Saturday, September 26, 2009
Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol: A Lost Adventure for A Lost Cause
I finished it in two days.
It's not that good.
The plot is same old same old.
The villain is definitely not a secret. If you can't predict him within the first pages, there's something seriously wrong with your head.
The way it is written is frustrating.
It produces hype for answers and then gives you a decent one.
It STILL has some high points.
But they have nothing to do with the common apraisals.
The philosophy behind the Freemason is good, and so is the mysticism.
The symbols are cool. I'm actually thinking to have it printed on a shirt.
Conclusion:
Just borrow it.
Labels:
chit chat
Melencolia I
I'm taking all of this from a book in which title I won't disclose in a hope it would not ruin the plot.
The piece of art is Albrecht Durer's. It was made in 1514.
This post is dedicated to all the depressed comrades. You're not alone. The sorrow is ages old.Melencolia I consists of a brooding figure with giant wings, seated in front of a stone building, surrounded by the most disparate and bizzare collection of objects imaginable - measuring scales, an emaciated dog, carpenter's tools, an hourglass, various geometric solids, a hanging bell, a putto, a blade, a ladder.
The winged figure is a representation of "human genius" - a great thinker with chin in hand, looking depressed, still unable to achieve enlightenment. The genius is surrounded with all the symbols of his human intellect - objects of science, math, philosophy, nature, geometry, even carpentry - and yet is still unable to climb the ladder of true enlightenment. Even the human genius has difficulty comprehending the Ancient Mysteries.
A Journey to a No Man's Land
Hello world!
I'm back!
...from Singapore.
"What?!
Singapore is hardly a no Man's land!," you might say.
Well, for one and a half days, I actually thought it was;
and it had nothing to do with me getting warnings twice from the authorities also (let me tell you it's not for littering or vandalism).
It had to do with the malls.
I guess I'm not much for malls; and the first one and a half days were all about checking them out.
At first, yeah, they were great, especially considering just how many good looking girls roaming them.
But the excitement wore off quickly.
So much that I could only think of four words to describe the country.
Where am I? I thought.
Everyone was wearing their best clothes, using lots of make up, spending lots of money for things I did not understand.
I was in the land of consumption frenzy, filled with beautiful looking beings that I don't recognize as mere humans.
I was in the land of the gods and goddesses... with malls all around.
(Some say it's a shopping heaven.
Well, I don't like to shop.)
***
It changed everything.
For the first time, I saw the beautiful landscape I had only been able to see in pictures.
It felt like I was in the pictures myself.
The pictures have come to life! I thought.
They are all filled with vivid colors! They surround me from every angles!
Until it hit me.
The pictures are real! I am really here!
I was filled with joy.
And it was far from over.
***
There were only three members (one had the guitar, one on percussion, and a vocalist).
They performed these arrays of light-relaxing songs, and were actually pretty good.
They talked to the audience between every performance, churning out jokes here and there.
Sometimes they told stories from their lives, which were all touching, in a light-happy way.
And to realize all was done on a stage with a backdrop of beautiful landscape of the river, the tall buildings and the Merlion at night, was just unbelievable.
It was almost a trance for me.
But I was given more.
In the middle of a performance, all of the sudden, an old man on the front row stood up.
I thought he was going to the toilet when he started...
to dance.
Yes, he danced in front of the stage, at the watching eyes of the crowd.
And it was not just a simple dance.
He danced the dance I thought only someone with booties could pull.
The old man danced passionately; and we all cheered.
I almost cried that night.
The next day, I traveled alone to the edges of Singapore.
I saw flats with dried clothes hanging on its railings, schools, bad malls like the ones we have in Bekasi, dirty public toilets (yes, that's right).
I saw ugly people, high school students just coming home from schools, college students, workers, senior citizens, children, families.
I saw a land of Man, with mere Man all over it; ordinary people doing ordinary things.
I was no longer in the land of gods and goddesses.
I was in someone's country, someone's home.
It was beautiful.
I never thought I would be excited to see all the things that had made me happy.
I mean, dried clothes, public toilets, workers? Get real.
But I was.
I'm back!
...from Singapore.
"What?!
Singapore is hardly a no Man's land!," you might say.
Well, for one and a half days, I actually thought it was;
and it had nothing to do with me getting warnings twice from the authorities also (let me tell you it's not for littering or vandalism).
It had to do with the malls.
I guess I'm not much for malls; and the first one and a half days were all about checking them out.
At first, yeah, they were great, especially considering just how many good looking girls roaming them.
But the excitement wore off quickly.
So much that I could only think of four words to describe the country.
That's all there is.Hot babes - Hot pants
Where am I? I thought.
Everyone was wearing their best clothes, using lots of make up, spending lots of money for things I did not understand.
I was in the land of consumption frenzy, filled with beautiful looking beings that I don't recognize as mere humans.
I was in the land of the gods and goddesses... with malls all around.
(Some say it's a shopping heaven.
Well, I don't like to shop.)
***
It changed everything.
For the first time, I saw the beautiful landscape I had only been able to see in pictures.
It felt like I was in the pictures myself.
The pictures have come to life! I thought.
They are all filled with vivid colors! They surround me from every angles!
Until it hit me.
The pictures are real! I am really here!
I was filled with joy.
And it was far from over.
***
There were only three members (one had the guitar, one on percussion, and a vocalist).
They performed these arrays of light-relaxing songs, and were actually pretty good.
They talked to the audience between every performance, churning out jokes here and there.
Sometimes they told stories from their lives, which were all touching, in a light-happy way.
And to realize all was done on a stage with a backdrop of beautiful landscape of the river, the tall buildings and the Merlion at night, was just unbelievable.
It was almost a trance for me.
But I was given more.
In the middle of a performance, all of the sudden, an old man on the front row stood up.
I thought he was going to the toilet when he started...
to dance.
Yes, he danced in front of the stage, at the watching eyes of the crowd.
And it was not just a simple dance.
He danced the dance I thought only someone with booties could pull.
The old man danced passionately; and we all cheered.
I almost cried that night.
The next day, I traveled alone to the edges of Singapore.
I saw flats with dried clothes hanging on its railings, schools, bad malls like the ones we have in Bekasi, dirty public toilets (yes, that's right).
I saw ugly people, high school students just coming home from schools, college students, workers, senior citizens, children, families.
I saw a land of Man, with mere Man all over it; ordinary people doing ordinary things.
I was no longer in the land of gods and goddesses.
I was in someone's country, someone's home.
It was beautiful.
I never thought I would be excited to see all the things that had made me happy.
I mean, dried clothes, public toilets, workers? Get real.
But I was.
Labels:
travels
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Departure
I'm leaving!
I'll be back seven days before my neurology test (speechless).
Wish me luck!
Labels:
travels,
writer's notes
Friday, September 18, 2009
Don Rosa's The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck: A Hidden Gem
A friend of mine has already posted this comic on his site, so I won't mention much about it.
I just feel I have to post it again because it is actually very good.
It reminds me the sheer joy of optimism and hope.
I've always loved Disney stories. I have fond memories of them in my childhood.
I guess that's why the impact is even greater for me.
Just read it, you won't be sorry.
Labels:
chit chat,
reality bites
I Say Grace
Thank you o dear Lord, for what I have received from it.
But I'll get them all, don't worry. :)
UPDATE
I just don't give a shit anymore.
- I have become stronger
- I have learned a lot about myself
- I have something to write
- I have learned about forgiveness
- For the first time in a long time, my heart is love again
But I'll get them all, don't worry. :)
UPDATE
I just don't give a shit anymore.
Labels:
reality bites
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Truth about My Tooth
Have I ever mentioned about my tooth?
It shattered to pieces about a week ago.
Okay, actually, there were no more than two pieces. But it still freaked me out. Let me tell you, the last thing you want to see is a crack line that parts your tooth into two perfect halves, where blood flows every time you nudge the parts apart.
Anyway, I went to the nearest dentist I could find.
The dentist, to my surprise, was a very very FINE woman.
She was pretty, with big eyes, great smile, perfect skin...,
and judging by the size of the tummy, was about 32 weeks pregnant. (Talk about the fastest heartbreak you’ll ever get)
I told her that the tooth had got its problems for years.
She checked it out, and finally decided to remove it one step at a time. She took the first half out quickly, and left the other half for about a week.
The next week, today, I went to see her again. I presumed it was going to be fast just as the first.
But it didn’t.
I knew that something was wrong the moment she changed the tool she was using for about, like, the 6th time.
Finally she said that the root of my tooth was firmly attached to my lower jaw (it gives a whole new meaning to the term 'attachment problem' I guess), and that there were two things that could be done; the first one was operation, and the second one was taking the tooth’s crown while leaving the root.
“Sometimes the root comes out by itself,” she continued. “I suggest you take the latter.”
She looked so confident about it that I, without hesitation, took the second choice.
The process won’t hurt, I thought. I bet it’s a normal, quick, and painless procedure.
It never crossed my mind that she’s actually suggesting to break what's left of my tooth in two.
Things began to sink in when the nurse started to hold my head tight. I was always a good patient; I never complained and sat quietly. So if she decided to hold my head anyway, there had to be a grave concern that I, the good patient, would still move my head.
Damn.
The process was painful and unsurprisingly long.
She finally managed to take the crown out, or should I say crowns, considering that the crown shattered again into two pieces? (My tooth was a freaking cluster bomb)
Now I just have to wait a month to see if the root does come out. If it doesn’t, well, the operation is inevitable after all.
Blah, it’s the least of my problems.
It shattered to pieces about a week ago.
Okay, actually, there were no more than two pieces. But it still freaked me out. Let me tell you, the last thing you want to see is a crack line that parts your tooth into two perfect halves, where blood flows every time you nudge the parts apart.
Anyway, I went to the nearest dentist I could find.
The dentist, to my surprise, was a very very FINE woman.
She was pretty, with big eyes, great smile, perfect skin...,
and judging by the size of the tummy, was about 32 weeks pregnant. (Talk about the fastest heartbreak you’ll ever get)
I told her that the tooth had got its problems for years.
She checked it out, and finally decided to remove it one step at a time. She took the first half out quickly, and left the other half for about a week.
The next week, today, I went to see her again. I presumed it was going to be fast just as the first.
But it didn’t.
I knew that something was wrong the moment she changed the tool she was using for about, like, the 6th time.
Finally she said that the root of my tooth was firmly attached to my lower jaw (it gives a whole new meaning to the term 'attachment problem' I guess), and that there were two things that could be done; the first one was operation, and the second one was taking the tooth’s crown while leaving the root.
“Sometimes the root comes out by itself,” she continued. “I suggest you take the latter.”
She looked so confident about it that I, without hesitation, took the second choice.
The process won’t hurt, I thought. I bet it’s a normal, quick, and painless procedure.
It never crossed my mind that she’s actually suggesting to break what's left of my tooth in two.
Things began to sink in when the nurse started to hold my head tight. I was always a good patient; I never complained and sat quietly. So if she decided to hold my head anyway, there had to be a grave concern that I, the good patient, would still move my head.
Damn.
The process was painful and unsurprisingly long.
She finally managed to take the crown out, or should I say crowns, considering that the crown shattered again into two pieces? (My tooth was a freaking cluster bomb)
Now I just have to wait a month to see if the root does come out. If it doesn’t, well, the operation is inevitable after all.
Blah, it’s the least of my problems.
Labels:
living life
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