Picture this December '13

I have a few books on my desk this month.

I've already read The Black Book, but there are a few chapters in this book that were a bit of a blur for me.  I had a cold when I was reading it and was much to drowsy (probably the cold medicine's doing) to read but did it anyway. 

I love Vikram Seth, haven't finished Two Lives yet, but so far it isn't as good as A Suitable Boy or An Equal Music. Women In Love... I can't help but laugh to myself when I'm reading this. Half way through it and so far so good. 

Everything Poe writes is pretty dark and really quite scary, but this little book, The Black Cat and other stories really is something.  More on this later. The other three I haven't read yet, but soon! 

The suicide project

I don't recall how I came across this website:

http://suicideproject.org/ 

But I'm glad I found it. Though it's deeply saddening to see the multitudes of people out there who wish to harm themselves or end their lives, I'm glad that there is platform for them to display their thoughts and express their emotions. At times I have tried to write back to some messages, hoping in someway that my words will reach them and give them some hope and prevent them from committing the act that will end their life. It's almost strange to think that as I write this, somewhere out there or even here in the building that I live in for that matter, there is someone who desperately wishes that they were dead or never existed. It so painful just thinking about it and what's almost worse is knowing that they're there and not being able t anything about it. Sometimes, like today for instance, I feel so down and sorry for myself, but when I see this site I realise that my feelings and my unhappiness is not the same as those individuals who can't stand life any longer.

I wish I could do more to help such individuals. I really don't think I want to do Psychiatry, but I wish I had a desire to. I feel like I might be able to help such individuals, Lord knows I would out in the effort and energy to see them to talk to them in depth to try and understand them and their problems. I know depression isn't that simple and neither is wanting to end your life. But I wish I had the capability to help people overcome such feelings. I've just spent ages reading through some of the posts and I feel so sad :(

One piece hiatus....back on Naruto!

A lot of the time I really don't like being up to date with my shows. Reason being: I don't like waiting for one episode every week... it's painful! For some shows, like Pretty Little Liars, I can handle it. But for shows like One Piece I really cannot tolerate waiting seven whole days for about 20 minutes of viewing time. It's killing me, it really is. I loved it when I had over 100 episodes stretching ahead of me. I hungrily watched episode after episode late into the night.The great thing about being able to do that was the fact that I could actually really get into to it, really let the intensity build up and really grasp the story line, the feelings and essence of the show. But when I'm waiting, like I am now, it really takes it out of me. It's like the episode is just getting good and the excitement is growing and then................. Yes, wait seven day until you can really enjoy it. At the moment this whole Trafalgar law thing has been getting to me. A) because I really want to know what he's up to! How the heck is he going to destroy the new world? And what's in that darn room? B) I really really hope he and Luffy stay on the same side (generally speaking) c) Luffy just doesn't seem as strong as he should be! They really need to make him go nuts! :D Well, the fillers kill me and I'm just mad because I can't get the show to go at the pace I want. So here's my plan (we'll have to see if it works!): take a break from OP and get back to watching Naruto. The same kind of thing occurred with Naruto. I got a bit annoyed with the fillers, didn't like being up to date and also had exams at the time (this is like a year ago!)...So I tried to hold back from watching it, just so that the episodes build up. Initially it didn't work and like a coke fiend, I just went back for more, even though the hit I was getting just wasn't enough. But eventually I managed to sort of build a barrier between me n Naruto...It worked. I abstained for over a year! I know, it's quite unbelievable really, I actually love Naruto probably as much as OP. But in all honesty nowadays a year for me...it passes by like a few months. So It feels as if it hasn't been all that long really. I just watched a few episodes and I can't actually believe I went on for so long without. I love Naruto and am almost ashamed of myself for having managed to keep away so long, but at the same time I have gained a little respect for myself too...I was finally able to resist, I have some will power after all. Now, I have a particular attachment to OP and I have tried on several occasions to do the same thing, but shamelessly broke the covenant with myself.... But this time I'm actually determined! I have Naruto to fill that hole that OP will leave...It's only a few months but I know it's going to be tough!     

Picture this: 15 August 2013

This week in books

It just had to be done! I really needed to revisit this old classic. Who doesn't like a good adventure? An immaculately written story about a much sought after map that details the location of a notoriously cunning pirate's treasure. The real adventure begins when the map falls into the hands of our young protagonist Jim Hawkins. He finds himself on a ship with an interesting number of characters. And it soon becomes apparent that Jim and his close friends are not the only ones after the treasure.  I couldn't stop reading and finished it in no time, though I did have to put up with feeling sleep deprived for the better part of this week... 

This one right here, The Masnavi by Rumi, is a masterpiece! As the blurb reads: "Rumi's Masnavi is widely recognised as the greatest Sufi poem ever written.." and what a poem it is! This is Rumi's method of portraying his love for God. It is a poem but explores various tales and Islamic teachings and Muslim history.  As the blurb says, this book is 'spiritually profound'. It's the background reading of the week. What does that mean? By no means does it mean that this book is boring and is therefore in the background. No siree! This is an intellectually and spiritually stimulating piece of work, thus it can't be read like any old novel in a single sitting.  It must be read, digested, pondered upon and then understood. 

This book I have just picked up from a friends shelf today. I was reeled in by the fact that it was written by Elif Shafak (I really enjoyed his book, The bastard of Istanbul). Then the blurb really had me. It's about an obese woman and her dwarf lover. They are sick of being stared at and decide they will switch roles. So the woman paints on a mustache and the dwarf puts on makeup (tell me that doesn't pull you in). The man embraces the world as it gazes at him, whilst the woman doesn't. He then compiles a 'Dictionary of Gazes' where he records the looks of the passers-by, in order to explore the boundaries between appearances and reality. I'm looking forward to this, the first few pages are so far so good.  

The Scrapped Princess!

I just finished watching this anime, and damn am I sad that it's over. What a great three days of action, fantasy, drama and romance! It had everything I love in an anime! Great characters, an excellent storyline and some magic!

The Crew!
Watch the show here...where I got his pic from :)

The story centres around Pacifica Cassul (the scrapped princess) and her older brother and sister, Shannon and Raquel Cassul. At the time of Pacifica's birth, a divine prophecy predicts that she is destined to destroy the world on her 16th birthday, as a result an order is issued by the ruling Church (the Church of Mauser) and the King himself to kill the child. The plot thickens when we learn that Pacifica is in-fact Shannon and Raquels adopted sister and in reality she is the biological daughter of the King. Her mother, the Queen, arranged for her to be saved from death and given into the care of the Cassuls.

We join our protagonists, at a point in time, when they are on the run. People, including the imperial assassins are on the hunt to kill the princess in a bid to rid the world of it's 'poison'! However, Raquel's magic and Shannon's swordsmanship mean the trio are no easy prey. The two older siblings are fiercely protective of their younger sister and are prepared to go against anything, even providence, in order to protect her!

The three siblings!

Get this wall paper here

The sci-fi elements are introduced subtly, as initially it seems the world we are observing is a medieval one. One full of knights, princesses, and dragons. However, things get more complicated. There are 'divine' beings, emissaries of the 'God' who 'protect' and 'oversee' the world. The plot thickens when it comes to light that it is these beings, known as the 'peacemakers', who under the orders of Mauser, want the scrapped princess dead. Strange right? Why would an omnipotent being (if that's the right word) want a potentially dangerous girl dead? Why not kill her yourself? or cease her existence..? Well it get's more complicated. It turns out that the scrapped princess is in fact the only human on earth that can go against the peacemakers and essentially neutralize or rather dissipate their hold on humanity and it is because of this, her potential to cause humanity to go against the peace makers and take control of their own destiny, that the peacemakers want her dead. Sounds like modern day democracy! What's more is that the world was once very advanced even more so than it is now in life (like way in the future). However, and I'll be honest here...I didn't quite follow the entire storyline, sometimes it went on a bit and just seemed to try a little hard...it was awkward and even cringe-worthy, so I kind of just listened to the bits I wanted to ... Anyway as I was saying humanity were very advanced but their 'stupidity' led them to constantly war among themselves. And so they created these crazy mad fantastical weapons with human-like personalities. Somewhere along the line these 'weapons' with personalities of their own decided that in order to preserve humanity and to prevent it from destroying itself, it would revert humanity back to the middle ages and essentially allow it to live under tightly controlled conditions.......Yeah as if that was going to work.

Eh? My cooking sucks? 

Truth be told,  this amine has a few minor drawbacks for me. The story line was somewhat strained and trying too hard to be complicated (or am I just thick?)... The whole peacemaker thing sounded a bit...hmm for want of a more choice word, cheesy. Like 'we are protectors of man, but we must cull him and eliminate his free will for his own good' and then there's the big question that hovers throughout... is a utilitarian approach to living the right one for man? Can we really say that we are living if our free will is curbed?  Is mankind the source of his own destruction? What of religion? The church? And the monarchy/ government? Are these all channels of evil that seek to herd mankind as a means to their own end? These questions were a bit beyond the scope of the anime, I felt. I know they're beyond me too, but really they were too big for this particular anime. But with that said, they did try. However, I do like stories that attempt to create/ explore moral questions that give their audiences something to think about. Not that I even dwelt on any such question while watching the show though. But mind thoughts did flit through my mind here and there,,, good effort nonetheless.
Another drawback was the actual drawings. I like the drawing style but I personally didn't like the forms of the peacemakers in battle mode...they looked like overgrown bugs or random shapes...whatever they were they just didn't look graceful or fluid in battle and made the battles a little less interesting to watch. I liked the dragon though...more fluid and with greater motion in battle. I'm no manga or anime expert but I'm saying these things just in terms of my own personal taste.

Another great wall paper, from the same link

What did I love? Mainly the characters and the relationship between the three siblings, The bratty, spoilt but sweet and playful character of Pacifica drew me to her instantly. I liked that she didn't' seem to give a shit about being of royal descent or that her real parents were alive somewhere. I liked it. It highlighted the importance of the people who raised her and the good life they gave her. Also I love her relationship with Raquel and Shannon. Her respect, admiration and love for Raquel is evident but her greatest love is obviously her brother Shannon (is it just me or does he have a girl's name?). The way the two dote on one another and the intensity of the love between them almost verges on going beyond that of a brother and sister (that's the Japanese for you...any opportunity to through in a bit of incest!). Still I loved it. It was sincere and beautiful. Shannon's dedication to his sister, his innate need to protect her and in the process make the world his enemy is probably my favourite aspect of this anime. I won't lie, I have a crush on him, just like Zeferis does (of course she does). He's the embodiment (I know not the appropriate word), of manliness and beauty. But his relationship with Cin bugged me...actually it really pissed me off. I won't go off on one here..but I could. What spoiled it for me was finding out that Shannon had the 'guardian gene'....it put the relationships of the three siblings in a new light. Personally I didn't like it. I like to think what they had was really 'real' something that developed naturally.
Also, I felt bad for Raquel's character, she had the potential to be lot cooler and a lot more powerful than she was.  A lot of the time, her character had to take a back seat to Pasifica and Shannon's. I mean even in the damn end, she's the one who's bawling all over Pacifca and clutching at her..but it's Shannon who 'brings her back'.  It's probably the fact that her magic waxes and wanes throughout the story that really stunts her development. If she just kept developing she could have been so much more!

                                                         Shannon Cassul.... Dreamy...

Also I would have liked to have seen a bit more character development for Chris, Winia, Leo and some others. On that note,  what the heck was up with throwing Furet in there for a couple of episodes? Why build him up just to break him down? How can they do us like that?
(Rest assured, I was secretly rooting for Leo)

If I were to compare it to other anime, I'd say it reminds me of shows like Cowboy Bepop, Farytail and Spice and Wolf. Obvious comparisons, because of the elements of fantasy and Sci-Fi.

Despite the drawbacks, I really loved this show overall. It was adventurous, entertaining, funny and even quite sad at some points. Usually the duration of time I take to watch a show is inversely proportional the the degree I love it, I watched this in three days,,,. Enough said!          


*Disclaimer: None of the pictures above are mine, the links that indicate their origin are located below the pics. Thanks.

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon.

I was looking for something similar to Marquez’s works when I came across Jorge Amado’s ‘Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon.’

The story is set in 1920’s Iléheus, a town on the coast of Brazil, in a region know as Bahia (how sensual is that name?).   

It explores a time, when Bahia is undergoing much change. Among others, there is political, commercial and social change.  The cacao trade is gaining momentum and some members of the town hope it will be host to the many trading ships that will be involved in the growing industry. The port is yet to be built and a great debate about whether or not it should be, forms the backdrop  of the focal story line, separating those inhabitants that favour the ways of old from those hoping for change.    

The main focus is on the owner of a popular bar, a Syrian man known as Nacib, who suddenly finds himself without a cook just before a very important dinner party.  In desperation, he searches the slave market in hopes of finding someone to prepare the important feast. He finds more than he'd hoped for, he finds Gabriela,  a curious but seriously alluring mulatto woman, whose characteristic strange and free-spirited behaviour confuses poor old Nacib. Amidst the scents of Bahian cuisine and political and social activities, the two fall in love, and in an attempt to possess and tame her, Nacib marries Gabriela. But the marriage is like a cage to the free spirited bird and as you might  imagine the beautiful and sweet love soon turns sour. Does Nacib lose Gabriela forever or does she learn to tame the somewhat wild and unruly character? Read and find out.

There is so much to write about this story and I don’t want to go on and on as I easily could. The seemingly endless array of characters, the bitter stories of adultery and murder, the numerous colonels, the political and social clashes make this an exotic, exhilarating and sensual read. 

Amado’s writing, which is at once both comic and pragmatic, transported me straight to Bahia. I could smell the sweet and exotic fragrances of the beautiful town which seems to be filled with the aromas of Gabriella's cooking and the heady scent of cacao. And just like the description of the small town in Tieta (Agreste), Iléheus is made so vivid and so real with all it's characters giving the town life, I can just imagine living there amidst vibrant colours and even more vibrant characters. I now love Amado nearly as much as I love Marquez.  What an incredible and majestic writer! It's as if his novels aren't fiction at all, but more like flowery and descriptive observations of an anthropologist with a penchant for descriptions, color and humor.    

The feeling of dread

I finished my finals over two weeks ago now. I've really appreciated the time I've had to do whatever I want over the past few weeks. I've had countless long-sleeps and long lie-ins (I'm no stranger to a 12 hour + sleep!). I've been abroad for a few days (Switzerland), I've spent many hours drawing and painting. I've been reading (Amado and Bernieres) and have spent a lot of time hanging out with the fam. However I haven't yet sat down to write, though I've been itching to. Mainly because I haven't really had any solitude and when I do (Often I find that I am the only one awake in the dead of night), I'm so sleepy and tired I stay awake (without reason) forcing myself to watch a movie or a few episodes of an anime or drama.

Anyways, I'm actually just writing because I needed to vent a little. I'm not angry though. I'm scared and i'm anxious. There's a tightness in my chest and a funny hollow feeling in my stomach. Sometimes I think and I think and I need to catch my breath... Sometimes the feeling of dread is so great that I can't breathe. Mostly I've been ok, thank God. Most of the time I feel like whatever happens will happen and fate will take me where it will. Whatever God has willed is what is meant to be and in some form or shape it will be for my good. But I don't feel like it's enough to think like that. I hope and pray things turn out ok. I've prayed that things turn out well. My results are out tomorrow morning. My life might change tomorrow. I'm not being dramatic. It actually could. Please Lord let it be good news for me!

Michael Jackson

Only 7 weeks to go...then finals! Nervous wreck, but Lord willing it goes well... :O
In the midst of the madness of revision I resurface for a dance/ singing break (or TV/ a chat with my sibling or rents/ bestie etc).

Over the last few days I've been listening to Michael Jackson on repeat. His music and films characterized my childhood. I can still remember watching Moonwalker at least once a year for several consecutive years. It was a magical film and the music made it what it was.  Those where the days that my big brother would try to teach me the moon-walk and also that move from Smooth Criminal (the one where MJ leans forwards...at the time we thought it was for real, so really tried very hard to master it...).

I remember borrowing the Dangerous album (CD) from one of my family friends (it was her dads but she lent it to me when he was abroad). I'd hide it every time she came over, hoping she'd forget to ask for it back...which she did.
We didn't have internet or a proper stereo, but our old Hi-Fi was sufficient. When my parents where out, or at the back of the house (where the kitchen was), we'd put the volume to the maximum and started  prancing around thinking we are actually doing the MJ moves...even the hip thrusts and the leg thing etc
Mr Man, the old guy that  used to live in the house attached to ours (semi-detached), was always banging on the walls, whether we were making noise or not. So we barely cared that he would incessantly knock on the wall until the music turned off.

Then there were the endless documentaries that we'd watch as a family (all 7 of us). The life of the Jackson's, MJ's childhood, his rise to fame, his influence and crazy fan-base.

I feel sad knowing that I'll never be able to see him perform live...that would've been one concert that I would give a thing or two to see. Dammit why was I too young to care about an MJ concert back then?

 I cared and still care very little for what the media have said about him. I fear we can't trust what we hear or see and I don't want dubious stories, shady documentaries/articles and much more to taint the beautiful music that still now inspires. Timeless.

Extract from Rumi's Masnavi (VI)

"Wealth has no permanence: it comes in the morning,
and at night it is scattered to the winds.
Physical beauty too has no importance,
for a rosy face is made pale by the scratch of a single thorn.
Noble birth also is of small account,
for many become fools of money and horses.
Many a nobleman's son has disgraced his father by his wicked deeds.
Don't court a person full of talent either,
even if he seems exquisite in that respect:
take warning from the example of Iblis (The devil) 
Iblis had knowledge, but since his love was not pure,
he saw in Adam nothing but a figure of clay."

- Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi

The dead of night

It’s a stormy night. The wind is howling outside my windows. There are two, as my room is situated on the corner of the building, right at the top. A place where the billowing of the wind can be felt all around. I've left both windows partially open, and though it is a cool night, the heating in my room means that the cool gusts of wind swiftly entering my room at both angles isn’t a problem. The gentle pitter-patter of the rain can be heard when the mighty wind takes a small rest and then once it regains it force and momentum, it hurls the gentle rain against my windows and the pitter-patter changes to a vigorous drumming. It’s as if the wind in all its anger is humming a low and angry tune that almost sounds like a rumble and the rain, the sweet gentle rain, is attempting to soothe it, but ends up calling attention to itself so that the irate wind turns it displeasure on it.

Among all this noise is the swishing noise of my curtains, as they dance to the tune of the wind. They’re made of a type of nylon and viscose material, quite stiff and when they flutter the sound they create is similar to that of the pages in a book when they are being turned. 

The beauty of this night has created a perfect environment to write. It invokes the right emotions and the right mood. 

But what am I doing? Why am I still awake? I haven't studied properly in over a week and as far as I am aware my exams are still on. I feel so frustrated but I can't help but want to stay up and write. I've been feeling simultaneously miserable and hopeful... yet the idea for a new story came to me, so as I couldn't revise I decided to write. And in between the writing I've been writing blog posts... What kind of maze have I created for myself? Lord only knows. 

Oxford handbook of clinical medicine

I've thought a lot about it and I've decided that this little gem is my all-time favorite medical text! I'm sure I'm not alone on that one, this book being a bit of a celebrity in the medical world. Not only is it a comprehensive but concise text, containing all major medical and even surgical topics, but it also mixes it up with a little literature!  When I first saw it, I loved it straight away. It's small size and the clear way it presented disease and management was everything I ever wanted in a medical book. It cuts out the BS and really gets down to the nitty-gritty. Essentially it's like your revision notes have been made for you, all you have to do is read, underline/ highlight and memorize (I hate writing/highlighting my books..the most I'll do is use a pencil to underline but never more!) and ponder. However, it goes beyond being just a simple medical text containing facts and figures. The intelligence and compassion of the authors is evident from their exploration of the importance of not losing sight of the human aspect of medicine. The importance of seeing the bigger picture, the whole story, the patients story.  When I was first reading it and came across poems by Ted Hughes and mentions of Silvia Plath and James Joyce etc I nearly shed a tear of joy. Such a beautiful way of educating people, creating wonderful and compassionate minds. Such scholastic brilliance!

The authors try to open the mind of the reader to the world around them, to the those things that may be overlooked when one becomes lost in the factual details. Medicine isn't as simple as diagnosing and treating a disease, it goes way beyond that. Among other things, it's about understanding, empathizing, respecting and being compassionate. It's so easy to remove oneself from the emotional, spiritual and human side of things as one gets desensitized to illness and death. I see my peers (and I'm sure they see my faults too, but one doesn't see oneself as you do others) and wonder how it is that some of them are prone to treating some patients, for example patients with broken English, as if they were devoid of personality or opinions. It really gets me frustrated and angry and I wonder how they can be exposed to the fragility of life and yet be so compassion-less?    

Here's the extract of a Ted Hughes poem called The Lodger, that comes under the cardiovascular history section:

"At night on my pillow the syncopated stagger

Of the pulse in my ear: Russian roulette: 

Every heartbeat a fresh throw of the dice...

Hypochondria walked, holding my arm

Like a nurse, her fingers over my pulse...

The sudden lapping at my throat of loose blood."

It's so beautiful how it ties in so perfectly with the medical text.

I've recently upgraded from the the 6th edition to the 8th. I'm a bit late in doing this upgrade... the 6th ed. is somewhat dated... Anyhow I thought I'd write this post in honor of the old and the new!  I really hope my love for this book, will lead me to devour it in its entirety and so I will be well prepared for my finals! Here's to praying and hoping! *clink*

I have to confess that I'm a little bit of a cheater. You see I haven't been exclusive with my love, I have another lover on the side. Naughty I know, but does it make it better if I say that it's the cousin of the OHCM? Haha, it's the Oxford Handbook of Clinical Specialties! I love this little blue book too. It's just as good and has the same wise approach to teaching. Also there's an illustration of an apple tree on the inside cover of the book and each fruit on the tree has the name of a historically significant physician. From Hippocrates to Ibn Sina. Perfect!
 

Eloquent speech

On the subject of Christoph Waltz and eloquent speech:

"Django Unchained Star Christoph Waltz on Style"

The man just speaks so damn well! Also, he has an interesting way of thinking and definitely an intelligent perspective. For me, he hit the nail on the head when he said that a man's best investment is education. A man can be robbed of his worldly possessions but never can he be robbed of what he holds in his mind (lets not get into the psychiatry side of things here). Intelligence, the greatest weapon a human can wield.

Mr Christoph Waltz

I'm pretty prone to obsessiveness and the subject of my current obsession is Christoph Waltz. I know he's the man of the moment, especially after his Bafta and Golden Globe wins for Django Unchained, but that hasn't put me off. I don't know where to begin. His acting is nothing short of incredible. In every film of his that i've seen, he manages to outshine every other actor. I'm talking about Inglorious Basterds (everyone knows how incredible the evil but somehow mesmerizing Hans Landa was), Water for Elephants, Carnage and Django unchained. I swear in every one of these films the character that impressed me most was the one that Waltz portrayed.   The thing is there is an intelligent quality to his acting, perhaps born from the fact that he has spent a lot of his career on stage, or even the fact that he is actually an intelligent and thoughtful man in real life... After watching some of his interviews I began to suspect that the personas of the characters he plays on screen are strikingly similar to his own. But he's still pretty damn versatile.

 I've spent a lot of time on youtube watching interview after interview. He's just so articulate, so elegant, so refined and so old school. And that accent... I could listen to him speak for hours on end, honestly. If I were a man, I'd hope to be like him when I grew older, a real gentleman. Also there is something about his personality, well the glimpse that we see on TV anyway, that gives me the impression that he is a kind and intelligent man in life. I feel that he would have made an excellent academic and I can only fantasize about him being one of my professors. However, aside from this new found geriophile tendency of mine (I kid, I kid!) the quality I like most in Mr Waltz, is his aura of humbleness. He seems very acutely aware of his condition, almost like he knows very well that he's mortal and not some superhuman with God-given talent that all mankind should look upto... Haha, yes I know not all actors are like that. But what I see in a lot of famous actors is a particular characteristic: Its almost as if they think their invincible. But not Christoph. He seems a lot more fragile (i'm not referring to his age here) a lot more human.  He's a talented actor, who has been given an avenue to explore his creativity and talent and I feel like he wants to grasp hold of this moment and really put everything that he has into it and generally just make the most if it. Alright, I'm aware that I'm projecting my personal ideas onto him, but it is seriously the impression I get from him. He's definitely someone I would love to be stuck next to on a long-haul flight, I can't even imagine how interesting the conversation would be.

An intelligent gaze

                                                                       

Professor Waltz

  

Mr Kaneshiro

"Dance for me woman" he says....

Takeshi Kaneshiro, what a fine actor and a fine specimen of a man. My favorite films of his include Red Cliff, Perhaps Love, Suwito Rein: Shinigami no Seido and The Warlords.  His character in Red Cliff, was my most favourite. It inspired me to write a story about a travelling mage. When I was out in Malaysia a couple of summers ago, there was a huge billboard just outside of one of the train stations in Kuala Lumpur. They had a brilliant picture of Takeshi advertising for Biotherm (see below). Walking past it every morning was the highlight of my day...so refreshing. Ahhh.

Good morning!

Random thoughts on One Piece:

1) Ronoroa Zoro is hot!
2) So is Ace!
3) I love how Vivi calls Zoro, 'Mr Bushido'.
4) Zoro's total inability to follow directions.. I don't know if I should laugh or cry?
5) The names of Sanji's attacks never fail to crack me up! Particularly: 'Frit-assorti' and 'Diable Jambe'.. Hahaha! I swear I fall over laughing so hard I cry real tears.
6) I like how much of a sucker Sanji is for the ladies, he's totally hopeless! But his over the top nose bleeds in the Fishman Island arc.... that shit was a little too crazy! Life threatening perviness?
7) I swear Robin used to be more tan? Did living on in a cold climate over the two year separation cause her to turn a shade or two lighter?
8) I hope Hancock and Luffy get together! Hopefully once he's pirate King!
9) I hope Ace has a kid somewhere out there and maybe one day that little girl/ boy will meet with and fall in love with Luffy's kid.
10) Nami can be a little annoying at times.
11) Chopper is so cute. I want one!
12) I wouldn't know which of the devil fruit powers to pick, If I had the choice.. or even If i'd choose to a have one (is it really worth being a hammer for?).. I don't think I really don't think I'd choose the gomu gomu fruit... I like Ace's power and Blackbeard's (that bastard!) too.
13) I hated Garp for a little while.... ;'(
14) If Sabo is alive, why the f*** didn't he help Ace?
15) Why the hell didn't Dragon either?
16) Man, that Shank is so sexy.
16)  Brook's little "Yo ho ho ho, yoo ho ho ho hooo" tune, made my eyes water, really did pluck on a few heart strings.
17) Going Merry ghost story was sad and sweet. I really do think inanimate objects/things can acquire a sort of soul/ something like that base don how they are used and cared for. I feel like that about my books.
18) Why didn't Luffy's appearance change much after the time skip? They should've beefed him a up a little more a made him taller. Topless and trousers would've done the job too.
19) Franky is a total hentai, but I like his whole robot act after the time skip.
   

Marquez and Magic

One Hundred Years of Solitude
“It's enough for me to be sure that you and I exist at this moment.” 

I was 17 years old when I first read this book. It was the first Marquez book that I ever read. I remember browsing through the shelves of the college library, desperately seeking a novel I could lose my self in. Those days were slightly depressing. I had no idea about what I wanted to do with my life, and the future was uncertain. I had only a single friend in the college (Hector, a seriously funny Mexican guy.  He though he was a real Casanova and would frequently grab random hot girls that passed him in college and start doing some salsa) and didn't really go out of my way to speak to anyone else. I liked being alone and enjoyed the fact that I spent my 3 hour breaks either reading or walking through Kingston. Hector, didn't have lessons on the days that I had my 3 hour break (sometimes it was four hours) and it took me about an hour (or more to get home) so going home wasn't really an option either. Sometimes I'd spend my time in the deserted library and at other times I'd go to the local Borders book shop. That was probably one of my most favorite things to do. The Borders was huge and what I loved most about it was that some of the book shelves were in an alcove-like area, framing a set of super comfortable armchairs, that you could sink into if you cared to sit down. They also had a coffee shop, so you could get your favorite beverage and curl up with a really good book. That's the sort of generosity I love. Those people really knew how to do it. They knew that some people just wanted to read a book that they either didn't want to/ couldn't afford to buy. Also some people needed a place to escape to. I spent most of the free time I had during that year in college, in the Borders. I read countless books, from random manga (they had HUGE collection) to best sellers and just about any book that sparked my interest when browsing the shelves.  

Anyhow, on one particular day, it was absolutely pouring outside and I didn't want to brave the weather, especially as I didn't have an umbrella with me, and the walk from the college to the town center wasn't a short one. So I decided to stay in the college library. I sat on a stool in the fiction section of the library, looking for something good, when I came across '100 years of solitude'.  I'd never heard of Marquez, but his name along with the blurb reeled me in. 

The story basically follows the lives of several generations of the Buendia family, who live in a fictional town called Macando.  The town was founded by Jose Arcadio Buendia, who uses his genius and tenacity to build the town and together with his wife Ursula they raise their family in Macando. One day a group of travelling gypsies passes through the town and with them they bring countless wonders; magnifying glasses, maps and compasses etc Things that the towns people have never seen or heard of. Jose Buendia becomes fascinated with the novel things he is introduced to and develops a desire to seek scientific knowledge, something that consumes him.  In the meantime his practical and capable wife manages the household and their growing brood.  As the town grows, so does the Buendia family and we watch as generation after generation live through different experiences such as birth, love, war, incest and spiritual experiences. Many things happen, I can't recall them all. But I do recall that at one point the entire town falls victim to a sinister disease that causes insomnia and subsequent loss of memories. Then there's the political stuff, the town loses some heart as it grows more bureaucratic and increasingly forgets the lawless yet harmonic living of the earlier days.       There isn't really a solid story line as in no real plot. However, overall, what we see is the rise and fall of the Buendia family as well as the town of Macando and ultimately we watch them spiral towards self destruction. I don't remember as many details of this story, as I would like to, but one characters that really made an impression on me (aside from Jose Buendia) was Remedios. Remedios, is an incredibly beautiful young woman, a great-great-great (?) granddaughter of Ursula and Jose. She is oblivious to the extent of her beauty, one that drives men wildly insane, and lives her life like a hermit, dressing in potato sacks and shaving her head. I think a young admirer even falls to his death, after slipping off a roof whilst peeking on her bathing. One day she is out in the garden and slowly and gently floats away into the sky. It's as if she was so pure and so innocent, that she was in fact other worldly. A being that transcended the mundane laws of this world.  

How handsome was he?
Taken from NY Times

What else? Well Marquez's incredible prose. It's as if his words cast a spell on me and it's not just the story that I want to know more about, I just want to read more and more of the words themselves. Real magic.

When I first read this, I was unaware of Marquez's popularity, so feel like I loved his work for what it was, rather than liking it for the popularity or something like that. I went on to read 'Love in time of Cholera', 'Leaf storm', 'Autumn of the patriarch', 'Of love and demons',  and 'Chronicle of a death foretold' and devoured them all. The magic realism, the unrestrained explorations of the dark side of human nature and the overall dream-like qualities of his novels had me enthralled and still do. I thought I had made an amazing discovery and desperately (although initially reluctantly, as I felt like I had a claim on Marquez and didn't want to share him with anyone, lest it spoil the magic)  urged my friends to share in the experience. However, I have yet to find someone who loves his works just as I do. I know there are probably lots of people out there who do, I mean someone who I know for real. One friend tried her best to read 'Love in the time of cholera', but explained on the phone to me: "Man, I tried so hard not to laugh at some points.. it's a bit dry and  can't really force myself to read the rest." Something like that. She did me wrong man.  Anyways I forced her to return what was obviously not appreciated.  Another friend said she'd skip the book and try to watch the movie, but she didn't like the accents....fruggidin fruschtigats the movie?  Hmm....

The man

I felt I totally understood the themes and the depth of Marquez's novels when I read them, but I'm sure I was too young and no doubt reading them now my understanding and views will change (I'm sure in years to come they will change again, as I grow older). But I'm glad I read them when I did. An impressionable time in my life, when my personality was yet to set. My mind was still open, untainted and fluid. I was open to the worlds that Marquez created and nothing was impossible or unrealistic. Love, sickness, death, physical pleasures, murder, incest and much more, I took it all in my stride. I was still in the process of trying to understand myself (still am) and like to think that Marquez's novels had a small part in shaping my character. I was in love with the hot, sweaty, dreamy and even sinister Latin America that Marquez explored and much like Jorge Amado (that's another story) he made me want to transport myself in time to witness this stuff with my own eyes.. but of course much of it, though undoubtedly drawn from reality and experiences, was fantastical.  

I recall reading somewhere that he penned his first work at the age of 17! Seventeen!!!! :O A real genius for sure. At one point a few years back I researched where he was living (I swear I'm not a hentai stalker) and started planning a trip to Columbia. I even checked flight prices etc and tried to figure out how to save for it and what excuse I'd use with my parents etc... I wanted really badly to meet Mr Marquez and just see what he was like in real life. I'm sure he has many more incredible stories within him that will never see paper. I want to hear what he has to say, what other stories he has and of course what inspires him. Man I would get him to write a personal message in all the books of his I own and of course I'd get a photo with him and we'd both be making the peace sign in it :D    

Mozart and geisha's

A few short months away from my finals and I'm extremely restless. My mind keeps jumping from idea to idea. I sit to study and suddenly feel hungry. I write a few words and want to hear my mothers voice. I feel over whelmed by the desire to do well and then I'm empty... I want no part in it. I want to give up. Maybe I'm not cut out for this? Then I realise that I desire this, I wished for it so badly and now I have it. How can I take it so lightly?

Accompanying my erratic mood are the following pieces. They are currently playing on repeat.

Mozart's sonata for two pianos in D major

This Instantly lifts my spirits and makes me hopeful and realistic. But then it's a sonata for two pianos and I feel rather lonely thinking of how two people should be perfectly synchronised, so perfectly in tune with one other that it would be difficult to determine where one begins and the other ends. They're so different, so distinct, yet in that moment the union is complete.

The other is a Japanese song called 'Kamisama hajimemashita' by Hanae

This tune has been stuck in my head ever since I watched an anime by the same name. I won't detail the anime, as it didn't make great impression on me, though it was cute. But the opening and ending songs of the show are great. As soon as I heard this song, a music video started to play out in my mind. That of a geisha-like girl (i say geisha-like, as I imagined her to be dressed in a Kimono, with traditional Japanese hair accessories, an oriental fan but minus the typical make-up), being repeatedly spurned by her crush (influence by the words of the song itself).  The colors of this video were vibrant, similar to Kanye's Gold digger video :D     One scene was of the girl, singing whilst the fan covered her most of face, but her eyes are captivating the viewer, another scene is of her stalking his facebook page and growing angry/sad when she sees pictures of him with other girls. She turns up to his work-related meeting (typical Japanese affair, in private restaurant room, lots of sushi, sake and of course geishas), posing as one of the working geishas and continually seeks his attention and interrupts the meeting by trying to serve him sake or dance for him etc The rest were of her earnestly attempting to woo her crush, by being cute or seductive and turning up pretty much every where he goes etc. I might admit that the girl in this conjured up music video is myself and the lead male frequently changes depending on which crush I care to remember. Yes, I know my imagination is a little silly/sad at times. But that's just me. I really like this song and the images it conjures up are very light-hearted and optimistic... definitely something that is needed during this stressful time. The above video features the singer and I was a little surprised to see the video, as it really didn't correlate at all with the one I had imagines. Sad times.


Also listening to Pachabel's canon in D major. I know it's been a somewhat commercialised/ become a little mainstream, but when I listen to this, I always feel like I'm slowly rising off the ground and floating away, faster and faster towards an endless blue sky and then it begins raining and I'm still climbing higher, meanwhile the world below continues to revolve.  Or I imagine a slow motion scene from 71 into the fire or another war movie. And Brahms symphony no 1 in c minor, when I'm feeling more melodramatic.