Travelling Far Away, Body and Mind

[justjeepneythoughts]

Okay but Michael Sheen is THIS BEAUTIFUL.

[justjeepneythoughts]

Displacement

You hear the introduction of Chopin's Etude Opus 25, and your mind meanders through the seamless flow of music made from the conscious effort of the pianist to press each key without fail. You enjoy how it evokes your senses, how the intangible soul residing within you finds itself at piece with this exquisite masterpiece.

You sit up straight, and look around you. You are not a running along lush fields of green showered by leaves carried through the wind--you are in your workstation, tasked to finish your duties for a certain project. Rationality won't appeal to you as you presume that you are a person who got lost in time.  Yes, you fall beneath the crack of the fast, finding yourself in this 'present' that was never compatible with the pulse of your heart.

Another day ends in regret.  

[justjeepneythoughts]

In the life of a silenced gadfly

Coming from the discipline of sociology, I didn't find it hard to identify with being a gadfly, who, by modern-day definition "poses questions that many specialists would like to overlook" (Kline 1977: 238). One does not need to delve deep into the recesses of the society to find situations that one could not help but raise brows at. 

Take the case for example, the obscured realities surrounding the Charlie Hebdo massacre. The alleged Jihadists/Islamic extermists/suspects who attacked the office of the Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical  newspaper, were killed following the murder of the mentioned newspapers' famous cartoonists (it was a long time coming from the perspective of these killers since the victims were topping the terrorist group's hitlist. Should Rushdie be more worried than ever?) and Jews in a kosher supermarket. The Kouachi brothers and Cloulibaly once again reminded people of the villains who sought to suppress the 'freedom' of speech and expression in the name of the religion (seriously, nowadays this word is considered toxic among the younger community). It is the universal truth that taking the life of a person away is morally, even inherently wrong (either this or you'd be living in the nightmarish Hobbesian state of nature), but punishment has to be given to the sinner, judgment has to be passed. From the perspective of the suspects, this means erasing the existence of the people in this world who insulted their beliefs. From the perspective of the victims's sympathizers and fighters of freedom of speech, to express disapproval for the merciless death of the cartoonists who became a symbol of free expression and hunt down these criminals.

In less than a week, the manhunt for these terrorists has ended, with each of them submitting themselves to surrender and death. However, the story is not over--there are lessons that we should still learn, as this event will surely ignite caustic reactions against specifc interests groups. In the midst of this tragedy gradually unfolding, I need not to look far to see how there still persists a symptom that clings to the sentiment of the people, endangering innocent ones who should be spared for such reproval: there was a discrimination of Islam everywhere, that in the act of these killers it is proven before the eyes of these people that the race/religion itself is a poison to be expelled--whereas this is not the case when a white person commits a crime of such horrible degree (granted we have Hitler, but hey.. there's Bush, and the guy can golf the whole day and not get any serious chastisement for what he did to Iraq). Are we once again being blind to how we judge the causalities of one's actions. It is indeed the right time not to simply go with what majority says just because it is comforting, it is something you identify with. "Je Suis Charlie" will continue to resonate to the minds of French people, and together will those who believe that one shouldn't be shunned simply for mocking/affirming/expressing statements. Shouldn't we expand beyond their individual biographies and look at the bigger picture? Have we reacted violently to the persistent hunger in Africa, to the turmoil caused by Bok Haram in Nigeria? How can there be a prioritization of issues, when we vow ourselves to save humanity? I don't even want to use the term 'race' anymore since this implies inclusion/exclusion. While there are people who do not have all the time in the world to be informed of the most common of crimes happening everyday, I believe it is our responsibility to not focus solely on a singular event--for these a merely fragments that make up a bigger issue that reflects how the systemic discrimination, poverty and terrorism continue to plague our lives even to this day. 

[justjeepneythoughts]

Upon the dawn of 2015, I start missing 1980s

My renewed love for New Wave genre has been a corollary of my neighbors' non-stop music streaming during the 2015 countdown. I would love to have new wave songs on my playlist as I tour around Europe someday---for reference, I'll be putting some of my picks here:

(Song--Artist)

1. Russian Radio - Red Flag

2. Ghost In You - Psychedelic Furs

3. State of the Nation - Industry 

4. Boys Do Fall in Love - Robin Gibb

5. Wishful Thinking - China Crisis

6. Six Two Eight - Europe

7. Feels Like Heaven - Fiction Factory

a lot more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfrf76XAVuI&index=6&list=PLB99324A6B8821198

[justjeepneythoughts]

Book Reading Plan 2015

I know that committing myself to a daily job is not a petty excuse to skip reading--to be frank, I'm also tired of hearing myself complain that I can't read book x and book y because I have so much to do (when it's all just caused by faulty time management). I am also not a routine kind of person--I tend to push beyond limits and stretch the lines, but following a flexible plan feels like committing yourself to something solid and yet malleable at the same time. The best of both worlds for readers who do not have all the time in their hands and still have a steaming pile of books to take care of :-)

I am sharing this here, hoping it can help people prepare for 2015.

RULES:

1 chapter per day, minimum of 2 required books per day

Let's assume we finish 2 books in a month.

If there is reader was not able to read n chapter in a few days, he/she shall compensate by reading n+1 chapters of the book to catch up

The reader can choose to read more than 1 chapter a day, if he/she enjoys the book. Should it be finished earlier than the end of the month, there are backup/recommendation books included.

Then it means we can finish 24 books/year.

The books that can be read each day are not only limited to these

If the book cannot be finished in a month, then it can overlap with the books that have to be read for the next month.

Books are chosen randomly (non-fiction/fiction). There will be 1 fiction and 1 non-fiction books to be read every month.

The reader has the option to drop a book assigned for the month, but the book should be marked as dropped and is to be replaced by another book (not necessarily coming from the backups)

Any read book in this list can be crossed out after done.

Now, create a table with the first column referring to the months, and the second column listing the 2 books you intend to read (below these books should be the names of the backups).

These are not rigid guidelines--feel free to modify it to suit your own version, no need to ask/message me. If you think you can improve on it, go. Feel free to tag me with your version. Have fun!

[justjeepneythoughts]

On Changes and Foggy Breaths pt. 1

Last week's Friday was all sorts of hodgepodge. We left the office early (around 3pm) for the company dinner with the big boss(es) at 6:30pm. Goodness gracious, it was a wise decision to travel three hours ahead of time because EDSA traffic is merciless. This left us staying at Starbucks located at Antonio Plaza (along McKinley road), and I've gotta say: the SB Chocolate Crepe Cake was fantastic (small serving, though).

A few teas and coffees after, we headed straight to Manila Polo Club (the dinner was set in Nan Ten restaurant), and we were delighted by the fireworks that brought life to the starless night sky (comments range from "these rich bastards" to "guys, I think these fireworks are for us"). We got there on time, with the big boss chatting with a good ol' friend (he seemed really jolly, but it was the limits of his aging body that prevented him from being too animated). Dinner was served in different courses: there was the kani maki, followed by (surprise, suprise) shrimp tempura, chicken tonkatsu, pork tonkatsu, sukiyaki, and a brief appearance of sashimi (it disappeared before it managed to reached our table). Once the plates have been emptied, the boss started picking up names from the fish bowl to determine the winners of the prizes: it's either you get a swatch watch or a tablet. The grand prize was the LCD/LED TV. I didn't totally expect to win, so my eyes widened upon hearing my name for one of the lucky people who will get the tablet. Boy, was I delighted (hi Asus, bye Samsung). 

We exchanged greetings before each of us went on our ways. Some of my colleagues asked to be dropped by the nearest train station, while I was left with my other boss who was going up to Baguio. I didn't buy a ticket yet (to my frustration), and I was worried that the line might be toooo long for chance passengers. I was relieved it to see it wasn't that long once we arrived at the bus terminal. My friend was waiting for me and at around 11 PM, we were already shouting at each other ("fag!", "you adipose") as we got a ride....

[justjeepneythoughts]

Brief Visit to Home

You can already tell by the title how odd this sounds. I will be visiting Baguio this weekend, and I'm looking forward to see old places I've been to with a renewed sense of wonder. 

[justjeepneythoughts]

Germination 2015

In a few weeks, all 2014 calendars will be rendered outdated. The sense of time invented by humans have really come to shape the way we construct our lives and day-to-day activities. Who would have known that a system devised by Benedictine monks would come to be relevant to every human being living during the 21st Century?

Time, is in fact, a rigid rule that everyone in a civilized setting follows. We hear phrases like "just in time", or "I'm running out of time"; a sense of worry follows when we aren't able to check out what time it is. The main flow of human existence dictates that to ignore time means to surrender to chaos. 

Time, is in essence, a tool for organizing society. It keeps uniformity, and binds people together (collaborative) to meet goals and accomplish tasks.

Time, no matter how intangible, is as real as the tiny capillaries carrying blood in your body. It can be the cause of one's failure, or the source of a person's pride. 

Time would not exist if not for the inherited human mindset that there is, in fact, a system of counting down the "days, weeks, minutes, or seconds". We call them time, but outside the networks of meanings that we attribute to the setting of the sun and rising of the moon, what would these concepts be?

A "new" year will come.