respect the elements

Today I went golfing. I had a respectable round, only two over handicap, so all was well, and I then decided to head out to the beach in the afternoon. Lounged around on the beach, catching some rays, then finally got up to head into the water.

The water was FREEZING. My feet were going numb within a few minutes of wading in the shallows. I kept wading deeper and deeper until I'd been hit by enough waves to be wet from head to toe - it was too cold to go diving into the water, and I'm usually one to really enjoy the waves regardless, so it must have been pretty damn cold. In any case, the further I went, the more I realised that the waves were pretty dumpy - you didn't want to be caught unawares in any of the waves coming through.

But of course, after skipping a few big waves I decided to try and catch one back to shore.. and got dumped. Hard. My legs flipped up above me and I plummeted into the ground head first. I was scared that I was going to get knocked out, so I got up as quickly as I could and tried to find him. He helped me back to shore and we picked up an ice pack from the professional lifeguards, and rested awhile on our towels.

I'm still in a lot of pain, and worried that something else is going to happen to me as a side effect of the blow to the head (virtually instant lump - I've never had anything like it before!) and shoulder. I also managed to graze my face pretty well, but that's minor considering the neck and shoulder pain I am experiencing.

But to the real point of my post - the lesson I have learned from this event is just how dangerous the elements can be. Wind, Water and Fire are the ones that come to mind - I know Earth is another, but I can't remember off the top of my head the fifth element (Air?). Admittedly I already had a respect for water - it's so fluid and soothing, yet it can be very, very forceful - but this has really taught me how dangerous water can be. I'm glad I'm a relatively strong swimmer.

Love and respect go hand in hand, and my relationship with water is no different.

upon a star

When he tries to cheer me up, I wish he would quote John Legend.

When I'm upset, I wish he knew that sometimes, all he needs to say is sorry.

I wish he wasn't such a defensive person.

I wish he would stop pointing out all the things I can't go to.

I wish he was more aware.



I wish I was a better person to him.

work, flight, travel

So this is my third night of a total four nights and five days in the town of Albury. All in all, I'm excited to be working away from home, but at the same time, it IS work and not a holiday, so it's not a fully relaxing experience. It is certainly a new experience, and a very novel one at that. It's fun being in a hotel room on my own, but it's also a little lonely.

Not much time to say much else, I just want some sleep..

jeff buckley.

A week ago I bought the Legacy Edition of Jeff Buckley's Live at Sin-e album. I've just released it from its shrink-wrap packaging, and am watching the the additional DVD that came with the album. Watching him perform live in this little cafe, I realise that I don't know if I would have appreciated him as much as I do, if I had been introduced to his music during a live performance.

Jeff Buckley's music is great. He's got so much talent that he has the ability to just muck around and crack jokes and still sound ridiculously good. But I only listened to his music for a long time before watching a DVD of him playing.

The first (and last, prior to this current viewing) DVD I watched was the Live in Chicago recording.. and I wasn't entirely comfortable watching him sing and play. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it was just crazy, a bit too crazy. At the same time, I feel like I need to watch him play, so that I can imagine him better in my mind as I listen to the music.

I like watching his interviews. He has a beautiful gaze, and a beautiful speaking voice, and he always seems so at peace, and when you listen to him speak, you realise that he has so much knowledge, so much depth.

I can't imagine what he would have been like if he had had the opportunity to grow old.

las linguas

I don't actually know for certain what "la lingua" means, but it sounds nice, and I can only guess that it means something along the lines of "the language".

I have a fascination with languages. I think this stems from my fascination with cultures - I enjoy learning about different countries and their unique traits, although I think it's also safe to say that the more you learn about a different culture, the more you realise that there's a lot of similarity across the world.

I remember being taught Mandarin at school in Year 3, just basic words and what not. I don't recall being particularly good at it though.

Year 8 was the next time I had the opportunity to learn languages - at school we were taught Japanese and French. Unfortunately we had a poor French teacher (her pronunciation and spelling changed from class to class, it was annoying), so I didn't study the language much, but Japanese was great, and it was easy to pick up because there were numerous words that were similar to their Korean counterparts, which made it more exciting for me. I was never very good at the French pronunciation either.

During high school when I used to go swimming training, there was a period of time where we had a Russian swim coach. I loved listening to him speak, he had such a great accent to his English! That got me interested in the Russian language, and I taught myself the Russian alphabet and a few words/phrases ("shto eta?" = "What is this?" N.B. that's my phonetic spelling of Russian). I still have the sheets somewhere, and now that I'm writing this, I think I'll go hunt them down and run a refresher course - being able to read Russian would be the coolest party trick.

Also during high school I became fascinated with Africa, and Hawai'i to a lesser extent. I never really ended up learning much kiSwahili, but when I graduated from high school a good friend of mine gave me his "Instant Hawaiian" book, which is a short but sweet read. Another to-do to add to the list! It's been years since I read that book.

Since the end of high school I've been teaching myself Spanish, on and off, here and there. Last year when I started work, I also started learning a bit of Turkish, as I made friends with a colleague who was originally from Turkey. As I made more friends at work, I tried to learn a few Polish words from a friend, but unfortunately we don't really seem to speak anymore. And then earlier this year I made friends with some French colleagues who have come to work in Sydney for a few years, and my interest in the French language has been re-ignited.

So let's see.. I've tried my hand at Mandarin, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, Hawaiian, Polish, kiSwahili.. Portuguese if you count the songs I've sung in Portguese.. and oh, Filipino. I only know a few words, like kumusta, kuya, salamat.. hardly what I'd call "learning", but at least they aren't offensive words. Funny how everybody wants to learn how to swear in another language!

That above paragraph was a bit of a cop-out. In terms of active self-learning, I've attempted Japanese (studied at school for 5 years but I've forgotten a lot), French, Spanish, Russian and Turkish. With the last two languages, I haven't learnt too much, but I know there's a few good sites on the internet that I can go to if I feel the need to study some more.

I also recently discovered the beauty of podcasts. I didn't realise they were free.. now I have access to numerous educational podcasts that teach me how to speak Japanese, Spanish, and French - and heck, there's even a taste of Russian news! It's great.

Oddly enough, sometimes it's nice to just listen to a language when you don't know what they're saying. Certain languages have more of a musicality/percussive feel to them than others, and they're fun to listen to.

too much love, not enough expression

Cut a long story short, I had a friend pass away from this life, last Friday afternoon.

My mind still hasn't registered the reality of the situation, it's just too abstract to comprehend. Simply, I can't believe that she's actually gone.

And you think about the last time you told somebody you appreciated them and their friendship. I don't think it happens enough. And I think a lot of it is due to the social expectations we've created for ourselves.

It's cool to be a hardass. Not.

I've mentioned this to people and on previous blogs before, but I feel like I have a lot of love to give. What I mean by this is, I really enjoy the company of my friends and colleagues, and sometimes all I want to do is just give them a big hug and let them know how much I love them as a friend. Platonic love. But if I went around constantly hugging people and raving about how awesome I think they are and how much I enjoy spending time with them and chatting with them.. well I think I'd just be creating a weird reputation for myself.

It's ok for me to hug girls because I'm female. But if I hug guys, eventually observers will ask "What's going on between those two?", or "Who does she think she is?" if the guy has a girlfriend.

I think we don't appreciate our friends enough in a verbal sense. Or maybe I just take things too quickly, and I want to tell somebody how awesome I think they are, when I've only just started on getting to know them. But it's the way I am. I meet somebody, and within the first 5 minutes of conversation, or in the following 15 minutes of observation as they continue to socialise throughout the room, I already know whether or not I want to get to know the person better.

I just feel like I 'click' with some people. Most of the time I believe it's a one-way thing, i.e. people usually aren't as interested in me as I am in them. And then I impose myself on them (hopefully in a nice way) - I make an effort to visit their workspace, I take an interest in what they're interested in, provided it's a common interest between the two of us, and so on and so forth.

Something I really enjoy is sharing stories with people and listening to their own stories. You can learn so much from others, if you just take the time to sit down and ask the right questions or be patient for them to open up to you in time.

There are so many people whom I wish I knew better. I'm more than happy to let them know that I think they're really cool people, and I enjoy spending time with them, but if they don't know me that well, they're just going to think I'm a weirdo. Oh well, hasn't stopped me before.

I'm glad for the little things I have. The conversations, the arm around the shoulder, the pat on the back, the hug, the smile, the wave.. it's just those little things that make my life happier. There's nothing better than feeling the bond grow stronger between yourself and somebody whose company you appreciate very much.

my happiness

I found my happiness the other night.

I discovered it hiding between the covers of a Dave Matthews Band album.

I also discovered it within the rhythm of The Beatards' "Scooby Snack", an addictive song that forces me to get up and dance like a maniac in the safety of my room.

Most importantly, I realised that my happiness comes from being creatively involved. Namely singing & playing an instrument (preferably done together), drawing/digital design, and dancing. Admittedly, my skills in all of these areas are lacking - I wish I was better at all of them - but I've enough to make me happy. I know there are others who are envious of my skills. And I don't mean that in a blowing-my-own-trumpet kind of way, because I am equally envious of those envious of me. We all have qualities that somebody else desires. The grass is always greener.

Take for instance, my inability to ride a bike. My inability to drive a car (I'm not licensed yet). My desire to be a more fluent speaker of Japanese (current ability is close to zero), and to be able to pronounce French words without feeling very self-conscious.

But anyways!

I'm currently listening to DMB and I love how it's making me feel happy. I haven't felt this genuinely happy in a while methinks.

The two standout tracks that make me virtually instantly happy & get me up and dancing are Lie In Our Graves from the album Crash, and Stay (Wasting Time) from the album Before These Crowded Streets.

There's numerous other DMB songs that are great to dance to, or to sing along to, or cuddle up with somebody to. But first of all, he needs to appreciate DMB more.. :)

why does my blog sound so sad?

I seem to write more when I'm in an un-happy mood. I put that hyphen in because I don't mean unhappy in the sense that I'm feeling sad; I'm trying to cover every other emotion apart from happy. For example, when I'm angry. Or when I'm stressed, which slides into anger, which falls into upset. Or when I'm feeling nothing - I'm neither here nor there; I'm not hungry nor am I full; I'm not sad but I'm not happy either.

That's possibly the worst feeling - blankness. You literally feel like a blank piece of A4 paper.

I dunno. Sometimes being angry is fun. Maybe it's the adrenalin that's running through the body. Does your body create adrenalin when you're angry? I'm not sure. I was never any good at science.

Or maybe it's because when I'm happy, I'm usually nowhere near a computer, and I'm having too much to sit down and say something about it. And besides, I find that it can be quite difficult to convey intense happiness using words, unless you're using a lot of exclamation marks, which makes it look like you're also shouting a lot. But you shout when you're excited, so I suppose it makes sense.

un-borat, un-sexy times

I feel ugly.

I'm going through an ugly phase right now. It lasts maybe a week or two, sometimes less. But during this time I basically feel yuck. Like today. I felt like wearing a paper bag over my head, or not going out until I felt like I look better.. but when you've got a full-time job that's not really an option. And I don't wear make-up so it's not like I can paint a mask over my face.

I hate feeling ugly. I wish I had better skin and better habits.

end of semester, end of subject

Ahh.. it's finally time to hand in the journal. I've got a Time magazine from the last week of January that I wanted to re-read and write about for Week 11's discussions - it's a "Mind & Body special / A User's Guide to the Brain" and one of the articles in the magazine is titled "The mystery of consciousness" - it would have been great to write about in this journal, but time has gotten the better of me unfortunately.

Looking back on the Science & Religion subject, I think it would have been a wiser decision to have studied the gen. ed. during full-time uni, when I would have more time to invest into the discussions and the readings and the research. That said, I think I've done as best I could given my cirumstances, and it's been great fun sharing and contrasting ideas with a group of people whom I've never met nor seen (how bizarre)!

And now it's done, and the final page has been written, and so I bid this science and religion journal a fond farewell :)

friendtalk

And all of a sudden,
I realise what I've been missing.

I missed talking to somebody who listened.

Somebody who didn't try to give advice
like I needed a shrink,
like I couldn't solve my own problems.

But you're different.

You ask me questions,
like I ask you questions,
and you tell me your stories
like I tell you mine.

You share yourself with me
like friends do -
openly.


Thank you.

mighty mouse to mighty man

This is pretty shocking news. Scientists have created a kind of "super mouse" that can eat twice as much as a normal mouse yet not gain weight, as well as run twice as fast for much longer than your average rodent.

I happened to see this news on TV the other night. To illustrate, they showed two mice running on a treadmill at 20m/min. The mouse furthest from the front of the screen was the wild mouse, and the one at the front was the PEPCK-mouse. As time wears on, you can observe the normal (wild) mouse tiring, as it starts sliding towards the back of the treadmill. Numerous times the wild mouse almost falls off the treadmill, only to force its way back on by running hard, continuing to try and keep pace. Eventually the mouse falls off, and only the 'mighty mouse' is left running.. and running.. and running. It's like a Duracell ad with the energetic toy rabbit. The mighty mouse runs faultlessly for a good 4.9km at the 20m/min speed! It's incredible!

And I thought they'd only created one mighty mouse, but it turns out they've already created at least 500 of these freakish beings. I couldn't help but think "What the hell are they doing?!"

I discussed this story with a few mates of mine last night and we all think it's pretty messed up. Especially because this raises questions for the human race, questions which have already been asked by the scientists. One day, there may not be one superman, but a whole city of supermen, women, and children! Kind of like the Incredibles from the Pixar film. To me this is like playing God to the extreme. It's pretty scary, the speed at which science is advancing in this realm. If this technology DOES flow into the human medical arena, I can only imagine the level of controversy it may generate between the Church and the scientists. Not only the Church, but all those who believe this altering of enzymes is an unethical practice.


A response to the article "Mighty Mouse – he’ll make champions of us all"

post-mortem

What a nightmare of an evening. Thank goodness I'm now totally over it.

I apologise.



But how come I'm the always the one apologising?

release

Please let the rain wash me free

it's time, once again..

..to save me from myself.

Sometimes I get stuck.

I want to send you a message telling you just how much you're annoying me, or that I hate you, or that I just don't think I'm right for you.

Then I think, no, I don't want to waste a text on that, so then I think about sending you an email. But then I want you to read the email before you call me, but that doesn't work if you're not going to be at home when you call, so I can't do that either. At which point I flick back to the text. Then the email. And so on, and so forth, to the point where I just get so angry that I want to throw something against the wall, and I just can't get anything done, least of all study, because I need to resolve this inner conflict that I have with you.

But you've been through such a rough patch lately, I don't want to tell you how much you're making me dislike you right now.

I don't believe you anymore when you say you'll try to change your ways. Because you "try" for a few hours and the next time I see you, we've forgotten about it. But it's like that proverbial stone. You think it's all going well, when really that stone's just sitting there gathering that dirty moss that eventually gets scrubbed off with a lot of badmouthing and anger and hate.

At this point I would ask, why do you make me do this, but I don't really see how I can point the finger at you entirely (and yet it would be so easy to do that), because it's not as though you're deliberately trying to get on my nerves. But damn, you're really good at it sometimes.

I swear that since you've entered my life, I've had more mood swings than ever before. Especially towards you.

You wonder why we've been to the edge and back so many times. I think it's because I know that in the long run, something's going to give, and I'm going to find the right person, and you're going to find the right person, and then it will be game over, thanks for playing.

---

Man, I'm so bad with personal relationships. Friendships are so much easier. Love is a drug, once taken, forever addicted. You end up in a spiral of "serious" relationships, multiple rebounds, and if you lose, you come out of the game feeling much older and more empty than ever. There's a lot to be gained in love, but there's a lot to be lost as well. The platonic love of friendship, or that exciting period of "hope" where there's a chemistry between friends, but neither will act before the other, I think that's where you can derive the most fun.

---

Sooner or later I'll brighten up.

----------------
Now playing: Chris Hawkes - Falling Into Doubt

my "postsecret"

sometimes



I really hate being in a relationship

week 11 discussion posts #1-3

Slightly altered for the purposes of this blog

Phew! 10-12hr working days for two weeks.. has left me very far behind in tute discussions! Apologies for my ridiculously late replies.

Responding to Miroula's reponse to Ariella (;P), where she's mentioned "Perhaps being a paraplegic would lead the person to learn life lessons or become the kind of person they wouldnt have been able to become if they were able to walk."

I agree with Miroula on this. I've observed from news reports, or from reading about other people's lives/experiences, that when one part of the is damaged or is dysfunctional, another part of the brain seems to light up and become much more stronger or 'focused'.

Take for instance, the blind painter who is able to distinguish between colours simply by touching the dried pigment on the canvas (true story - Mum recently read about this dude in a Korean newspaper). His lack of eyesight appears to have heightened his sense of touch. It's as though the brain is provided with a certain amount of "skill", and depending on its influences, varying portions of "skill" are divided amongst the different functions.

To compare to something more basic, it's almost like those racing games, where you can choose to have a car with high speed but little grip, or good braking but slow acceleration.

----

In response to Alex's question "Will such a machine operate as a human brain does? Will it feel emotion, love, etc?" -

Call me stubborn but I think human emotion is possibly way too complex and unpredictable for us to break it down and "computerize" it, so to speak. Not only that, but it would make life so.. mechanic. We spend enough time with our portable/desktop electronic gadgets as it is, I think that having to converse to a "human robot" would be really, really depressing.

It's a bit ironic hey, that humans are constantly breaking new ground, discovering lots of things about the world and everything around them, yet the hardest thing to crack is ourselves.. :)

----
So Ariella wrote:

Justin wrote:
"If it is possible to effectively transplant our minds into another body, does that mean that our soul or spirit is also transplanted or even existed in the first place? I think this is what some people might have difficulty accepting. Or perhaps I've oversimplified the issue."

I don't think you have oversimplified the issue at all - I think it is just another way of asking the question that someone else asked this week of where the soul is located physically in our body. If we say the soul is a mental thing, then can it be transplanted like (potentially, but not now) the brain? My inclination (from the concept of emergence) would be to say no, that it can't... or that maybe part of your soul could be, but that there would be bits missing. But then, is your soul even your soul anymore if you were to start removing bits of it? Is the soul a whole, or is it too a sum of parts?

(I realise these questions are getting slightly off topic, sorry).




In response to Ariella's questions/reply to Justin's post, maybe the problem is that we are trying think of the soul and/or the spirit as being located somewhere physically within ourselves. Perhaps it's something more intangible, almost like a ghost, or one of those 'feelings' that you just have, the sense of a presence, that you just can't place a finger on.

I would also like to think that the soul and the spirit are things which cannot be transferred from one body to another.. and if the soul IS a sum of parts, then this sum is inseparable.. that is to say, there are so many things that make up the soul, it is impossible to try and "remove" something from it. I would be more inclined to believe that the soul is able to change, in the same way that a personality can change.

week 14 discussion posts #1-3

Slightly altered for the purposes of this blog


So Ashleigh wrote:

If you believe in them, what is your picture of heaven and hell? How did you get this picture?

I don’t know that I believe in them, but the image that I have of heaven and hell stems from storybooks from childhood and things I heard from others when younger. The classic white, bright and soft place above the earth for heaven and a fiery, hot and smoldering dungeon of a place for hell.

When it comes to my concept of Heaven & Hell, I'm much the same as Ashleigh - I'm influenced by childhood images and the media's representation of the pearly gates above and the pitchforks, horns and pointed tails beneath the earth.

I also like Stuart's idea of what lies beyond our current life on Earth. He wrote:

I do believe in there being something after death, and I guess in a way it is either heaven and hell, but tey are both the same. What I think is that when you die you will be surrounded by all that was important to you in life and everything you succeded in. Therefore, if you lived a good, fulfilling life, you will be much happier than the person who wasted their life and fell in to bad habits who would be surronded by a hellish environment.

- to be surrounded by all that was important to you throughout your years, it's a nice thought. That said, I personally have difficulty in believing that the 'afterlife' will be like that.

The more I think about it, the more I feel that it's not possible for there to be anything left for us after death - even if we were to transcend into a new dimension for the post-Earth way of life, doesn't that mean there must be trillions of now-dead people living in this alternate realm? So Victorians would converse with ancient Egyptians who in turn may converse with Bill Gates, and so on and so forth.. can you imagine the incompatibility and intense difficulty of communication these people would have, coming from different periods of time?

I feel that as the concept of time is a human creation, so is the concept of eternity. Neither are necessarily true; they are just a form of measurement, a yardstick of sorts..

-----

I'd have to agree (to an extent) with Ariella & Priyanka here, and say that the task of determining the 'one true idea' of the end of the universe is important if it leads to methods of prolonging the end.

That said, my thoughts are probably more absolute, in that I think it's a fairly pointless pursuit in any case, because if we DO manage to figure out which way the world will end, we're going to spend all our time trying to avoid it, and/or once the end arrives it's not like we'll still be here afterwards (in which case it *wasn't* the end, was it?) to say 'Yes, we were intelligent enough to accurately predict our own demise' or 'Damnit, we were wrong! If only we'd noticed [X] in the [nth] quadrant in the galaxy,' etc.

To respond to Larissa's question of "What is the aim of science anyway?", the pursuit of science, in my opinion, is to be able to explain things in logical/mathematical terms, that seems more reliable than 'Because God said so'. Of course another aspect of science is the ability to make educated 'guesses' or predictions based on the cumulative evidence, which is great for understanding how many years it will be before Antarctica disappears, but realistically anything could happen between now and next week that nobody could have ever predicted..

A bit of a dark post, but this is a rather dark topic of conversation methinks! :)

-----

Danielle, I agree with on your response to question two. I think the media focuses on the idea of "living in the present" and "do what you want, when you want".. the idea of respecting your elders, or saving for your future (i.e. house, family, etc) has taken a bit of a back seat in today's society, from my observations.

I remember when I was watching an afternoon kids' show back in primary school, they presented this 'wacky fact' that in 2050 or so, kids born around that time would live to 150 years on average. But considering today's 'typical' lifestyle of 'go hard' (huge generalisation I know), I'm not sure if that fact still holds..

literally feeling your pain

It's not even my load.

but my heart doesn't know what to do with itself.

it's this bizarre mixture of sorrow and anger,

a frustration at not being able to help,

not being able to rant, or yell at anybody.

It's not my load

but it's still hurting me, getting me down

I don't like being depressed.

nobody should have to deal with shit like yours.

something old, something new

It's funny how things can be different because they stay the same.

Paradoxical comment I know, but if you know me, you probably know by now that I like to be confusing (and to be confused) sometimes.

What makes me say this is the album I'm currently listening to, which is John Legend's Once Again. I remember hearing it for the first time, and I was rather disappointed and unimpressed by the songs, because it was so different to his debut Get Lifted; it seemed more mainstream and chillaxed, and.. well, just different. And I, being the stubborn mule that I (occasionally) am, didn't really like the new sound he was coming up with.

It's been at least a year now since he released his second album, and having just watched the music video for "Save Room" on a friend's Facebook profile, and not to mention listening to the album in the car last night, I'm really enjoying the songs right now. I think they're absolutely fantastic!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to see the light and hear the music.

----------------
Now playing: John Legend - Again

john legend makes me fall in love

he loves her.

he calls every night,

and she falls asleep to the gentle rhythm of his voice.

she gets grumpy

because he's having fun in town

while she has to hit the books and study,

cooped up at home.

she gets upset because he doesn't call

she makes him stay up to chat even when he's tired

he does it for love.

she picks fights

uses words she shouldn't

when really, he's done no wrong.

he takes the blame,

takes the pain,

but his love is still the same.

she cries

to apologise

she is thankful

he loves her.


sometimes,

the time he spends driving to see her

is longer than the time they share together.

that's how you know

he loves her.

----------------
Now playing: John Legend - Stereo

the religious scientist

I don't actually have much comment on the article below, apart from the fact that I continue to be a little mystified by persons such as Newton, who must have been so scientifically brilliant, and yet despite his deep involvement in science he was also a devout Christian. Such people seem to shatter the concept of a conflict between science and religion.

The article is certainly an interesting read. Will the world really end in 2060, I wonder.. actually no, let's not wonder about that, I don't particularly like the thought of the world ending.
---

Newton's Clockwork Universe

A rare exhibit of Isaac Newton's religious writing, on display at Israel's National Library in Jerusalem, has treated viewers to his interpretation of the Book of Daniel, a prediction that the world will end in 2060, and other biblical notations.

But nowhere in these manuscripts, or his other writings, does Newton speak of a "clockwork" universe, with which he is often associated.

The exhibit sheds light on two misinterpretations of Newton, who died 280 years ago and is considered the greatest scientist in history for his work in physics, astronomy, math, and optics.

The exhibit, for example, shows that Newton was not only a severe-minded scientist, but also an avid speculator in biblical religion. Other scholarship has recently suggested that, although he discovered the laws of motion and gravity, Newton never took the religious view that universe was like a clock set in motion by a distant "clockmaker."

"These documents show a scientist guided by religious fervor, by a desire to see God's actions in the world," curator Yemima Ben-Menahem told reporters at the exhibit's opening this summer. When Einstein saw these documents, he wrote that Newton's speculations "give us a most interesting look into the mental laboratory of this unique thinker," according to a 1940 letter in the Hebrew University archives.

The Jerusalem manuscripts, bought by a Jewish scholar in the 1930s and then housed in the museum, are being shown to the public for the first time. They show that, as a mathematician, Newton was not only interested in calculating Bible prophesy, but also hidden secrets in the dimensions of the ancient temple of Jerusalem.

"He believed there was wisdom in the world that got lost," said Ben-Menahem. "He thought it was coded, and that by studying things like the dimensions of the temple, he could decode it."

After the scientific revolution sparked by Newton, many historians argued that his machine-like universe presented a persuasive argument for the God of Deism, or a God who wound up the clock and then left the scene. The laws of gravity and motion by themselves operated the universe, an idea later applied to biological life. Newton's most famous biographer, the late Richard Westfall, called him a Deist.

But the Newton writings and more recent scholarship argue that Newton still believed that God operated in the details of the world, both in nature and in history.

"Newton's God was not the absentee clockmaker typical of the Enlightenment," says Edward B. Davis, a former student of Westfall who teaches the history of science at Messiah College in Pennsylvania. "Newton believed God was free to make the world, and alter it at times, in any way he pleased. Newton was serious about his belief in an active God who governs nature at all times."

The idea that Newton embraced the clockwork image, according to Davis and others, originated with the German philosopher Gottfried Leibniz, his rival in claiming to have been first to invent calculus. During Leibniz's debate with a friend of Newton, the philosopher Samuel Clarke, he said that Newton had discredited God's perfection by saying the deity adjusted the orbits of planets occasionally.

Leibniz said Newton had introduced a God that had "to wind up his watch from time to time" and lacked "sufficient foresight to make it a perpetual motion." This sort of God was cleaning and mending the universe "as a clockmaker mends his work," said Leibniz. The clock image became attached to Newton, even though Clarke emphatically rejected the idea on Newton's authority. The clock universe, Clarke wrote, "is the notion of materialism and fate, and tends ... to exclude providence."

The Jerusalem documents suggest Newton saw God as governing providential history and even hiding spiritual truths in the biblical commandments on the dimensions of the temple.

In one manuscript Newton uses the Book of Daniel to suggest the world would end no earlier than 2060. "It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner," he wrote. "This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."

Davis says that Newton's massive writings on alchemy, or the use of chemistry to seek spiritual knowledge, also illustrated that Newton was trying to find the "intermediate agents" and "active principles" of God's action in the world. As Newton wrote, "God doth nothing by himself which he can do by others."

Davis says that other leading figures, such as chemist Robert Boyle and philosopher John Locke, were also interested in alchemy. "For all the talk about magic and making gold," says Davis, "alchemy was ultimately about matter itself and how God governed it. It's fair to say that alchemy was the scientific theory of matter at that time. We need to look at science in its real context."

things that make me happy

mint choc chip ice cream

mango and banana nectar

music that makes me move, or sway, or tap my foot incessantly

friendly animals

young animals

old animals

animals

slices of juicy sweet watermelon

being within arm's reach of a kookaburra or a cockatoo (but not actually touching them)

the first dive into the middle lane of a still pool, and the instant cool it brings

running like a kamikaze down the beach into the water and diving into the waves

diving deep down as a HUGE wave rolls close, being peacefully submerged in a watery stillness as the wave sweeps over the top of me to the shore

fruitiness

fully understanding my homework

fully understanding my work

unusual pieces of clothing that actually look good on me

good hair days

skirts

making friends feel blissfully happy

big strong bear hugs

sitting close together outside and staring at nothing on a lazy afternoon or morning with friends

feeling good about myself and my body image

feelgood movies

the first hint of a summer breeze

beautiful blue skies and being in a park

classic picnics

holidays away

running around like a crazy nut

singing in perfect harmony with other musical minds

wicked impromptu jams

discovering that your feelings were mutual after all

week 9 discussion post #4

To put things in context, Ariella wrote:

The thought strikes me, that the thing about miracles is that they are rare. This is why they are miracles. So what happens then if something is so rare that it has only ever happened once, and it happened to occur a long time ago, and this doesn't give scientists the chance to study it...?

How are people then to know about the scientific possibility or impossibility of this thing...? Could it not be that it is scientifically possible, but everyone thinks it is scientifically impossible, and only a myth, because it hasn't happened again, and so doesn't seem feasible or provable...?

I hope this made sense. I am not sure that it does :)


My repsonse (Slightly edited for the purposes of this blog):

I think I can see where Ariella is coming from with this suggestion, and I like the idea.

It makes sense to me that a scientist would have difficulty understanding an event that occurs, say every 1-in-50 years, because scientific experiments (to me) are all about repetition and comparing against a 'control' of some sort.. so anything that can't be reperformed and tested is classed into the 'miracles' group, simply because scientists don't have the ability to gather additional information about such an event..

a lifetime of secrets

What secret would you share with the world, if you knew that nobody would know the secret was yours?

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/





Makes me want to send in my own secrets..

intensely fascinating

You gotta see this.

African evolution

Article: Out of Africa, But Into What?

The "out of Africa" theory for human origins dominates modern science, beating out a competing theory that modern humans may have evolved in a few locations. But that does not mean the Africa-first theorists are sitting on their laurels.

Anthropologists and geneticists who study African origins are making the theory as robust as possible. They also are trying to answer a few contested questions: After Africa, where did early humans go first, and how does that explain the seeming anomaly that humans fossils at times suggest more than one origin?

This summer, two researchers at Cambridge University, the geneticist William Amos and biologist Andrea Manica, presented what they believe is a definitive answer: The evolution of skulls match up with previously found genetic evidence that pinpoint human origins to central or southern Africa before their rapid migration around the world.

The researchers analyzed the shapes of 4,666 male skulls from 105 places around the world, all of them less than 2,000 years old. As expected, they found that skulls nearer to Africa showed a higher degree of difference, reflecting the early evolutionary branching of modern humans. Human skulls found at great distances from Africa showed less change within their own groups, reflecting a loss of genetic diversity.

"What you find is a very nice linear decline of variability as you move farther away from Africa," Amos said. This pattern in the skulls also matched research in genetics showing more diversity in older African populations, and less at greater distances, the team reported in July in the journal Nature. "We failed to find evidence of a second origin," they said. Discoveries of skulls that suggest second origins are anomalies, since the preponderance of data show an out-of-Africa pattern.

Although the Cambridge team of skull experts confirmed their findings with previous genetic evidence, a debate has raged for a few decades on which is the best test of evolutionary branching: fossils or genetic samples from modern creatures?

The Cambridge researchers said the skulls often have the best advantage in the study of human origins. "There are so many of them and they come from populations that are not very well represented genetically," said Amos. Although genetic samples for aboriginal Americans and Australians are rare, for example, skulls are in abundance. The global skull data can "open up lots of nice testable hypotheses" on which routes early humans took when they left Africa, Amos said.

Many geneticists have argued that genetic samples are the best proof of migrations, and they are hard at work trying to trace human migrations as well. Since last year, the National Geographic Society in Washington, D.C., has led this research. "Every drop of human blood contains a history book written in the language of our genes," said Spencer Wells, a population geneticist. Wells is lead scientist in National Geographic's five-year project to analyze approximately 100,000 DNA samples from people across the globe.

Anthropologists and geneticists tend to agree that modern humans left Africa between 50,000 and 70,000 years ago, but a number of mysteries remain. Scientists are not sure which are the oldest populations in Africa, for example. They also wonder about the role a 5,000-mile network of trade routes called the Silk Road played in dispersing genetic diversity across the Middle East, India, and Asia. The number of times that humans migrated to the Americas is also up for debate, as is the time when they first arrived in the arctic regions.

Despite these mysteries, few experts doubt the out-of-Africa scenario in broad terms, said Erik Trinkaus, a physical anthropologist at Washington University in St. Louis. "The issue is how much modern humans spreading out of Africa after 50,000 years ago interbred with regional groups of archaic humans, where and when," he said. The new studies "reinforce the idea of a special isolation of modern humanity from anything less 'pure,'" meaning an avoidance of mating with other archaic humans.

---
This work is so fascinating - I remember watching a National Geographic documentary titled "The Journey of Man" when I was in high school - unfortunately I don't remember much of it because I was really tired and fell asleep on the couch watching it. But just the idea that we all come from Africa.. it's really exciting.

And with evidence like this, I can't help but wonder how people don't believe in the concept of human evolution. Or perhaps we've got the wrong story, i.e. the Bible is more limited than we think. Maybe, because it wasn't until we developed as homo sapiens that we were able to read and write, our documentation of religion and God is missing the hundreds or thousands or millions of years when God also existed in the earlier humans' presence, when they didn't understand who He was, nor have any means of recording their experiences for future generations to comprehend.

Were Adam and Eve actually a pair of early, early humans, living in a lush Garden of Eden in Africa? Hmmm..!


A response to the article "Out of Africa, But Into What?"

(maybe) it's the end of the male as we know it

Article: The End of 'Man'

The segment of human genes that defines maleness—the Y chromosome—is so meager that some scientists predict it will evolve out of existence in 125,000 years. The ninety genes that determine who is born a boy are so vulnerable, some scientists say, that they deserve labels like DNA "graveyard" or "Adam's curse."

No one has yet predicted the end of the male species, although it could theoretically happen. Males generally carry one Y chromosome, with its few genes, and one X, which has more than a thousand. The Y, lacking a matched genetic partner, exchanges little genetic material with the X. Women, on the other hand, have two X chromosomes that exchange vastly more genes.

Since the Y lacks this high rate of recombination, the scientific mystery has been how the "male" genetic code survives generation after generation. Scientists wonder why maleness, with its lack of genetic resources, has not simply withered away.

The answer, according to new research, may be that the Y has found a way to keep replenishing itself.

During fertilization, when the mother and father exchange their unique genetic blueprints, the mother and father's DNA exchange places with each other at random points. This "crossing over," or mixing, of genetic material is believed to ensure the health of the human genome by adding diversity it its genes. The process weeds out the weak genes and perpetuates the strong ones.

This crossing over is extensive between two X chromosomes. But the Y chromosome lacks a full partner and is denied full genetic "sex," or recombination. The Y only exchanges genetic material at its ends, where it matches the X chromosome. All the other genes on the Y apparently receive no upgrading and repair by the swapping of genetic material.

Nevertheless, genetic "man" has survived for 300 million years, but scientists disagree on how much longer he can last.

That story begins with the apparent history of the X and Y chromosomes. They are believed to have been identical in mammals 300 million years ago. After a major mutation occurred, a male-determining gene appeared on the Y chromosome. The gene is now called the SRY gene for "Sex-determining Region of the Y." This mutation had historical significance because it marked the birth of "sex" and the distinctive journeys of the Y and the X.

Although the Y chromosome has few genes, they are very active in producing sperm for reproduction. But because of this activity, and because they are switched "on" so often, the Y genes are particularly susceptible to mutation.

The Oxford geneticist Brian Sykes, who describes the Y chromosome as a "graveyard of rotting genes," calculates that this high mutation rate will destroy the fertility of the Y in 125,000 years. That means that the Y chromosome will no longer have the genetic power to make males, and the natural reproduction of "man" will end.

Other scientists give the Y a better chance. Biologists Jennifer Graves of the Australian National University calculates that the Y chromosome, and thus males, will last perhaps 14 million more years. Her estimate is based on a more gradual gene decay.

A new theory, however, not only rejects such pessimism, but tries to explain why the weakling Y chromosome has lasted so long. In 2003, David Page, head of the Whitehead Institute and a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), presented his discovery that a major part of the Y chromosome self-corrects its mutations. He studied the region of genes that produced the most sperm and found eight extra gene sequences—mirror images of the genes called palindromes—that allow the Y to recombine with itself.

A genetic palindrome is a DNA sequence with letters that read the same in either direction (such as the word "tenet" or phrase "Madam, in Eden I'm Adam"). Page argues that the Y chromosome makes a hairpin loop (see diagram) to recombine its genes, keeping them healthy after millions of years of genetic reproduction. This process of "gene conversion," Page says, can occur up to six hundred times per pairing.

He and his colleagues compared the DNA in the Y chromosome of chimpanzees and humans and found that even the genes that do not participate in palindrome conversion change very little over six million years—the point at which chimp and human lines diverged. Although the Y has lost genes, Page says, it has also gained them and become very specialized and efficient.

Graves, the Australian geneticist, is not convinced. She doubts that the palindrome effect really recombines genes,and says it may further erode them. Sykes adds in his book, Adam's Curse, "The Y chromosome is just as lonely as ever—though we now know that it talks to itself as it spirals towards oblivion."

But even if this means the end of natural male reproduction, Graves says, other genes might mutate and take over the SRY's role. A new species of humans might result. The Y has disappeared from two rodent species, for example, but males are still being born. At MIT, Page puts his money on the Y as we know it. He sees it not as a graveyard but as a lean, efficient reproduction machine—here to stay.

---
Now this is a slightly bizarre article. I never thought I'd read about the possibility of the extinction of the male human species. I mean, really. Who'da thunk?

What's amusing is how the article notes that the genes that ultimately determine a boy are "vulnerable" - that's the last word I'd use to describe males as a whole, considering the largely male-dominated society we live in. Yes, gender equality has come a long way, but I think it still has a ways to go.

The reason why I feel compelled to include this article in my journal is because I don't think this sits well with a Judaeo-Christian belief of God and the creation of humans. Surely God wouldn't have created Adam and Eve in such a way that the male species would eventually die out before the female race (which incidentally is the total opposite of the movie Children of Men, where there is only one female left on Earth and she is pregnant and it's so-and-so's duty to protect her from everybody else who is trying to kill her, etc). Especially considering that it was Eve who supposedly sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Nor would He, in my opinion, create humans in such a way that we would evolve into a new method of breeding.

Admittedly, the end of the article notes that perhaps a new species of human will be born from the disappearance or deterioration of the Y chromosome.. thus ending 'natural male reproduction' as mentioned in the article, and creating a new form of human reproduction which would, in time, become 'natural' reproduction.

Genetic mutation - the phrase sounds like such an unnatural activity, but I'm sure it happens all the time. It's like the concept of 'normal'. There can hardly be such a thing as normal in my opinion; one is merely making a huge generalisation over the population when describing something as having normal or usual attributes.

But back to the article. Of course, this is all scientific speculation. Nobody knows what will actually happen.. but the theories put forward in the article are rather intriguing to say the least!


A response to the article "The End of 'Man'"

on the unusual influx of bogong moths in the city

when the birds are away

the moths will play

week 10 discussion post #1

On the topic of Miracles


This seems like a bit of a difficult topic to discuss, in the sense that I don't think there will be many people able to provide examples of their own miraculous experiences.

To me, it seems that the concept of a 'miracle' is fairly subjective, i.e. people use the word to varying degrees. An example: Some people consider the act of giving birth to a child as a miraculous occurrence, even though they know its a result of a woman's egg being fertilised, etc. Personally, I think the building of the Pyramids and the Taj Mahal, and many other 'classic' works of architecture, are miraculous, considering the comparative lack of tools/technology they had in those days!


I've heard of instances where a person's heart has literally stopped, but doctors/emergency crew have been able to revive that person, therefore bringing them back from the dead, regardless of how long that person was 'dead' for.

Then you have the odd story of a person being in a coma for decades, only to wake up to a completely changed society. I recall reading a news article within the last 12 months or so, of a man whose last memories prior to waking from his coma, were of a Germany still divided by the Berlin wall. How somebody can remain unconscious for so long, and then come 'back to life' so to speak, is beyond me.

Although science and technology have progressed far, there are still many things we don't know about, or don't fully understand. Humans made assumptions and devised the "laws" of nature, based on a continuous experience - but I think it's impossible for life and nature to be so straightforward as to follow a set of 'laws'. Hence we the one-off instances, the 'un'-usual events, as strange, and/or miraculous..

playing God?

So I read this article on SMH about how a doctor is developing a 'personalised' approach to treating cancer, and as I reading the article I couldn't help but wonder if the very act of being a doctor is like playing the role of God. After all, wasn't it Jesus who healed the sick and the blind? And for an illness such as cancer, which is quite life-threatening or terminal at times, treating a patient with a "gene chip" sounds like a much better way to cure cancer, rather than chemotherapy.

But has anybody complained about it?

Research for a cure for cancer is a noble piece of work in my opinion. Yet those scientists involved in stem cell research, or genetic research, who are equally as determined to try and cure patients of terminal illnesses etc, seem to cop a lot more flak from the general population. Or maybe it's just a controversial topic because there isn't a great deal known about stem cell (etc) research, considering that humans fear the unknown.

I mean, I'm not too sure what my stance is on genetic engineering. It does seem a bit too much like the scientists are trying to "play God". But at the same time I can't help but think, if I was severely ill wouldn't I desperately want any kind of cure available? Wouldn't everybody else be the same?


A response to the article "Gene Chip Helps Cancer Treatment"

eager anticipation

From the makers of that bouncing ball ad and the exploding paint ad..

I can't wait for this new upcoming Bravia advert.. although I don't own a Bravia TV, their commercials are just out of this world.

You can't underestimate a good commercial. And what's more, most commercials (if not all) are only 30 seconds long.. and the creators out there, they can make you feel so many emotions within those thirty seconds, it's really quite amazing.

I love these ads - they're works of art.

MX's letter of the day

Just thought I'd "paste" this into my journal:

an eye for an eye - or not

What is the value of a human life?

The excerpt from a novel that's quoted in the above link is a bit odd - I think I find it a little difficult to understand because it's taken out of context. But anyways, the discussion that ensues beneath is about one of the Ten Commandments - specifically the one that commands we should not take another's life - and its translation.

I'm not sure where I stand with the death penalty. Sometimes I hear about a crime that somebody has committed, and it's absolutely disgusting and/or devastating for other people who were helplessly involved as victims or bystanders, etc.. and it seems logical that the criminal doesn't deserve to live. But at the same time, it would be greater torment for them to have to live for the rest of their life with the burden of their shame and guilt, if they feel any - otherwise I suppose the police or other official would try their best to instill a sense of intense regret in them.

And then I hear about people who have been sentenced to death for lesser crimes - the example that comes to mind is the young Asian-Australian who was caught in Singapore with drugs in his luggage (I think.. can't remember the exact details) and was subsequently killed for his crime. By the end of it all (and thanks to the media coverage/presentation of the whole event), I felt really sorry for his family as well as him. Even though he had technically broken the law, he hadn't physically taken anybody's life (from my knowledge), so I didn't think that warranted a death penalty.

I feel like I've strayed from the original question a bit. Let's just say, I wouldn't want to be the judge laying down the law in a criminal court.. that would just be too much for me. I don't want to be responsible for taking somebody else's life, even if it was indirect, i.e. by way of a court ruling, and not by a physical weapon.

sweet love

choc mint ice cream

reminds me of you

a soulful groove

Born in Germany, to a Nigerian father and a gypsy mother. Her name means "joy" in Yoruba (an African language), and her nomadic nature has led her to live somewhere between Paris and New York.

Ayo is, by nature, quite unique.

---

From what I can remember, I randomly came across this artist in a JB Hi-Fi music magazine. I read the blurb and saw the album cover, and knew I wanted to listen to it. The album was eventually bought for me as a surprise present, which was a nice surprise indeed. :)

I think I was initially surprised by the songs - what I was hearing was not really what I'd expected. But I've grown to love the sound that is Ayo. She sings with a certain raw emotion - I would say it's a by-product of the troubles and hardships she's faced throughout her life thus far (read her biography here) - and musically, it's great to listen to.

If I needed to categorise her music into a genre for somebody.. I don't know what I would call it. Perhaps a soulful groove, as the title of this post suggests?

Ayo is primarily Caribbean/reggae-style rhythms, but she also includes a harmonica, an accordion and what I think is jazz organ (Hammond B-3, it says in the album booklet) in her songs. And whatever the percussion instrument is (no, not the drum kit), its got that awesome "guun, guun" sound to it which I love so much.

Stand-out tracks:
#1. Down On My Knees "Do you really think / She can love you more than me / Do you really, really think so?"
A quick, slick percussion intro leads into the song and the album that is Ayo. This song exemplifies her raw expression, and it packs a punch.

#3. Letter By Letter I wish I could read you like a book, letter by letter.."
This is one of the more pop-ish songs on the album, in my opinion. The harmonica makes an appearance on this track during the interludes, and I think it gives the song an extra edge.

#5. And It's Supposed To Be Love "Body slam you to the ground / Messaging a chill / Curses make the head go 'round / Brings a certain thrill.."
The upbeat, slightly Caribbean rhythm and the soft & gentle vocals belie the lyrical content of the song, as Ayo sings about the irony of love in a scene of domestic violence.

#10. Life Is Real "Me I be Ayo, Ogunmakin fear no foe, I am real fro head to toe, just like my heart and like my soul.."
A fast-paced song, and something I definitely groove along to. I love how this song is quicker than the rest, it's almost like a wake up call to get you up and about.

#13. Neva Been "I don't need the sun, don't need the moon / Now that you're here, God gave me both in you.."
The final song on the album. It's like after all the darkness, a ray of light peers through the clouds, and the sky clears more and more until it's a cloudless day, and all you can do is smile and dance. A great finishing touch to a wonderful album of life.

Ayo. Life, love and longing, with a dash of optimism. One of my real favourites in my cd collection. Have a listen if you like :)

Additional links:
http://www.myspace.com/ayosound

incredible inspiration

Before you read any further, please take a look at the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWs9G-c_pcs

---
"In this country of 25 million people where the average income is $3,490 a year, the youth music program's budget is $29 million annually, most of it from government funding.."

"Young musicians in Sarria are not allowed to take their instruments home because of the risk of being mugged, and some come to class with headaches because their families cannot afford food."

"The talented musicians of the National System of Venezuelan Youth and Children's Orchestras are a source of national pride, like football stars in other Latin American countries."

"When a poor child begins to play an instrument in his home, it begins to transform the household and the neighbors, and his dedication becomes a model for other children," the bespectacled, balding maestro said. "When he leaves the slums and starts playing in public places wearing a uniform, it builds his self-esteem."

"Poverty generates anonymity, loneliness. Music creates happiness and hope in a community, and the triumph of a child as a musician helps him aspire to even higher things."

---

I was in the car one evening, on my way home from work (or was I heading to/from the driving range? I don't remember) or vice versa, listening to ABC Classic FM. I must have switched on partway through a conversation; a lady was commenting on a youth orchestra that she thought was amazing and inspirational, or something to that effect, and I was intrigued enough to want to know more.

So when I recalled this commentary I'd heard, I did a quick search on YouTube for the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra (she mentioned there was a YouTube clip available). I found what I was looking for - their performance of Bernstein's "Mambo", one of the symphonic dances from West Side Story. And it was spectacular to say the least.

These kids are a real inspiration. The amount they have achieved, and continue to achieve, despite the troubles and hardships they face in their immediate environment - it puts people like me to shame. I go on and on about how I wish I was a musician, or how I'd be a better musician if I only had the time and the freedom to rehearse.. but it can't be true. If I really meant it, surely I'd be living the dream right now?

But this isn't about me.

What I want to say is, music changes lives. It really does. This is a clear example of the fact. Music transcends all the barriers we've built for and against one another.

Music makes the world go around with a sway and and a smile.


Additional reading:
"Venezuela youths transformed by music"
"For Venezuela's poor, music opens doors"

----------------
Now playing: John Mayer - Why Georgia (live)

making the most of life

While searching for news articles related to my gen. ed. subject at uni (Science & Religion), I came across this interesting article about 4 guys in America, who are literally trying to live out their dreams* while helping others do the same*.

*to some extent.

These guys are roughly my age, i.e. one or two years older than me. Like me, they've realised life is too short. Unlike me, they're doing something about it.

So they came up with a list of 100 things they wanted to do before they die. When I read through the list, I figured that most of the items were fairly trivial. But having a second think about it, I suppose these things mean a lot to those guys, in one way or another.

You don't have to have a life-changing experience for something to mean a lot to you - for instance, having fun and being happy means a lot to me. Might not happen as much as it used to, but that's a result of my own decisions, and external influences. As much as I could blame it on somebody or something else, ultimately I claim responsibility over who influences me or affects me with their opinions and commands etc.

But again, I digress.

Back to the topic - I visited the guys' site (www.theburiedlife.com) and decided to read the blog posts from the very beginning. I kept having mixed emotions, because I was initially attracted to their mission after reading that they're helping other people achieve [some of] their dreams where they can.. but at the same time, the guys are having a blast on the road, being supported by sponsors, doing crazy things like successfully passing through security and making their way into the MTV awards, etc etc. Essentially, the message I'm getting is that they're not selfless (a la charity/relief organisations), but they're not selfish either. When they say they're "4 regular guys", they mean it.

I enjoy visiting their blog, it makes for some fun reading. And when my internet picks up speed again, I'll definitely be checking out their videos on YouTube (their ultimate plan is to create a film of their experiences).

Yes, they are making a difference to people's lives, here and there.

But are they inspirational? I'm not entirely sure about that.. yet.

A response to the news article "Students help others discover buried dreams"

----------------
Now playing: John Mayer - Message In A Bottle (live)

week 9 discussion posts #1-3

On the topic of Prayer


Like Miroula, I also think that having more people pray for a particular person doesn't necessarily imply that they're competing in a popularity contest against other "teams" or prayer groups. I take a slightly different slant on this concept - maybe its more the peoples' way of telling God that here is this fellow comrade, who needs extra care, or extra strength, as they battle through whatever obstacle or difficulty or illness they are faced with.

And as for the "orphan with no friends" - I think there are many people in the world who pray for "all the disadvantaged", or "all the poverty-stricken families", etc. And if they're really passionate about that prayer, i.e. not just going through the motions, that's fantastic.

---

Anthony wrote:
"I am not sure why God would help the sick or the invalid if he was the instigator of the illnesses originally. It would be like changing your mind and if you are always right as he is supposed to be then he just wouldn't."

This raises a different perspective in my mind - perhaps God isn't always right. Perhaps the concept of 'perfection' and 'Godliness' is a completely delusional goal created by humans.

And another idea - what if God didn't create or instigate illnesses, and such bodily malfunctions were a by-product of humans' interactions with one another, which God may not necessarily have control over (assuming free-agent theory)?

Because the more I think about it, the more illogical it seems for God to be able to know every single little detail of our lives, or to be 100% correct, from start to finish - it's like having to eternally sit through a movie(s) that you already know the ending(s) to.

And Ariella wrote:
"I am not sure that I would interpret G-d being always right as Him being right in every decision that He makes, but rather that He is always right ... in His process, in His sequence of decisions. I think that allows Him room to change His mind."

This makes a little confused - correct me if I'm wrong, but that comment seems a little redundant.. because if God is right in his process, that means he has made the right decisions, doesn't it? If the sequence is correct, then the decisions were also spot-on? Perhaps I've misinterpreted :)

This is a little off-topic, but I think what I'm having difficulty with the idea that God has laid out all His grand, perfect plans, and is now sitting back to enjoy the show, and therefore He has no reason to change his mind.
Rather, it makes more sense to me that He is an active participant in our lives and the universe, tweaking things as He goes because He doesn't know what lies at the end (if there is such a thing).

----

Anthony wrote:
"Does this mean that you don't believe that God is all-powerful and all-knowing?"; and
"If you think that god's relationship with his children is so inspirational, why does he let come to harm?"

To answer the first, I think it's quite possible that God is not all-knowing and all-powerful - in which case, prayer (to me) becomes more of a communication with somebody or something who is more of a friend, albeit a friend who has a bit more power that you do (perhaps). Not perfect, but not human either.
And heck, He might not even exist! In which case prayer is a way of making ourselves feel better, self-therapy so to speak.

To answer the second (which was actually asked to Claire but anyway) - people need to make mistakes to learn. A child knows to stay away from a flame after being burnt. No amount of "Don't do this, don't do that" will teach a child, nor stop them from doing what it is they've been prohibited to do, unless they're really obedient/un-inquisitive. The more overprotective a parent is, the more rebellious a child will be.
Everybody learns through their experiences (an easy example - you learn more in the workplace that you do reading a textbook about your job), and sometimes those experiences aren't pleasant. There will be pain and hurt, and there will be things that you instantly regret. But you become stronger and wiser. It's the whole concept of "you wouldn't appreciate happiness so much, if you didn't experience sadness every now and again"
If God were to protect us from all the "bad" things, we'd just be living, breathing potatoes. Your life is enriched by the plethora of emotions and events you experience.

That response was a little on the not-really-related-to-religion side, but oh well :)

mini reflections on discussion posts

While catching up on a few discussion threads, one Jeff's posts caught my eye.

He said: "After all, if God gave you life, it is his choice to do whatever he wants with it."

But, is it really?

I would have thought that God would have created us so that we could be independent beings, i.e. let us do whatever we want, even if it means that some people will be non-believers.. by creating us as individuals, that's the risk He should be willing to take, right?

Although I suppose that would be a bit stupid. I think we naturally take pride in our work, and similarly, God would like to do the same, so perhaps it makes sense that He should have the ability to steer us in whichever direction He desires, whether it's instilling fear in us so that we don't recklessly jump off a cliff in the name of extreme fun, or whether it's making love blossom between two people, so their lives become brighter.

Jeff also wrote: "Sometimes I have to side with the logic that God knows, but God can't help."

Maybe not a case of can't help, but chooses not to help..

week 8 discussion posts #3-4

On the topic of Providence, Free Will & Suffering
Discussion posts below altered slightly for the purposes of this blog


Responding to Priyanka - I felt that Ariella was implying that humans will inevitably live in a world that includes evil and suffering, because it is not possible for them to be "free-willed" and make the "right" decisions all the time. And I agree with this to an extent, in that yes, humans will inevitably make mistakes, the wrong decisions, etc. But that doesn't necessarily mean that we as humans will breed an environment with lots of negativity and general unpleasantness.

Perhaps such an environment would exist temporarily - but surely it would be possible for humans to exist co-operatively with one another and their surroundings - a Utopian ideal, I know, but if you can dream it, perhaps you can live it too. (I hope all the above makes sense!)

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Miroula had a really interesting question. Perhaps humans had to develop an understanding of right and wrong, good and evil. So the basic emotions such as joy, fear, anger, sorrow were (and of course continue to be) an inherent part of human beings, but perhaps it wasn't until humans were exposed to different situations and a variety of interactions with one another, that they began to develop certain reactions to particular events.. and maybe then they developed a like/dislike of that event, which then caused their mind to separate the 'good' from the 'bad'.

Basically what I'm trying to say is, perhaps humans developed a sense of what was evil and what it meant to suffer, from their own feelings during certain life experiences.. so it didn't actually exist to begin with, it was a human concept, in a similar way that Time is considered to be a human concept (I think?).

keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?

I read this article about a priest who was attacked by an intruder attempting to rob their Divine Word Mission. When interviewed, the priest said:

"I need to pray for the one who attacked me... I feel when I pray for him in the future he can be better - everyone wants to live in harmony."

It's not like it was a peaceful hit and run either. The priest goes on to say:

"At the time I was shocked. After he attacked me I didn't recognise he used a knife to attack me. He hit me but then when I saw my blood shedding I thought 'What happened?' I didn't feel any pain at the time so I was shocked. It was terrible."

Most other people would try and hunt down their attacker to ensure justice and appropriate punishment or penalty. But despite the shock and the injury, the priest chose to forgive his attacker by praying for him. To some people, such behaviour would be viewed as ridiculous. Why pray for somebody who almost killed you?
To me, I think the priest is showing God that he is capable of accepting that we must endure suffering throughout our lives, no matter how big or small, or how frequent, and it is the behaviour we portray in our most trialling moments, that illustrates our faith.

The reason I'm writing about this is because this priest's reaction to his attacker reminds me of the South African church congregation that was mentioned in the Week 8 lecture on Providence, Free Will & Suffering, where "On 25 July 1993 St James church in Capetown was attacked by men with rifles and grenades during the evening service. Several people were killed and many wounded."
And one of the church members then goes on to say that despite the tragedy, they are thankful that God thought them worthy of receiving this suffering. It's a totally different reaction to what you would expect of most people.

I have mixed emotions on this topic. Part of me respects the strength of these peoples' faiths in praying for their attackers, but another part of me feels 'odd' (for lack of a better word), because their attackers won't care about whether or not they're being prayed for. Although I suppose it's not that the victims are trying to communicate with the villains; rather, they're communicating with God in the belief or hope that God will make the villains seek repentance and therefore step away from a path of destruction and darkness, onto the road of truth and light.

A response to the article "Stabbed priest prays for attacker"

one of the most beautiful songs I've heard

Ennio Morricone's Love Theme from Cinema Paradiso.

It begins on the piano.

At first, the notes resonate up from the bass, pure and deep.

Then an alto melody floats down from above,

free of tempo and full of emotion.

The two hands complement each other well, flowing in delicious harmony..

And then the piano is joined by a violin, filled with desire and longing.

You can hear a certain wistfulness in the strings.

A chorus of violins sweep onto the musical scene, singing in unison with the piano.

Bit by bit, the melody grows..

A saxophone shadows the piano in another repeat of the main theme as the violins continue to sing passionately in the background.

The melody pulses with life, bursting into full bloom,

Ebbing and flowing like the waves that are pulled to and fro by the ocean.

Bit by bit, the melody slows..

and the soul is soothed.

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When you think about it, it's a really simple song.. and that's what makes it beautiful.

Like Leonardo da Vinci said,

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

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Now playing: Ennio Morricone - Love Theme, Cinema Paradiso

did God create life on Mars before Earth?

"An orbiting spacecraft has found evidence of what look like seven caves on the slopes of a Martian volcano, the space agency NASA said...

..'Whether these are just deep vertical shafts or openings into spacious caverns, they are entries to the subsurface of Mars,, said USGS researcher Tim Titus.

'Somewhere on Mars, caves might provide a protected niche for past or current life, or shelter for humans in the future.'"

Although the article notes that it was unlikely that these particular caves would have sheltered any kind of lifeforms (due to their immense altitude), the article got me thinking. What if we really are in a cyclic kind of universe? Maybe we're the nth civilization, and God created life on Mars before creating life on Earth, and once Earth is over and done with, he'll move onto Jupiter.. maybe not, but you get the idea.

It's an interesting thought. There's no real way to prove or disprove it, because we only know ourselves, our own Earthly existence. Perhaps our methods of measuring the ages of the planets are wrong, and they've been around for longer (or shorter) than we think. Of course this is all under the assumption that God exists as Creator, and He's been busy building all these universes, and different planets of different sizes and orbits..

Come to think of it, He must really like circles..

A response to the article "NASA spacecraft finds possible Mars caves"

it's all about perspective

I'm a big fan of the National Geographic, mostly for their articles on wildlife and natural habitats, and the visual splendours they provide with their photographs from all over the world. I was just browsing a section of their website titled "Your Shot", which I think is basically a compilation of the best photos submitted by readers of NG.

There's this photo of a flower where the shot has zoomed in on its centre - I think it's a tropical flower of sorts. The colours are quite rich and vibrant, and it's not a bad photo. The shot was taken by a reader named Tomasz, and his caption reads,

Isn't it amazing how different things look up close?

My instant reaction was "Of course they do". But after a moment's reflection, I found myself applying this comment to life situations. Every day we get caught up in all the little things, and we stress, and we fret, and we fight about things we really don't need to be worrying about. The saying "making mountains out of molehills" comes to mind at this point.

What I'm try to get at, is that I think we lose perspective all too often, because it's easy to lose sight of something that is right before your eyes. Every now and then we should take a step back from our lives, take some time out to reflect on our position, and step back into the fray, feeling refreshed and re-energized. I've found that this works best if you drive out and sit on a beach, or a cliff overlooking the sea, at a time when there's nobody else around (late night, early morning).. the sound of the waves breaking against the shore or the rocks is a cleansing harmony.

translation: dos gardenias

I fell in love with the music and words of this song while watching the documentary Buena Vista Social Club". The film shows Ibrahim Ferrer singing the song in concert, with subtitles for DVD viewers. It's something about the minor key that the song is in, and the way in which the song is like a profession of love but a warning at the same time.. it's a kind of gentle ominous-ness, if you can imagine such a thing.

Dos gardenias
Buena Vista Social Club

Dos gardenias para ti
Con ellas quiero decir:
Te quiero, te adoro..
Mi vida.
Ponle toda tu atención
Porque son tu corazón y el mío.

Dos gardenias para ti
Que tendrán todo el calor de un beso
De esos besos que te dí
Y que jamás encontrarás
En el calor de otro querer.

A tu lado vivirán y se hablarán
Como cuando estás conmigo
Y hasta creerás que te diran:
Te quiero.

Pero si un atardecer
Las gardenias de mi amor se mueren
Es porque han adivinado
Que tu amor me ha traicionado
Porque existe otro querer.

Two gardenias for you
With them I want to say:
I want you, I adore you..
My love.
Show them all your attention
Because they are your heart and mine.

Two gardenias for you
That have all the warmth of a kiss
Of those kisses that you give
And that you never encounter
In the warmth of another desire.

They will live by your side and talk to you
Like when you are with me
And until you believe that they say to you:
I want you.

But if one evening
The gardenias of my love are dead
It's because they have guessed
That you have betrayed your love for me
Because there exists another desire.

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Now playing: Clare Bowditch/Feeding Set - The Thing About Grief

translation: murmullo

When I'm not procrastinating or doing what I should be doing (work, uni, golf), I'm either playing music, drawing, reading, watching Scrubs, or translating passages from Spanish to English.

I don't do this often, but I do derive a lot of fun from it, and hopefully one day I'll actually invest enough time into Spanish to be able to speak it conversationally, or at least write and understand the language.

This is a song from the Buena Vista Social Club's self-titled album - it's a really beautiful, gentle song (in this instance, sung by Ibrahim Ferrer et al) that makes me close my eyes and sway to the gentle "guun, guun" of one of the percussion instruments. It wasn't until I translated the lyrics that I discovered the beauty behind the words as well.

I know, I know - it's pretty easy to find pre-translated lyrics online.. but that's beside the point. DIY involves constant flicking through the dictionary and trying to recall words I've already come across in previous dictionary searches.

Time-consuming, but educational.

Murmullo
Buena Vista Social Club

Hay un suave murmullo
En el silencio de una noche azul
Son dos enamorados
Que, encantados, gozan del amor.
Y ríe la vida y qué dice así: Ahh, ahh..
Y ríe la luna y qué dice así: Mmm, mmm..

There is a gentle murmur
In the silence of the blue night
There are two lovers
That, delighted, enjoy their love.
And Life laughs, and speaks thus: Ahh, ahh..
And the Moon laughs, and speaks thus: Mmm, mmm..

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Now playing: Buena Vista Social Club - Candela

it's about time

After enjoying the freedom of writing a blog that nobody but I knew the address of, I've now decided to share it with my friends on Facebook. I've decided to stay away from the site meters that count how many people have and haven't been to the site - I don't give a shit about how popular or unpopular I am, and I'm not going to write to impress specific people, I'm going to write to express myself and my opinions, and to rediscover who I am and where I'm headed.

I don't think it's particularly interesting at the moment - most of the posts are for my Science & Religion gen. ed. subject. There's a few movie and music reviews around, and a few posts where I've just decided to vent my spleen about things that make me angry/upset, or I've gone all airy-fairy/arty-farty and written some spontaneous poetry.

In my opinion, poetry is the writer's version of art. The classics are spectacular, but some of the 'contemporary' crap that gets loads of kudos and is highly acclaimed.. it only reiterates the fact that arts are so subjective, being of a highly personal nature..

But I digress.

To whoever stumbles across this blog, I hope you enjoy it, but if you don't, that's okay, we probably don't or wouldn't connect well in real life. Like everybody else, I've got my own quirks I suppose! :)

If you're planning on reading this blog on a regular basis, I would suggest you start at the beginning - this space is only 2-3 months old.

Feel free to leave comments; don't be offended if I don't respond.

If you come across a music review and you want to hear the music I'm talking about, let me know - I love sharing music and introducing people to new sounds.

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Now playing: Stevie Wonder & Babyface - How Come, How Long

unhealthy habits

People.

Please stop smoking.

summer sounds

He reminds me of a balmy summer evening, where the gentle breeze makes you smile as it glides over your body. Or a night on a beach on a remote island, sitting around a campfire on the beach with some friends and enjoying each others' company. Or perhaps, a lazy holiday afternoon, looking up at the azure sky, framed by the palm fronds from the trees that are gently swinging your hammock.

I'm talking about Jehro and his self-titled album.

From recollection, Jehro is French (his real name is Jérôme), but if you listen to his music you'd think he was from the islands, with a Caribbean infusion in his melodies, and the rhythms that are laid-back, but upbeat enough to keep you dancing gently. You'll also feel folk and reggae when you hear his music; overall it's a nice mix.

I love unique voices, and Jehro's is no exception. Reminds me of a light coffee colour (not really sure why) - smooth, with a little roughness around the edges.

And it's not just the music; you have to listen to his lyrics, some of which are sung in Spanish, others of which are heavier than my musical description implies. For instance, in "I Want Love" he sings of a child soldier going through tough times. His words are far from the usual, and I also like that uniqueness about him.

Stand-out tracks:
#1. Everything "And I will learn to say / Goodbye a thousand different ways.."
This the opening track, and it really sets the mood for the album. I can picture it being used as an intro for a film, where you're seeing the characters in their environment for the first time, and a story quickly develops without any dialogue. I think it's because the minor chords of the song sound elusive and mysterious to me.

#3. Long Is The Way "Oh Lord, I made it through / I'm gonna lay down my load.."
This song is the reason why I fell in love with Jehro's music. The song begins with a beautiful guitar (?) intro that makes the notes sound as though they're dancing, sparkling on the water on a hot summer's day, and the light reggae-style beat supports the lyrics of lost love and a sad longing.

#4. Sweet "Sweet, sweet / The taste of my lover / Sweet, sweet / The smell of her skin.."
One of the lighter songs on the album, the violins initially pave the way for what really is a sweet-sounding set of vocal harmonies. The lyrics are of the nature-infused romantic kind - and by that I mean that Jehro sings of the little things that we do with lovers, that make life happy and perfect. I love the trumpet interlude in the middle of the song, reminds me of Cuban music! :)

#9. Shantytown Carnival "Tonight is free / Tonight the streets / Echo the sounds / Of the carnival.."
A catchy little song with a more upbeat sound, as the percussion keeps you moving to the rhythm while the guitar paints its colour all over the piece.. can't forget the piano either, providing a lovely background wash to the canvas of the song.

I first discovered Jehro in 2006 through an mp3blog, called aurgasm (the actual post is here).

To digress, I really, really adore this site and the music it offers - I've discovered some real gems from this site that I would have never heard otherwise; and all the other mp3blogs I've come across are usually fairly genre-specific, and/or not as aesthetically pleasing as aurgasm. Even the name looks good when you write it out - although I've had one or two weird looks when I've tried to plug the site in conversations, hehe.

I think Jehro was the first impulse buy I'd made when it came down to music albums and hearing mp3s from blogs. I mean, prior to Paul's post on his blog, I'd never heard of Jehro.

The tracks that were posted on the site were "Everything" and "Long is the Way". As soon as the music started playing, I was intrigued - and seconds after I'd heard both songs, I was totally hooked and very determined to buy the album. And I did not regret the purchase one single bit.

Magnetic and mysterious. Unwind with Jehro.

Additional reading:
http://jehro.free.fr/htmlen/bio.htm
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After writing this blog, I visited YouTube to watch the music video for Jehro's "Everything", and I've just discovered that his song "Master Blaster" (track 13 off the album, it's only a demo version though) is actually a cover of Stevie Wonder's original song! I had no idea!

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Now playing: Jehro - Master Blaster Demo Version