More Wisdom - Young Jeezy and Milan Kundera
Snowman bitch, I don't even wear the same draws
Flat screens on my walls, flows look like bowling balls
I know Big Meeks, the real Big Meeks
It's over for you clowns soon as my nigga hit them streets
I see you ridin' homie, but that ain't hard enough
You know me I might pull up in an armored truck
I stack big faces, I stack small faces
I stack all faces, swear it's white as pillow cases
I got a dirty mouth but my kitchen's clean
Them folks ridin' hid the pots and the triple beams
Hit the Dodge spot I must've copped six Magnums
Marriott suite, I must've used six magnums
Feds on my tail, you know them boys'll six flag ya
Testarossa ride, like I'm on a coaster ride
Sheet mix, remix still talkin' white bricks
Two million records sold and I'm still talkin' white shit
That's Jeezy's verse from the remix of Rick Ross' "Hustlin". It's been in my head all day and I just felt the need to get that out of my system. Phew.
I'm reading Milan Kundera's "The Unberable Lightness of Being" at the moment and I've decided that I like the book. After initially fearing that I may be bored by it, I've realised that, despite it's complete lack of anything you could call "action", it is nonetheless very interesting.
This book is the thinking man's Sex and the City. Set in various places around Europe, but following the lives of two Czechs in the time of the Soviet Occupation following the Prague screens. The characters of the novel go through a variety of relationship issues, many of which deal with their personal infidelities and the differences between physical and romantic love.
The novel is heavily philosophical, grounded primarily in existentialism, Kundera uses his characters as pawns, manipulating their feelings and the situations within which they place themselves as a vehicle for his philosophical musings.
The book's basis is the idea that each of us has one life to live which is never to be repeated and "einmal ist keinmal" ("once is never" ie. what happens once may as well not happen at all) therefore rendering our decisions, and our lives, insignifcant. This insignificance of our decisions is a "lightness", because it leaves us free to do whatever we should choose without fear of consequenes, however, grappling with the insignificance of it all is also "unbearable".
Practically every page presents a new idea or way of looking at things, some of which I'd never thought of before and many of which I had considered, felt or thought about. This makes the book very appealing but also needing a very committed reader (because you have to concentrate on it to get the most out of it).
Because the book is literally teeming with interesting ideas, I won't be putting any of Kundera's wisdom up here in quote-form, but I do suggest you check the book out, especially if you're interested in the philosophies of love and life.
Murakami's Wisdom
Some excerpts of "A Wild Sheep Tale", the Murakami book I'm reading at the moment.
"People can generally be classified into two groups: the mediocre realists and the mediocre dreamers"
"The world is mediocre. About that there is no mistake. Well then, has the world been mediocre since time immemorial? No. In the beginning, the world was chaos, and chaos is not mediocre. The mediocritisation began when people separated the means of production from daily life. For when Karl Marx posited the proletariat, he thereby cemented their mediocrity."
"The negation of cognition thus correlates to the negation of language. For when those two pillars of Western humanism, individual cognition and evolutionary continuity, lose their meaning, language loses its meaning. Existences ceases for the inviduum as we know it, and all becomes chaos. You cease to be a unique entity unto yourself, but exist simply as chaos. And not just the chaos that is you; your chaos is also my chaos. To wit, existence is communication, and communication, existence"
"Everybody has some one thing they do not want ot lose. Humans by necessity must have a midway point between their desires and their pride. Just as all objects must have a center of gravity. This is something we can pinpoint. Only when it is gone do people realise it even existed."
"Loneliness wasn't such a bad feeling. It's like the stillness of the pin oak when all the birds have flown off."
I also learnt that a vodka with grapefruit juice is called a "salty dog".
On top of that, songs I'm bumpin' on my new shiny black iPod video atm.
1. Justin Timberlake - SexyBack
2. Rick Ross - Blow
3. The Game - One Blood
4. Young Buck ft. Mobb Deep - Project Niggas
5. Arctic Monkeys - From the Ritz to the Rubble
The AIESEC Sports Day was fun today. Despite a few moments of uncoordination (man I suck at basketball) I did manage to score 3 goals in soccer. w00t. That'll teach y'all to pick me second last (sorry Ash)!
a bittersweet life
how quickly things can go from great to horrible. i wonder why it is that when it rains, it always pours. we were talking about God and karma and fate last night... whatever it is that decides on what happens in this universe, could they be a bit more consistent? why cant bad things happen on a sunny day, at least ill have something to smile about. or is it all just chaos.
21
Well apparently I'm 21, however, I don't really feel older. I've never really been a huge fan of birthdays, or making a big hoo-ha over them. As a result, I celebrated my 21st birthday anniversary (which was on Sunday) by going to work in the morning, having 2 AIESEC meetings in the afternoon and then having dinner with my parents. Sure I'll be having a party and all that, but I've been so lazy organising it that it's going to be a month belated.
Thanks heaps to everyone who made my birthday special, though. Especially that girl for raising the bar 10-fold. Thanks so much, I can't begin to express how special everything that you've done is.
Thanks to everyone who signed the book or sent in a message/photo. Thanks to everyone who's given me a present, they're all really nice.
So far my birthday haul includes:
- July National Conference delegates fee: $335
- 21st birthday party costing up to $1000
- $500 cash
- a blue bath towel
- 2 pairs of CK boxers
- 2 packets of Mach 3 Turbo shaving cartridges
- Haruki Murakami - "Blind Woman, Sleeping Willow"
- Haruki Murakami - "Birthday Stories"
- 6 Royal Doulton whisky tumblers
- a Head LiquidMetal 140 squash racquet
- a black 30Gb iPod Video
- a white Rescued Timber picture frame
In other news, I polished off Chomsky's "Failed States" and I have some thoughts that I'll post soon. I'm reading some Penguin shorts that I picked up for 50c each at the Uni Bookshop.
And today's squash session was freakin' topsy-turvey. After losing to Jing 9 - 0 in the first game, I managed to actually beat Thomas 9 - 0 !!!! I'm still getting over it. I think the T-man was a bit off his game, a bit tired and not concentrating because he dropped another 6 points to me in the next game (which I lost 9 - 6). So, although I failed to beat Jing at numerous attempts, and only beat Thomas once out of numerous attempts... I am freaking happy. I wonder if I'll ever be able to beat him again, I'm thinking that he's thinking "don't count on it!"
Books
Harrooo... I'm writing this in Windows Live Writer which is like, Microsoft's new WYSIWYG blog editor... it's pretty cool but I'm yet to see what the blog post will end up looking like, heh.
Anyway, I randomly went to Borders today, as I often do (I enjoy hanging around bookstores... sad, I know) and stumbled upon two decent books on sale, woohoo. I got DBC Pierre's "Vernon God Little" which won the Man Booker Prize in 2003 and Gunther Grass' "Crab Walk". Grass is a great author and I've always wanted to read his literature in German but never gotten around to it (it would take me some time with a German dictionary by hand to be able to fully appreciate it but I always think untranslated literature is soooo much more fulfilling than the translated kind).
Given that I'm still working my way through Noam Chomsky's "Failed States" (thanks uni, for filling my reading with Business Finance... ugh)... and I have a stack of other books to get through first, we'll see when I start reading this. Chomsky is fantastic though, love his work.
3 great quotes
Thanks to adam for posting these on nomadone.
"We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate --- thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising." -Maya Angelou"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world" - Anne FrankAnd thanks to
adam again for posting this on
his blog.
"He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough" - Lao Tzu
Sick... and Twisted?
Well I'm in bed at the moment running a 38.3 degree fever, which kinda sucks. The central heating is on, I'm dressed in a t-shirt and two warm jumprs, I'm under two doonas, I have a hot-water bottle and I'm drinking tea like there's no tmr and yet... I'm still freakin' freezing. I have a feeling that it's something I ate because I have indigestion also. I'd like to say God bless Codral and Immodium and all those people who don't take medicine out of principle are suckers. Even if it is a placebo or eventually kills me prematurely somehow, it was damn worth it. Note: Thomas, if you get a call from me tomorrow morning saying "sorry dude, sick, cant play squash" then I apologise in advance... hopefully I will recover and be able to hit the ball with my usual inaccuracy and lack of power, heh. But that's enough bitching from me, folks.
I finished reading a book called
"Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: True Stories from a War Zone", yes it does sound like a trashy book, thanks to the title (which should really be reconsidered) but I assure you, it's quite good. It's written by 3 20-something people who work for the UN in various war-torn places around the world (including Cambodia, Somalia, Rwanda, Haiti, Liberia and Bosnia).
Various people quite high up in the UN tried to have the book banned (allegedly, according to wikipedia, even Kofi Annan) for its controversial criticisms of UN failures in Haiti, Rwanda and Bosnia. It seems a bit silly though, because the main historical events that the book deals with are well documented to be UN failures anyway (ie. 800,000 Tutsis slaughtered in Rwanda in 3 weeks - UN did nothing; 8000 Bosnian Muslims murdered at Srebrenica in the largest mass-murder in Europe since World War 2 - Dutch UN peacekeepers were present but did nothing, they just watched).
The book was very entertaining, gruesome and macabre at times and an interesting perspective on the UN. Interestingly enough, I found that the UN, despite all of its obvious problems, still has a mystical allure that was just underlined by this book. It's an organisation with sooooooo much potential... and one I aspire to eventually work for. I recommend it to anyone who is considering volunteering opportunities overseas... it will stoke your sense of adventure.
I am now reading
Chomsky's latest work, "Failed States". It's another interesting collection of organised criticisms aimed right at the heart of the USA's foreign policy and democratic principles. While I want try to go into every specific point the book makes (because I'd end up rewriting it), I would like to highlight some that were of particular interest to me, simply because they are quite obvious and I'd never thought of it that way before... thanks to the
biased media on that one.
- Why is it that the USA constantly criticises Iraq for drafting "foreign fighters" like Syrians, Iranians, Palestinians and others, when it has assembled a "coalition of the willing" itself? What's the difference there?
- How can the USA constantly and
flagrantly ignore the Geneva Conventions and the International Declaration of Human Rights? You can't count their attrocities on your hands, there are so many, eg: rendition of POWs to other countries where they will be tortured (violation of human rights), torture of POWs in US-run prisons (violation of human rights), Guantanamo Bay (ditto), Abu Ghraib (ditto), starving people in Fallujah of food and water during the siege (against Geneva conventions), attacking medical institutions (razing hospitals, there was only one clinic in Fallujah left standing after that particular assault)... the list just goes on and the war has been going for around 3-4 years already!
- How can the USA criticise Iran for trying to develop nuclear weapons, citing the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Firstly, that treaty demands a continuous process of disarmament from nuclear nations, something the USA has completely given up on. Secondly, the attack on Iraq shows that the USA will attack a country for almost no reason at all (as we know, Iraq had nothing close to WMDs, let alone nuclear weapons), while holding off on nations with actually suspected nuclear capabilities (ie. North Korea, Iran). This sends a message to everyone like "we'll attack but nukes are a big deterrent". India has actually stated that the war on Iraq has made it more determined to expand its nuclear program as a deterrent. In this scenario, Iran, given their present level of rhettorical defiance, would be foolish
not to develop nuclear weapons. At least they would be a more effective detterent to a US attack. So hence, we see that the war on Iraq has indeed made the world much more unsafe.
- Lastly, internationally it is clear that it is illegal to attack a country if 1. a country physically attacks another country without international approval and 2. a country supports non-state actors in committing violent acts on another country's soil. They may not be quotes but that's the gist. So we see the USA has clearly violated Point 1 with Iraq (and to think they had the gall to cite international approval as their loophole, what approval?) and Point 2 in Nicaragua (long story involving US Government support for brutal counter-revolutionary guerillas to overthrow the socialist government there and allow for US control). And no one seems to care.
Note, I don't need to tell you all that Australia is firmly implicated in all this, and dont get me started on the "oil-for-food" scandal.
Anyway, that's my political rant for the night. Everybody take heed as, I have a feeling, that the CIA is going to bust through my door any minute and take me away to Guantanamo... so ring the alarm if I disappear suddenly. (I'd say ASIO but i'm pretty sure they're generally incompetent).
Cheers y'all, hope this post isn't too daunting but I recorded it so I can later go back to it if I forget this stuff. Still, feel free to comment if you have anything to contribute.
Alex
Culture of Fear bites Howard back
Well well well, apparently Mr. Howard is reeling somewhat from the successful Union/Labor campaign against his IR legislation. Check out The Age article
here. Mr. Howard is making some changes to his ministry to counteract the damaging slump in public opinion, relating to the IR Laws. Apparently 60% of people are against them and only 1 in 5 support them...
Mr. Howard is blaming "a campaign of fear and misinformation" run by Labor and the unions. Well, I have to admit that the campaign is quite fear-inducing, I'm not sure about misinformation though, it appears to be pretty correct. Otherwise, I'm sure Johnny would be pointing the specific holes and exploiting them.
One can't help but laugh at the irony of it all. We are talking about a Government that has thrived in the post-9/11 world, using the platform of national security to usher through questionable terrorist legislation, bizarre sedition laws and participation in a war totally irrelevant to us. This Government is, as we speak, trying to push through legislation that will require all asylum seekers to be processed offshore, which is against international law (and their own people are crossing the floor over it and voting with Labor). All of these laws were passed through the politics of fear.
Lest we forget "be alert but not alarmed" and constant warnings of Iraq's "Weapons of Mass Destruction" that never materialised. So they used fear about national security as a platform to gather support. Now Labor and the Unions are doing just that, in relation to job security.
Good on 'em, I say. At least the Labor campaign has some merit.
Alex
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might" - Ecclesiastes
I like that quote... found it in a book I'm reading at the moment about 3 people working for the UN and Red Cross in various war zones during the 90s. Very interesting book.
In other news, here's some
Russell Peters on youtube... hooray. I haven't even watched it yet but this guy is freakin' hilarious... as anyone from AIESEC Monash is no doubt aware of.
To continue the disjointed nature of this posting, here are some tracks I'm bumpin' at the moment:
1. Lil Wayne & Robin Thicke - Shooter
2. Teriyaki Boyz - Tokyo Drift
3. Outkast - Hollywood Divorce
4. Pharrell - Raspy Shit
5. Obie Trice - Cry Now
Apparently, everyone is making this big hoo-hah about Fidel Castro handing over power
temporarily to his brother Raul. I realise that this is important because Fidel has been in power in Cuba for Lord-knows-how-many-years ever since his revolutionaries swept into Havana from the hills and overthrew the Government. But seriously, Raul is pretty much just as bad when it comes to brutality and despotism, I don't see trade relations with the USA starting up any time soon and I'm pretty sure Hugo Chavez is still gonna be partying in Havana to get his kicks. So can someone explain to me what the
big deal is. I realise that it's a deal... I just don't see how its a
big deal.
Holla at me...
Happy Birthday Cindy
Having a haircut always makes me feel like a new man. My Korean hairdresser is always generous with the shampoo as she massages my scalp... and though I always worry that she doesn't understand my requests, it usually turns out ok.
Also, I'm back into some semblance of routine when it comes to the gym. I did 16 sets today, which is 4 sets shy of my usual back/chest workout. I'm back to my previous level of weight on all exercises and i've even gone up 5kg on shrugs. Now if I can find time to go twice a week and do my shoulder/arm workout that'd be awesome. That, and squash twice a week and I'll be on my way to being like my hero, Donnie Yen, in no time. I love you Donnie!
For those of you have not had the pleasure of visiting St. Ali in Yarra Pl, South Melbourne yet... I pity you. The place is fantastic, possibly the best coffee in Melbourne and some pretty nice lunch dishes to boot, plus it's affordable. I took Kaori there today and bumped into a friend, Michelle, who I hadn't seen in ages. Michelle was reading Bertrand Russell... I should check him out, I've heard good things. Ahhh soo many books, so little time...
Happy Birthday Cindy! I know you hate being reinded that you are
aging but too bad. I'm sure you are as appealing as ever to the Taiwanese boys at Luxy... and to other boys too, hehe... hehe... hehe... not naming any
names! :-D
Alex
Alex
Borders is having a sale, people. 20% off all books, CDs and DVDs for students from 2nd to 4th of August. And then when you buy something, they give you a voucher for 15% off an item that starts on the 5th August. Bastards, tempting me to buy things through discounts... argh... I'm such a consumer whore.
Anyway, I bought "A Wild Sheep Chase" by
Haruki Murakami. Having just finished reading his
"Kafka on the Shore" I was keen to continue my Murakami odyssey. The plan is to read all his books. I fell in love with his writing when I read "Norwegian Wood", I think it was last year or the year before (thanks Lynda!). I've read a few of his other books but I intend to read them all.
Anyway, this one is officially my second favourite of his books... after Norwegian Wood. I won't go into it now (read the link) but it's really an interesting story and you should pick it up if you can.
Also, i saw
"A Bittersweet Life" with Heidi at the
film festival. It's an excellent movie, a revenge fantasy in the same vein as "Old Boy" and "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance" but not quite as visceral. Again, I won't go into it because I can't be bothered but I highly recommend it. Korean movies are really raising the bar these days.
It's late and I'm tired but if I don't blog every day then I won't be able to record all the random thoughts that go through my head and things that happen. Shroig... is that a word? Anyway, that's how I feel.
I need more sleep. That's my diagnosis. That and my buttocks hurt after the game with Thomas... and no, it wasn't
that kind of game, no need for homoerotic innuendo...
Note: This is my 4th semester studying Japanese and today I attended the lecture for the 3rd time ever. The previous two times were because we had tests on and I had to attend. I would like to put it on record that I totally regret going as it was a waste of time. w00t.
Saw
"Everlasting Regret" at the
Film Festival with
Heidi. The Forum is really a nice place, I've seen movies there before and I saw N.E.R.D. play live there in 2004, best gig ever man.
Anyway the movie was good, an HK/Chinese production set in Shanghai, it takes course primarily between 50s - 80s. The backdrop is a Shanghai changing with the tide of Chinese revolution. The former glory of Shanghai, once a bustling metropolis, is fading away... along with the business prospects, and a steady stream of people make their way out while they still can.
Sammi Cheng stars as Qiyao who wins a Miss Shanghai pageant and hooks up with Officer Li. He eventually leaves but she stays around and hooks up with the arguably better looking Ming (played by Daniel Wu... wooooh). However, the person who got her into the pageant in the first place, the ugly photographer played by Leung Ka Fai (well, i think he's ugly...) seems to be a bit of a fan of her, however he can never get close.
Ironically, he's the only person in her life (including 3 lovers, a daughter, a housekeeper, a best friend and a sham husband) who actually sticks around with her, in Shanghai, until the bitter end. Everybody else leaves Shanghai and Qiyao. The "fading beauty" comparison between Shanghai and Qiyao is quite clear.
The film reminds me a little of Cabaret (in the, protagonists oblivious to a changing social scene kind of way). It also seems Stanley Kwan is trying to emulate Wong Kar Wai and turn Sammi Cheng into some kind of Maggie Cheung. Unfortunately, he fails in both respects. The movie is good but it is not as polished and intricate as a WKW piece. Sammi also turns in a good role but is, in my opinion, totally outshone by Leung Ka Fai who is fantastic as the eternally jaded but always sweet photographer.
The film was a little slow but quite interesting.
In other news, for those who attended July Conference in Brisbane this year, we have
this. Errr... yes. Thanks Josh. "I think it’s great he’s staying on" is something that makes me shudder somewhat. "The economy has probably been his government’s biggest strength." probably - which is unfortunate, given that Keating's government were the ones who set up the low-inflation boom. "His uninspiring nature is one of his biggest strengths. He’s not arrogant and seems down-to-earth." - have to agree there. He is totally not a leader, he is completely dishonest and there is no authenticity. His policy backflips and his constant changing faces across his political career are testament to that. However, this Australia where tall poppies get chopped so no real leadership allowed, sorry.
It's a pity really. I recently read the biography of Paul Keating, written by Don Watson (his speechwriter) and it made me think how much this country dislikes "arrogance". True it can be quite annoying but, honestly, do you want a "leader" who is a weak populist and will bow at ever uneducated whimsy of the population? Or do you want someone who will make the right decisions to move our country forward? Let's face it, most of Australia is uneducated and completely sheltered. How can you expect your average farmer who knows very little about anything outside of his business (which is perfectly ok) to run the country? You don't. That's what political leaders are for... yet we mow them down every time they stand up for something. Bring back Keating.
Alex
Because Liss did it for me...
If you comment on this post:
1. I’ll respond with something random about you.
2. I’ll challenge you to try something.
3. I’ll pick a color that I associate with you.
4. I’ll tell you something I like about you.
5. I’ll tell you my first/clearest memory of you.
6. I’ll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7. I’ll ask you something I’ve always wanted to ask you.
8. If I do this for you, you must re-post this on your blog.
Thanks for a good squash session, bro... I officially took 6 points off
Thomas' A-Game!!! You better watch your back, buddy... if you don't bring it then I'ma have to... muahaha
Seriously though, I'm totally down with
Thomas' master health plan. I've tried in vain to change my diet but it's hardly ever consistently successful for a long period of time. I try to limit my fat intake to 65g per day (which, according to health magazines, is about ok for a male my age and size) but I'm pretty sure that doesn't work. So instead, I'm just gonna exercise heaps and hope for the best. Went back to the gym last Friday and going again tomorrow, plus gonna try to play squash at least twice a week as well... hehe
Speaking of food, props to Heidi's sis, Weiling, for feeding me! Ate dinner leftovers at Heidi's last two nights and they were great. And reasonably healthy, I think... well more healthy than the random oily char kuay teow that I would usually eat...
I've decided to invest in a rice-cooker and try to make lunch to uni for myself. The problem with sandwiches is that they get soggy after a few hours. I like to make *good* sandwiches with pesto and tomato and cheese and stuff... and that gets all soggy and gross. Weiling suggested I bring the ingredients separately and make the sandwich at uni but I don't think I can be bothered... Would rather make a rice dish and dig in with my spoon, hence the rice cooker idea. Inspiration from Weiling's bentos... hehe...
Man, I'm so excited about the
Melbourne International Film Festival. In 2004 I saw 6 films, but last year I only managed 3. This year I'm aiming for double figures! Heidi and I are seeing a film tomorrow night called
"Everlasting Regret"... check it out! And comment if anyone's interested in seeing a film with me :-)
Alex
