Ogapeskather! Ahoy! 1. Register as an organ donor….

….Why not?  God forbid I die anytime soon, I’m super stoked to grow old, but just in case  (knock on wood), I registered as an organ donor!  Its pretty easy, just go to this site (if you live in BC): http://transplant.bc.ca/index.asp# and follow the links, fill out the info, voila! One day you may in fact directly save a life! It literally takes less than a minute.

I have also, starting today, resolved to become a vegetarian… or at least, peskatarian.  I always feel gross eating meat anyway.  Whenever I go to the market and see amputated parts everywhere its so disgusting… sometimes they look so… human.  And factory farming? Don’t even get me started.  Why I waited this long is beyond me. 

And I’m a Godfather now!  That’s insane!  I would never associate me with Father…. God, maybe.  Anyhow, even though she says nothing, and does nothing, and rarely even moves, my Goddaughter rocks ass.  I am going to get that tatooed on to her, “rocks ass.” Its a birthmark!

Moving between the legs of tables and of chairs, rising or falling, grasping at kisses and toys, advancing boldly, sudden to take alarm, retreating to the corner of arm and knee, eager to be reassured, taking pleasure in the fragrant brilliance of the Christmas tree. -T. S. Eliot            

Oh, and here are some things I am looking into volunteering for.  If anyone knows of anything else, please do email me.

• Food bank @ East Van http://cityreach.org/home.html - self explanatory.
• Kidstart mentoring program – helping children who are experiencing difficulties in their lives www.kidstart.ca  
• Red Cross http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=014574&tid=078 
• making friends with a 13 year old autistic girl in North Van (someone just forwarded me this).
• SHARE Crisis Line http://www.sharesociety.ca/volunteerism.htm

As well, this summer I was planning to travel a bit, but for certain other reasons those initial plans are now moot.  I am still looking to travel though!  But now I am excited at the prospect of volunteering and traveling instead.  If anyone knows of anything going on that you think I may be interested in, or are doing something themselves and wouldn’t mind an extra body, please do tell!  Right now I’m just checking out sites like http://www.cadip.org/ and asking around.  I’m looking to do it in May or whenever school ends.      

ipod update: its funny, absolutely no one contacted me about my ipod.  That is, no one contacted me about my ipod for a good cause.  I posted more ads simply just selling the ipod, and within literally an hour, I’ve gotten 20 replies…. though that may be just because my first ad was unclear, in fact, most probably so (I was in a rush). Oh well, I’ll try posting some more articulate ads, but it looks like I’m just going to have to sell it and pick the first person myself (rather than the buyer doing it).  

Here are some games I am looking at maybe getting them to play. It might be neat if I could document the whole thing on video.

• consequences - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consequences
• charades - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charades
• eat poop you cat - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat_Poop_You_Cat

Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance. Must Watch.

“Obomsawin’s film, as part of its undoing of the cultural construction of Mohawk warriors as terrorists, asks the white Western viewer to identify with the gaze of the Mohawk Other that reads colonialism as white state-sponsored terrorism.” – Christopher E. Gittings

Everyone should watch Alanis Obomsawin’s, “Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance.”  Obomsawin passionately captures a certain “Native” point of view, powerfully evoking a sense of empathy; in the course of watching this film, many of “their” frustrations became mine… its upsetting, unsettling, but, more importantly, inspiring.

90% of reservations are operated at states comparable to the third world

The movie is a documentary about the conflict (The Oka Crisis) between a Mohawk First Nations group, and the Quebec and Canadian government.  Basically it shows the Canadian military laying siege to a First Nation’s community in a dispute over land.  The appalling thing is that the land in question was apparently purposed for a luxury housing development and to expand a goddamn private golf course!!  This documentary arose all sorts of strong feelings within me, I physically felt sick watching it.  There was so much senseless anger and violence and hate, it just didn’t make sense, I felt like screaming.  Examples of events portrayed or talked about in the film: townspeople throwing stones at Natives leaving the area, a 14 year old girl bayoneted, media being forcibly removed, and other unnecessary physical violence…sometimes both ways. 

Watching the movie, after awhile, its strange, it just felt so close to me… its funny the things that get you, there was this moment when some guy was just talking to his kids over the phone, and it just hit me…. it was maybe one of the most beautiful moments I’ve experienced on film. I don’t even know if the guy was Native, it doesn’t even matter, its just the contrast between that love and such anger was so startling and effective.

“it’s hard to defend democracy against people who don’t believe in democracy.” -Canada’s prime minister Brian Mulroney

What really scares me though is that this past event doesn’t even scratch the surface of things going on in present places!…for equally, if not more, senseless reasons!  I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if their were no camera there… and to think – those events occurred in Canada… God, I just wonder, what happens in places with zero coverage? With no camera?  And you know what? I don’t have to wonder – I absolutely know!  

At the end of World War II, the common German citizen, when asked, cited ignorance in regards to atrocities committed by their government to Jews…. I find that hard to believe.  And I look at us, basking in our riches, forgetting that, among many other things, we have relatively silently succeeded in annihilating a culture in the process; many of the gains we enjoy in life, are absolutely built on the desperate loss of others.  How will history look back on us?  Fuck history. How will I?  Will I cite ignorance?  Will I say, what could I have done? I’m just one person?  Fuck that. JUST one person?  EVERYTHING starts with JUST one person.  Just.

 There are scenes in the film that are particularly poignant… in which you watch the native “warriors” accost individual soldiers… basically, screaming at them, “how could you do this?”  And it is infuriating, because you realize the soldiers have no idea why they are doing anything, yet still do it.  I think this is a very striking metaphor to society, and myself, as a whole… people everywhere are screaming, “why?” And I have no answer, and because I don’t I do nothing! But, like the soldier, my nothing, is, if anything, a large part of the fuel that feeds the fire… that keeps the subaltern subjugated; if I am not a part of the solution, then I am a part of the problem.  And, I realize, startlingly, that I am exactly that infuriating soldier, I am exactly that madness.

How can I be part of a society that is so willing to turn a blind eye?  I don’t even mean just towards first nation injustices or Canada….this is the world, and I am a part of it.  How can I excuse myself by claiming impartiality?  I can’t claim I don’t know, because I DO know!  I don’t want to forget the messages this movie invoked in me, because I know in the past, with similar things, I have; I see something, on the news, in a movie, and I say, “oh, how sad,” and then go have dinner.  Maybe, at dinner, I talk about it, and maybe I feel better about myself, because, “hey I thought about it.”  Maybe I feel smarter, more noble, because I’m now aware of something others, to a degree, may not be, and now I can point it out to them, “hey I’m smart, and I think about doing good things once in awhile.”  And then  I forget. Its so EASY.

But I CAN’T let myself forget – I can’t just keep talking, and not doing anything!  It doesn’t affect me?! Than I have to go somewhere and MAKE it affect me!  You know? 

“A man who does not know foreign language is ignorant of his own.” –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I look just in the past week, and my heart breaks at what I haven’t done; the uselessness I’ve committed.  I went to go see my friends band play last last night, and I felt good at the time.  Why did I feel good? How could I feel good.  I wonder, the 20 or so dollars I spent that night, where else could it have went?  Could it have fed someone? A family maybe? Could it have saved a life?  The 4 hours I spent – for what? For me? Why?! What did I do that meant anything?  Who am I that I deserve fun?  More importantly, was it even “fun”?  What is “fun?” I tell you now, I feel ten times better doing something as simple as walking an old lady down the street, then I do downing five tequilas.  And if my friends can’t handle that, then I need new ones.  I don’t mean to say, “don’t have fun, don’t be happy,” I mean to say don’t be selfishly happy.  How can I invest in my happiness or enjoyment knowing full well that it is bought tenfold at the expense of another? ….whether through my needless consumption, or what I could be doing, but am not.  I want everything I do to be in the process of something better.  People will argue, you can’t spend every hour doing something worthwhile, talking about things of import, you need release once in awhile, down time.  But sometimes release is the escape that negates action…. for me, especially now, down time feels completely, utterly ugly.   I don’t want to have time for bullshit anymore.  Really, I’ve spent 20 years bullshitting, and, to be honest, I feel desperately horrible.  I am looking for something to believe in, to waste my time on what is fundamentally escapism, in hindsight, is absolutely ridiculous.  I don’t need fun, I need passion.

“A learned man is an idler who kills time with study. Beware of his false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.” –George Bernard Shaw

That said, I don’t mean to be a downer. I don’t mean to say, just focus on all the negative things in life, because don’t.  Their is wonder in this world, and things worth smiling about all the time; catch a breeze, its magical.  Anyway, hopefully I find something I can do in the next couple of days, and then maybe I’ll post about it.  Or if anyone has any ideas, or is doing something, or wants to do something, do tell!

  “It is clear that without Obomsawin’s 1993 film, the history of Oka circa 1990 would be dominated by [Prime Minister Brian] Mulroney’s assertion, reproduced in the documentary, that the armed Mohawks were criminals and illegally wielding weapons.”– Brian McIlroy

 

Strange Occurrence, Ramblings, and Idea for Mobility Game. Ipod for Sale.

So today I randomly met up with a friend, and we had dinner.  While we were talking, he told me about how he felt bad that he had not helped a stranger by perhaps inviting that stranger over, giving him food, maybe giving him a place to stay for the night.  So we finished our dinner, which was incredible, and parted; I walked home thinking about many of the things we had discussed, among them this story.  On the way home, waiting for the bus, a man came up to me and asked me for some change to buy food.  I gave him my double delicious Thai leftovers.  I find it strange and interesting, the events that led up this event. I am always amazed at how good it feels to help someone, I think about it, and I’d be happy if thats all I spent my life doing; the content I feel from making something good is a drug, it wears, the joy I feel from helping never fades.

I sometimes wonder why I am pursuing “art” or film, who am I helping? Asking questions, acknowledging problems, these are things, as an artist, I am tasked with.  But, really, these are not difficult things to do, in fact they are incalculably easy.  Finding a solution, acting on it, that, to me, is something of courage, something truly worth pursuing.  I never feel as content as when I feel I am doing  something of worth, direct effect. 

For this reason, I always feel, for example, despicable at parties – I would rather do something of import and have fun, rather than do something to have fun.  I don’t care who people know, I don’t care what crazy thing they did, I don’t care about how much they drank or how wasted they got or how incredibly cool they are.  I couldn’t give a fucking shit ass less, really.  I care who they are, what they genuinely think, and what worthwhile things they in fact do or hope to do with their lives.  There is nothing I hate more than a conversation about nothing.  If people want to escape into their own ignorance, embrace empty nothings, thats fine, but its not for me.  I would hope that everything I do matters, helps something worth helping.  What I don’t have time for is inconsequence. If all I did with my life was make neat things, party, and be some faux-important person within a midst of, really, self-thanking little shit brats, I say fucking kill me now.  I’m not saying I’ve done anything worth anything, but I’m trying.  

I think about this, and I realize now that art that “speaks,” a conversation about something of worth, should never stop there – the saying should never be confused with the doing.  It is a good thing to be aware, but absolutely not enough; I do not want to be a person who talks about things, but does nothing.  So this got me to thinking about our mobility game project.  I don’t want to do something just cute or irreverent or amusing.  I don’t want to stage an event that gives privileged people something to escape to, without affecting or helping anything but those that really don’t need help at all.  Somebody, somewhere desperately needs help I am not going to be wasting my time organizing a pajama party.  I want to be able to feel that I actually directly helped someone that needed it in the process of this project…. no matter how  relatively miniscule my act.  I realize I can either be overwhelmed by all the things I can’t do, or do what I can; nothing happens, if nothing starts, its simple, really.

MOBILITY GAME IDEA

So I thought about the ipod that I was going to sell.  Initially, most of the proceeds were going to go to my girlfriend, but considering that is no longer existent, and, more importantly, after today’s turn of events, I am thinking something else.   My idea right now is that, first, I am going to document the selling of the ipod.   Whoever buys it has to be willing to 1. get their picture taken, 2. come with me and choose a person to give $20 to, and 3. Choose a song off the ipod or name one of their favorite songs, whichever. The person who is given the $20 has to be willing to do all those same things (except each person that came before the chosen would take/frame the picture).  I would continue doing this until all the proceeds were finished, I am hoping around $180 or 9 people.  I am also hoping the picture could include some game that is passed on to each person, tic tac toe or something.  So at the end of it I would have a game that has been passed between 9 different people, and a playlist (which I will upload and share on my “Sharing is Caring” box on this blog), and good feelings, and be poor.  Swell.  That said, if anyone has ideas to how I could improve this one, or would like to colloborate on something bigger, I am completely open.  All I knows is I’m going to sell my ipod, and give the money away. Oh, and if anyone knows anyone who would like to buy an ipod, or would like to buy one themselves, well, I have one for sale.  60 GB, white, pretty good condition.

10 Things I Realize Taking Transit & google map

1. Falling asleep on a sunny day is mandatory.

2. Old woman either smile at you constantly or hit you with their sticks.

3. When I sit next to someone, because their are no empty seats, but then empty seats materialize I never know what to do.  Do they want me to move? Or will they think, “hey, why is he moving? Do I smell?”

4. Some people have lost their sense of smell, and are determined to make everyone aware of it during the busy morning commute.  I have now perfected the art of breathing through my mouth.  The funny thing is, after awhile, you actually sort of like it. Like a guilty pleasure.  You don’t want to inhale… but you do!

5. If you are with a girl, your chances of strange men talking to you out of the blue increase by twenty. If you ARE a girl, my sympathies.

6. People who don’t give up their seats to people who actually need them are assholes. But sometimes you are not sure whether to give up your seat, is this woman old enough?  Will she be insulted if I offer her my seat?  

7. Some of the greatest conversations occur with fascinating strangers.  The interesting thing is, for the most part, you know you will never talk to these people again… so perhaps, in a way, you are most yourself with them.  And no, I am not the guy from #5.

8. When you first get on the bus, and its empty, you don’t want anyone to sit next to you.  When its absolutely full, and no ones sitting beside you still, you desperately do. 

9. People who stand like pylons on the left side of the escalator are assholes. People who don’t make an effort to make space when the bus is full and others are trying to get on are idiots. But sometimes, especially in foreign cities and new places, you are exactly that person. And then its funny.

10. The larger the group the stupider the people.

 Oh, and heres a link to my google map: google map

 

Oh Beautiful Day!

What a glorious day! Off to the beach, hooray! hooray! So I’ll keep this post short and sweet… first a, I think, fitting quote to ponder:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. 

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

-Nelson Mandela   

 I love this quote! Let me try to explain a small bit of the reason why, 

It seems so easy to be impartial, to not try, to be “cool,” detached, to pretend not to care… to really drift into complacency… there is comfort in the mask.  But, I think, when you really go for something, allowing yourself wholehearted belief – to really commit, consequence be damned –  the moment that follows is so beautiful, so magical, so profound, it aches…. its worth it.  when you take a chance, jump, you know? 

Its scary to proclaim, “this is what I want, this is what I believe in,” flat out, straight out, no facades, no outs, and run aimlessly, perhaps recklessly, for it… and I don’t think we can always do so, but when we do, I think that is one of the greatest things in life.  Theirs this idea that failure is somehow bad, but … I wonder, to actively try and fail… is their anything more courageous? To embrace it?  Imagine how freeing that would be… to just BE.  And I don’t mean embracing something, like, say, insecurity or arrogance, so much so that either disappears…. but really wearing it on ones sleeve.  I say be insecure! I say fuck up!  I say lose!  Beauty is in the inconsistency, perfection in the imperfect…. every single thing and person I have ever loved in my life, thinking about it, I have never loved for what I thought I would love them for… its always been some almost ineffable quality… the good and the bad, with no division.

And what about what others think?  Understandably, their are people who prey on judging and treating others negatively, feasting on a certain false sense of importance that usually follows… and it would be naive of me to say, forget them! …because, after all, haven’t we all been in that situation, trying desperately to win over a critic, sometimes even at expense of a friend?  All I can say is, a person who is quick to judge, with no concept of negotiation, is, in fact, completely under control of the person they are judging…. they exist entirely reactively.  And then, sometimes people are just different – and thats okay.  Live and let live!  Embracing failure is realizing that I’m not going to be agreed with, I’m not going to be understood, but I’m gonna put myself out there anyway, and let be – the very magnificence lies in the risk.  In the end, we’re all dead, why not live the way we ought to?  

I think, in general, barring extraordinary circumstance, we choose to be happy.  One can either take charge or wait, take control or be controlled.    We have to ask ourselves which position we would rather be in…. for most, or at least for me, its an easy answer theoretically, but a very hard thing to follow through.  

Being the best person I can be, will only make the people I care for better… how can that ever be bad? The world is filled with fear and complacency, because fear begets fear….. how can I then, with good conscious,  give into my own fears of rejection?  I realize then that doing nothing is absolutely something! How can I be a part of that?   I think I would rather be ridiculed, than further such a cycle.

 Its funny, sometimes when I put effort into something, when I try hard, when I am passionate, people look at me strange – “don’t you have anything better to do?”  Shouldn’t it be the other way around!? its absurd – to apologize for caring, for trying.  Sometimes the world seems absolutely backwards.

anyway, gotta go, haha, not so short, huh? maybe sweet?  I think I repeated a lot of ideas I’ve talked about before, but whatever.  Luckily, I type like the wind.  Smile! Hope y’all have, had, or are having a beautiful day!

 

   

I Believe! Hallelujah, I BELIEVE!

I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.

-Arthur C. Clarke

Good people, today, in a stroke of fate, I read an email from a friend telling me to follow a certain link. That link led me to an astrological profile.  Now, if you know me, you know I was already kind of intrigued by the idea of astrology to begin with…. or at least amused!  But, good God, the addiction has been reawakened!  Re-inspired!  In the past 10 minutes I have learned more about myself than I had ever wanted to….  It is the funniest most surreal thing, and oh so strange! 

Below are some links to astrology sites, I dare you to follow them!  DOUBLE DARE!  Let me know if they give you any insight!  I say hey, you say hey..  I know a naysayer would argue that all astrology writers do is find something everyone can vaguely relate to, but I kid you not, I glanced at the profiles for others signs, and they are absolutely NOT me! But when I read my own, it is god damn eery!  I’d be very interested in seeing what the “success rate” is.

My favorite line is, “for them, everything about life is Big with a capital B”… Hells yes!

Do I believe in destiny?  I think i do.  People like to say, “oh if destiny exists, why do anything? Why don’t I just sit around and do absolutely nothing?”  And to this I say –  try.  Just try.

http://www.novia.net/~aaronk/ast/leo.html

http://www.astrology.com.au/12signs/leo.asp

http://www.ncbuy.com/entertainment/astrology/leo-about.html

http://www.eastrolog.com/astrology-zodiac/leo.php

  

Urinal.

The artist himself may not think he is religious, but if he is sincere his sincerity in itself is religion. - Emily Carr

It interests me that throughout history where religion has been, art also has always necessarily followed (whether it be Russian propaganda films, Byzantine icons, or the Sistine Chapel).  I am not a religious person, in the sense that I do not subscribe to any one conventional “religious” system, but strangely, I would still consider myself “religious.”  That is, I have strong beliefs… even if I am not always fully aware of them; I have conviction, even if I am not always sure how to act.  Emily Carr wrote that “the artist himself may not think he is religious, but if he is sincere his sincerity in itself is religion,” and I relate strongly to that.  Religion is not in a word or a symbol, a painting or a speech, it lives always in one’s own beliefs.

What concerned me most while working on this piece was that very question of belief.  I am at a point in my life where conviction seems a tricky, fickle thing – but an absolutely necessary thing nonetheless.

Just recently, during a media history screening, a film called “Armageddon” was shown.  I found it strange how so many people left, and of the few who did remain, many of them did so only to laugh derogatively at the movie.  I can understand this, I too felt an almost instant sense of…. superiority.  But why?  When judgment comes so easy, it is usually a sign that ignorance is near.  If it is wrong for a “common” person to quickly pass something off as “artsy,” how is it right to pass of another as “commercial?”  Perhaps it is a question of semantics, perhaps not, but I honestly feel that their is worth to be had, knowledge to be learned, in everything, regardless of intent.  An open mind is acceptance, it is strange that in an art school there seems to be so little of it.

“Bad art is always more tragically beautiful than good art because it documents human failure.”

I understand that the backlash is against certain conventions, and blind, ideologically irresponsible decisions (made in the film)…. but, I think, what people fail to recognize is that very reaction is itself convention.  We are spurred by a collective unity.  In this way, “art” is no less a mindless system of thought than, say, Religion or Commercialism, Consumerism or Communism (the “bad” kind).  Like these things, art too seems to have a system of almost taboo arbitrary codes; ways we should think, talk, look, act. What I strive to remember is that this collective identity of “art” has, in fact, absolutely nothing to do with art – Being an “artist” has always been after the fact.

There seems to be a misconceived notion that conviction, belief, and confidence require solidity and foundation… while they ARE a necessary foundation, they should not borrow the connotations of that word.  Belief should never be nailed to the ground, conviction never cemented, rather, they should be in constant negotiation.  Uncertainty is the Mother of all things beautiful and pure. Belief, conviction, confidence – these are things that should be founded on an ocean of constant change.  When judgment is passed without question, judgment should be brought to trial. 

In my piece, formalistically, all in all, there are 10 religions referenced (Christianity [Holy Cross], Judaism [Magden David], Sikhism [Sword, Dagger and Shield], Taoism [Tai-Chi, Yin-Yang], Buddhism [The Dhammachakka], Hinduism [OM], Islam [Crescent and Star], Indigenous Religions [The Quartered Circle], Confucianism [The Trigram], and Jainism [The Swastik Chakra], centered around an outline of Michel Duchamp’s, “Fountain.”  Below is an idea for where I would like to put it and how it would look (though I would be open to other suggestions.)  The only thing I am concerned about is whether the detail within the circle is too fine…. in which case I could take away one of the duplicates and enlarge it (though that would omit Toaism…)… I’ve attached the alternative as well.

 

pop what?

I came across these little “news” blurbs… two are insane, and one is kind of insane but in a kind of cute way… maybe. I’m not sure yet.  I find myself befuddled and appalled at my own enjoyment. It fascinates me how easily I am distracted.  

 I am posting these things because I find it interesting how easy it is for people to relay pretty much anything between one another now…. and even more interesting what they do in fact relay and then pay attention to.  I mean, Jesus, the first video has 16 million views… think about that for a second, its really basically a void of uselessness, but 16 million people were interested enough to spend time watching it…. me and perhaps you included.  Its weird, people.  Admit it. Seriously.

 

at first I thought this was a joke…. then I felt bad… then vaguely scared.  I understand where the guy is coming from, but it is intense: “SHE’S A HUMAN!” 

 

No comment neccessary really.  What’s notable about this one is that it is actual “news.”  Its funny what “professional” news programs are resorting to to keep viewer’s attention.  Hey, I get it, no one wants to listen to actual news ALL the time.  But sometimes I think that is becoming too convenient an excuse…. it feels like we’re a generation feeding on redirection, placebo.  Heres a quote from a later article:

 When it was suggested he take his antics to the US and party girls Paris Hilton or Britney Spears, he said: “I reckon I’d be too high class for them.”    Corey said he had been asked to host hundreds of “informal” parties, but talk of being offered $10,000 to host nightclub events had so far come to nothing.    He had no regrets about refusing to take off his sunglasses in an interview with A Current Affair’s Leila McKinnon – an exchange that seems destined for classic status.    ”I reckon it’s hilarious and so do my mates,” he said.    Asked if his new fame had helped his chances with the ladies, Corey said: “They either want to get to know me or they hate me, there’s no in the middle right now.    ”It’s fun, it’s awesome. I’m famous, I like being famous.”              

Here a guy apparently saw a girl on a NY subway…. basically its a glorified missed connection, but he set up a website and everything, and apparently the two of them met.  Kind of a nice, really, also kind of creepy. I’m not sure which, I guess it depends on how it all turns out.  This link has an interview with the two of them: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3843059   

Lastly, here is an article that just made me say, “wow” out loud.   Its about twins who were separated at birth and unknowingly, um, married each other.  Yeah.  http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/01/11/twins.married/index.html  

Petition (edit: DO NOT FORWARD)

I recently posted a petition, if you read it earlier and forwarded it, please backward it.  It is a hoax.  That said, be aware that some of the atrocities mentioned in the petition do in fact happen, if interested check out the below sites…. it is just the myth that the petition alleges instigates said actions that is false.http://www.saps.gov.za/org_profiles/core_function_components/fcs/hoax.htmhttp://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/babyrape.asp 

A Blast From the Past

Well todays my Mom’s birthday, its a kind of sad day seeing as she’s not around anymore, but a fond one too.   

Anyway, I was looking through my stuff this morning, and I was shocked to find an old envelope stashed in a box labelled “Ericsson.” I opened it, and inside was a bunch of letters and a stash of photos.  Apparently my Mother had left me a time capsule, or maybe just meant to give me these things when I got older. 

 Reading the letter, and looking at the photos made me really happy.  The wierd thing is she had written the first letter before I was even born! And had written a letter to me every year until she passed away.  So, today I started writing my own letter … and it got me thinking… I wonder if one day my future children will come across this very blog?  Wouldn’t it be magical and strange?

 Anyway, I think its best if I keep it at that here, but I will share some of the pictures I found! Happy birthday, mama!

this picture cracks me up, I don’t know why.

 

the kitchen of seeing

(click on panorama for bigger version)

So, something is seriously wrong with my Internet right now. I click on things and weird things happen, the page flickers and reloads repeatedly.  This sucks because I was trying to write about some of the things that interested me conceptually in regards to this panorama, and it all got wiped out as soon as I clicked save.  I don’t feel like writing it all again right now, but any comments anyone wishes to share in general is welcome.  All I’ll say is that it was primarily influenced by Roland Barthe’s essay on semiotics, “The Kitchen of Meaning,” and Martha Rosler’s video, “The Semiotics of the Kitchen.”  

Don’t you hate it when you lose stuff for absolutely no reason?  Its insane! I swear to God, I am like Midas – but everything I touch turns to nothing!  I’m misplacing things left and right!  In fact, I kid you not, the best way for me NOT to lose something is to actively try and misplace it.  It is incredible, I think I am super human.

So, anyway, here’s some more Calvin & Hobbes comic strips I like. Smile.

 

“Fear Lulls Our Minds to Sleep”

Persepolis is the best movie of the year.  Just kidding.  But it is pretty damn good.

Anyway, I just, or I guess yesterday, watched it, and I really enjoyed it… watch it if you can.  If you don’t know, Persepolis is an animation following a little girl who leaves Iran to escape a, to put it lightly, toxic political atmosphere.  She then grows up in Europe (Venice?), then returns to Iran.  The animation is simple and to the point, and charming because of it.  The story is also semi-autobiogrophical I believe.

What I related to the most in the movie was that it articulated quite well a certain feeling I personally am very much struggling with.  That is, perspective.  Let me explain, the little girl, Chiara, leaves Iran to escape very real problems – war, violence, and some seemingly oppressive traditions (especially in regards to women). She leaves that, goes to Venice and is caught up in relatively lesser problems – relationships, philosophy, social meandering, etc..  But, during parts of the movie, it seems to be those lesser problems that trouble her most, even though she herself realizes there are bigger things to worry about.  She doesn’t necessarily become apathetic, but, rather distracted by these quibbles.

Murjanes Grandmother: “The first marriage is practice for the next one.”

And I relate, because being in Vancouver, where my problems, really, are fairly irrelevant, is like an anesthetic.  I feel numbed to the real troubles in our world, detached from the trenches, and what’s worse is that I’m aware of it.  If I analyze myself, I feel wretched, because I know I am giving priority to selfish endeavors, primarily because I’m afraid to face up to more daunting challenges. It’s like screaming, “look at this pebble” as a humungous boulder looms ominously over.  

150, 000 people die every day, that’s two people every second, what can I do? Why does it matter? What about human rights? Women’s rights? Racism? Politics? Horribly wrong social ethics?  Its insane! 

The immensity of the task is crushing, and I think lulls me, and people in general, to sleep.  We feel small.  A lot of really good people, with genuine thoughts, are, in effect, being termed irrelevant in the grand scheme of things because of this; whether they know it or not, they’re desperately afraid.  And, concurrently, the people in power often shouldn’t be, but are.

 What kills me is that I really believe in the goodness of people.  I really do.  I think they know what is right, but are so enamored with fear, that they let it make their decisions for them.  What’s really scary though is what we can convince ourselves of because of this.  I mean, I see it in my own very choices – in hindsight, I often seem to disregard things that are so obviously right, things that would’ve made me happier (though I’ve often convinced myself otherwise), in favor of things so obviously wrong.  Its weird, because in the moment, I’m so utterly convinced!  And I think its because failing the latter is so much easier – I would rather fail at something insignificant, because if I really cared and failed – Gosh, that would suck.  I am starting to believe that what I want is exactly the opposite of what I indeed want!

So, I’ll end with this, by watching Persepolis, and here writing about it, I realize what I think I actually want my goals to be.  I was talking to a friend, and we both agreed to write simplified lists.  Mine had only 2 things – one of them being to make the world a better place, hers was similar.  I know its quite laughably idealistic, in fact embarrassingly so, but I’m going to choose to believe in it and try to follow through – distractions be damned.  

 

 

“Thunder Cats are Go!”

    I just came back from watching “Juno,” and I have to say, without hesitation, it is MY favorite movie this year (and last).  The movie feels like an old friend, I can’t put it any other way.  I laughed, I cried (nearly), and it just felt, well, good.  I related to the humor, I related to the situations, everything just felt right; childish, irreverent, but irrevocably meaningful.  Yes, I could see how parts could be considered borderline cheese ball, but, really, that’s part of the charm.  In this sense, it reminds me of another one of my favorite films, “Before Sunrise,” in that the movie is aware of its adolescence, but runs with it.  And I like that playfulness, that childishness. I also love Kimya Dawson, who, coincidentally, is featured in the soundtrack, so that didn’t hurt.  Anyhow, if you’ve watched this movie, and also liked it, I’d maybe  recommend “King of California,” which is also good.

Juno: “Yeah, I’m a legend. You know. They call me the cautionary whale.”

    That said, I admit, some of the devices used were contrived, and the movie itself isn’t actually unique or groundbreaking.  If someone said “hey, that’s not the best movie of the year,” I wouldn’t disagree.  It’s not the best made movie of the year, or the best told, or the most “different,” it will not revolutionize film.  Were “No Country for Old Men” or “Sunshine” technically better? Will they be remembered more ten years from now?  In respect to the world as a whole, sure.  Did “Babel” and perhaps “Bamako” have more to say?  Yes.  Were “Atonement” and “Across the Universe” more visually pleasing? Of course.  Was “Zodiac” more intriguing?  Yup.   But I watch “Juno,” and, to be quite frank, I just don’t care. I will remember it more.  The movie just makes me feel good through and through, for no particular reason, I can’t explain it.  It’s super corny to say, but I’ll say it, because it makes sense in the context of the movie, it’s like love, none of that matters.   Juno is the best movie of the year.  Watch it.

One Week of Food Around the World

One week’s worth of food by various cultures

• Germany: The Melander family of Bargteheid
• Food expenditure for one week: 375.39 Euros or $500.07

• United States: The Revis family of North Carolina
• Food expenditure for one week: $341.98

• Japan: The Ukita family of Kodaira City
• Food expenditure for one week: 37,699 Yen or $317.25

• Ital: The Manzo family of Sicily
• Food expenditure for one week: 214.36 Euros or $260.11

• Mexico: The Casales family of Cuernavaca
• Food expenditure for one week: 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $180.90

• Poland: The Sobcnyscy family of Konstancin-Jeziorna
• Food expenditure for one week: 582.48 Ziotys or $151.27

• Egypt: The Ahmed family of Cairo
• Food expenditure for one week: 387.85 Egyp tian Pounds or $68.53

• Ecuador: The Ayme family of Tingo
• Food expenditure for one week: $31.55

• Bhutan: The Namgay family of Shingkhey Village
• Food expenditure for one week: 224.93 ngultrum or $5.03

• Chad: The Aboubakar family of Breidjing Camp
• Food expenditure for one week: 685 CFA Francs or $1.23

• Vancouver: Me (Ericsson S.P. Chu)
• Food expenditure for one week: priceless. (or $42.93)

 

article links

Some interesting links to a couple of articles I read that are in somewhat, sometimes, kind of, maybe, relation to the prior post.  They’re pretty much one big article, but its 15 pages, so I’ll give a short summary on each, and if it interests anyone, feel free!

what is a blog?  http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794172

a fantasy world where people make their own films http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794220

participatory media good or bad? http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794256

are many minds better than a few? the wiki principle http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794228

brief history of mass media and internet http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794156

journalism is becoming interactive http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794240

about podcasting http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794210

what is a media company? http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=6794282

I don’t know what I’d do without the internet.

9 times out of 10 people will pick the shortcut, the fastest possible route – see the microwave, the car, the television, the supermarket, the airplane.  The internet.  That’s what technology is all about – convenience, speed.  I think we forget that sometimes the means is as important as the ends, and every step we sacrifice, I think, cheats us of something really worthwhile.  Theirs this concept that one somehow always gains by doing things faster, but a minute is a minute is a minute, nothing is really lost, only negotiated.  We are so bloated, blinded, by the result, we forget that their is magic in the journey.  People like to call the internet an “information pipeline,” and I find that quite fitting.  The thing gushes and flows, giving whatever you want, whenever you want.  

It’s ironic that a little bit of the spontaneity, the adventure, of the now is relinquished in the ever persistent search of it.  I sometimes wonder if all this searching, all this information, serves merely as a distraction; perhaps it is just subterfuge of the mind for the mind.  After all, we pick what link to follow, we choose what article to read.  Are we getting more intelligent?  Or more ignorant?  Are we honestly searching, or, in fact, digging our heels further and further into our own established beliefs with minor gives and evolutions?  After all, there is strength in numbers, and our confidence in ourselves can only be strengthened by similar confidences – to know that somebody else cries “yes!” to our yes is comforting, empowering.  Yet, similarity sometimes breeds only more similarity, we see this in our family, in our friends, and in our cultures. 

People will argue that the internet signals the proliferation of choice, but I don’t know if I agree.  I don’t know if I agree, because I think groups tend to, in the long run, assimilate one another; monopoly, in an ideological sense, is almost always inevitable, and the same runs true with ideas; an original thought is not an original thought, it is an accumulated one.  A “pipeline” implies a source, what happens when we centralize it?  Cultural tyranny?  In the long run, what happens when everything is shared? Dilution or saturation? What happens to choice?  What’s happenned already?  The choice between democrat and republican, socialist and capitalist,  hell, mac and pc, google and yahoo, hd dvd and blu-ray, lcd and plasma, Mcdonalds and Burger King, Telus and Rogers, CNN and BBC,  you have to ask yourself, are these really choices?  I know they are choices, relative to each other, but is that enough?  I’m honestly not sure.  And, in the face of the internet, this scares me.  This scares me because the world is becoming more connected, differences are fading.  I know their are positive to this, such as minimized racism, perhaps greater potential for sympathy, but their are also negatives, because difference is uniqueness. Difference is choice.  Then again, perhaps a little sameness is what this world needs.  I don’t know.       

Hello World!

just testing