Like Man, Like Dog

When I go out to work, I sometimes pass the sorriest sight I've seen for quite some time. It is this old man with a dog. Now, this old man used to have two rather sad dogs, but only one remains. But that's not the sad part.

The old man was saddled with the dogs because his son's wife didn't like them. But the old man was abandoned by his children as well, so he really has to fend for himself. The old man is hardly able to look after himself, let alone dogs. Understandably, the pups are in really poor shape. Unwashed, mangy and not quite well nourished.

What do I see today? I see the old man, mangy as the one dog. The dog has practically lost half of its fur and has a raw looking wound on one of its legs. It really is a matter of time. I suppose little could be done but to put the dog down. It may even be a mercy to put the man down while we're at it. Sometimes, life can be real unfortunate. Short of euthanasia, I suppose the next thing to do is grimace and bear it.

Personal Standards

I strongly believe in personal standards. A personal standard is a standard one sets for herself, independent of what's out there in the "real" world. In short, it is non-adaptable to "reality" and forms an anchor point of one's identity. It also serves well to cement one's otherness such that one can avoid becoming too assimilated into a social reality, becoming unable to see beyond the reality to the ideals.

I was thinking about this when one of my colleagues made an absurd comment. The subway train we were taking was full of passengers. In fact, there were no free seats at all and a goodly number of passengers were standing. She said...wow the train's practically empty. Why would someone say that, when the train is very clearly crowded? It does not compute.

When I challenged that statement, she pointed out that trains are normally packed like sardine cans. Therefore the train was empty in comparison. Well...I suppose relativism in this case can make life happier, in that one can convince oneself that the situation is better simply because there are worse things out there. To me, however, a fact is a fact. To convince oneself otherwise is self deception...blasphemy by my book. Truly, it is a race to the bottom, because really, it's easy to keep sliding the standard downwards and if people are intent on self deception, they'll find themselves in a cesspool sooner or later. As my other friend says: Just because something is better than something else doesn't make it good.

It's The Little Things...

It's been awhile since I've listened to a track that I truly loved. Tonight, when my friend sent me a Music Box video link, I started thinking about a particular song by that title. It's Music Box by Jennifer Rafferty.

Now, I don't remember if I've written about this particular song before, but frankly I'm still in love with it even after not having heard it for a couple years. In fact, it's the sort of song that can have me paralyzed for some time, just soaking in the tune and the lyrics.

I guess it reminds me of the little things in life that I truly love, but have forgotten. Things like night photography, and certain kinds of music. Perhaps it's the fact that I actually remember and try to revive these interests that prevents me from mindlessly plodding on at work and being absorbed by it. (Not that it's currently the case)

Rainbow Six

I love book exchanges. I like the sheer randomness of the experience, never knowing exactly what you're going to get out of the deal. Well, this time round was no exception. I did my usual tossing out of books that I deemed to be "trash", and then gone on to pick up stuff that I didn't think to be trash at the time. Simple enough. Actually, chances are I'd think they're trash anyway a year from now, but that just lets me dump them back in the book exchange. It's an elegant system.

Now, this year, I managed to pick up a book on runes, which is quite amusing to me seeing as how I've got my own personal set of runes and this is well...about my stuff. Always nice to have books about stuff you already know. And then I happened to see this boring looking book that seemed to have lost its sleeve: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. Now, I know some people didn't like the story because it's quite one dimensional and not necessarily credible, but hey I liked it back then, so I picked up the nice hefty hard cover to decide whether I liked to have another copy. And then I saw the silver marker writing on it. Holy crap...Tom Clancy's signature. DIBS!

I later found out that I picked up an autographed limited edition copy of the book. With his old signature, to boot. Well, it's a happy day for me, and I hope someone out there isn't too unhappy about it. I believe we can safely assume that books that wind up at the exchange are unwanted, after all...

Path Dependency

I think the single most important thing about our lives...is the past. Much as how many of us will undoubtedly have regrets about how the past went, well I think where we are today is a product of exactly that. For better or worse anyway.

I'm thinking back about all the shit I went through when I was younger. To this day, I still think it's shit and I'm not happy about it. You can have that on the record. Then again, when I think about the alternatives, I realize that I wouldn't be who I am today, doing the work I do, had things actually went better for me. In fact, I'd most likely be in a line of work that gives me way less satisfaction. It is interesting that my life today is indeed literally the product of a series of unfortunate events. Hmm. Of course, the rest is how I deal with those events, which is another story for another day.

While we're on the topic, I'm meditating on what I know of as path dependency. Simply put, where you were will help determine where you'll go. It's an unfortunate fact of life, and it does make me wonder just how much of the world's population is victimized by this, whereby they aren't given fair opportunities at the early parts of their lives, resulting in their not having a fair chance at life when they grow up. I look around me and think...a heckuva lot. For me, it was a happy accident so far. But for many others, I can only wish them all the best.

Space Battleship Yamato

Yes, the anime series and the animated movie's way old. It's a cult classic. And if you don't already know the storyline, you've probably been hiding under a rock somewhere. Now, I won't mince words in saying that I'm partial towards this particular show, because it's something from my younger days, and really...I do tend to like over the top narratives. If it's going to be a movie, I don't seriously expect realism and coherent storylines.

This particular rendition has some differences from the original anime, especially noticeable in the romance sequence they've thrown in. It seriously annoys me, how the makers of these shows are so fond of throwing a romance in to increase viewership. Sex sells, but really...that's just unprofessional aboard the Yamato =p

Jibe aside, the over the top of self sacrifice, xenocide and reasonably dramatic space battles is everything I expected. Granted, the special effects aren't quite top notch, but it's clear that the creators made some effort to provide some iconic scenes from the original anime. I appreciate that very much. Overall, however, the look and feel remains somewhat plasticky and seems to lack the high budget realistic oomph that I've come to expect. Of course, that could be due to a creative decision, but that's how it comes across to me.

Narrative is...well...every bit as strong/weak as the original, with the invariable weakness of romance thrown in. For some reason, whenever there's a crisis, the lovers invariably embrace and talk sweet nothings while the fate of the world is at stake. It annoys me, and note this for the record. Guys, get a room. You can always make out after you get home from the suicide mission which you people invariably survive anyway.

Overall I'd say the movie gets 7/10 from me. Marked down for the romance, though I regard the plot holes as part and parcel of a live action movie that at least tries to stay faithful to the original material. The movie's not bad, but I'm pretty sure it's really for the old faithfuls.

The Naturalized Politician

There's something that constantly bewilders me about people. Some people are pretty middling when it comes to social relations. Others are quite withdrawn. And yet others are what I regard as naturalized politicians. By naturalized, I mean they've become social to the extent that it's essentially a normal part of their personality.

I have difficulty differentiating between someone who's actually really social and friendly by nature, and someone who's doing it for potential political gain in the long run. Another thing I've been wondering is whether there's any practical difference at all. Obviously, someone who's friendly by nature is in it for some sort of gain. At the very least self satisfaction. It's also a natural side effect that they wind up ingratiating themselves with others and that ideally positions them for political maneuvers. Simply put, I'd just regard social people with suspicion at all times, simply because of the nature of these relationships.

Undoubtedly, there is power to weak ties. And some people do excel at creating massive networks of weak ties. While I understand at an intellectual level that it is prudent to maintain such ties and that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with doing so, I have the nagging (guilt?) that actively pursuing the creation of weak ties is a form of weakness simply because it makes one reliant on others. Undoubtedly, no individual is an island or self sufficient, but then I'm the sort to prefer cultivating stronger ties all around. It commands loyalty, and I feel less like one who's getting to know others just for the gain obtained in the relationship. Sure, it's less than efficient, but I guess it works for me.