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October 27 Life is crazy, life is mad. Life is good.When I am bored with something(or lack of sleep may be~), any little funnier thing can distract me though others may not notice that cuz I pretend it pretty well. I bet every one is good at pretending to pay attention at a conference or sth when you are actually picturing how sweet your coming summer or winter vacation will be. Sometimes being absent minded feels so good!
What makes myself amused is that when I was about four or five years old, I used to love drawing any "crappy" thing with chalks on anywhere possible. One time when an old lady was speaking to all of us in a mini meeting or whatever, I took out my yellow chalk and started drawing monkey(or what I imagined to be a "monkey") on the wall painted in brown. I was pretty enjoying my time with the "monkey" though the sad part is my chalk got taken by her which made me really angry. So when I came back home I told my mom the whole story; she said it was the teacher's fault and I had done nothing wrong, which is one of the most convincing reasons that I love my mother so much:D Next day, Saturday, no staff was at work and my mom took me, who was that little age, back to the classroom grabbing my beloved yellow chalk back, yes! my vengeance!
Actually I was once left handed at the beginning but later forced to switch to the right which I still don't quite understand why. So on the first class when all the kids were supposed to "write"down the arabic numbers from 1 to 10 assigned by the kindergarden teacher, my work is like eight numbers each in different colors like those of the rainbows in a way I liked them to be, and all in opposite directions to what they were "supposed" to be--like the mirror writing style. The teacher(the same creepy old lady) highly praised the girl sitting next to me whose work is done in quite an order very much like PRINTED letter, all black, all in size 12 like Times New Roman invented by a kid with no creativity whatsoever while my work which I was proud of got critisized. I still don't get how a kid at that age manage to do such a neat or featureless writing. (There is no standard, okay?!) Hence, I was pissed off. A couple of minutes later during a break, I and another kid "incited" by me destroyed that kid's work by stroking and making ugly wild lines with our HB pencils nearly tearing the paper apart, when they were not present, of course. Discovering the bloody "crime scene", the dragon lady asked us who had done that...yep, we denied. (hahahaXD) Such an evil kid...Do I feel bad for that innocent kid now? Yep. well, may be a little. Do I feel guilty? Absolutely not! To tell the truth, I still feel pretty awesome. Anyway I was just a kid and jealous. That style of education is flipping moronic, which is not shocking.
On the first day in elementary school, all the parents and kids were having the so called mandatory meeting. Again, I was trying to portray the kid sitting next to me on a leaflet and trying to find the source of the voice of the speaker, the principal who actually talked through the radio. This time, my mom didn't say a word. I guess she had been speechless about me, the trouble maker.
Now I am an adult, and what I have experienced has made what I am today who is 98.2%(or 95% may be) different from who I was at that certain age. But still there remain some little things deep inside that haven't changed quite dramatically from the time when I was a kid, precious things that can make a blue long day feels brighter and life much splendid. September 16 The Lost SymbolThat which is impenetrable to us really exists. Behind the secrets of nature remains something subtle, intangible, and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything that we can understand is my religion.--Albert Einstein
I just finished reading Dan Brown's latest novel: The Lost Symbol. What I feel about it right now is speechless. I mean: It rocks, which also means that I have not wasted my bucks, not so far at least.
(Most words are not typed here for the sake of the magic of the story.)
"Prof, if Masonary is not a secret society, not a corporation...then what is it?"
"Well...........a system of morality......"
"Sounds to me like a euphemism for 'freaky cult.'"
"Freaky, you say?"
"......skulls...........that's freaky!"
"...........I heard what they do inside those secret buldings!............rituals............freaky!"
Langdon scanned the class. "Does that sound freaky to anyone else?"
"Yes!" they all chimed in.
...........feigned a sad sigh."Too bad. If that is too freaky for you, then I know you'll never want to join my cult."
.........."You're in a cult?"
Langdon nodded and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Don't tell anyone, but on the pagan day of the sun god Ra, I kneel at the foot of an ancient instrument of torture and consume ritualistic symbols of blood and flesh."
The class looked horrified.
Langdon shrugged. "And if any of you care to join me, come to the Harvard chapel on Sunday, kneel beneath the crucifix, and take Holy Communion."
The classroom remained silent.
Langdon winked. "Open your minds, my friends. We all fear what we do not understand."
The idea contained in this part just struck me deeply as it says what I felt recently before reading this chpt: those conspiracy theories talking about the "scary", "freaky" dark secrets of anti christ groups or individuals, secret societies that are labled as to represent satanism, those belonging to other religions, ie., Deism or pagan related subjects including numerous poor animals that are not Xian even are portrayed as the symbols or messengers of satan, blablabla...) Four words: Religious ignorance and prejudice.
Our experiences and the witness of human history have told us that mankind is capable of doing things good while also susceptible to doing things unpredictable and evil; this is not shocking, which is why we need studying our own nature so as to know our minds via asking questions and keeping learning: knowlege is power, not hatred driving us to find someone or something to blame; it is a tool whose impact is in the hands of the user. In some hands,fire can provide illumination, while in some hands, fire can be highly destructive(pg.79, chpt 19). People keep arguing about whose version of God is true. Why does that matters at all? Or is that simply an excuse of them killing each other?! Facing the collaboration or confrontation between civilizations that hold different views and interpretation toward world affairs that involve regional interests, we see the important roles played by each country maintaing the balance of political power in global relations on the basis of mutual insterests. But as a matter of fact, we are all humanbeings sharing original common roots. So we have comparative cultural studies so as to build cooperationsgiven distinct backgrounds and regional histories; and religious freedom is the ideal of those who founded America. Will it end in clashes or a new progress is determined by the belief in limitless human potential of ourselves and our minds. God created human in the image of himself. "Ye are gods!" (Psalms 82:6) God helps those who help themselves.
If those assured to be the ultimate agents of evil as told by some extreme theories are truly terrifying, then those starting the fanatic conspiratorial rumors had better not be caught visiting any places like Greece or Italy or any occasions related to pagan religions or even the scenic spots where traits of Greek Ionic styles of architecture can be observed, not to mention many numerous ones like the civilian libraries, the statue of liberty......Hey, come on, have some fun! Thanks to the human imagination 90 percent of these have been proved to be pranks proving that modern people are no less bored than those in antiquity or the middle ages so that they can use these to fulfill the curiosity of the unkown and kill time of life, and not to mention those misleading ones that spread faster than the flu which quite reflects how and why lies sometimes, if not always, appear more trustworthy than facts or evidence, thus distorting the original truths.
What is the difference? What higher power can we believe in except ourselves? Mankind might had lost it as memories had been erased by time. What our forebears worshiped and what we inherit to emblaze in our memories named as God is not just a symbol, a sign or some bizarre creature. We tried to find its vestiges on the Christian cross, on the wall of the Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries, following through countries and kingdoms, and temples of stone. To feel its warmth and to catch a first glimpse in ancient star light, we travel over the deepest valley and the highest mountain. We will not give up; we will not stop walking beyond the horizon. It has many names, different identities and different faces. It is out there waiting for us to solve the riddle. Behind the Sun through flame and fire, beneath the stardust above, deep in heart lies a creator we all share: Hope.
Above all, the book gives me chills, which proves it to be unique. Why taking things so seriously anyway?This novel is full of magic and genius. In the words of San Francisco Chronicle,"Let's just say that if this novel doesn't get your pulse racing, you need to check your meds...good fun-Umberto Eco on steroids." September 07 Sep 7thHere is the thing:
Labor Day: I was enjoying my time in the grocery store-Giant Eagle and when I went out waiting the COTA bus at the bus stop, a racist who later was confirmed by two witnesses that he purposefully waited for me there agressively kept asking me dumb questions like "how are u doing?", "I am asking you what is the time now?!". Of course I just ignored him cuz I was afraid and walked away waiting the bus then this crazy guy started verbally attacking me with words humiliating my country and myself which got my nerve and I do not want to repeat here. I warned him to shut up then he walked away but then turned back along the street after me keeping saying that racist stuff: big mistake! I warned him again that if he did not apologize for what he had said today I would call the police(actually I knew I forgot to bring my phone but did not realize that he is insane, oh great). I almost decided to slam two grocery bags on his uncivilized shitty head cuz I wanted to BBQ him, no kidding...damn pissed off, boiled with rage; actually I was scared and irritated by his racism. But I controlled myself: what if he had any weapons? If not then I would be the one who commit the violence first. And I was not sure if there were any witnesses. Most importantly:What if my lovely grapes and strawberries will be sacrificed for that shit? No good. Then he ran away.
Then I realized he is mentally illed and I knew I had better stay where I was near the grocery store for the sake of my own safety instead of chasing after him which appeared recklessly and dangerous.Okay, two witnesses asked me what happened very nicely which drove me even more emotional. A woman and her husband who told me that that lunatic guy is a notorious racist frequently scaring the local people called the POLICE accompanying me till the police arrived and drove me home. And the woman said that that racist even makes her shaky everytime she saw him by that street and he had been kicked out by the Goodwill department for homeless people numerous times due to his racism against the Jewish people. I don't care he is lunatic or not! I want the rat to be destroyed! However, as what the cop described that they could not put him into jail. Two male witnesses claimed that they actually came back waiting to guide the cop to catch that crazy guy got drunk so as to put this into his records as a revenge as they had been annoyed by him for sometime, too and now it seemed a good chance; but the guy was nowhere to be found. We five people reported the details of the whole event and described the physical features of the man to the policewoman who promised me that she would catch him after driving me home. (Godwilling! I truly pray for this racist being burnt in hell or may be he already is,alive worse than dead.)
Thanks to these warm hearted people I felt really much better. How careless I was today: I forgot to take my phone with me otherwise he might had been caught immediately! And thank God I was VERBALLY attacked not PHYSICALLY, otherwise it will be another matter. There seemes to be no shortage of ways we met with bad guys-but there are more ways we find support from the good ones. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Girls, be careful walking alone even during daytime; be calm and rational; call the POLICE for help ASAP when some racist idiots humiliate yourself and your country. That is so crazy! It is OTT and unacceptable! Next time I will reply: I am Japanese/Korean!Just kidding. Do not make eye contact with them! And call the investigation department of the local police after the event to make sure there have been records about what happened at what time to let them keep an eye on it just in case if any one might avenge or attack you in the future.
Now it feels a kind of insecure around there. I am not saying that I will sue the police station but it is their responsibility to keep the residents perfectly safe. I will entirely forget about what I experienced today and say "He's insane and mentally impaired...moronic dumbass, jerk, so pathetic blahblahblah" many years after if I recall it. But this question about the protection offered and justice should be upheld by the laws arises in my head. And once again, my interest in the laws increases dramatically. August 28 BraveheartIsabelle: The king desires peace.
William Wallace: Longshanks desires peace? Isabelle: He declares it to me, I swear it. He proposes that you withdraw your attack. In return he grants you title, estates, and this chest of gold which I am to pay to you personally. William Wallace: A lordship and titles. Gold. That I should become Judas? Isabelle: Peace is made in such ways. William Wallace: Slaves are made in such ways. The last time Longshanks spoke of peace I was a boy. And many Scottish nobles, who would not be slaves, were lured by him under a flag of truce to a barn, where he had them hanged. I was very young, but I remember Longshanks' notion of peace. Stephen: If I risk my neck for you, will I get a chance to kill Englishmen?
Hamish: Is your father a ghost, or do you converse with the Almighty? Stephen: In order to find his equal, an Irishman is forced to talk to God. [to the sky] Stephen: Yes, Father! [to Hamish] Stephen: The Almight says, "Don't change the subject, just answer the fuckin' question." Hamish: Mind your tongue. Campbell: Insane Irish. Stephen: [draws a dagger on Campbell; everyone draws weapons] Smart enough to get a dagger past your guards, old man. William Wallace: That's my friend, Irishman. And the answer to your question is "yes". You fight for me, you get to kill the English. Stephen: [grins] Excellent! [removes his dagger] Stephen: Stephen is my name. I the most wanted man on my island, except I'm not on my island, of course. More's the pity. Hamish: "Your island"? You mean Ireland? Stephen: Yeah. It's mine. Hamish: You're a madman. Stephen: [nods and starts laughing, then Hamish does as well] I've come to the right place, then. Stephen: The Almighty says this must be a fashionable fight. It's drawn the finest people.
William Wallace: And if this is your army, why does it go?
Veteran: We didn't come here to fight for them! Young Soldier: Home! The English are too many! William Wallace: Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace. Young Soldier: William Wallace is seven feet tall! William Wallace: Yes, I've heard. Kills men by the hundreds. And if he were here, he'd consume the English with fireballs from his eyes, and bolts of lightning from his arse. [Scottish army laughs] William Wallace: I AM William Wallace! And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny. You've come to fight as free men... and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight? Veteran: Fight? Against that? No! We will run. And we will live. William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade all the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take, our freedom?!! Hamish: Where are you going?
William Wallace: I'm going to pick a fight. Hamish: Well, we didn't get dressed up for nothing. William Wallace: Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today...I am not finished!!!Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse.
Robert the Bruce: I respect what you said, but remember that these men have lands and castles. It's much to risk.
William Wallace: And the common man, who bleeds on the battlefield, does he risk less? William Wallace: We all end up dead, it's just a question of how and why.
Nobles. [laughs a little] Now tell me, what does that mean to be noble? Your title gives you claim to the throne of our country, but men don't follow titles, they follow courage. Now our people know you. Noble, and common, they respect you. And if you would just lead them to freedom, they'd follow you. And so would I. Every man dies. Not every man really lives. In the Year of our Lord 1314, patriots of Scotland - starving and outnumbered - charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets; they fought like Scotsmen, and won their freedom.
 August 24 El Cóndor PasaToday Histroy 111N ends. Geez! I am already so nostalgic of this class! What I learned from this class:
1. How to distinguish facts from subjective statements transmitted in Western civilization from the antiguity period.
2. Things usually are not what we see or hear about on the surface. (think about it, ordinary people can be an active part of a bloody massacre like the hunting and burning of witches; Nazis,...do all of us has a double nature? How to accutrately define good and evil? Thus, are humans either good or evil?Is our story one of progress, or one of seemingly never-ending bloodshed? As ordinary people can be active members involved in a massacre though they themselves did not even know why that the individual condemned is defined as witches or the servants of the devil. Are there any solid or logical evidences and reason to prove that those individuals should be executed, cursed or damned? I don't think most of the people in ancient time participating in the persecution of witches really understand why they hate these women they considered evil. Many of them cursed the prisoners being executed mainly because the majority created an atmosphere of hatred against a certain minority of people via propaganda which were biased and might contained many lies. It is hugely because it is the fear of unknown and of being hurt drive them to blame those who looked different from most of them when they looked upon death and darkness. Many of the witches were later proved to be innocent. But this is quite a lesson for us to learn so as to prevent further mistakes made in the future. A person should be analyzed from the actions he/she takes and each decisions and choices he/she makes. J.K.Rowling once said in an interview that it is not what we have said but what we have chosen and what we have done that make us who we are.
3. Communication with others.( yeah, I mentioned this before)
4. Napolean is fantastic. So does Alexanda.
Our professor is very intellectually inspiring and this is the last class he teaches in osu before moving to another university.
This class will last in my mind and memory forever in my life!
I am listening to the Peruvian song "El Cóndor Pasa" in English translated as "If I Could". It is quite an old song: I had a digital clock at 10 whose alarm is previously recorded with world folk songs including this one. It keeps repeating and repeating so I did not need to worry about being late for school. Behind its melody, it contains the Incan spirit honoring the Sun god Inti...very mystical.
"I'd rather be a sparrow than a snail/Yes I would.If I could,I surely would.I'd rather be a hammer than a nail/Yes I would/If I only could,I surely would/Away, I'd rather sail away Like a swan that's here and gone/A man gets tied up to the ground/He gives the world/Its saddest sound/Its saddest sound/I'd rather be a forest than a street/Yes I would/If I could,I surely would/I'd rather feel the earth beneath my feet/Yes I would/If I only could/I surely would.
August 20 Return to Innocence
— Father X, Exorcist • Church of Notre Dame • Paris I tried to find Him on the Christian cross, He was not there; I went to the Temple of the Hindus and to the old pagodas, but I could not find a trace of Him anywhere. Return to Innocence --Enigma That's not the beginning of the end
That's the return to yourself The return to innocence Love, devotion Feeling, emotion Love, devotion Feeling, emotion Don't be afraid to be weak Don't be too proud to be strong Just look into your heart, my friend That will be the return to yourself The return to innocence If you want, then start to laugh If you must, then start to cry Be yourself, don't hide Just believe in destiny Don't care what people say Just follow your own way Don't give up and use the chance To return to innocence That's not the beginning of the end That's the return to yourself The return to innocence Don't care what people say Follow just your own way Don't give up, don't give up To return, to return to innocence If you want, then laugh If you must, then cry Be yourself, don't hide Just believe in destiny   August 15 Inside all of us is a Wild thingInside all of us is a wild thing. A thing we had been so familiar with when we were children living with hope, fear yet without mistrust or constraint. We all envy children because of this innocence we used to have. Where the wild things are? We grown up. But it is never too late to wake them up:o)
Wake Up
by Arcade Fire
Somethin' filled up
my heart with nothin', someone told me not to cry. But now that I'm older, my heart's colder, and I can see that it's a lie. Children wake up, hold your mistake up, before they turn the summer into dust. If the children don't grow up, our bodies get bigger but our hearts get torn up. We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms turnin' every good thing to rust. I guess we'll just have to adjust. With my lightnin' bolts a glowin' I can see where I am goin' to be when the reaper he reaches and touches my hand. With my lightnin' bolts a glowin' I can see where I am goin’ With my lightnin' bolts a glowin' I can see where I am, go-go, where I am You'd better look out below     August 13 Moon"In the brooding science-fiction trifle Moon, Sam Rockwell plays a solitary corporate astronaut who is finishing three lonely years on the dark side of the lunar surface. His name is Sam Bell, and his job is to oversee the mining of helium-3, which has become Earth's primary source of energy. In a dankly gritty geodesic space station, which might just as well be a prison, Sam has no one to talk to but a computer named Gerty — an amusing satirical homage to HAL in 2001, with a voice, all playful self-pity, provided by Kevin Spacey. (Sam also passes time making video calls to his wife and daughter.) But then, Sam began having hallucinations and later on an expedition outside the station, Sam finds what looks like another, wounded astronaut. Actually, it's a younger version of himself. Now there are two Sams. And whoa, do they have a lot to talk about." (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20284265,00.html)
"It is the loneliest job in the world -- or off it. Sign your name to a three-year contract and then rocket off to the far side of the moon. Supervise a mostly automated mining operation, with only a robot for company. Sure, it's a job, but it's also a sentence: 36 months of solitary confinement." (http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2009/06/moon_movie_review_rockwell_shi.html)
I just saw this movie a couple of hours ago. The storyline of the movie is quite unique and any one who is a sci-fi lover might feel like being on the moon as solitary as the character in the theatre. The view from the moon in the universe is pretty beautiful. Some sentimental scenes of the movie, however can make the audience feel as depressive as hell. But I guess it is just what the director wants the audience to feel and get from the movie so as to convey the meaning of the plots. Many philosophical and spiritual questions are brought up by this film. One is about the universal human question: if you met yourself, would you necessarily like or appreciate yourself?(as said by the director Duncan Jones in the interview) What is the meaning of human existence and individual experience? What brings people together into a long-term relationship? Why is humanity and self-identity so important when technology affects our life so deeply? What truly builds our society? The confrontation between truth and illusion and between freedom of the soul and slavery of the mind are also involved in many moments of the story.The most kickass quote said by the character is " We are not programs, Gerty, we are people." Anyhow, it is not the kind of films mostly found in mass media that are produced to entertain people as box office boost like the Hollywood ones; and it is terrific.
August 10 I feel so aliveI felt so alive tonight after the History class and it almost made me cry.(emo) The bonus film we saw today is "A Knight's Tale" acted by Heath Ledger, who passed away the end of late January last year, a highly talented actor! It is a comedy so it was really a nice time to relax and laugh! Actually it could be one of the most hilarious comedies I've ever seen till now, which made me giggle a lot and one time almost laugh out through my tears!:D I felt it so good that we can share these sweet moments in life with friends, classmates, teachers or whoever you meet on the street as if we are a big family--each breath you take will even feels so different than any other time, walking on campus, crossing a path by the households... It casts a magical spell on my life: as if for the ever first time I felt the blood pumping through my veins and the heart beating in my chest waking up from a dark, long sleep like a walking coffin, in which one breaths, but not lives. Is it the magic of the film? Is is about how to cope while people care about and trust each other? Does it have something to do with freedom and democracy that are frequently associated with this country? Or is it just because I truly open my heart and free my mind for the ever first time? May be none...or may be all of them. It is just, so alive. It is never too late to be yourself and embrace the bright side if we just make a try. We will always see the sun again.
"For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you've never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. And if you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again." -- Benjamin Button
I, I feel so alive for the very first time
I can’t deny you
I feel so alive I, I feel so alive for the very first time And I think I can fly Sunshine upon my face (Sunshine upon my face) I, I feel so alive for the very first time Now that I know you (I could never turn my back away) I-I feel so alive (feel so alive) July 27 Night Ride across the Caucasus & Dante's PrayerNight ride across the Caucasus by Loreena Mckennitt
Album: The Book of Secrets
Genre: Celtic Music Ride on - Through the night - Ride on Ride on - Through the night - Ride on There are visions, there are memories Chorus In the velvet of the darkness Chorus Cascading stars on the slumbering hills Chorus Take me with you on this journey Find the answers, ask the questions Dante's Prayer by Loreena Mckennitt Album: The Book of Secrets
Genre: Celtic Music
When the dark wood fell before me
And all the paths were overgrown
When the priests of pride say there is no other way I tilled the sorrows of stone I did not believe because I could not see Though you came to me in the night When the dawn seemed forever lost You showed me your love in the light of the stars Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me Then the mountain rose before me By the deep well of desire From the fountain of forgiveness Beyond the ice and the fire Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me Though we share this humble path, alone How fragile is the heart Oh give these clay feet wings to fly To touch the face of the stars Breathe life into this feeble heart Lift this mortal veil of fear Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears We'll rise above these earthly cares Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me...
July 17 李白
-君不见黄河之水天上来，奔流到海不复回
飞流直下三千尺，疑是银河落九天
-故人惜辞黄鹤楼，烟花三月下扬州
孤帆远影碧空尽，惟见长江天际流
-危楼高百尺，手可摘星辰
不敢高声语，恐惊天上人 -生者为过客，死者为归人
天地一逆旅，同悲万古尘 白骨寂无言，青松岂知春 前后更叹息，浮荣何足珍 -今人不见古时月，今月曾经照古人
古人今人若流水，共看明月皆如此 唯愿当歌对酒时，月光长照金樽里 -生不用封万户侯，但愿一识韩荆州
-安能摧眉折腰事权贵，使我不得开心颜
-笔落惊风雨，诗成泣鬼神
-鱼目亦笑我，谓与明月同
-我本楚狂人，凤歌笑孔丘
-登高壮观天地间,大江茫茫去不还
-古来圣贤皆寂寞，唯有饮者留其名
-仰天大笑出门去,我辈岂是蓬蒿人
长风破浪会有时，直挂云帆济沧海 July 10 Troyselected quotes from the movie Troy:
Odysseus: [beginning line] Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries...will strangers hear our names long after we are gone and wonder who we were...how bravely we fought...how fiercely we loved?
Thetis [to Achilles]: If you stay in Larissa, you will find peace. You will find a wonderful woman, and you will have sons and daughters, who will have children. And they'll all love you and remember your name. But when your children are dead, and their children after them, your name will be forgotten... If you go to Troy, glory will be yours. They will write stories about your victories in thousands of years! And the world will remember your name. But if you go to Troy, you will never come back... for your glory walks hand-in-hand with your doom. And I shall never see you again.
Achilles [to Briseis]: I will tell you a secret...something they don't teach you in your temple. The gods envy us. They envy us because we are mortal. Because any moment will be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed. We will never be here again.
Odysseus: The world seems simple to you, my friend. But when you are a king, very few choices are simple.
Achilles: Things are less simple today.
Odysseus: Women have a way of complicating things.
Achilles: Go home, prince. Drink some wine, make love to your wife. Tomorrow, we'll have our war.
Hector: You speak of war as if it's a game. But how many wives wait at Troy's gates for husbands they'll never see again? Achilles: Perhaps your brother can comfort them. I hear he's good at charming other men's wives. Achilles: At night I see their faces. All the men I've killed. They're standing there on the far bank of the river Styx. They're waiting for me. They say, 'Welcome, brother'. Soldiers fight for kings they've never even met. They fight when they're told to fight, they die when they're told to die. We men are wretched things.
Achilles: [walks forward, lifts Priam] You are a brave man. I could have your head on a spit in the blink of an eye.
Priam: Do you really think death frightens me now? I watched my eldest son die, watched you drag his body behind your chariot. Give him back to me. He deserves a proper burial, you know that. Give him to me. Achilles: He killed my cousin. Priam: He thought it was you. How many cousins have you killed? How many sons and fathers and brothers and husbands? How many, brave Achilles? I loved my boy from the moment he opened his eyes until the moment you closed them. [to Achilles] I knew your father. He died well before his time. But he was fortunate enough to not have lived long enough to see his son fall. Achilles: [to Hector's corpse] We will meet again, my brother.
Odysseus: [ending line] If they ever tell my story, let them say that I walked with giants. Men rise and fall like the winter wheat but these names will never die. Let them say I lived in the time of Hector, tamer of horses. Let them say I lived in the time of Achilles.
July 07 Best Quotes about Freedom
People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.--Soren Kierkegaard Freedom is just chaos, with better lighting.--Alan Dean Foster It is by the goodness of God that our country have those unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them.--Mark Twain You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.--Malcolm X The basis of a democratic state is liberty.--Aritotle Because you are in control of your life. Don't ever forget that. You are what you are because of the conscious and subconscious choices you have made.
Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end. To know what you prefer instead of humbly saying Amen to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive.--Robert Louis Stevenson I would rather to be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. --Thomas Jefferson My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.--Adlai E. Stevenson Jr. June 03 A Politician Dies and Goes to HeavenA politician dies and goes to heaven. Because he’s the first of his kind to reach the pearly gates, St. Peter The politician says o.k., and decides to spend the first day in hell. His day in heaven is pretty good too – so much fun that he again loses The politician tells St. Peter, “You may think i’m crazy, but i had more St. Peter says, “OK, fine by me, it’s your choice,” and the politician But when the elevator doors open, it’s nothing but agony and misery, Satan smiles down at him and says, “Well, yesterday was the campaign, http://www.lol.com/joke/show/21 "Remember, remember, the fifth of November." A politician slipped into heaven while St.Peter was napping cuz even hell doesn't want him. Christians have the gospels; Jews have the Hebrew moral laws; Americans have the Declaration of Independence; what do we have except the endless sea of silence and the bankruptcy of democracy and morality? It is like looking down at the godless Babylonians. Weather: A little bit raining Mood: Not bad and just made a phone call back home after enjoying the best episode of Family Guy in Theatre class: The King is Dead which is freakin hilarious strongly recommended xD Peace God bless you all May 31 Life on Mars?Is society a ridiculous joke where people act like cavemen or is it like a movie show repeating too many times and never ends? I haven't figured out the true meaning behind this song yet but the enigmatic verse reminds me of the famous quote said by Shakespeare that "All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players". It is a great song endowed with relaxative rhythm and its ideas extended in the verses reflect in-depth analysis of society in the late 1970's. They used this in the trailer of Factory Girl, amazing! At the time this song was created, there had been revolutions among various groups including the musicians among whom arose the legendary John Lennon. Yesterday I just watched the brief introduction of the film Across the Universe which is about the life and music of Lennon during the time of wars and dramatic social changes.
Life on Mars
David Bowie
It's a God awful small affair To the girl with the mousey hair But her mummy is yelling, "No!" And her daddy has told her to go But her friend is no where to be seen Now she walks through her sunken dream To the seat with the clearest view And she's hooked to the silver screen But the film is a sadd'ning bore For she's lived it ten times or more She could spit in the eyes of fools As they ask her to focus on Sailors Fighting in the dance hall Oh man! Look at those cavemen go It's the freakiest show Take a look at the lawman Beating up the wrong guy Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know He's in the best selling show Is there life on Mars? It's on America's tortured brow That Mickey Mouse has grown up a cow Now the workers have struck for fame 'Cause Lennon's on sale again See the mice in their million hordes From Ibiza to the Norfolk Broads Rule Britannia is out of bounds To my mother, my dog, and clowns But the film is a sadd'ning bore 'Cause I wrote it ten times or more It's about to be writ again As I ask you to focus on Sailors Fighting in the dance hall Oh man! Look at those cavemen go It's the freakiest show Take a look at the lawman Beating up the wrong guy Oh man! Wonder if he'll ever know He's in the best selling show Is there life on Mars? May 25 Memorial DayHave I posted this before? I don't quite remember...today is Memorial Day, a day in memory of peace and freedom. On this day Americans have an interesting tradition of making hot dogs for barbecue which I love very much=). It's said to be a day to remember those who had fought, suffered and died for the peace, freedom and democracy owned by the future generations. May 3rd is World Press Freedom Day and it is true that freedom is still precious for the people living in developing countries and should not be taken granted as there are still many people from distinct countries and nations willing to lay their lives on the line for freedoms in their plights where truths are still subject to propaganda. It shall be a day remembering those fighting for rights as humanbeings. Those veterans give us, global citizens, chances to understand what to uphold, what to improve and what to be embodied in our minds that there are things like freedom that is worth fighting for. Memorial Day goes so fast but memories shall sustain. To the soldiers who died one hundred and fifty years ago on the battlefield, we are saying thank you. Salute!
Hands Held High
LP Turn my mike up louder I got to say something Light weights step to the side when we come in Feel it in your chest the syllables get pumping People on the street they panic and start running Words on loose leaf sheet complete coming I jump in my mind and summon the rhyme, I'm dumping Healing the blind I promise to let the sun in Sick of the dark ways we march to the drum and Jump when they tell us that they wanna see jumping Fuck that I wanna see some fists pumping Risk something, take back what's yours Say something that you know they might attack you for Cause I'm sick of being treated like I have before Like it's stupid standing for what I'm standing for Like this war's really just a different brand of war Like it doesn't cater the rich and abandon poor Like they understand you in the back of the jet When you can't put gas in your tank These fuckers are laughing their way to the bank and cashing the cheque Asking you to have compassion and have some respect For a leader so nervous in an obvious way Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day In their living room laughing like "what did he say?" [Chorus:] Amen Amen Amen Amen Amen In my living room watching but I am not laughing Cause when it gets tense I know what might happen World is cold the bold men take action Have to react or get blown into fractions Ten years old it's something to see Another kid my age drugged under a jeep Taken and bound and found later under a tree I wonder if he had thought the next one could be me Do you see the soldiers they're out today They brush the dust from bullet proof vests away It's ironic at times like this you pray But a bomb blew the mosque up yesterday There's bombs in the buses, bikes, roads Inside your market, your shops, your clothes My dad he's got a lot of fear I know But enough pride inside not to let that show My brother had a book he would hold with pride A little red cover with a broken spine On the back, he hand-wrote a quote inside When the rich wage war it's the poor who die Meanwhile, the leader just talks away Stuttering and mumbling for nightly news to replay And the rest of the world watching at the end of the day both scared and angry like "what did he say?" With hands held high into the sky so blue, As the ocean opens up to swallow you.  May 23 Memorabel Quotes about the TudorsThe history of the Tudors always gives me chills.
Anne Boleyn's:
-Your daughter will be made at the throne.
-But the king can change his mind!He can do whatever he wants now; he's absolute power you know that. And what he has given he can take away! What taken away he can give back! He could still make Mary Queen even above my daughter! I don't know I just fear it.
I am the king's wife. I know how I got there. It was not all you. It was not you or Norfolk, or George or any other man you want to name. It was also me. He fell in love with me, he respected me.....and my opinions.
Yes, I heard the executioner was very good...
[pauses and smiles] And in any case, I have only a little neck. [Breaks into laughter]. I love you Elizabeth, I love you with all my heart and I bid you never forget it 'Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.' --Anne's last words before her execution
Don’t be an eagle, they soar too high. Be a pidgeon. They shit on everything.
(Henry to Thomas More) An important question, whether it is better for a king to be feared or loved. King Henry VIII: And don't you know that I could drag you down as quickly as I raised you.
You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning. Elizabeth: http://www.elizabethi.org/us/quotes/Better beggar woman and single than Queen and married.
Was I not born in this realm? Were my parents born in any foreign country? Is there any cause I should alienate myself from being careful over this country? Is not my kingdom here? We princes are set as it were upon stages in the sight and view of the world. My Lords, do whatever you wish. As for me, I shall do no otherwise than pleases me. I will never be by violence constrained to do anything. It is monstrous that the feet should direct the head. All my possessions for a moment of time Golden Speech 1601: To be a King and wear a crown is a thing more pleasant to them that see it, than it is pleasant to them that bear it. I were content to hear matters argued and debated pro and contra as all princes must that will understand what is right, yet I look ever as it were upon a plain tablet wherein is written neither partility or prejudice. There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel; I mean your love. Though God hath raised me high, yet this I account the glory of my reign, that I have reigned with your loves. I have ever used to set the last Judgement Day before mine eyes, and so to rule as I shall be judged to answer before a higher judge. You may have many a wiser prince sitting in this seat, but you never have had, or shall have, any who loves you better. It is not my desire to live or to reign longer than my life and reign shall be for your good. May 18 Linkin Park latest single: New DivideNew Divide
on the day it has been first released =) Transformers 2! Geez I am extremely excited feeling my hands shaking too badly to hold my beaf&blackbeans burritto and soda as if I am doing the marketing job.
 I remembered black skies / The lightning all around me
I remembered each flash / As time began to blur Like a startling sign / That fate had finally found me And your voice was all I heard / That I get what I deserve So give me reason To prove me wrong To wash this memory clean Let the thoughts cross The distance in your eyes Give me reason To fill this hole Connect the space between Let it fill up to reach the truth and lies Across this new divide There was nothing inside / The memories left abandoned There was nowhere to hide / The ashes fell like snow And the ground caved in / Between where we were standing And your voice was all I heard / That I get what I deserve So give me reason To prove me wrong To wash this memory clean Let the thoughts cross The distance in your eyes Across this new divide And every loss and every lie And every truth that you deny And each regret and each goodbye Was a mistake too great to hide And your voice was all I heard But I get what I deserve So give me reason To prove me wrong To wash this memory clean Let the thoughts cross The distance in your eyes Give me reason To fill this hole Connect the space between Let it fill up to reach the truth and lies Across this new divide Across this new divide Across this new divide May 17 Angels&Demons Movie ReviewThe movie is wonderful, especially the part of the helicopter and the moment of the hoooly explosion: the moment of creation.
Actually the moment of creation looks like a gorgeous supernova. I felt like seeing the eternity in the cinema!
some quotes from the Internet:
Robert Langdon: I need access to the Vatican Archives. Richter: Access to the Archives is only by written decree by the Holy Father. Robert Langdon: Fellas, you called me. Richter: You said they'd be killed publicly. Robert Langdon: Yes, revenge. For La Purga. Richter: La Purga? Langdon: Oh geez, you guys don't even read your own history do you?(Lol) 1668, the church kidnapped four Illuminati scientists and branded each one of them on the chest with the symbol of the cross. To 'purge' them of their sins and they executed them, threw their bodies in the street as a warning to others to stop questioning church ruling on scientific matters. They radicalized them. The Purga created a darker, more violent Illuminati, one bent on... on retribution. Robert Langdon: The Illuminati did not become violent until the 17th Century. Their name means 'The Enlightened Ones'. They were physicists, mathematicians, astronomers. In the 1500's they started meeting in secret, because they were concerned about the church's inaccurate teachings. They were dedicated to scientific truth. And the Vatican didn't like that. So the church began to, how did you say it? Oh, hunt them down and kill them. ...any many more marvellous words and moments from the book as well as its orchestral music...
It is never appropriate or rational to conduct one's faith in an extreme way otherwise he may go crazy and have to pay the price when the line between blindness or fetishism and belief has been blurred.This guy is upset after his brilliant helicopter show when his plan was unveiled. He burned himself to death asking for forgiveness after surviving the explosion or "God's miracle" called by the others, thus reflecting a tragic mood of satire. He is like a child lost in his illusion of fanatic love as if he has been taken advantage of and manipulated by an invisible power which could be the Catholic church, the evil of abusing the rights as means of distorting the truths to fulfill his personal desire in the name of God with no sane excuse whatsoever. All these elements combined with faith, passion and hatred makes him pathetic and somehow innocent...alas.This character's fate made me feel really sorry and sad for him so the actor did a great job. May 12 What made my head explode in today's ART EDUC classThe P-Funk Cosmology-in-a-Nutshell: (Funk: a music form in 1970's which is also the last name of the professor:D)
Dig: The secret of funk was placed inside the pyramids 5,000 years ago. If we had stayed tuned (To pyramid power? Connect this to the Chariots of the Gods melieu of the same era, and the visiting spacemen theme of P-Funk) to The One, we wouldn't be in the mess we're in. "Mother earth is pregnant for the third time. We all have knocked her up." It took the arrival of Dr. Funkenstein to unearth the funk and usher its viral spread over the de-funkatized surface of the planet. The problem with earth is that it is devoid of funk, -- earth is the "Unfunky UFO" -- due to the unfunky operations of the white house, the pentagon, Nixon, businessmen and greed in general, and an overall lack of supergroovalisticprosifunkstica-tion.(!) The symbol for the collective greed/war mentality is embodied by Sir Nose, D'Void of Funk ("I have always been D'Void of Funk, I shall continue to be D'Void of Funk..."), who relentlessly pimpifies the people "By sucking their brains until their ability to think was amputated...pimpifying their instincts until they were fat, horny, and strung out" in pursuit of "financial security or an eternal supply of TRIM," the result being that "the very source of life energies on earth have become the castrated target of anile bamboozelry from homo sapiens' rabid attempts to manipulate the omnipotent forces of nature."The ruthless whoring of Funkentelechy has brought mother nature to her knees, and we're pinned beneath them. "The frenzied incipience of pimpification hath risen to the point of cosmicide." In other words, we all have a bad case of the Placebo Syndrome, having traded in "the real thing" for a civilization comprised of cheap imitations, which is now crumbling around us. The Placebo Syndrome has given the body politic weak knees, which are doomed to give out from under us at any moment. We no longer feel the pulse, or smell the deep draughts of the Cosmic Slop which generates the funk. "When the signal is too weak, you're in the syndrome." But hark! We do have booties and we do have boots, so let's move 'em! "When the syndrome is around, don't let your guard down. All you got to do is go on a bump." We have the strategic assistance of Star Child, who takes careful aim and shoots at Sir Nose (who inhabits the Nose Zone, or the Zone of Zero Funkativity) with his Bop Gun, funkatizing him in the luminescent sheen of its rays. In concert, guitarist Gary Shider flew over the crowd, wearing diapers of course, blasting at the crowd with a strobe light attached to a space-age rifle, "Chasing the Noses away," which forces Sir Nose to "give up the funk" and dance. "We shall overcome...we got to shoot 'em with the Bop Gun." To gather the collective energies of the funkateers into a mobilized force, Uncle Jam's Army was created to snuff out Sir Nose wherever he may lie. ...So, anyhow, the class is funny. |
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