding, seemingly endless river that is life, but for a little while, at least, we probably deserve to be happy about the fact that we made it through one of the most important, defining periods in life.

looking back at the time spent, though, there were all kinds of good and bad experiences and perhaps some of the best memories we’d ever have. most of us would probably have things that we would have done differently had we been able to go back in time, but the author is pretty sure that we also possess some memories that we would not, by any means, have had any other way.

congratulations, people.

2008-07-28T01:17:00.005+08:00

so why, tell me why the good die young, my old friend…

-hayley westenra – heaven

because we do not know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. and yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. how many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you cannot conceive of your life without it? perhaps four, or five times more? perhaps not even that. how many more times will you watch the full moon rise? perhaps twenty. and yet it all seems limitless.

-brandon lee

take some time to watch this, if you haven’t already :

what wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?

professor randy pausch finally had to make an exit, just a few hours ago, after an almost two year battle with pancreatic cancer. carnegie mellon university lost a good academic, but more than that, the world lost a wonderful person. how else would you describe someone who, despite his own personal suffering and impending departure, shone through all that by remaining positive, and, even more, inspired and motivated so many people by displaying such an admirable and valiant attitude in the face of something so overwhelming?

so many of us in a similar situation would probably crumble, become withdrawn, morose, and catatonically await the seemingly inevitable. professor pausch decided that he wasn’t going to go quietly into the night, that he would do as much good as he could and leave behind as many marks as possible for not just his loved ones, but so many people around the world.

how many of us could pull ourselves together so well and even laugh in the face of death? something or someone is trying to kill you, to turn you into just a memory (in professor pausch’s case, it was the cancer), do you just sit there, depressed and scared and wait for it to claim you? or do you stand up and face it with all the courage and fighting spirit that you have, and fight it tooth and nail, by living meaningfully and making the best out of life? if death is going to take you away anyway, at least do not let it also take your happiness, joy, and most importantly your raison d’ etre, because doing so is akin to letting yourself die a lot earlier.

adversity brings out things in us that even we ourselves probably knew nothing about before. it is in the face of great adversity that we realise what we truly are like. many of us might tend to falter, but there are also those among us who refuse to let things get us down so easily and so fight to rise above it all. adversity might bring out the worst in people, but it can also bring out the best. it separates the truly good from the pretenders who simply attempt to imitate the good ones and believe that that is enough for them to consider themselves good. because, while the pretenders stumble, fall, and reveal their ugly sides in the face of adversity, the truly good ones shine, and come out better at the other end.

thus, even though the body begins to give up, at least not let the spirit do the same too, because losing that would be like losing everything. and there is no way that anyone would want that.

thanks, professor. just for showing us how to truly live.

"the brick walls are not there to keep us out. the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough."

"syl said, it took me a long time but i’ve finally figured it out. when it comes to men that are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do. it’s that simple. it’s that easy."

"it’s not about how to achieve your dreams. it’s about how to lead your life. if you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself. the dreams will come to you."

-professor randolph frederick pausch

2008-01-16T00:32:00.000+08:00

you cannot run away from a weakness; you must sometimes fight it out or perish. and if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?

-robert louis stevenson

the above is one of the author's favorite quotes of all time. in the face of overwhelming adversity, when it feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, when everything's threatening to fall on top of you like a house of cards, leaving you buried under fathomless depths of rubble, and when it seems like there's nothing left to do but to quit, gather yourself together, and make an unwavering stand. give it your all. at the very least, you'll go down fighting and with no regrets because you did your best. if you make it through however, a hard won victory always tastes very, very sweet. but either way, you are better off in some sense, because the lessons learned from adversity are priceless.

why do we fall down? so we can learn to pick ourselves up.

-thomas wayne, from batman begins

falling is never the end. life has an infinitesimal number of possibilities such that if one pathway doesn't take us to where we want to go, there is always another. but it should never be an option to choose the path of least resistance by virtue of its simplicity alone. we fall, we get up, and learn from our mistakes and refrain from making the same ones in the future. the lessons might be painful, but their importance can never be undermined.

if you weren't given the gift you can't get the gift so the best you can do – if your goal is important – is work as hard as you possibly can, pay attention every hour of every day and then maybe, maybe if you've done enough and been smart enough you'll emerge from the muck of mediocrity to shine a bit brighter than you shone before.

-mark twight

thus, even if it seems as if the odds are stacked high against you, face it with all the grit and resolve you have, and more. destroy those inhibitions and weaknesses that hold you back, push yourself as far as you can, further than you've ever been, and take on anything that stands in your way.

and hey you, if you're reading this from there,

一緒にがんばりましょうね。

2008-01-12T04:17:00.000+08:00

it’s something that probably applies to a large number of people. we think we understand the feelings of someone, and we say things or act in a manner in which we think is right. perhaps those actions and words are well-intentioned, but like the author has learned time and again from self made mistakes, never to be too presumptuous. it’s never as easy as we think to truly and fully understand how someone else feels about something, unless we have had a similar experience. even then, we still have to realize that everyone’s view of the world is unique, and someone else’s perception of the world is probably different from our own.

perhaps it is a monumental, maybe even impossible task to entirely understand another person, no matter how close to us they may be. but despite all of that, one of the best things that we could probably do is to be willing to listen, and to do our best to understand without being judgmental. we are only human: most of us don’t like to be judged, yet it seems so easy to judge others. we may not show it, but somewhere in our minds, we inevitably tend to form some preconceived perception based on our personal normative opinions.

yet, however hard it may be to refrain from making personal judgments, the most important thing would probably be to just do the best we can, to be a friend, a listener, someone who is by the other person’s side when they need it.

2007-12-28T19:26:00.002+08:00

goodbyes are sometimes never easy. especially when those involve physical separation for a relatively long, indefinite amount of time, across a great distance that separates two very different places. "all good things come to an end." it's a phrase that almost everyone knows. cliched, but it's often the cold truth. however, the ending can be temporary, or it can be permanent, depending on how possible it is to bring back the good things that have gone, and how much the people involved are willing to make it happen.

the way time makes those happy moments flash by when you're enjoying yourself, as if everything that's happened was one brief, sustained instant, is unbelievable. they slip by, like water in a fast flowing river, rushing relentlessly downstream. how many times have any of us pleaded so desperately, in our hearts, for time to stop, or at least slow down so that we are able to do more, to finish what we need to, or perhaps to have just a few moments more with someone?

time has no nominal value, but it is also priceless. it knows no compassion nor reason. it is almost infinitely boundless, yet it binds us all. ever since the beginning, it is one of the few things that man will never be able to control. man is binded, by his own mortality, as well as the ever rapidly changing state of the world.

and thus, the best any of us can ever do and hope to achieve is to make the best of the time that we have, and to be as happy as possible, so that we never have to look back with regret.

げんきだね。

またね。

2007-10-24T00:28:00.002+08:00

the author handwrote the draft of this post without glasses on the bus home, in the dim light of dusk, in a spontaneous rudimentary attempt to understand the difficulties faced by someone with retinitis pigmentosa, which is a degenerative ocular condition of which one of the symptoms is night blindness. it isn't an easy condition to live with, and no effective treatment for it has been found so far.

yet the author knows that there are those out there who, despite such challenges thrown in their way, do all they can to live life to the fullest, to achieve what they can to the best of their ability, and to not let these little things get in their way. it's a crying shame that so many of us, despite being in perfect health, tend to give up and take a defeatist attitude all too easily toward things that seem to appear insurmountable, making excuses for ourselves all the time, blaming all and sundry, never willing to acknowledge and attempt to overcome, but instead giving in to our weaknesses.

and so, if you're reading this (you know who you are), the author feels that you deserve a standing ovation. for living it up just like everyone else, for being able to hold your own in a top tier college, for giving part of your weekends to help others who need it, and for so much else, despite your visual condition.

you can still do way more than that. just believe.

because even the sky isn't the limit.

and.

thanks for the inspiration.

ずっとがんばって。

だから

ぼくは君に信じるよ。

2007-10-07T00:20:00.000+08:00

the author is of the opinion that constraints imposed by external agents or forces on an individual such as family, cultural or spiritual factors can oftentimes be frustrating, especially when they get in the way of one's happiness or personal wishes/goals. while the author believes that most things can be worked around, compromises made, and some (or many) liberties taken, like many individuals today do, others wallow in their predicament, constantly repressing desires, sacrificing dreams, and almost invariably looking back upon their past with regret that they weren't able to do or experience things that they wanted until it was too late.

while the author definitely acknowledges that some of the intangible barriers might be pretty hard to get past, often because of the way some individuals have been brought up and socially and culturally conditioned, we also should realise our own sentience. although anyone who knows a little about durkheimian sociological principles would say that external agents do indeed influence an individual's behavior, we certainly aren't automatons, and we are definitely free to make our own decisions, no matter how outrageous it may seem to others.

and thus, we should celebrate our freedom to make our own decisions, and not let things get in the way of our pursuit of happiness. repression is a terrible state of being. having to look back on something with regret is a very, very sad thought.

it's a beautiful world out there. breathe free. run free. live free.

2007-09-16T22:39:00.000+08:00

this blog really needs an update, which is exactly what the author is doing right now.

it's ironic how although we always seem to be the rational ones rendering help and advice when our friends/acquaintances are in certain, shall we say, situations, but when our own asses are in the almost exact same situations, we disobey almost, if not all the rules we used to set for others to follow. and despite the fact that we are aware of it, we decide to go ahead anyway. and so many of us just wonder why.

the author thinks that one of the reasons is because it just feels right. and so many feelings are just too complex to explain. and because overanalysing might just end up being more unnecessary trouble than it's worth. worse, it might just end up ruining a perfectly good thing.
so just have fun. everyone has only one life. indulge a little if you need to, but stay rational, and not lose sight of the other important things in life.

it sounds really cliched.

but that's just probably because it's true.

2007-09-05T04:10:00.000+08:00

the author knows that the following post isn't in english, but it's just meant for one person.

so hey, if you're reading this...

this post is for you.

you know who you are.

ne?

心からキミに伝えたい

きっとただ本当のキミの姿を求めて...

-- luna sea - i for you

悲しそうな背中を見つめ　気付く思い　瞼を閉じた
君の髪に優しく触れて　遠く離れ　夜空を越えた...

-- inoran - come closer

キミと出逢う為だけに

そう生まれたなら変えられるかな ...

-- luna sea - i for you

それでも想う貴方のことを
季節が流れていても・・・
目を閉じていつも見てた風景のように
何度目かの雨もあがった...

-- l'arc~en~ciel - niji

素敵だね

二人手をとり歩けたなら

行きたいよ

キミの街家腕の中...

-- rikki - suteki da ne

手を伸ばし　愛のカケラ
消えぬように　強く深く　抱きしめよう
どんなに　せつなくても
君はいつでも　一人じゃない...

-- every little thing - ai no kakera

2007-08-29T01:21:00.000+08:00

glimpses of poignant rumination, as a slow rock number about lying down on a bed of roses and longing resonates across the quietude of the cool night, the soundtrack to the great number of thoughts floating around like a blurry montage of images, some in soft focus, others crystal clear, but each a recent memory or a stirring emotion. a state of semi-slumber, induced perhaps by fatigue, it feels like an out of body experience, involuntary reflections of all and sundry, bringing about answers, which come out honestly, but doctored shortly after by personal inhibitions, which should sometimes be ignored.

that inner self, from which promptings come, including those yes-no decisions. sometimes it's a limiter, and sometimes you just feel like stabbing it with lots of steely knives and tell it to never come back, but other times it prevents you from doing anything you'd regret later.

a necessary inconvenience, sometimes.

but sometimes, just sometimes, it makes decisions that make you tell yourself you wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

2007-08-07T00:53:00.000+08:00

the definition of life, as seen by a good number of the population in this little city:

you go to school.

you go to work, get married, have a few kids.

you retire.

and then you die.

now the author is well aware that it is not his place at all to judge, after all, who can say that there is a right and wrong way to live?

however.

the author wishes to suggest that there is so much more to do and accomplish in the boundless depths of life. so many get helplessly caught up in the rat race or "the system" that they lose that joie de vivre that they once glowed so brightly with. a life that once brimmed with possibilities becomes two-dimensional.

fortunately, it's never too late to rediscover the many things, as well as to find new things that make life worth living, to relight the fire, and rekindle the spirit.

2007-08-04T00:17:00.000+08:00

the feeling of freedom, being disengaged from constraints, has always been pursued by men, since time immemorial. it is, in itself, a fabulous feeling, a rush of newfound exuberance and excitement running through, so palpably felt when the feeling of being unrestrained is perceived. freedom is perceived in a unique manner by each different individual, and to varying extents. leaving the office on a friday evening with the weekend to look forward to, the eventual achievement of a goal after so much dedication and perseverance, and doing what so many others would shrink away from are just some of those things.

it's a rush, but releasing too many inhibitions, whether in the pursuit of that elusive experience, or as a result of losing an individual's self to the almost inebriated state brought about by the euphoria of being unleashed, as so many tragedies before have so vividly illustrated, would certainly be unadvisable. adam and eve were expelled from heaven, icarus flew too close to the sun, marc antony being too engrossed with cleopatra, lost his standing and power, and so many junkies end up dead when they attempt infeasible stunts while on a high.

chasing freedom. it's what everybody does. it's just prudent to resist that temptation to cross the line.

2007-07-08T03:36:00.000+08:00

for earth day:

the author's take on why we might want to actually care.

because the earth bleeds, while we continue milking it dry.

because we need a home that we can actually live in.

because we want the lands to stay green and the oceans a beautiful amorphous blue.

because unscrupulous corporations gain from our business, while we pay, with the interest that is the continued deterioration of our planet.

because there are just so many living things as yet undiscovered, and it'd be a total bitch if they died out before we could do so.

because some of those living things might just be the cure for some of those devastating ailments that we fear so much.

because the phrase 'a breath of fresh air', faces the real threat of permanently becoming irrelevant altogether.

because we want to still watch the sun rise and know that when those golden rays
bathe the lands, it will be in color and not drab barren shades of brown.

because if we wanted gray skies all the time, we'd all just move to london.

because it's a lot more convenient to walk on solid ground than to swim to an intended destination.

because those uv rays damage the skin and make it age faster, and nobody in their right mind wants that.

because it's already warm enough as it is.

because we want our children, and our children's children and beyond, to still be able to gaze upon the splendor of so many natural landscapes.

because, just because.

2007-06-26T00:25:00.000+08:00

a rainy summer night. drops of water from the sky patter, heavily on the roofs, the windows, and the sidewalk below. cool, relaxing, perhaps even therapeutic. the white noise, muffled just a notch by the apartment walls. a song from the eighties plays over the speakers, the falling rain an additional layer in the aural backdrop, yet in stark contrast to the mood of the music; the song is about a sunny island, tropical island breezes and a 'spanish lullaby'. as its last verse fades out, a more subdued melody, by the same artiste, begins to play, replacing the catchy dance beat with slow, emotional strains, that the sound of falling rain complements so aptly.

fatigue from the day begins to induce a more relaxed, almost calming state, and the surroundings begin to take on a dimension of amorphosity, like a Dali painting, only in so much more color, almost as if they were liquids of so many different colors and viscosities, slowly swirling, blending together in this way and that. translucent, slightly off-focus shapes that seem like bubbles or stars begin to crawl in the line of sight. they are cues; to fade into the ethereal, yet evanescent world of dreams, transcending reality.

2007-06-03T01:54:00.000+08:00

the spirit of summer - the author's evanescent musings manifested in words.

a repose in endless blue,
under a vast cerulean sky,
watching the masses of fluffy clouds
as they roll ever so slowly by,
the swoosh of waves kissing the shore,
and silky white sand between the toes, ever so pure,
flocks of gulls winging their way
across the expanse of oceans so vast,
chartreuse palm fronds sway gently
amidst a caressing seabreeze that sporadically wafts past.

here's to a wonderful and unforgettable summer, all.

2007-05-17T01:58:00.000+08:00

music's always been a wonderful part of life. a good song colors the listener's world with melody, and enraptures the soul. this post is a list of recommendations of tracks, some from niche genres, and mostly stuff you'd hardly, if ever get to hear on a mainstream radio station. after all, where's the fun in recommending stuff you hear played ad nauseum on MTV and top 40 stations anyways? hence, here are some picks from the author's playlist... great music off the beaten path.

x japan - longing -togireta melody- (japanese rock)

it's a ballad by what is arguably the biggest rock band in japan up till now, ten years since they've disbanded. the song is in japanese, with an english chorus, but the emotionally charged melody alone conveys the mood more than the lyrics.

avenged sevenfold - warmness on the soul (ballad)

a 2001 power ballad, slow rock tune against piano background music. with a nicely played guitar solo. the music video tells a story, too.

shawn colvin - never saw blue (sentimental)

this one's a really beautiful romantic number with meaningful and poetically written lyrics, and sure as hell's a lot better than so many love songs with cliched lyrics out there.

annie lennox - a whiter shade of pale (alternative pop)

procol harum originally did this track back in the 1960's, and it's redone with annie lennox's haunting vocals in this 1994 cover.

hayley westenra - who painted the moon black (classical)

a classical number with nicely crafted lyrics. definitely worth listening to.

bullet for my valentine - tears don't fall (rock)

"your tears don't fall, they crash around me..." wow. talk about hyperbole. nevertheless, one of the best emo-rock numbers around. the acoustic version also rocks.

the beach boys - california dreamin' (surf/pop)

it's a classic. still sounds really good, even today. a great song to play while driving along the boulevard.

snow patrol - signal fire (indie)

a great new song from the spider-man 3 soundtrack. it's still that familiar snow patrol sound though.

mary chapin carpenter - he thinks he'll keep her (country)

this one's a really good listen. it's a country song about how husbands don't appreciate their wives, and a grammy nominee in 1995.

the verve - the drugs don't work (brit/indie rock)

richard ashcroft of the verve really nailed this one. a nicely composed ballad with great lyrics.

paul mccartney and wings - band on the run (brit/70's pop/rock)

an upbeat pop/rock title. sounds really great, even more than thirty years after it was released in 1973. the album of the same name 1974's top selling album and is ranked at number 418 in rolling stone magazine's 500 greatest albums of all time.

kamelot - love you to death (rock)

um... this didn't come from the author's playlist, but a friend of the author spent an entire day listening to it over and over again. so maybe you'll like it, maybe not. it isn't really the author's cup of tea, though.

2007-05-11T02:54:00.000+08:00

the author is writing this in between trying to mug.

wait, no. mugging? the definition of that is 'rote learning.' and while that can somewhat be a good thing because one probably uses less processing power, does one really 'mug', per se, for subjects that require analysis, calculation, dissectation and academic discursion? so while, admittedly, the 'mugging' that takes place involves memorising principles as if they were scripture, the overall preparation for those examinations include training oneself to use those mugged tools to produce academically sound arguments, solutions etcetera.

slightly confusing, perhaps, and the author feels that a disclaimer is warranted here.

the above paragraph was written in a state of slight inebriation.

2007-04-10T00:40:00.000+08:00

these things happen, almost always unexpectedly. you run into long lost friends you never thought you'd see again, and who were, up till that moment, just another memory. it's a warm feeling, catching up, and seeing what everyone has become since the last time years ago that they met. the author has had a fair share of these experiences, some more recent than the others.

one of them involved hotpot at a chic japanese place. good food, drink and conversation. but substitute the trendy venue for something generic and the experience would be just as good. with good company, it's never hard to find fun even in the most mundane circumstances.

reunions. they're special, in more ways than one.

2007-04-03T01:50:00.000+08:00

"let me tell you something you already know. the world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. it is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. you, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. but it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. how much you can take, and keep moving forward. that's how winning is done. now, if you know what you're worth, then go out and get what you're worth. but you gotta be willing to take the hit, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you are because of him, or her, or anybody. cowards do that and that ain't you."

-rocky, from rocky balboa (2006)

the point at which it feels as if your limit has been reached, that it feels like you can go no further, is known to bodybuilders as the 'pain period'. it is the ones who grit their teeth and keep going, and eventually break through this barrier are the ones who eventually end up becoming champions.

everyone goes through their own 'pain period' in life. and most know what lies beyond the barrier. and what they need to do to reach it. but many just let it be. everyone knows that pain is necessary. that knowledge becomes useless, though, for the many of us who don't use it. it's not that we can't. the conscience cries for us to do it, but the body says otherwise. the excuses come pouring in. and we end up not getting down to doing much, or in worst-case scenarios, anything at all.

and the author thinks that almost nobody knows this like an (undergraduate) facing looming examinations does. :)

2007-02-24T01:57:00.000+08:00

and the song of the year at this year's grammy awards went to the dixie chicks' "not ready to make nice". and rightly deserved, too. listen to the lyrics, set against a country-pop melody carefully and it is evident that "not ready to make nice" is more than just a song, it's a strong statement about sticking to your guns, standing by your principles and not blindly toeing the line and buckling against pressure from everybody else.

the song itself was a stand-up to the huge backlash they received from (ex) fans and the media as well as many of their fellow americans in general when singer natalie maines, in a 2003 concert in london, expressed shame that "the president of the united states is from texas" just ten days before the american invasion of iraq. it was a statement that decried the decision to invade, as well as one that mirrored the sentiments of many around the world, americans themselves included. and it was also an act that resulted in half of their concert tour dates in america being canceled, as well as a huge decline in album sales and radio airplay, and we're talking about a group whose previous two albums debuted at number one on many charts. the country music scene was, and still is, a conservative one, and this contributed in the huge boycotts and death threats that the chicks received following that statement.

the chicks may have garnered a large number of haters, but the grammy, the result of votes from a great many esteemed individuals in the recording industry, showed that they there are still many who support and respect them for standing up and speaking out against what they think is wrong, the fact that the person in question is the president of what is arguably the world's premier superpower notwithstanding. and that is further substantiated by the fact that their stand took the form of a totally rockin' song.

freedom of expression. that's what america is most widely said to have been built on. and these ladies have shown just that - they are americans, and they express what they feel without fear, because they know that they believe in what they believe with very good reason. it's a refreshing change from the many people who choose to allow societal pressure to impose conformity among them and to give in to the need for human validation by being sycophantic. it's not a secret, too. most, if not all of us have been there and done that at one time or another, in one way or another. and in doing so, in a way, we allow ourselves to be controlled, albeit to a certain degree, by others, society, politicians or whatever. and that is, in a way, having some part of the only thing nobody is supposed to be able to touch in a person, that is his or her beliefs, taken away.

the chicks were told to "shut up and sing". they did just that, and they showed us all just exactly how to do it -- in style.

you go, girls.

2007-02-15T23:18:00.000+08:00

february. also known as the second month of the gregorian calendar. the final month of winter, and the beginning of spring, where, traditionally, planting begins, after a barren winter, and the anticipation of bountiful summer and fall harvests run high. the author would like to mention that in japan, the bursts of color of cherry blossoms in springtime are an awesome sight.

february also means that examinations are getting closer (the author regrets not being able to think of a more visceral adjective to emphasise the urgency of the situation, which is, as a fighter pilot would say, "bogey at twelve o clock high!", though this is more like twelve o' fucking clock high.) and it is common knowledge that a good fighter pilot/olympic athlete/secret agent/serial killer/college (or university for the brit-oriented people out there) student is always calm in the face of adversity, no matter how overwhelming the odds.

well... almost always.

it would be nice to wish everyone the best for the examinations, but this being a dog-eat-dog world where darwin, not einstein's theories (taken from the black ex-marine dude from prison break) determine survival, perhaps the good wishes are better saved for self and friends. close friends. after all, the higher points on the grade curve are but so limited. that said, though, it is always good to seriously consider altruism as a favourable alternative and collect good karma.

and so, to the ones who will be facing examinations/tests, big or small, to the ones who are facing the larger trials and tribulations of life, and to all in general, looking up at the same sky, all the best, people.

vaya con dios.

2007-01-23T23:34:00.000+08:00

a friend of the author recently made significant headway on something he'd working on for six months now. while his buddies and people around him in the know kept talking about and telling him how futile it was, he kept at it, slowly and perhaps surely, like water gently eroding rock in a river. there aren't noticeable changes over several lifetimes, but after several more, one day, one might just find an awesome waterfall where a part of the river used to be.

it's a self invented analogy, of course. but the point that everyone would most likely notice is that most tasks, no matter how gargantuan and insurmountable they seem, can certainly be achieved as long as they don't defy the limits of common sense. it's an inspiring thought, and its definitely something that would be good to take a page from. tying in with the previous entry about beginnings, new beginnings should, ideally come with positive visions of things to come, and inspirations, in practically any form, go a long way toward this end.

at the beginning.

2007-01-18T23:36:00.000+08:00

it's all too often about new beginnings at this time of the year. people make resolutions, amidst the bursts of colorful fireworks that light up the night sky of a new year's first moments, or at some point near that time, perhaps driven by the anticipation of a fresh start, and those are so much easier to make than to actually keep. on a similar note, the author of this weblog feels that, having left it dilapidated for so long now, it deserves a new beginning.

and so. here's to not just a wonderful beginning, but an equally fantastic or even better middle and end.