Thursday, December 17, 2009

I heart me(n)

A shirt which reminded me of a friend so much that I had to capture it.



I wonder who that friend is.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

O come, O come, Emmanuel

O come, O come, Emmanuel
I’m missing you
I’m waiting for your spell
Without you, my heart will fade
I’ll wither if your love is delayed

Chorus:
Come now, come on, Emmanuel
I’m waiting for your hypnotizing spell
Come now, come on, Emmanuel
I’m waiting for your hypnotizing spell

O come, O come, Adonai
I’m dreaming of your supernatural high
The thought of you is making me shine
Come fill in me with love divine

//Repeat chorus 3x

---

I have been totally enraptured by this mystic remix of the biblical hymn. It's used as one of the theme song in Born Rich, and plays in the scenes of forbidden love between Marcus and Angie.

It's interesting (and some may argue, inappropriate) that a piece about a religious prophesy could be modified thus, so as to fittingly complement the story of an extra-marital love affair.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

To forgive and forget

I used to like asking what-if questions. Now, I like to ponder about them. One such question has been: What if you found out that your partner cheated on you? Instant bye-bye?

As with most things, it depends. This time, however, there's a factor which doesn't usually come to play. It depends on whether others also know about the affair.

If it is a private issue, just between you and your partner, it is much easier to forgive and forget. However, when the word spreads, things start getting complicated.

There are those who argue that a relationship is just between two people, that external opinions shouldn't play any part in decisions. I tend to believe that, although a relationship is indeed centred around two individuals, they are not the only ones affected.

At any rate, relatively widespread knowledge of such an incident could only aggravate the situation. It attracts opinions from people who, though undoubtedly thinking in your best interests, may not fully comprehend your stance.

Suddenly, your decision is also under scrutiny and judgement.

Recent reports claim that Elin Nordegren had always known about Tiger Woods' mistresses, but chose to remain in the marriage. I hope she can still stay true to herself after the media's given their two cents.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Love and loyalty

In the TVB drama Born Rich, Connie expressed an interesting idea in reply to her cheating husband Marcus' assurances of love. She said:
女人的愛是跟忠誠掛鉤的
which roughly translates as: "For a woman, love is interlocked with loyalty."

This notion bounced around in my head for a while, as I wondered the degree of truth it held. Was it just another flowery statement to spice up the story? Or was it a concept which could generally be applied the reality?

Loyalty is certainly valued as a virtue. The media's current excitement in revealing a new side of Tiger Woods proves that it is considered a big issue (or, admittedly, simply that the media likes to sensationalise).

Infidelity is by no means laudable, but does it automatically deny the feelings of one who has fallen into temptation?

Like most things, this is not a question answerable in absolute terms. "Cheating" is a broad term which encompasses a wide range of circumstances. Many other factors also contribute. Did it occur once, or often? In what state was the existing relationship? Was there any remorse felt? What are the feelings towards the third party/ies?

Unfaithfulness doesn't necessarily mean a loss of feelings. And by the same argument, strong affection might not ensure fidelity.

Though related, love and loyalty are separate ideas. It is quite possible that they do not co-exist.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

The Twilight "Saga"

My weekend sisterly-bonding activity was spent watching the second instalment in the Twilight Saga, "New Moon". The word 'saga' gives me the impression of some epic tale of heroic deeds. I struggle to understand how this story fits the description.

I tried my best to enjoy what I had paid for with no previous bias, but I can't help but conclude that it was an excruciatingly dull way of spending two hours. My sister shared my sentiments.

There is an abundance of Twilight-bashers out there (some more creative than others), and that usually is enough incentive for me to grow fond of something. Quite helpfully, this saga has proven that my strive to be different doesn't entirely impair my judgement and opinions.

I don't intend to offend anyone who does enjoy Ms Meyer's works of fiction. I do know people who find appeal in the story (or at least, in one of its products *cough*E.Cullen*cough*). I respect their tastes. Or perhaps I'm simply too shallow to see the double meaning hidden between the lines.

All I can say is that this is definitely not my first choice of entertainment.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

NaNoWriMo

A friend introduced me to NaNoWriMo, and excited the nerd in me. The idea of completing a 50,000-word piece of fiction in the 30 days of November seemed like a great idea.

In fact, I've signed up for it!

Yes, I know it's December now. Yes, I know there's a full year till the next writing window. And yes, I know I'll either forget or lose interest by then. But right now I'm pumped!

I also know that it'll be extremely difficult. At least for me. It's funny, because when I was a young kid, all I did was write, write, write. I loved writing, and I churned out pages and pages of this and that. It felt easy, too. Ideas just flowed through the pen and onto paper.

Then, gradually, as I grew up, my creativity waned. Suddenly, it was a struggle to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard). No longer did I have brilliance brewing in my mind, fighting to be born through my penmanship. All the writing I ever did was the mandatory papers for school, and those times were often dominated with doses of writer's block.

Fingers crossed, that'll change. With any luck, the deadline, the challenge and the embarrassment should I fail to complete my task will motivate me to deliver 50,000 words of solid gold.

Fingers crossed.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

"The Lost Symbol" Dan Brown

[Warning: Here be spoilers]

Uni holidays has allowed me to wear down the reading list I had accumulated. One I've just managed to tick off was Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.

I quite enjoyed the read. I was scoffed at by someone for liking trashing literature, but this was the same guy who wanted to and did read Twilight, so it's not like I will take his literary opinion to heart.

I must admit, though, that Brown does not express himself in the most elegant manner. However, it wasn't his style of writing which appealed to me, but rather, the ideas he was putting forth. I felt that they resonated with a set of beliefs that I myself held, albeit unknowingly.

Brown takes Robert Langdon on a quest to discover the teachings of the Masons. Rather than being under the mercy of a higher being, humans are the ones who possessed divine powers. The human mind hold immense capabilities, even to the extent of performing what we call miracles. If one could learn to concentrate and pit one's mind to the matter, one could achieve the physically impossible.

This is what Brown's novel proposed, and this is what I had believed for some time.

From my perspective, the abilities of the human mind far outreaches what is scientifically accepted. I do believe it is capable of physical manipulation and influencing external events. When I try to will things to work, I imagine these streams or waves of energy flowing from my head to the objects. Call me weird, but I think it helps.

In the novel, Katherine Solomon used Noetic science to support this belief. It seems like an interesting thing for me to look into.