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Thursday, June 27, 2002
Jus a recap of the days events, it was a pretty nice day overall. 1st off, i met up w/ a very good friend of mine... its been a while since we saw each other. But, it was real nice to c him again, he always manages to make me laugh at something. And that guy would be Mike Gibson, my old runnin buddy in track and cross country. Dont kno how ill manage w/o gettin to kno the guy. Anyway, we go to the Puente AMC 20 to catch a movie. Since everything played a little late or we watched that movie already, i insisted on lilo and stitch... hey, i kno, but i couldnt resist, heh. Ever since the previews i really wanted to watch that movie, and it didnt disappoint a bit. Stitch is awesome, one of a kind. And the animation was surprisingly well done, i liked it enough... american animation is catching up... well, anyway, w/o much more commentary, it was a good movie that pulled a bit at the ol' heartstrings (hey, im a sap, so sue me...) Movie watching was far from over, the sum of all fears was next. But... its a bad sign when im laughin throughout a movie that apparently was supposed to be dreadfully serious and suspenseful. I couldnt help it... some scenes were jus too hilarious... but in a disturbing way. I really hope politicians arent really that quick to jump to the worst case scenario, and more worried about some superpower status than the wellbeing of... well, pretty much the whole entire planet. Its fruitless to wage war which only has one sole purpose, namely to eradicate life as we kno it. Itchy trigger fingers around the red button makes me uneasy... Anyway, the only things i liked in there was that secret american agent in the kremlin... who makes the neo-facists "disappear", and Cabot's (Morgan Freeman) confidant in the Kremlin, a former KGB agent who also makes the neo-facists "disappear"... ehh, at least lilo and stitch was good. We met up w/ kenny later on and had a little b-ball session, which was also fun. But, u have to do what u have to do... and i had to work on the GUNNNSSS, as always. Afterwards, i find myself back here... typing away again. Its fun to write, hehe.
Well, thats all for now. Stay tuned for more...
Wednesday, June 26, 2002
More Calvin and Hobbes goodness (i couldnt resist, hehe):
Calvin: "How can something seem so plausable at the time and so idiotic in retrospect?"
There are many instances where i pondered this very question to myself. Im not goin to mention specifics, but some involve girls i liked in the past and awkwardness.... or many squabbles i had w/ my sis over absolutely nothing. There are many things ive done which i question to this day, decisions which ive made due to gross misjudgement or jus plain lack of experience. Maybe im making some of them at this very moment in my life. My one hope is that i learn from all those experiences, whether it be gratifying or horrendously idiotic. As i think a little more about this topic, im reminded of what some1 said b4, not sure who tho... "some ppl grow older w/o growing up". In some ways, i dont really want to grow up. Sure, i have grown in some ways, im all the better for that, but in other ways, not so much. Its a mixed blessing. There so much to this world that i have yet to figure out, and on the other hand, i still want to retain that childlike wonder about this little place we live in, its one of the things that makes life worth living. To hold this place with a certain awe and mystique (despite all the blatant negatives) is something that still makes me tick. Learn something new each day, right? ehhhh. Well, hope things become more plausable then idiotic...heh.
Calvin: "Nothing is permanent. Everything changes. Thats the one thing we know for sure in this world... But im still goin to gripe about it."
Sound familiar? Well, i think it has some Buddhist qualities to it... maybe, not certain. But what i do kno is that part of it was in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (if u dont kno me, then this is one of my favorites of all time, one reason y is cause it introduced me to Zhang Ziyi... ooooh mannnn). Anyway, its something ive been thinking about from time to time as well. (seems like i do a lot of thinking... it suspiciously looks like daydreaming... but usually im pondering, hehe). Hey, it happened in this very post, i lost the 1st version of this post... impermanence in action, ehh? Its kinda weird to imagine that the only thing that will be steadfast in this world is the knowledge that nothing is. Again... with most things, i take a moderate stance, and this time for some good reason. Impermanence isnt a hard and fast truth. For most things, i think yea, impermanence. But, for rare others, its not quite so simple. Take for instance some object, any object. Sure, u can say, "that thing is there." But can u be certain that thing was there a little while ago? Or that it will be there in the future. Not with absolute certainty. The past is a strange entity... all of us "kno" its there, yet we still dont kno for certain that it ever existed. The future no one can tell... cause they rely on our actions in the present. So, everything is impermanent... only existing for that slight, inconcievable moment we call the present. So, we all live in the here and now, the past is... well, past and the future awaits for our actions. Live in the present. But some things have no recognition of time. Life is contradictory, fleeting in some respects... but in others stretching toward eternity in an endless cycle. Sometimes the cycle is good, sometimes bad, but nonetheless a cycle. Well, one good counterexample i can think of against impermanence is love... undeniable, unconditional love. (again, if u didnt kno this about me, im a total sap). It can defy and outlast the test of time... maybe even surpass it. That kinda love is truly permanent. Well, anyway, that was my attempt to talk about something philosophical... hope it made some sort of sense.... nonetheless, Calvin and Hobbes makes it easier to sort out this stuff, hehe.
More to come later, stay tuned now.
ODE TO CALVIN AND HOBBES:
Second one of the day, but this one was a little overdue, hehe. I have a bit of free time on my hands now (sometimes a little too much), and readin through some of my Calvin and Hobbes collection, i realized jus how funny, insightful, philosophical... (it goes on) it really is. It held a diferent perspective for me this time around as well. A lot to say about a medium usually reserved for childish humor and talking xeroxed heads. Strips like Calvin and Hobbes give substantial reason why cartoons can be considered art. Hey, it jus might be, the strip itself was honored with an exhibit in the SF MOMA (SF Museum of Modern Art). Thats pretty snazzy, recognition well deserved indeed. A little paraphrasing from Bill Waterson himself, the comic strip is truly an unique medium of expression, combining both literal and visual images. Thats what sets it apart from pure visual media, say animation or television, or the pure literal expression. That combination can lead to interesting developments and such. Waterson masterfully exploits this combination, telling stories and creating moods with an artificial minimum of space and dialogue. One Sunday color strip can be totally devoid of conversation, instead showing a vast, wide and wonderous landscape, a truly beautiful scene, in which every panel flows logically. Or it could be full of clever dialogue, whether it be the banter between Calvin and Hobbes or Calvin's many views of the world. Calvin and Hobbes can be considered (and truly IS) art, and thats y it holds so very close to home. More than this however, Calvin and Hobbes in a way affirmed and influenced my outlook and perception of the world. As weird as it is, i consider Calvin a philosopher of sorts (ironically, hes named after John Calvin, the theologian). He speaks of ethics, metaphysics, man and nature... u name it, he probably deals with it in a way. Since he is, after all, 6 yrs old, these deep conversations happen usually trudgin along in the woods or flying across the landscape in his red wagon. His views contrasted with Hobbes make for some interesting topics to ponder about. And i like to ponder once in awhile (if i overdo it... i usually fall asleep, hehe). So, in that personal way, Calvin and Hobbes deserves an ode. Yea, it seems kinda weird to post about something like this, but its jus something i really wanted to say. In short, Calvin and Hobbes rocks... i dont kno how my life would be w/o them. So, here are some assorted quotes and such that i thought were interesting:
Calvin: "Do u think babies r born sinful? That they come into the world as sinners?"
Hobbes: "No, i think they're jus quick studies."
Calvin: "These days r precious, and i'd rather spend them goofing around then studying."
Hobbes: "I never really thought of ignorance as a quality of life issue."
*one of my favorites... hehe*
Calvin: "Take this milk. Why do we drink cow milk? Who was the guy who first looked at a cow and said, 'I think ill drink whatever comes out these things when i squeeze them' ?"
*Hobbes is very inspiring to me*
Calvin: "What if there's no afterlife? Suppose this is all we get?" *pauses*
Hobbes: "Oh, what the heck, ill take it anyway."
*I think this is a quality that makes us all human...*
Calvin: "If computers can think, what will people be better at than machines?"
Hobbes: "Irrational behavior."
*Waterson the poet, kinda*
Calvin: "Like delicate lace | So the threads intertwine | Oh, Gossamer web | Of wond'rous design! | Such beauty and grace | Wild nature produces... | Ughh, look at that spider | Suck out that bugs juices!"
Theres plenty more where that came from, but i think this post is long enough. Ah well...
More to come later.
ODE TO THE RED DEVILS:
Well, not really, im not that poetic, but anyway. Yea, u cant imagine how proud of these guys, thats y today especially hurt, despite all that happened b4. Gettin up at 4 in the morning was the 1st task, but no biggie cause again, history beckons. Heading on over to a rather familiar golf course, i got ready to cheer on the Red. And yea, the game was real good, but the referee really had his head up his ass. Sorry for the editorial... but some non-calls really ticked me off. And those guys on the German team had some cheesy acting values worthy of a b-movie... which should have no place in football, but sadly that kinda stuff is rampant. Despite all those chances the German guys had, that domineering factor, that essence that i expected, purely non-existent. Sure, they got really good chances, very dangerous, but so did Italy, Spain, Portugal... What about the imfamous German headers?? Nowhere near the goal. The only chance they had shouldnt have been a chance at all. Thats the only time i saw a lapse in the Korean defense, that one little rebound goal... but that was enough. So, Germany bested the Red Devils 1-0, and u dont kno how heartbroken this fan was. Initially, all the Korean team's accomplishments didnt come to mind, the only thing that filled my mind was a chaotic rage. I couldnt help it; it wasnt the fact that the Korean team lost; it was in the manner of their loss. But then, i came back home and saw the recap on Korean TV, and something surprised me. I imagined crestfallen fans as much as in a rage as me, but totally not the case. What i saw was a ppl united, reveling in the fact that the Red Devils made it this far, never willing to call it quits, however insurmountable the odds. Then, i realized (verrryyy slowly, throughout the whole day actually, hehe) that i shouldnt be so crestfallen. The Korean team managed to do what no other team b4 them could for 48 yrs: advance to the 2nd round, even win a World Cup match. But, those Red Devils did jus that, against popular opinion and criticism. They even helped the US team to advance, who themselves had a good run. The Reds became the perenial "Europe Killer", besting the likes of Portugal, Italy and Spain, testing their resolve to the brink. What truly stood out in my mind during the Germany match was how the Reds composed themselves, never reducing themselves to exaggerate, playin on through call after horrible call, and never giving up. Even to the very end the Korean team had breathed life into that national sea of red. So, after all, its not really that bad. The Korean team, the Red Devils have shown their mettle, and proven with vigor that they are not merely elimination fodder, a team that will never back down. Im proud of u guys, and the same goes for 40 million other fans, plus several million more around the globe. So, whoever comes to the 3rd place game, be it either Brasil or Turkey, they will have to face the wrath of the Devils. And as for Germany... Brasil or Turkey will have their way with u. Pilsung Korea!
COREA!!! COREA!!! COREA!!! COREA!!!!
More to come later(sooner than u think)....
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